As soon as their party reaches the capital, the Grand Duke left her with Luven and Sandra with a disheartened expression on his face.
It was due to the reason that the arrival of the Grand Duke of Adri for the festival spread widely and greatly anticipated by the other noble families, that her image would be easily spotted and recognized if seen by many.
For her to arrive at Adri's mansion without a problem, they need to enter separately.
While the Grand Duke's party was received warmly by the onlookers and passersby, Mona's companion traversed the alleys to avoid being seen.
She was wearing a black mask covering half of her lower face, while her hair was hidden beneath the hood of her cloak. In front of her was Lucaz who was left to guide her into the Grand Duke's mansion, and behind her was her brother.
She stopped as soon as they entered a busy street full of vendors and stalls.
The scenery wasn't new to her, since the holy nation celebrates seven festivals each in accordance with every god. But it was her first time to encounter the crowd in Semaria without being shouted at with words of curses and death.
The common people who once denounced her on the plaza, the people who shouted for her death, were all laughing and smiling with one another, chattering and giggling with one another, and living forgetting what they have done.
Right there and then, Mona wanted to take her mask off and lift her cloak. Surprise them with her glorious comeback and watch as fear smeared on their faces again. But she knew it would only complicate things more, and that they were all just ignorant.
Yet their ignorance and judgmental views pushed someone to commit suicide.
"We need to hurry." Lucaz caught her hood that almost got blown away by the wind. He gently fixed it before letting go.
She nodded and they continued. The streets were cramped with people and makeshift stalls. She carefully followed the knight while her brother walked closer with her.
Whispering in her ear, Luven asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"
"Hm. I just remembered something unpleasant." She answered and gave him a subtle smile.
The marquess' face creased and showed anger as if he got what she meant, "Don't remember it."
She nodded and followed quietly.
The plan was for them to reach the square, where the Grand Duke had sent a carriage for them to use. Their horses had to be taken with the other party since Nyx alone would surely gain attention.
She continued to walk fast, avoiding anyone to bump or catch anyone's attention.
Unfortunately, a young kid accidentally bumped into her on that busy street. The girl, who seemed at the age of four, tumbled and dropped on the cobbled street.
"Oof!"
Her tiny hand with a floral bracelet in her wrist grabbed her cloak before falling. Mona panicked and immediately squatted to pat the girl's yellow dress after helping her stand. Luckily, the girl wasn't hurt nor was she about to cry.
"Are you okay, little girl?" Mona asked worriedly.
The young girl stared at her and nodded. Her brown hair separated in half and each tied in French braids moved as she nodded. And her large doe green eyes were looking at her with surprise.
"Are you lost?" Mona asked the girl and looked around. But she didn't find anyone getting anxious or heard someone shouting and looking for their lost child.
"Mona! What made you stop?" Luven came to them with a worried yet grim expression. He surveyed the surroundings and glared at anyone who was looking suspiciously in their direction.
"This girl is lost." She answered quickly, holding the girl by her shoulders, and asked her softly, "Do you know where your parents are?"
The little girl tilted her head and answered in a cute and tiny voice, "Erin dat not hab a parent!"
"Miss Mona, we have to leave quickly. We're gaining attention." Lucaz came forward and whispered at them.
Luven surveyed the crowd again, true to the knights' words, some civilians were looking their way with suspicious gazes. Their eyes fall on the kid actually. They were probably thinking that she would kidnap the girl.
Clearing her throat, she smiled at the girl, but because her lips were hidden, only her eyes smiled at her. "You must have someone you came here, right? You should go back to them now. They're probably looking for you."
"But, Erin that does not know wow.." She pouted and looked around. Not letting go of her cloak.
Mona's eyes landed on the little girl's hand gripping her cloak. It was trembling slightly, but the little girl's face didn't show any fear nor her eyes are getting teary. She smiled unknowingly and thought that the young girl was a brave child.
Patting her head gently, Mona spoke again, "Do you remember the name of your...guardian?" The girl, whom she guessed the name was Erin, looked at her with eyes asking what she meant. Perhaps she doesn't know what guardian means. "It means the one who you came here with."
Erin nodded enthusiastically and answered, "Sister Yuna!"
Mona froze momentarily. She realized she became more sensitive after arriving at the capital that even the slightest things affect her. She waived the thought in her mind and let go of the child.
Before standing up, she held her tiny hand that kept gripping her cloak and said, "My companion will help you find her. Shout her name, so she can hear you, okay?"
"Okay!"
She stood and looked at Lucaz, "We'll wait at that pub. So, please, Sir Lucaz."
Lucaz sighed and nodded, throwing her brother a meaningful look before picking up the child and going away. She heard the kid shout her guardian's name before whirling away towards the pub she pointed at.
Luven followed her silently. She can also feel the atmosphere surrounding him become sullen, probably because of the same reason she froze for a moment back then.
They entered the pub and went straight to a corner table. A waitress came to them and asked for their order. Luven only asked for two glasses of beer, in order not to look so suspicious.
Mona glanced around the room and noticed that most customers were burly men drinking and chatting with loud and vulgar words, mostly insulting nobility and laughing at them.
She glanced at Luven apologetically.
"It's fine. I also came in this kind of place sometimes." He replied without hearing her concern, "Moreover, I should be the one asking if you're okay."
She wiggled her eyebrows and responded, "It's not my first time entering a pub. But it's the first that I experienced customers spitting bad words."
"You're probably talking about the pubs at the Holy Nation. Of course, there's no way the people there will curse openly."
"Right."
Silence ensued when the waitress came and handed them the glasses. She glanced at her but quickly averted her eyes as well before going away.
She followed the waitress with her gaze, but after watching her continuing her job with an annoyed face, she thought the waitress was probably just curious about why she was wearing a mask.
"Do you drink?" Luven caught her attention, holding his glass and lifting it in his mouth already.
Gaping at his actions, she asked incredulously, "Are you going to drink for real?"
"It may look suspicious if we ordered but didn't drink it."
"Then I-"
"I'll drink yours," Luven said immediately. He gulped down that one big glass of beer and grabbed hers next. But Mona quickly snatched the glass away from him. Afraid that two will make her brother drunk.
"I'll drink this. Surely you won't order something hard, anyway." She said while shifting her head to the side where the wall was and lowering her mask.
Luven was so dazed from downing the beer in one that it took him too late to snatch back the glass. When he did, the glass was half drunk already.
And in his front was his sister with a red face and heavy eyes. He quickly leaned forward and pulled her mask up, then fixed her hood that fell on her back.
Cursing under his breath, he threw some coins at the table before grabbing his sister, who stood wobbly and asked him dazedly.
"What..." She said before fainting completely.
Luven bit his lips. Now he could see himself getting frozen by a certain someone.