Part Twenty-threeâtranslated by Minna (proofread by Trespasserby; C/E edited by lucathia)
He didnât really seem to care much about the price of the dress. When Edward casually waved his hand, the two people behind him immediately took out a wallet and moved toward the store clerk. When she saw that he really was about to pay for her, Meng shouted loudly, âWait! What are you doing?â
Surprised, Edward replied after hemming and hawing, âI believe⌠In my opinion, itâs very rude to let a lady pay, so you shouldnât worry about the expenses of the dress. Just take it as compensation for not being able to welcome you appropriately last time.â
âYou canât do that!â Meng said quickly.
âMeng?â Sword Spirit never thought that Meng would interrupt his carefully planned set-up. The dress was already within grasp, too.
But Meng was very determined. âThis is my very first dress, so I want to buy it myself. I donât want it to be some sort of small compensation.â
Sword Spirit was taken aback. âBut we donât have any money.â
âWeâll come here again tomorrow morning and ask the boss to let me work here, so that I can make up for the money. I want to earn it myself.â Meng seemed to be very resolute and left no room for discussion.
Sword Spirit, who was used to Meng not having any opinions, was majorly surprised by her determination this time. Who would have thought that Meng would be so persistent about this kind of thing, that because it would be her first dress, she would want to buy it herself?But Sword Spirit wasnât able to scold her. Quite to the contrary, he appreciated this way of thinking.
âIs that so?â Someone refusing his presents also appeared to be a first for Edward. He didnât mind. Rather, it was a novelty for him.
Meng nodded at him.
Edward showed a brilliant smile. âOn that note, I wish you a pleasant time at work. Iâll be coming again a few more times. I hope to meet you here again.â
Seeing Edwardâs brilliant smile, Meng had long been frozen on the spot and could only nod her head slowly. At the same time she thought to herself, If only a certain person would smile at me like thatâŚ
The store clerk said in an exaggerated fashion, âIf even Your Highness says so, okay, okay, you can work here to earn the money for the dress. Iâm sure even the boss wouldnât dare to go against the princeâs wishes.â
When she heard that she was hired, Meng was so happy that she threw Sword Spirit into the air and shouted joyfully, âThatâs great!â
âHey hey hey, you ugly woman, what do you think I am! Iâm a sword. Careful, or youâll cut your hand!â Sword Spirit yelled worriedly. In his heart, however, he was happy for Meng.
After the warning, Mengâs eyes widened, and she watched the sword fall from midair. She didnât catch him, but shrieked and dodged, letting Sword Spirit clash onto the floor. A metallic clang sounded through the room. As he yelped in pain, he said through clenched teeth, âYou lousy bitch!â
Meng quickly picked him up and apologized endlessly, but Sword Spirit was so angry that he didnât want to forgive her.
By the side, Edward was smiling happily.
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Face solemn, Meng held the sword while two men stood beside her with the same serious expression. Their attention was focused on the same thing. Meng breathed in deeply and after she focused her eyes, the sword in her hand glided out in a straight and precise line. A long, ripping sound could be heard, and happy expressions appeared on the faces of the two men by her side.
Beads of sweat dripped down from Mengâs face, and the men quickly gave her a towel she could wipe her sweat with. Mengâs movements grew quicker. Only the swordâs afterimage could be seen, the ripping sounds unending.
At last, she slowly put away her sword, and her mouth drew into a satisfied smile, as the two men gathered to take a look.
âGreat! The cloth has been cut cleanly and precisely, even better than being cut with my golden scissors,â said the boss with endless praise.
The store clerk added on his compliments as well. âAmazing. You cut exactly along the lines the boss drew. Even though Iâve been doing this for many years, I canât necessarily do any better than you.â
Meng lowered her head, embarrassed by the many compliments. Sword Spirit also opened his eyes and shouted proudly, âThatâs because I have such a sharp edge!â
âAh, I see Prince Edward has arrived,â the store clerk announced gleefully. At the same time, he exchanged a knowing glance with the boss.
âThis early?â Surprised, Meng turned her head, but there was no one in sight. Turning back, she saw that the boss and the store clerk were suppressing their laughter.
âYou foolish woman.â
Sword Spirit couldnât refrain from grumbling. He was very annoyed about Meng hurriedly turning her head as soon as the name Edward was mentioned.
âMeng.â Edwardâs voice really came from behind Meng this time.
Turning around with some shock, Meng saw Edwardâs perfect smile right before her eyes. She asked, dumbfounded, âWhy are you here so early today?â
Edwardâs smile became even more radiant. âI finished my work earlier than usual because I wanted to come here as soon as possible.â
âOh.â Meng lowered her head in shyness and continued cutting her cloth, but she didnât notice that she was cutting the cloth into shreds.
Edward was also looking at the pile of cloth with a happy smile. Moreover, after the cloth couldnât be cut into any more pieces, he even took another one and laid it down in front of her, so that Meng could continue with her way of shredding the cloth into tatters, without paying attention to what she was actually doing.
âUgh.â A moment of inattention led to her overlooking Sword Spiritâs eyes and mouth. He directly banged against the tableâs surface. However, Meng herself obviously didnât notice Sword Spiritâs wail.
âYou have to come to the ball,â Edward couldnât help reminding Meng.
âOkayâŚâ
Even though Meng grew even shyer with her head lowered, Sword Spirit, who was in her grasp, could see everything very clearly. Actually, he should be delighted that Meng had captured the princeâs attentionâit was practically a miracleâyet, he was definitely unhappy. Meng being spaced out made him unhappy; her reddening face made him unhappy; every word Meng used to answer Edward made him unhappy!\n