Vibrance, elegance, cheerfulness, and carefreeness. The royal capital was filled with such a festive atmosphere as the people went out of their homes and enjoyed a once a year celebration.
With the curtains closed for the award ceremony, the founding festival approached soon after. There was no livelier day to be found in the calendar. Every person in the kingdom celebrated such an occasion.
It was a day not only to celebrate the founding of the kingdom, but also a day to celebrate another year of prosperity and safety. A day where all people give their gratitude to the ones who worked blood and sweat to build the kingdom which they now call their home.
Colorful banners littered the streets and the smell of delicious delicacies wafted the whole city as the morning sun started to rise from the horizon, signing the start of a new day.
Like merry little children excited for their first school trip, the people woke up earlier than usual to prepare themselves for the upcoming festivities which will be held in a few moments.
The clock had yet to strike seven, yet the streets were already filled with crowds upon crowds of excited citizens, waiting for their King to present his annual elaborate speech to signal the start of the festival.
One by one, trumpets echoed throughout the streets and drums boomed loudly into the vast sky, and little than a few seconds later, the clacking sounds of the horseshoes hitting the ground followed.
"His Majesty is here!"
"Your Majesty～!"
"It's the royal family!"
With a dazzling carriage of gold and silver seen parading along the crowded streets, loud cheers reverberated throughout the city as the royalties themselves greeted the populace with a dignified wave of their hands and smiles.
The King and the royal family were loved by the populace. There was not a single negative remark from the cheers of the crowd. It was as if the kingdom had become one big family.
In the sea of cheerful people, there were others who didn't wear the same happy expressions most of the crowd did. They also wore black hooded cloaks, contrary to the light and vibrant clothing of the majority.
There were two of those figures, and no, they weren't criminals, thieves, or anything of the sort. They were Grey and Yuna who were going incognito as they experienced the founding festival for themselves.
"Hey, Grey... Do we really need to wear this?" ［Yuna］
Yuna complained silently, clearly trying to show her dissatisfaction, as she gently pulled the garment of the hooded cloak she was wearing. She was clearly dejected about the fact they had to wear such shady outfits on such a joyous day.
While Grey and Yuna planned to head out in the founding festival normally, what the King did yesterday prevented them from doing so. Because he presented them to the public, their faces became widely known throughout the royal capital.
Especially with Yuna's silver hair, and being an elf in addition to that, it would be easy to identify them. It would undoubtedly cause a commotion if they were to be found out. A commotion which will just trouble them.
"Is it really uncomfortable?" ［Grey］
"Not really... It's just that I prefer moving around without hiding our identities. I just want to experience the festival normally." ［Yuna］
"I'm sorry, but please bear with it for now. It would be impossible for us to enjoy the festival without getting recognized if we aren't wearing these." ［Grey］
"Uuu... I understand..." ［Yuna］
Yuna nodded her head slightly in resignation, her face clearly showing her crestfallen eyes and a dejected mood. Seeing her so dejected made Grey's heart ache a little as well.
The founding festival was one of the things Yuna really looked forward to when they arrived at the royal capital. Now that the whole experience was ruined, it was only understandable why she was feeling gloomy.
"Then... Yuna, how about you think of this as a covert quest?" ［Grey］
"A covert... quest?" ［Yuna］
"Yeah. Basically, what we're going to do is to enjoy the festival without getting discovered. If you last the whole day without getting discovered, you win, but if you get discovered, you lose. What do you think?" ［Grey］
"Hey, Grey..." ［Yuna］
With a serious tone in her voice, Yuna stared at Grey with eyes full of strong emotions, or so it seems, but truthfully, it was hard to understand what she was feeling at the moment.
"W... What?" ［Grey］
"Stop treating me too much like a child!" ［Yuna］
Seeing through Grey's plan, Yuna showed her dissatisfaction by puffing her cheeks and pouting ever so cutely, trying to act as if she was mad at Grey and not looking at him.
While it was Grey's aim to make the festival more exciting for the both of them, the way he delivered it seemed to Yuna like he was talking to a little child, making the latter obviously frustrated.
"Sorry, sorry, I just thought it would make things more interesting. We can just continue normally if you want." ［Grey］
"Dummy. I didn't say I dislike the idea, it's just... you're treating me too much like a child! I'm your girlfriend so you should treat me more as an equal!" ［Yuna］
Yuna continued her retort whilst flapping her hands in a frustrated manner, but the more she did it, the more she seemed childish to Grey. And it went without saying that Grey wanted to spoil her more because of it.
It was the duality of Yuna's personality, she acts very mature at times, especially when there are children involved, but when she is with Grey, the roles become reversed. She, herself, is not very aware of it.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop that." ［Grey］
"You promise?" ［Yuna］
"Yeah, I promise." ［Grey］
Hearing Grey's response, Yuna looked at him doubtfully for a hot second, but she then heaved a brief sigh a short moment later, showing that she had resigned over the topic.
Yuna was right to doubt. Grey had no intention of doing so, or rather, his actions are already engraved on his on an instinctual level that it would be hard to undo. After all, Yuna was just too cute for him to handle.
"So... About that 'quest'..." ［Yuna］
"Ah, yeah. So the rules areー" ［Grey］
"Hm? Isn't that... Ah! Elder Sister Yuna! Elder Brother Grey!" ［Eliza］
Before Grey and Yuna's little game had even started, it was already over, and the reason for it was none other than their little sister figure, Eliza, who had suddenly spotted them inside such a large crowd.
After spotting them, Eliza then ran towards them in an energetic manner, and along her was her older sister, Elise, and her older cousin, Elaine. They had just finished watching the parade.
While Grey and Yuna had been surprised that their little game had been postponed in an instant, what gave them more of a shock was the fact that Eliza recognized them immediately. It only took her a single glance.
Neither Grey nor Yuna knew what to feel about the situation. They didn't if their disguise was just terrible or Eliza's observational skills are just extreme. They also took time in picking their cloaks too.
"Ah! It really is them! You sure have good eyes, Liz" ［Elise］
"Hehe... It's Elder Brother Grey and Elder Sister Yuna, after all!" ［Eliza］
Eliza puffed her chest proudly with her closed fist over it as she declared such words with a proud face. She was really happy while doing it too, not even embarrassed by a little bit.
"Good morning, everyone. Fancy meeting you here." ［Grey］
"We are surprised too, but what with those hoods? Is that a new fashion trend right now?" ［Elise］
Elise asked curiously as she eyed Grey and Yuna's attires closely, shifting her view from up and down every now and then. Following her, Elaine and Eliza also did the same thing.
No other choices present, Yuna and Grey explained to them why they were wearing such hoods over their usual clothes, and unsurprisingly, all of them were able to understand their reason immediately.
"I see... It was because of the awarding ceremony yesterday, huh..." ［Elise］
"But you know, we were the ones surprised to learn that you were amongst the heroes of the kingdom! Why didn't you tell us?!" ［Elaine］
"And since His Majesty addressed you as archduke and archduchess that means you are both S-rankers! You should have told us sooner!" ［Elise］
"Yeah, yeah, Elder Brother Grey and Elder Sister Yuna are so mean!" ［Eliza］
As quick as lightning, the topic of the conversation changed from hiding from the public eyes to the events which unfolded before. It was as if the latter was the main topic to begin with.
The three ladies' protest and curiosity was only natural. Because of the amount of nobles gathered yesterday, neither of them were able to speak with Grey and Yuna. Only their parents had the chance to.
There were visible tinges of frustration behind the three young ladies' voices as they protested to Grey and Yuna. It was frustration brought about by sudden events that they had no idea about.
It took several minutes before everyone calmed down. Luckily, the crowd was already loud to begin with and their small ground didn't end up catching unwanted attention from them.
"We're really sorry..." ［Yuna］
"Haah... It's fine, but don't do that again. We're really going to get mad the next time you do it!" ［Elise］
Hearing Elise's remark, Elaine and Eliza nodded their heads lightly, showing that they were in agreement with her. Of course, Yuna and Grey understood full well why they said those things.
"But you know, it must be tough, right, Grey, Yuna. After all, right now, everyone in the city should already know your identities." ［Elaine］
"Haah... I couldn't agree with you more." ［Grey］
"We just wanted to enjoy the festival normally, and this happened... Uuu... We should have just skipped yesterday, after all, huh..." ［Yuna］
"Eh? Why?" ［Eliza］
Elaine, Yuna, and Grey were discussing the downs of being presented to the public yesterday, when suddenly, Eliza interrupted our talk by asking an innocent question. She still wasn't able to comprehend the situation.
To Eliza, who was still young, there were no demerits in being presented to the public. Rather, she considers it an honor if she were ever to be in Grey and Yuna's position. Her sense of embarrassment still hasn't developed well.
"Well, you see, Liz, because of the awarding ceremony yesterday, we are not unable to go out in the public like we used to do. Now, we have to wear hoods every time we do so." ［Yuna］
"Eh? But isn't that fine?" ［Eliza］
Yuna tried to explain their circumstances towards Elise but it was futile. Eliza's ten-year-old mind can't understand the downside of the situation. All she saw were the positives of it.
It was not that Eliza couldn't understand it, but rather, being brought up as a noble and the fact that nobles garner a lot of stares on a regular basis, made Grey and Yuna's situation seem normal to her. She still hasn't fully grasped the difference in scale between her daily life and the two's situation.
"But Elder Sister Yuna, Elder Brother Grey, isn't it cool that you're wearing hoods? It really feels like you're real adventurers!" ［Eliza］
Well, there was also the fact that she had an entirely different view over the situation. Her way of thinking was just too optimistic that it was blinding to look at her directly. She was shining.
At that moment, everyone else pondered whether they should explain the situation to Eliza more thoroughly, but in the end, they decided to settle everything with just warm giggles.
The problem now was Grey and Yuna's situation. Now that their cover was blown, they started to wonder if they should still continue wearing the hoods. After all, they are useless if they could still get recognized.
"Elder Brother Grey, Elder Sister Yuna, do you still have another hood?! I also want to wear one!" ［Eliza］
Her mind free of concerns, Eliza suggested yet another strange statement. To her young mind, it seemed a little like Grey and Yuna were playing a game, and she wanted to participate in it.
Hearing Eliza's energetic and happy suggestion, the other four couldn't help but look at each other's eyes, asking quietly whether they should allow Eliza's suggestion, as it seemed like she still did not get the point of wearing them.
In the end, none of them were able to do anything against Eliza's innocent pleas, and they decided to follow her whim, but there was just one tiny problem. Neither Grey nor Yuna had an extra hood with them.
"Sorry, Liz. I only have hoods for me and Yuna... I don't have any extras at the moment." ［Grey］
"Ah..." ［Eliza］
"Then, Liz, how about we buy you a new hood? We could also choose a cute design if you want to." ［Yuna］
"Really?!" ［Eliza］
After hearing Yuna's suggestion, Eliza who briefly hanged her head in dejection jumped back to being energetic in less than a second. It was to be expected with Yuna who was an expert in handling children.
Grey looked at Yuna and once again realized how strange his girlfriend was. He started to wonder if the reason Yuna was good at handling children was because she, herself, often acts like one.
"Hoods～! Hoods～! Hoods～!" ［Elia］
With Eliza humming merrily and skipping energetically along the lively streets, all five of them headed towards a nearby store wherein a multitude of quality attires were displayed and sold.
It wasn't too far off from where they previously were, but it was still a couple hundred meters away. During the whole time, Eliza still continued humming and skipping steps. She was still full of energy.
"Good morning, how may I serve you?" ［Clerk］
Hearing the bell chimes ringing by the doorway, the clerk immediately turned his attention towards it and gave Grey and company a polite greeting, acting professionally as one should.
Inside, they wear an amazing variety of fabric and clothing on display. From common attire to that which is considered very fashionable, there was plenty to pick from, all in different styles and colors.
"Do you have hooded cloaks here for children?" ［Grey］
"For children?" ［Clerk］
"Yes. I want to have a hood that can fit her." ［Grey］
Grey said, looking towards Eliza's direction. The girl in question was already busy exploring the shops' items on display. She went here, there, over, and under, trying to satisfy her endless curiosity.
Of course, Eliza didn't do anything which could damage the items and only looked at them from a distance. Elise, Elaine, and Yuna were watching over her as she explored the place.
"Yes, we do have those. What material do you want it to be?" ［Clerk］
"Hmm... do you have one which is easy to move in, light, comfortable, durable, and is cool to wear?" ［Grey］
When Grey gave the characteristics he wanted for the hood, the clerk skillfully checked their list of items to fulfill his demand. And since Grey asked for so many characteristics, it took the clerk quite some time to find one.
Grey wasn't really picky with the hoods they are wearing, but since he was buying it for Eliza, he thought it should at least buy something that's comfortable to wear. Especially since Eliza is an energetic girl, something that prevents her from sweating was a must.
"Ah! We have those in our inventory... But..." ［Clerk］
"But...?" ［Grey］
"They costs quite a lot. Since they're made of high-quality materials, the cheapest is priced 600 kiels." ［Clerk］
The amount the clerk said is more than a working adult's earnings for a whole week. While it might not seem much to Grey and Yuna's financial capabilities, to normal people, it's already pretty expensive, considering the fact that most of what they earn are spent on their living expenses.
Grey initially felt a little guilty spending so much money on a single piece of attire, but since it was for the sake of Eliza's happiness, he didn't mind it too much. They still have plenty left to spare anyway.
"Hey, Liz, come here for a minute." ［Grey］
"Hm?" ［Eliza］
Seeing Grey's hand signal, Eliza quietly walked towards him at an amble pace, still while looking around the shop with curious eyes as she walked over the counter.
Apart from Eliza who had been called over, the other girls stayed behind and decided to look at the displays just like Eliza did. Yuna was especially curious and eager amongst the three.
"What is it, Elder Brother Grey?" ［Eliza］
"I've found a list of suitable hoods for you, please pick one from it. And keep in mind, once you've chosen it, we won't be able to change it. So be careful in choosing, alright?" ［Grey］
"U-Un!" ［Eliza］
While the other girls were busy exploring and scrutinizing every corner of the shop, Eliza and Grey were choosing from the catalog of items what kind of hooded cloak they were going to purchase.
Even though the store didn't specialize in making hooded cloaks, there was plenty to choose from. There were cute ones, simple ones, and of course, over the top ones as well. It took Eliza quite a while to choose.
"Elder Brother Grey, I want this one!" ［Eliza］
"Are you sure?" ［Grey］
"Un! Because it looks like what Elder Brother Grey and Elder Sister Yuna are wearing! I want to wear it too!" ［Eliza］
Eliza excitedly said her reason with a loud voice while a large smile blossomed on her face. It was a smile which was emanating pure innocence and gentle warmth. Even the clerk was touched.
"Huh? Why?" ［Eliza］
Prompted by Eliza's innocent smile, Grey wasn't able to help himself but pat her head gently just like how he pats Yuna's when he praises her. She was just too adorable to handle.
"Don't mind me. Anyways, let's buy those hoods now, shall we?" ［Grey］
"Un!" ［Eliza］
In agreement with what Grey said, Eliza excitedly punched her fist into the empty air, radiating her energy throughout the whole shop, like the little ball of energy that she was.
"Wow～! Liz, that's so cute!" ［Yuna］
"It really suits you, Liz!" ［Elise］
"I didn't know a hood could be so fashionable..." ［Elaine］
"Hehe, thank you!" ［Eliza］
After purchasing the hood from the store, Eliza showed it off to everyone by twirling left and right, and turning around. It was such a girly way of showing off a new attire which suited her well.
The hooded cloak was pretty simple with a little embroidery works here and there, but the moment Eliza wore it it became very fantastic. It perfectly encapsulated her cuteness. If they were on Earth, she would make a killing by being a child model.
"Hey, Elder Sister, Elder Sister Elaine! Please wear one too!" ［Eliza］
"Ah... Umm... Liz... That's a little..." ［Elise］
"Umm... That's right. We're too old for that..." ［Elaine］
"Please～!" ［Eliza］
Elise and Elaine tried to reason their way out from Eliza's request, but when Eliza pleaded with her dazzlingly innocent eyes, it was all for naught. In the end, they also ended up buying one for Elise and Elaine.
In the face of pure and innocent cuteness, they were all powerless.
CHAPTER 102 END