"Young Miss, are you feeling nervous about your competition? You don't have to participate in this. As I told you, you can borrow money from me-"

"That is not an option. Do you want the royal family to be on our cases? Besides, I need to go out and connect with other families if I wish to establish myself."

Layla diligently studied how the market operated during these times.

There was no internet or television to advertise someone's business (another thing Layla wanted to work on)

Most news traveled by word of mouth. If Layla wanted to advertise and expand her business, she needed influential people to promote her.

She was strategic in her approach, understanding that genuine connections would be more valuable than paid endorsements.

It was easy to pay people to speak about her business; genuine connections would be much more appreciated in comparison.

For that purpose, Layla used her special shampoo and conditioner to make her hair extra fluffy and soft. She had to admit that the potions worked even better than expected, a testament to her innovative thinking and attention to detail.

"That is true! But I am so afraid as well. My little miss looks so fluffy and cute. What if someone decided to grab you and try to sell you? Just the thought of my young miss being sold to a pervert makes my heart ache."

Mary fake-cried as she tried to see how Layla would react to her tears. But Layla did not even pay much attention to Mary's acting.

The problem of slavery was a big one that was tough to tackle. It was too prevalent, and even when it was outlawed, the nobles practiced it in abundance.

No one tried to grab Layla near the Dukedom because she belonged to the Lockhart house. Everyone knew that it was a death sentence to go after her.

But that was not the case for the capital.

Layla would need to be careful not to be accidentally kidnapped and sold off as a slave. If she did that, she would also lose access to her magic.

"It will be fine. Just keep me in your line of sight, and we won't have the problem of being kidnapped. But this is a huge place…the threat of being kidnapped is real enough."

Even Layla felt a little nervous thinking about the kidnappings, and Mary let out a small shrill.

"That's it! I cannot take it anymore. Young miss! Give me your hand. I will mark you with a tracking spell. Call me through it if you ever want my help, and I will come."

Mary stretched out her hand and grabbed Layla's hand before placing a mark on it.

Layla looked at her arm and that mark with a blank look on her face. That mark looked familiar to her, and Layla could recognize it anywhere.

She had seen it enough times in the illustrations for the original novel (mostly alternative arts where the MC went down the dark part instead of a loved one).

This was a demon contract mark and one of the higher demon ones.

There was only one explanation for this mark, and Layla felt foolish for not realizing it until now.

'Ah, so Mary is a demon. Somehow, it makes sense that she is powerful and has a good relationship with the Duke. No wonder she is so rich and carefree with her powers and authority.'

Learning about Mary's identity did not change Layla's perspective of the female. It did not matter if Mary was a demon or human.

As long as she remained on Layla's side, the younger would consider Mary as an ally on her side.

"What's wrong? Are you too stunned to speak now? Did you like that mark? Or does that look familiar to you?"

Mary asked smilingly, but it was also tense enough to warn Layla to choose her words carefully.

"I don't mind it. Why should there be something special about this mark you gave me? As far as I can tell, this is just a normal tracking spell. Or…did you curse me?"

Layla asked, pretending she was getting offended by this spell.

But both she and Mary knew that she was just faking her reaction.

It made the maid let out an amused laugh before shaking her head.

"No, it's fine. This is just an ordinary location mark you don't need attention to. Ah, we are at our inn now. Miss, it is your time to shine. This is the place where most people are gathered around."

Mary opened the door to let her young miss out.

People turned to look at the fancy carriage (courtesy of Duke Lockhart, but without the family emblems painted on it) and watched in fascination as Layla emerged.

Her hair and skin shined in the light, giving her an ethereal look. Not that Layla had expected anything less from her current appearance.

She had also used magic to exchange the glamour of her looks, making her look all shiny and pretty.

'The reaction is even better than I expected. I can tell that everyone is looking at me and trying to figure out whether this is my real beauty.

Layla did not like this much attention but was willing to endure it for her goal.

On the other hand, Mary seemed to relish all the attention, and she even made exaggerated gestures to help Layla by reaching out and extending her hand.

As soon as the pair entered the inn's lobby, even more eyes turned toward them, and people began to gossip about her.

The innkeeper looked dazed at the duo's sudden appearance as well, and she asked them questions about their reservation a little slowly.

Mary answered them all before leading Layla to her room and locking the door.

As soon as the pair was gone, the lobby erupted into questions and gossip about them. Layla could only say that her first appearance had been a success. Now, Mary needed to carry out the next part.