Outside a dim alleyway at the corner of Dusk Avenue, a plain-looking black carriage stood parked.
The carriage blocked the alley, preventing passersby from seeing who was inside.
Livyat knew that Elena also lived on Dusk Avenue.
However, Dusk Avenue was vast, and the two had never shared a route before.
Countless ordinary residents, tired of the chaos of Seaside Avenue but unable to afford higher rent, lived here.
Elena was one of them.
The dim and cramped alley was filled with sewage and filth, making Livyat hesitate to even step forward.
The place where she used to live was relatively clean because Auntie Susie swept it daily.
Oh, if she wanted Elena to know she had arrived, her only option was to shout.
Livyat hesitated, even considering whether to have the maid driving the carriage call Elena out for her.
Suddenly, she heard skipping footsteps from within the alley.
It was Elena.
She wasn’t acting cute; she was jumping from one patch of dry ground to another, trying her best to avoid the sewage.
Looking closely, she had wrapped her shoes and lower body in burlap sacks.
In this manner, she hopped in front of Livyat, nearly losing her balance.
Livyat quickly reached out to steady her.
Once Elena was steady, she stripped off the burlap bags and placed them in a nearby bin, revealing a brown homespun skirt.
Her light gray shirt was the same one she wore during their first meeting at the Finance Office, washed until it was a bit faded.
Despite this, the tan-skinned Elena was still very adorable.
Elena scratched her head, looking quite embarrassed.
“I’m sorry, Miss Livyat. I must look ridiculous. It’s really filthy here.”
“There’s no need to be so formal. Just call me Livyat. No need for titles—aren’t we supposed to be friends?”
Livyat smiled and boarded the carriage, then took Elena’s hand and pulled her up as well.
It seemed to be Elena’s first time in a carriage; she looked around at the interior with curiosity, marveling at the carved patterns on the ceiling.
Then she turned to look at Livyat with admiration.
“Miss Livyat. Your… your carriage is so luxurious. It’s much prettier than the Finance Office General Administrator’s. I was lucky enough to ride in his once. His carriage didn’t have full leather padding!”
Eh?
Hadn’t Tess said this was the simplest and cheapest carriage in the
Consulate, and that riding in it was beneath her?
It turned out that tanned calfskin lining wasn’t standard for every carriage.
Big Sister Julia had been the one to tell her about the calfskin, and Julia had indeed looked surprised at the time.
Livyat said softly, “Elena, where should we go first? I’ll let you choose.”
Hearing this, Elena suddenly became reserved.
“Ah, Miss Livyat, I’m choosing? We… we’ll go to…”
It seemed Elena rarely went out for fun, just like she used to.
Back then, though, she always went to the library to read, since she could get Julia to reimburse the expenses.
Where would Elena like to go?
Livyat thought carefully for a moment and decided to go to the garment shops on Seaside Avenue.
The shops there bought fabrics in bulk as soon as the cargo ships arrived, making their ready-to-wear clothes high quality and affordable.
Although they didn’t accept custom orders, they were the best places for the young girls of Landingset to buy clothes.
Whenever a giant merchant ship docked, they would run to queue up for the new styles.
A dress often cost only about a dozen grosso.
“Let’s go to Seaside Avenue and browse the clothing stores!”
Elena seemed very happy as well.
“That’s great, Miss Livyat! Let’s go there. I know a really good shop; I buy almost all my clothes there.”
The maid received her orders and drove the carriage straight toward Seaside Avenue.
Since it was a day off, the streets were bustling with people.
Everyone ignored the passing carriage, but they still tried their best to steer clear, especially when they saw it was an elven woman driving.
“Is it another Elf lady from the Consulate out for fun…?”
The pedestrians whispered and discussed among themselves.
Many residents of Landingset already knew that besides the “retired” Princess, there seemed to be an impossibly beautiful Elf lady living in the Consulate.
Her status seemed even higher than the Princess’s.
This was the most baffling part.
The carriage turned into the western section of Seaside Avenue, and the screams and laughter of young girls could be heard from afar.
Livyat gently lifted a corner of the curtain and saw row upon row of garment shops.
“Ladies, we have arrived,” the maid whispered from outside.
Then, she came to the side of the carriage to help Livyat and Elena down.
Livyat had already learned how to skillfully lift her hem with one hand, leaning forward to put her weight on the maid and lowering her center of gravity to step off the carriage steadily.
Elena, on the other hand, grabbed the maid’s hand in a panic and was practically dragged down.
In truth, the maid had no choice; if she hadn’t pulled her, Elena would have tumbled backward onto the carriage.
Their appearance immediately caused a small sensation.
The girls nearby looked in surprise at the black carriage, the noble-looking Elf lady, and the plainly dressed girl beside her.
After getting off the carriage, Elena seemed less restrained; she was very familiar with this area.
Conversely, Livyat had never been familiar with it—back when she was still Lorraine, why would he have ever come here to buy clothes?
Elena walked ahead, waving back at Livyat and skipping like a happy bird, beckoning Livyat to follow.
Livyat walked gently behind, her hands clasped in front of her waist.
They passed one shop after another before finally arriving at the one Elena knew best.
Elena turned back happily and said, “This is the one! I spent a whole month’s salary just to buy that lake-blue dress from last year!”
A lake-blue slim-fit dress.
It was indeed last year’s trend; Livyat remembered seeing Julia wear it once.
That just showed how trendy it was.
Elena was the first to enter, greeting the shop assistants happily, then turned around to wait for Livyat to walk in.
The shop assistants were used to Elena’s familiar greetings and responded in kind, but when they saw the Elf lady walking in through the door, every single one of them froze.
Elena was actually close with this Elf lady?!
It was like a fairy tale.
The quickest among them rushed to the second floor, and after a moment, the shop owner emerged, approaching them with a beaming, respectful smile.
“Honored guests, welcome to ‘The Girls’ Wardrobe’! Our shop has access to the widest variety of unique fabrics. Ah, and if the guests require it, we can even try to source silk. I wonder what materials and styles you two are looking for? To be honest, noble ladies often patronize our shop; our taste and tailoring are quite excellent!”