Inside the shop, Noah waited exactly one minute before closing up and preparing for his own departure. The brief delay ensured Lola had sufficient time to establish surveillance on the guard without risk of compromising her mission through premature exposure.
He secured the shop’s entrance and turned the sign to closed. The building would remain safe while he attended to other business requirements.
Time to find Valeria and coordinate the next phase of this investigation.
On his way to locate the guild master, Noah spotted two familiar figures approaching from the direction of the royal quarter. Princess Elara walked alongside a man who appeared remarkably ordinary despite the subtle aura of power that clung to him like expensive cologne.
The man accompanying Elara stared at Noah with interest. His clothing was well-made but not ostentatious, his bearing powerful without being intimidating.
As they drew closer, Noah thought of something. He had never seen Elara going with a man before, and the man next to her seemed to be close enough to her.
It was clear to Noah that the person in front of him was the king, without having seen him ever before.
The realisation carried both opportunity and risk. Royal interest could provide powerful backing for their investigation into Baron Richard’s criminal activities, but it also meant Noah’s growing influence had attracted attention at the highest levels of government.
Elara’s expression brightened with obvious pleasure as she spotted Noah, her wave carrying the enthusiasm of someone introducing valued friends to family members.
The king’s eyes were still focused on Noah. His gaze filled with genuine curiosity about the mysterious shopkeeper who had attracted his daughter’s respect.
The convergence of surveillance operations, royal visits, and criminal investigations promised to transform what had begun as a simple day of business into something far more complex and potentially consequential.
It was just another normal day in the life of an interdimensional merchant. At least it’s never boring.
Seeing the princess approaching, the people in the alleyway immediately offered respectful greetings from their various stalls and shops. Merchants paused their haggling, craftsmen looked up from their work, and customers stepped aside to create a clear path for royalty.
"Your Highness!" called out a baker from across the street, bowing deeply while flour still dusted his apron.
"Princess Elara!" added a jewellery vendor, her voice carrying genuine warmth mixed with appropriate deference.
But despite their obvious pleasure at seeing the beloved princess, the merchants and customers maintained careful distance from the royal pair. Their eyes kept darting nervously toward the man walking beside Elara, clearly sensing something that made them deeply uncomfortable.
The stranger’s aura was visible even to those without magical training, the air around him that spoke of immense, contained force. The effect was like looking at someone through heat shimmer, except the temperature remained perfectly normal.
The common people weren’t sure exactly what they were sensing, but their instincts warned them to avoid drawing attention. Royal bodyguards were known to react aggressively to perceived threats, and approaching too closely might be interpreted as an assassination attempt.
Elara waved back at the gathered merchants with a genuine smile, her smile carrying the warmth of someone who truly cared about her people’s well-being. She had always maintained closer relationships with common citizens than most nobility considered appropriate.
As they arrived in front of Noah’s shop, he quickly reassessed his departure plans. With Princess Elara coming to visit—potentially accompanied by the king himself—there was no longer any need to seek out Valeria for coordination.
The meeting is coming to me instead. Much more convenient.
Noah reopened his shop door, stepping aside to allow the royal visitors entry. "Your Highness, please come in. You’re always welcome here."
He gestured for both Elara and her mysterious companion to enter.
Once both visitors had crossed the threshold, Noah immediately turned the shop sign to "CLOSED" and secured the door behind them. Having royalty inside his establishment meant normal business operations would have to wait.
It was mainly for privacy for the high-level discussion he was about to participate in. He can’t have random customers wandering in during such conversations.
The shop’s interior felt different with such powerful individuals present.
Noah turned to face his visitors.
"Your Highness," Noah said, addressing Elara while maintaining awareness of her companion, "would you please introduce your friend? I’d like to welcome him properly to my shop."
Elara’s expression brightened with obvious pleasure at the opportunity to make formal introductions between two people she valued highly. Her smile carried the excitement of someone bringing together respected friends.
"Of course!" she replied with enthusiasm that seemed to fill the small shop with warmth.
As she spoke the next words, her companion’s face began changing dramatically. The subtle magical concealment that had hidden his true features dissolved completely, revealing the authoritative countenance that appeared on official portraits throughout the kingdom.
"Noah," Elara said with obvious pride, "meet my father, King Aldric of Durenholde."
I was right. The actual king, standing in my shop.
King Aldric’s transformation from unremarkable stranger to unmistakable sovereign was complete. His features now carried the distinctive combination of wisdom, authority, and magical power that had made him one of the most respected rulers in recent history.
The king’s eyes immediately focused on Noah with intensity, his assessment shifting from casual curiosity to formal evaluation of someone who had attracted significant royal attention.
"Your Majesty," Noah said, offering a respectful nod that balanced courtesy with his position as an independent merchant. "It’s an honour to have you visit my humble establishment."
The king smiled at Noah’s greeting before saying. "Shopkeeper Noah, it’s an honour for me to visit your shop. It’s anything but a humble establishment, I dare say that this place not only has the best products in terms of quality and looks.
But, it also has extremely attractive decor. This place, the shelves, the glass, everything about it is special. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life, and I’ve travelled a lot."