“Feyt’s birthday is in a few days… Hmm…”

I was standing in front of the traveling merchant’s cart. He had several trinkets on display, and with my hand on my chin, I kept staring at them deep in thought.

“What would a young boy like...?”

A wooden sword carved by a master carpenter? No, he was about to attend sword training at the capital, a toy sword would be useless compared to the real thing. Stone weights? No, I could just ask Dad to carve some out for Feyt if he ever needed it. Maybe a flower crown? That would look funny on him, but I figured he wouldn’t like it.

“M-Miss? A-Are you done looking around? I have an appointment in the next village soon, could you please—”

“Shut up, you want me to buy your stuff or not?”

“H-Hieeh! Y-Yes! Please, take your time!”

Ignoring the cowering merchant, I continued eyeing his wares up and down.

“Hmm… None of these would work…”

The merchant slowly stepped to my side and asked, “I-If I may? What exactly are you looking for? I could perhaps help you?”

I pondered for a moment whether or not to share with this old man, but, I guess standing here all day would sound boring as heck. Reluctantly, I nodded. “I’m looking for a birthday present for my little brother. Do you have anything that a young, rash boy might like?”

The merchant didn’t skip a beat, he immediately stood in front of me with a forced wide smile. “O-Of course! I have several items that might interest him! But first, I must know what kind of person he is. Or at least something that he likes, if that’s possible.”

I closed my eyes as I pondered, “Something he likes, huh?”

My mind instantly went to one thing and one thing only. Carine. At first, I teased him about her just to lift his spirits up after being kidnapped. But after looking at the two of them more carefully, they definitely had chemistry.

I was worried about sending off Feyt to a noble girl, but the girl looked alright so far. Heck, maybe the reason he accepted that old rich dude’s proposal was so he could get close to her.

Didn’t know he was so direct.

Anyway, back to the present, the merchant was staring at me, his hands rubbing nervously. I reluctantly gave him my answer. “He has a girl he likes, that’s the most I will tell you.”

The merchant’s entire face lit up as if I’d just handed him the key to a treasure chest. He clapped his hands together, the forced cheerfulness returning in full force. “Ah! Say no more! Say no more! I have just the thing! The perfect gift for a boy filled with young love! This way, miss!”

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Before I could object, he darted to the back of his cart, rummaging through a pile of cloth-covered items. He yanked a small, long wooden box into view, presenting it in front of me with a wide smile.

“Behold!” he exclaimed, opening the box to reveal two necklaces. One embedded with a blue gem, the other red. “A pair of soul-bonding necklaces! Don’t be mistaken by the appearance, miss! For these are very special!” He beamed, his eyes watching me closely for my reaction.

I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “And these are supposed to be special how…?”

“Oh, very special, miss. You see,” he leaned in closer, looked left and right, and lowered his voice to a whisper, “these necklaces are no ordinary trinkets. When worn by two people who share a deep connection—say, your brother and the girl he’s fond of—they allow the wearers to communicate with each other, no matter the distance!”

I blinked, staring at the necklaces. “They let you talk to each other?”

These necklaces sounded like Artifacts, no normal magic could allow one to talk from far away that easily.

I rubbed my chin, intrigued despite myself. These do sound like something Feyt might like. Being able to chat with the girl he likes even while he’s away might be the best gift! Well, he was going to stay at her house for the duration of his training, but when else can I find this merchant?

But there was something… off. My [Fortune Finder] talent didn’t so much as twitch in the presence of the necklaces. Normally, I’d get a small tingle when I was near something of value, even just a faint hum. But here? Nothing.

I furrowed my brows. “I don’t sense any value in these necklaces... You sure these are… real?”

The merchant's smile faltered for just a moment before he quickly regained his composure. “A-Ah, of course, of course! You see, some say that even the best of merchants cannot recognize the value these necklaces have right away, for it is the connection that gives it value—emotional value, rather than simply monetary worth.” He rubbed his hands together, his voice growing more frantic as he continued. “It’s meant for those with a bond, you see? Those bound in love! I’m sure you understand?”

For those bound in love… Yeah, it probably has no value to me. The only thing that mattered to me was to be free to go whenever I liked, and tease Feyt whenever I wanted to. Maybe it just wasn’t valuable to me specifically. I wasn’t the one with the mushy feelings, after all.

“Fine,” I muttered. “How much?”

The merchant’s eyes sparkled, as though he’d just won a grand prize. “Ah! For you, miss, a mere… fifteen silver coins! Yes, for such a rare and unique item, I’d normally charge triple that, but you seem like someone who knows quality when she sees it.”

“Fifteen silver?” I scoffed. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

That amount could buy Mom three days’ worth of booze. Which was a lot, by the way.

“Ah, but consider it an investment in your brother’s happiness! But… since you’re a discerning customer, I could let it go for twelve silver. I’m practically losing money with that price!”

I glared at him, crossing my arms. “Ten.”

The merchant winced, but he relented. “W-Well, I suppose I could part with it for that much, but only because you’re such a caring sister.”

I tossed him the coins, grabbing the box before he could try and upsell me again.

“Thank you for the business, miss! I’m sure your brother will thank you deeply!”

The merchant closed up his cart in a hurry. I felt a bit sorry that I held him up, but I wasn’t going to apologize for anything. As he raised the cart handles to his waist, I could hear a small mumble. Something about sucking?

He left pretty quickly though, as if he was running away from something. Well, I decided it was best not to bother him anymore.

I walked back home with the box in hand, glaring at it all the way. I thought staring at it harder would help, but…

“Hmm… Nope, no tingle.”

Am I really that detached from love?

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image [https://i.imgur.com/RdC5Gde.png]