The mustached shopkeeper’s brows knitted together almost instantly.
He might look careless, even a little unscrupulous—but he wasn’t stupid.
The Winslow family stood at the very top tier of society. In a city like Kingsley, families of that caliber were not merely wealthy—they were institutions. Their influence extended into business, politics, and even the subtle undercurrents of power that governed everyday life.
People like him?
He survived by staying out of their way.
As for the blue-and-white porcelain…
Yes, it had originally come as a pair.
But antiques were not like mass-produced goods rolling off an assembly line. They were relics of time—objects that had survived wars, migrations, accidents, and sheer neglect. To find even a single authentic piece in good condition was alre
