Noah settled onto his rickety stool.
I've been slacking.
Between city exploration and impromptu slave liberations, he'd barely maintained regular business hours.
What kind of entrepreneur abandoned his shop for adventures?
What if customers come here and find the place closed? Who's going to reimburse me for those losses?
He crossed his arms and leaned back against the stone wall, feeling the cool surface through his shirt.
His shelves contained products that could change lives, yet here they were, sitting there on his shelves.
I really need to buy some kind of mattress. Or at least a comfortable chair.
The wooden stool felt like it was actively plotting against his spine. His eyelids grew heavy in the silent shop.
Just a quick rest. Maybe five minutes...
Sleep crept in like a familiar thief, stealing his consciousness one breath at a time.
The bell's cheerful chime jolted him back up.
Noah's eyes snapped open, blinking away the fog of unplanned napping.
He rubbed his eyes, trying to look professional rather than like someone who'd been drooling on his own counter.
Princess Elara stood in the doorway, her amber eyes sparkling with obvious amusement.
"Good afternoon, Noah."
Her voice barely contained her laughter.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."
Like my impromptu coma? No, not at all.
Noah straightened on his stool, acutely aware of how undignified he must look. "Your Highness. Welcome to my shop."
She stepped inside, her gaze sweeping over the organised shelves before returning to his sleep-rumpled appearance.
"Comfortable furniture might be a wise investment," she observed, closing the door behind her.
Great. Even royalty thinks my setup is pathetic.
"It's on my wishlist," Noah replied, attempting to save his dignity while sitting on what amounted to a wooden torture device.
The princess's smile widened, suggesting his efforts at composure were less successful than hoped.
This is either going very well or very badly. With her, it's impossible to tell the difference.
"James brought me that iced tea," she said, nodding toward the glass bottles.
"It's quite tasty, I must say, and very effective too."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"That's why I'm here to place a daily order."
Huh?
"I want all your iced teas. Every single day."
Noah's heart exploded into overdrive.
God is rewarding me for freeing Kip. This is massive!
Visions of gold coins danced in his head. Daily bulk orders from the crown? Financial security beyond his wildest dreams?
He took a deep breath, forcing his excitement into check before responding.
The answer shocked him and Elara.
"No."
"Huh?"
Princess Elara's face transformed into pure shock.
"Why?"
I just turned down tens of gold coins. Am I insane?
"Your Highness, my supply is limited." Noah kept his voice steady despite his racing pulse. "If the crown buys all my stock, what am I supposed to sell to other customers? Air?"
For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then Elara's smile returned.
"You're right." She stroked her chin thoughtfully. "A merchant who alienates his customer base won't last long."
"Okay, how much can you allocate to the crown from your daily stock?"
Noah raced through calculations.
Six iced teas are produced daily. If I sell three to the crown, I keep three for walk-in customers. Actually, Iced tea is quite expensive, it's very difficult to sell. I'm better off selling more to the crown whilst keeping stock for some rich walk-ins.
"Four iced teas per day," he announced. "Forty gold coins."
"Deal. I'll send someone to collect the goods daily. Pleasure doing business with you."
"You too, Your Highness."
"The guard will start the delivery process from tomorrow, then."
Noah nodded. "No problem,"
She paused, eyeing the current inventory. "Also, can I take today's full stock, or am I limited to four?"
Twelve glass bottles caught the afternoon light, each one worth a small fortune.
"You can take ten out of twelve if you want."
"Deal!" She beamed with genuine delight.
She took out a heavy pouch from her robes, landing on his counter with the clink of gold.
"One hundred gold coins."
I'm rich! Actually rich!
Noah stared at the pouch, trying to process the magnitude of what had just happened. Yesterday, he'd been worried about loan sharks. Now he had royal contracts and more gold than he'd ever seen.
I just made $10,000 in one transaction.