"What do you think about all this?"
Luke was sitting beside Fiora at the moment, asking the question casually.
Fiora glanced at him. "I'm looking at it while sitting down."
What else was she supposed to think?
This was Ammdar's matter, after all.
At this very moment, the elders who were scrambling in circles over it had probably forgotten she even existed.
Still, if anyone claimed she did not care at all, that would be a lie.
That man named Hughes, the domineering pressure he gave off and the nerve he had to openly issue a duel challenge in a setting like this, both proved he was no ordinary swordsman.
She knew Ammdar's strength well enough, and now all she could do was trust that he would win.
An hour later, the banquet came to an end.
During it, Luke, as a prince, had also been called away to socialize with quite a few people.
By the time evening was nearing, the banquet finally broke up and everyone dispersed.
As the afternoon faded, the soaring excitement of National Day slowly dimmed along with the darkening sky.
As they headed out of the palace and neared the exit, a figure stepped in front of them as if she had been waiting there all along.
With a bright smile, Panis looked at Luke and said, "Your Highness should have time tomorrow, right?"
Clearly, she had come for the sake of that agreement again.
Luke knew there was no point dragging it out forever, so he replied, "Tomorrow, I should have time."
"That's wonderful." Panis smiled even more brightly. "Then can we meet at ten tomorrow morning, in the same place?"
"Sure."
Luke nodded and agreed.
Panis started walking outside, then said with a smile, "I'm already starting to look forward to tomorrow."
"Can I bring some friends with me tomorrow?" Luke asked casually as he walked beside her toward the exit.
"Of course." Panis was still smiling. "I'd like to make a few more friends in Demacia too."
"That's good, then."
Luke smiled as well.
The two of them chatted as they walked outside.
"Then tomorrow, let's not miss each other."
Stopping beside her carriage, Panis waved to Luke.
"Mm. See you tomorrow." Luke nodded.
At that moment, a middle-aged maid came over and lifted Panis's gown slightly to make it easier for her to get into the carriage.
Luke had not left yet, and his gaze landed on the maid. He could not help taking an extra look.
Then he found it a little strange.
There was a layer of disguise cast over the woman, as though some kind of magic had altered her face and even her body. Through Eyes of Truth, Luke could see her real appearance.
She looked like a mage well past fifty.
There being a mage among people from foreign lands was not strange.
What felt strange to Luke was why this person had deliberately changed even her body shape.
And on top of that, were Dupont and Panis aware of it?
Luke withdrew his gaze. He did not think too much more about it and simply turned to leave.
Soon enough, he boarded his family's carriage.
Several people were already sitting inside.
The moment Luke stepped in, Lux smiled sweetly and said, "You two seem to get along really well. Lots of smiles, lots of chatting."
Luke looked at her. "Well, it's not like we were supposed to be laughing and crying instead."
"Hmph." Lux let out a cold little snort. "No wonder you left in such a hurry. The banquet ended and you didn't even wait for us. You just ran off by yourself."
Luke glanced around the carriage. Everyone was basically already there. "Didn't you all leave even faster than I did?"
Lux gave a smug little snort. "We weren't busy chatting, so of course we were faster."
"Quit with the sarcasm."
Annoyed, Luke raised a hand and tried to flick the little blonde menace on the forehead, but she dodged with surprising agility.
So he kept chasing her, and Lux kept darting left and right.
Kahina watched the two of them helplessly. "The carriage is small enough already. Can you two calm down?"
Fiora, meanwhile, stared out the window and did not even want to bother with either of them.
As Granlott's carriage rolled by outside, her gaze followed it for a few extra seconds.
This princess from an allied kingdom gave her a different sort of feeling.
For some reason, Fiora kept feeling that her appearance was some kind of dangerous signal.
As the sky fully darkened, the carriage returned home and stopped in front of the gate.
After they got out, they saw that Sona, who had come back earlier, was sitting in the yard practicing her instrument.
Poppy was lying beside her, listening with a blissful expression.
Training sounds were still coming from the back courtyard.
With everyone returning, the whole estate became even livelier.
It was also worth mentioning that by now, a few electric lights had been installed both in the yard and inside the house to replace open flames for lighting.
Under the glow of the lamps, the courtyard looked even brighter.
At first, the girls had all found the appearance of electric lights rather novel.
Lately, though, they had gotten used to the electric glow and found that the brighter view was actually quite nice.
Most importantly, the lightbulbs were incredibly convenient. Pull the cord once and the light came on, pull it again and it dimmed. It was much easier than lighting a fire.
These lightbulbs, still a novelty in the capital, were slowly becoming part of daily life.
It would take some time, but not too long.
People were gradually accepting this convenient tool that shone with electricity.
And recently, the Research Institute had launched a new area of research involving electrical power.
That research was wind power.
Before the appearance of advanced power-generation equipment, wind power was an especially important way of producing energy.
It converted the kinetic energy of wind into mechanical energy, then transformed that mechanical energy into electrical power.
The downside of wind power was its unstable output, but in Demacia, that was hardly an issue.
Demacia was a land of mountains, and its terrain sat relatively high. It could be said to have wind year-round.
Luke's own estate was a perfect example. Whether in summer or autumn, it was easy to feel the breeze passing through.
And since Demacia's path in scientific development was only just beginning, putting wind power into use would be an excellent starting point.
After being busy all day, Luke had no strength left once he returned home.
He sprawled lazily into a rocking chair, and as his whole body relaxed, he entered a state where he did not want to move a single inch.
He lay there for a while before suddenly recalling what he had seen after leaving the palace. After thinking it over, he called Quinn over.
"Your Highness."
Quinn walked to Luke's side and waited for instructions.
Luke said, "Keep an eye on the Granlott delegation. If anything happens, report to me."
Quinn nodded at once. "Yes."
With that, she turned and left. After getting ready, she quickly departed the estate.
Lux came out of the house, looked at Quinn's vanished figure, and asked curiously, "What did you send Quinn off to do?"
"Nothing much."
Luke answered casually, then closed his eyes and went back to resting.
Seeing that he clearly had no interest in talking to her, Lux got a little annoyed, gave a huff, then turned and went back inside.
Late that night, several figures moved through the forest outside the capital.
They were the Granlott delegation.
Following behind the middle-aged maid, Dupont looked around at the surroundings and asked, "Marta, are you sure it's here?"
The maid named Marta nodded firmly. "There's no mistake. My divination was correct. Our searching over the past few days has already confirmed that the location is somewhere in this area."
Beside the two of them, Panis had changed into more practical clothes. In her hand, she tightly clutched a silver-white key hanging from her neck like a pendant.
She too was surveying the surroundings, but could not help asking, "Can we really do this...?"
Dupont looked at her and soothed her gently. "Don't be afraid. We're only taking back what already belongs to us."
Panis asked again, "Couldn't we just tell His Majesty the king directly?"
Dupont did not answer the question head-on. He only said, "Don't worry. We'll find it soon, and after that, there won't be any more problems."
This was still Demacia. Although the relationship between the two countries was good, the thing they were searching for was no ordinary object.
And to Demacia, it was a particularly sensitive one.
So if they could avoid trouble, it was best to avoid it.
Most importantly, Dupont believed he could find it without stirring up any commotion.
And that would be the ideal outcome.
If what Marta said was true, and this object really could be found, then his brother could still be saved.
That was why he did not want anything to go wrong during this time.
"You're sure we won't be discovered?"
Thinking of that, Dupont asked Marta.
"Don't worry. I've cast a concealment spell. Even the Mageseekers won't be able to detect us."
Marta sounded extremely confident in that.
Looking at the two ahead of her, Panis said nothing more. She simply followed them and silently tightened her grip on the key in her hand.
The main reason she had come to Demacia this time was to recover a secret relic that Granlott had lost many years ago.
Legends about this treasure had been passed down in Granlott for so long that most people now treated them as nothing more than myth.
But only the royal family knew it was no myth at all.
Even so, no one had ever known where the relic had ended up.
Supposedly, it still lay within some hidden vault, and the key in her hand was the key to open that vault's door.
This key had since become the symbol of the royal heir. Whoever possessed it was the next inheritor of the throne.
Now, it had come into her hands.
The next day.
October 2nd. Clear skies.
Luke woke up early again that morning.
He had gone to bed pretty early the night before, and the sleep had been quite comfortable.
When he stepped into the yard, Quinn was already doing her morning training in the back courtyard.
The moment she saw Luke, she stopped training, walked over, and reported directly, "Your Highness, last night at about one in the morning, the Granlott envoy representative, the princess, and one other person left the capital and went into the forest outside the city."
Hearing that, Luke asked, "What were they doing outside the capital that late?"
"I'm not sure exactly what," Quinn replied. "But from what I observed, they seemed to be searching for something."
"Searching for something?"
Luke thought about it for a moment.
Looks like my instincts weren't wrong after all. These Granlott people clearly had some other purpose in coming to Demacia.
And judging from the look of it, Dupont and Panis were not only aware of it, they were directly involved.
At that point, what Luke was most curious about was the thing they were searching for.
What kind of object could make people from an allied kingdom travel all the way to the capital looking for it?
Quinn added, "They searched until around three in the morning, then returned to the capital."
"I understand. Keep watching again tonight. If anything happens, tell me immediately."
Luke nodded, then smiled at her. "You've worked hard. Make sure you get some extra rest."
"I've got plenty of time to rest today. I already slept for three hours, and I still feel pretty energetic."
Quinn smiled. She really did not feel all that tired.
For her, this long-missed feeling of having something meaningful to do actually felt pretty good.
"Just don't push yourself too hard."
Luke did not force Quinn to go rest. He knew she had a good sense of her own limits.
After that, Luke returned inside and started preparing breakfast.
By the time it was ready, all the girls had gathered.
After breakfast, it was already past eight.
Remembering that he had to keep his appointment at ten, Luke began getting ready.
There really was not much to prepare, though. He just changed into a different set of clothes.
"I'm going to meet Princess Panis in a bit. Do any of you want to come?"
After changing, Luke asked Lux and the others.
The moment Lux heard that, she curled her lip. "What would we go for? She invited you, not us."
Kahina chimed in right after her. "Exactly. We shouldn't go bother His Highness."
Luke turned to Fiora next. She shook her head too.
As for Sona, she disliked crowded places, so there was no way she would go.
"I'll go!"
Poppy raised her hand excitedly.
It stayed up for exactly one second before Lux shoved it back down. "You're not going."
Then she clapped one hand over Poppy's mouth so she could not make a sound, leaving Poppy only able to let out muffled "mmph mmph" noises.
Luke looked at them and asked again, "You're really not coming?"
"Nope. Wouldn't it be nicer to stay home and lounge around?"
Lux let out a huff, with a little bit of pouting temper mixed into her tone.
"Then I'm leaving."
Luke did not ask again. He simply turned and headed out of the yard.
Not long after, the carriage set off toward Durand Street.
At about nine-thirty, it stopped at the entrance to the street.
After getting out, Luke headed toward the place where the art exhibit had been last time.
Before he even reached it, he saw that Panis was already waiting there. She spotted him as well and waved, her eyes lighting up.
"Your Highness came so early?"
she asked as he approached.
Luke smiled. "Didn't you come even earlier?"
"Because I was looking forward to it, so I came ahead of time." Panis gave him a lovely smile, though there were faint traces of dark circles under her eyes.
Luke glanced at them and said, "Didn't sleep well last night?"
Panis paused for a moment, then smiled. "Maybe I was a little too excited, so I stayed up late."
Then, seeing that Luke had no one beside him, she asked, "What about the friends Your Highness mentioned?"
"They said they didn't want to come." Luke answered casually, then started walking ahead. "Let's look around first."
"Okay." Panis followed by his side.
The two of them walked along the street. The air that morning was fresh, and the occasional passing breeze was pleasantly cool.
Watching bicycles roll by now and then, Panis said, "I noticed them when I first arrived. Those look so convenient."
Luke smiled. "They really are."
"And those newspapers too. I read a lot of newspapers at home over the past few days. I even saw stories about Your Highness."
As she said that, she looked at Luke with a smile.
From the newspapers, she had learned much more about him.
"Candy apples! Fresh candy apples!"
A shout rang out just then, drawing Panis's attention.
She turned and saw a street vendor walking along the roadside, holding a long pole with one bright red candy apple after another stuck to it.
Her eyes immediately filled with curiosity.
"I want one."
With that, she had already gone over and paid for them.
A moment later, she came back holding two candy apples, offering one to Luke.
"Thanks."
Luke did not refuse and took it.
Panis bit into hers, chewed a little, and her eyes lit up instantly. "This is good."
That sweet-and-tart flavor was unexpectedly delicious.
"I didn't expect the capital's streets to have desserts this good."
She spoke with obvious satisfaction.
Luke asked, "You haven't gone out sightseeing these last few days?"
"No." Panis took another bite of her candy apple and answered, "Walking around alone isn't very fun, so I wanted to wait and go with Your Highness. It's a shame those friends of yours didn't come, though. It feels like it would be livelier with more people."
Luke smiled to himself.
Just wait. It's about to get lively.
After thinking about it, he asked, "Are there a lot of differences between Granlott and Demacia?"
"Way too many!" Panis thought for a moment, then said, "Demacia has so many mountains, but most places in Granlott are plains. The clothing and architecture are different too, and our streets aren't nearly as lively as the capital here."
As she talked about all the many differences between Granlott and Demacia, she kept glancing around curiously while walking down the street.
Whenever she saw something new and unusual, she stopped to look for a couple more seconds.
Time passed slowly.
After spending a little time with her, Luke realized that this princess of Granlott was actually a very straightforward girl.
At that moment, after tossing the stick from her finished candy apple into a nearby trash bin, Panis said with some feeling, "I used to think Granlott had to be the most accomplished country when it came to art. But after leaving home and coming to Demacia, I realized the world outside is huge, and Granlott isn't the only place with remarkable things."
Here, she had seen outstanding paintings and heard unbelievably beautiful music.
And Demacia also had many truly exceptional people.
For example, that Sona whose reputation had even reached Granlott, the music she played was the most beautiful melody Panis had ever heard in her life.
And then there was the prince beside her.
"Every country has its own strengths. I've heard Granlott is a country with a very high happiness index."
Luke smiled.
"Maybe it is."
Panis let out a sigh so faint it was hard to notice, and a trace of worry flashed through her eyes.
But very quickly, her smile returned. "We've finished walking through Durand Street. Shall we go somewhere else?"
Luke nodded. "Sure, but wait for me a second."
Panis stopped where she was, watching in confusion as Luke turned around and walked toward another spot.
He quickly arrived at the mouth of an alley and looked at the people inside. "Didn't you all say you'd rather be lying around?"
Standing in the alley were Lux, Kahina, Poppy, and Fiora.
Now that they had been caught, Lux puffed out her chest with all the confidence of someone entirely in the wrong. "We suddenly remembered we had something to do around Durand Street. Can't we come?"
Kahina backed her up immediately. "Yeah, exactly!"
Luke laughed. "So your important business was hiding in an alley and spying?"
Lux gave a cold laugh. "You have some nerve. Who was spying on you?"
Fiora just shrugged innocently. "Don't look at me. They dragged me here."
Poppy added, "They said this would make it more exciting."
The two of them had basically sold Lux and Kahina out completely.
"You..." Lux stared wide-eyed at Fiora and Poppy, then turned back to Luke and said bluntly, "Fine, we were spying. What about it?"
What could Luke even say to that? He reached out and flicked her on the forehead. "I offered to bring you from the start. But no, you had to turn it into a stalking operation."
Caught completely off guard, Lux yelped and clutched her forehead in pain.
"All right, let's go. She's still waiting outside."
As Luke said that, he turned and walked back out.
Fiora followed first, then Poppy, then Kahina, and finally Lux.
The four of them followed Luke out of the alley, and outside, Panis had curiously come over as well.
The moment she saw the four girls, her eyes brightened, and she stepped forward to greet them warmly. "Good morning, everyone."
She had already met them briefly yesterday. They had not chatted then, but they at least knew one another's names.
And since these girls often appeared around Luke, Panis had already formed a stronger impression of them.
When Luke said yesterday that he wanted to bring friends, these were exactly the people Panis had imagined.
Faced with Panis's warm enthusiasm, Fiora, Kahina, Lux, and Poppy all responded in kind.
Looking at them, Panis said happily, "I really hope I can make more friends in Demacia. His Highness the prince is the first one, and you four are my second, third, fourth, and fifth."
She looked genuinely happy, and along the way she took the initiative to talk with the girls the whole time.
Her personality was easygoing and likable, and before long she had grown familiar with all four of them. Her open, cheerful nature especially matched well with Lux, Kahina, and Poppy.
The four of them strolled around happily together, chatting and laughing nonstop.
Even Fiora found herself rather fond of Panis, thanks to how frank and generous her personality was.
They had never really felt all that hostile toward the princess in the first place.
From beginning to end, the only one who had annoyed them was Luke.
After all, they had known him this long and had never once seen him take the initiative to suggest going out for a walk together.
And then he turned right around and arranged a shopping date with a neighboring princess.
How were they supposed to tolerate that?
Even if it was because he blurted something out by accident, it was still unforgivable.
Still, after spending time with Panis, their relationship with her naturally grew much better.
Luke walked beside Fiora, and as they chatted, the topic naturally turned to what had happened at yesterday's banquet.
"How is your family reacting to this?"
Luke asked casually.
Fiora looked ahead as she replied, "They're planning to cancel the duel."
Luke said, "Once the contract takes effect, how could it possibly be canceled? Not to mention it happened under my father's witness."
"So," Fiora said calmly, "they're planning to use another method."
"Like what?"
Fiora answered flatly, "Like making sure that challenger from House Francis can no longer stand on the platform."
Luke froze for a second. "You people are planning to assassinate him?"
Fiora looked at him sideways. "They probably aren't that stupid yet. They're just planning to have other members of the family challenge Hughes. If they defeat him, then naturally there won't be any duel afterward."
Luke nodded in understanding. "That method might actually work."
The duel was set for October 4th.
If, before that date, one of the duelists was unable to step onto the platform for any reason, then the duel would naturally be void.
The Laurent family's plan was to have family members other than Ammdar challenge Hughes first.
If Hughes lost, then if he could not even beat an ordinary Laurent family member, he would hardly still have the right to challenge Ammdar.
That method really was possible.
Of course, that still depended on whether Hughes agreed.
After all, with the duel so close, there was no reason for him to waste energy accepting meaningless challenges.
There was also another problem. If Hughes accepted and then won, what would the Laurent family do then?
It seemed the elders who had recently come to House Laurent had not thought about that question at all.
Or maybe, in their minds, it was not a question worth considering.
Because right now, they clearly did not think much of this foreign challenger.
Just then, a long, lilting melody drifted through the air, making Lux and the others stop in their tracks.
When Luke and Fiora saw them stop, they slowly walked over too.
A small crowd had gathered there, all standing quietly and waiting.
As the melody rose, a gentle singing voice soon joined it.
The person seated on a simple stool was a bard. He wore a blue hat with a feather tucked into the brim.
His clothes were neat and fitted, and he held a stringed instrument in his arms.
His fingers moved deftly across the strings, while his voice followed the melody in a continuous song.
It was a ballad woven from an old legend.
The content was simple enough. Long, long ago, a horned healer had walked barefoot across the same earth beneath people's feet.
She possessed a miraculous power that could heal all things. In the bitter winter, she soothed frostbitten flesh. In the midst of brutal battle, she called down sweet rain.
She had lilac-colored skin and a beautiful appearance.
Countless people sang of her and prayed for her healing rain to fall.
A simple story, woven into song.
In Demacia, many old legends had been passed down this way.
The bard's singing was quite good, so everyone listened with real attention.
When the song ended, applause and cries of praise immediately broke out. The bard stood up and bowed in every direction.
Then he took off his hat and smiled at the crowd. "I hope everyone might spare a little travel money for me."
Soon, his hat had collected some copper and silver coins.
When Lux and the others came up, each of them generously tipped him a gold coin.
That left the bard so flattered he immediately offered to sing several more songs for them, letting them choose what they wanted to hear.
But since they still had plenty of places left to visit, they did not request anything and simply moved on.
As they walked, Panis said, "I didn't expect Demacia to have that story too."
Hearing that, Lux asked curiously, "I heard that story when I was really little. Granlott has it too?"
"It does. I also heard it when I was young, though ours is a little different."
Panis smiled as she spoke. "According to the legend, that lilac-skinned wanderer left behind a treasure in Granlott, filled with her miraculous power, something that can heal every pain, illness, and suffering in the world."
"That kind of treasure sounds amazing."
Lux looked dreamy for a second.
Panis nodded. "It really does. That treasure could heal every affliction."
Kahina said, "But it's probably just a legend. Otherwise, if someone actually had that treasure, wouldn't they basically..."
A treasure that could heal every pain and illness, if someone possessed it, they would practically be invincible.
"Right."
Panis nodded again, but this time she said nothing more.
A strange light flickered in her eyes.
"Let's stop talking about that and keep walking!"
Then she happily took Lux and Kahina by the hand.
At this point, the group reached the edge of a river and walked onto the bridge, looking down at the gentle water below.
Several geese floated across the river's surface, unhurried and carefree, looking utterly relaxed and free.
Seeing them, Luke thought of something and pointed down. "What are those?"
Panis glanced over and answered, "Geese."
Luke laughed. "I didn't expect you to actually recognize them."
"Your Highness is seriously underestimating me." Panis looked at Luke and said frankly, "Did Your Highness think I'd mistake geese for ducks? I don't think anyone in the world could be silly enough to mix those up."
As she said that, she completely failed to notice that Lux's expression beside her had turned extremely unnatural.
Kahina, meanwhile, was holding back laughter with all her might.
There was a smile at the corner of Fiora's lips as she deliberately looked away.
"Haha!" Luke burst out laughing and agreed, "Exactly. Nobody could possibly be dumb enough to mix up ducks and geese, right?"
Lux immediately clenched her fists, her face darkening.
Sensing that the atmosphere had suddenly become a little odd, Panis tilted her head in confusion. "What's wrong? Was there something really funny about that?"
"Pff."
At that point, Kahina finally lost control and laughed out loud.
Once she started laughing, Fiora nearly cracked too, but her self-control was astonishing. Like someone professionally trained for exactly this moment, she somehow forced it back down.
Only Poppy remained totally confused.
Whoosh!
The moment she heard Kahina laughing, Miss Crownguard's fury ignited in an instant.
She turned and glared at Luke too. This jerk just had to bring up the one thing he should never bring up, and she ground her teeth in anger.
Luke immediately put on a serious face and glanced at Kahina, who was laughing her head off. "This isn't funny at all. I'm not laughing anymore."
"Yeah, exactly. Totally not funny."
Kahina instantly put on a serious face too and nodded. "I'm not laughing anymore either."
Then the two of them looked at each other, and with a simultaneous snort, both exploded into laughter again.
Fiora turned her face away and forcibly shifted her gaze aside, but the smile at her lips grew even more obvious.
"You two jerks! I'm going to kill you both!"
Lux could not take it anymore. With a furious shout, she decided the only solution was total elimination.
She immediately charged after the two of them.
Unfortunately, Luke and Kahina took off running, and she simply could not catch either of them.
Even though she had no idea why they were laughing, Panis could still feel the cheerful atmosphere between them, and a small smile touched her lips. She looked a little envious.
"In Granlott, I actually don't have many friends I can play around with like this."
She said it to Fiora, who was beside her. "Ever since I was little, the adults kept assigning me one task after another. By the time I finished them and wanted to go have fun with friends, I realized I had already grown up."
"Same here," Fiora said. "Since I was young, I've had to grow into the kind of person those adults wanted."
Panis turned and looked at Fiora. "Have you ever thought about breaking free from that kind of life, Miss Fiora?"
"I have." Fiora nodded. "Or rather, I think about it all the time."
Panis lowered her gaze to the river, looking at the carefree geese. "It would be nice if I could. Sometimes I wish I weren't a princess."
Fiora's gaze also settled on the river.
She realized that this bright, cheerful princess seemed to carry plenty of worries in her heart too.
And on top of that, the two of them had suffered through the same kind of life.
Still, it was clear from Panis's personality that she chose to face all of it with optimism.
"I'm so mad!"
At that moment, Lux came running back after failing to catch either of them. With a fire blazing in her chest and nowhere to vent it, she ended up taking it out on poor innocent Poppy instead.
She planted both hands on Poppy's cheeks and kneaded them while threatening the two people laughing in the distance, "If you two don't come back here right now, don't blame me for being ruthless with the hostage."
As the hostage, Poppy blinked her big eyes at Luke and Kahina, looking so innocent it practically felt like she was silently calling for help.
Seeing that, Luke frowned and said without hesitation, "Kahina, go replace the hostage."
Kahina froze. "Then what happens to me?"
Luke looked at her. "I'll trade you back later."
Kahina's little face sank immediately. "Your Highness, do you think I'm stupid?"
Because if she went over there, there was no way she was ever coming back.
Replacing the hostage was way too dangerous, but there was no other way to rescue the hostage either.
In the end, after negotiations, Luke managed to secure the hostage's release at the price of three candy apples.
Then he used two desserts of Lux's choosing to extinguish Miss Crownguard's fury.
Even so, her glorious past could no longer be hidden.
Kahina told Panis all about it.
After hearing the story, Panis smiled warmly. "Miss Lux is adorable."
Lux's cheeks turned a little red. As she bit into her candy apple, she tried to defend herself. "Those geese really did look just like ducks back then."
"Maybe what I said just now was a little too harsh. I study painting, so I learned how to tell ducks and geese apart when I was very young."
Panis had finally figured out why Luke and the others had laughed earlier. Thinking of what she had said, she quickly tried to make up for it. "Actually, in some situations, ducks and geese really can be hard to tell apart."
Lux immediately took the offered way out and nodded. "Exactly, exactly."
And just like that, the matter was settled.
Not long after, it was time for lunch.
Luke decided they might as well eat at a restaurant outside, and he would pay.
The moment Lux heard he was treating, both her eyes locked onto the menu, and she proceeded to order every expensive item on it, clearly determined to make him bleed.
Seeing how much had been ordered, Panis asked worriedly, "Can we actually finish all that?"
Luke said, "That's the one thing you don't need to worry about."
Panis glanced at the table. Even with so many dishes ordered, nobody looked surprised.
She was still thinking that it would be a waste if they could not finish everything.
But before long, she was stunned.
Miss Crownguard's appetite was so impressive it left her staring with wide eyes.
She had never expected sweet-looking Lux to be able to eat that much.
Very soon, Poppy shocked her all over again.
Poppy was tiny, but her appetite was not one bit smaller than Lux's.
With those two at the table, it really did seem like there was no need to worry about over-ordering.
To be fair, it was not that enormous an amount of food.
After all, it was a high-end restaurant, and each serving was carefully portioned.
Even the whole meal together was still not as satisfying as one of Lux's meals at home.
But even so, Panis's horizons had definitely been broadened.
After lunch, the weather at midday was not hot at all. If anything, it was fairly cool.
At noon, the streets of the capital were not as crowded as they had been in the morning.
The group strolled along after their meal, chatting as they went.
Later, they found a place to rest for a little over an hour, then headed back out to the streets and resumed wandering around.
They really did have plenty of energy.
Since yesterday had been National Day, the capital was more lively than usual during this stretch of time, and there was a lot more entertainment scattered through the streets and alleys.
They played while they walked, browsing all kinds of shops along the way.
Clothing stores, jewelry stores, shoe stores, all of it.
Panis bought a huge pile of things.
There was no need to worry about carrying them either. After making the purchases, the stores kept them, and someone would naturally come pick them up later.
By a little after four in the afternoon, Luke noticed a hint of tiredness on Panis's face, though she still kept smiling and happily continued shopping with Lux and the others.
After the girls came out of another shop, Luke yawned and said, "How about we call it here for today?"
Lux clicked her tongue at him. "What, you can't keep up already?"
"Yeah, I can't."
Luke really was a little tired by that point. He felt like he was about to enter power-saving mode.
Kahina chimed in from the side, "Aren't men not supposed to admit they can't do it?"
"Who told you that?" Luke gave her a look. "I know perfectly well whether I can or not. Right now, I want to go home."
Fiora glanced at the sky. "We really have been out for a long time."
From morning until now, and for her, doing this once in a while was actually pretty fun.
Personally, she was not that interested in shopping.
But going shopping with all of them was surprisingly enjoyable.
Poppy, on the other hand, was happy either way. As long as she was with everyone, she was content.
Panis looked at Luke and seemed to guess that he had noticed her fatigue. Smiling, she said, "I didn't even realize we'd been out this long. We really should rest."
Since she said that too, Lux said, "Then let's go home. Do you want to come with us? This guy's place even has a hot spring."
At the mention of a hot spring, longing flashed in Panis's eyes, but she still restrained herself and shook her head. "I still have some things to take care of when I get back, so I won't go."
"All right, then. See you tomorrow."
Lux gave her a sweet smile and waved goodbye.
"Mm. See you tomorrow."
Panis smiled and nodded.
After agreeing to meet again tomorrow and parting ways with Panis, the group also saw Yurna arrive with the carriage.
The moment they sat down inside and let their bodies relax, the exhaustion from a full day of shopping immediately came crashing over them.
Even energetic Lux entered power-saving mode.
Luke leaned against the side of the carriage and found himself missing the rocking chair in the yard.
Then he started wondering again, curiosity rising in his mind.
What exactly was it that Panis and her uncle were searching for in the middle of the night?
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810