Elianna's beautiful, celestial blue eyes moved constantly, side to side and up and down, as she walked through the gray cobblestoned streets of Zasaly. Her eyes beamed as she admired the beauty around her and the cleanliness and well-kept condition of everything. While she did observe similarities between here and Tri-Union City, with the brick buildings and road designs, she also noticed the apparent differences.

  The buildings around her had an antiquated look, but they possessed an aesthetic design that truly shone in her eyes. The buildings themselves were designed similarly yet differently, with some featuring domed ceilings, others having front porches with beautiful stone columns used as support beams, and wide arches that seem to frame the doors and windows.

  Elianna also had the sense that art was the central theme in Zasaly, or perhaps all of Gavaria, for all she knew. She caught glimpses of several statues of different shapes and sizes atop numerous buildings, but not all of them had these statues. Instead, different-colored bricks were built into the building, arranged as a beautiful mosaic that genuinely stood out, thanks to the assistance of the stained glass.

  Looking around, Elianna felt the sense of beauty everywhere she looked, and she absolutely loved it. However, while the beauty truly caught her eye, she found the stares from the people around her increasingly hard to ignore.

  Elianna was surrounded on all sides by Gavarian guards, who walked in a strict rectangular formation around her, Nicholas, and Celine, who walked beside her. Walking directly behind her were Okena and Zen, who seemed to ensure they weren't more than arm's length away from them at all times.

  Along the sides of the road, several vendors sold a variety of items, ranging from food to jewelry. Elianna would eye these stands, noticing the vendors who should've been busy speaking with their customers were instead distracted by the royal procession before them. The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the area, since everyone seemed to fall silent, except for the occasional whispers that she overheard.

  "Who is it? Is it the king?"

  "No. Some elf, a red-haired girl, and a blonde boy."

  "Is it Prince Tristan?"

  "No. But he looks similar to him. Wait! I think it's Prince Nicholas!"

  The announcement of Nicholas' name sparked a new wave of whispers through the street, and Elianna observed as people leaned close to speak to each other, while giving Nicholas pointed looks. But when her gaze fell on a group of girls around her age who were giggling with reddened cheeks while pointing at Nicholas, her eyes narrowed.

  Hearing Nicholas sigh, Elianna looked to her left, seeing that he appeared less than enthusiastic. Tilting her head slightly, Elianna asked, "You okay?"

  Nicholas shrugged, "I'm fine." He looked around, "Just kinda feels like we're in a parade at this point instead of an outing."

  Elianna nodded, "I know what you mean." She looked around, seeing all the stares and vendors, "We're definitely the center of attention." Her eyes fell on one vendor, who seemed to be selling a purple fruit that was about the size of her palm. "Huh, never seen those before."

  Nicholas and Celine followed Elianna's gaze.

  Celine's eyes widened, "Oh, welken fruit!" Her head whirled at Nicholas and Celine, "Let's get some! I haven't had some in so long!"

  Elianna tilted her head slightly, "Are they good?"

  Nicholas smiled, "They're the sweetest fruit I've ever tasted. They're considered a delicacy here." Nicholas jerked his head and began to walk toward the vendor, "Come on—"

  "HALT!!" Zen yelled, and the entire formation stopped around them. All the guards stood poised, looking around them, surrounding Nicholas, Elianna, and Celine.

  "We're right behind you, Your Highness," Okena stated, looking at Nicholas.

  Nicholas gave her a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Thanks."

  Okena nodded, and Elianna bit her lips to contain a laugh, as she knew Nicholas definitely didn't mean the gratitude.

  Nicholas, Elianna, and Celine walked toward the vendor, with Okena and Zen behind them. The vendor, a middle-aged lady with long black hair, looked surprised as they approached her, and she quickly smoothed out her long-sleeved shirt and pants.

  The vendor smiled widely, but it seemed a little shaky. "G-Good morning." Her eyes narrowed, and she looked a little confused. "Prince Nicholas?"

  Nicholas smiled and nodded, "Good morning."

  The confusion wiped from her facial features, but she still looked nervous, "Oh my, so it is you!" She quickly cleared her throat, "Y-Your Highness."

  The people around seemed to be listening and quickly began whispering to each other upon confirmation that Nicholas was indeed who they thought he was.

  The vendor clasped her shaky hands tightly, "W-What can I do for you, Your Highness?"

  Nicholas pointed at the fruit, "We were wanting some welken fruit."

  The vendor beamed, "R-Really? From me?"

  Nicholas' lips curled, and a genuine laugh came from him, "Yes, please."

  The vendor seemed ecstatic, which made Elianna smile. Elianna watched as the vendor quickly picked out three fruits and held them out to them.

  "H-Here—"

  The vendor was cut off, and looked startled as Okena moved in from the side and took them from her. Okena stared at the fruit, and her eyes glowed with emerald energy. A second later, she nodded and held the fruit out to Nicholas, "They look clean and safe, Your Highness."

  The vendor flinched, looking both insulted and concerned.

  Nicholas let out a heavy sigh as he took the fruit, "Thanks." He smiled warmly at the vendor, "How much?"

  The vendor smiled at Nicholas and shook her head, "No charge, Your Highness. They're free."

  Nicholas' smile faded, "No, please. Allow me to pay for these."

  The vendor shook her head and maintained her smile, "I wouldn't dare make you pay, Your Highness. Please, enjoy."

  Nicholas' shoulders slumped, but he managed a smile, "Thanks." He looked at Celine and Elianna, then jerked his chin, "Come on."

  Celine and Elianna followed Nicholas as he left the stand and began to walk forward. Zen bellowed from behind them for the formation to continue forward, which they did.

  Nicholas held the fruit out to Celine and Elianna, "Here."

  Elianna and Celine took the fruit, with Elianna tilting her head slightly as she ran her hand over its smooth texture. She bit into the fruit, and her eyes widened instantly at its sweetness.

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  "Oh my gosh!" Elianna squealed, wiping some of the juice from her lips with her finger. "This is so sweet and delicious!"

  Celine chuckled a hum and nodded, as she ate her fruit, "Told you." She took another bite, "I loved eating these whenever I visited."

  Elianna hummed as she took another bite, "I wish they sold these in Tri-Union City."

  Nicholas took a few bites, finishing his fruit, and shrugged, "I can talk to my father about having them imported."

  "I'm sure they'd sell quickly," Celine stated.

  Elianna took the last bite of her fruit, savoring the sweet flavor. As she finished eating, her head snapped to the left at the sound of laughing, and she noticed a few individuals around her age exiting a shop. She noticed that one of the guys in the group was holding a handheld silver pitchfork that created lightning between its two prongs. But the moment the group noticed the formation of royal guards, they stopped laughing and stared.

  Looking at the sign of the shop the group just exited, Elianna's eyes widened, seeing it was a store that sold magic items. Pointing at the store, Elianna looked at Nicholas excitedly, "Wanna go in there?"

  Nicholas looked at Elianna, then followed her gesture to the shop, before smiling and nodding, "Sure."

  Nicholas, Celine, and Elianna began to walk toward the shop when Zen yelled, "Halt!!" Zen stepped forward and pointed at the building, "Squads one and four, clear this building!"

  There were shouts of acknowledgment to Zen's orders, then several guards quickly moved toward the shop and entered.

  Elianna's brows raised, watching as citizens began to pour out of the building. They all seemed surprised when they noticed a group of guards standing outside the building, before they quickly regained their composure and left the area. But, as more people exited, surprise washed over Elianna as she noticed a dwarf exit, before quickly walking away. They were the first dwarf she had seen in Zasaly since her arrival.

  Hearing Nicholas sigh, Elianna looked at him, seeing he was rubbing his temples, "Nick? You okay?"

  Lowering his hand, Nicholas looked at her, smiled, and shrugged, "I'm fine." He looked back toward the building, "I just feel like the guards are kinda ruining our outing."

  Looking back at the building, Elianna noticed a few more people exiting, and she felt sorry for them, as they were trying to enjoy their day out as well. Admittedly, she wondered what it would be like to explore Zasaly without an armed escort.

  Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Celine eyeing Nicholas curiously, before looking around.

  The doors to the shop opened again, and a guard stepped out, announcing, "The building is clear, Lieutenant."

  Zen nodded, then looked at Nicholas, "It's safe, Your Highness."

  Nicholas gave Zen a tight-lipped smile, "Thanks." He sighed before he began to walk toward the magic shop, with Celine and Elianna following.

  As the three of them approached the shop, the guard standing by the door held it open and stood at attention. But Elianna flinched slightly as she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking toward the movement, she noticed a raven had landed on the sign for the shop and seemed to be staring at them as they walked past.

  Shrugging her shoulders in dismissal, Elianna walked behind Nicholas as he entered the building first. Then, as she stepped inside, her eyes widened, and her lips curled as she looked around. The inside of the store felt cozy with shelves lined up into even aisles, each filled with an assortment of magic items of different shapes and sizes. Large paintings of various landscapes and buildings hung along the walls, giving the building a pleasant, colorful appearance. When Elianna looked up, she observed that the ceiling had an intricate design carved into it.

  "G-Good morning."

  Elianna's head snapped toward the voice, and her gaze fell on a nice-looking elderly gentleman with a young woman standing beside him. They both looked around nervously, with their wrists clasped in front of them.

  The elderly man looked toward Nicholas, Celine, and Elianna and gave a shaky smile, "W-Welcome to my shop, Your Highness."

  Nicholas smiled at the elderly man, "Thank you for having us, and I apologize for the inconvenience of scaring your customers away."

  The elderly man's brows raised, and he seemed to relax a little as he smiled more genuinely, "It is of no concern, Your Highness. My daughter and I heard whispers that you were outside walking around." He chuckled, "I never imagined one of the princes would ever come into my store."

  Nicholas gestured to Elianna, "Your store caught her eye, so we thought to come take a look around."

  The elderly man looked at Elianna, and she noticed how his eyes flicked to her ears before he smiled at her. He then looked at Nicholas, "I see. Well, I hope you all enjoy my shop, Your Highness. Please, let me know if you have any questions."

  "I have one," Celine said, raising a finger. "Where are the restrooms?"

  The daughter pointed toward the rear of the store, "T-They're in the back."

  Celine smiled, "Thank you."

  The daughter nodded, and her eyes flicked to Nicholas. Elianna's eyes narrowed when she noticed the daughter's cheeks turn red and gaze sparkling.

  Celine began moving toward the shelves. "Let's take a look around."

  Elianna pulled her glare from the daughter and followed Celine, with Nicholas walking beside her. Her lips curled as they walked down an aisle, and she looked around, seeing the different magic items that were on display. She stopped when she noticed a small, black bag, and she curiously reached out to touch it. However, Okena took it before she could grab it, and she twirled it around in her hands, as if inspecting it.

  "It looks safe," Okena said, and held it out to Elianna. "Here you go."

  Elianna stared at the bag, immediately losing interest, "No, thanks."

  Turning, Elianna noticed Nicholas had an irritated gaze as he eyed Okena. He shot Elianna an apologetic smile before they continued to follow Celine down the aisle. They walked through the store until they approached the bathrooms.

  Nicholas looked at Celine, "We'll wai—"

  Celine stepped closer to Nicholas and whispered into his ear. Elianna watched them curiously, noticing a grin form on Nicholas' lips before he smiled.

  Nicholas looked at Elianna, "See you in a bit."

  Elianna nodded, watching as Nicholas walked into the bathroom, with Zen waiting outside.

  Celine looked at Elianna, "Come on."

  Elianna shook her head, "I'm fi—"

  Elianna's eyes widened as Celine took her wrist and said with more emphasis, "Come on."

  Elianna didn't argue and just nodded as she followed Celine into the bathroom. Elianna looked at the multiple stalls before looking back at Celine as the door closed. "Did you just want some company?"

  Celine chuckled as she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, "No." She tilted her head slightly, "How are you liking the outing?"

  Elianna shrugged, "The buildings and everything are beautiful." She sighed, "The guards are getting annoying."

  Celine smirked, "We'll see if we can fix that."

  Elianna raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

  Celine took her pocket watch out of her spatial ring, "Let's give it a few more minutes."

  Elianna tilted her head, watching Celine curiously as she stared at her pocket watch. A few minutes passed before Celine put her watch away and stood up straight.

  Celine smirked, "Now, be as quiet as possible."

  Elianna looked confused and watched as Celine snapped her fingers. A wave of emerald energy washed over her, and when she looked down, she noticed she was invisible.

  Celine winked, "I'll be the distraction. Now, stay close."

  Elianna blinked, but didn't argue as she stayed close to Celine as she opened the door and carefully followed her out. Looking around, she noticed Zen and Okena were patiently waiting and didn't seem to notice her presence.

  Celine looked at Zen and Okena curiously, "Did Nicholas come out yet?"

  Zen shook his head, "Not yet, Your Highness."

  Celine nodded and approached the door to the male bathroom. The guards seemed to watch Celine in surprise as she opened the door wide, wider than she needed to, and yelled inside, "Hurry up, Nick!" Celine slowly closed the door and looked at Zen and Okena, "Elianna should be out soon as well. Let them know I went outside to get some fresh air."

  Zen and Okena shared a gaze before Zen said, "I'll go with Princess Celine."

  Okena nodded, "I'll wait then."

  Celine didn't wait before she began to walk toward the front of the store, and Elianna made sure to stay close to her. She spared a look toward the men's bathroom, wondering about Nicholas, before looking forward. When they reached the front of the store, Celine waved and politely said bye to the elderly gentleman and his daughter before making her way towards the door.

  The guard at the door opened it, and Celine stepped out. Once outside, Celine turned toward the guard and grabbed the door, smiling, "Thanks."

  Elianna managed to slip out past Celine and Okena, watching as Celine held the door open.

  The guard nodded, "You're welcome, Your Highness."

  Celine nodded and continued to awkwardly stand there for a moment, staring at the guard, while holding the door. The guard began to look uncomfortable before Celine let go of the door, allowing it to close.

  Celine sighed as she stretched her arms out, "Feels good to be out."

  Elianna tilted her head, noticing Celine's finger seemed to point right at her. Then, she flinched as something gingerly grabbed her arm. Her head whirled to the side, seeing no one was there, and a shiver ran down her spine, as the feeling of someone holding her ran down her arm, until it felt like someone grabbed her hand. But, she smiled in the next moment at the handholds' familiar warmth.

  Elianna didn't resist as the invisible force pulled her away from the shop and passed all the guards and citizens who were just standing around. The invisible force pulled her down an alleyway, and another emerald energy washed over her, but she remained invisible. They continued down the alley, making their way onto a busy street, then down another alley.

  Once out of sight of everyone, they seemed to stop, and with another wave of emerald energy, Nicholas appeared before her with a smirk, "Hello."

  Elianna returned his smirk with a grin, now visible, "Hello. Running from the guards, are we?"

  Nicholas nodded, "Yep." He tilted his head slightly, "Now, wanna begin our real outing?"

  Elianna nodded excitedly, "Definitely."