Leaving for the Palace

It was cloudy in the morning. A light breeze blew when Elestria went outside. She was wearing boots, a light brown dress, a vest over it, and a hood.

She locked the house door and the barn door. She quickly headed north before Roxi deliberately passed by in the morning to scoff. When she reached the bridge, Roxi confused herself because no one was moving the wood.

Scarlett was excited because it was the first time they had traveled far. However, she soon changed her mood. This made Elestria roll her eyes.

"This long journey might be dangerous. Why do we have to go to the palace, exactly why do you wanna be a palace trooper? How strong are you?!"

"You know we've been alone since childhood. I once defeated a bear. Remember?" Elestria smiled haughtily.

"That's a bear cub. Of course, you won. You were hiding because he snitched on his mum."

Elestria chuckled. She looked ahead. The sun in the near north was slowly rising. The wind blew more harshly as they entered the border.

"Poor thing. He's in another region and is wondering when we'll reach him."

"We won't die just because we haven't met him yet," Elestria replied. She stopped walking, scanned the surroundings, and finally sat down on a boulder.

Elestria took a swig of water from the water bag. For a few seconds, she remained silent as she admired the orange forest. Then, she spoke, "I wonder if my mate isn't a wolf."

"Like a romantic story from a merchant?" Scarlett thought to herself. "Maybe, but I don't know."

"I thought you knew about him."

"I'm just a wolf, darling."

Elestria continued her journey. Her boots were already dirty with mud. She stopped by a tavern near the city entrance.

The fat shopkeeper approached her and kindly greeted her, "Good afternoon, young lady. What would you like to eat? We have chicken, rabbit meat, pork, beef, mutton, fish. We have all. Which would you like?" He spoke very quickly.

"I'd like a drink."

"Yes! We have all kinds of drinks. There's tea, coffee, juice, wine, syrup, champagne, beer, wine, vodka. Which one do you want?" His finger went up every time he mentioned the menu.

Elestria smiled. "Water."

He paused for a moment. Then, he smiled. "A glass of water for a young lady!" He went to the bar.

Elestria sat on a bar stool. The tavern was not very crowded. A few men gathered at the tables with glasses of beer. They sounded excited as they talked about the enlistment of palace soldiers.

A glass was placed in front of Elestria. She stopped the shopkeeper in his tracks by asking, "When does the registration for palace soldiers open?"

"It opens next week. Are you going to escort your mate?" His eyebrows rose and fell as he spoke seductively.

"I would like to enlist."

He was so surprised that he forgot to close his mouth. "Young lady, becoming a soldier is not easy. Besides, where's your mate? Does he know?"

Elestria gave a small smile. Elestria said, "He's in another region."

"If you want to work in the palace, be a servant or you can work here. We need some help."

"No, thank you. Anyway, do you know where the Alfafa Boutique is?"

***

Alfafa Boutique is one of the most popular boutiques in the capital. The owner was Lusi, an old friend of Elestria. Hence, she had the confidence to go there.

"That was ten years ago. Are you sure she remembers you?" Scarlett asked with scorn.

"I'm sure."

A woman in a yellow dress noticed someone at the door. She came to her quickly. "Young lady, you-"

They stared at each other for a long time.

"Elestria! You're still not taller than me!" Her excited laughter sounded annoying.

"Hi, Lusi. Every year you get older, I mean prettier."

"Have a seat."

They sat by the mannequin. The dresses in the boutique sparkled. Quite a few employees were passing by.

"Your business is growing big. You have many employees," Elestria praised despite her lazy gaze.

Lusi laughed and smiled. Her gaze changed in one blink. "How many do you need?" She looked seriously.

Elestria also stopped smiling. "I need a place to stay for the next seven days."

"You're running away?" She stared with wide-open eyes. Her hand waved at her servant. It was a gesture to bring tea.

"Not running away. I'm going to register for work."

"Where?"

"The palace."

Lusi nodded. "As what?"

"A soldier."

"Are you crazy?"

"Indeed."

Lusi fanned her face with her hand. At times, she was unable to speak. She just looked at Elestria, then sighed.

"Where's your mate?" Finally, she asked that.

"Haven't met yet. Scarlett said he's in another region so I need to be rich, then I can move."

"I know everyone mocked you since I moved. Elestria, it's not wise to work as a soldier! You only could defeat bear cubs." She shook her shoulders.

"The selection will speak. I know I can. You only have to support me, Lulu."

"What will you do if you fail?"

Elestria smiled.

***

"Sweetheart, who's that?"

Lusi turned around. She let out a sigh. Then, she turned around to watch Elestria who was rubbing the fence of the stairs.

"My childhood friend, Elestria," she answered for her mate. "She's desperate to find her mate. She thinks he's in another region and has to be rich so she can move."

"She works for you."

Elestria was watched from upstairs.

"No. She wanna be the palace warrior although she only defeated a bear cub. I hope her mate finds her soon that she has a protector."

The grey-haired man put a hand on Lusi's shoulder and invited her to sit on the sofa. He offered her tea.

As Lusi drank, he explained, "I don't think the palace is looking for soldiers to guard the city. Instead, they're looking for special forces for espionage."

Lusi put down the glass. Her gaze dropped to the first floor of the boutique. "It will be good if she fails."