With a pair of scissors she borrowed from the inn attendant, Leticia decided to cut her hair short without any hesitation. Red hair is considered a common trait of the members of the Ducal Family of Vermilion, and she believes that if she truly wanted to start anew, she had to cut her long fiery red hair as it might always remind her of her life in Carnelian.
After Leticia had finished cutting her hair, her previously long wavy red hair that her maid loved to style is now cut short, falling just above her shoulder. Since short hair is rare for the noblewomen of Carnelian who loves beautifying themselves more than anything else, Leticia thought while staring at her reflection in front of the mirror, that she does not resemble a noblewoman anymore, and that is entirely what she wanted.
Leticia devoted almost her whole life to training to become the future queen. If she is not being taught by her tutors, she would probably be spending her time reading in her study, and as such, most of her knowledge came from the books that she read, and she is without any practical experience navigating through the real world.
But now that she is considered a commoner, Leticia thought that she should start learning how to live as one. She decided that for her first day in the Kingdom of Beryllos, she would try and walk around the town to familiarize herself with the environment, and with that thought in mind, after eating her breakfast at the restaurant inside the inn, she went out and headed towards the market at the center of the town.
It is Leticia's first time walking around the town without any companion. She would always ride a carriage whenever she visited the shops back in Carnelian, or on very rare occasions when her parents allowed her to walk around the town, it was usually her maid who would lead her through it.
Right now, as Leticia walks around the market area, browsing through different stalls, she began seeing the marvels the small town offered. She was scared at first that people would look at her differently as she is a foreigner, but instead of strange looks, the people treated her as one of them.
Leticia was rather amazed that the people from Beryllos would smile at strangers and even exchange pleasantries with them since she was used to the people from Carnelian avoiding nobles like a plague.
'But now, I'm not a noble anymore,' Leticia thought.
As she was walking around the town, she noticed a small stall selling various weapons. After getting banished to another kingdom, Leticia wanted to equip herself with a weapon since it may not entirely be a good idea as a single woman to travel alone without any weapon to protect herself.
Intrigued by the weapons displayed on the stall, she walked towards it.
"How may I help you miss?" The store owner said with a grin on his face.
Leticia gazed at the different types of daggers and short swords on the table for display. As she was taught by the Vermilion Knights how to use a sword, Leticia knew a thing or two about them, and she instantly knew upon seeing the items on the stall that its quality is not up to par to the sword she used back home, nevertheless, the designs on the grip and the scabbard were rather unique.
"Those daggers were crafted by the best blacksmith in Beryllos," the store owner bragged. He picked up a dagger with silver flowers on its grip and handed it to Leticia. "This is suitable for you young lady. It is made by with the strongest metal in the empire, and a simple dagger like this would usually cost twenty gold coins, but since you are my first customer, I'll give it to you for ten," the store owner said, grinning at Leticia as if he won a huge prize.
After spending years attending parties and other social gatherings with the most pretentious human beings, Leticia was able to develop a keen sense when it comes to reading people, as well as how to deal with any type of situation.
With the dagger on her hand, she immediately knew that the claims made by the store owner were false. The metal to which the dagger was created does not even look as near as the strongest metal in the empire, and the general craftsmanship of the dagger is not even worth the price he's asking for. But despite knowing these, since it is her first day in Beryllos, Leticia does not want to create a commotion.
As she was about to politely return the dagger and decline, someone spoke from behind her, "that's not even worth one gold."
Leticia froze at the sudden arrival of the person who spoke. His voice was so near to her that it was as if he said those words directly to her ear, but despite the closeness of the person behind her, curiosity won over Leticia, and she suddenly turned to face him, not knowing that their faces would be very near to each other.
But as soon as she saw the person behind her, she could not tear her eyes away from him.
With her face mere inches away from him, she could see his face clearly. The newcomer who looked a little older than her has black hair and a pair of captivating silver eyes, and as soon as their eyes met, Leticia felt like his eyes could pierce even her soul. It felt like he could see everything that she's hiding, but despite the discomfort of being caught under those silver eyes, she cannot help but be entranced at how beautiful it is under the sunlight.
"That looks more like a toy than a dagger," the silver-eyed man said while looking at the dagger in her hand with an uninterested expression, and upon hearing his words, Leticia was shaken out of her thoughts and finally shifted her gaze away from the man.
"Wha-what do you know?" the store manager stammered out in reply to the silver-eyed man.
Leticia already knew that the dagger that she was holding is not worth much compared to what the store owner said, nevertheless, she was surprised at the kindness of the stranger who intervened as she was being swindled by the store owner.
"I'm knowledgeable enough to know that what you are doing is illegal according to the trade regulations set by the empire," the silver-eyed man replied, the tone of his voice made his words sound like a threat, and the store owner could only cower after what he said.
Before the store owner could even open his mouth to reply, the silver-eyed man ushered Leticia away from the store. Leticia could only follow the lead of the silver-eyed man as they walked away from the store, and after a few moments of walking in silence, the silver-eyed man suddenly stopped and turned to face her.
"Are you searching for a weapon? You should be aware that there are a lot of swindlers all over the kingdom," he said with his eyebrows furrowed in what seemed like concern.
Leticia could only stare at him as he spoke. She does not know what this man's intentions were when he approached her. He may seem kind, but no one could truly ever know what is in another person's heart, and Leticia had known these types of people all her life living as the daughter of a duke.
'But you're no longer a noblewoman,' Leticia thought after realizing her current position. 'What use could a mere commoner be?'
After gathering her thoughts, Leticia forced out her usual polite smile and said, "I was hoping to find a weapon for myself but ended up being almost swindled earlier." She bowed her head slightly to show her gratitude and continued, "I wanted to express my gratitude for what you did earlier."
The silver-eyed man stared at Leticia as she spoke. She looked like the typical commoner with her clothes, but with the way she carries herself, it is for certain that she is someone of different stature.
When the silver-eyed man first saw Leticia from afar, there was an unexplainable pull that made him want to approach her. He must admit that she is rather a beauty despite her short hair, but instead of her beauty, there was something in her that made him filled with curiosity, and before he knew it, he was already right beside her.
He could not help but get sucked in with her beautiful brown doe eyes that seemed to look golden under the sun. Physically, she looked delicate and innocent, but her eyes say otherwise. Even now, when she smiled at him as she expressed her gratitude, he could easily see how her smile does not reach her eyes. It might not be obvious to others, but the silver-eyed man knew that there is something more beyond the exterior that she wanted others to see.
He can see the fire in her eyes. It might be dull right now, but when the time came that that fire in her eyes burns brighter, he became curious as to what will happen.
"Then," the silver-eyed man said with a smile on his face. "Would you like me to help you? I know where to find good daggers and short-swords around here if that is what you are looking for."
Leticia knew never to follow strangers, but Leticia felt like she could trust this person. Perhaps, because she was deprived of kindness her whole life, Leticia felt like she could trust this man who was the first person who extended his hand to her, aside from Prince Lawrence, ever since she was banished.
But she knew that that was not the case. Her instinct says that she could trust this person, and if ever that was not the case, well, she would just cross the river when she gets there.
"I would have to rely on your expertise then," Leticia said.
The silver-eyed man beamed at her response and replied, "That's great."
Leticia could not help but wonder how a person could smile so wonderfully at her. His eyes were shining, and she could not see a hint of malice that she used to see behind the smiles of the nobles she encountered her whole life.
'Is he what you call, a breath of fresh air?' Leticia thought while staring at the man in front of her.
"I'm Hugh," the silver-eyed man introduced, extending his hand towards Leticia. "You are?"
Leticia looked at Hugh's hand before shifting her gaze back to his face.
'Is this how people introduce each other in Beryllos?' Leticia thought. It was not a tradition used in Carnelian, but since Leticia is not in Carnelian anymore, and will never be returning, she mimicked Hugh's gesture and extended her hand towards him before saying, "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Muriel."