Chapter 272

Chapter 59 Night Above

Creak… creak…

The ox-drawn carriage weaved through the bustling streets. As we moved further, the chatter of people grew louder. Through the intricately embroidered curtains, I could feel the bustling and prosperity of the city’s night.

The palace was actually quite close to the most vibrant area of the city. Soon, the carriage slowed down at a certain spot. The curtain was gently lifted, and the driver outside bowed his head towards us, “My lady, miss, we have arrived.”

He seemed to be an astute man. Perhaps he had overheard our conversation along the way and guessed what Queen Victoria intended to do. At this moment, he suddenly addressed her as “master” instead of “my lady,” without even calling out my name. But it didn’t really matter much; the gilded ox-drawn carriage and our attire were too conspicuous. As soon as we got off, we felt countless intense gazes on us.

“Whose daughter is that… she’s so beautiful…”

“Isn’t that the royal carriage? It looked like it came from that direction…”

“Golden hair… could it be Her Majesty? Is it Her Majesty!”

“I’ve seen Her Majesty before, it looks like it’s Her Majesty…”

“Her Majesty…”

Victoria seemed about to be recognized. The surrounding gazes became even more fervent, and distant pedestrians who noticed the commotion stopped in their tracks, turning their heads curiously towards us.

If we get recognized, it will be hard for us to enjoy ourselves…

“Let’s go quickly.”

Before they all surrounded us, I grabbed Victoria’s hand and hurriedly walked into a tailor shop by the roadside. After entering, I immediately turned around and closed the door, peering through the side window for a while to see if anyone was chasing us. Only then did I let out a sigh of relief.

“Excuse me, honorable ladies, uh…”

Hearing someone speak behind us, I turned around and saw a female clerk standing there with her hands crossed in front of her lower abdomen, a young girl with freckles on her nose, looking somewhat nervous.

“I’m terribly sorry! If you’re here for a custom gown, our shop might not be able to meet your needs… Miss, you might want to check out Mosswell Street, it would probably suit you better…”

She didn’t recognize Victoria, but seemed to think we were noble ladies who had entered the wrong shop. Perhaps she had never dealt with such guests before; her clumsy polite language sounded a bit silly, which I found rather endearing.

This place is near the market. I had bought clothes on the other side of the street before. The clothes there were very beautiful, with exquisite fabrics that weren’t too flashy, and were probably the most expensive shops on this street. I had originally planned to take Victoria there to buy clothes, but in my rush, I pulled her here instead.

Compared to that, this shop was quite ordinary, truly a tailor shop for commoners. Looking around, the clothes hanging inside were mostly made of linen, with colors mainly black, white, gray, or brown. The styles were very simple, completely different from the luxurious gowns we were wearing, which explained why the clerk said what she did.

She must think we don’t look like people who would come to a place like this, wear coarse cloth clothing… Actually, I don’t mind, but I wonder if Victoria can accept it.

So I looked up at her.

“It’s fine, let’s just stay here.”

Victoria said calmly, then walked straight in and started picking out dresses.

Alright, she doesn’t care.

I smiled at the clerk, “We’re not customizing anything, just something plain and simple.”

“Then, please take your time to browse…”

Seeing that we were really going to buy, she began to introduce which dresses were currently popular, carefully selecting several of the best quality ones in the store for us to see. But they were actually quite simple designs, far from being beautiful.

Victoria quickly picked out a plain white corset dress and went into the changing room… actually just a small corner hidden by a curtain. Seeing this, I also randomly picked a brown dress, went to another corner, pulled the curtain, changed, and when I came out, I saw Victoria, who had also changed, seemingly transformed into another person.

Stripped of her elegant gown, dressed in a simple linen dress, she no longer seemed like an unreachable queen. She appeared natural and casual, like a neighbor girl—clear and pure… a bit overly beautiful.

I like this kind of neighbor girl.

“Your dress is a bit big, it looks very silly.”

The neighbor girl turned her head, expressionless, and said to me.

“…Oh.”

Can I take back what I just said?

What I said earlier doesn’t count, I don’t like that woman at all.

I hate it…

In the end, I chose a smaller brown dress. On the other side, Victoria picked out a pair of black pointed-toe shoes for herself, replacing the crystal-encrusted high heels, and walked in front of me, “Is this okay?”

I nodded, “It’s fine.”

At this moment, she looked nothing like a queen of a country; going out again, she probably wouldn’t be recognized so easily right away… although she still had that striking golden hair and face that could bring down a nation, no one would think the queen would dress so casually on the street.

But something still seems missing…

I tilted my head, thinking, then raised my hand to untie her bun, letting the golden strands fall over her shoulders, covering the conspicuous jewelry on her earlobes.

“This is better.”

After saying that, I turned my back to her, “Help me take down my hair.”

Behind me, I heard some rustling.

As soon as I felt a loosening of my scalp, my smooth black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair before taking out my coin purse to pay the shop assistant.

Two dresses and a pair of shoes, all together costing less than ten silver coins.

This might be the cheapest clothes Victoria has ever worn in her life?

“Miss, your evening gown…”

The shop assistant held the evening gown we had changed out of, presenting it to me with both hands. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the glittering gems on the dress and touched the smooth fabric, seemingly reluctant to part with it.

Girls love such clothes, don’t they?

Why not…

“I’ll give it to you,” said Victoria.

“Oh! That’s not possible!” The shop assistant was taken aback, her face turning red with excitement, yet she shook her head. “It’s too valuable, I can’t accept something so precious from you—”

“Just take it!”

I pushed back the evening gown offered by the shop assistant, winked at her with a smile, and walked out of the tailor shop with Victoria without waiting for her to decline further.

Outside, we found that there were still people gathered around the carriage, whispering and discussing. It was too eye-catching, just like a Bugatti or Rolls-Royce in the past, always becoming the center of attention wherever it went.

Victoria and I exchanged glances.

“Shall we, uh, walk?”

“Mm.”

Victoria instructed the driver to return to No. 2 Mansion first, while we strolled leisurely along the street towards the market across the road, like a post-dinner walk.

The bustling crowd flowed past us like a tide. Dim streetlights cast hazy yellow light, making our shadows flicker and change. The night sky was like a dream, with two crescent moons piercing through the clouds, casting a faint glow.

Even in plain dresses, our attractiveness remained high. Men on the street almost couldn’t keep their eyes off us, some nearly bumping into lampposts. Fortunately, neither of us cared about those gazes, chatting about the amusing things we saw as we walked.

“Look over there, the clown acrobatics!”

“Mm.”

“The Hunting Dog Inn, hehe! What a terrible name…”

“…”

“Victoria. Have you ever stayed at an inn?”

“No.”

“Then have you ever been to a tavern?”

“No.”

“But I have, nearby.”

“Why did you go to the tavern?”

“I was hungry at night and couldn’t find anything to eat.”

“…”

“Victoria.”

“Mm.”

“Have you ever done this before?”

“What?”

“Go shopping.”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“When I was very young. I often escaped from home, relying on my ability to fly, and sneaked into the streets, blending in with the crowd, doing nothing but watching them.”

“…Why?”

“I don’t know, I just liked it. Sometimes hiding among the crowd, sometimes in the sky…”

“That’s so strange, like spying.”

“I haven’t done that in a long time.”

“Because you’ve lost interest in spying?”

“Because the heart can only see with its eyes.”

A cool breeze brushed past my ears, and the crowds flowed endlessly.

This night was quiet yet lively, worth enjoying thoroughly.

…………

Not long after, we arrived at the familiar market together.

It was the height of the night. The daytime stalls had all closed, replaced by various street food stalls from the royal city. Due to better lighting than places like the Winter City or Emerald City, the nights here were always bustling and lively, with vendors’ shouts and laughter echoing through the surrounding buildings, reaching far beyond.

Victoria and I wandered aimlessly through the crowded market.

“Are you hungry?”

I sniffed the air, sensing the aroma of food, unable to hold back my saliva, and turned to ask her.

At the dinner, I noticed that Victoria barely ate anything. Although she usually eats very little, it’s not healthy if she continues like this.

“A little,” Victoria replied softly.

“I’m also hungry.”

Just then, we spotted a small food stall made of wooden planks nearby. I immediately took Victoria’s hand and, without looking closely at what was being sold, led her over. Upon arriving, we realized it was fish.

“Boss, what kind of fish is this?”

I pointed at the dried-looking green fish, with a dark yellow sauce drizzled over it.

It didn’t look very appetizing… almost like a dish from hell.

“Saber River fish,” said the thin middle-aged boss, rolling up his sleeves and grinning at us. “All caught from the royal city canal. Smoked over firewood, then marinated with sugar, vinegar, and salt. Two beautiful ladies, would you like to try one?”

“Is it good?”

“Doused in our special sauce, it’s delicious!”

“Then I’ll have two.”

Although it didn’t look good, I had to try to see if it really was bad.

The boss skewered two pieces of fish with wooden sticks and handed them to me. I paid and turned to Victoria, hesitating for a moment before bringing the skewers close to my nose—

Sniff.

…The fishy smell was strong, and it smelled quite foul.

It might not taste good.

So I handed one skewer to Victoria: “Try it first.”