Flora took the mint and held it in her mouth. The cool sweetness made her feel a bit more energetic, and the uncomfortable sensation weakened slightly.
The three of them walked side by side again, heading toward the brighter and more bustling main street. Flora walked in the middle, with an still-worried Lena on her left and a calm-eyed Xueli on her right.
They stepped out of the quiet old street and merged back into the crowd of the main road.
As the clamor of the crowd surrounded them and a cool breeze blew past, Flora finally felt the lingering heaviness in her chest dissipate.
“Look! They’re selling ice crystal cream over there!” Lena’s eyes lit up as she pointed to a small cart not far away, decorated with colorful little lights and a short queue.
A cute cartoon magic beast sign stood atop the cart, which was emitting wisps of sweet-scented white cold air.
‘It looks so delicious, hehehe.’
“You look like you really want to eat it,” Flora said.
“Definitely!” Lena nodded vigorously, then looked at Xueli. “Xiao Xue, you should try it too. It’s delicious! Let’s go, let’s go!”
Xueli said nothing; her lack of protest was her consent.
The three of them joined the end of the line. The small cart was doing good business. The owner was a brisk older woman with several iron buckets in front of her, filled with different colors of ice cream.
When it was their turn, the woman asked warmly, “What flavors do you girls want? We have mango, watermelon, raspberry, and lime!”
“I want mango!” Lena said immediately.
Flora originally wanted strawberry, but after glancing at the buckets, it seemed the strawberry was gone. “Do you have any strawberry left?”
“Oh, I just sold out of strawberry. You’ll have to wait a while for the new batch,” the woman said apologetically.
“Then… I’ll have mango too,” Flora said, changing her mind. Being the same as Lena wasn’t bad either.
Both of them looked at Xueli.
Xueli stood a bit further back, her calm gaze sweeping over the iron buckets as she quickly thought about what she wanted to eat. Hearing the inquiry, she barely hesitated before saying softly, “Watermelon.”
“All right! Two mangoes and one watermelon!” the woman confirmed.
“Eh?” Lena blinked in surprise. “Sister, do you want mango too?”
“Yes, the same as you is fine. I don’t have any other requirements, so this will do.”
After a while, their ice creams were ready.
Flora looked at the mango-flavored ice crystal cream in her hand.
It was golden-yellow and emitted a rich, sweet scent. She took a bite, the sweetness spreading through her mouth as the mango flavor settled. It was delicious.
Xueli had already taken her pale pink, watermelon-flavored ice crystal cream. She thanked the woman and then took a small bite from the top.
The way she ate still looked elegant, though it wasn’t as meticulously detailed as it had been at the castle.
She squinted her eyes slightly and then gave a small nod, appearing to approve of the taste as well. “It is quite good,” she said, her tone carrying a hint of objective affirmation.
Lena had already begun eating in large gulps, agreeing indistinctly, “Right? Right! I told you it was good!”
Flora also lowered her head and tasted her mango flavor. Sure enough, the taste was very rich and sweet.
They walked to the riverbank again, where there were fewer people.
The three of them walked along the bank, gradually finishing their ice crystal cream.
Lena pointed to a stone platform ahead. “Let’s sit there for a bit! I’m tired after standing for so long.”
The platform was wide, with low stone railings at the edge. They found a spot near the side and sat down.
The river water beneath their feet was a deep blue, reflecting the lights from the opposite bank and the occasional magic light points rising into the sky, shattering into a shimmering river of light.
Lena sighed comfortably, swinging her legs. “It feels so good to sit down and catch the breeze after walking all day.”
Flora also relaxed. She turned her head to look at Xueli.
Xueli sat perfectly straight, with a little bit of ice crystal cream left in her hand. She gazed at the lotus lanterns floating in the middle of the river, her profile appearing serene in the dim light.
Suddenly, a mischievous thought popped into Flora’s mind.
‘What would happen if I teased Xueli and said she looked like a noble demon princess?’
She blinked and leaned closer. “Xiao Xue, the more I think about it, the more I feel you’re a bit special.”
Xueli turned her head to look at her.
“See, I feel like your mannerisms are exceptionally good. You sit straight and walk steadily. Even your choice of words is sophisticated—rejecting people makes it sound like you’ve read an etiquette manual,” Flora said, gesturing with her fingers.
“And just now at the antique shop, the way you looked at those stones… you were as focused as if you were appraising royal family treasures!”
Lena nodded. “True, true. Xiao Xue has a lot of class.”
A faint smile flickered in Xueli’s eyes as she shook her head. “It’s just a habit.”
“It’s definitely not just a habit!” Flora leaned forward, her voice dropping lower.
“I heard that the nobles in the royal capital, especially the princess herself, are exactly like this: perfect mannerisms, elegant speech, and a natural interest in ancient things…”
Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she stared at Xueli. “So, could it be that you are actually… that demon princess, sneaking out to experience a commoner’s festival?”
Xueli was stunned for a moment.
She quickly realized that the other girl had simply mistaken her for a princess of her own race.
A trace of amusement bubbled up within her.
She recalled the demon princess, Flora, she had met during her previous visit to the castle — her etiquette had been awkward and her gait unsteady, though she had a certain earnest, hardworking air about her.
‘That’s quite far from the perfect image Fufu is describing right now.’
‘I wonder if these commoners would lose a bit of respect for their princess if they knew she was actually like that.’
This sense of absurdity allowed her to relax. She looked into Flora’s expectant eyes and felt that this misunderstanding was both naive and interesting.
“… You guessed wrong.” Xueli’s voice was steady, but the corners of her lips curled up slightly. “I am not the demon princess.”
“Really?” Flora was relentless. “But I heard princesses love to disguise themselves as ordinary people to blend into the crowd! Look at your aura, and that look you had when checking antiques!”
Lena was already covering her mouth as she laughed. Though she didn’t know what Flora was trying to achieve, it was indeed very funny.
Lena burst out laughing. “Sister! Your imagination is too wild! Why would a princess be here alone with us, eating ice crystal cream and blowing the river breeze?”
Xueli looked at the “sisters” and found it quite amusing as well.
She played along with the joke, saying in a flat tone, “If I were truly the princess, there should be invisible guards around right now, rather than me sitting here listening to your analysis.”
Flora’s eyes grew even brighter. “Maybe they’ve disguised themselves as passersby! Like that uncle over there looking at the river!” She pointed randomly.
Xueli shook her head gently and let out a nearly silent laugh.
“… You have a very rich imagination,” she said.
The river breeze blew in, carrying the scent of water.
The faint sound of drums and cheering came from the distance, making the riverside feel even more tranquil. The warm light reflected off Xueli’s face, making her look pure and moving.
“It’s getting late,” Flora said, glancing at the sky. “We should go find a place for lunch.”
“Sure! I know a noodle shop that’s especially delicious, and it’s not far from here!” Lena said.
Xueli stood up, her movements still gentle and slow.
The three of them left the platform and merged back into the flow of people along the bank.