54: The Neighboring Wallace and Karen Couple / Reconciliation Ribbon Hat / Ice Water Under the Blazing Sun 4

“Why don’t you try something cold?” said the shopkeeper, to which Carol happily nodded.

“Oh, that sounds nice! Please, take your time!”

“W-wait, it’s still before opening, right? I wouldn’t want to disturb you…”

Wallace hesitated.

He felt resistance to eating and drinking in the mansion that had caused him so much trouble.

Moreover, Wallace was half in doubt about whether the ‘evil spirits’ had really disappeared.

As he looked for an excuse to decline, he caught a glimpse of Karen.

However, Karen was intently staring at something.

“Hey, could this be…?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Is that hat on the shelf… perhaps Mrs. Emily’s straw hat?”

Wallace looked where Karen was pointing.

There, a strangely beautiful straw hat was displayed.

The weave was fine, forming a lovely hemisphere.

Various colored ribbons were also prepared, making it look vibrant just by being seen.

It was clear to Wallace that it distinguished itself from the hats used for fieldwork.

“I don’t know much about it, but… it certainly is stylish.”

“Right?”

“Ah, I gifted a hat to Mrs. Emily as a celebration for her pregnancy. It was something similar to that straw hat over there.”

“See, I knew it!”

At the shopkeeper’s words, Karen’s face lit up with joy, as if saying, “I told you so.”

Wallace thought, “I missed my chance to leave,” but on the other hand, he felt relieved. Lately, they had been fighting a lot, and it often became awkward when it was just the two of them. It felt like a long time since he had seen her smile so innocently.

“Would you like to try it on?”

“Is that okay…?”

“Yes, please don’t hold back. This one is for ladies, and this one is for gentlemen.”

As the shopkeeper encouraged her, Karen took the hat.

It was not a perfectly balanced hemispherical shape but a fedora, and the brim wasn’t very wide.

The straw had been beautifully bleached, giving it a subtly warm white color.

A large pink ribbon was tied around it, making it look particularly cheerful.

The other one was also of the same fedora shape, but it had a chic black ribbon tied around it.

Moreover, the color was a bright wheat tone.

“…It’s beautiful.”

“Please, take your time to look. Ah, I’ll go brew some tea now.”

At the moment the shopkeeper retreated to the back, Carol spoke to Karen.

“Karen, Wallace, there’s a mirror over here, so please try it on.”

“Oh, thank you!”

Seeing Karen happily put on the hat, Wallace thought to himself.

“She’s cute, even though she’s my wife.”

“It looks good on you.”

“W-well, you should try it on too!”

Karen’s face flushed bright red.

“I’m fine. I don’t have any chance to wear a hat anyway.”

“Just do it, here!”

Forced to wear the hat, he was led in front of the mirror.

As Wallace saw his reflection, he thought, “Oh, this isn’t bad.”

“You look good too.”

“Hey, don’t tease me.”

Karen was grinning as she looked at Wallace in the mirror.

Wallace felt compelled to argue back, but there was none of the usual hostility that came with their fights.

“Oh, by the way, is Carol working here?”

“I managed to find a job again…”

Karen chatted happily while wearing the hat.

Wallace decided to give in and sat down in a chair, thinking he might as well stay a little longer.

Finally, he had the leisure to look around the entire store.

“Well, it’s… a refreshing shop.”

His preconceived notion that it would be a creepy store gradually faded away.

Clothes, hats, and accessories were lined up, and they exuded a sense of style similar to the straw hat he had just tried on.

What particularly caught his eye was a shirt worn by a mannequin.

It was very flashy, something Wallace had never seen or heard of before.

He certainly didn’t have the courage to wear something that bold.

Rather, he was more interested in the leather goods gently displayed on the shelves.

“Why is there a crab brand on this…? Now that I think about it, there was a similar mark on the edge of the sign.”

“Oh, that’s the shopkeeper’s pet. …Is it okay to call it a pet?”

“It’s rare to have a crab as a pet… But it’s unique.”

Wallace felt it was a strange shop.

While it had a sense of luxury, there was no haughty air that would drive people away.

He thought to himself that once he saved up some money, he’d like to own at least a leather wallet.

He had a slight admiration for being able to use leather goods that were just for him.

“This is a prototype, but if you’d like…”

A short, white porcelain cup was brought out, and Wallace and Karen were genuinely surprised.

However, upon closer inspection, it was not just pure white.

It had golden veins running through it.

“It’s a repaired cup from one that broke. Ah, don’t worry; I haven’t used anything harmful.”

“Gold… Well, if it’s gold, it should be fine for tableware, but… that’s quite an idea.”

“Is it really okay to use such tableware?”

“Of course. Ah, since it’s a repaired item, it’s not as high-end as you might think. At least, it’s far cheaper than buying a new one.”

“Is that so…? By the way, is this ice?”

The items in the cup were emitting a cool air.

If Wallace were to describe it as he saw it, he would say, “It’s finely crushed colored ice.”

“Yes, it’s frozen and crushed concentrated orange juice.”

“It’s a bit different from ice cream, huh? Interesting…”

In fact, in the Dailan Magical Kingdom, ice cream made from milk and eggs exists, but shaved ice is considered minor. The reason is quite simple. Making ice for the sake of culinary enjoyment is seen as somewhat unethical, and shaved ice or sorbet tends to be regarded as lacking in nutritional value. This stems from a time when food scarcity was a concern, and items that were merely delicious were often looked at with a critical eye.

“Oh, it’s delicious!”

“Yeah… It’s perfect for a treat on a hot day.”

That said, today was sweltering.

Few could resist the temptation to eat something cold on a day like this.

Moreover, the orange juice used for this water ice was concentrated by Jill, who magically extracted the water from the orange juice. The natural sweetness and acidity were refreshing and quenched both their throats.

“It’s really good, isn’t it, dear?”

“Yeah, this is tasty.”

Wallace nodded at Karen’s words. The characteristic acidity and sweetness of the citrus fruits stimulated his tongue even as it turned into ice, smoothly melting in his mouth and refreshing his throat.

“…Looking at this porcelain cup reminds me of my younger days. I was embarrassed to enter a high-end shop that didn’t suit me.”

“Oh, I remember that! It was so embarrassing!”

Before they got married, Wallace had mustered the courage to invite Karen to an upscale restaurant. However, it was a place frequented by lower nobility and wealthy citizens, making it a bit too ambitious for young Wallace and Karen. Although the waiter welcomed them with a smile, Karen shrank back at the differences between them and the others around.

“Sorry, sorry… that was the first time we had a big fight.”

As Wallace nostalgically scooped another spoonful, he caught a glimpse of the bottom of the cup.

There was a spot that seemed to be a wound.

The golden glimmer proudly indicated the damage.

The ability to repair a broken cup.

The possibility of resolving disputes.

And the chance to be reborn beautifully once again.

It felt as if this cup symbolized all of that.

“…Hey, Karen. I’m sorry for everything.”

“Huh? What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“I’ve been busy and haven’t listened to you much… I’ve left everything to you during the weekdays. I’ve been too reliant.”

“W-What’s with this sudden confession… It’s embarrassing!”

The shopkeepers, who thought, “What’s up with these two suddenly getting all lovey-dovey?” cast warm gazes toward Wallace and Karen. Despite it not even being nighttime yet, they were whispering sweet nothings and praising each other.

“Ah, Karen. That hat really suits you, doesn’t it?”

“R-really? But you looked good in it too.”

“Well then… should we buy a pair?”

“Ah, the straw hat is 10,000 dina each, so it would come to a total of 20,000 dina…”

At the shopkeeper’s explanation, Wallace and Karen internally cheered, “That’s cheaper than we thought!”

Then they both leaned toward the counter and said, “We’ll take them!”