One admirable thing about Mary was that she did not hold back against anyone. That included her mistress as well.

Layla's small body was barely strong enough to drag Mary to her level and choke her, but the taller demoness used her powers not only to break free but also to grab Layla's arm and twist it behind her back.

The more time Layla spent in that choke, the more she struggled before she eventually tired herself out, and her limbs gave in.

This hold also made all the anger flush out of her system, and her mind felt clearer.

As soon as Layla could think again, she realized she had been acting out of it. This was not how she usually behaved.

"You can let go of me now. I am fine. Whatever came over me is no longer controlling me. I will not attack you unnecessarily."

Layla assured as she yanked her hand out of Mary's hold. Her maid looked at Layla for a moment longer before she decided that her mistress was fine, and she let go of that arm she had been holding.

Mary rubbed her hand to get rid of the pain she was feeling, but her mind was in much more agony than her body.

That haze that had taken over Mary's body had not been normal. She had no idea why or how it had befallen her, but it was not normal.

"Young Miss, is the stress of the situation getting to you? Would you like me to massage your head to relieve your headache?"

Mary offered with an almost concerned look on her face. She was serious about helping Layla, but the younger did not think this would help.

"It's fine! Whatever that came over me was not natural. It felt like I was under some kind of influence that was not my own. And yet, my body did not reject it. Can it be some kind of side-effect of a contract I signed?"

The problem with being in a world filled with magic was that you could never be sure what happened.

In her time, the human brain was believed to be the most complex puzzle one could face. But that puzzle was nothing in front of the puzzle that was called magic.

"..."

Mary's expression told Layla that her maid did not believe her, but she would also not press more about it.

Having someone on her side who stood unconditionally behind her and did not say a word to her made Layla feel better. Her mood also felt better until she forgot about what was happening and her humiliation.

"Miss Layla, shall we head to another store? Not all stores can keep refusing us like this. How about we use the Duke's authority next time? I bet these people won't be able to say no to us then."

Mary proposed with a smile on her face.

Under normal circumstances, her words would have come true. No person in this empire would dare take Duke Lockhart's words lightly because they would fear his anger and retribution.

That should have been the case for these people, which was what Layla and Mary counted on.

However, the situation did not change much, even when they used the Duke's name.

The next shopkeeper looked a little spooked as soon as he heard the Duke's name, but his eyes flashed, and he quickly regained his composure when he thought about something else.

"I am sorry! I want to help you all, but I cannot. I am not authorized to sell this plot of land and my business. Please, take your business somewhere else."

The shopkeeper was shaking as he said these words and kept looking outside at something unseen in the distance. This made Layla want to ask more questions, but she refrained from doing so.

Since this man had not talked even when Layla had brought up the Duke, he was serious about not selling his shop.

Either that or he was afraid of something else, so he kept looking out the window.

"Oh my! Those are some convincing words you are speaking. But how confident are you that you would be able to defy the Duke like this? Shall I show you the power of the Duke right here and now-"

Mary stood up, pretending as if she was offended that this man had not given in to the Duke's words.

But in reality, Mary was just saying and doing this because she wanted to fight and see bloodshed. She had no lasting loyalty toward the Duke or his cause. She was just trying to have some fun here.

"Mary, that is enough. There is no need to fight anyone today. Since the shopkeeper said he is unwilling to sell, we can do nothing about it now."

Layla spoke first, causing Mary to make an annoyed face.

The maid looked unhappy, but thankfully, she was not about to ignore Layla's orders and go hunting…at least, not yet.

Layla would allow her maid to unwind later. For now, she felt that she had bigger fish to fry.

"Thank you so much for your time. I hope you have a peaceful future for your business."

Layla's smile was unnerving and made her look even more eerie because she was a child.

The shopkeeper gulped down his nervousness as he looked at Layla's face. He wanted to speak and curse the child, but he had a feeling that things would get ugly if he did that. The way Mary was looking at him was already dangerous.

If he did anything to hurt the young lady, then her maid would retaliate against him and end his life. Keeping all that in mind, the Nobel man let the pair leave.

As soon as they were gone, he took out a pen and paper to write a letter for Minister Calam detailing what had happened.

'I-I did my part. That man will not cause any more problems for me, right?'