"Is...Lady...Nyra not coming with us?"
Armand watched as Seraphine saddled a grey horse and led it out from the stable. Granted, it would be very unusual to see a snow leopard walking alongside them, but he had expected her to come along as Seraphine's familiar. In the first place, would a familiar be able to exist at a prolonged distance from her master? He only realised this as he saw Seraphine waving goodbye at the large cat.
Seraphine cocked her head to the side. "Nyra can't leave this place. Neither can I, on normal circumstances."
That was because Nyra was the spirit of the shop and could be considered the shop itself. Meanwhile, Seraphine was bound to Nyra by a covenant, which allowed her to inherit everything from her master, the previous mistress of this place, including the restriction to guard the shop at all times, except in special circumstances of granting wishes.
Unable to make a head or tail of those two statements, Armand took a deep breath. The lady of the shop was as enigmatic today as she had been yesterday, though it was hard to tell whether she was actually hiding things intentionally or just socially dense. It was quite contrary to her seemingly high-born mannerisms and way of speech. He quietly observed her from the corner of his eye.
She was wearing another set of light green dress, paired with dark trousers underneath and a pair of black travelling boots. An outer coat was draped on her shoulders. Her moonlight hair was braided neatly on one side of her head, with shorter strands falling freely framing her face. Even Armand had to admit that her delicate beauty was captivating.
In her free hand, she was holding a wide-brim hat with a dark veil that would cover her face when worn. In the capital, it would not be strange for a noble lady to wear those kinds of hats when going outside to protect their delicate skin from the harsh sunlight, but she could have another reason.
"Do you wish to hide your identity while travelling, my lady?"
"Ah, this?" Seraphine glanced at the hat she was holding. "No, not really, I just thought the sun would be quite strong."
"Ah..."
***
Their journey back was even less eventful than yesterday. With the sun hanging in the sky, they did not encounter any bandits or monsters on the way.
"Lady Mizan, your hair has turned dark!" Darryl shouted in surprise.
"Ah, yes. This is my natural hair colour." As they left the mountain area where the shop resided, the moonlight colour of Seraphine's hair started to fade, replaced by a dark colour. Armand thought this lovely colour suited her well - while the moonlight colour made her appear quite otherworldly, the dark colour complemented her complexion better.
Wait, what am I even thinking?
Armand shook his head at the unnecessary thought. Again, Seraphine did not provide any more information regarding the unusual change of hair colour, and the rest of the group accepted it.
They were about the return to the poor house at the slum where the street kids stayed in, but Seraphine dismounted her horse and pointed towards a palace kitchen. An ostentatious sign showing a drawing of a golden spoon hung above its entrance.
"Let's go there."
"Um.. the Golden Spoon? Lady Mizan, are you sure?" Darryl, who knew the city like the back of his hand, knew exactly what kind of place that building was, although he had never been in one as a street urchin. While he had washed up and was wearing a soft, fresh tunic shirt and trousers given by Nyra, he was still terrified of being in such an upscale place, in the proximity of all-powerful people in Dohara.
In theory, a palace kitchen was meant to share royal specialities with all citizens, including commoners. It was to showcase the Archon's - the absolute ruler of Dohara - generosity. In reality, only nobles and upper-class families could afford to dine there regularly.
Seraphine shot him a questioning look. "Yes, I'm sure." For a while now, her Watcher's Eye had been twitching - that old woman's powerful display of aura, perhaps only meant for her to see, set the building ablaze with invisible flame, like a very obvious beacon that said 'I'm here!'.
"Um... then is it okay if I wait outside?" Darryl shuffled nervously. Flint clicked his tongue.
"Who'll be looking after you in that case, brat? I'll wait outside, too."
"Ah, you don't have to..!"
"Hmm, that might be a good idea." Seraphine turned to Flint and Darryl. "We'll be away for quite some time, so it might be a good idea to say farewell to your friends, Darryl. Also, if you have anything else you'd like to bring with you, this'd be a good time."
"Ah, is that so? Then I'll be back soon!" Hearing this, Darryl immediately headed towards the slum, followed by a yawning Flint behind.
Only Seraphine and Armand were left. They looked at each other and nodded. After securing their horses in the nearby stables, they headed to the entrance of the palace kitchen.
However, just before they could enter, they were halted by a doorman with a scornful look on his face. He glanced at them dismissively, noting Armand's shabby cloak and Seraphine's rather plain, unadorned attire, and quickly concluded they were not the Golden Spoon's usual patrons.
"I'm sorry, Sir, Madam." He spoke in a rather curt tone. "We're fully booked for today."
Armand sighed inwardly as he had expected this treatment. Glancing at Seraphine's expressionless face and seeing that she did not intend to make a move, he discreetly took out a plaque and handed it to the doorman. Although he was reluctant to disclose his identity, maybe this was one of the 'prices' the shopkeeper required to facilitate their journey.
The doorman accepted the plaque unhurriedly and examined it carelessly. However, once he focused his eyes on the World Tree insignia and the identification written on the plaque, they widened in shock.
"You are..! I've been impolite!" The man made such a deep bow that his temple nearly touched his knees. Seraphine could not help but be impressed with his flexibility.
Armand's hands quickly grabbed the man's shoulders to straighten him up and leaned forward towards his right ear. "I'm here on a confidential mission. Is that clear?"
"Yes! Of course! I didn't see anything today, Knight Com-Sir!"
Only at times like this did his position bring him a slight advantage. Normally, it just caused him headaches. As the Commander of the Holy Knight of the largest temple on the continent, his position was just below the High Priest, who headed the Temple of World Tree. It would be comparable to Magistrates in cities who operated under the Archons.
Of course, Dohara might be too far south for people to remember that the 21st Commander of the Holy Knight, Armand Fontaine, was an illegitimate child of the noble Fontaine family. The fact that he managed to reach such a high position within the temple was a bane in his family's eyes.
"Oh, not bad," Seraphine stated indifferently as they stepped inside the building. She had been a bit nervous earlier, thinking about what to do if they were turned away at the entrance. That would have been a bit embarrassing.
The building had two storeys, with the upper floor occupying half of the footprint of the ground floor. This gave the upper-storey balconies where the diners could observe downstairs and showcased their dining in splendour. The ceilings were arched and gilded, ornamented with displays of the sigil of the Dohara Archon's family, a rapier surrounded by vines on a green shield. The tables were covered in expensive white silk, and crystal tableware was positioned neatly on top. It was a clear demonstration of wealth, one that was done quite tastefully.
The footman nervously tried to guide them. "Unfortunately, our upper floor is fully booked today, my lord, but we have an empty table at this corner for you and your lady-"
"Ah, there she is." Ignoring him, she immediately spotted the aura of the old woman on the upper floor.
"Are you here to meet someone, my lady? Ah, then you should've told me earlier!" Still eager to fawn, the doorman hurriedly moved aside to allow them to climb the grand staircase.
Armand could feel the stares of curious onlookers, who were all dressed to the nines, but he ignored them and followed Seraphine upstairs. He spotted the familiar figure of the old lady they were looking for, and another person sitting with her at the same table.
"! You are..."