Emily followed her grandmother back to the bakery, her thoughts still swirling from the stra exg versation with the mysterious mage.

  As she crossed the threshold of the old, worn wooden door, the aroma of freshly baked bread and flour in the air felt as familiar as ever.

  The bakery was small, dark, and modest, with barely a couple of shelves filled with already-cool bread and a small stone firepce where remnants of the fire used for baking still lingered.

  Despite its good location iy, they barely mao survive, as the business was not owned but rented for a sum that always left the family on the brink of poverty.

  Upoering, her grandmestured to her husband, who was behind the ter.

  "Close up now, old man."

  The grandfather, a man with a weathered fad calloused hands, frowned with .

  "What happeo the breads you were supposed t?" he asked, swallowing hard as he remembered they still had some ers waiting.

  "We already sold them," his wife replied simply, without giving it much thought.

  The grandfather didn't seem as relieved as one would expebsp;

  Instead, his face paled slightly.

  He khat the reason Emily and his wife had go in the first pce was because they had ers waiting for more bread.

  'How am I going to apologize to them?' he thought as he tried to e up with excuses to reassure the few ers still in the shop.

  Meanwhile, the grandmother led Emily to a small table in a dark er of the shop.

  "Sit down," the old woman ordered.

  Emily obeyed, though with a hint of nervousness.

  Her grandmother's tone made her think she was about to receive a lecture for having dropped the basket of bread on the ground when she had been distracted by the mage.

  However, the old woman didn't scold her. Instead, she began to search for something in a small woode.

  Wheurned, she brought with her a colle of hair ribbons, all different colors and shapes, with a childlike and sweet air.

  Emily looked at the ribbons, fused.

  "Grandma, what is this…?" Emily asked, expeg some kind of reprimand.

  The elderly woman sat down in front of her and, with a smile, asked,

  "Are you going to see the mage tomorrow?"

  Emily's eyes widened, puzzled by the question and her grandmother's tone.

  She didn't know how to respond.

  "No... I don't know. I don't want to be a bother," Emily murmured, her gaze dropping to the floor.

  Suddenly, she felt a sharp sp on her cheek.

  The pain shot through her, but Emily only sighed to ehe blow, aced trandmother's harshness.

  "I'll ask you again," the old woman said, her tone severe. "Are you going to see the mage tomorrow?"

  Emily, still rubbing her cheek, answered almost without thinking.

  "Yes, I'll go tomorrow…" Emily said, her voice trembling.

  Satisfied, her grandmother smiled again aended her hand to show her the ribbons.

  "Choose one. I want you to look presentable when you go."

  Despite the pain, Emily chose a red ribbon, the only one she liked among all of them. However, her grandmother clicked her tongue in disapproval.

  "No, that doesn't match yreen eyes," she said, taking a green ribbon shaped like a clover and pg it in Emily's hands.

  Emily frowned.

  She didn't like the ribbon, but she didn't dare to say anything. She carefully held it, trying not to show her displeasure.

  At that moment, her grandfather reappeared, wiping his hands on his apron.

  "Did you really sell those loaves?" he asked, clearly worried. "We just lost several ers!"

  The grandmother, unfazed, showed him the silver s that Non had paid.

  "Look at this," she said, smiling. "We sold more than those loaves are worth."

  The grandfather stared at the s, astonished.

  "What…?" he asked, still in disbelief. "Did you rob a noble or something?"

  "No, you old fool," the grandmother replied with a ugh. She leaned over to Emily and, uedly, hugged her warmly. "irl has caught the attention of a noble."

  The grandfather looked at Emily, his eyes shining with a spark of pride.

  "Wow, finally you're doing something right!" he excimed, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "Do you think that mage has a lot of money?"

  The grandmother smiled and said fidently,

  "Tomorrow we'll find out. Emily is going to visit him in the m, right?"

  Emily's eyes went wide.

  'In the m…?' Emily thought in horror.

  She had barely processed the idea of going, and now she had to do it so early…

  But not wanting to receive another sp or unleash her grandparents' anger, she forced a nervous smile.

  "Yes… of course," Emily said, ughing weakly. "Tomorrow m, I'll see the mage…"