0&1 Ch 17.3

“Young master?”
“Why are you here, young master?” 

The staff asked the person next to me. I signed the book and received the Box of Wishes.

It looked exactly like the one in the game. I wasn’t curious if the box would bring me luck, but I had reservations that it might not be the same item from the game.

It seemed like the real thing.

What should I do? I was starting to get excited. I didn’t want to get my hopes up too soon.

This box probably won’t help me achieve my goal. At best, it’ll just give me another game item.

I tried to think negatively.

In the worst case, nothing would come out of the box.

I hadn’t even started the main game yet, so the item might not even work.

My heart settled down. I wasn’t expecting anything. Even if I put my hand in the Box of Wishes and only dust came out, I wouldn’t be disappointed.

Okay.

“Hmm. You found out my identity. Did you hear? I’m Lowell Montblanc.”

Suddenly, the person next to me spoke. Auction house employees were surrounding him.

What identity? Are you a superhero?

A moment later, I understood what I had heard. He said he was Lowell Montblanc?

The last character to be captured, Lowell Montblanc, was the youngest son of the Montblanc family, and was portrayed as a rich playboy.

He had light brown hair and long eyelashes. And a mole under his eye.

Looking at his face, he matched the description perfectly.

He had a sly personality, and his feelings for women were as light as feathers, so he was the character who approached the female protagonist the most casually when playing the game.

I thought I would meet him at the academy.

With that, I had met all the characters I was supposed to pursue. However, no one was going to praise me for it.

“Let me introduce myself properly. I am the son of that swindler of a guild master.” Lowell extended his hand.

“To be honest, we sell everything we can make money off of. We even sell things that aren’t worth anything by making them look valuable. I’m just saying because I feel sorry for you. We’re the same age, and we might meet at a party someday, and then I’ll feel really bad.“ 

Lowell spoke at length. But he didn’t stumble over his words once. He’s a good speaker.

“So?”
”So? This is your last chance to get your money back. I’ll take responsibility.“

“Young master! How can you say such a thing?”
“What are you saying in front of the customer?” 

The employees scolded Lowell.

“Oh, come on. It is a scam, isn’t it?What is the Box of Wishes? Why don’t you make something like a ‘longevity potion’ and sell it? You could make a fortune.“

”Wow. You’re a genius.“
”I’ll suggest it to the management.“ 

The employees said. Lowell shook his head.

“This place, you know?“

Even so, Lowell held out his hand to me. He seemed to want to shake hands.

Even though he was acting like I was a sucker, he was basically a good kid. It’s rare for a salesperson to discourage someone who wants to spend money like that.

Lowell seems like he’ll be a conscientious and good businessman. Or maybe he’ll ruin his family.

I took Lowell’s hand and shook it up and down. Lowell’s expression changed.

“Yeah. I’m glad to meet you too. I meant I wanted the box.”

Oh, you meant that? But Lowell didn’t let go of my hand.

I looked at Lowell. He smiled, showing his dimples.

What is this?

“Forget about the box. It was nice to meet you. Thank you for your business.” 

I pulled my hand away from Lowell’s. Then I said goodbye to the employees.

The employees’ faces lit up, probably relieved that I wasn’t going to ask for a refund.

“Thank you. Please come visit us again.”
“Are you receiving our catalog? If not, please give us your home address. We’ll send it to you every month.”

“That’s okay.”

I couldn’t give them my palace address. 

The staff bowed deeply. 

“We’ll treasure this precious connection with you.”
“We love you, dear customer. Have a wonderful day.”

Why does this sound so familiar? Holding the box close to my chest, I left the auction house.

The Box of Wishes. 

My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest again.

I’m not expecting anything. Nothing will happen.

But what if it does?

I shouldn’t be this excited.

Lowell’s face suddenly appeared in my field of vision. 

“You’re not going to tell me your name? I even introduced myself properly.”

“The young master doesn’t have a name to give to someone like you!” Dot growled.

Dot often accompanied me on my trips to the market. He’s not the type to get this angry just because someone speaks informally.

“Dot?”

“Young master, we have to go!” Dot fidgeted. I thought of Alex, who had disliked Lowell in the game.

Maybe Lowell is the type who attracts widespread hostility from diligent people. Does his dishonest nature show at first glance?

Lowell smiled. His dimples sank in. “You’re really loved, aren’t you? Your servant is defending you so earnestly.”

“Did you attack me?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…” Lowell looked flustered and suddenly reached out his hand to me. “Want to shake hands?”

“We just did.” 

Was he possessed by a ghost with unfinished business about handshakes? He didn’t seem to like me much when we shook hands earlier.

“I didn’t catch your name.”

“Young master, don’t talk to this person!” Dot protested. It would be quicker to deal with him and send him on his way.

“Joffrey.” I told him my name.

“You have the same name as Prince Joffrey. That’s not a common name. Could it be that Prince Joffrey is on a secret mission and happened to run into me? That must be it.”

Lowell laughed. Dot and I did not.

“… Really?” The smile vanished from Lowell’s face. He knelt down.

“Prince Joffrey. I am a lowly servant who did not recognize you and committed an offense. Please forgive me.”

He won’t get into trouble for being clueless. When Lowell bowed his head, the employees who had been watching us also knelt down.

In an instant, only the tops of people’s heads were visible.

What do we do? Dot asked silently with a panicked look. I’ve never been recognized as a Prince while out in public before.

What should we do?

“The Montblanc Trading Company sells everything they can, whether it’s profitable or not.” I quoted Lowell’s words.

“Yes, yes. Your Highness.”
“Send the catalog to the royal palace. If there’s anything I’m interested in, you can bring it to the palace yourself and show it to me.”
“What kind of things would you be interested in?”

“Hmm? Something expensive?” I found the exact phrasing I “Something rare. Something unusual and mysterious.”

Like game items.

You never know. The Montblanc Trading Company had extensive connections. They might find game items I’d never have discovered during my life as a Prince.

“Bring me something like that. Then I’ll forgive your rudeness.”

Lowell, who had seemed frightened, raised his head. His eyes were sparkling. “Yes, Your Highness. Should I say I’m visiting at your request when I arrive at the royal palace?”

“That’s right.”

Lowell smiled broadly and kissed the back of my hand. “Thank you for your generosity.”

On the way back to the palace, Dot grumbled. “What a rude boy! The rumors about the youngest son of the Montblanc Trading Company weren’t unfounded after all.”

“Really? He seemed like he would make a good merchant.”

He had a conscientious nature. I wasn’t sure if that would help him in business, though.

“Oh. I see.”
“Don’t you like Lowell?”

“Your Highness, you didn’t know?” Dot asked instead.

“Know what?”

Dot rolled his eyes. He smiled shyly. “You didn’t know! Come to think of it, it’s not something you need to know.”

“So what is it?”

“Oh. Your Highness. I need to organize this luggage!” Dot deliberately changed the subject and disappeared from in front of me. Soon, the knights placed the luggage in the middle of the room.

The knights looked annoyed. Of course, carrying luggage wasn’t their job.

When would they start spreading rumors? The knights were patient, but they weren’t generous enough to enjoy playing along with the Prince’s market games.

It would be nice if they spread rumors that the stupid Prince was spending a fortune on useless things.

The knights and attendants had all left the room, leaving me alone. I placed the Box of Wishes on the table and stared at it for a moment.

If this item really brought the user what they wanted, there was only one thing I could take out.

The key to return to reality.

I had no idea what it looked like or if it even existed.

But maybe. Just maybe…

The Box of Wishes was a small box made of brown leather. It had no ornamentation or decoration and was small enough to fit in both hands. It felt solid on the outside, but light as if it were empty inside.

There was no lock, just a plain latch. It opened when the latch was lifted upward.

I lifted the latch.

The box did not open.

Even when I pulled it with all my strength, it remained closed. The top and bottom of the box seemed to be tightly sealed, refusing to part.

What the hell is this? Feeling dejected, I threw it onto the table.

There was a thud, but the box remained intact. Only a scratch mark was left on the table.