Even though it was sudden, it didn't take long for the news of the birthday party to reach the citizens in the entire kingdom.

"Did you hear? There is an exclusive party, just for the children of nobles!"

"Oh, that sounds lovely!"

"Yes, it is! And not just that, but only a selected few can join the party." The person that was speaking had a rather proud expression on her face. "The lady I'm serving is also invited."

"Congratulations! What's the name of the lady you serve? I'm jealous..."

If there is one thing they could agree on during that moment, it was this.

The ones getting the invitations from the royal family must be special!

"Mary..." the voice of the young miss answered in a warning tone, trying her best to ignore the commotion while she was waiting in the carriage.

"Yes?" Her maid didn't change her expression when she turned her head away from the people she was talking with. In fact, her face brightened up even more. She had a feeling the cause was from the conversation they were having.

"I thought we were trying to go out in secret," she raised her eyebrow, slightly lifting only the edge of the curtain to hide most of her face.

The reply she got instead was a teasing smile.

"My apologies, milady. I was simply trying to correct the rumors."

No...You were enjoying the gossip.

At the sudden formal use of language, the people looked in the direction of the carriage curiously, hoping to catch a glimpse of the lady.  

Who is she? Why did she visit here? There were many questions swirling in their mind as they wondered about her identity.

"Nevermind," Adelina sighed, shaking her head. There was no almost no point in using a carriage without a family symbol if they were going to be spotted this soon.

She was planning to buy a gift for the prince before heading to the capital, and when her maid suggested using a secret carriage, she agreed right away.

No one, except for a few, probably knows the full list of the ones invited for the party, so she might as well play along with the secrecy. Since her character in the novel has never gotten such an opportunity, she wanted to enjoy the event to the fullest.

When she first received the invitation, she had a sudden thought. Maybe the prince took her advice, maybe he didn't.

Nonetheless, she felt like this was a good change.

Once Mary entered the carriage, she turned to the people still standing outside. Although they might not be able to see her face, she gave a polite smile.

"Now then, I hope everyone will have a nice day."

--------

The town was more crowded and livelier than ever before, a sight that Adelina thought was worth seeing in person.

"I wonder where should we visit..." she murmured, looking from the window as the carriage slowly went past the colorful shops one by one.

"Milady, do you have a plan in mind?"

She returned her smile. "Truthfully, I don't know where to start." In the past, her parents have always been the ones to send their gifts to the royal palace, through delivery or in person.

This time, she wanted to choose a gift too.

Her face brightened up when she saw a certain shop at the next turn, immediately calling the coachmen to stop the carriage.

"M-Milady! Please slow down!" Mary chased after Adelina, quickly catching up on her tiny footsteps.

"I'm sorry for walking ahead Mary," Adelina replied, smiling sheepishly once they arrived at the store she noticed from earlier, "I must have been excited when I thought of a perfect gift."

Mary glanced curiously at the signboard hung on the top corner of the store. Then, a surprised smile spread across her face instantly.

"A stationary shop!"

--------

Tick tock tick tock.

The clock continuously to sing its lively song, reminding the owner of the shop that she has yet once again lost another day.

Again, no customers today.

Recently, fewer customers were visiting her shop. Writing letters is a popular method of communication among the aristocratic society, though it was apparent that only a selected few among the locals would spend time and money on writing.

She knew it was risky when she decided to set up a business in this town. Her family had told her multiple times that it won't be easy to find customers.

Another tired sigh escaped her lips.

Maybe I should prepare to close this place soon...

Once she heard the familiar tune of the bell, she straightened her back and eagerly waited for the person to enter.

There were two people this time, a young woman and a child.

The owner approached them, presenting one of her usual business smiles. "Hi! How can I help you?" She smiled at the young girl before focusing her attention on the older woman, assuming she was the customer.

The troubled eyes of the older woman met the red-haired child instead. "Milady..?"

The child answered calmly with ease. "I will be the one buying. I was hoping to buy a pen."

She didn't expect her customer would be a child-and a polite one at that. She assumed the older girl was buying, maybe she's her caretaker? From her appearance, the child was most likely around ten years old, yet for some reason, she felt as if she was talking to someone a lot older.

Realizing her mistake, she winced. "I'm sorry for making a careless mistake." she apologized while taking the lead in guiding them. "Please, allow me to introduce the products that are sold here. May I ask what type of pens are you looking for?"  

The child seemed to mumble something under her breath. She couldn't hear the words well. Time period? The 1880s?

"I'm not sure if you have it, but do you sell fountain pens?"

"Ah..yes, of course!" she nodded and walked to the back of the store before returning with a box in hand, smiling enthusiastically at them. "Fountain pens were introduced recently and are expensive, so they're quite limited. But don't worry! I'm sure there is one you would like."

Thirty minutes later, the three of them were engulfed by an awkward silence.

Even though the pens were pretty and would have passed as a gift, somehow Adelina wasn't completely satisfied. She tried to ignore the hopeful expression that person was giving her earlier, knowing she was going to disappoint her.

"Did you have a specific design in mind?" The owner asked almost desperately, seeing how none of the pens interested her. They were the best ones the shop had! At this rate, maybe she will really lose another customer.

"Design..." Adelina repeated her words unknowingly, troubled. "I did like one of the pens here, but something is missing. Can the pens be engraved with letters?"

She began explaining how she wanted the engraving to look like; the font, the color scheme, and so on. While she was speaking, she noticed the owner was listening to her carefully and held back a smile.

"Is it possible?" she asked after she was done.

The owner gave herself a moment to think. 

"Let's see...it's not easy to appeal to the people here. I'm used to selling things that are more on the cheaper side, but I like your idea!"

Her eyes were shining brightly.

"Miss, I'll work on it as soon as possible. You can count on me!"

When she continued their conversation, Adelina felt somewhat guilty by her constant praising. This idea was inspired, or rather, stolen directly from her past memories...is this really okay?

Nonetheless, she nodded and thanked her.

Before Adelina made a final decision, she turned around to ask her maid. She thought it would be nice to hear someone else's opinion on the matter.

"Mary, do you think...his highness will like it?"

As if reading her thoughts, Adelina received a smile from Mary.

"Of course, milady."