Julian Hawthorne rubbed his hand, trying to mask his difort as he stumbled back a step. The pressure Liam had applied lingered, a throbbing reminder that this "nobody" wasn''t as powerless as he appeared. I suppressed a smile, enjoying the sight of Julian''s carefully constructed facade cracking.


    "Before I go," I said, reaching into my pocket, "I wanted to give Isabelle something."


    I pulled out the small wooden box containing the Hydrating Pill I had crafted earlier. It was simple, unadorned—nothing like the gaudy disys Julian seemed to favor.


    "What is that?" Julian scoffed, recovering some of hisposure. "A trinket from a street vendor?"


    Isabelle epted my gift with a genuine smile. "Thank you, Liam."


    Julian''s face twisted with contempt. "Wait," he said, snapping his fingers at one of his assistants. "I nearly forgot. I brought you a gift as well, Isabelle."


    The assistant stepped forward with the ornate package, wrapped in shimmering paper with gold trim. Julian took it and presented it to Isabelle with a flourish.


    "This," he announced grandly, "is a hundred-year-old wild ginseng from the Eastern Mountains. It cost more than most people earn in a year." He shot me a smug nce. "It''s incredibly rare and has extraordinary medicinal properties."


    Isabelle epted the package with polite thanks, though I noticed her enthusiasm didn''t match the one she''d shown for my simple box.


    "Aren''t you going to open it?" Julian pressed, his eyes fixed on her face, hungry for her reaction. "I had it specially procured by the finest herb hunters in the region."


    "Of course," Isabelle said diplomatically. She carefully unwrapped the package, revealing an intricately carved jade box. Inside, nestled on red silk,y what appeared to be a ginseng root.


    I leaned forward despite myself. If this truly was a hundred-year wild ginseng, it would be a remarkable specimen. Such roots were indeed rare and valuable, particrly for certain medicinal applications.


    Julian beamed with satisfaction. "I see even your... friend... appreciates the value of my gift."


    Isabelle nced at me. "Liam is quite knowledgeable about medicinal herbs. Perhaps he could verify its quality?"


    Julian''s smile faltered. "I hardly think that''s necessary. My supplier is beyond reproach." <code ss="frag-b5de52">This<i ss="node-sep"></i>chapter<i ss="node-sep"></i>was<i ss="node-sep"></i>first<i ss="node-sep"></i>seen<i ss="node-sep"></i>on<i ss="node-sep"></i>*.</code>


    "I don''t mind," I said, stepping closer. "May I?"


    Before Julian could object further, Isabelle handed me the box. I examined the root carefully, noting its color, texture, and the arrangement of its offshoots. I even detected its faint aroma, which told me volumes about its true nature.


    Something wasn''t right.


    "Well?" Julian prompted, impatience evident in his tone. "Are you impressed yet?"


    I looked up slowly, meeting his gaze. "This isn''t a hundred-year wild ginseng."


    The room fell silent. Julian''s face froze in a peculiar expression somewhere between shock and outrage.


    "What did you say?" he finally managed.


    "This," I said, holding up the root, "ismon cultivated ginseng. It''s maybe five years old, if that. You can tell by the uniform shape and these markings here—see these small indentations? Those are from machine harvesting. Wild ginseng grows irregrly and has natural blemishes."


    Julian''s face reddened. "That''s absurd! I paid fifteen thousand for that!"


    "Then you were cheated," I replied simply, cing the root back in its box. "This is worth perhaps fifty dors. It''s essentially a fancy radish."


    Isabelle''s eyes widened slightly, and I caught the ghost of a smile on her lips before sheposed her expression.


    Julian snatched the box from my hands. "What would you know about it? You''re nobody! Some street herbalist ying at medicine!"


    I felt heat rise in my chest—not from embarrassment but from righteous anger. "I know enough to recognize when someone is either being fooled or trying to fool others."


    "How dare you!" Julian spluttered. His assistants exchanged worried nces behind him.


    "Julian," Isabelle intervened, her voice calm but firm, "perhaps your supplier made a mistake."


    "There was no mistake," I said, unable to let this go. The thought of someone trying to impress Isabelle with fake gifts—especially medicinal ones that could potentially harm her if used incorrectly—ignited something protective in me. "Either your supplier deliberately cheated you, or you knew exactly what this was when you presented it."


    Julian''s confident demeanor crumbledpletely. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he looked between me and Isabelle. "I... the supplier assured me..."


    "You didn''t even check it yourself before giving it to Isabelle?" I pressed. "Or did you knowingly try to pass off cheap ginseng as something valuable?"


    "Liam," Isabelle said softly, but there was no rebuke in her tone—only curiosity to see how this would unfold.


    "I''m simply pointing out facts," I continued, looking Julian straight in the eye. "This root isn''t what you imed it to be. So which is it? Were you deceived, or are you the deceiver?"


    Julian''s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. His assistants had backed away, clearly wanting to distance themselves from the unfolding disaster.


    "My family has dealt with this supplier for generations," he finally managed, though his voicecked conviction. "There must be some mistake."


    "Perhaps," I conceded, though I didn''t believe it for a second. "But it speaks volumes that you couldn''t tell the difference yourself before presenting it as a precious gift."


    I turned to Isabelle. "The Hydrating Pill I brought you is specifically formted for your constitution. I noticed you tend to suffer from internal dryness—it manifests in subtle ways most wouldn''t catch. This pill will help regte your body''s moisture bnce for at least three months."


    Isabelle''s surprise was evident. "How did you know? I''ve never mentioned that to anyone outside my family physicians."


    "I observe," I said simply. I didn''t add that I''d been studying her closely since we met, cataloging every detail about her health and wellbeing almost unconsciously. It would have sounded strange, perhaps even obsessive, though my intentions were purely medicinal.


    Julian had recovered enough to attempt salvaging his reputation. "Anyone can make vague health ims," he scoffed. "But Isabelle has the finest doctors in Veridia City. She hardly needs amateur remedies."


    I smiled thinly. "My gift doesn''te with false ims or inted prices. It''s simply something I made to help with a specific condition I observed."


    Something shifted in Isabelle''s expression—appreciation, perhaps even admiration. She opened the small wooden box and examined the glistening blue pill inside.


    "Thank you, Liam. This is actually incredibly thoughtful."


    Julian looked between us, his face growing increasingly distressed as he realized he was losing ground. "Isabelle, surely you''re not going to take some unknown concoction from—"


    "From a friend who has demonstrated remarkable medical knowledge?" she finished for him. "I think I will, actually."


    She turned to me. "Liam, would you mind exining to Julian exactly how you knew his ginseng was fake? I find your expertise fascinating."


    It was a masterful move on her part—forcing Julian to stand there and listen as I methodically educated him on the very thing he had tried to use to impress her. I could see his humiliation mounting with each detail I provided about authentic wild ginseng versus cultivated varieties.


    By the time I finished my impromptu lesson, Julian''splexion had turned an rming shade of red. His assistants were practically cowering by the door, clearly wishing to be anywhere else.


    I fixed Julian with a hard stare, my patience with his arrogance finally exhausted. "If you were cheated, that means you''re blind. If you did it on purpose, then you''re deceiving Miss Taylor!"


    Julian''s face went from red to white in an instant. Sweat poured down his temples as he stood trapped between these two equally damning options—either he was a fool or a fraud. And from the panic in his eyes, I suspected he knew exactly which one was true.