Free Web NovelChapter 255: Chapter Two Hundred And Fifty Four
The hot morning sun beat down heavily on the Benson military camp. Thick clouds of brown dust rose high into the air. In the large dirt training arena, hundreds of young soldiers were practicing their sword drills. The loud sounds of wooden practice swords clashing together echoed across the wide, open field.
Damon stood on the wooden balcony of the main command building. He was looking down at the soldiers, but he was not truly seeing them. His mind was miles away, trapped in the events of the early morning.
A memory flashed vividly in his eyes.
He remembered waking up in the bedroom at the mansion. He had opened his eyes, hoping to see Camilla sleeping peacefully beside him. But his side of the bed was cold. Her thick wool blankets were neatly folded. She was already gone.
He remembered walking downstairs to the grand dining room for breakfast. The large room was empty. He had looked at Mr. Murry, who was setting the table.
"Where is she, Uncle Murry?" Damon had asked. His deep voice carried a layer of worry.
"The lady left very early this morning, My Lord," Murry had replied, bowing his gray head. "She said she needed to prepare for the grand opening of her fabric store."
The memory slowly faded away. The loud shouts of the training soldiers pierced through the fog in his mind, bringing him back to the noisy military camp.
Damon gripped the wooden railing of the balcony tightly. His knuckles turned white.
He thought about the terrible, unnatural silence and her behavior from the night before.
"I cannot let her stay like that," Damon thought to himself. His internal voice was resolute. "I promised myself I would make her smile today. I must break that dark shell."
He knew her fabric store was opening today. He knew it was the most important business project of her life. If the store failed, her mood would sink even deeper into the darkness. If it succeeded, it might just bring the bright, chaotic light back into her eyes.
He had to make sure the store was a huge success.
Just then, heavy footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs. Kade walked up to the balcony. Kade stopped a few feet away and bowed deeply.
"You called for me, My Lord?" Kade asked respectfully.
Damon nodded his head slowly. He turned his body away from the railing and looked at his aide. His face was serious.
"Kade," Damon spoke. His deep voice was clear and commanding. "I have a very important task for you. It concerns the capital city."
"I am ready, General," Kade replied, standing up straight.
Damon leaned slightly forward. "Let it be known among the entire Kingdom of Daril that there is a new fabric store opening today in the lower city. Spread the word that this store caters perfectly to the needs of both the rich nobles and the poor commoners."
Kade blinked his eyes in surprise. He was a military aide, not a town crier. But he listened carefully to his commander.
"I don’t care how you want to spread the information," Damon continued strictly. "You can spread it through loud rumors in the taverns. You can hire boys to shout it in the market squares. You can post written notices on the walls. I do not care about the method. But I want everyone in the capital city to be aware of this store before midday."
Kade understood the order. The General was using his vast network of spies, informants, and off-duty soldiers to launch a kingdom-wide advertisement for his wife’s business.
"As you wish, My Lord," Kade bowed his head firmly. "I will deploy the men immediately. The entire kingdom will know about the store in an hour."
Kade turned to leave, but Damon quickly raised his hand to stop him.
"Wait," Damon added. His voice softened just a tiny, noticeable fraction.
Kade turned back around. "Yes, General?"
"Get me a large bouquet of fresh flowers from the best florist store in the upper city," Damon instructed quietly. "And buy a box of the sweetest, most expensive fruit pastries from the best bakery."
Damon looked out toward the dusty training field again.
"After the morning drills are finished," Damon said, his eyes filled with determination, "we will head directly to her store."
Kade smiled a very small, secret smile. He bowed deeply. "I will prepare the gifts and the horses, My Lord."
Kade hurried down the stairs to carry out the orders. Damon stood alone on the balcony, praying silently that his plan would work.
Meanwhile, far away in the lower city, the atmosphere was not looking as bright and happy as they had hoped.
The morning sun shone through the large, newly cut glass windows of the fabric store. The inside of the building looked beautiful. The wooden shelves were painted. The colorful rolls of expensive silk, sturdy cotton, and breathable linen were arranged perfectly.
But the store was mostly empty.
It was the grand opening, but the turnout was incredibly low. Only a very small handful of curious people had wandered inside.
Allen stood near the large table in the center of the room. He was wearing his best, neatest clothes. He wrung his hands together nervously. He looked out the clear glass windows at the busy street. Hundreds of people were walking past the building, but no one was stepping through the front doors.
Allen began to sweat. He felt a heavy knot of panic forming in his stomach.
"Why is no one coming in?" Allen thought to himself, his internal voice filled with worry. "We spent so much gold on this renovation. We bought so much inventory. If we do not sell these fabrics, we will lose everything."
He turned his head and looked at Camilla.
Camilla was standing near the front counter. She was wearing an elegant dark blue dress. Her red curly hair was pinned up neatly.
But her face was blank.
Allen was already feeling very down, but he did not dare to tell Camilla about his fears. He was afraid she would scold him strictly for being overly pessimistic. He forced himself to stand tall and pretend everything was fine.
Despite the low number of people, the few patrons who did enter the store were amazed.
A poor, older woman in a faded brown dress walked timidly through the doors. She looked extremely nervous. She was used to being chased away from such nice shops.
A young, polite female worker immediately walked up to her. The worker smiled warmly.
"Welcome, madam," the worker greeted her kindly. "How may I help you today?"
The older woman looked surprised by the polite treatment. "I... I just need some cheap cotton for my grandson’s shirts. But I don’t have much copper."
"Right this way," the worker said politely.
The worker led the woman to the designated section for commoners. She showed her the rolls of thick, warm cotton.
"You do not need to ask me for the prices," the worker explained gently, pointing to the small written tags attached to the cloth. "The prices are clearly marked right here. You can choose whatever fits your budget perfectly."
The older woman looked at the tags. Her eyes widened in delight. The prices were fair and quite affordable.
"Oh, this is wonderful!" the older woman praised happily. "The quality is so good, and the price is so low!"
Across the room, a wealthy noblewoman was experiencing the exact same excellent service. She was resting comfortably in one of the soft velvet chairs near the front window. A worker was bringing her different rolls of expensive blue silk, inquiring carefully about the specific style of dress she wanted to make.
"This store is fantastic," the noblewoman whispered to her handmaid. "The appearance are nothing like I have ever seen before. It is so bright and clean. I will definitely be back more often."
The few patrons bought their fabrics, paid their coins at the front counter, and left the store with happy smiles on their faces.
But after they left, the store became empty again.
The large, quiet room felt hollow.
Allen leaned heavily against the table. He let out a long, shaky sigh. He closed his eyes, feeling the crushing weight of failure pressing down on his shoulders.
"It’s over," Allen thought sadly to himself. "We failed."
But less than an hour later, something completely unexpected happened.
