OPENING DAY TRIUMPH

After another long day of studying and a final lab session that actually went well, Marcus felt relief as he settled into sleep. For once, he could focus his energy entirely on studying because he didn't have pressing problems to solve in Valdris. The advertising campaign was set, the soaps were ready, and tomorrow would reveal whether his innovations would succeed.

Marcus woke to the familiar sounds of Room 47, but today felt different. His grandfather was already awake, carefully arranging his few possessions.

"Grandfather," Marcus said, sitting up on his makeshift bed. "You're coming to the shop with me today. We need another hand for the counter, and I want you to see something special."

The old man looked up, his weathered face showing curiosity. "What's this about, Marcus? You've been secretive about your work lately."

"It's a big day today," Marcus explained, ladling out what passed for breakfast. Yesterday's ration soup, watered down and reheated. "Everything we've been working toward comes together today."

His grandfather studied Marcus's confident expression. "You sound certain of success. That's dangerous, boy. Hope too strongly, and disappointment cuts deeper."

"Trust me, Grandfather. Just... trust me."

They made their way through the Lower District streets, Marcus's excitement growing with each step. As they approached Aldric's shop, Marcus began to hear something unusual. Voices. Many voices.

"What's that commotion?" his grandfather asked, squinting ahead.

As they rounded the final corner, Marcus stopped in amazement. The shop was surrounded by people. Not just a few curious browsers, but a genuine crowd. Some looked pristine in their fine clothes. Clearly wealthy residents from the upper districts. Others appeared to be working folk, drawn by the excitement. They were pressing against the shop's closed doors, calling out questions and complaints.

"Ladies of the house help me, I can't get close enough to see what's happening!" shouted one woman.

"When are you opening?" demanded a well-dressed man. "I've been waiting since dawn!"

Marcus spotted Aldric inside the shop through the window, looking absolutely shocked by the crowd outside. His partner appeared frozen, staring at the mass of potential customers with wide eyes.

Marcus turned to his grandfather, who was gaping at the scene in awe. "Watch this," Marcus said with a grin.

He signaled to Aldric through the window, pointing to the door locks. Aldric nodded and began opening the shop.

The moment the doors opened, people flooded in like water through a broken dam. Most of the crowd remained outside, unable to fit through the doorway, but those who made it inside immediately began examining the displayed soaps and asking rapid-fire questions.

Marcus pushed through the crowd, calling out, "I'm a seller! Let me through! I'm here to help!"

He managed to squeeze inside, where he found Aldric looking completely overwhelmed and Sara frantically trying to handle money and answer questions simultaneously.

"What is going on?" Aldric asked in shocked amazement. "I wasn't expecting... this is impossible!"

Sara was beaming as she handed wrapped soaps to customers and collected copper coins. "The whole district is talking about those papers with the soap pieces!" she called over the noise.

Marcus quickly guided his grandfather behind the counter and made hurried introductions. "Grandfather, this is Aldric. Aldric, this is my grandfather. Grandfather, each soap costs two copper pieces, understand?"

The old man nodded, still looking stunned by the chaos around them.

Marcus turned to Aldric with satisfaction. "I told you about the power of advertising."

"But... but this is..." Aldric struggled for words. "We're gonna sell everything today, aren't we?"

"Most of it, probably. And here's the beautiful part. Half these people didn't even see our advertisements. They're just here because they see a crowd and wanna know what's happening."

Aldric's business mind began working through the implications. "Should we increase the prices? We could charge three copper pieces each with this demand."

"Not today," Marcus advised firmly. "That would break the momentum. We want people to leave here happy and talking about us to their friends. Higher prices can come later, once we've established our reputation."

Marcus was genuinely happy as he watched the controlled chaos of their success. Customers were examining the soaps carefully, commenting on the superior quality and unique scents. Several well-dressed women were already asking about larger orders for their households.

When the initial rush finally settled around midday, Aldric appeared with food for the crew, his face still showing traces of shock and elation.

"Let me do some quick calculations," Marcus said, consulting their rough sales records. "We've sold around twelve hundred soaps already."

He pulled ten silver coins from their earnings and handed them to his grandfather. "Take this home and buy something special for everyone. The money is for celebrating what we've accomplished."

His grandfather looked at the silver coins with amazement. "Marcus, this is more money than our family has seen in months."

"There's more where that came from, Grandfather. Go home, rest, and tell everyone that better days are coming."

After his grandfather left, Marcus, Aldric, and Sara exchanged celebratory words and shared a quick meal. The remaining customers continued to browse and purchase throughout the afternoon, though the initial frenzy had calmed to a manageable pace.

Around mid-afternoon, the shop door opened and a strikingly beautiful young woman entered, her fine dress and confident bearing marking her as nobility. She had long auburn hair and green eyes that immediately focused on Aldric with obvious interest.

"I was gonna stop by in the morning, but it was so crowded I couldn't even get close," she said, her voice carrying the refined accent of the upper district. "I'm Lara Brightmore."

Aldric's face lit up like he'd struck gold. "Lady Lara! I... I didn't expect... that is, welcome to our shop!"

Marcus noticed Sara's expression immediately change from cheerful to something much darker. Her jaw tightened as she watched Lara approach Aldric with a graceful smile.

"Your reputation has spread quite impressively," Lara continued, picking up one of their soaps and examining it with delicate fingers. "Such wonderful craftsmanship. You must be very skilled."

"Well, I... we... my partners and I work together," Aldric stammered, clearly flustered by the attention. "Would you like to try one of our premium varieties?"

Marcus stepped closer to Sara, who was gripping the counter edge so tightly her knuckles were white. "Hey," he whispered. "You okay?"

"Fine," Sara muttered, not taking her eyes off Lara and Aldric. "Just fine."

Lara accepted the soap Aldric offered, their fingers brushing briefly in the exchange. "How thoughtful of you. I'm sure it will be wonderful." She leaned closer to him. "Perhaps you could show me your other products?"

Aldric eagerly began showing her their different soap varieties, his usual business confidence returning as he explained their unique formulations and superior ingredients. Lara hung on his every word, asking questions that showed genuine interest in both the products and the man explaining them.

Marcus placed a gentle hand on Sara's shoulder. "She's just a customer. Aldric's being polite."

"She's not just a customer," Sara said quietly, her voice tight with emotion. "Look at how she's looking at him. Look at how he's looking at her."

Marcus had to admit Sara had a point. Aldric was practically glowing under Lara's attention, and the noblewoman was definitely flirting rather than just shopping.

"You're important to him too," Marcus said softly. "The business, the work we do together. That matters."

Before Sara could respond, Lara turned to address the whole shop. "I'll take several of these for my household. And I'll be sure to tell my father about your success. He's always interested in promising new enterprises."

She paid for her purchases with silver coins rather than copper, clearly not worried about the expense. As she prepared to leave, she smiled directly at Aldric. "I do hope we'll have chance to talk again soon. Perhaps when it's less crowded?"

"Of course, Lady Lara. Anytime," Aldric replied, practically beaming.

After she left, Aldric stood staring at the door with a dazed expression. "Can you believe that? Lady Lara Brightmore, in our shop! And she liked our soaps!"

Sara turned away, busying herself with organizing their remaining inventory. Marcus could see her fighting back tears.

"Your sampling idea worked better than I ever imagined," Sara said, her voice carefully controlled. "People kept saying they'd never smelled anything so wonderful, and they had to know where it came from."

"And the advertisements themselves were perfect," Aldric added, still distracted by thoughts of Lara. "Even people who couldn't read them well understood the quality message from the soap samples."

They sold the remaining soaps steadily until evening, with Marcus handling customer questions about ingredients and uses while Aldric managed the financial transactions and Sara kept track of their inventory.

As the last customer left and they closed the shop doors, Marcus felt deep satisfaction. The day had exceeded even his most optimistic projections, validating his modern understanding of marketing and consumer psychology.

"Tomorrow we start planning the next batch," Marcus said as they cleaned up. "But tonight, we celebrate."

He walked home through the Lower District streets, noticing that people were already talking about the soap shop and the mysterious new products that had appeared. Word was spreading exactly as he'd hoped, creating anticipation for their next production run.

When Marcus arrived at Room 47, everyone was already sleeping, but he could see evidence of his grandfather's shopping. Fresh bread, some dried fruit, and even a small piece of cheese sat carefully wrapped on their shared table.

Marcus settled into his sleeping space, genuinely happy and optimistic about the future. For the first time since arriving in Drakmoor, he felt like he was truly succeeding at building something valuable and sustainable. The business was working, his family was benefiting, and tomorrow held the promise of even greater success.

As he drifted off to sleep, Marcus reflected on how far he'd come from the uncertain farm boy who'd first arrived in the capital. The challenges weren't over, but tonight, success felt tangible and achievable.