Chapter 5 : The Tourist

Casia watched her two sisters melt into the crowd. Noticing how gleeful her younger sister looked, she'd been no doubt promised a reward. Most likely she'd get a new stool or something to compensate for it since Father broke the last one. Her first customer had waved her off when she turned back to them, she scrambled to return the wave with her brightest smile.

" Flowers again, dear Casia?"

Casia turned to the baker with her usual smile.

" What else could I get my hands on, Mr Armand?"

The old man had deep blue eyes as soothing as the deep seas, greying short hair and was surprisingly skinny for a baker. Like Sir Gray, the baker has been living in the little town for quite some time. He's watched the young girl and her siblings grow up over the years, seen how townsfolk would come and go, the previous Emperor's visits were among his favorite stories to tell and most importantly, he knows the history of her family's legacy more clearly than most of the town's residents.

" Come, come. Sit down in the shade, I'll grab a seat for you."

He offered and to her experience, it was always difficult to decline. Perhaps it was because of what he knows of them or maybe because he's watched them grow up but he was always insistent on making sure that Casia and her siblings were safe and comfortable. Him and several other long lasting members of the town itself.

The square where she sold her flowers had a beautiful fountain at the very center, surrounded by tea shops, bakeries, florists and tailors. It was the busiest during festivals when merchants from all over gather and set up stalls along the road. Sitting beneath an old oak tree not far from the fountain, Casia sat down on the chair the old baker had prepared for her and obliged in one of his pastries she bought out of courtesy for lending her the chair.

" Ah, Casia! Bringing sunlight to my store as usual."

The florist greeted her brightly as two of her children chased each other out the door.

" I don't control the weather, Miss Eda."

The girl insisted as the children ran around her.

" But it's true. Wherever you go, the sun always shines. Harlow brings the rain."

She couldn't but laugh at the added statement, her eyes catching the growing clutter of clouds where her sisters had run off to in the market alley. Guess she can't stay very long if Harlow keeps collecting clouds.

" Have you ever heard of the Royal's Echo, Cassi?"

One of Miss Eda's children, Zeke, tugged the hem of her sleeves. His wide blue eyes stared up at her curiously while his older sister sat by her side, quietly looking into her basket of flower crowns. No doubt the little girl wanted one from this collection despite already owning a few oh her best handmade crafts in trade of the bright flowers the florist grew.

" Can't say I haven't."

She admitted in a simple tone as she smiled at them. Glancing around the old square, it seems that the town would be preparing for yet another festival. It'll be within another few weeks from the looks of things. She wondered what sort of event would they be celebrating this time.

' Would it even be celebrated this time since the taxes were raised. Again.'

She thought to herself with a silent little curse to whoever was implementing said taxes in the first place. The kids tugged at her dress, demanding her attention once more. What were they talking about again?

" I wanna have the Royal's Echo. Then I can talk to the butterflies and birds!"

Qristie, the florist's daughter says with dreamy eyes as she fumbled the flowers in her hand. Casia was quick to catch her wrist before the sneaky child could sneak off again. She raised a brow and her eyes gestured to Miss Eda, watering her plants not too far from them. Qristie started to pout as she reluctantly releases her grasp on her merchandise. She sighs to herself as she remind the girl once again that the flower crowns aren't for free and thinks for a moment if she should correct their perception on Royal's Echo.

" Cassi, look! I think I have Royal's Echo."

Her attention draws to the little boy tugging her sleeve and clutched something close to his chest, his sister already bracing behind Casia for cover. She gave him a challenging smirk, the boy had tried to scare her often with insects and creepy crawlies but having to deal with those on a regular basis has made the trick ineffective. Usually, Qristie would be the one shrieking at whatever the child had captured. Her initial smirk had curled into disgust as the gecko flecked its tongue at the girls. But she still held her ground at the time. No, what took the cake was when it leaped onto her cream dress.

" Get it off! Get it off! Get if off!"

The children giggled to their heart's content as she ran around the area of the tree screaming, Zeke was especially tickled that he'd found the spunky girl's weakness. She yelped as it crawled over her back and tried to shake it off. Without looking where she had been running, she slams straight into the back of another figure and they tumbled into the square's fountain. Petals and flowers littered the ground and floated around them as she attempts to gather herself.

" I am so sorry!"

She apologized immediately as she waded through the surprisingly clear water to help up the stranger. A girl much taller than her wiped off the wet strands from her face and removed her bonnet. The dress she wore looked rather expensive and Casia cursed under her breath at the trouble she might've caused. From her dress to her bonnet, whatever she wore definitely looked costly. Holy will have her head if Amary doesn't kill her first.

" I wasn't looking where I was going!"

" It's okay! I'm okay!"

A few of the townsfolk helped them both out of the fountain while the florist apologized to them both for her son's little mishap. They both ended up drying up under the tree near the bakery where they sat wrapped up in blankets and where given warm buns by the kind old man.

" I'm so sorry."

She rambled after taking a bite of the bread.

" It's fine, really."

The girl chuckled.

" Just don't tell me parents I'm out here or they'll never let me go out on my own again."

Bright green eyes, long curly hair and her incredible height were already making Casia searching for a name from the long list of aristocrats within the kingdom. Her clothes, no matter how plain, were clearly made from much higher quality materials.

" Please forgive my insolence, Lady Von Switzvaren."

She says quickly once the name clicked into place. How much would the dress cost? The bonnet too and then there's her shoes. The very idea to having to compensate all of it was already giving her a headache.

" Shh, not out loud!"

The daughter of the Duke Von Switzvaren hissed quietly, startled by Casia's sudden formality.

" I will forgive you, only if you promise not to tell anyone I was here. And,"

She handed Casia a handful of silver coins quietly. Casia tested its weight out of habit before looking back at those bright green eyes.

" For your flowers and your services later on."

" My what?"

" Meet me at the square tomorrow, I haven't even finished touring the town yet and as compensation,"

" Wait, wait, wait. I can't be your guide!"

The young Lady raised a brow and waited for her to explain.

" I have a terrible sense of direction."

Which was true, unfortunately. She grew up in the town and still gets lost if her siblings weren't there to give her

direction. But, the young Lady doesn't seem very convinced.

" Besides, I have to gather new flowers to make new flower crowns. These coins could only last me for so long."

" Fine then."

" Excuse me?"

" I want to go to the forest with you."