Mackey was a very punctual person, and Noah was someone who liked to arrive just on time. The two of them wasted almost no time and got straight to the point.
"The authorization letter in my hand has the signatures of all the directors, granting Miss Noah Guillerette the position of Commercial Federation Spokesperson—I'm very sorry, I've done my best." Mackey had barely sat down when he handed the authorization letter to Noah. From Mackey's words, Noah already understood that her attitude didn't matter, as this authorization letter only lacked her signature. Even if she refused to sign, someone else would still take the position, perhaps Markowitz, or Big Mouth Mobu, who knew.
The position of Spokesperson didn't require a talented person; on the contrary, the person in this position should be a mouthpiece, a tool to convey the will of the Commercial Federation. In fact, the status was no different from a megaphone. It would only become dangerous if one tried to do something more with it. The main reason Noah was chosen was simply because she was a 'Commercial Newbie,' a very good target.
A target, after all—is meant to be shot at.
For ordinary people, the Spokesperson position was indeed a good opportunity for rapid advancement, but for Noah, it was a huge hot potato.
Noah had no right to refuse, or rather, her refusal was irrelevant.
Noah did not show any anger, nor did she resist. Instead, she fell silent, as if resigned to her fate. She reached out, pressed her thumb into the inkpad beside her, then signed her name on the authorization letter and pressed her fingerprint. Although it seemed easy, just signing her name without being able to see required immense effort from Noah. While she could roughly perceive directions through sound, and with Kuro's help, she even completed it more gracefully than someone with sight.
But in Mackey's eyes, this action seemed to make it harder for him to say what came next.
"…Correspondingly, although it was not my intention… the Commercial Federation has a gift." Mackey's voice was hesitant. Noah, extremely sensitive to sound, seemed to realize something. She clasped her hands, revealing a restrained smile, waiting for Mackey to hand the gift to Kuro—she heard Kuro's knuckles crack. She knew this gift must be quite terrible; rather than a gift… it might even be a mockery.
"Do I have the right to refuse this gift?"
"I believe you should know the answer."
"Alright, I'm hungry, let's start eating." Noah gently brushed off the matter. After Kuro took the gift, she clapped her hands, called for the waiter, and instructed them to serve according to her menu. However, Noah's calmness surprised Mackey. He probably found it strange why Noah could accept such a malicious gift without changing her expression. If it were him, he would show some temper—or was it that she simply didn't know how malicious the gift was?
No, if that were the case, she wouldn't have asked if she had the right to refuse the gift.
If that question wasn't a rhetorical one, but an inquiry into Mackey's own thoughts, Mackey could only offer an apology.
Position was more important than one's own opinion. Mackey himself knew this better than anyone; his personal opinion was merely a personal opinion.
"I really like this gift, and there's no need for Mr. Mackey to be concerned," Noah said with a smile, as if seeing through Mackey's underlying doubt. "What could they possibly give me? A pair of glasses? Or a pair of crystal shoes? For someone who cannot stand or see the outside world, I've received many such useless gifts. I will keep them well, after all, I rarely receive such gifts."
"…I see." Mackey sighed. The gift he had just given Noah, or rather, the gift the Commercial Federation had given Noah, was a pair of plain glasses. In terms of value, these glasses were indeed expensive; even if the recipient didn't need corrective lenses, they could be used as an accessory. But Noah was blind—the true intention of these glasses was simply to mock Noah.
Using him to conduct such a crude test.
Mackey was not without his own opinions—it was just that his opinions weren't very important.
"Let's talk about something interesting—have you heard the news that Candle Knight's poetry collection is going to be published?"
"…I actually didn't know that."
"It's right that you don't know, because she told me about it privately, planning to self-publish a few copies for collection," Noah replied. "I thought it was great, so I secretly photocopied and bound a few more copies. They are of superior quality and even have a Braille version. Of course, this one is exclusively mine, and I don't plan to sell it."
Mackey saw the genuine smile on Noah's face, and his mood, which had been slightly down due to giving the gift, somewhat lightened. He had long heard that Noah and Candle Knight Viviana had a very good relationship, but he hadn't expected it to be the kind where they shared poetry collections. Viviana had even specially prepared a Braille version of the poetry collection for Noah. Mackey found the intimate friendship between the two beautiful ladies quite interesting.
Although he really wanted to buy this virtually out-of-print collection of Candle Knight's poems from Noah, he also knew that asking might not be appropriate. So he could only say enviously, "It's clear that beautiful ladies attract each other."
"Don't be so quick, Mr. Mackey." Noah shook her head. "While I certainly won't give up my copy, I did get permission from Viviana. If I believe someone else can appreciate her poetry, I can take it upon myself to gift them this collection, requiring only a review. I'll make it clear to her at the next tea party—so, Mr. Mackey…"
Noah placed the perfectly packaged poetry collection on the table and gently pushed it across.
"I believe you are the one I spoke of who can appreciate Miss Viviana's poetry. Therefore, I intend to gift you this… collection of Viviana's poems, titled 'Shadows in the Attic'."
Mackey wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but in that moment, he felt as if the girl in front of him had peered into his innermost thoughts—yet he felt no malice from her. After receiving a gift that amounted to an insult, the gift she gave him in return was so… precious.
"I look forward to your review—" Noah just smiled. "I hope you won't disappoint me."
"…Alright, I will read this… gift carefully." Mackey took a deep breath and accepted the gift. "Miss Noah, has anyone ever told you that you are… too perceptive?"
"People often say that, but the first person to say that about me… must have been Margaret, right?"