Welcome to Jiana Kingdom

Days passed by in complete boredom, evident as Gwen's voice suddenly spiked, "We're here! Ugh, after so long…" In the distance, a great kingdom was standing there as numerous people entered and left its walls. Multiple other transportation vehicles filled the main road, showing just how prosperous this kingdom was.

The current carriage that they were riding on was already modified by No. 12 to seem more in line with the common aesthetic. Although the quality of it remained, the pristine sheen on it now dimmed down and the Aria family's insignia faded away, clearing the carriage of any signifying factor.

Gwen placed her face up on the window, trying to take in the entire scene. Compared to the dreary and depressing atmosphere in the Aria Estate, the lively scene of Jiana Kingdom made Gwen feel even more immersed in the world. Reading the scenes that were described in the novel and seeing them for herself was an entirely different experience.

Their carriages slowly made their way to blend into the crowd, joining in every who was traveling on the main road. With its outer common appearance, no one could've known Gwen's or Felix's status as children of distinguished families.

As they entered through the castle gates, a soldier came up with a bored expression. He lethargically stopped the horse with the spear in his hands.

"State your affiliation and purpose."

No. 12 came up from the side, still wearing her maid dress. Seeing her attire, the guard immediately guessed what they were here for but still had to hear her out as per protocol.

"We're here to visit the local nobility for negotiations."

"Carry on." The guard released his hold in front of the horse and let them pass.

No. 12 thanked him in kind and went back inside the carriage. The coachman whipped the horses to move forward again, carrying them forward once more. As they were slowly passing by the kingdom, Gwen's interest was piqued by the vendors by the side. Numerous stalls showed various snacks and fruits, some even selling accessories such as rings and earrings.

"Hey, Felix, you said you wanted to show me around, right?" Gwen's tone made it seem as if she was planning something mischievous.

"Yeah, I did… but first we need to go back to my home-"

Gwen didn't even bother waiting for Felix to finish his words when she jumped out of the carriage and immediately ran to the nearest vendor that was selling food. The braised meat set inside bread made for a mouthwatering snack.

She was extremely famished after eating dry rations the entire time, this was an extremely welcome bite.

Felix gazed at Gwen's actions and mumbled, "Miss No. 12, I'll try to guide her back. Father's already been informed of our arrival, so he won't mind you heading on ahead of us."

"I understand. But please don't stay out too late." No. 12's expression turned semi-serious and semi-caring, her voice showed her true intentions and feelings.

"I'll try but I can't promise anything." Felix smugly said, knowing how troublesome Gwen was.

"At least don't let Lady Gwendolyn cause too much trouble. Who knows, the entire kingdom might be in an uproar if she's left alone."

"Hahaha, I don't even doubt it. She might somehow someway either make everyone love her or have everyone fear her."

As Felix walked out of the carriage, No. 12 weakly replied to him, "I'm pretty sure, everyone will fear her." No. 12 had a soft expression as she recalled Gwen's personality changing as she grew to one that was overbearing yet innocent, aggressive yet soft, frantic yet calm.

Felix heard her reply and stopped, "Fear, huh? Right, she's pretty scary." He said this with a wide smile, their true intentions were conveyed to each other. He immediately ran right behind Gwen who was currently stuffing her mouth with meat and bread, "Gwen, don't eat so much!"

"Eh? It's just a snack, I'll save some room for later, don't worry." Gwen's face was stuffed to the brim with good yet for some reason she could still properly enunciate her words, a skill she learned at a very young age.

The vendor had a clumsy smile as he said under his breath, "That's the portion for five people…"

Felix sighed and gave in, he stepped up and asked, "How much is it?"

"It'll be around 500 copper coins in total or 5 silver coins. I know, I know, it's expensive but the process of making this takes me days to set up. Seeing as how your little friend likes it, I think it's a fair price." The vendor crossed his arms as he took his stance.

Felix widened his eyes in shock, "500 copper… wow…"

The vendor saw Felix's common clothes and sighed, "That's… you can't afford it? Hah… know what that's what I get for giving it away before checking if they have money. Go away, I think I can still profit if I sell a few more portions before the day ends…"

The vendor kept on mumbling to himself as he worriedly thought of how he'll try to profit this day. Meanwhile, Felix realized something that completely passed by him, it wasn't that he couldn't afford it, on the contrary, he was too rich, so rich that he had nothing but gold with him. This slight oversight made it extremely difficult for him to proceed.

Realizing this, Felix suddenly asked, "Uh… how many portions do you have left?"

"What? I can't give any more for free. I still need to make a living, you know? Just… just go away, I need to break even or else…" The vendor seemed extremely troubled at heart, Gwen saw this and wasn't affected in the slightest, although she seemed to have ruined this commoner's day, she didn't care.

"Or else what?" Gwen took a giant gulp and stomached everything in her mouth, causing her to look like an innocent child once more. She lazily stretched her limbs and felt lethargic as she leaned by the wall while patting her belly.

"Kid… know what, you might as well hear me out. My son needs treatment and the medicine I reserved needs to be paid for later. So, if you could help me out by getting other customers then I'd be grateful."

"Hmm…" Gwen thought for a brief moment, she muttered something under her breath and giggled. She then tilted her head side to side and decided, "Don't want to."

Felix felt ashamed for how Gwen was acting, she was acting like a child but even more so this time. As he was about to correct Gwen's actions, he noticed that she used a magic spell. He didn't know what it was for, but one thing was for sure, it was an auxiliary spell.

Gwen stood up and moved up closer to the vendor who was a middle-aged man with a few lines of grey lining his hair. He had a bushy beard and a happy-go-lucky expression, those that knew him would say that he was an overall great guy.

"You said you needed money, right? Be my cook!" Gwen's smile was beaming as her pure white teeth shined through. She reached out her hand as if she was certain that he would take her offer.