### Chapter 59: Late Night (Part 1)
Creeeak… creak…
The War Chariot weaved through the bustling streets, the sounds of voices rising in a cacophony as we drew nearer to the vibrancy of Royal City at night. Through the finely embroidered curtains of the chariot, I could practically taste the hustle and bustle outside.
The Royal Palace wasn’t far from the liveliest part of town. Soon enough, our carriage came to a slow stop, and the driver lifted the curtain, bowing his head to us. “My lady, Miss, we have arrived.”
What a clever chap! He must have overheard our chatter along the way and figured out that we were on a secret mission, hence calling her “My Lady”—no mention of me, though. Not that it mattered long; the golden War Chariot and our fancy attire were major attention grabbers. Stepping out, I felt a barrage of scorching gazes.
“Who’s that lady… So beautiful…”
“Is that chariot from the Royal Palace? I saw it coming from over there…”
“Golden hair… Could it be Her Majesty the Queen? Is it really Her Majesty?”
“I’ve seen Her Majesty before, and that sure looks like her…”
“Her Majesty…”
Victoria was almost on the verge of a meltdown. The stares intensified as onlookers paused, turning their heads this way, curious about the commotion.
If we got recognized, it would likely ruin our fun…
“Quick, let’s go!”
I grabbed Victoria’s hand, ducking into a tailor shop on the street before the crowd could swarm us. Once inside, I turned to shut the door, peeking through a side window to spot no one following. Phew!
“Um, excuse me, esteemed ladies…”
Turning around, I saw a young shop assistant with her hands crossed in front of her, clearly nervous, a sprinkle of freckles dusting her nose.
“Sorry! If you’re here for custom dresses, we might not meet your needs… You can check out Morsvale Street; it’s more suitable for ladies of your stature…”
She didn’t recognize Victoria but clearly thought we were wealthy missies who’d wandered into the wrong shop. Since she’d probably never encountered anyone like us, her awkward politeness was adorably clueless.
This place was more of a commoner’s shop compared to the fancy one I planned to take Victoria to. I had been at the other end of the street before, and those clothes were stunning, beautifully made but understated—definitely the priciest shop around. In my rush, I dragged her to this more mundane establishment instead.
Honestly, it was a pretty ordinary shop, with clothing mostly made of linen in dull colors—black, white, grey, or brown. The styles were plain and simple, which contrasted starkly with our dazzling gowns. No wonder the shop assistant reacted as she did.
She probably thought we’d never be caught dead in such shabby attire. But I didn’t mind; the only question was if Victoria could accept it.
So, I looked at her.
“It’s fine, let’s just stick with this place.”
Victoria said calmly and headed straight inside to start browsing through the clothes.
Alright, she’s cool with it.
I smiled at the shop assistant. “We won’t custom order, just something simple will do.”
“Then, ladies, please feel free to look around…”
Seeing we were genuinely interested in buying, she enthusiastically started pointing out the most popular dresses, selecting a few of better quality for us to see. However, all of them were still quite simple, far from what one would label beautiful.
Victoria quickly settled on a plain white fitted dress and headed to the changing area… which was essentially just a corner draped with a fabric curtain. I nonchalantly picked a brown dress for myself, went to another corner, and after changing, emerged to find Victoria had transformed.
Gone was the elegant, unreachable queen, and now she looked like an approachable, down-to-earth neighbor girl… a neighbor girl who was ridiculously pretty.
I liked this neighbor girl vibe.
“Your dress is a bit big; you look kind of silly.”
The neighbor girl turned to me, deadpan.
“…Oh.”
Can I take that back?
What I had just said doesn’t count; I absolutely dislike that woman.
Hate her…
In the end, I opted for a smaller size of the brown dress, while Victoria picked out some black pointed shoes, tossing aside the crystal-adorned heels. She walked up to me, “How do I look?”
I nodded. “Good.”
At that moment, she looked nothing like a queen. She could walk around without people recognizing her right away… although with her striking golden hair and earth-rending beauty, I doubted anyone would think a queen would stroll about dressed like this.
But somehow, something still seemed off…
I tilted my head in thought, then reached up to undo her hairdo, letting her golden strands cascade over her shoulders and partially hiding the gleaming jewels at her earlobes.
“Much better.”
I turned my back to her. “Can you help me take my hair down?”
A moment later, I felt my scalp relax as my silky black locks flowed down. I gave my hair a shake and handed over the coins to the shop assistant.
The two dresses and a pair of shoes came to less than ten silver coins.
This must be the cheapest attire Victoria has ever worn in her entire life!
“Miss, your gown…”
The shop assistant held out the elegant dress we had just changed out of, a wistful look on her face as she gazed at the shimmering gems and felt the silky fabric.
Girls must love clothes like this, right?
How about…
“It’s a gift for you,” said Victoria.
“Ah! No, you can’t!” The shop assistant looked shocked, her cheeks reddening in excitement, but she shook her head, “This is too precious; I can’t accept such a valuable—”
“Just take it!”
I pushed the gown back towards her with a wink, not waiting for her to refuse again before hurriedly dragging Victoria out of the shop.
Once outside, we noticed a crowd still gabbing around the War Chariot in the distance. It was just too eye-catching, like a Bugatti or Rolls-Royce in my past life; wherever it went, it was the center of attention.
Victoria and I exchanged a glance.
“How about we take a walk?”
“Sure,”
Victoria instructed the driver to head back to the No. 2 mansion while we strolled leisurely across the street toward the market, like we just finished dinner and were out for a casual evening jaunt.
The throngs of people flowed around us like a tide. The dimly lit streetlamps cast a warm glow, playing with our shadows on the ground, making them flicker and stretch. Night enveloped us, muted yet surreal, the crescent moon peering through clouds to sprinkle soft light.
Even in our simple dresses, we attracted plenty of attention as we walked. Men on the street nearly popped their eyes out, a few almost collided with lamp posts. Fortunately, we were oblivious to the stares, chatting cheerfully about amusing things happening around us.
“Look, that jester doing acrobatics!”
“Mmhm.”
“The Greyhound Inn, haha! What a ridiculous name…”
“……”
“Victoria. Have you ever stayed in an inn?”
“Never.”
“Have you ever been to a tavern?”
“Never.”
“Well, I’ve been to one, just a short walk from here.”
“What were you doing at a tavern?”
“Looking for food when I got hungry at night.”
“……”
“Victoria.”
“Hmm?”
“Have you ever done this before?”
“What?”
“Shopping.”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“A long time ago. I would sneak out of the house often and blend into the crowd, just watching them, not doing anything.”
“…Why?”
“I don’t know, I just liked it. Sometimes hiding in the crowd, sometimes up in the sky…”
“How strange, like spying.”
“I haven’t done that in a long time.”
“Because you lost interest in spying?”
“Because you can’t truly see the hearts of people just with your eyes.”
A gentle breeze rustled by, shadows and bustling figures surrounding us.
This night was calm yet lively, a fine experience worth cherishing.
…………
Eventually, we arrived at the familiar market.
It was bustling and vibrant at night. The day’s stalls had closed, replaced by an array of street food vendors. Unlike the quieter Cold Winter City or the Emerald City, the Royal City at night was a riot of sound and energy, shouts and laughter merging and spilling into the air, resonating far beyond the adjacent buildings.
Victoria and I meandered through the throngs, aimlessly exploring.
“Are you hungry?”
I caught a whiff of something delicious, unable to resist swallowing hard as I turned to her.
During dinner, I noticed that Victoria hardly ate anything. Though she typically had a small appetite, it wouldn’t do for her to continue like this; it couldn’t be healthy.
“A little,” Victoria replied casually.
“I’m hungry too.”
Just then, I spotted a small food stall made of wooden planks nearby. I quickly grabbed Victoria’s hand and pulled her over, not even glancing at what was being sold until I got there and realized it was fish.
“Boss, what kind of fish is this?”
I pointed to a bunch of rather limp-looking fish drenched in a brown-yellow sauce.
It didn’t look very appetizing… like some dark culinary disaster.
“Saber River fish.” The scruffy middle-aged owner rolled up his sleeves and grinned at us. “Caught right from the Royal City canals! Smoked to perfection and marinated with sweet, sour, and salty goodness—would you lovely ladies like to try one?”
“Tasty?”
“Drenched in our secret sauce, it’s divine!”
“Then I’ll take two.”
Even if it didn’t look good, I had to give it a shot to find out if it really was as bad as it looked.
The owner skewered two fish on a wooden stick and handed them over. I took them, paid, then turned to Victoria, contemplating what to do next—should I give it a sniff first?
Sniff, sniff.
…Whoa, the fishy smell was strong; it actually stank a bit.
It probably won’t taste great.
So, I handed one to Victoria, “You try it first.”
