Welcome to Olivia’s Magic Stone Jewelry Store

Chapter 5: First Vacation and Young Elliot

“Where am I exactly?”

On a busy thoroughfare

Olivia stood there in a daze, map in hand.

“I must be completely lost…”

***

Life in the royal capital began well.

The day she was hired, Olivia entered the fifth-floor dormitory of the magic tool store with her small luggage.

She began working the next day.

“Hello, my name is Olivia, and it’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

She introduces herself to the senior magic tool makers, who look at her with curious eyes.

Olivia learned her job as an assistant to her seniors at Gordon’s discretion.

They welcomed her as a young, eager student.

They actively cared for her, showed her how to do her job, and accompanied her to the store to buy a navy blue suit.

She is constantly amazed at the new skills she acquires while assisting her seniors.

On the other hand, she suffered from insomnia and nightmares.

The reason for this was, of course, her stepfamily and Henry, and she sometimes couldn’t sleep until morning due to frustration and regret over losing her father’s business.

Olivia’s first vacation was a long time coming.

The Gordon’s Great Magic Tools Store gives its employees two days off every ten days, and this was her first vacation after ten days of work.

(I haven’t had a day off in a long time; how will I spend it?)

Olivia is seeking a change of scenery due to insomnia and nightmares.

When she asks her senior how she spends her vacation, she replies, “I frequently go to a café.”

It’s said that on holidays in the capital, it’s customary to have a leisurely lunch at a café.

When Olivia hears this, she remembers.

Olivia’s good cousin boasted, “I went to a café in the royal capital!”

(Well, I’ve come all this way.
I want to do something royal-capital-esque.)

“…all right.
Here we go.
Cafe.”

So she inquires about cafes, and the receptionist tells her about a cafe with excellent pancakes.

She set out early, map in hand, hoping to get in before it got too crowded…

“Huh? Is there no road? “

“It doesn’t look right, but this is the direction…”

As a result of this mysterious confidence and intuition, she lost track of where she was.

(In any case, I should know where I am.)

Olivia scans the surroundings for a landmark, trying to figure out where she is.

She compares the map to her current location to determine where she is.

But she has no idea where she is, no matter how hard she tries.

(What should I do?)

just when she was about to give up.

“Hello.”

From behind her, she hears a quiet male voice.

(Eh? Who is it?)

She looked up from the map and turned around to see a tall, handsome young man in a brown jacket and green-tinted glasses standing there.

She bowed quickly after realizing it was the young man who had called Olivia [madam] and given her directions.

“Hello.
Thank you for taking me to the store the other day.
I cannot thank you enough.”

“I’m sorry as well.
The directions were intended as an apology, so please don’t worry about it.”

The young man replies calmly, one hand resting lightly on his brown hunting cap.

“What are you doing in the middle of the street?”

“Well… I’m, um… I got a little lost…”

“Let me look,” the young man says, bending down to examine the map.

“You’re here now.
Do you want to go to this circled place?”

“Yes.”

The young man mumbles.

He slowly opens his mouth after a brief moment of thought.

“…All right, then, let me show you around.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s quite far away.”

Olivia was startled and panicked.

She feels bad about asking a man she barely knows twice to show her the way.

The young man inquired.

“Excuse me, but where did you leave today?”

“At the Gordon’s Great Magic Tools Store.”

“I knew it,” the young man said, nodding.

He indicated the map.

“This is Gordon’s Great Magic Tools Store, and this is your destination; in other words, this is the polar opposite of where you’re going.”

“…Quite the contrary.”

“Yes, the royal city is a maze of streets; not to be arrogant, but perhaps I should take you there.”

Olivia looked down at her eyes in embarrassment.

She had noticed for some time that she lacked a good sense of direction.

(Perhaps he’s right, and I should ask him to show me the way.)

She bowed her head straight.

“…Thank you very much, I’ll take your word for it.”

“You can rely on me.”

They start walking side by side, at some distance from each other.

The young man asks Olivia as he walks slowly, matching her steps.

“Did you end up working at Gordon’s Great Magic Tools Store?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

“That’s great; working for that store is a mark of excellence.”

(That’s true, after all.)

Olivia is convinced because the store’s senior magic tool makers are too good.

“Do you have any specialized magic tools?”

“I’m good at… I mean, I enjoy creating magic stone jewelry.”

“I see.
The wedding industry is on the rise in the royal capital right now, so it might be a good idea to go into that area; that’s probably the area that’ll grow the most this year and next, so it’s not a bad idea to get in while you can.”

Olivia was taken aback by how well-informed he appeared to be.

She had assumed he was just a friendly but laid-back young man, but he could be a serious type of man at work.

The young man inquired.

“Speaking of which, I heard that locks with magic stones, which are popular right now, are extremely difficult to make?”

Olivia responded, thinking this was a very technical question.

“Difficult isn’t quite right.
I believe it is more accurate to say it [requires] aptitude.
If you have the aptitude, you can do it quickly, but it takes a lot of effort if you don’t.”

“I see.
So that’s how it is.
How many of them are qualified? “

“I’m not sure what percentage, but all of the magic tool makers at Gordon’s Great Magic Tools Store are qualified.
But in Daregas, where I was, I believe it was less than one in ten.”

The young man expressed his admiration.

“I see.
You’re very good at explaining.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.
There are many people who can’t explain well to others, even if they’re good at it.”

Olivia chuckles when she thinks about the faces of the store seniors.
That might be so.

(They’re all fantastic, but sometimes their explanations are frequently incomprehensible.)

So the two continue on their way, having a rather technical conversation.

They then enter an elegant street, where the young man points to a store.

“We’ve arrived.
That’s most likely it.”

(!! Stylish!)

Pink and white potted flowers complement the light blue walls and white wooden door.

There’s a very sweet smell coming from inside the store.

Olivia rushes over, her eyes sparkling.

It looks even better than she had hoped.

When she sees the sign on the door, her shoulders slump.

[fully booked, now a two-hour wait]

(Sigh… I left early, but I got lost, and the crowds had arrived.)

Olivia is disappointed, and the young man looks at her, silently thinking.

Then he muttered, “Is it some kind of fate?” and opened his mouth.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Eh? But there’s a two-hour wait…”

“Well, just follow me.”

A young man opens the door and walks in.

He says something to the receptionist, and a middle-aged man appears from behind him.

“It’s been a while, Dixx-sama.
How is your father?”

“Yes, he’s fine.
Is “that” room available?”

“Yes, of course.
This way and your companion please.”

Olivia follows the man, looking on blankly, and is led into an elegant room with a table and chairs by the window.

The young man motioned for Olivia to take a seat and then opened the menu on the table.

“What do you want?”

“Uh, um…”

She looked at the young man’s well-groomed face, unable to keep up.

(Isn’t this a VIP room? Who is this man?)

Seeing Olivia’s confusion, the young man murmured, “Ah, that’s right”

“This is a business financed by our trading company.
That’s why we were given a special room.”

“I-I see… Please excuse me, sir…”

“I know.
It’s weird that we’re having dinner together and we don’t even know each other’s name.”

The young man gracefully placed his hand on his chest.

“Please allow me to repeat my name: Elliot Dixx, third son of the Dixx Trading Company.”

“M-My name is Olivia Carter, and I’m a magic tool maker at Gordon’s Great Magic Tools Store.”

Olivia manages to introduce herself with a stutter.

Then she was convinced.

Even Olivia, who has only been in the royal capital for half a month, has heard of the Dixx Trading Company.

It has to be a large trading firm.

As a trader, it stands to reason that he is familiar with bridles and magic tools.

Then she asked anxiously.

“Um…Excuse me.
Do you happen to have a peerage?”

“My father holds the title of baronet.
Olivia-san? “

“Ah.
Yes.
My father is also a baronet.”

Olivia patted her chest in relief.

She wondered what she would have done if he had been a highborn aristocrat, but they appeared to be in the same position.

(But he’s from the capital, and he’s far more aristocratic than I am, despite the fact that we’re both baronets.)

Following that, the two of them ordered the pancake set, which is the restaurant’s specialty.

When she sees the food being brought to her, Olivia’s eyes light up.

(It looks delicious!)

Two layers of well-browned pancakes filled with cream.

It has jam, honey, nuts, and berries on top.

“Itadakimasu (Bon Appetit).”

Olivia carefully cuts the pancake with a knife and puts it in her mouth.

The sweet taste in her mouth makes her gasp.

(Ah… the joy…)

It goes well with tea, and the taste changes depending on what you put on it.

It’s an excellent meal.

Olivia eats sparingly at first in Elliot’s presence, but by the time half the pancakes are gone, she’s blown away.
She loses track of him and becomes engrossed in the pancakes.

“You’re a very good eater.
I’ve never seen a woman eat so much,” Elliot says happily when he sees Olivia like that.

“You may have another.” and “Shall I order some tea?” And so on and so forth; he looks after her well.

An hour later,

Olivia satisfiedly placed her fork on her plate after finishing two plates of pancakes and three cakes.

(Sigh.
It was delicious.
It was a happy time.)

Elliot smiles and happily pours tea into Olivia’s cup.

The sight brought Olivia to her senses.

She’d almost forgotten he existed.

(It’s too rude to ignore the people you’re eating with and just keep eating in silence.)

Olivia looks away, uncomfortably sorry.

Elliot raised the corners of his mouth, sensing Olivia’s emotions.

“Don’t worry about it.
I had a good time as well.”

“…But, you only ate one pancake.”

“With due respect, but this is standard.”

They then leave the restaurant and make their way to Gordon’s Great Magic Tools Store.

On the way back, the topic of conversation was still magic tools and business.

Olivia discusses magic tools, whereas Elliot’s knowledge is wide-ranging..

And,

“Please excuse me here.
I thoroughly enjoyed your company.
I’m looking forward to exchanging more information with you.
Next time, let’s go to a cake roll shop.”

“Cake roll! Please! Thank you very much for today.”

Elliot’s broad back is seen off after a conversation.

She had an epiphany.

“On that subject,today, I couldn’t recall anything about Henry-sama or my uncle’s family.”

Their faces kept popping up to torment Olivia while she was working or alone in her room.

But that hadn’t happened once today.

She is both mentally and physically lighter.

(I guess I’ve had my fill of good food.)

Olivia expresses gratitude to Elliot for inviting her in.

She was able to feel so satisfied because of him.

That night, she stayed up late drafting for the first time in a long time.

And she fell asleep quietly for the first time in a month.

***

At around the same time

in a simple but magnificent office with a wall-mounted bookshelf.

A young man named Elliot laughed, reminiscing in the light of a magic lamp.

(Today was really interesting.)

He recalled her vivid blue eyes as she ate her pancakes.

(I’ve never seen a woman eat so boldly.)

In general, women are advised to eat small meals, and when they do, they typically take small pieces of food and place them in their mouths one at a time.

This is especially true for the nobility.

But she is unconcerned about it.

She slashes them into large pieces and shoves them into her mouth as quickly as she can.

When he offered her a second helping of pancakes, which she devoured, she ate not only the pancakes but also several pieces of cake.

Her happy expression made him happy as well.

After the meal, she did not pry into his affairs or look at his face.

Her expressions and behavior are genuine, and her only interests are cakes and magic tools.

(I’ve never been happier or more at ease with a woman.)

He almost burst out laughing as he remembered the sparkle in her eyes when he said, “Next time we’ll have cake rolls.”

She was well-versed in magic tools and told him many fascinating stories.

Her unpretentious demeanor was also very appealing.

Combined with her pleasant eating habits, he looks forward to their next meeting.

“…I’ll have to ask the maids where the cake rolls are located.”

Elliot murmurs to himself quietly, then smiles and turns back to his work.