'Is Henry trying to start a beef with a six-year-old? I would have felt bad for him if I was not mentally over forty. But he does not know that he is barking up the wrong tree here.'

The older teen likely thought he would get a reaction out of Layla if he brought up the Duke.

Most of the kids in this place depended on the Duke and his mood. He had picked them up and given them a place, but it was not secure.

After tasting all this luxury, most kids here could not go back and live in the wild without help.

But Layla was different and knew she could get by without any issues.

The biggest problem she would have had was money; recently, Layla had acquired a source for that money.

'Well, I cannot compare these kids to myself. I am easily over four times their age and also have Mary and the buff of knowing the future. It would be quite difficult for anyone to catch up to me.'

Layla sighed before she decided to head out. She doubted she could take any more of Henry's passive-aggressiveness.

"I should head out now. I still need to fix my door and study for the upcoming exam. Good luck with your talk, Henry. I hope the Duke would listen to your words and give them a thought."

Layla quickly took her leave, but Henry seethed where she had left him. His nails bit into his soft palm, and he angrily looked at Layla's back.

"Young Lord Henry looked quite angry with you. I am sure he would try something sooner or later. Would you like me to take care of him before that happens?"

Mary offered with a happy look on her face, and Layla was quick to decline her offer.

"There is no need to do that. Henry is not foolish enough to make good on his promise so soon and won't make a move until he is certain that he will be able to get away. There is no point in wasting your time."

Layla doubted that the Duke would punish Mary for harming someone like Henry. Mary was much more useful than a human on the scale of power.

But Layla still did not want Mary to do anything beyond what she had planned. A big mistake could ruin everything Layla was trying to build.

...

Layla did not get to spend much time in her room and enjoy her privacy. She was extremely busy with her shop and also her studies.

After that near-disaster of the opening, people started to flood into the shop.

The more people who used her products, the more words of her excellence spread around, and more people came to her to buy these things.

The shop had gotten so busy that they had run out of testers and samples.

Layla needed to do something to stop this, or things had a chance of turning violent soon.

When she reached the shop, a long line of angry people stood out, shouting in similar phases as they raised their fists.

"What do you mean you are all sold out for the day? Do you know how long I traveled to get here?"

"I am willing to pay doubt the price for these potions. I just need them all."

"M-My baby needs them! He only likes your floral-scented washing soap and refuses to use anything else. I need to get it again and stock up."

Various people came to the shop, but they all had the same disappointed result.

"Young Miss, shall I handle the situation for you?"

Mary asked, and Raziel had already stepped forward to deal with it when the store manager came forward. Her hard eyes looked at all the customers in front of her.

Siduri's voice was loud and clear when she spoke to the crowd in front of her.

"I'm sorry, but I already told you we are all sold out. If you cannot comprehend this, you must go to the doctor or library to improve your language skills. Please leave for the day and come back tomorrow when we restock."

Since the manager had come forward to clarify the situation, people were angry toward her…

Or they would have if they had any confidence left in their body.

But most people who looked at Siduri could not maintain eye contact for longer than a minute, and they ended up running away with a heavy heart.

Those who did have the confidence also had the consciousness to know when to back down.

The angry crowd quickly dispersed, but it did so with an unhappy expression on their face.

Siduri watched the crowd leave, and only after she was left alone did she breathe a sigh of relief and let the tension in her body drain out.

"Looks like you are doing a good job here. If you need any help, you should not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help you."

Once the cost looked clear enough, Layla stepped forward as well. Siduri's expression went through a few expressions before it settled on relief as soon as she saw Layla's face.

"Young miss, it's you! I am sorry that you had to see this display. We are trying to meet as many of our customer's demands as possible, but it can be tough sometimes, especially when the customer number far exceeds our supply.

But don't worry! We are handling it somehow. You won't have to worry about it."

Siduri assured Layla that she had things under her control, but her tired look and haggard expression told a different story.

'Let's not crush Siduri's pride. I should give her time to gather while I look around the shop.'

Layla was considerate, so she quickly looked away and pretended she did not notice Siduri's exhausted expression. She did not want the Dark-elf to feel self-conscious at this point.

She spent the rest of her day in the shop, keeping an eye on things and the business.