10 A Walk in Lunaris City

"... a fire spell?"

"Are you sure?"

"But, she's barely five!"

I woke up to several voices in an unfamiliar, but lavish room. They seem to be trying to keep their volumes low, but they're doing a really bad at it. I groaned awake.

One of them was Miss Hestia. "Lady Elle! You're finally awake!"

I didn't know the other people by name, but their faces were familiar. Members of the royal court, I suppose.

I propped myself up with my elbow and my nanny aided me into a sitting position. She introduced me to the two men, "This is Sir Roldo and his heir, Sir John. Sir Roldo is the head for the medicinal and health affairs of the Kingdom of Saule."

I greeted them properly and introduced myself as well. "This little one goes by Eleftheria of Saule, princess of Kingdom Saule. This princess has caught sight of your valiant figures around the palace halls. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

The men, one older and one barely past his teens, smiled at me politely. However, I did notice their bright, curious gazes.

"It is true then how the rumors say she is brilliant and proper for her age," Sir Roldo exclaimed, leaning down to smile at me.

I responded with humility. "The rumors only succeed to exaggerate my deeds, dear sir. I am only a humble princess struggling to learn the proper etiquette."

The men laughed, and my nanny smiled proudly. The younger sir said, "And she is so down-to-earth, as well! The King has indeed raised her properly."

I tried not to squirm too much, but I really didn't feel all that well. My memories about what had happened were hazy. But, the men seemed to have business with me the very moment I opened my eyes, so I knew I would find it hard to continue my rest.

Before long and after a few more compliments, they started to begin their actual business.

"I'll only check for injuries," the older one said. "You only need to stand here. My magic will do the rest."

I did as I was told and stood at the center of the well-decorated room. After listening to their earlier conversations, I learned I was completely unconscious during the long journey to Mond Empire. We were now in a royal outpost in Lunaris City, just outside the Empire's mountain castle city.

I observed as the man approached me with a gentle smile, and hovered his hands just in front of my heart and stomach. I felt a familiar, but also unfamiliar, energy start to comb through my body. It felt warm, but also cool.

Before I could put my foot on it, Sir Roldo had removed his hands and the calm energy dispersed. He smiled at me.

"You are as healthy as ever, Princess Eleftheria. But, I do suggest you take in food and water, and rest as much as you can," he told me, his voice soothing to the ears.

After that, they had left us in the room, which promptly had me under the burning stare of my nanny. It was quite uncomfortable.

"Uh... Miss Hestia?" I started, wondering why she suddenly became angry.

Then, seeing my clueless face, she sighed. "You do understand you have just conjured a 2-tier magic spell, even though no one has taught you how, and therefore here you are finally awake after a whole day of sleeping?"

I registered something that stood out to me. "One day?! How did we arrive inside the Empire in only a day?"

My nanny's eyes twitched, but she only sighed in defeat. "... Of course the royal family would hasten our travel. Their one and only princess did get hurt in her little fire magic exhibition."

I was simply shocked that the King and Queen would actually sacrifice their comfort for my health...

Well, I was also madly surprised about my magical capabilities, of course.

I suddenly grew excited and grabbed onto my nanny's hands, shockingly covered with gloves. "Did I really conjure a magic spell, Miss Hestia?? My memory is so hazy, you must tell me more!"

She smiled at my excitement and responded with numerous nods. "Oh, it was amazing, my lady! You simply conjured a 2-tier magic spell, the Fire Ball, and at such a great heat and speed too!"

I couldn't help but smile brightly. Then, she turned more serious.

"I do have to know how you learned to do that, my lady." Miss Hestia looked at me with both curiosity and worry. "It's alright to learn about magic, but we have to make sure your foundations are steady. If you rush the process, it will only harm you in the future."

I had an idea about what my nanny was so worried about. I have heard of noble families forcing their children to take in certain herbs and pills that can make their magical prowess stronger, but such means will never have a great end. In fact, in my past life, I was so curious and so desperate about my magic and why it was deemed so low, that I resorted to taking in these pills in secret.

Looking back, I probably had better than average magic but because of the inaccurate results from the ceremony, I lost my confidence at a tender age. It's not too hard to see how I easily became unable to do magic the longer I lived. After all, magic was highly reliant on the state of mind of a person, and if that person didn't even believe that she was capable of creating magic, then it would become harder or impossible to conjure.

"It's alright, Miss Hestia." I reassured her. "I didn't take those awful pills, and I never will."

"Again, I do wonder why you would even know of that... Where do you even get your information from, my lady?"

I can only laugh wearily.

A few hours after resting and finally eating, Miss Hestia and I found ourselves walking through the busy, but organized, streets of Lunaris City. She was shocked at first when I proposed that we have a look around the city, saying that I still needed rest. However, I really did feel a lot better especially after having some food, and I knew my parents wouldn't care about what I chose to do.

So, here we were in the Lunaris City's boisterous market.

"Buy your potions! Anti-fatigue! Dexterity! Love Potions! Buy here now!"

"Feeling some good luck today? Have a go with my magic cards! Only 5 pence a game!"

"Used wands and magic staffs for bargain! Second-hand armor and chain links! No, well-loved, but no one died wearing them, I promise!"

I smiled at the busy scene. Although I would normally never dare leave for a stroll in an unfamiliar place, I decided to change the way I lived in this second life. Simply, if this is what I want, then I should just do what I want.

I found myself humming the lullaby I heard from my dream with the Music.

"That's a beautiful tone, Lady Elle." My nanny looked down at me, admiring my humming.

I smiled back, but inwardly worried that she might ask more about it. Thankfully, we only continued our walk, and I stopped singing.

"I suppose the King and Queen have already left to meet the Empire's royal family?" I asked while I stared at a row of perfectly red apples.

My nanny sighed. "I did try to have them wait for you, but you know the King. He's always off to somewhere. He knew you were stable so they might as well leave for the palace already."

I nodded my head. I had mixed feelings about it. Although I have never been to the Mond Empire's palace and I did want to see it for myself, I also didn't like having to meet the crown prince. It might have all been a blessing in disguise for me so I could enjoy my day without any other worries.

"Where to next, my lady?" Miss Hestia asked, reaching down to grab my hand. She looked worried, as though she thought I was sad that I wasn't brought to the palace with my family.

I smiled as brightly as I could to assuage her worries. "Let's go look for food!"

With that, we were on our merry way. Looking around, I saw how different the people in the Empire was compared to those from my Kingdom. Although interbreeding between the races were now more common, there were still noticeable differences. While our skin tones were lighter, theirs were of a darker brown hue. Also, while our hair could come in many different colors, theirs were mainly dark browns to blacks. Our clothes, however, were quite similar, with the usual tops and bottoms for the men, and the long dresses to cover every inch for the women.

There were also various cultural differences. Our Kingdom would never allow just any merchant to sell their wares by the sides of the streets. Each stall had to be licensed properly. Although I did recognize the need for that, I also grew more interested about such a free market.

Glancing around, the houses and buildings of the Empire were stouter and more colorful than our tall and spiral-stepped stone towers.

To be frank, I was enamored by all the little differences and similarities.

In fact, I was too enamored that I wasn't looking straight in front of me.

There was an incoming cart of vegetables on our way. My nanny probably thought I would dodge easily, so she had left me on my own. Anyway, both her hands were busy carrying the food and trinkets I had bought. So, I was almost hit, and I had to jump desperately at the last minute.

Unfortunately for me, I had unconsciously used magic yet again, and my jump came too strong that I was about to hit a faraway black bricked wall. I was dreading for the hard impact when instead, I felt as though I passed through a familiar energy, and I hit hard ground instead.

I hastily got up and looked around. Why was it suddenly so dark? Wasn't it still daytime? Why do the surroundings look so different?

Where was I?