Chapter 43

One arm of mine was full of bags while the other was occupied by Kathlyn who held on tight. I was pretty much immobile and couldn't move both of my arms. I felt vulnerable but I had to go with it.

"What's the time?" Kathlyn asked as we walked through the city. I tried to take my pocket watch out but found it difficult with the bags I have in my hand.

"I'm not sure. I can't check." I replied to her. "Which pocket is your watch in?" She asked me.

"It's okay. I can get it." I told her before pulling my left arm away from her. I pulled out my watch and checked the time, revealing it to be around two in the afternoon.

"It's about two o'clock," I replied to her, answering her question.

I put away my pocket watch and looked around us. "I just have to go to the library now."

"Why the library?" She asked curiously. "Amadeus likes books. I assume these gifts mean nothing compared to what he wants."

"I never knew that!" She exclaimed joyfully.

Most people don't know how much of a bookworm Amadeus can be. Only people who have seen him inside the castle know that he will not have his hands cleared because he is always carrying a book with him, no matter where he goes.

"Mhm, it's the one thing he loves the most."

"I don't know much about the royal families nowadays. That's why I was hesitant to attend with you." She said with a sorrowful tone, her voice slowly drifting away.

"It's fine. You just have to act as my… mistress at the party." I said, embarrassed to even call her that.

She laughed softly, covering her mouth. "Mistress? Is that all I am to you!?" She exclaimed. "N-no! Not at all! There is no real term I could call you so mistress seems the most respectful." I explained to her.

"Honestly, it's fine. I take no offense but it was just strange." She said after composing herself.

I felt uneasy calling her that. I still don't know our history and calling her my mistress just felt really awkward. I had to come up with a better title.

"Can I just call you a close acquaintance?" I asked her, hoping to make her feel better with a more respectful title. "Sure! I don't mind that either." She said while smiling brightly.

We kept walking down the streets before realising we were nowhere near the library. We got lost in our small talk that we forgot the way we were headed.

"Well… this is awkward," I muttered quietly.

"We were walking in circles weren't we…" Kathlyn said, realising we were still close to the centre, especially close to the artifact store. "Let's not get lost this time," I said before walking towards the library this time.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw a beautifully decorated store that was on the right-hand side of us. It caught my attention and I remembered what Vincent's wife told me.

"Hm, that jewellery store is really elegant!" I exclaimed. "It is! It's new, only opening a while ago in winter." She added on.

As we walked past I fought between myself on whether I should take her there or not. It seemed like a nice place to visit and I had enough money for anything she would've wanted.

"Let's go to it then!" I blurted out suddenly.

That wasn't part of my plan.

"E-eh!? Really? I don't think I need jewellery though." She replied loudly.

I hadn't planned on actually asking her but it seems like I've done it now.

"It's fine if you don't want to! I just thought maybe you need it." I told her, trying to come up with an excuse for my poor choice of decisions.

She pondered for a few seconds as we walked past the store, suddenly she looked at me and we made eye contact. "Well, I don't have much jewellery. I thought I could just hide that fact with a pretty dress." She shamefully admitted.

"Why didn't you say that earlier? Come! Let's get you something elegant and beautiful!" I told her as I dragged her towards the shop. "W-wait!" She shouted.

I still had over a hundred gold coins. Felix only gave me two hundred but I always carry a sack of coins with me if I ever need to pay something off on the spot. Even though I would be pardoned, it's better to not disrespect the public.

"Not listening! I don't care how much it costs. You are going to look the best on that day!" I exclaimed proudly as I pulled her across the street towards the shop. She hesitated but I was set on spoiling her today.

We entered the store and I was blinded for a moment by how bright it was inside. The floor was like a mirror, polished and cleaned, reflecting the bright white luminescent light. The walls were whiter than snow but most of all, the countless pieces of jewellery that sparkled from inside the glass display

"Oh my~! Your majesty! Welcome! It's a pleasure to have you at our newly opened shop!" A lady greeted us in a voice that resembled an older lady.

The lady that spoke to us was standing right in front of us. Her smile was a warm welcome into the cold shop. Seems like most of the temperatures were cold compared to outside.

"Ah, Good afternoon. We were just looking for any jewellery for her. Necklace, earrings, rings. Anything works." I said as I walked through the store with Kathlyn, glancing around to see the many beautiful treasures and ornaments made up of glittering gems.

The lady looked at Kathlyn who had her hand interlocked with mine and gave her a gentle smile. "I understand. Ma'am, what would you like to get? We have a huge collection of necklaces, rings and earrings. Please take your time!" She said enthusiastically.

Kathlyn thought hard about it. I let her decide and walk away from her while I looked around the store. Though I had a reason for distancing myself from Kathlyn.

"Why did you leave mama alone? She has a hard time making decisions." Amelia said, skeptical of me. "She doesn't. She just hasn't been put in these situations for a long time. She has confidence but she is just hiding it." I told her my reasons.

"How do you know?"

"Just a baseless prediction. It's a test to see if she has confidence or not. Her lack of confidence is making me nervous. I can't take her to the party if she is always this nervous."

Amelia wasn't happy that I was making Kathlyn uncomfortable, but I couldn't just spoil her all the time. I had to see if she is fit to take to the party. Since I will be spied on the entire time I had to make sure I can leave Kathlyn alone if things get out of hand.

After looking around the store for a few minutes I finally found the thing I was looking for. It's not a thing but a person, the other staff.

I approached the well-dressed worker who was wearing a black tuxedo vest and a white shirt under it. A neat navy blue bowtie and his hair combed nicely.

"G-good morning, your majesty! It's an honour to have you visit our store!" The man greeted me. "It's afternoon. Well anyways, can I just talk to you for a minute?" I asked him. He panicked in response. "S-sorry! And yes, my lord. What may you need help with?"

Slowly I walked away from him, he followed behind me and we slowly made the distance between us and Kathlyn.

He followed me without a question and I acted as though I was asking him about earrings. I walked over to a display table that was covered with glass. It had many earrings but I wasn't interested in that.

"Do you need help with earrings?" The man asked me with a bright smile. "No, it's something else," I told him quietly, shaking my head.

His eyebrows knitted together and he looked around. "What may it be then?" He whispered back to me.

I took a glance at the Lady who was talking to Kathlyn. I couldn't hear what they were talking about but this was the perfect time to ask.

"What is the most beautiful ring you have?" I asked him, whispering so that they wouldn't hear.

The man understood what I was hinting at. A soft smile broke from his lips and he giggled. "I understand. Right now the most beautiful rings we have are made up of green diamonds. It's a rare kind of diamond that can't be found anywhere other than the Ebony kingdom."

I nod and smile at his answer in approval. "Can you show it to me?" I asked him. "Yes. Give me a moment." He whispered back.

He turns around and walks through a double door, disappearing without a trace. I turned back around to go back to Kathlyn who was chatting casually with the lady.

"Why do you need a ring?" Amelia asked me, curious and skeptical. "You will see. I'm surprised you hadn't caught on by now."

"This necklace is quite simple and elegant. The string is white which matches with the pearls and the diamonds that make up the unique looking design on the necklace itself." The lady told Kathlyn.

I stood next to her and stood to cross armed, staring at the jewellery that she was showing to Kathlyn. Amelia copied my pose and stood on my shoulder, cross-armed and emotionless.

"The necklace is really beautiful! The design is really appealing as well." Kathlyn replied back to the lady.

"Which bird is it supposed to be?" I asked the lady. She glanced at me and became nervous about my question. "W-well. I'm not really sure. It's just a design of a bird spreading its wings." The woman said while being tensed up.

A small smirk breaks from my lips as I recognize the bird. "Hm, well I suppose the designers left it up to the people to decide on what the bird may be. To me it looks like a Phoenix."

"That's quite imaginative! Now that I look at it closely… It does resemble the mythical bird!" The lady exclaimed.

Kathlyn looked at me with a shocked expression. "I never saw the design to be of a bird! Especially that of a Phoenix! That's really creative!" She said, overly complimenting me.

I turned my head towards Kathlyn and looked at her. "Do you like it?" I asked Kathlyn.

"Yes, I really do."

I give a slight nod and look back at the lady. "Well, this seems good." I told her. "Excellent choice!" The lady cried out excitedly.

"What about a ring?" I asked Kathlyn, hoping to make my job easier. "R-ring?" She blurted out. "Just asking. Maybe~ it will go well with your necklace and dress."

"W-well, true…" Kathlyn said softly. "Let me take the measurement for your finger then!" The lady asked her.

Bingo.

Seeing that my plan worked, Amelia was astonished and shrieked in her mind. "Surprised?" I asked her, hearing the loud shriek that she did in her mind. "H-how smooth!"

Without a fuss, Kathlyn puts forward her right hand and the lady takes her ring finger's measurements.

I hadn't realised before even though I was holding her hand the entire time but, her fingers were really slender. Her nails were cut short, adding an odd beauty to her hands that I never knew existed.

"Wow! Your hand is quite attractive! The ring finger's size seems to be a six or a five." The lady said as she looked thoroughly at Kathlyn's hands. In response, Kathlyn blushed from the compliment while I tried to hide my idiotic smile.

Just then from the corner of my eye, I saw the worker that left to get the ring come back through the door. Without wasting another minute I slowly walked away from the two and to the worker.

He signalled me to follow him and I did so without another thought. He places it down on a display table of earrings, making others think that it would be earrings and not a ring.

"Here it is. The ring." He whispered to me as he slowly opened the box.

I held my breath as he opened the small dark blue box. Inside the box was just what I expected. A beautiful rose gold ring with the gem on top of it being a lush green colour, sparkling from the light. I would mistake it for an emerald if I wasn't told beforehand that it was a diamond.

"Wow… That's… beautiful." I said softly, marvelling at the ring. "It is…" Amelia chimed in through telepathy.

"It's priced at around a hundred seventy gold coins. We can obviously resize this. This one is sized for fingers that are five."

"That's perfect. Her finger size is five or six." I told him. Hearing this he felt satisfied and smiled. "Well that's perfect then."

"I don't have the money on me right now. I'll come back on the 38th to take it. Reserve it for me, alright?" I told the man.

"Of course, my lord." He said as he closed the box.

I couldn't grow any more suspicions so I left the man and went back to Kathlyn who was looking at a few selection of rings.

None of the rings could even be compared to how beautiful that one ring was. The image was engraved into my mind. How could such a beautiful piece of jewellery exist? It feels cursed as if it was made for people to lust over it.

Since the main reason I came here was done, I wanted to get out and have some food. But I also had to wait for Kathlyn to pick a ring, that is if she would.

"Haa~ All these rings are so good. I can't pick any!" Kathlyn cried out, feeling stressed from the pressure.

I slowly picked up the bags that I kept at the counter so that I could prepare to make a quick leave when the time comes.

"Take your time. It's okay if you don't pick too. The necklace is good enough." I told her, hoping to make her just pick the necklace as she wanted.

She thought for a moment before answering me, "To be honest, the necklace is enough. I don't need a ring since I'll be wearing gloves anyway." She said, giving up on picking a ring.

"That's fine too! I already packed up the necklace. I just need the payment." The lady said as she pushed forward a bag in which the necklace box was in.

I took out my coin pouch and started counting the coins. "How much was it?" I asked her. "Seventy gold coins."

After spending some time counting the coins I finally had paid all of it. She recounted just in case and said it was all good.

"Thank you for purchasing from here! Please come again!" The lady said as we turned around to leave.

The worker also came around from behind the corner to give us a farewell. He winked at me which I caught on to. I winked back and left the store swiftly with the countless bags on my right arm and holding onto Kathlyn's hand with my left hand.

"Haa~ I'm getting tired." I said, letting out a deep breath while exiting the store. "Are the bags becoming too overwhelming?" Kathlyn asked me.

"Not at all. But walking around and everything fatigues anyone."

Kathlyn just smiled at me and we kept walking through the city with no real aim. "I understand. It must be hard pushing yourself daily." She said suddenly.

"Not everyday. For the past few days I've taken it slow. I started to read books again, trying to keep myself busy while I wait for the party."

"Oh, I never knew you liked reading!" Kathlyn said with a surprised expression, as if it was news to her.

I still haven't learnt how old Artorius acted. He seemed to be someone who was a prodigy so I expected him to read books just like me. Apparently not.

"Y-yeah, I recently picked up the habit again."

"Actually it's been so long since I talked with you. I forgot what you were interested in."

"W-well, I don't really have time to be interested in many things nowadays. I sometimes find free time to do something that I have interest in sometimes."

"Right, you're always busy."

We hadn't realised how much time passed as we walked through the streets of the capital, talking amongst ourselves, laughing and smiling at each other while sharing our stories with each other.

"Good evening, your majesty! It's an honour to see you here."

"Oh, your majesty! Good evening!"

Everyone seems to have stopped caring, luckily. I just smiled and waved back at them, greeting a few on the way while also not stopping. If I stopped I would grow a crowd in an instant.

"Oh, Kathlyn. I needed to ask you something." I told her as I looked at her. She looked back up at me and our eyes locked. "Hm? What is it?"

"Can you stay at the palace for the next few days?"

Her reaction was expected. She yelped in surprise. "E-eh!? D-do I need to?" She asked, her voice trembled.

I sigh and try to figure out how to explain to her.

"It's not necessary, but it will be easier for us. It's fine if you aren't able to."

That's not the only reason. I felt anxious about her wellbeing for the next few days. Since she works hard and lives alone, there's this feeling that something could go wrong and I won't reach her in time.

She looked down at the ground timidly. "Well, it's not that. It's just been a long time since I went there."

"So is that a yes?"

"Mhm!" She said with an adorable smile. It reassured me that she was going to stay at the palace where I could help her at a moment's notice.

It was getting late by now and the sun was beginning to set. Though it was still around three, nearly four, I was getting tired.

Amelia was slowly falling asleep on my shoulder and I also felt a sense of drowsiness in my eyes as they got heavier.

"Want to go now? We don't have anything to do. We can have lunch too!" I asked Kathlyn, hoping for her to agree.

"Sure! I was getting hungry too." She replied with excitement in her voice. "Though, didn't you need to buy books?" She asked me.

"That can wait. I still have tomorrow."

Without wasting any more time I started to head towards the palace. The city was becoming less crowded as the sun slowly set, people started closing their shops or headed home.

A lot of people were out with their family and or with their loved ones. I noticed some were soldiers who fought in the small war. I couldn't recall their names but I could recall their faces, their faces of anxiety and fear when fighting.

I wasn't the only one recognizing them. They also recognized me as we walked past them, some being respectful enough to stop and salute me. I couldn't pass on a salute due to my hands being full but I greeted them at the very least.

"Ah, Artorius! I was wondering if I could find you today." A familiar voice came from behind me.

I stopped and chuckled from recognizing the voice just from his short sentence. The familiar voice that was clear but not that deep, Vincent's voice.

"I didn't know you were outside." I said as I turned around to see Vincent. As I saw him I realised his entire family was with him, taking me by surprise.

I moved my eyebrows in surprise and greeted his family. "Good evening, Vincent. Glad to see you're enjoying your time with your family.

Our eyes locked as we looked at each other for a moment. I felt an odd connection between us in the moment, as if we were in the same situation at the moment.

"Do you need help with carrying the bags? My hands are empty." Vincent said as he came forward. "Sure, take these two. They are Amadeus' presents." I told him as I handed him two of the bags.

Vincent takes the two bags and checks the weight. "They seem light. I thought you bought more." He says, realising I barely bought anything.

"Well I had plans on buying books. But I just hadn't had the time to go to the library yet."

I forgot that mine and Kathlyn's hands were still interlocked with each other. Vincent noticed this and kept glancing at our hands and back at me.

"Ah, excuse my rudeness. I didn't introduce myself." Vincent said while making eye contact with Kathlyn. He does a bow before standing upright. "Good evening, Miss Kathlyn. My name is Vincent Wikes. I'm Artorius' second assistant."

"O-oh, good evening, Mister Wikes." She replied back. "You can just call me Vincent."

I gave Vincent a stare, telling him to act formally and not push it. He realised it as he glanced at me once. He tried to hide his nervousness but I could see through him.

"Ahem. Well, Vincent. Were you heading home too?" I asked him, drawing the conversation to a different direction.

He looked back at his wife and children before answering. "Yes, we were heading home but heard people say you were nearby."

"Well, our ways are intertwined. Let's go home together."

"Sure thing!" He said before following us.