The trip to the city center was brief.
Cobblestone streets were alive with merchants and passersby. The smell of fresh bread cut through the air. Vendors shouted over the crowd.
Lusian looked around.
Like stepping into a world that had always been running without him.
The carriage stopped.
He stepped down first and offered his hand to Emily.
The moment she took it, the square changed.
Heads turned. One by one.
Knights. Maids. Civilians.
The escort behind them made it worse. What should have been a simple walk now looked like a procession.
Emily stiffened.
Lusian did too.
"This draws too much attention," he muttered.
Emily forced a small smile. "I suppose everyone wants to see the newly engaged couple."
Lusian didn't answer.
He moved.
First shop he saw.
A magic artifact store.
They entered.
Inside, everything shifted.
Glass shelves. Floating lights. Objects humming with mana.
Rings that pulsed softly.
Bracelets etched with runes.
Weapons suspended in air like they were weightless.
Lusian slowed his steps.
He had seen worlds like this before.
But never from the inside.
Lamps lit themselves as they passed.
A brush swept dust without a hand touching it.
A mirror shifted its reflection depending on the light.
His eyes tracked everything.
The shopkeeper, a young woman with brown hair, explained things calmly as he asked questions.
Lusian listened.
Too focused to pretend otherwise.
A floating necklace.
A wand sealed with a single level-six fire spell.
A small wind device that generated real magical current.
An earring that amplified voice through resonance magic.
Every item felt simple.
And impossible.
Then he reached for his money.
Stopped.
Empty hands.
Before he could speak, one of the duchy maids stepped forward and paid.
No hesitation.
No question.
Lusian exhaled.
Right.
Nobles don't carry wallets.
They just exist.
Outside again, Emily glanced at him.
"You look like a child in a candy shop."
Lusian gave a small smile. "It's the first time I've seen it like this. Magic, I mean."
Emily looked away for a second.
"In the Douglas mansion, this is normal."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"Normal… but not important."
Lusian noticed that.
But didn't push it.
They walked.
Another shop.
Jewelry.
Shimmering glass. Enchanted gems. Rings engraved with layered magic.
Lusian slowed down without realizing.
They weren't supposed to enter.
The maid stepped slightly forward.
"Young master. A gift would be appropriate."
Lusian blinked. "A gift?"
"Yes," she said calmly. "It is customary."
He sighed.
Of course it is.
Emily watched him. Amused.
He gave in and entered.
The air inside was warm.
Soft incense. Polished metal.
An elderly jeweler bowed immediately.
Lusian scanned the display and pointed.
A pendant with a Frost Gem.
"This one."
The jeweler nodded. "Excellent choice. It stabilizes mana flow. Very suitable for noble lineage."
A pause.
"May I ask… what affinity does the young lady have?"
"Light," Emily said.
The jeweler hesitated only a moment.
Then replaced the gem.
Another pendant. Same design. Different core.
"Then this is better."
Emily accepted it.
The gem reacted immediately.
A soft sapphire glow bloomed in her hand.
Recognition.
Lusian watched it without speaking.
The pendant was wrapped and handed over.
He took it.
Then paused.
"I guess… this is how it works."
He offered it to her.
Awkward.
Emily looked at him for a moment.
Then smiled.
"Thank you, Lusian. It's beautiful."
She held it between her fingers.
The light reflected in her eyes.
Or maybe it was her eyes reflecting the light.
Lusian couldn't tell.
They walked again.
Slower now.
Less noise between them.
The tension didn't vanish.
It changed.
Lusian watched her more carefully now.
The way she moved.
The way she spoke to people.
Controlled. Natural. Composed.
Not fragile.
Not what he remembered.
Emily wasn't a script.
She wasn't a fixed outcome.
She was here.
Real.
And for the first time—
Lusian stopped assuming the story was already written.