[Ardentis Empire – The Capital City - Legacy Emporium]
The shop bustled with life, its doors swinging open and shut as customers streamed in and out. Resonators in heavy winter cloaks rubbed shoulders with ordinary townsfolk, all drawn by the same promise—quality goods at fair prices.
Behind the counters, staff moved with practiced efficiency, wrapping purchases, answering questions, and restocking shelves. The air hummed with chatter and the occasional chime of the payment crystal registering another sale.
From her vantage point on the second-floor balcony, Cassandra watched it all with quiet satisfaction.
Her gamble had paid off.
By stockpiling winter-specific materials—frost-resistant herbs, heated stones, insulated armor, low rank but useful resonant relics—she'd positioned her shop perfectly for the season's demand. What had started as a modest venture was now solidly mid-tier, its reputation growing by the day.
A flicker of light caught her eye.
To her left, a holographic system window displayed the day's earnings in glowing numerals.
10,427,900 Aura Coins.
And it wasn't even noon yet.
A smile tugged at her lips.
Then—
"Big Sis Cassie~!"
A giggle, bright and teasing, cut through her thoughts.
"You were really right! We're gonna be business queens soon!"
Cassandra turned to her right, where a petite girl with silver-blonde hair, twin braids, leaned against the railing, her rose-gold eyes sparkling with joy.
She was obviously Princess Sara.
Dressed in an embroidered winter gown that cost more than most people made in a year, she looked every bit the royal she was—except for the way she was currently poking Cassandra's hand like an impatient child.
Cassandra chuckled, swatting her hand away. "What? Tired of being a princess? Now you want to take over this queen's position?"
Sara's expression soured instantly. "Cassie!" She huffed, crossing her arms. "You're teasing me again!"
Cassandra smirked. "Aren't you asking for it yourself?"
Sara opened her mouth to retort—
—when a sharp beep cut through the air.
The message crystal on the office table pulsed with pale blue light.
Cassandra's smirk faded.
Sara's playful pout vanished.
They exchanged a glance—a silent understanding passing between them—before Cassandra strode to the table, pressing her palm against the crystal's surface. Her aura flowed into it, activating the message.
The words materialized in the air, glowing faintly:
"To the Esteemed Lady Cassandra,
We regret to inform you of grievous news.
Our manager has met his end in an unfortunate incident. He sacrificed himself to save others during a spatial fissure outbreak in the academy, and, in doing so, lost his life.
Our deepest condolences.
—Knowledge Emporium Staff."
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to stop.
Sara's hands flew to her mouth.
"Manager... no... B-Brother Aman is—?!" Her voice cracked, the words dying in her throat.
Cassandra didn't move.
Her fingers, still resting on the crystal, trembled—just once—before curling into a fist.
The holographic letters wavered, then dissolved into nothingness.
Silence.
"..."
Sara stood frozen, her eyes wide and unblinking. The world around her seemed to dissolve into white noise as her heartbeat pounded violently against her ribs. Images flashed through her mind like shards of broken glass:
The annoying but handsome young man slipping her a honey candy...
His warm hand guiding hers during their first dance at the academy ball...
The way he'd shielded her with his own body during the assassination attempt and saved her despite the dangers...
A single tear rolled down her cheek, then another. Her breath came in shallow gasps as she clutched the railing for support.
"I... I can't..." she whispered, her voice breaking. "Not again... not another..."
Cassandra watched Sara's crumbling composure from the corner of her eye, her own chest tightening. But where the princess wore her heart on her sleeve, the future Merchant Queen had a decade of practice burying emotions deep.
With deliberate slowness, she closed her eyes. In her mind's eye, golden script materialized:
[Merchant Queen System]
Her eyes scanned the interface, finally stopping at one particular tab: [Staff Roster]
A holographic list appeared as she focused on it, names glowing in orderly rows. She easily found the name on the third line of the list:
[Amaniel von Luthaire]
Cassandra focused, summoning his profile card. The parchment-like interface expanded with a soft chime:
Employee Profile: Amaniel von Luthaire
▶ Name: Amaniel von Luthaire
▶ Role: Manager – Knowledge Emporium
▶ Age: 16
▶ Gender: Male
▶ Loyalty Level: High
▶ Evaluation: Intelligent, Resourceful...
Cassandra's fingers twitched against the crystal as she focused on the system's interface.
"System," she commanded mentally, "how much to unlock his life status and current location?"
A chime echoed in her mind.
[Cost: 10,000,000 Aura Coins]
[Note: As long as the target exists within this world, information will be accurate.]
Cassandra didn't hesitate.
"Deduct it. Now."
A sharp ping sounded as the massive sum vanished from her reserves. The employee profile shimmered, expanding with new lines of text:
______
Employee Profile: Amaniel von Luthaire
▶ Name: Amaniel von Luthaire
▶ Role: Manager – Knowledge Emporium
▶ Age: 16
▶ Gender: Male
▶ Loyalty Level: High
▶ Evaluation: Intelligent, Resourceful...
▶ Location: [UNKNOWN]
▶ Current Life Status: [UNKNOWN]
______
Cassandra's brow furrowed as she read the updated information.
"Unknown?" Her mental voice turned cold. "System, are you messing with me?"
[No, host. The data is 100% accurate.]
[Target's spatial coordinates cannot be mapped within known dimensional parameters.]
[Conclusion: Subject is not presently within this world.]
A beat of silence.
Then—
"You're saying he could be alive?" Cassandra's fingers nearly dug into her skin. "Just... not here?"
[Affirmative.]
[Probability of dimensional displacement: 87.6%]
Cassandra exhaled slowly, her mind racing through possibilities—spatial rifts, pocket dimensions, forced teleportation.
She opened her eyes.
Sara was still gripping the railing, tears streaming silently down her face.
Cassandra reached out, gripping the princess's shoulder.
"...Sara."
"Hick.. Hick..."
Her grip on Sara's shoulder tightened slightly as she pulled the trembling princess into a firm embrace. The scent of jasmine and winterberries from Sara's hair filled her senses as she felt the girl's tears dampen her shoulder.
"Don't cry," Cassandra murmured, her voice uncharacteristically soft. She ran her fingers through Sara's silver-blonde braids in slow, soothing motions. "That idiot might still be alive somewhere. And even if..." Her throat tightened briefly before she continued, "Even if he's truly gone, we won't let him be forgotten."
"..Mmm-hick..." Sara nodded weakly against Cassandra's shoulder, her small hands clutching her dress like a lifeline. The princess's sobs came quieter now, but her tears still flowed freely, each drop carrying memories of those moments.
Cassandra's other hand clenched into a fist at her side, her perfectly manicured nails leaving crescent marks on her palm. The pain grounded her as her mind raced through possibilities, calculations, and contingencies.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind them, the afternoon sun cast long shadows across the shop floor, where oblivious customers continued their happy browsing. The contrast between the bustling normalcy below and the quiet grief on their private balcony was almost cruel.
"I won't accept it," Cassandra whispered, more to herself than to Sara. Her golden eyes hardened with determination as she stared at some distant point beyond the glass. "Not until I see proof with my own eyes..."
She felt Sara's breathing gradually steady against her. The princess pulled back slightly, her rose-gold eyes still shimmering with tears but now holding a fragile spark of hope.
"Hick..."
"M-Me too..."