When Vistoria reached the door, the sounds from inside made her stop in her tracks.
But Velis didn’t come out for a long while. Seeing the sky outside growing closer to noon, Vistoria had no choice but to raise her hand and knock.
“Your Highness, a servant from the Laval Family came by to ask earlier. Will you still be attending the banquet today?”
“Oh, one moment.” Velis’s voice came from inside.
After a short while, sounds of scuffling rang out again within the room.
“Come over here and help this Imperial Princess change and fix my hair.”
“And why should I?” An unfamiliar woman’s voice reached Vistoria’s ears.
Velis sounded confident of her victory: “You want to back out?”
“Velis!”
Through gritted teeth, the room fell silent once more.
Ten minutes later, Velis emerged with a stunningly beautiful blonde-haired girl.
Both of them had rosy complexions, radiant and glowing, yet exuding an air of nobility.
Vistoria glanced curiously at Ophelia. She felt she looked familiar, but for the life of her couldn’t recall who she was.
“Are all the matters settled?” Velis asked.
Vistoria snapped back to attention and nodded. “Yes. I’ve already coordinated with my family. The moment Your Highness’s Gold Dragon arrives, those people at the academy will pay the price.”
“As for the guards and route to escort you to Ushi City, as well as the movements of the various factions in recent days, I’ve investigated and arranged everything.”
“Much obliged.” Velis nodded, then looked at Ophelia. “You wait for me at home. Vistoria, you’ll come with me.”
The blonde girl sensibly stopped in her tracks, her gaze following Velis and Vistoria as they departed.
Not long after, a maid approached cautiously, unsure how to address Ophelia.
After racking her brains, there was only one option.
“Miss, would you like us to tidy the room?” the maid asked.
Ophelia’s expression betrayed nothing, but she shook her head. “Is there hot water? I want to take a bath.”
“Yes, yes there is!”
The maids had long since prepared everything, and Ophelia quickly finished her bath before returning to Velis’s room.
Quiet. Serene.
In this Imperial Princess’s chamber, there weren’t many precious items to be seen. In fact, the furnishings were quite simple.
But here, apart from Velis, no one would come to disturb her, or force her to do things she didn’t want to do.
Climbing into the rumpled sheets and blankets that were due for washing, Ophelia slowly shifted into the bed, then quietly closed her eyes.
Within them was the strong scent of Velis, and her own as well.
But a barely perceptible smile curled at the corners of Ophelia’s lips…
This was fine, just like this.
So tired… I want to rest.
The girl fell asleep, sweetly.
On the other side, Velis’s carriage had already left the palace and was traveling through the streets.
The carriage she rode today bore no royal decorations. It looked quite ordinary, so the Commoners around didn’t carry that sense of fear.
They simply assumed that the dozens of soldiers escorting it were for some Empire minister or their family.
Velis gazed through the curtains at the bustling street scene. All sorts of shops dazzled the eye, and pedestrians came and went without end.
Occasionally, she could even spot foreigners from outside the Okam Empire, or Dwarves.
There had been many Elves in Monseer originally, but due to the last attack and the Inquisition Office’s covert searches, the Elves within the capital had either gone into hiding or relocated.
What a pity though. Recalling that Elf named Winnie Kanasha, a stir of emotion welled up in Velis’s heart.
“Flatbread! Hot and crispy flatbread!”
“Freshly slaughtered Magic Sheep! Tender meat, delicious soup! Don’t miss it while you’re passing by! Just 5 Copper Dragons a bowl!”
“Spices on sale! Freshly shipped from the Amis Strait!”
“Take a look at this blade I forged! Cuts through metal and severs hair, extremely sharp! Even chopping bone won’t dull the edge!”
The aroma of food, the variety of goods—Velis watched the people outside hawking and selling, a thriving picture of market life.
There were even shops selling Basic spells and swordsman equipment. These stores were numerous and drew large crowds.
Of course, according to Vistoria, no matter how cheap these things seemed, they were still priced in Silver Dragons and Gold Dragons.
“Gold Dragons…”
Having come to this world and experienced so much in such a short time, Velis still hadn’t properly learned about or seen what this world looked like.
A Gold Dragon was the standard currency of the Vistoria Continent.
One Gold Dragon exchanged for a thousand Silver Dragons, and one Silver Dragon for a thousand Copper Dragons. An ordinary family working an entire year would earn only a few Silver Dragon coins at most.
The bulk of wealth remained concentrated in the hands of the Empire and the Nobles.
As for Velis’s money, aside from the Imperial Princess’s stipend issued by the Empire, it came mainly from the revenues of Ushi City.
And having come to this world as Velis, she still hadn’t set foot in Ushi City.
“Vistoria, go buy me one of those.”
Velis pointed at a stall where a woman in coarse cloth clothing was selling small bowls of food. It smelled delicious.
“Your Highness, we’re in the middle of a busy street. It’s chaotic out there, and these things aren’t clean.” Vistoria tried to dissuade her. “If you eat something bad, you might…”
Of course, it would lead to a bad stomach, and that would be an embarrassment to the Imperial Princess’s dignity.
Most frightening of all, if someone had poisoned it…
Vistoria didn’t finish her sentence before Velis cut her off.
Velis was naturally aware of all this, but she was adamant about having a taste.
“It’s fine. Just go buy me a bowl. Back when I went out before, everyone avoided me. Now that I finally have this chance, I have to give it a try.”
Hearing this, Vistoria let out a sigh. She still couldn’t refuse and went down to buy two bowls for Velis.
When Vistoria brought them into the carriage, the fragrance immediately filled the air.
True Eye!
[A large bone broth simmered with 12 kinds of spices, boiled repeatedly for 2 days, then paired with Magic Pork smoked using this world’s unique spices. After frying, steaming, mashing, and simmering together with the broth, the complex process and expended effort produce this single bowl of deliciousness.
Upon consumption, restores 10 MP.]
To think it was such a fine thing. Velis took it and took a delighted sip.
The rich broth exploded across her tongue. The Magic Pork, processed through such intricate steps, was tender and smooth, its aroma wafting everywhere.
As she swallowed, a warm current traveled through her limbs and bones. A faint fragrance rose from her stomach back to her mouth, then pierced through her nostrils into her brain.
Absolutely delicious!
Without a shred of dignity, Velis wolfed it down in a few quick bites. Glancing at the plain bowl across from her that Vistoria had only taken a single bite from, Velis snatched it over and finished that too.
“So good. How much is a bowl of this?”
“50 Copper Dragons. Not something an ordinary household can afford,” Vistoria said.
Even though she herself had no shortage of money, was a Noble, and served as the Imperial Princess’s Guardian Knight, at this moment a look of compassion for the common folk flickered across Vistoria’s face.
Usually, Vistoria wasn’t as cold and frosty as when she fought, but she also didn’t show much in the way of expression.
Right now, though, Velis could see something different about her.
In the times the previous Velis had spent with her, Vistoria had always kept an emotional distance, unwilling to reveal much about herself to Velis.
It was hard to imagine how someone like that had been willing to become Velis’s Guardian Knight.
As for what had happened back then, Velis remembered it was…
“Your Highness, we’ve arrived.”
With the carriage coming to a stop and the driver’s soft announcement, Velis looked out the window.
A cathedral-like castle building came into view.
But strangely enough, while the structure itself was the European-style church Velis had known before her transmigration, the interior revealed a Chinese-style wooden hall and various furnishings.
“Mirror Flower Elegant Court?”
Staring at the wooden plaque by the entrance, Velis looked taken aback.
This wildly fused style was truly unique, yet it didn’t quite match the image Velis had envisioned for that name.
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