The day of my departure for the Riven Palace arrived. Before leaving the Empress’s palace, I slowly looked around. I knew I wouldn’t be coming back here again.
Others know that this was only a brief retreat, but Stella knew that this was my last day.
Although we planned to stay in touch through the Priodos organization until I finish my remaining tasks and completely leave Asha, meeting face-to-face and having a conversation like this will be the last.
She hugged me lightly and said goodbye.
“May luck follow you wherever you go. Take care, Your Majesty.”
I sensed a faint sob in her voice. It made me tear up as well.
It was only when the attendants announced that we must depart that I moved to the carriage.
The attendants accompanying me to the Riven Palace were gathered around the carriage. They were not ordinary attendants but people of the Emperor. They were assigned to watch my every move.
The thought of having Ian’s eyes and ears on me, even when I left the palace, made my stomach turn.
“Now, let’s depart.”
Theo, who was waiting for me, gestured for me to board the carriage.
When our eyes met, a subtle and faint smile appeared on his face. He would be staying at Riven Palace with me for the time being.
Therefore, the journey for my recuperation felt like a date, and I couldn’t help but feel excited.
Following his guidance, I stepped into the carriage. Theo also sat across from me. The sunlight coming through the window made Theo’s green eyes even more dazzling.
Facing it directly once again, his eyes, which sparkled like stars that night, unexpectedly came to mind, and my heart began to race uncontrollably.
A night so enchanting that it made me forget the precarious reality. Unconsciously, my gaze drifted toward his lips.
Although he asserted that our relationship wouldn’t change, I could feel the distance in our hearts subtly narrowing, enough to make me wonder if he might be in love with me.
Simultaneously, forbidden hopes were growing, hoping not to be discovered by him.
“There will be quite a spectacle due to Foundation Day, so the road to Riven Palace won’t be boring.”
He brought up Foundation Day. Currently, it is the most significant festival in Asha, a celebration awaited by most imperial citizens.
This year, due to recent ominous events, the royal family decided to skip the banquet. However, ordinary people couldn’t simply overlook this national festival.
It was a bit funny; the festival actually began to honor the great wizard that the Ashans despised so much.
The beverage ‘Vitarus,’ consumed by families to commemorate Foundation Day, symbolized the vitality possessed by the great wizard.
It was a fact I learned from studying the history of Xenos.
“I completely forgot that it’s festival season since it was so quiet in the Empress’s palace.”
“Come to think of it, this will be your first Foundation Day since coming here. It will be a nice change of mood, even for a moment.”
Theo seemed to casually accept that I was someone from another world.
I felt very comfortable talking to him now that I didn’t have to struggle to keep my secrets from being revealed, nor did I have to tell him unwanted lies.
“If only there were no watchers, it would be even better.”
I was referring to the attendants Ian had assigned. Theo’s lips twitched slightly at the words.
“We can handle that kind of issue easily.”
I don’t know what he’s planning, but he sounds as cheerful as ever.
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A few hours later, Theo stopped the carriage.
“Let’s take a break.”
I followed his lead and stepped out. Ian’s attendants followed us. Not far away, the sounds of a bustling crowd could be heard. Theo pointed in that direction.
“That’s where the village festival is happening.”
This was near the Riven Palace. Theo explained that there wouldn’t be many people recognizing us here, unlike in the capital.
The streets were filled with people enjoying the festival, creating a lively and vibrant atmosphere. It felt like we were going on a picnic. At that moment, Theo whispered in my ear.
“I’m going to give you a signal; please follow it.”
Glancing back at his words, I noticed the perplexed expressions on the faces of the attendants.
It was because the surroundings were engulfed in a massive crowd, making it challenging for them to follow us. After a while, Theo gestured with his eyes. We started walking a bit faster, distancing ourselves from the attendants.
Theo pulled a heavy-looking pouch from his arm. He spilled the contents on the ground. It was silver coins. The clinking sound of coins hitting the ground attracted people from all directions.
“It’s money!”
The street instantly turned into chaos. At that moment, Theo firmly grabbed my hand and led me skillfully through a less crowded area, distancing ourselves even further from the attendants.
Eventually, we hid in a small alley. When I regained my composure, I noticed that his face was dangerously close to mine.
He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Despite the noisy surroundings, it felt like nothing could be heard.
After confirming that the attendants had passed in a hurry, we left the alley. Theo chuckled and said,
“Now we can properly enjoy the sights.”
At his words, I looked around. In some places, people were singing and dancing together, and in others, clowns in outrageous costumes were performing tricks for the audience.
As we walked a little further, we saw a puppet show for children. When I showed interest, Theo held my hand and approached the stage.
After observing it for a while, I had a rough idea of the puppet show’s plot. It was about a man and a woman who loved each other, and naturally, there was an antagonist who tried to separate them.
The male protagonist of the puppet show was a prince, and the villain who tried to separate the two was a princess from a neighboring country. And the female protagonist, who fell in love with the male protagonist at first sight, was the princess’s maid.
As I continued watching, a discomforting feeling crept in. The story of the puppet show is similar to that of Ian, Rosetin, and the villainess Lethenia.
As the show reached its climax, it was revealed that the villainous princess was actually a witch.
At that time, I heard someone talking unusually loudly around me.
“That means the woman in the puppet show is Empress Bledel. She must be harassing His Majesty’s mistress every day.”
“Really?”
“Maybe she’s a real witch. That’s why she’s given all kinds of privileges to farms where there are evil Xenosian.”
As if I wasn’t the only one who’d heard the story, Theo squeezed my hand a little harder. A cold glint flowed in his eyes. I grabbed him and smiled brightly.
“This puppet show isn’t very entertaining; let’s go see something else.”
Theo obediently followed me as I led him away. After walking for a while, we came across a street vendor selling fortune cookies.
The cookies were made by putting a piece of paper with fortunes inside a cookie called “Bilkiabu,” which was a snack commonly eaten during festivals. To break the awkward atmosphere caused by the puppet show, I approached the fortune cookie vendor.
“Let’s try one.”
As I looked up at him with an expectant look, he smiled faintly. Then he took out a few pieces of silver coins from his pocket and handed them to the vendor.
I chose the smoothest and largest of the many cookies. Theo, on the other hand, picked up a very small, slightly misshapen one.
“Why did you pick such an ugly one?”
“Luck is always in the most unexpected places.”
We simultaneously broke the cookie in half and checked the paper inside.
[True love, the one that will bring you eternal happiness, is right around the corner.]
I nudged Theo to check his. To my surprise, it had the same message on it. The shopkeeper beamed and said,
“Wow, you two must be a match made in heaven to have the same fortune.”
“Oh, don’t they all say the same thing?”
I retorted, laughing off the shopkeeper’s comment.
It seemed quite artificial for the same message to appear among so many cookies. She gave me a look of disapproval.
“Of course not. Among all these cookies, there’s only one pair with the same message.”
Upon hearing that, Theo handed all his silver coins to the shop owner and said,
“I can’t buy such a precious fortune cookie at such a low price.”
A mischievous smile appeared on his face. He looked so innocent and pure that I couldn’t help but laugh along.
After I finished my fortune cookie reading, I turned my head again and saw a stall that looked relatively deserted.
On the shelves were bracelets and necklaces made of thick colored threads. The shopkeeper, an old woman, spoke in a gentle voice.
“These were made with two colors, symbolizing the goddess Lumitaras.”
I remembered a custom in Asha that Stella had once told me about.
Lumitaras was the patron goddess of Asha, representing the light and water necessary for abundant crops.
For this reason, the symbol for Lumitaras has long been the overlapping red circle for light and the blue circle for water.
The Ashan people would make accessories inspired by this symbol during the founding festival, making wishes and wearing them for a while, hoping for Lumitaras’ blessings to make their wishes come true.
I took out a few silver coins I had prepared in advance and handed them to the elderly shop owner, then picked up two bracelets. I handed one to Theo.
“Here, it’s a gift.”
We split the identical bracelets on the spot. They weren’t the kind of expensive items you’d find in the imperial palace, but they would mean more to me than any precious jewelry.
As I looked at the bracelet, I silently made a wish in my heart. May all the obstacles that stand in our way disappear, and may we embrace a peaceful future. And may this moment with him go by very slowly.
In the distance, I could see the attendants anxiously searching for us. It was time to go back.
