Kondo sat inside the carriage beside Lawine with a completely lifeless expression on his face. Vold was driving the carriage.
Looking out the window, Kondo asked,
"Mom, where exactly are we going?"
Lawine, who had also been gazing outside, turned toward him.
"Oh, we're heading to Violet City."
"But why there? We could have gone to Orient City instead."
Lawine smiled lightly.
"That city is famous for its unique goods and fresh vegetables."
Then she raised an eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously.
"Is there someone you want to meet in Orient City?"
Kondo immediately avoided her gaze.
"Me? Meet someone? Hehe... What are you talking about, Mom?"
Lawine chuckled.
"Alright, alright. Look, we've arrived."
Kondo looked out the window. Even from outside the city walls, he could already see numerous towering buildings. A short while later, the carriage entered the city, and both Kondo and Lawine stepped outside.
As soon as he got down, Kondo noticed the massive crowd surrounding them.
Vold turned toward Lawine.
"Madam, I'll go park the carriage and return shortly."
Lawine nodded.
"Very well. We'll wait here."
Vold drove away with the carriage and returned after a few minutes.
"Please follow me."
The three of them headed deeper into the city.
Kondo held Lawine's hand as he walked. On both sides of the street, vendors were shouting from their stalls, trying to attract customers.
"Madam, come over here! We have the freshest vegetables in the city!"
"No, Madam! Come to my stall! We have the finest produce available!"
The bustling marketplace filled the air with noise and energy.
Kondo watched everything with sparkling eyes.
However, Lawine ignored all the calls and continued walking forward.
After leaving the vegetable market behind, they entered a district filled with enormous buildings.
Kondo stared at them in amazement.
Some looked elegant, some strange, and some were even shaped like pyramids.
Eventually, Lawine stopped in front of a particularly tall building.
Kondo looked up.
"Why did we come here?"
The entire building was made of glass. A giant logo decorated its center, constantly changing colors to attract attention. Above the entrance, large letters spelled:
ZAYA
Lawine looked at the building.
"This place sells the finest clothing in the entire city."
Vold stopped outside while Lawine and Kondo entered the building.
Pushing open the glass door, Lawine stepped inside.
Kondo's eyes widened as he looked around.
Soft, luxurious garments were displayed everywhere.
As they walked farther inside, a man wearing a black suit approached them with a professional smile.
"Welcome to Zaya, Miss. Here you'll find the finest and most expensive clothing available—garments that will only enhance your beauty."
Lawine nodded politely.
"Thank you. We're here to look for outfits suitable for a party."
"Party?"
Kondo looked at her in confusion.
The employee smiled.
"Please follow me."
Kondo and Lawine followed him upstairs to the second floor.
There, the floor was divided into two sections.
One section was for nobles.
The other was reserved exclusively for royalty.
Lawine glanced at both areas.
"We would like to visit the Royal Section."
The employee's smile immediately became awkward.
"I'm sorry, Madam, but you cannot enter that area."
"Why?"
"Only members of royal families are permitted inside."
Lawine's expression darkened.
"So you're saying we aren't allowed in?"
"Madam, please understand. These are company regulations. You're welcome to browse our noble collection instead. We have many outstanding outfits available."
However, Lawine remained stubborn.
"I intend to buy clothing for my son from the Royal Section, no matter what."
The employee tried his best to remain polite.
"Please understand our position. If a member of a royal family were accompanying you, entry would be permitted."
Lawine stepped closer.
"So you consider us beneath them?"
The man immediately became nervous.
"M-Madam, please calm down. That's not what I meant."
Kondo watched the situation unfold in silence.
He had absolutely no courage to interrupt Lawine when she was in this mood.
Unfortunately, he was trapped right between the two of them.
At that moment, two guards approached.
"Madam, would you please step aside?"
Lawine turned toward them.
The guards carried spears and wore red uniforms decorated with white stripes. Large ceremonial hats sat atop their heads.
One of them repeated,
"Madam, would you kindly move aside?"
The three stepped away from the path.
The guards continued forward.
Then the employee suddenly asked them,
"Has the princess arrived?"
One of the guards nodded.
"Yes. She's right behind us."
The guards continued walking.
Lawine looked at the employee.
"Who is coming?"
The man answered respectfully,
"The ruler of the Kingdom of Yhun... Her Majesty, Queen Elf Pirida."
Lawine's eyes widened in surprise.
"What? The Elf Queen is coming?"
Just then, footsteps echoed from the staircase.
Queen Pirida appeared on the upper floor. Her skin shimmered like polished glass beneath the light, and her ears were noticeably longer than those of ordinary humans. Holding her hand was a young girl about Kondo's age.
The two of them walked up the stairs together.
Kondo stared at them in amazement.
('They're incredibly beautiful...')
Lawine and the employee immediately lowered their heads in respect. Seeing them do so, Kondo quickly lowered his head as well.
The elf queen and the young girl stopped in front of him.
While Lawine kept her gaze lowered, the young girl gently placed a hand on Kondo's shoulder.
Feeling the touch, Kondo looked up.
The girl smiled softly at him.
Kondo blinked in confusion.
"Um... is there something I can help you with?"
The girl tilted her head.
"So... you don't recognize me?"
Kondo looked puzzled.
"I think there might be some misunderstanding. Perhaps you're mistaking me for someone else."
The girl smiled.
"Is your name Kondo?"
Kondo froze for a moment.
"Y-Yes, my name is Kondo. But how do you know that?"
Placing her hand on his shoulder again, she said,
"Ah, that's why. You can't recognize me. We met before, but back then I was wearing torn, dirty clothes. Now I'm dressed properly."
Even then, Kondo couldn't remember who she was.
The girl continued,
"I'm the girl you rescued from that cage."
Kondo focused his mind for a moment.
Then it clicked.
The elf girl he had freed from the cage.
"Oh! So it was you!"
He quickly bowed his head.
"I'm sorry. I never imagined I'd meet you here."
At that moment, Queen Pirida spoke.
"So you're the young boy who saved my daughter's life. If not for you, my daughter might not be standing beside me today."
Kondo smiled awkwardly.
The girl then asked,
"So, who did you come here with?"
Kondo pointed toward Lawine.
"I came shopping with my mom. We were just about to buy some clothes from the Noble Section."
The girl immediately grabbed his hand.
"Then come with us instead. We can shop together."
Kondo looked toward Lawine.
Lawine gave him a small nod.
Receiving permission, Kondo followed the girl toward the Royal Section.
Queen Pirida turned to Lawine.
"Then we should go as well."
Lawine nodded and followed behind her.
A guard standing at the entrance immediately opened the way for them.
---
As Kondo entered the Royal Section, his eyes widened.
('These clothes are incredible... I've never seen such luxurious outfits, even in my previous life.')
The girl excitedly began showing him various outfits.
"Look, Kondo! Aren't these clothes beautiful?"
Kondo smiled.
"Come to think of it, I never asked your name."
The girl suddenly realized.
"Oh! You're right. I never introduced myself."
She placed a hand on her chest proudly.
"My name is Komali, First Princess of the Kingdom of Yhun."
Kondo's curiosity grew.
"Princess Komali, can I ask something? How did you end up there that day?"
Komali lowered her gaze.
A sad expression appeared on her face.
Kondo instantly regretted asking.
Before he could apologize, Komali began speaking.
"I was kidnapped."
Her voice became quiet.
"They kept me locked inside that cage for ten whole days. They dressed me in torn clothes so nobody would recognize me as a princess."
She looked away.
"Those were some of the worst days of my life."
She paused briefly.
An uncomfortable silence filled the air.
Then she continued.
"I thought everyone had forgotten me. I thought I'd never see my family again."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Every day I sat inside that cage, hoping someone would come save me."
She smiled softly.
"But then you came."
Her eyes met his.
"You saved me. That's why I'm here today."
Kondo smiled.
"If I had known it was you, I would've sent help sooner."
The moment the words left his mouth, he mentally cursed himself.
('What am I even saying?')
Komali giggled.
"Let's forget about all that. We're here to buy clothes, aren't we?"
---
A few moments later, Lawine and Queen Pirida joined them.
Everyone sat around a large table while two attendants brought out countless expensive outfits.
Lawine's eyes sparkled with excitement.
She absolutely loved fashionable clothing.
The more dresses she saw, the happier she became.
At this point, she wanted to buy everything.
Pirida selected two elegant yet luxurious dresses for herself.
Komali chose a dress as well before turning toward Kondo.
"Kondo, aren't you going to choose something?"
Kondo picked up a skirt.
"This one looks nice."
Komali burst into laughter.
"Kondo, that's a girl's outfit!"
Kondo immediately became embarrassed.
Komali grabbed his hand.
"Come with me. I'll help you find something suitable."
She led him to another section.
There, Kondo tried on several different outfits.
Some made Komali laugh uncontrollably.
Others suited him surprisingly well.
Eventually, Komali selected several outfits and had them packed for him.
Soon afterward, Lawine and Pirida joined them.
"Finished shopping?" Lawine asked.
Kondo nodded.
"Yes, Mom. Princess Komali picked some really nice clothes for me."
Lawine smiled toward the princess.
"Thank you very much, Princess."
Then she turned toward Pirida.
"And thank you as well for allowing us to accompany you."
Pirida smiled gracefully.
"I owe Kondo a great debt. He saved the life of my precious daughter. Compared to that, this is nothing."
Kondo scratched his head.
"Please don't thank me. Honestly, I was happy to help such a beautiful princess."
Then he looked directly at Komali.
"Princess Komali is so pretty that anyone would want to kidnap her, right?"
The moment he said it, Komali lowered her head.
Her face turned bright red.
Queen Pirida began laughing.
Lawine covered her face with one hand.
Kondo looked around nervously.
('Did I say something wrong?')
Pirida chuckled.
"You truly are different, Kondo. Just as Komali described."
Lawine immediately bowed her head.
"Please forgive my son. He says whatever comes to his mind."
Pirida smiled.
"There's nothing to forgive. I wasn't offended."
Hearing that, Lawine relaxed.
"In that case, we'll be leaving now."
She turned to go.
Kondo followed behind her, waving goodbye to Komali.
Komali waved back enthusiastically.
---
Just as they were about to leave, Pirida called out,
"Miss Lawine."
Lawine stopped and turned around.
Pirida smiled.
"Please don't pay for those clothes. Consider them a gift from me."
Lawine's eyes lit up instantly.
"Thank you very much!"
With that, she and Kondo left the store.
Komali continued waving until they disappeared from sight.
---
Outside, Vold was waiting for them.
He immediately took the bags from Lawine.
Lawine looked extremely happy.
After all, she had just received a collection of luxurious clothes completely free of charge.
Meanwhile, Kondo was exhausted.
"Mom... can we go home now?"
Lawine shook her head.
"No. We still have one more thing to do."
A little while later, they returned to the vegetable market.
While Vold went to retrieve the carriage, Lawine happily purchased her favorite vegetables.
Once everything was loaded into the carriage, Kondo and Lawine climbed inside while Vold took the driver's seat.
Soon, they left Violet City behind.
---
The carriage rolled steadily along the road.
Lawine quietly watched the scenery through the window.
After a while, Kondo asked,
"Mom, why did you suddenly want to go shopping today?"
Lawine glanced at him.
"It's been months since I last went shopping, so I felt like treating myself."
Then she smiled.
"Besides, Queen Pirida gave us all these expensive clothes for free. She's such a wonderful person."
Kondo laughed.
"You're right. These clothes must be worth a fortune."
Lawine raised an eyebrow.
"By the way..."
"Hm?"
"What exactly were you saying to Princess Komali back there?"
Kondo blinked.
"Me? What did I say?"
Lawine immediately imitated him.
"A princess as beautiful as you could be kidnapped by anyone."
Kondo's face turned red.
"Ah! That's not what I meant!"
"Oh? Then what did you mean?"
"It just slipped out!"
"It just slipped out?"
"Seriously, Mom!"
Lawine placed a hand on her forehead.
"Honestly, Kondo, you have no idea how to talk to girls. You can't flirt with Princess Komali right in front of Queen Pirida."
Kondo nearly jumped from his seat.
"Mom! I wasn't flirting!"
Lawine placed both hands on her cheeks dramatically.
"Whatever the case, if Princess Komali decides she wants to marry you, I certainly won't object."
She smiled dreamily.
"My son will have three beautiful wives."
"Mom! What are you even thinking?!"
Lawine burst into laughter.
Kondo groaned in frustration.
"Mom, please stop."
"Alright, alright."
Eventually she calmed down.
A few moments later, Kondo spoke again, this time in a quieter voice.
"Mom... can I ask you something?"
Hearing the seriousness in his tone, Lawine stopped smiling.
"What is it?"
"Kondo lowered his eyes.
"Does Sister Linda... hate me?"
The moment Linda's name was mentioned, a shadow crossed Lawine's face.
However, she quickly forced a smile.
"Why would you think that?"
Kondo looked at her.
"Then why hasn't she come to see me all these years? Maria visits me all the time."
His voice became quieter.
"Does she not want to see me?"
Lawine gently pinched his cheeks.
"You're thinking too much."
She smiled warmly.
"Linda has been busy with her studies. She hasn't had much time to visit any of us."
Then she added,
"When you finally start attending school, she'll be very happy to see you."
Kondo's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"Really."
Lawine gently patted his head.
"Now sit back down. We're almost home."
"Okay."
Kondo happily returned to his seat.
Lawine watched him for a moment before turning toward the setting sun outside the window.
A faint sadness appeared in her eyes.
('I only hope... she truly will be happy to see you.')