Chapter 535 - Friends And Comrades
"Ah, you"re all done?" Sylvia put the dresses on the counter and let the employee calculate the cost for her.
"Mm, we"re done." Elysia answered while distributing the shopping bags to their respective owners.
"Miss, after the discount, it"s 45 gold coins." The cashier announced the price to be paid.
"Excuse me, you can use the change you haven"t given us to pay for that. That way, you only need to return five gold coins." Elysia reminded the cashier.
"Okay, here"s your change, miss. Thank you for shopping at our store." The other cashier nodded in understanding and put the change on the table. She ended her sentence by putting her hands together and smiling kindly.
"Ooh~ You pay for everyone, Ely?" Sylvia blinked her eyes a few times upon a sudden realization.
"Mm. You look great in that dress, Sylvi. Do you feel much more comfortable wearing it?" Elysia nodded and delivered a light compliment.
"Hehe, thanks for your compliment, Ely. I feel comfortable wearing this dress because I don"t have to worry about the fabric blocking the movement of my tail and wings." Sylvia spun around once to show everyone her new dress.
"I"m glad to hear that. Hm, you look mature and elegant in that dress, Yuuki. That bluish-white dress seems to exude a new charm from you. You only need one or two hair ornaments and everything will be perfect." Elysia turned to Yuuki and looked this snow fox girl up and down.
"Uuh, thanks, but do you like the way I look now? What kind of hair ornament do you mean? I only have a few hairpins." Yuuki took her s.p.a.ce Bag from the storage shelf and took out her best hairpin.
"Glittering white hairpin? Hum, that would be perfect. Do you need help putting them on?" Elysia offered to help.
"Please give me a few seconds, I can do this easily." Yuki immediately tidied her hair, curled it up a bit and tucked the long hairpin into the hair at the back of her head. "How about now?"
"Charming." Elysia nodded in satisfaction.
Yuuki smiled happily to hear that because Elysia"s opinion meant a lot to her.
"Here, it"s yours." Sylvia gave a shopping bag to Yuuki.
"Oh, thank you." Yuuki received the bag and hugged it. She took her plain white robe and put it with her other robes.
"Ely pays for everyone. You need to thank her instead." Sylvia retrieved her s.p.a.ce Bag and put her shopping bag in it.
"That goes without saying~" Yuuki gave a wink. She then conveyed her grat.i.tude properly.
After that, they left the fancy clothes shop while briefly talking about each other"s appearance. They complimented each other like it was a custom.
Two hours pa.s.sed, but it felt like only a few minutes before the city tour reached its end. Elysia and her group visited the shopping center to buy dresses and snacks, then continued sightseeing at several well-known restaurants and cafes. And lastly, their final stop was a small pavilion in the middle of the palace garden.
"I don"t know why my mother asked us to wait for her here. But please let me brew a cup of hot tea for you." Lynn smiled with a confused expression.
"Yes please." Sylvia represented everyone to answer because she was the closest to Lynn.
"Alright then. Yusagi." Lynn glanced at the bunny guard.
"Understood." Yusagi saluted and immediately went to the royal carriage. She then returned with a set of pastries, but she was not alone.
"Ara, are you having another tea party? Anyway, how was your city tour? Has Lynn been a good guide and made you feel satisfied." An alluring, graceful lady clad in an enchanting blue-white robe walked over with elegance with her every step.
"Mother, are you going to wear your white-blue royal dress for our journey?" Lynn looked at her mother and asked. She didn"t know why, but her mother seemed to be going on an inter-kingdom business.
"Fufu, you should also change into your royal dress. Here, I have prepared everything for you." Luna handed a white-blue s.p.a.ce Bag to her daughter.
"Then, I"ll change my dress after this." Lynn nodded in understanding.
"You look marvellous, Lady Empress. You have a peaceful and beautiful city. I can see the effort you have put into making this city an ideal city." Oceanid greeted formally.
"Thank you for- Oh my... Why are your ear so red, lord of the seven seas?" Luna sat next to her daughter and covered her mouth half in surprise.
"Haha, it"s nothing." Oceanid waved his hand in front of his face.
Moments ago, his ear was twisted, and he was dragged away from the shopping center by Rhea. He was threatened not to cure his red ear for the next two hours. Even though his body was made of liquid, he couldn"t simply irritate any G.o.ddess by avoiding it.
"Oho, fufu, alright then." Luna didn"t dig deeper because she could guess it easily. She then turned to Elysia and the G.o.ddesses. "My daughter and I are ready to go any time. If you wish, we can leave after this tea party."
"That"s good." Rhea gave a slight nod in confirmation.
"Hm? Oh my... Is this a coincidence or are you intentionally wearing a dress that matches me, young miss?" Luna put her hands on her lap.
"I"d rather believe it was you intentionally wearing a dress that matched the one I"m wearing now. Did you use your foreboding ability for this?" Yuuki shook her head with a different a.s.sumption.
"Fufu, who knows?" Luna closed her eyes with a small smile on her face.
"Your att.i.tude makes me instinctively wary at times." Yuuki squinted her eyes.
"Ah, is that how I look in your eyes? Fufu, but this is my nature. My apologies, I"m also helpless by it. Rather than that, I realize that you have some things that you really want to tell me. I"m afraid that we"ll get busy at some point. next. So, do you want to convey that now?" Luna opened her eyes and instantly changed the topic.
"I- I..." Yuuki widened her eyes. She did not expect that this lady had such a sharp premonition.
As Yuuki stuttered, Sylvia just patted the back of that snow fox girl. "Just say what you want to ask. Ely has guaranteed you something, right? What makes you hesitate?"
Yuuki was silent and took a breath for a moment. She glanced at Elysia on the other side of the table only to see a rea.s.suring gaze. Thus, she decided to bring up that sensitive yet crucial topic right here and now.
"Can you tell me everything you know about the Snow Fox Clan? Is it possible for you to tell me the exact location of your last encounter with snow fox? Or, any clues about them will do." Yuuki stared at the Soul Fox Empress intensely.
"Ah, this concerns your biological mother, hm? I did meet a snow fox, but that was a very long time ago. But, okay. I can point out the last clue I have about the road to Fevia Village. But-" Luna raised her index finger at the end of her words.
"But?" Yuuki tilted her head.
"But, I can"t guarantee that we will reach Fevia Village." Luna finished her paused sentence.
"That"s fine on my side. I"ve tried and the divines are there to help me. If that won"t produce the desired result, then I"ll just forget about her as if she was never there in the first place." Yuuki took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Her mother"s face in her memory had become so faint. It was only a matter of time before she would completely forget that figure, not to mention that she now had a place to call home.
"Destiny shows you a painful path, but you find redemption in the end. After nearly four hundred years of suffering in exile and loneliness, are you ready to face the future? It can be beautiful or terrible just based on you. Will you take it?" Luna outlined a deep insight with her eyes closed.
"I already know what path I"m going to take. I"m ready to be happy, and I understand that I don"t have to think about the past as a nightmare anymore." Yuuki looked at Elysia with a tender gaze.
"I"m relieved that you have a purpose in life. Uhm, I can see you can be a great friend to my daughter Lynn. Would you like to be my foster daughter too?" Luna felt relieved in her heart. Yet, she took advantage of the opportunity to raise her previous offer.
"I"ll think about it again. Can we go to the place you promised after our group mission is over? Uhm, about two or three days from now." Yuuki only asked for rea.s.surance.
"Sure, we will be there in three days from now. You can think carefully about your decision." Luna nodded slightly. She then conveyed an additional piece of information in a soft whisper. "One thing to consider, you could indirectly become Ely"s sister as well."
*gasp*
Yuuki"s mouth opened because she had just realized that truth. This Fox Empress offer presented an after-effect that was so interesting and alluring.
She almost accepted the offer at once, but she held herself back from doing it for some reason. After all, she needed acknowledgment and permission from the concerned person before everything else.
"It seems, there is a little one who sees you as a master, Ely. A cat, a tortoise, a dragon and a fox. If so, can they be called my granddisciples?" Elena hummed in her mind.
"E-eh? But, why do I feel you look at them like little pets?" Elysia looked at Elena with a confused look.
"Hehe, it"s just your feeling, Ely. They can be friends and comrades.." Elena chuckled lightly in reply.