Among them, it seemed certain that some used a bluebird as their image.
At Morgana’s question, the shopkeeper’s brow twitched faintly.
As if recalling a distant past, she swallowed a short sigh before speaking in an ambiguous tone.
“Well, yes. We weren’t close, just acquaintances who exchanged greetings when we crossed paths. Even though we were both apprentices, she seemed to be on a completely different level, I suppose…?”
The shopkeeper tilted her head and offered an awkward smile.
“Now that I’m closing my shop, I can say this—her design sense, ideas, even her sewing skills… We may have studied under the same teacher, but I wasn’t even comparable to her.”
It was an answer that seemed to come only after a long period of private anguish.
They had started out the same, yet one earned a reputation as the best salon in Britain, while the other ended up closing her shop. It was enough to leave a bitter taste.
Just as expected, the shopkeeper clumsily brushed her cheek, as if checking her current expression.
There was no need to press on someone else’s wound.
Unfazed, Morgana smiled and gently asked another question.
“I thought Madame Oted ran Salon Lu by herself. So there were several of you.”
“Ah, she probably runs it alone now. But when the shop first opened, there were two, I believe?”
“The person who used that bluebird as their logo, that’s you, right?”
“Oh my, yes. I can’t believe she’s still using that.”
The shop owner clapped her hands like a girl who had been transported back to those days.
“When we were under our master, the two of them were inseparable. They always talked about opening a shop together one day.”
“If they were that close, why is Miss Oted running the shop alone now?”
Good, the question felt natural!
I thought I had filtered it well, but the shop owner’s expression became ambiguous. She hesitantly brushed her hand over her face, as if reluctant to speak.
“Well, that’s… I’m not sure if I should be the one to say this…”
“It’s not like I’m running a salon myself. Frankly, salon routes aren’t really my taste. I wouldn’t have any reason to gossip about it.”
Morgana subtly used her foot to nudge the parasol she had brought under the table, hiding it.
It wasn’t a complete lie.
Aside from the parasol, every single thing about Morgana, from head to toe, had absolutely nothing to do with the salon route.
Perhaps sensing this, the shop owner cautiously began to speak.
“Well, you see, Lunete, a colleague who was close with Oted, was quite skilled at making perfumes.”
“Ah, I know. You’re talking about those famous perfumes, right?”
“Yes. All of those were perfumes made by Lunete. But after that, I heard she lost her sense of smell…”
The shop owner glanced around furtively, then lowered her voice even though no one was watching.
Covering her mouth slightly with her hand, she continued in a hushed voice.
“It’s just a rumor going around among us colleagues, but they say Odet kicked Lune out because she couldn’t make perfumes anymore.”
“I thought they were close?”
If what she said was true, Lune should also know how to handle sewing.
Even if it wasn’t perfume making, she could have easily continued by creating dresses or props. The shop owner sniffled and gave a small nod.
“Exactly. There was some talk that he might have been trying to take all the profits from Lune’s perfumes for himself.”
It was a fairly plausible guess.
Indeed, the Oted she had seen seemed very fixated on perfume.
Though she had no talent, the fact that she consistently released new perfume products showed she clearly wanted to make a lot of money from it.
She had found the bluebird, but the problem lay elsewhere.
‘If she lost her sense of smell, wouldn’t she have trouble distinguishing scents?’
Was this really all there was after finally finding her?
Still, since she was said to have good taste, Morgana asked her casually, thinking she had nothing to lose.
“So, where are they saying this person Lune is now?”
“How should I know? I only saw her once when my elderly master passed away. She was already on bad terms with Oted by then.”
She shrugged her shoulders and straightened up from her hunched posture.
Just as they were finishing signing and exchanging review contracts, the shop owner suddenly let out a short sigh.
“Ah, by the way, I saw Lune recently.”
“Where?”
“You know, that new place next door—Tir na Nog.”
As if finally remembering, she clapped her hands and continued loudly,
“I’ve seen her going to that herbal shop a few times! When I asked, it seemed she visits regularly to buy herbs that are good for the sense of smell.”
At Tir na Nog?
How ironic—it was right under her nose, yet she hadn’t noticed.
Morgana neatly folded the confirmed contract and placed it inside her magical tool. Her heart was filled with satisfaction from the deal—paying three times the price felt entirely worth it.
The shop owner, perhaps embarrassed by her own excitement, covered her mouth and blushed.
“Oh my, I’ve been chattering away all by myself. I got carried away with old memories…”
“Not at all. It was a very good transaction.”
With a bright, sunny smile, Morgana gracefully exited the shop, escorted by the owner.
The moment the shop owner finished seeing her off and turned to go back inside, Morgana hurriedly dashed toward Tir na Nog.
As she pushed the door open and entered, Percival greeted her.
“Oh, you’re here?”
Morgana strode over to him and quietly asked in a ventriloquism that other guests couldn’t hear,
“Do you have the list? The purchase list.”
“Which date’s purchase list? If you mean the recent VIP list, I’ve roughly sorted it out…”
Percival fidgeted and searched under the table for the list.
Morgana hurriedly waved her hand and continued,
“I don’t know if it was this month. Was there anyone looking for herbs related to the sense of smell?”
As the conversation dragged on, a customer behind them cautiously asked,
“Are you done with the checkout, by any chance?”
“Ah, no. Please go ahead.”
Morgana gestured toward the second floor, signaling them to come to the VIP room, and went straight upstairs.
Not long after, Percival and Jayden followed her up.
Jayden, seemingly still drowsy, stretched his body with a big yawn.
“Ugh, Raon said he’d keep an eye on things for a bit. What’s going on, miss?”
“Do you remember any customers who purchased herbs related to the sense of smell?”
Percival tilted his head as if he couldn’t recall.
Beside him, Jayden, who had been blinking his eyes, seemed to remember something and snapped his fingers.
“Ah, are you talking about that woman?”
“I don’t know the details, but yes, a woman! Her name is Lune.”
As Morgana quickly affirmed, Jayden, with his arms crossed, tilted his head and made a face.
As if he still couldn’t quite remember, he groaned and muttered for a long time.
“I feel like I saw her many times in the past, coming and going. Lune, Lune… I don’t even really know her name.”
Hearing this, Percival, who also seemed to vaguely remember, shuffled through the list and replied.
“She was much more elegant than I expected, you know? Her clothing was unique. The fabric wasn’t particularly expensive, but…”
“Ah, right. The clothes!”
As if he’d just remembered, Jaiden’s eyes widened.
Seeing his voice grow louder, it seemed he had become certain.
“That, I saw her a few times long ago when I was escorting the young ladies. I think she had a shop back then. Right? Where was it, a salon?”
“Yes, Salon Lu!”
“Wow, that’s right. She worked at a big place. No wonder I remembered!”
At the same time, Percival also found Lune’s name on the list and handed it to Morgana.
“It says here she purchased a few herbs good for the sense of smell. But she didn’t specify any particular symptoms…”
“She probably lost her sense of smell entirely.”
The list showed that Lune had mostly purchased herbs meant to clear a stuffy nose or provide comfort.
For ordinary, common customers, herbs of this level were sufficient.
Of course, there was no herb that could restore a lost sense of smell, so it seemed she was just choosing and buying from what was available.
Morgana put the list down with a thump and laughed.
“I need to stock a new herb.”
“A new product?”
As if the thought of memorizing another herb was sickening, Jayden’s shoulders slumped.
Meanwhile, Percival waited for the answer with sparkling eyes, and Morgana smiled brightly as she continued.
“It’s a new product. It will contain a large amount of herbs good for the sense of smell.”
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