The Royal Deal

It was the realtor, Mr.
June.
He had arrived early for their meeting.
“Hello, Mr.
June,” Amethyst greeted him.

“Did you walk? I would’ve sent a carriage to you, had I known.”

“That’s all right.
I had felt like going for a stroll, since the weather was so nice.
Thank you for letting me know about the house that has become available.” Mr.
June was eager to make a sale with her, so contacted her as soon as house that suited her wants opened up.

“No problem at all.
Would you like to go see it? It’s not far from here.”

“Yes, please,” Amethyst said eagerly.
Mr.
June motioned for her to follow.

They entered a market district and Amethyst admired the quaint shops and restaurants that were in the area.
This square definitely got a lot of visitors.

“It’s here,” Mr.
June said, stopping in front of a building on the corner of the square.
The building was two stories, with a small shop and space of an outdoor terrace on the first floor and the living quarters above.
“It was originally used as a small food market, but could be set up for any sort of business.”

Amethyst was excited to see the rest.
Even though she had enough money to live comfortably, she couldn’t just sit around and do nothing.
She needed to keep herself occupied, to keep her mind out of the past.
By opening a café, she could fill that void.

From what she could tell by the exterior, Mr.
June had found a location with all of the details she had requested.
The front faced the river and a view of the mountains, which was a must.
Mr.
June unlocked the door and they entered the interior.

It was in excellent condition, for a building that had been empty for some time.
The wooden floors were scuffed heavily from the foot traffic of customers, but that could be simply fixed with some polish.
The cabinets and oriental wallpaper were dated, but could be easily replaced.

“It’s in much better condition than I thought it would be,” Amethyst stated.

“The store had been run by an older couple.
When the wife took sick, they closed the business and moved to a smaller home.
They had been quite proud of this store and kept up with repairs, so there won’t be much to fix.
Would you like to see the second floor?”

“Yes.
Please,” Amethyst said in glee.

The old stairs were so well maintained that there wasn’t even the creaking that usually plagued older stairwells.
Amethyst could tell that the previous owners took really good care of this place.
The stairs opened to a hallway with entrances on each side.
On the left, an open arch led into a small kitchen.
Next to the kitchen, a doorway opened to the master bedroom.
Across the hall were a smaller bedroom and the bathroom.
The end of the hall opened to the living area.
Amethyst envisioned using the large bedroom as her sleeping chamber and the smaller bedroom for storage.
It was the perfect amount of space for a single person.

Back on the first floor, Amethyst could imagine where she could set up the café’s kitchen and cash area.
There would be enough room for three tables and enough space for waiters to move between them.

As she was dreaming of the possibilities, Mr.
June spoke up.
“So, what do you think?” he asked.

“I’m not quite sure yet.
I’ll have to think on it.”

“Really? I was certain you were going to like it.” Mr.
June seemed discouraged.

Of course, Amethyst thought it was perfect.
It was everything she had been looking for.
But she learned in business that you should never be too eager about a purchase.
It makes negotiating a lower price that much easier.

“How is the security?” Amethyst asked.

“The building has a magical defense system.
You can activate it with a button.” Mr.
June opened a small panel in the wall and showed her the blue jewel that powered the security.
“Simple right? All of the buildings have a similar security system.
As well, there is a large city guard presence in the area, since this is a tourist sector.

“What about sewage?” Amethyst asked.

“Your water comes straight from the city aqueducts and all sewage is drained well away from the city to eliminate diseases and rats.
The city systems are maintained regularly to avoid any leakage.”

“How about heating?”

“Once again, that is controlled by magic,” Mr.
June explained.
He opened another panel containing a green jewel.
Activating it, the interior of the building instantly began to warm.
“The jewel was replaced recently, so you should have no issues with it for at least two hundred years.”

Mr.
June had adequately covered any concerns that Amethyst might have had.
She squealed inside with glee.
She had found the perfect building for her and was excited to begin this next stage of her life.

“Everything inside seems to be in perfect condition,” Amethyst stated.
She exited the front of the shop to look again at the exterior.
She measured the small terrace.
She could fit another two tables out here.
There was also room for a swing chair, so she could sit and enjoy the view of the river.
The sunsets would be magnificent from this location.
The streets were kept clean of dirt and the air was sweet from the multitudes of gardens.
The city certainly kept this area maintained on a daily basis.

Everything was perfect.
Amethyst held the overwhelming joy within her as she turned to Mr.
June with a small smile on her face.