Chapter 50: Normal Saturday

Saturday, September 1, 1349.

Adjusting the laurel brass in her hair, Flora looked for a few moments in the full-length mirror before her and nodded. The corner of her lips lifted in pride.

Contrary to the usual, her laurel was considerably larger than average. Her long white hair was tied in elegant braids, all held in place by a purple ribbon hanging on her chest over her left shoulder.

Her dress was graceful and warm, perfect for the autumn that was already hitting the country hard. It had long, intricate details woven through the bronze fabric.

"You look beautiful, Madam." A young maid praised beside her with a bright smile.

Behind her, neatly folded on a table, multiple dresses and accessories rested—each one that Jacob planned to take.

Clapping her hands a little, the maid sighed dreamily. "I'm sure your husband will love how beautiful you look! Ah, I'm so jealous~"

The small smile on the white-haired woman's face disappeared, and she looked at the woman flatly. "Would you please prepare the bill? I'll take everything."

The other woman blinked a little before nodding briskly and heading off to do as ordered, taking with her all the clothes that had been tried on.

"Why does everyone say we're married?" Mumbling to herself with a bit of annoyance, the Jacob walked out to the display portion of the store, her eyes quickly finding her companion.

Sitting on one of the multiple couches meant for the husbands and sweethearts who came to accompany their partners, Adryan, in his Harvey Wayne look, was turning the page of the store's dress menu with some boredom on his face.

Hearing her arrive, the black-haired man lowered the book in his hands and looked at her with a critical eye. 

After a few seconds, he nodded and raised his thumb in approval, "Yep. No matter what you wear you still look beautiful, I bet you'd make a potato sack look like fashion."

Ignoring the part of her that sighed in relief and happiness at the compliment, she just hmmed and looked at him bored. 

"You're horrible at flattery, you know that, don't you?"

"What do you want me to say? I never got a chance to practice." Rolling his shoulders disinterestedly, Adryan stood up, and the white-haired woman laughed softly.

"I'm not surprised at all. Your attitude in and of itself is an excellent repellent to anyone who shows interest in you. If they don't bolt because they saw your true face, your personality will do the rest." A white eyebrow raised in amusement.

Smiling sweetly at the woman, Adryan leaned forward a bit and looked at her with interest.

"You say that like you don't like it, but we both know you love it, " he whispered softly, with a slight purr of his tongue.

The corners of the woman's lips lifted, and her eyes narrowed in delight, "Oh~ Don't flatter yourself so much, Princess. You're fun, I don't deny it. But to say I love it? I didn't know you were in disillusion, too."

"Fu fu. If my disillusionment is you leaving a mark on my neck, then I'm crazy." 

Flora's lips tightened momentarily, and the blood in her cheeks rose, warming them a little.

Just as she was about to resume her attack, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the maid standing watching them with her mouth half open and her face red.

Seeing that she had been discovered, the young woman laughed shyly and spread out the several bags with the dresses and accessories Flora had previously chosen.

"Cough. Sorry for the inconvenience, but your p-order is ready..."

...

"You knew she was there." Flora shot him a stern glare as she spooned a spoonful of her dessert into her mouth.

"Where would the fun be if I didn't?" Adryan winked mischievously as he took a bite of his ice cream cone. In his right hand, he was carrying the bags.

They were now taking a stroll through the Artelia District, exploring Azshara's most artistic and humorous area.

While they looked at the various stores and what the theaters had ready to offer, Adryan took advantage and bought a cone of chocolate and strawberry ice cream for himself and Flora a Four Flavors Cup, all for three argentums.

"I didn't think you'd like that flavor." The man admitted as he ate his ice cream.

Flora looked at him sideways as she scooped some mint ice cream into her mouth.

"When I was still coming through the City, this flavor didn't exist."

A larger scoop of the same flavor was raised again.

Looking at the vibrant green color, the white-haired woman popped the piece into her mouth. "I must say, it doesn't taste bad at all."

"And you haven't even tried the one with chocolate chips yet." Adryan chuckled a little as they walked.

The woman put a hand to her chin and, after a few moments, nodded, "Mmm. Next time, I'll order that flavor."

That said, she took another spoonful from her cup, but this time from a little white ball that was supposed to be coconut. Tasting a bit, Flora nodded slightly. 'Not bad.'

Holding the bags with his wrist, Adryan pulled out a silver pocket watch and clicked it open. He then closed the watch and put it away.

There was still some time left.

"We have time until the play. Do you want to walk around some more, or shall we sit in the park?"

Yesterday, he bought tickets to a play at the theater on Artiros Street, the same one he had promised Flora he would take her to. But it wouldn't start for another two hours, so they were still free.

Looking around and finding nothing that caught her eye, the white-haired woman nodded.

Although it may not be as large as the park surrounding the Holy Temple of Knowledge, the Blandom Park, part of the arts and cultural district, has its charm.

A charm that shone much brighter in the autumn as the brown leaves falling from the trees painted a sense of calm and peace on the stone paths that ran through the place and gave the lake a mystical air.

Sitting on a bench in front of the lake, Adryan and Flora gazed calmly at the view, letting the calmness of the scenery wash over them. 

Both were sitting on one of the many stone benches in the park. Next to them were the bags with the white-haired girl's new clothes.

The place they had chosen was curiously private. Hardly anyone passed by, and the few people she had seen usually consisted of a man and a woman who were somewhat close to each other.

Flora noticed that, and adding to the beautiful ambiance, she discreetly looked at the man next to her and said simply;

"This is a place for couples." 

Adryan smiled and nodded. "Mrs. Clara often talks about how she comes here to take a walk with her husband. And I see she was right, it is quiet and has good privacy."

"How do you know that? She never had that conversation with you." Flora didn't remember seeing that interaction.

"I have a good ear." Adryan winked, and the white-haired woman could barely contain the laughter that almost came out of her.

Every weird thing this guy does.

"You have no respect for anything, do you? Not even the privacy of your employees?"

"It's not my fault they talk so loud." The man rolled his shoulders, not giving it much thought.

Then, Adryan turned his attention to his companion; "How are you?"

It was a typical question; there was nothing strange about it. However, how he said it and looked at her revealed the man's true doubt.

Flora did not answer immediately. She just watched the reflection of the sunset on the lake in silence.

Adryan was not in a hurry. He just watched calmly as the wind lightly moved the woman's beautiful white hair, his mind not being able to avoid going back to the morning when he made her ponytail and how soft it was.

After 5 seconds, she looked up at him, her lips lifting quickly, stretching her cheeks into a big smile as she raised a hand. "Honestly? I can't wait."

The Cup of Four Savors was thrown away a while ago as the cone was devoured. In its place, Flora now held a simple silver coin in her hands, slightly larger than a penny.

The ticket to the gathering of the Hermits of Fate. The secret organization formed by the union of the Jacob and Zoroast families.

Gathering that would fall on September 16, in the Oldeah District at 8:37 p.m.

With a slight wave of her hand, the coin disappeared, and her hands were empty. Adryan whistled a little while watching her hands and did not even see when the change occurred.

Marauders were fast hands, after all.

Flora watched his reaction, and a proud look adorned her face, "There's someone I want to see."

An eyebrow raised, "Oh? An old friend?"

An unfunny snort came from the woman, "Friend? Ha! Never. She's one of the few people I loathe with all my heart."

"From the way you say it, it would seem the contempt is mutual," Adryan commented, somewhat surprised; he had never seen the woman talk that way about anyone.

Flora looked at him and nodded. "She is one, if not the main, reason I didn't return to the family to help me recover.

"In the state I was in and my failure to find the 'Treasure', it was certain they would use it as an excuse to finally eliminate me and hand over my characteristics to someone more 'useful' to them.

"I bet they thought I had died due to not attending the gatherings for years."

The same big smile returned, and she added, "How I would have loved to see their faces when the ranking was updated."

She might be a little embarrassed, but everyone in the 'family' knows her name in the Tower. It was a source of ridicule when she chose it.

The black-haired man looked at her for a moment before saying. "Remember what we talked about."

The smile on the woman's face tensed for a moment. A soft sigh left her lips, and Flora nodded. "No treasure."

Mentioning the 'problem' without proper preparations could be disastrous. The only reason nothing had happened the first time was because of Hunters Hallow.

Now that Flora was out of his body, there was a chance that mentioning the problem with the Jacob Family Treasure might get her attention.

Adryan knows that his companion is still protected by his robe. This is due to the suppression of her sequence, and she can still feel the characteristics inside his body.

He did not know if this had a limited range, and for obvious reasons, he would not test it. Therefore, they spent most of their time together, only separating to go to the bathroom, sleep, and shower.

Luckily, the soldier was still able to work today, so he had enough time to prepare for Flora to join him in the company.

The Hermits of Fate have a way of making the proper preparations so that the Raven would not notice the change in fate, but they had to make contact first. 

Therefore, they would not talk about it until that.

While Adryan was thinking that, Flora looked at him discreetly for a moment before sitting closer to him without the man noticing.

"Are you sure the brat will be all right?"

Returning his attention to his companion, Adryan snorted. "With everything I send her, I'd be disappointed if this doesn't go well. She's not as useless as you think."

"Mmm. I wouldn't be so sure about that." Flora murmured, disinterested, looking up at the slowly darkening sky.

Lowering her gaze, she looked at him curiously. "What are we eating today?"

The man's eyebrow twitched slightly, and he laughed in amusement. "How about a special of mine?"

"What's its name?"

"I call it Lomito Feysac. I'm sure you'll like it."

"Oh?" Flora's eyes twinkled, a clear interest in them.

So far, the food the man was preparing proved to be not only delicious but varied.

Remembering the mbeju and the curious 'cocido' she had eaten this morning, the woman found herself looking forward to dinner.

Feysac is not only known for its drinks but also for the quality of its meat. If the dish Adryan planned to make for her bore that name, it was obvious what the main ingredient would be.

Click.

Looking at the time on his pocket watch, Adryan stood up and smiled at the woman. 

With an elegant and very gentlemanly bow, Adryan extended his gloved right hand to Flora, "Will you accompany me to the theater tonight, Beautiful Lady?"

Taken a bit by surprise, Flora took a moment to react.

Huffing a bit at this guy's nonsense, she decided to play along and gracefully took the outstretched hand, "I'd be delighted, Sir~"

They held it in as best they could for a second before bursting into laughter.