“I still can’t believe the seamstress actually agreed to do it,” Alice murmured, folding the receipt in her hand as the carriage made its way to the market. “How much did you pay her in total?”

  “Hm, there were around fifty lumens in that bag, so…” Estel tried to add up the numbers in her head. “About twice the annual wage of a knight?”

  “Oh…wait, and knights are considered to be highly paid, are they not?”

  “I suppose so. Better than a seamstress, for sure.”

  Alice nodded her head thoughtfully. “I understand her feelings now.”

  Before long, the familiar hustle and bustle of the market began to surround them. Traders in roughspun cloaks shouted from behind wooden carts in every direction, gesturing animatedly at the passers-by. A group of townswomen in woolen shawls bustled past, bancing baskets of fruits and bundles of dried herbs on their heads. Wandering pilgrims and wayfarers threaded through the sea of people, offering their intercessions in a dozen lilting tongues.

  “Gnade und Friede sei mit Ihnen, Mademoiselle!”

  “Merci bien, qu’est-ce qui se passe…”

  “Ke tepi! Ke tepi!”

  The carriage shuddered to a crawl, then abruptly stopped.

  Alice curiously peered out of the window. “Este, looks like we’re stuck.”

  Before Estel could check the situation outside for herself, the coachman hurriedly knocked on the carriage door and pointed ahead. “Your Ladyship! There’s too many people here, it’s impossible for us to pass through!”

  “Is that so?” Estel opened the door and alighted, pulling her mantle tightly around her shoulders. “It’s fine, you may head back to the inn first. We’ll return on foot after our repast.”

  “A-are you sure about that, Your Ladyship?”

  “Well—” she gestured at the boisterous crowd squeezing past them “—it’s not like there’s a point making you wait here, am I right?”

  Hesitating for a moment, the coachman gave a quick nod. “Please make sure you are back by the twelfth bell, Your Ladyship.”

  Estel and Alice waved their hands at the departing carriage before turning around. Under the golden light of oil mps and braziers, the market was a riot of colour and sound—smoke from roasting fires, aromas of spices and herbs, and the sound of conversations spilling into ughter. In fact, Estel noticed that it was somehow even busier than in the afternoon, which seemed like an amazing feat to her.

  “Entschuldigung!”

  “Wha—!” Alice hastily moved into her shoulder as a man shoved her aside roughly.

  “Hey! How rude can you be, you brute?!” Estel yelled after the man, who quickly disappeared into the crowd. “A-are you okay, Alice?”

  She fshed a reassuring smile. “I’m okay, no worries.”

  “There’s a lot of people here,” Estel said, holding out her hand, “it’s better if we hold hands for now, don’t you agree?”

  “Mhm.” Alice gratefully held her hand and looked around at their surroundings. “Do you know the way to the restaurant?”

  “I remember it being near the city walls when Balian pointed it out, but…”

  Estel scratched her head in confusion as she surveyed the overflowing crowd. “Forget the restaurant, I’m not even sure if we can make it to the city walls.”

  “Well, I guess we can just walk in the general direction and hope for the best?” Alice suggested.

  “Mm, sure. Stay close, alright?”

  The market stretched ahead of them in a long procession of ntern-lit stalls and tents, offering glimpses into each of their small worlds as they walked past: a burly vendor with a full salt-and-pepper beard called out cheerily from behind a table den with hot gingerbread and roasted nuts, the spicy aroma of cinnamon and cloves wafting around him. Nearby, a ruddy potter arranged his earthenware on a straw mat with the help of his daughter, her bright green eyes peeking out from under a thick-knitted cap as she met their eyes.

  “Schauen, schauen!”

  Across the street, an old peddler demonstrated a strange mechanical toy to a gaggle of curious children, eliciting shouts of merriment from the audience. A bcksmith hammered glowing iron at a traveling forge while taking requests from his customers, the bright showers of sparks lighting up his bronze skin and the gold rings at his ears. A group of traveling minstrels—young men and women with tanned faces and colorful sashes tied at their waists—pyed flutes and lutes in a corner, tipping their hats each time someone tossed a coin into their valises.

  As Estel and Alice finally approached the city walls, the crowd began to thin a little, leaving enough room for them to breathe in some fresh air. They stopped beside a low-burning brazier crackling with firewood, its embers painting the cobblestones in warm hues.

  “This pce sure is crazy,” Alice breathed, still holding tightly onto her hand. “Have you ever been to such a crowded pce before, Este?”

  “It’s my first time too,” she admitted. “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this many people to be here. Maybe it’s because the dates of the festival and the annual pilgrimage are very close to each other this year…”

  “Oh, Este, look!” Alice suddenly excimed and pointed at a stone-walled building nearby. “That sign reads ‘Qashimi’, doesn’t it? Isn’t that the restaurant?”

  “Hm?” She stared at the sign and nodded with a relieved smile. “Yep, that’s the pce!”

  -

  “Please follow me, honoured guests!”

  Although the receptionist told them that the restaurant was full when they walked in, the moment Estel name-dropped Balian, the owner himself came rushing down to greet them and personally showed them to a private table on the rooftop patio. A well-dressed waiter immediately came to give the menus and draped a dinner napkin over their ps.

  “This pce sure is fancy,” Alice murmured as she squinted at the menu. “So fancy that I can’t read a single word on this menu.”

  The waiter bowed with his hand on his chest. “Bonsoir, would you dies like to order apéritifs and hors d’oeuvres?”

  Alice gnced up from the menu, visibly confused. “A hors…what?”

  “Could you please give us your recommendations?” Estel asked, gracefully folding her hands on her p.

  “For tonight’s apéritif, may I suggest sweet sherry to set the mood? If you prefer non-alcoholic drinks, our sambucus cordial is an excellent choice as well.”

  “I’ll have the sherry, then.” She gently nudged Alice under the table, who hastily replied with a “I’ll have the same too!”.

  The waiter noted their choice of drinks and continued, “for hors d’oeuvre, I would recommend either our specialty canapés with smoked schinken or chocote mousse on caramelised toast. Which will be to your liking?”

  “We’ll have your specialty canapés, then.” Estel pointed at the menu. “As for the appetizer, we’ll have the…rindfleisch carpaccio, please. Make sure it is garnished with arugu and vinaigrette before serving.”

  “Bien s?r. And what will your choice of entrée be?”

  “The schnitzel cordon bleu with gratin de pommes à dauphinoise, and…a speckbohnen almondine for the side dish, please.”

  “Bien s?r. Please excuse me, your food will be ready in a moment.”

  “Este, what did you order?” Alice whispered. “I couldn’t understand a single word you said!”

  “W-well…” Estel gave an awkward ugh. “I was mostly just reading off the menu, so I’m not too sure myself.”

  “…right, and here I was thinking you must be some kind of food connoisseur.”

  The waiter soon returned with two gsses containing a pale yellow liquor and a pte of canapés. “Please enjoy.”

  Estel swirled the gss in her hand slowly, marvelling at the fragrance of ripe grapes mixed with delicate notes of aged balsamic. The candlelight from the nterns set atop the patio cast a soft, golden glow over the table, making the liquor shimmer like liquid gold—

  “Ugh!”

  Alice made a scrunched face after she downed her gss in one gulp. “Damn, this isn’t like beer at all…why is this shit so strong? This is basically Spirytus!”

  “A-are you alright?” Estel gasped in shock when she saw her empty gss. “You’re only supposed to take a small sip to stimute the appetite, you know. That’s why it’s called an apéritif…”

  “Oh.”