Nora stared blankly at Ron, confused as to why that was what he chose to focus on, but she still answered truthfully:
"It was light pink at first. I just added some ink-dye flower juice, so it turned a bit dark."
This time, Nora didn't lower her voice anymore. Her crisp and pleasant voice rang in Ron's ears, causing him to instinctively take a step back.
"You're a girl!?" Ron exclaimed in shock, as if he had suddenly turned into the male lead of a manga.
"Yeah." Nora also stepped back, eyeing him warily as she tightened her worn-out robe. She added with self-mockery,
"I'm a cat-girl, a half-beast… Being your shop assistant, does that embarrass you?"
On the Rixis Continent, half-beastfolk held an extremely low status—basically on par with slaves.
Beastfolk typically had humanoid bodies with animal heads, while half-beastfolk appeared more human-like but still retained beast traits due to their mixed blood.
Like cat ears.
Like a cat tail.
And also, red eyes.
Ron had only one-quarter of foxfolk blood, and likely due to the strong influence of the André bloodline, he didn't have fox ears or a tail—just slightly reddish eyes.
In fact, female half-beastfolk had it worse than males. They were often reduced to playthings in the hands of the upper-class nobility of human empires.
So Nora usually wore an old robe and a burlap hat to hide her ears and tail. She even used ink-dye flower juice to mask her red eyes and kept her voice low to sound like a boy.
Because of her identity, she didn't even dare to join any of the wandering gangs—afraid that someone might find out what she was and cause trouble.
She didn't even qualify to fight for turf, and could only scavenge leftovers from trash bins during "gap periods" when no one else was around.
That's why, when Ron offered her a job, she was tempted.
But she'd already been through countless cases of being taken in and then abandoned.
Many kind-hearted people had pitied her, giving her food or a job, but always before knowing she was a half-beast.
Once her true identity was exposed, those same "kind people" would inevitably show their disgust.
That was the dark side of society. Nora had long gotten used to it.
So she dared to reveal her identity to Ron face-to-face.
If she sensed even a hint of revulsion, she would leave immediately.
And if Ron made any sudden moves, she wouldn't hesitate to use the dagger hidden on her.
In her eyes, someone as soft and refined-looking as Ron clearly wasn't her match.
That was where her confidence in revealing her identity came from.
But Ron just looked at her and smiled helplessly, saying:
"So what if you're a half-beast? I'm just looking for a hardworking, capable employee."
"Really?" Nora took another step back, eyeing Ron with deep suspicion.
Ron leaned forward a bit so their eyes met, smiling softly:
"Look into my eyes—you should be able to tell, right?"
Nora hesitated, then glanced at his eyes.
Ron's eyes were black at the base, but with a faint red tint on the surface, giving them an almost otherworldly charm.
"A half-beast? That can't be…" Nora blinked and glanced at the top of his head, then down at his back, but saw no visible beast traits.
"No need to look—I don't have any other traits," Ron said with a wry smile.
"My mother was a fox-woman, so I have one-quarter beastfolk blood. Only my eyes are slightly red."
Nora stared at him, mumbling:
"You have beastfolk blood too…"
"Yeah. My mother's a half-beast. I'm not about to discriminate against my own mom, am I?" Ron shrugged. "So I really don't care about that. You don't have to worry."
Nora stood there dazed for a long time, clearly needing time to digest this information.
Who would've thought this elegant and handsome man in front of her… also carried beastfolk blood?
His mother was a half-beast…
So there was no way he'd suddenly change faces and look down on her…
And he even invited her to work at his shop…
Maybe it really was worth a try…
After who-knows-how-long, Nora swallowed hard and asked timidly,
"Five silver coins a week?"
"Yep, five silver a week," Ron nodded.
"Work hours are mornings and afternoons?"
"Yes."
"Just managing the shop?"
"To be exact—helping me sell flowers. When customers come, you handle the payments. The rest of the time, just help tidy up."
"What about the evenings?"
"Huh? Evenings? No need for that, right? What are you trying to do?"
"I noticed other shops open at night too."
"My shop doesn't lack business, so there's no need to stay open late. Plus, I don't have the time—I've got other things to do at night."
"So is it because you don't lack business… or because you don't have time?"
"Uh… mostly because I'm lazy."
"I can help! You do whatever you need to do—I can look after the shop at night."
"What's your angle? Managing the shop all day is exhausting, isn't it?"
"If we stay open at night, does that mean I'll earn more?"
"..." Ron looked down at the bright-eyed girl in front of him and couldn't help but laugh.
"Well, I suppose that's fine. If you don't mind the extra work, we can stay open at night. Ten silver coins a week—deal?"
Nora's eyes lit up at the mention of ten silver a week. She nodded repeatedly,
"No problem!"
"I can also provide food and lodging. Three meals a day—just eat with me. That way, you won't need to go digging around in that anymore." He glanced at the nearby trash can, then asked,
"Do you have a place to stay? I have two spare bedrooms in the shop—I can rent one to you."
"Huh?" Nora had looked pleased when she heard meals were covered, but when he mentioned lodging, she instantly became guarded.
"Stay at your place? You live there at night, too?"
"Yeah, why?"
"…Nothing." Nora eyed him suspiciously but didn't see anything suspicious in his expression. She shook her head.
"I have a place. No need to trouble you."
Although she now believed Ron was genuinely hiring her, the two of them had just met. Moving in right away would be too hasty.
She needed more time to observe him, to be sure he meant no harm.
Having grown up as a wanderer, Nora had long since developed sharp instincts.
Past experiences had taught her one thing: better safe than sorry.
If she hadn't been so careful, she would've been tricked by human traffickers ages ago.
Ron didn't think much of it and nodded.
"Alright then—it's settled. Come by the shop tomorrow morning, and we'll sign an official employee contract. After that, you can start work. Sound good?"
Nora nodded firmly.