Book 8: Chapter 4: The House of Madame Cassandra (2/2)
”U-Um…”
”I guess I should introduce you to the madam first.”
”R-Right…” Monica replied vaguely and started walking with her arm entwined in Felix's… or more like holding his hand like a lost child.
The house of Madame Cassandra was one of the most popular establishments in this entertainment district, and whether it was the decorations on the pillars, doors, or the carpets, the whole place was so gorgeous it hurt her eyes.
The mansion of Mary Harvey, the [Star Oracle Witch], was also luxurious but compared to this store, hers was much more elegant, Monica thought to herself.
Eventually, Doris stopped in front of a room at the end of the corridor.
”Madaaaame! Madame Cassandra! I brought you a good man after a long time, he's coming to see you!”
”Come in.”
The voice coming from inside the room was that of a woman who had been drunk.
Doris opened the door in a good mood and let Felix and Monica in.
Though the corridor leading up to this place was quite gorgeous, the inside of that room was even more painful to the eyes.
Carpets in red tones, curtains made of velvet, the decorations and tassels, which had been crafted with a lot of goldwork and gold thread. And in the center of the room, a woman was sitting on a cat-legged couch. She, with beautifully coiffed gray hair, bright scarlet dress, and wide-brimmed hat, was already past her prime age, but far too vibrant to be considered old. Her amber eyes, glistening with a strong glow, were reflecting Felix's.
”Oh, my, Sir Baron. It's been a while since I've seen you. You know, the girls in the store have been losing motivation because you haven't been showing up lately.”
”I apologize for that, Madam. A few things have come up in my business.”
What kind of a business does he have, he's just a student. However, looking at Felix now, no one would think that he was a student. He was far too used to the nightlife.
…I'd better not say something unnecessary…
When Monica took a step back and hid behind Felix, the woman known as Madame Cassandra cocked her chin and looked at Monica.
”Who's that girl?”
”Oh, I was wondering if you could take care of her clothes. I want her looking more appropriate in this city.”
This proved he was not lying when he told her that he was looking for warm clothes for Monica. Regular clothing stores would have long since closed by now. So, he figured it would be quicker to get some clothes and pay for them at this kind of store.
Doris said, ”In that case, leave it to me,” in response and grabbed Monica's wrist.
”Come on, this way!”
”But, I…”
Monica looked at Felix and Doris alternately in dismay, but Felix just smiled and waved at her.
”Have her get dressed beautifully.”
”W-Wait, I…”
”Come on, get moving!”
Doris grabbed the flustered Monica's wrist and started walking with a big stride, half dragged to another room.
＊ ＊ ＊
After watching Monica being dragged away by Doris, Felix sat down on the couch across from Madame Cassandra, which she then opened a locked drawer of her cabinet, took out a few envelopes from it, and placed them before him afterward.
”Baron Grimton, Count Morin, Count Aschente, Marquis Bardia… it was from the nobles you met in this store.”
”Thanks for all your help as always, Madam.”
Felix thanked her, took the envelopes, and put them in his pocket without checking the contents. The nobles that Madame Cassandra mentioned had one thing in common. They are all nobles affiliated with Duke Crockford. Of course, the perceptive Madame Cassandra must have been aware of this.
”I don't mean to pry too deeply, but… are you going to stop coming to this store?”
”I afraid so.”
Felix placed a bag of gold coins in front of Madame Cassandra, who sighed, ”My precious guest” in response.
”This should be enough for you to have a big party tonight.”
”And of course you're going to be at that party, aren't you?”
”No, I've got other places to go. If you could just lend me a place to sleep tonight, that would be enough.”
Madame Cassandra, with a sullen look on her face, took out a smoking pipe and sucked the tip of it into her bright red lips.
”For the last time. You can bring in as many girls from my store as you like to your room.”
”That might not be a bad idea, though. On my way here, I made a night-out friend, albeit in an unexpected way, so I'd planning to take her as my priority today.”
”Hmm?”
Madame Cassandra widened her eyes, which had been squinting moodily, and blinked.
”…could it be that the dull girl from earlier…”
”Yes, she's my friend.”
When Felix answered plainly, Madame Cassandra put her hand on her forehead and looked up at the ceiling.
”What a bummer. I thought she was going to be sold to one of our stores…”
As Madame Cassandra blurted this out, she heard a clattering sound of running in the corridor. Moments later, Doris came running into the room with Monica by her side.
”Madame! Madame! Madaaame!”
In Doris's arms, who was raising her voice, Monica was mumbling numbers with vacant eyes. Felix rounded his eyes at the sight of her appearance in a flimsy dress, like the ones the girls in this store wear, which looked like underwear. A kind of revealing dress that would look good on a woman as voluptuous as Doris, but when worn by Monica, who's too skinny, it made her look impoverished and uncomfortably cold.
The dark Bordeaux fabric only accentuated Monica's pallor, and the shoulder straps had already slipped halfway down, almost exposing her scanty bosom.
Doris said to a surprised Felix, brushing her hair.
”I'm sorry, Sir Baron. I gave this little girl you came to sell us a little demonstration on how to please a man, and all of a sudden she's turning into a cripple. I'm really sorry, what should I do? Can I fix it by hitting her head?”
Doris's instruction, including the demonstration, was probably too intense for Monica. As a result, she seems to have tripped into the world of numbers, just like any other time.
”I'm sorry, Doris. I guess I was not clear enough.”
”Hmm? You've come to sell this orphan girl to our store, right? Well, she's a little too skinny to be suitable for most men, but I'll make sure she's ready to take on customers, so don't worry about leaving her to me. This Doris will take good care of her.”
”No, yeah, I mean…”
From then on, until Felix cleared up Doris's misunderstanding, while Monica kept muttering numbers with her empty eyes endlessly.