The carriage was standing right outside the steam house. It was black and exquisite with the woodwork, ornate carvings. Black curtains covered glass windows made of silk. The chauffeur got off his seat as he opened the door for the ladies.
Nilana still couldn't believe she was wearing stolen shoes. But looking at Sylvia's mischievous smile of pride, she felt a rush of dopamine.
Sylvia had her brown hair tied up like a proper lady, yet she lacked a mouth of one. It amused Nilana. As if Lady Sylvia was a dose of a fresh air which struck her life suddenly.
"To where, miss?" The chauffeur asked through the curtains.
Before she could reply, Sylvia replied for her. "Where else? The food market, of course!"
Nilana wondered about what she got herself into.
"So you're from the manor of Merchant Ian Allister?" Sylvia asked as she settled inside the carriage.
"Yes," she replied with a confused look, "But how did you know-?"
"Most of the women there were gossiping about you. How he dropped you off at the steam house. By himself." Sylvia put an emphasis on the last words. "I felt disgusted at the imbecilic envious behaviour of the commoner wives." She paused, "Thus, I decided to rescue from that awful place. You should thank me."
Nilana could just stare at her with wide eyes.
Sylvia didn't stop. "Again, you're the only one I can tell about my real identity to in the midst of disguising." She smiled broadly, "I'm Lady Icelyn Azure. My nickname is Sylvia. Daughter of the Duke Azure."
"Okay." Nilana didn't know what to do with the sudden revelation. "Lady Azure, I am Nilana." Comparing to the weight of the status Sylvia had, she smiled so humbly.
"Just call me Lady Sylvia."
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Upon reaching the food market, the aroma of the spices wafted through the air. Nilana put aside the curtains and peeked outside.
Stalls, Canopies, Vendor Displays, Fruit stands, Flower stalls surrounded them. Colors splashed all around, so did the crowd. Sounds of food sizzling against the steel pan, people chattering and bargaining.
"Pretty isn't it?" Sylvia peeked out her head beside Nilana.
"It is." Nilana replied.
"At night, it's more dazzling with the lights and all." Sylvia said, and the carriage halted to a stop.
"Come on!" She grabbed Nilana's hands. "Let's go!"
The first thing she did was drag Nilana to a corner shoe shop. There, in exchange for two silver coins and the black stolen shoes, Sylvia got her a matching white short heel. Overwhelmed by the sudden gift, Nilana protested at receiving it.
But Sylvia insisted, "Think of this as a gift to our newfound friendship." And smiled. Nilana had no choice but to give in and take the shoes from the noble lady.
They strolled down the market, from vendor to vendor, stall to stall. Trying out every street food, that is, from rice cakes to whisky rice to Windspirean boiled chicken and broth.
Nilana never tasted anything delicious as this town's food. Her inner chef got inspired by every bite.
It was almost afternoon when Sylvia and Nilana sat down around the fishmonger's corner.
"Despite indulging in a feast and a day filled with activities, an unusual energy seems to course through me, and weariness remains a distant stranger. What about you, Lady Nilana?"
"Can't feel my legs." Nilana's sarcastic tone caused both of them to erupt in laughter.
She never knew. Two days after running away from her home, she'd be lounging in a wooden bench with a duke's daughter, who's now her friend, waiting for grilled jewelled fish. She sighed heavily.
"Oh! There's a flower vendor. Wait for me here, Lady Nilana." Sylvia stood up and approached the flower vendor, who was standing in a corner, the little boy's wooden bucket filled with bloomed pink roses and white daisies.
Nilana saw her getting two flower crowns, one with white daisies and another with pink roses. As she came back, she put the white daisies crown on Nilana's head before wearing the pink roses on herself.
"I had a friend when I was 7 years old. She loved white daisies, while I obsessed over pink roses." Sylvia said, her tone quiet and sad. "You kind of remind me of her. Honestly, that's a reason I called you back in the steam-house. You have the same auburn eyes and strawberry blonde hair as her."
"Where is she now?"
"Dead." Sylvia's sparkly eyes suddenly seemed dull. "Assassin's slaughtered her family."
"Oh," Realizing she entered a very sensitive matter, Nilana looked around to find something to change subjects. She spotted an old woman selling a type of desserts she never saw. "Lady Sylvia!" She pointed out, "What are those? It looks appealing. I want to try some."
Looking at the stall Nilana was pointing out to, she gasped, "Oh my! Don't tell me you never tried cinnamon rolls?!"
Nilana shook her head.
"This is a serious matter. Let's get you some cinnamon rolls while our fish is getting grilled." With that, her sadness was long gone.
In a few minutes, Nilana held her very first cinnamon roll. Hesitant to bite.
"Do it! I want to see your reaction!" While Sylvia cheered beside her, she put it in her mouth. Munching out a bite, she felt her heart flutter as the sweetness of it melted inside her mouth. She never tasted anything so good as this. It didn't take her long to realize that she was pledged to cinnamon rolls for the rest of her life now.
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Cedric sat on the ceramic stairs of the kitchen entrance. Guards and soldiers and he even saw the great general of the Windspire Army go inside the chambers' hall. He still couldn't erase the blood, the blue of everything, the lifeless face, the slit neck.... He again shook his head, trying to convince himself that all of this was a nightmare. Yet the whole image of the study of Thornehaven haunted him.
An old butler of the Thornehaven estate noticed Cedric and sat beside him. Patting his shoulders, he weakly said, "I understand, my friend. I've witnessed it all, too. What he did, he's simply reaping what he sowed. In the end, they all will."
"They?" Cedric, the journalist, looked at him, curiosity, terror, confusion overflowed through his eyes. "Other members of the royal court and advisory council have been assassinated too?!"
The old butler made a surprised expression and leaned in. "Ah, young one, you're quite unaware. Among us insiders, we refer to him as the Midnight Serpent. He's infamous for having poisoned five of the previous ministers during the late King Severus's reign," he whispered into his ears. Cedric's eyes went wide. So this is what has been happening inside the royal court, all while the kingdom's subjects remained blissfully unaware. No one could measure the amount of shock he was going through.
As his hands went past his pants' pockets out of anxiousness, Cedric felt a notebook inside his pocket. His notebook. Inside. His. Pocket.
He was here, in the assassinated royal advisor's estate. He had the opportunity. Why not take it?
He quickly pulled it out, swept through the pages, ideas over flowing through his head, folded the notebook and looked at the old butler beside him.
"Can you get me a pen?"