Chapter 42

I opened the door for Kathlyn and she walked outside the store. There was an open sign on the door that I turned around, making it closed. I walked in front of her and she turned around to lock the door.

"Alright~! Let's go." She exclaimed happily as she put her keys inside her pocket.

The streets were busy as usual and the late spring sun was blazing. The layers of clothes I wore made it difficult for me to not sweat.

Oddly enough this is the first time I've taken someone out for the day. I felt shy asking her and felt like I was intervening with her daily schedule which she follows. This feeling of dragging her out of her comfort zone isn't sitting right with me.

Without noticing we both started walking aimlessly down the street. The reason I wore a significantly different outfit was to get less attention, of course, that is difficult with Amelia on my shoulder but I'm desperate.

"Where are we going anyways?" Kathlyn asked me. "O-oh, right. I didn't specify. We're going to the centre. I heard that's where the best tailor is."

She looked excited as we walked through the crowded streets. "Oh! I think I know which one it is! It's really popular for wedding dresses." She exclaimed.

I had no idea where the shop was and I was just hoping to the deities above that I can figure it out when I make it there.

"Is that so? Well, that's perfect!" I told her happily. "I don't know about it so I'm in your care!"

Kathlyn seemed to be becoming more comfortable with me, seeing as she smiles joyfully and takes care of Amelia whenever she urges to be held. I'm glad she's becoming more comfortable.

Suddenly Kathlyn locked her arms around mine and continued walking forward. I sigh and become too embarrassed to say anything back to her. I couldn't say anything not because I was embarrassed but because I just didn't know how to say it to her in words.

Even after my flawless disguise of not wearing my usual outfit I still was growing attention because of Amelia and my red hair. People still recognized me but I couldn't do anything about this. I just had to let it happen.

"We're pretty much at the centre. I see the fountain." I told Kathlyn who was frantically looking around her. "O-oh, I didn't realise. The tailor should be around here somewhere." Kathlyn said in a hurry.

She kept a look out for where the tailor is while I looked for the artifact store. Neither of which were really to be seen, other than the usual restaurants or food stores that are found everywhere in the centre.

Kathlyn pointed out diagonally to her left, across the cross-section. "There! That building!" She exclaimed. I look in the direction she's pointing and see a corner store that's three stories high.

"Great! Let's visit that first then." I told her while crossing the street.

As we crossed the streets we were still getting recognized. The glares and stares are ruining my mood but at this point, I had given up on what the others thought, and so did Kathlyn.

"Isn't that King Artorius? Who is that with him?"

"Isn't that the florist? Are they together?"

"They were just rumours but it might be true!"

I quietly clicked my tongue hearing the people and glared all around my surroundings. They realised my stare and stopped murmuring to themselves, becoming too nervous to speak.

"These people don't know how to share secrets," Amelia told me through telepathy. "Annoying, isn't it?" I replied to her

We finally made it to the store. The walk was quite long since her shop was far from the centre, yet it felt faster than it was. Time flies by for some reason.

"Yep! It's this one!" She said excitedly as we got closer to the tailor. A smirk breaks from my lips seeing her be so happy.

I opened the door for her and she entered the store. I followed her into the store and looked around me for a second to take in the cool air inside store.

"Welcome to the Blue Moon Tailor! How may I help you?" A lady at the front desk said as we walked into the tailor.

The inside was quite cold, much better than what I was feeling outside in the early summer heat. The temperature setting was set down quite a bit due to the heat but it was the perfect temperature for me.

"Good afternoon. We need a few dresses, specifically for her." I told the clerk.

Kathlyn blushed as I told the clerk. "Ah~ your majesty! It's an honour to have you in our shop. Do you need dresses to be made or readymade?"

I thought for a moment about what could be the better option. I have enough money but do I spend extra to get it made? How long would it take to make it ready anyways? I only have a few days

Seeing me think so deeply about the question, Kathlyn felt anxious and became scared. "R-readymade is fine by me! We are on a tight schedule so I can't have anything made." She said in a panic.

I felt like I was putting her under too much stress, even though it was just clothes. I begin to feel guilty for being so insensitive sometimes…

"That's not a problem! We can make dresses by tomorrow actually, depending on the number of dresses."

Bingo.

"That's perfect! We can take a few readymade ones but also have a special one made." I said happily with a bright smile.

Kathlyn looked at me with a shocked expression. "A-Artorius! Are you sure about that?" She said, stuttering in between her words. "Why? Is something wrong?" I asked her skeptically.

"N-no, it's not that. I just think I don't need to have a tailored dress. It will probably be a one-time use anyways."

I sigh with disappointment, seeing how low her confidence and self-esteem are. "It wouldn't matter. It's fine."

She seemed reluctant even still. She was quite stubborn about using my money even though I have way too much money on me right now.

"Take her measurements, please!" I told the clerk at the desk. "As you say, my lord." The clerk said before walking around the front desk.

Kathlyn seemed nervous but reluctantly agreed to give her measurements for the dress. She let go of my arm for once and walked with the clerk to a changing room, leaving me and Amelia alone for the time being.

I rested my lower back on the counter desk and sighed a breath of relief. "Haa~ Even just taking her out feels tiring nowadays." I muttered in my mind which Amelia picked up on.

"It's just taking a walk and going shopping. How hard is it?" Amelia asked, skeptical of me. "Really tiring when your heart races all the time. With all the people staring and making speculations, it's even worse."

Amelia climbed onto my head and laid flat on my head. "It's not that difficult, you know?" She said, making me confused. "What do you mean?"

"You're always thinking. I can hear all of your thoughts so I know what you are thinking. It's best if you just… let go of the thoughts for once."

"I… don't get what you're saying."

"Ugh. Why are you so smart yet so dull?"

"I'm not the best at understanding everything, especially others' feelings. The only time I understand it is when we play mind games with each other like I did with Alaric or Arnold."

I've forgotten how emotions work. Ever since I moved away from my parents to the high rise in the city, I was living a bland life. Even though I told my parents the complete opposite, I was living a life of a shut-in.

Since then I have forgotten how to act or behave. This created a void that I could never fill up, and that void followed me into this world as well.

"Well, the simplest way I can put it is, just let go of your worries for today. Enjoy the day with me and mama!" Amelia said with excitement.

Seeing her happy also made me smile. A small smile broke out from my lips even though I was quite stressed. "Sure. Let's do whatever we want today."

Amelia seemed satisfied with my answer and became happier. Just then Kathlyn came out of the changing room with the clerk with her measurements. I turned around and she instantly latched back onto my arm.

"I've taken the measurements and the type of dress she wants. You still do need to pay in advance for the dress." The clerk said as she looked through the measurements she took. "I must say… This dress is going to surprise anyone."

What did she mean by that…?

Kathlyn smiled happily as she cuddled up on my arm. I felt uneasy as to what details she added but I was excited as well.

The clerk led us over to the readymade section where dresses for her would be a perfect size. Since she had the measurements she would know which sizes would fit best.

As we walked around the shop I realised how vast it was. There were many racks with dresses and men's clothing. They were all readymade but were of high quality. This was the first time I had ever been in such a high-class tailor.

One thing I never knew about Kathlyn was how much of a fashionista she is. She knew a lot about women's fashion and thought thoroughly about it, coming right down to the fabric of the dresses.

While she saw through the countless dresses that were in her fit size me and Amelia just stared at her as she enthusiastically talked to the clerk and saw through the dresses.

"Mama is amazing… She knows so much about dresses." Amelia muttered in awe. "She is." I simply told her back.

I took a seat on one of the stools since I was not part of the conversation. I just stared at her in awe, going blank in my mind for a moment. I hold up my chin with my hand and lose myself in my train of thought.

"You're thinking again." Amelia chimed in out of the blue. "Let me do it now, there's nothing else to do."

"Fair."

Kathlyn picked up a few dresses that she liked, as well as some other things like long white gloves, something I forgot people wore as a status symbol.

She walked back to me and became nervous once more. "S-sorry to keep you waiting so long! You must be bored, right?" She said, apologetic even though I haven't even said anything.

I stood up from the stool and Amelia nearly fell off me. "Not really. I was having fun watching you be so enthusiastic about dresses." I told her with a gentle smile.

She blushed red in the face and chuckled. "I-I see. It's something I've always been interested in." She said with an even bigger smile.

We went to the counter and the clerk packed up the dress and extra things she bought into a few bags. I underestimated how much she would buy and only realised when I saw the bags.

"That will be sixty gold coins!" The clerk said after calculating everything. The price made Kathlyn shriek in shock. "E-eh!? T-that much? Goodness, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed.

Without wasting a second I took out my pouch and started counting the coins. Seeing this, Kathlyn freaked out even more. "W-wait! Let me remove some! It's too much!"

"Huh? Why? It's fine." I have a lot." I told her with a blank expression and continued counting.

The clerk just stared at us with a happy smile as we quarrelled with each other for a minute. Kathlyn didn't want me to spend so much on her but why?

"Artorius! Please! It's too much!"

"For all that is holy, just let me pay. It's fine."

"It's not! I overdid myself!"

"No, this is perfectly within my budget. Let me pay."

After a heated debate, I finally counted up the sixty coins and placed them down on the counter. "There we go. Count it if you need to."

The clerk's expression changes to awe as she sees all the towers of coins laid out in front of her as payment. 'O-oh my… I'm sure it's enough. Here is the receipt for the dress. Please come and pick it up by tomorrow afternoon!"

Seeing that I had paid for it already, Kathlyn sighs in defeat, knowing there's no turning back now. "Now you've done it~" She said, defeated.

I take the bags from the desk and carry them on my own. There were three full bags of what she bought and I felt as though it was my duty to carry it. Kathlyn however did not mind me carrying it and just latched back onto my arm.

"Come again!" The clerk at the desk said as we left the store. Since the main objective of the day was done I could be at leisure now for the rest of the day.

"Where to next?" Kathlyn asked. "Oh, I need to buy a gift for Amadeus. There should be an artifact shop somewhere here apparently. I think I saw it too in the past."

Though looking around us all we saw were crowds of people that were staring at us. We both felt uneasy and tried to push past the crowd.

"My lord! Please answer our questions! We are dying to know!"

"Master Artorius! Please speak to us!"

"Are you two together? Please answer us!"

Kathlyn was really uneasy, latching onto my arm tightly. I clench my teeth and try not to break my joyful and happy outer shell.

"Restrain it… Control it…" I muttered in my mind. Amelia definitely read my mind. She knows what I'm thinking of.

I pushed past the crowd with a joyful smile, playing along with their shenanigans. I cannot act rude as the king. Even though I've always been a trash deep inside, I cannot show it here.

Suddenly Kathlyn nudged on my arm as we cut through the crowd of people. Instead of holding onto my arm and being shy, she suddenly held my hand and dragged me through the crowd.

Without thinking twice I followed her through the crowd. I had no clue where she would drag me but I somehow trusted her easily on this. Amelia held onto me tightly as we cut through the crowd with ease.

"W-where are you taking us?" I asked her in the midst of the chaos. "Away from this chaos! I'll not let anyone ruin our day out!" She exclaimed.

Her words intertwined with her voice made me feel something I haven't felt in my two lives. A warm fuzzy feeling in my chest that made me slowly turn red. I couldn't tell if it was the heat or a fever, I just felt strange.

She actually managed to take us out of the crowd and find a more quiet and peaceful street. It was not too far from the centre but it was just far enough to not be seen from the crowd that flocked the centre.

The crowd couldn't find us and slowly dispersed, giving up on trying to find us. Somehow she managed to drag us away from such a big crowd, I'm impressed.

We both were quite exhausted just by cutting through the crowd. "Haa~ That was tiring…" Kathlyn said as she panted for breath. I controlled my breathing and looked around us, trying to notice if anyone recognized us here.

"Seems like we lost them for now. Let's go back to actually enter the shop this time." I told her before grabbing hold of her hands. She shrieked in response which made me jump.

"W-what's wrong?" I asked her, puzzled from her sudden shriek. "N-nothing… I-I was just surprised you would just grab my hand so suddenly…" She said while holding her mouth.

She's cute.

This time I dragged her by the hand and walked over to the artifact shop. It was distinct and easy to locate after actually looking around for a few minutes.

"This is it, I think." I said while staring at the building. It wasn't too fancy and stood out that much. It looked like an ordinary corner store but I expected some high quality artifacts that I could buy with the reminder of my money.

We entered the store and it was just as I expected, a dimly lit room that gave off an ominous aura inside it. I couldn't see too far with my naked eyes but I could see it was a simple room with a front desk and a few shelves displaying different kinds of artifacts.

Kathlyn trembled from the frightening aura that was inside the room. On the other hand I tried to figure out where the front desk clerk would be.

"Welcome… new customer… Take a look around…" A quiet and gentle voice came out from in front of me. It took Kathlyn by surprise and she shrieked in fear. I looked around and saw the lights slowly become brighter till the room was bright enough to be seen.

"G-good afternoon." I muttered out. "I need some help picking a gift for Prince Amadeus."

Footsteps came from around the front desk where no one was present at the moment. There were many artifacts behind the front desk but none of them were eye-catching. A shadow emerged from behind the artifacts and not long after, the person behind the shadow appeared.

"Oh. Welcome, my lord. Let me help you find one." The person said in a quiet and timid voice.

The clerk that came out to help was a forest elf with pale skin and pink-ish straight hair that went below her shoulders. Her eyes were a crystal light blue that glittered like diamonds.

She seemed shy from her voice and the clothes she wore. It was a simple white dress that covered her entire body, only leaving her neck exposed.

"Do you have anything that I could perhaps buy?" I asked her after glancing around the front desk which had countless artifacts.

She thought for a moment, scratching her chin. "Maybe. Let me check." She said quietly, as if she was still waking up. She turned to her right and looked through the shelves of artifacts, trying to find one that would work best.

By now Kathlyn and Amelia had calmed down. Kathlyn held onto my arms while Amelia slowly took a more relaxed stance on my shoulder. We walked over to the front desk and waited for the shopkeeper to pick out something from the shelf.

"I have nothing specific. There's a few things like this charm that helps with collecting mana or this pen that never runs out of ink." She said after rummaging through the many artifacts.

I scratched my chin and thought for a moment on what to do. None of these seem really useful, at least to Amadeus. Maybe the pen would work.

"Is there something for reading?" I asked her. "Yes. I have something." She said before dropping down below the desk. She started looking around for something under the desk, but what can it be?

Kathlyn lets go of my arm and starts to look around the shop herself. There was nothing I was interested in. I just had to wait for the clerk to give me what she thinks would work.

Suddenly from behind me I heard Kathlyn call me. "Artorius! Take a look at this!" She exclaimed. I turned around and walked over to her to see what it was. "What is it?"

"This charm. It looks really cool!" She exclaimed again as she showed me a charm that she found. "Hm, what is it?" I said before looking at her hand.

It was a black charm that looked to be in the form of a bird possibly. It did look really interesting and I was curious about what it was. "It really does! But what is it for?" I asked her.

"That one is used for teleporting to a different place. You can use it indefinitely. There are two of these." The clerk said from behind us, making me jump.

I turned around in a panic and walked back to her. "I see. Well what have you got for me here?" I asked her.

"There's this. Ordinary looking glasses. But once you wear them and read with them, you can visualise everything in your mind."

That actually sounds really useful for me too.

A smirk breaks from my lips as I hear of its abilities. "Interesting. Anything else?"

"Sadly there is nothing more. The rest of the artifacts are just show pieces." She said in a voice that I barely could hear.

Seems like I don't have many options. The best I could do now is take the pen and the glasses. I should probably take a look around the library instead.

Then an idea came into my mind. It would be quite useful to Amadeus in an emergency.

"Alright. The pen and the glasses seem like a good idea. How about the charm?" I asked the clerk. "That would cost a fair bit."

"How much exactly."

"Twenty gold coins per charm, that makes it forty for the set."

"Deal."

Amelia was surprised by me agreeing so easily with the clerk. "E-eh!? Forty gold coins but you still agreed?"

"Small price to pay for something useful."

The clerk starts to pack up the gifts in beautiful gift boxes with a ribbon on them. She puts the two charms together in a box like earrings or wedding rings and slowly places it all in a bag. As I watched her pack everything I became more curious about her. I had never met someone so soft spoken and gentle. Not only that, her lack of actually putting any effort into selling.

"The total outcome of it will be fifty gold coins." She says after a quick calculation. I quickly count up the coins and hand it over to her.

I picked up the bag along with the other bags I was holding. "Thank you very much!" I told her before turning around to leave.

"Come again…" She muttered out so quietly that I couldn't even make up the last word.