At the entrance of the place, with a white-golden coat fluttering in the wind and the badge with the emblem of the royal palace, a high-ranking officer had come down to this place to judge its status as a town created in the Marquis' distant territory.
Statues of various animals and people filled the roads of colorful brick as he walked in.
"Color me surprised," he said, looking at the entrance that alone set a more vibrant and colorful vibe than most places in the country.
His feet strode through the place as he looked at the houses and buildings made with darkened wood in different colors. All of their structures were strange. Hood moulds sheltered the lines of windows while beautifully sculpted pillars held them up. Domes and arches sat at the top with finials stretching through them. It was a beautiful sight that seemed like a greatly simplified and minimalistic version of the architecture found in the capital.
The officer slowly pulled out a notepad from his pockets and made a quick tick on it as he walked ahead. People were moving around the place with smiles on their faces as they enjoyed the evening breeze that blowed well in this open area. As he went in further, a small head appeared below him.
He looked down to see a cute face smiling brightly at him.
"Uncle! Are you here to watch the play?!"
"U-uncle... I am only 23, child."
"Yeah, that's old!" The child smirked and said. "And I am no child! I am Nina, nine years old."
The officer's brow twitched at her words. Nine years old wasn't a child? In what world.
"Anyway uncle, you'll get lost. I'll guide you."
"No need."
"I insist!"
The officer took a step ahead, ready to ignore the child, but she quickly stepped in front of him and started walking ahead. The officer changed his direction, but the girl noticed and swooped in right at time. In the end, he had no choice but to sigh and give up.
"Alright! I'll take you to the center first! The play will start late since one of the actors went missing."
The officer raised his brow at this information he didn't expect. Whatever the case, he made a small mark in his notepad. It wasn't something related to the status of the place, but could affect the administration of the Marquis, or well, as everyone knew, the son of the Marquis who was actually leading this place.
Nina and the officer walked around the place. His ears were hit by melodious tunes he hadn't heard before as the got closer to the central plaza which had a beautiful yet modest fountain. Around it were people playing various instruments and others merrily bobbing their heads to it.
"It sounds good, right?!"
The officer nodded. Not far away from the elderly and the children enjoying the music, he could see a painter trying to capture this scene on his canvas while making sure no one was inconvenienced by his actions. The officer smiled and pulled out his notepad again. Then, he noticed something.
"Why did the piano player put money in that donation box? Don't bylookers do that?"
"It's the fee for playing!"
"What do you mean, child?"
"Anyone can play the piano. You don't have to pay anything as well since the young master said its free, but people do it anyway."
The officer was slightly surprised, but smiled again. It was a place that lived on its motto to encourage art.
"Oh! I know a good restaurant! Let's go there!"
"Well, alright."
"The lady there is kind, she'll give you a discount."
After that, till the sun started to turn red, Nina and the Officer kept moving around the place. Nina scammed a full set meal from the officer in a restaurant, an ice cream and even some cotton candy alongside more things, while the officer turned brighter and brighter at the friendliness of the people here and the quality of their goods. All of them were once poor and understood how compassion went much further than profits, it was a mindset that the officer didn't acknowledge to be true, but respected nonetheless.
At long last, after moving all over the place, they moved to the theatre at one corner of the room. The dome shaped structure and its beautiful carvings were beyond the rest of the place, yet simpler than what one would find at the capital. The officer was amused by this level of extravagance in simplicity as his notepad was now filled with check marks.
Nina told him about a special entrance for VIPs and guided him through that place. The officer would have rejected it at first, but since Nina talked a lot he had long since started filtering her voice out. They entered the place and many people in different costumes looked straight at the two.
"NINA! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH OF THE PLAY YOU HAVE DELAYED!?" An old man screamed in a quiet voice when he noticed Nina.
The voice was different, so the officer that was focused on turning his head looking around all this time now looked at the man instead. He gulped.
"Oh, I didn't go missing, that uncle was lost so I was guiding him."
The officer remembered the first of Nina's words. She had definitely mentioned how one of the actors had gone missing.
"Excuse me, sir." The man looked at him, his eyes twisted low. It was none other than the original village chief that had talked to Eugene. "We will overlook this matter. Guests are to enter from the back, so please move there.
"Right! Right, I am sorry!" The officer bowed his head and ran away from the door. He frowned as he walked toward the main entrance of the theatre, pulling out his notepad again, the officer cut off the remark he made about the administration. It was his fault for keeping the missing actor! As he showed his invite to the knight at the door, the man didn't give him any special treatment other than a deep bow and an attendant to personally guide him to the seat.
The officer slowly made his way up to the second line from the front, the first was reserved for the two counts and a baron who had invested in the place. He took his seat quietly behind that line and turned to the side. Sitting there was a regal young child with hair as white as the moon and eyes as red as roses.
He was short, but his presence was gigantic, he was quiet, but his movements suppressed all noises. He realized who the person sitting next to him was immediately and performed a short bow.
"Young Master Eugene, I thank you for the invite." His status was high enough for him to not have to suck up to another noble, he was a noble son himself, but he was still at a rank lower than a Marquis' child.
Eugene looked at the man with a blank face, his gaze then shifted to the emblem the man's shirt held and nodded.
"I am pleased to see you here, Officer."
The officer smiled and sat when Eugene pointed at his seat. There weren't many others on this line barring the nobles' guards and aides, which gave them a lot of space to chat. The officer was enraptured by the young master's appearance. Not because of his beauty, but for something else.
"Young master," he said. "You greatly resemble your late mother."
Eugene's brow perked at this line. He looked at the officer with slight surprise conveyed through his brows.
"It's the first time someone has said that," Eugene said.
How could a young child of barely 12 years have such a presence?
The officer chuckled lightly, he found the joke humourous. He then looked at Eugene again and gulped. He wasn't joking.
"A-ah... I see..." The officer showed tact and didn't say much else. It was extremely weird that no one said it. His mother was the star of the noble's circle and this boy looked like her splitting image. It was more than just odd, but he didn't say anything else.
"Did you enjoy the town?" Eugene asked.
Something clicked when he realized that the young master in front of him was the one who sent that child with him. The officer smiled at his insight and nodded.
"It's beautiful. Once I retire, I would like to live here."
Eugene nodded, finding the answer satisfactory.
At that moment, the light started going off as the play seemed to be starting.
"But, young master," The officer whispered. "I didn't see the name of this place anywhere. What do you call it?"
Eugene smiled and shifted his gaze to the stage. The curtain opened and the first scene was arranged.
"The City of Art," he said. "Apollon."
"Apollon..."