They found an inn. It was a two-story building with outer walls also made of white stone. Lights shone through the windows, looking very warm.
When they entered, the shopkeeper was looking down at the accounts and only looked up when he heard them come in.
They chose a room with two beds; of course, they had discussed this beforehand. After Lena paid and received the key, they went to their room.
The room wasn’t large, but it was clean. Two beds were placed side by side, separated by a small table.
The window faced the street, and if one pushed it open a little, they could hear the lingering sounds of the festival outside.
The moment Flora stepped into the room, she felt her entire body relax.
“Whew…” She took off her coat and placed it casually on the back of a chair. Her gaze lingered on the bed for a moment, as if she had finally seen something she had been looking forward to for a long time.
A second later, she instinctively took two steps toward the bed, leaning her body forward as if she were about to dive onto it.
“Wait, your highness!” Lena spoke up just in time.
Flora paused mid-motion, nearly losing her balance.
“Oh, what is it?”
“Your highness… do you plan to go to bed just like that?” Lena reminded her, stifling a laugh. “You haven’t bathed yet.”
Flora froze for a moment, looked down at herself, and then sniffed her sleeve. She had been walking on the streets all day, and she was covered in the scent of smoke, fireworks, and the crowd.
She remained silent for a second.
“All right.” she retracted her steps honestly. “I’ll go wash up first.”
There was a clear hint of regret in her tone.
Lena finally laughed out loud. “The bathroom is over there. I just tested the water; it won’t be too cold.”
Flora nodded, took her change of clothes, and entered the bathroom.
The sound of water soon rang out.
Warm water fell on her shoulders and back, slowly washing away the fatigue accumulated throughout the day.
Flora stood against the wall for a while, her eyes closed, letting her mind go blank. The sounds from outside were cut off by the door, leaving only the sound of the water and her own breathing.
When she came out, her hair was still slightly damp.
Lena had already made the beds and was sitting at the table, flipping through a brochure provided by the inn. Hearing the door open, she looked up.
“All finished?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll go wash up.” Lena stood up and placed the brochure back on the table. “You rest for a bit.”
***
After the bathroom door closed, the room suddenly became quiet.
Flora sat on the edge of the bed. She had intended to lie down immediately, but as she looked down, she noticed that the drawer of the nightstand wasn’t fully closed.
She hesitated for a moment but eventually reached out and pulled it open.
Inside was a small wooden box.
She took the box out and opened it.
It was a set of Path Chess.
The board wasn’t large and was made of light-colored wood, carved with winding paths and a few simple symbols.
Small game pieces were placed to the side, looking as though they had been played with many times, their edges worn smooth.
Flora was stunned.
She hadn’t expected to see such a thing in a place like this.
Something… intended for children.
She held the board and looked at it for a while, then flipped through the pieces to confirm she hadn’t seen it wrong. The design was simple to the point of being plain, yet it was intuitive and easy to get lost in.
By the time the sound of water stopped, Flora was still sitting by the bed with the board in her hands.
“I’m finished.” Lena came out while drying her hair. “What are you looking at?”
Flora looked up and held up the board.
“This,” she said.
Lena walked closer, took a look, and smiled. “Oh, that. It’s probably for families with children. Inns in small places sometimes put things like this out so the kids don’t get bored.”
Her tone was casual; she clearly didn’t think much of it.
Flora looked down at the board, her fingertips tracing the wood grain.
“I want to play,” she said.
Even she paused once the words left her mouth.
Lena was stunned.
“You want to… play this?” she confirmed.
Flora nodded without explaining herself.
Lena blinked, seemingly surprised, but she soon broke into a smile. “Well, that’s not impossible.”
She set the towel aside, pulled over a chair, and sat down at the table. “Then let’s do it. The rules are simple; I’ll teach you.”
The board was placed on the small table, and they each took a game piece.
Flora understood the rules quickly because she had played something similar before, and the game wasn’t difficult.
However, she often found herself lagging behind during play. Her luck was always terrible, and she frequently missed the best squares.
“Oh, your highness’s roll wasn’t very good this time, either.” Lena smiled.
“I know.” Flora looked at the board, her brow furrowing slightly. “But there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Lena couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s all right. That’s how these games are. Sometimes you just can’t roll the numbers you want.”
The pieces advanced bit by bit, and the game approached its end.
Before one particular roll, Flora stared at the board for a long time, looking as if she were thinking seriously, yet also as if her attention had been drawn away by something else.
One board, two pieces, and two people sitting opposite each other.
Flora suddenly remembered a scene from a long time ago.
At that time, she was still very small.
The table was even lower than this one, and the board was a similar paper version, only darker in color. Eileen was sitting across from her.
Back then, Eileen could never sit still. Her feet dangled in the air, swinging back and forth. She held her game piece tightly, but her eyes were always looking toward Flora.
“Big Brother, hurry up,” Eileen gestured wildly with her right hand.
“Okay, okay, let me think.”
“Oh, why am I behind again!”
Back then, Flora already knew more than Eileen and always won.
When the piece reached the finish line, Eileen would freeze for a moment and then laugh.
“Big Brother is so amazing,” she would say. “Big Brother won again.”
The dim, yellow light shone on Eileen’s face, making her look incredibly soft.
That innocent and sun-drenched smile…
“I’ll definitely win next time.”
But next time, she would still lose.
The voice in her memory was clear, as if it were right in her ear.
Flora’s hand stopped in mid-air, the piece not descending.
“Hehe, I won.”
Lena’s voice suddenly rang out.
Flora snapped back to her senses.
On the board, Lena’s piece had already reached the finish.
Flora blinked, her vision blurring for a split second. She quickly lowered her head, pretending to look at the board.
“I wasn’t paying attention,” she said in a very small, soft voice.
Lena originally wanted to say something more, but she froze when she saw Flora with her head down.
“Your highness?” she asked hesitantly. “What’s wrong?”
Flora shook her head.
“It’s nothing.” she paused. “I just… remembered some things from the past.”
She didn’t look up.
Lena was silent for a few seconds, her tone softening significantly. “If you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t.”
“It’s okay if we don’t play anymore.”
Flora took a breath and nodded.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“Why are you apologizing?”
Flora stood up, walked to the window, and pulled the curtains halfway shut. The light in the room became soft.
“Let’s sleep,” she said. “We have to continue tomorrow.”
“Mhm, okay.”
Flora lay back on the bed, her body sinking into the soft bedding. She didn’t think of anything else and slowly fell asleep.