"Thank you——"
Before Frederick finished talking, Katherine had already turned around and left the room.
The atmosphere became awkward again as the crack between the two reared its ugly head again.
"Ahem, Luqing, can you give them a tour of the city? I'm sure they will enjoy the view at night.
Also, bring them to eat outside today. Fredrick and I have to do something." Ava requested.
"Yes, my lady."
As Luqing walked up to the three of them, they didn't say anything besides follow her out of the living room.
---
"Luqing, where are we going?" Sophia curiously asked as they began heading inward rather than towards the exit.
"This is the first time you guys came to Regina, right?" Luqing suddenly asked back.
"Yeah. This is the first time we've actually been inside a city other than the capital." Sophia replied.
"This place is quite cold during the winter. If you all don't mind, we have a few winter coats for you all to wear."
As they approached a room, Luqing pushed it open, revealing it to be full of wardrobes.
Luqing opened them one by one, revealing all kinds of clothes right before their eyes.
There was an endless amount of choice, from an expensive-looking fur coat to a simple jacket, swimsuit, or even a male suit.
"No one has worn these clothes before... Lady Ava loves to buy clothes and keep them in a place to look.
This place is where all these clothes end up... Some of them are from Lord Fredrick as well."
As the three followed Luqing down the aisle, they finally found a section of clothes that fit them.
"These are the only one that fits you all... But Miss Amelia and Miss Katherine had worn them in the past.
If you all don't mind, we can wear this for now before the new sets of clothes arrive tomorrow.
Sorry for the delay. We didn't mean to have you guys wearing old clothes——"
"No, it's fine. I'm always curious about what Aunty and Mom have worn in the past."
"Me too!"
As Sophia and Mary excitedly began picking their winter coats, Alex was much more hesitant.
Most of them were clearly designed for females, with barely any of them being more towards unisex clothes.
"Mr.Alex, do you want to check out Lord Fredrick's older clothes? He has some that he wore when he was a kid."
"Sure."
Alex quickly followed Luqing over to the other side of the room, only to see clothes that looked extremely different.
They were the perfect clothes for Alex's eye, as they looked almost intimidating and cool at the same time.
From the full black leather jacket to even a brigandine that was clearly meant to be worn with knight armor.
Alex quickly grabbed a few of the stylish pair of clothes before heading back with Luqing to the other two.
"Are those all the clothes you guys wanted?" Luqing asked as they all held a few pairs of clothes they had picked on their own.
With a nod, she led the three of them back to their room before letting them change into their clothes.
Alex was the first one to come out, stunning Luqing a little as she didn't expect how handsome he would look.
The black leather jacket and white undershirt, paired with black winter pants, made him look much more energetic.
It was almost a completely different person, from his dull, almost feminine appearance to a pure masculine appearance.
There was still a small flaw, as the cloth was still a little bit too big for him, and his eyes still didn't match the energy on his cloth.
"Luqing, what do I look like?" Alex curiously asked as he flipped the jacket collar back and forth.
"You look amazing, Mr.Alex"
"Thank you——"
As Alex thanked Luqing, Sophia, and Mary finally came out of their rooms as well.
The two of them were wearing the same thing: a simple white coat with a little white fur around the back of her neck.
Inside was a white turtleneck sweater, covering the gaps that the coat couldn't cover.
The only difference between the two was that Mary didn't really fit in the coat she was wearing.
"You guy's clothes look pretty nice." Alex complimented.
"Yours's too. I never expected you to pick something that looked so cool," Sophia murmured, still unable to believe Alex's appearance.
"Brother! Marry me!"
Mary excitedly ran over to Alex, who awkwardly pushed her away from reaching him.
"Hell no! I'd rather be single for life than marry someone who's like a little piggy every morning." Alex jokingly said out loud.
"Sophia! Alex insulted me again!" Mary complained as she started swinging her arms.
"Stop joking around, you two. Luqing, can you give us a tour of the city?"
"Of course."
---
As the three followed Luqing out of the castle, they were immediately hit by the crowds of people walking out.
The sun was almost setting on the horizon, yet people were not hurrying to head home.
Shops and stores were full of people, with even stalls being set up selling various kinds of goods to people.
"Is there always this many people in the streets?"
Mary curiously asked as she remembered that there was almost no one out at night back in the capital.
"Usually not, but since it's about to be the end of the year, everyone is preparing for the big event."
"Is it the thing that all mages come to visit this place?"
"Partially, but it's also because a lot of people come to this city for shelter."
"Shelter?" Alex curiously asked.
"Yes... During the late winter, monsters and massive blizzards from the north often hit nearby villages very hard.
The safest place is in the city. And there is no city safer than the one we are in right now."
Luqing looked a little proud as soon as she mentioned the last part out loud.
"Grandpa must have worked very hard on the city then," Alex murmured.
"Lord Fredrick? He doesn't manage the city at all. He's the duke. The city management falls under the mayor."
"Really?" Alex got a little curious.
"Of course. The Duke title is just a titular title... I mean, he does have the power to fire the mayor.
But he usually doesn't intervene in the daily city management. At least compare to other dukes."
"So, like a free check collector..." Alex murmured inside his head.
As they walked down the street, they could feel the atmosphere of the crowds walking past.
Everyone was excited and looked lividly, the polar opposite of what they felt in the capital.
There was actual energy on people's faces, and loud talks and squabbles went off every moment of the walk.
After walking for a bit, Luqing suddenly took a right turn despite still having a long way to go.
"Why are we turning?" Sophia curiously asked.
"The area ahead isn't fit for a noble status, Miss Sophia."
Despite Luqing's reasoning, it only made the three of them even more curious.
Especially after seeing a massive crowd forming ahead and several guards running towards it, they couldn't resist but go close to check it.
"Please, Luqing, can we just go check it? It will be real quick, and we'll head back afterward." Mary pleaded.
After a short consideration, Luqing agreed to it as they headed back to the main road before continuing to head down.
As they got closer and closer to the crowd, they could hear people yelling out loud.
"Get him! Don't let that red-shirt thief get through!"
"That guy stole from the elderly! Everyone beat his ass and show him what is respect!"
The three standing in the distance quickly realized what was happening.
A person in red was holding a bag, trying to break through the massive crowds that had surrounded him.
However, several people were constantly chased and dragged back, with some of them landing several hits before he got away.
"Everyone move out of the way!"
As the guards tried to push past the people, it only caused more chaos, and people started to panic a little.
"Shit, he got away."
Several of the men who were chasing the thief let out a sigh as the crowd began to disperse.
"Who was causing all this chaos?" The guard finally arrived at the center and questioned the men in the middle.
Just as the three of them were getting closer to finally seeing the men who were chasing the criminal, Luqing suddenly pulled them back.
"Okay, time for us to head back. Lady Ava would be mad if she saw us watching this."
The three reluctantly followed Luqing as they began to head back towards where they came from.
At the same time, Luqing felt a little embarrassed inside, saying they were in the safest city, yet a crime had happened right before them.
After walking back for a bit, Luqing's embarrassment disappeared as they stopped at a restaurant they had walked past earlier.