CHAPTER 134: CHPTER 133: SPACE FOR SALE

The room had gone quiet except for the soft rustling of parchment and the occasional metallic clink of small trinkets being tossed aside, and Axelius now sat in an old but comfy-looking couch placed in the middle of the cluttered real estate shop.

His arms resting lazily on the armrest while Millie stood behind him and eyes fixed on the cat-eared woman who was still half-buried in a large wooden chest near the wall.

The cat woman moved quickly, her striped tail flicking with each movement, ears twitching with frustration as she muttered to herself in an anxious tone while throwing aside rolled maps, old scrolls, and shiny keys onto the floor one after another. "Where is it, nyah? It should be here, I saw it last week—I swear on my whiskers Nyah!"

She didn’t even notice the growing mess she was making, her focus entirely on the chest, and Axelius, watching the chaos with a blank expression, finally let out a long sigh, slowly standing up from the couch as he dusted his coat lightly with a hand and glanced toward the door.

"This might’ve been a mistake," he said in a quiet mutter, turning halfway as he was about to leave. "Millie, we’re going."

But before he could take a full step, the cat woman moved with surprising speed, springing from the chest with one paw-like hand grabbing onto Axelius’s arm tightly, her face suddenly very close to his, eyes wide and a little watery, and her small sharp fangs showing slightly as she pleaded.

"Wait! Don’t leave—please nyah!" she said quickly, almost breathless, her voice slightly cracking as her tail twitched in panic. "You—you went to the right place, I promise, okay?! Don’t go, you’re the first customer I’ve had in three whole moons!! Just give me a chance to introduce my shop—please, nyah?!"

Axelius blinked, a little surprised, and opened his mouth to reply but suddenly felt her shove against his chest enough to make him sit right back down onto the couch again. ’She’s strong.’ He thought,

His brows twitched slightly, but he didn’t speak as she dashed back to the chest like a storm, tail swishing wildly behind her.

While she dug through it again, Axelius sighed heavily and leaned back in the seat, crossing his legs and glancing around the strange, dusty shop filled with old things, papers, and bottles stacked on crooked shelves.

"Can you hurry up?" he said dryly, resting his cheek on one hand, his voice lacking patience.

Then, without warning, the cat woman popped upright, holding a thick leather-bound book above her head. "Found it, nyah!" one of her fangs glinting in the light.

Axelius raised an eyebrow as she flipped the book open and marched over with a sudden bounce in her steps.

She began reading in a cheerful tone, pointing at one of the aged pages, "Welcome nyah~ to the Moonpaw Estate! A family-owned land and property agency passed down from generation to generation, starting from my great-grandmeow, who first built this shop on the edge of the Sapphire Market—she was a strong lady, full of dreams, and—"

But before she could go on with her rambling story, Axelius leaned forward slightly, his face showing clear irritation now as he interrupted sharply, "I don’t care about your family, your grandmother, or where this place came from. Put down that book and get to the point. Tell me about the lands for sale."

The cat girl blinked, frozen in place for a second, then slowly closed the book while puffing out her cheeks in a pout,

"Mnnnhh... so mean, nyah," she muttered under her breath, then sighed. "Fine! I’m Lyrielle Claw, nyah—this shop’s current and only owner. You can call me Ly, okay? But it’s pronounced ’Lahy’ not ’Lee’, nyah~!"

Lyrielle blinked at Millie’s calm voice as she introduced herself with a hand on her chest, her posture proud and proper, saying softly, "I am Millie, the personal maid of Young Master Axelius Dravenhart."

Lyrielle tilted her head, ears twitching, and tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully as if the name tickled a memory deep in her mind.

"Dravenhart... Dravenhart... nyah... that last name is really familiar—wait... nyah! You’re the Dravenhart?! The Grand Duke’s son?! Nyah?!" she cried, suddenly stepping back and nearly tripping over a stack of scrolls behind her.

Axelius, who had crossed one leg over the other and leaned into the couch’s backrest again with his arms folded, "Just give me the list of lands for sale."

"R-Right nyah! The list!" Lyrielle panicked, fumbling the book in her hands as she flipped through several pages so fast it looked like the wind was turning them, before finally slamming the book down on the low wooden table in front of him.

"Here it is nyah! All the current land, estate, and property listings under Moonpaw Estate’s care, updated this season Nyah."

She pointed her paw-gloved finger at a page filled with hand-drawn maps and scribbled descriptions, talking fast but clearly.

"Now, young master—when buying land here in the city or nearby territories, nyah, the steps go like this! First—you pick a property from the list that you like, and I’ll check if the ownership papers are clear and the location is still available.

Second—if you want to be sure it’s good, you can visit the land with me or send a trusted agent like your maid to confirm it’s real and not cursed or monster-infested. Third—when you’re happy with the place, we make the deal, nyah! There’ll be a land contract made in your name, stamped and signed by a city notary, and I’ll register it officially with the city’s land records Nyah."

She paused for a breath, flipping one more page.

"Oh, and there’s a one-time land tax payment depending on how big the property is nyah—don’t worry, I can calculate that later—and of course, you can pay with gold, certified trade notes, or noble account tokens if your house registered one with the Merchant’s Guild. Since you’re a Dravenhart, nyah, I think the last one’s fastest!"

Axelius leaned forward, eyes already scanning the pages. "Which one of these is isolated but still inside the city walls?"

"O-oh! That narrows it down nyah!" Lyrielle flipped through the pages again, "We got two like that. One’s an old forge yard owned by a retired beast hunter—really good for building a workshop nyah! The other is a quiet estate corner near the outer west district, but that one might be too fancy if you’re planning something loud."