Re: The Villainess Does It With Class

Not a moment longer, we finally reached our destination, Nine's bookshop. Erin opened the door for me and I entered. Two pairs of eyes looked at me at the same time, one of them was a set of forest greens.

"Welcome~" Nine sang behind the counter, as always, wearing her usual smile.

She really smiles a lot…

"Hello~"

"Lady Nadia!" exclaimed Estelle.

"Hey," I nodded at her in acknowledgment. 

Estelle seemed to get even more thrilled because of my response that she literally brimmed with it.

"You're back!"

"Yes, I am…" I drawled lazily.

Estelle cleared her throat and reeled her excitement in when she realized how eager she was being.  Kinda cute, not gonna lie. 

I walked right up to them and smiled at the very welcoming Nine who appeared as if she already knew what I'm about to say.

"I finished the book you suggested to me and it was really good," was my opening statement.

"So you want to buy another one," she stated and leaned forward, resting her chin on her right hand.

"Correct."

Very intuitive…

"Book? What book is it, Lady Nadia?" Estelle suddenly piped in, looking rather curious.

Oh, yeah… Estelle loves reading so she must be interested…

"It's…" I opened my mouth and was about to tell her but then suddenly remembered something-- "hmmm it doesn't seem to have a title but it's a good one. Maybe I should have brought it with me…" I mumbled.

Why did I not think of that earlier?

"Oh, you don't have to. Estelle here has read that book before," Nine avowed.

And it seemed to be true because Estelle is talking again…

"Wait, no title? Is there a black raven standing on a crescent moon on its cover?"

"Yes--"

"Ohh! She's my favorite author! She writes a lot of fantasies!" Her bright green eyes flashed excitedly, grinning at me like a giddy little kid.

"I can totally see that…" I mumbled as I gazed at her.

"By the way, what trope was it? What story?" she babbled on.

If she could latch onto me as she asks me for answers, I bet she would, judging from the way she literally scooted closer to my side, her wide glistening eyes focused on mine.

And how can I ignore that look?

"It's transmigration. You know, about someone being sent somewhere and stuff…"

"I read some books with the same trope as well!" Estelle immediately responded.

Man, her energy is off the charts…

"My personal favorite was about Sera who got transmigrated into the body of a novel heroine and bla bla bla bla bla…"

'Wow… She's going off…'

"It was really cool! Most especially when she bla bla bla bla bla bla… And then this bla bla bla bla so that's why they bla bla bla bla…"

You know what it is... because the contents of what she's saying right now are big fat spoilers, it came out censored like that. Looking at the most enthusiastic Estelle, with green eyes as bright as emeralds in the sun, with rosy cheeks that seemed to glow rosier the more she got into the moment, and with a smile that could melt one's soul… I wasn't listening to her at all because I got distracted by her face.

You see, I have seen and met a lot of people in my whole 19 years of living. I did tell y'all once that Rosenthal is filled with good-looking fellas, didn't I? There's no shortage of them. I'm surrounded by them. So I don't get dazzled that much unless they're really so attractive that they make everyone else average. 

Estelle is lovely. She's not your generic type of beautiful and I'm talking about the types of Rosa, Gwen, and Beatriz. Don't get me wrong, these ladies are beautiful. They can rise above other ladies their age and stand out. But if Estelle gets placed among them, your eyes would automatically fall to her. What I meant is, Estelle is so charming that she overshadows pretty ladies.

She isn't the drop-dead-gorgeous kind of woman per se but she's truly unforgettable once you lay your eyes on her. Maybe it's because of her expressive eyes? Or because of that striking golden hair? Or that one lone dimple whenever she lets out her adorable smile? Or it must be everything. 

She's so lovely that I feel healed just looking at her…

"I also want to recommend Lady Nadia, another book like this! From the same author!" 

I stifled the smile that spilled.

"Hmm? Sure…"

Why is she so adorable?

"Then how about these? They are books from the past years and the only ones left," Nine said and dropped a few books over the counter. They all have the same color and characteristics. No titles, just an insignia on the cover and nothing else.

Must be her trademark or something… Or she's probably too lazy to think of titles, who knows…

"These are good, Lady Nadia!" Estelle commented as she sifted through them. She then retracted her hands when it dawned on her that it is rude to touch someone else's belongings without the owner's approval.

I mean, they are not mine yet because I haven't paid for them but that's still decency anyways...

"I'll take them all then…"

Nine's eyes glimmered before she held three fingers in the air.

"That'll be three gold coins…"

My brows raised from that, "Three gold coins? Wow, it's more expensive this time huh…"

Last time, she almost gave it to me for free…

Nine's smile didn't even wane, "Because these are limited editions now…"

"Uh Huh… if you say so…" I muttered and gave her the said coins without any further comments.

"Thank you for your patronage…" she beamed.

The way she's smiling right now makes me feel like I got scammed or something. 

'Oh well… It's not as if I'll go broke just because I lost 3 gold coins…'

Out of the corner of my eyes, I caught sight of something dark slowly traipsing to us from the corner of the room. The furry black thing walked in front of me, giving me one unbothered glance before leaping atop the counter. It was a cat. A sleek and lithe black cat.

"Ohh, is it yours?"

It's so fluffy! I wanna pet it!

"Hmm, you could say that…" Nine drawled as she pats its head.

I blinked at her, "What do you mean?"

"Well, she's not technically mine, I don't own her. She's just with me because she wants to…"

"Huh?"

What kind of answer is that? I'm confused...

Nine only smiled at me as the cat purred and nuzzled her arm affectionately. I looked at it and then back to her, questioningly.

"That's not your pet?" I tried to affirm.

"She's not a pet," Nine responded in an instant.

I pursed my lips afterward.

"Okay, sure…"

"Luna!" Estelle gasped.

Ah, so that cat's name is Luna…

The cat ignored Estelle who was trying to catch her attention and turned her glassy eyes to me. It was a vivid blue. Not like the ocean, no. It's like white but with blue undertones… The color of a bright star within the darkest of night.

If I'm not mistaken, the cat made a sound when it met my curious gaze, some sort of grunt and then it ignored me again. 

A memory suddenly flashed in my head. A certain black cat sitting atop a shelf, looking down at me while licking its paws. It was so quick that it left me confused as to where it came from.

But it is beyond doubt, my memory. Just forgot where and when it happened…