The next day.
Light had already filled the sky, and people were already awake on the first floor of the inn. Occasionally, the sound of footsteps echoed from the wooden staircase.
After a quick wash, Flora and Lena went downstairs for breakfast. The meal was simple: bread, hot soup, and a few pickles. Flora didn’t eat much, but once her stomach was warm, her mind felt much clearer.
When they stepped outside, the streets were even more crowded than the day before.
On the second day of the Unification Festival, the excitement hadn’t faded; instead, it felt even more vibrant. They strolled slowly down the street.
“Oh, right,” Lena said, as if suddenly remembering something. “There’s a magic show in White Stone City these days. Do you want to go see it?”
Flora tilted her head slightly. “A magic show?”
“Yeah, a local one.” Lena gestured with her hands. “The kind where they pull all sorts of things out of thin air. I saw one once when I was a kid, and it was quite interesting.”
“Where is it?”
“Toward the north of the city. We’ll be there after a short walk.”
Flora thought about it and nodded.
“Sure, let’s go. I’d like to see what the magic shows are like here.”
Under Lena’s lead, they walked toward the venue. As they progressed, the crowd became denser, eventually stopping in front of a stone building that was noticeably larger than the surrounding structures.
Colorful banners hung at the entrance, and the lintel was painted with exaggerated patterns; it clearly wasn’t a place for serious business.
A line had formed at the door. It wasn’t excessively long, but they would still have to wait a little while.
Lena glanced at the queue. “Not bad. It shouldn’t take too long.”
While waiting, Flora noticed that most of the people around them came in groups—families and young people alike.
The atmosphere was relaxed. Standing in line, her mood was lifted by the cheerful surroundings.
A hand-drawn poster was stuck next to the ticket window, depicting an exaggerated magician and a flying hat.
“Joyful Magic Show…” Flora read the words on the poster.
Lena looked at Flora. “I heard this magician is great at being funny. He has a good reputation.”
“Good at being funny? How funny can he be?”
“I heard before that anyone, no matter how serious they usually are, will end up laughing. That might be an exaggeration, but he’s supposed to be very good.”
Flora imagined the magician. A black top hat, a thin and pointy mustache, a black tailcoat, and white gloves. He would fiddle with various props on stage while the audience roared with laughter.
‘It seems my imagination is a bit cliché,’ she thought.
When it was their turn, the man behind the window didn’t even look up. “Front row or back row?”
Lena quickly asked, “If we sit in the front, will we be called up for interaction?”
The man finally looked up and studied them. “Are you girls afraid of going on stage? Then the middle row is steady; you basically won’t be called up.”
“The back row, then!” Lena decided immediately and paid the money.
After leaving the line with their simple colored paper ticket stubs, Flora whispered, “Are you really that afraid of being called up?”
Lena stuck out her tongue. “I’m afraid of you being called up! What if you get exposed? The back row is safer.”
“Ha.” Flora was stunned for a moment and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Actually, it would have been fine. If something like that could expose me, I would have been caught long ago. But it’s true that I don’t really like being called on stage.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Flora and Lena entered the building. They weren’t in a hurry to have their tickets checked, so they bought two drinks first.
“Mmh, the drink is pretty good too. *Gulp*.” Flora sucked up some fruit pulp from her drink.
Just then, a small commotion ahead caught Flora’s attention.
“Hey, Lena, look.” Flora tapped Lena’s shoulder.
“What is it?” Lena looked at Flora, sounding a bit confused.
“Over there.” Flora pointed ahead.
A middle-aged woman carrying a large basket filled with various sachets and amulets was enthusiastically stopping a young girl standing alone by the wall.
“Take a look, young lady! These ward off evil and keep you safe! They’re great! Buy one, they aren’t expensive! It’s for good luck during the festival!”
The girl being blocked wore a simple, dark-colored dress, and her long blue hair was neatly tied back.
There was no panic on her face, but her brow was clearly furrowed, and she looked like she wanted to step back to create some distance.
She raised her hand several times to wave a refusal, but it was almost useless. She couldn’t withstand the woman’s rapid-fire sales pitch and her encroaching presence.
“That person seems to be caught in a bind,” Flora whispered to Lena.
Lena stood on her tiptoes to look and curled her lip.
“Those people are so annoying. If you don’t buy one, they’ll keep talking to you and won’t let go. Should we help? That lady doesn’t look like she knows how to handle this.”
Flora didn’t hesitate and nodded. “Yeah, let’s go see.”
The two of them walked quickly toward the pair.
“Oh, I see you’re out here all alone, young lady. Buy one for protection; it’s safer that way.”
Flora didn’t wait and stepped directly between the two. She smiled at the woman and said, “Ma’am, she’s my friend. We aren’t interested in those, thank you.”
At the same time, she whispered to the girl, “Follow me.”
Before the words had even finished, her hand gently grasped the girl’s forearm, leading her toward a spot where the crowd was a bit thinner.
Lena followed through with their unspoken coordination, moving a step to the side to act as a shield.
Seeing that they were a group and truly didn’t want to buy anything, the woman muttered a few words and finally turned her sights toward other passersby.
After walking a few steps, they reached a relatively spacious area by the wall.
“Are you okay? Did you get bumped or anything?” Flora released her hand.
The girl stood still and quickly smoothed out her slightly wrinkled sleeve. She didn’t seem to have fully reacted to the situation yet; after all, it had only been a few seconds since Flora grabbed her and walked away.
She looked up at Flora. Instead of confusion, there was a… calm scrutiny.
“I am fine. Thank you.”
Her voice was steady, and her wording was concise and proper. However, her gaze didn’t immediately move away from Flora’s face.
Instead, she watched her with a clear sense of observation. It felt like an instinctive habit, as if she were evaluating the intentions of this sudden helper.
This feeling of being carefully observed gave Flora a slight start. When ordinary people are helped, they are usually grateful or shy; they rarely observe so directly or analyze the other person’s intentions so calmly.
Just as a strange feeling arose in Flora’s heart, the other girl finished her analysis. She gave a small nod of acknowledgment.
The movement was tiny, and the lines of her shoulders and neck remained stable and graceful.
Wait.
That angle of the nod, and the way her neck and shoulders held their posture… It was like a faint electric current suddenly coursing through Flora’s memory.
It was too familiar.
In the hallways of the castle, on the stone paths of the garden—she had seen that exact demeanor and movement before.
‘It’s Xueli! She’s exactly like her.’
As soon as the thought occurred, Flora began to look more closely without being obvious.
The girl was well-disguised; her hair was a light blue, her eyes were a common brown, and her face seemed a bit plainer and softer than the Princess Xueli in her memory.
She wouldn’t stand out in a crowd, and most people wouldn’t be able to tell.
But those subconscious movements couldn’t be hidden. And that sense of calm observation in her eyes…
‘It’s her; it has to be Princess Xueli.’
No wonder she was cornered by a salesperson. It seemed Xueli had rarely visited towns to experience the life of commoners, so she didn’t even know how to deal with such a common, pushy sales pitch.
Flora suppressed the surging surprise and a hint of inexplicable amusement, maintaining a friendly expression on her face.
Remembering that substantial, scrutinizing gaze from just now, Flora decided to test her.
Using a casual, slightly teasing tone, she said, “You… were looking at me for quite a long time.”
“That kind of gaze… makes a person a bit nervous.”
The words were blunt but not over-the-line, appearing like a natural reaction from a straightforward person who had just helped.
Xueli clearly hadn’t expected to be called out so directly, and her body froze for an imperceptible moment.
“My apologies,” her voice remained steady, but her speaking speed was slightly faster than before.
“I meant no offense. It is just that… when one is alone outside, it is a habit to observe more to ensure safety.”
The explanation was reasonable. The formal way she phrased “meant no offense” and “ensure safety” confirmed Flora’s suspicion; those weren’t expressions a common traveler would use.
“I understand.” Flora smiled. “It’s good to be careful when you’re away from home. Why don’t we head inside together?”
“Very well.” Xueli thought for a moment and then agreed.