As the sun was still high and the weather clear, the Valentine's carriage swiftly rolled on the roads of Tiara town.

Once every alternate month, Tiara town organized the capital's biggest marketplace where world-renowned brands and goods from across cities and continents gathered and sold their items.

One can say that it was one of the liveliest days of the month, where people gathered in thousands in Tiara, the town situated not too far from the Valentine Dukedom and Shinra City.

"Wow, the streets are indeed lively," Layla murmured as she popped her head out of the carriage.

Leon looked at her and simply said,

"Yeah, it's also one of the days when merchants make most of the profits."

"Huh, you don't say." Layla sat properly, facing him.

Because of such huge gatherings once in a while, the Valentine house also helped organize the town, and in return, they took five percent of the total profit made by the merchants. It was a win-win for both parties. The merchants gained, and the kingdom as well.

Besides, this helped Valentine gain more influence across borders by making connections with foreign merchants.

As Leon was looking outside, the carriage suddenly halted with a jolt.

"Hm?"

Leon looked outside and noticed that they were still in between the roads and hadn't reached their destination yet.

"What happened?" he asked.

The carriage driver answered, "Ah, nothing, Young Master, it was just a weird kid that suddenly jumped in front of the carriage."

'Weird kid?'

Leon popped his head out and looked toward the street. There, he saw a small boy with long messy hair wearing a long red robe. His small legs, exposed and bruised, with a few traces of rope marks were visible.

'That's not right.' He thought.

"..."

Leon adjusted his specs and took note of his appearance. The boy was running away to the other side of the road.

"What is he doing?" Layla muttered, popping her head out just beside Leon.

Leon tilted his head slightly, realizing how close her face was.

"Looks like he stole something and ran," Leon simply said to her, retracting his head away and taking his seat.

Layla did the same.

The carriage afterward moved slowly. After taking a turn, it parked near the town's circle.

After the carriage driver announced the stop, Layla opened the gate and stepped down first.

Leon followed her afterward, but he stopped as Layla extended her hand before he stepped down.

"..." He narrowed his eyes on her extended hand.

"What?" he asked.

Layla grinned and said, "I'm helping you step down."

'The hell?'

"I didn't ask for any help," he said calmly.

Layla smirked and replied, "I know that, but even so, I want to hold out my hand for you."

"Come on. Take it." She smiled again.

Leon looked down at her hand and then at her smiling face. He extended his hand toward hers, but instead of taking it, he pushed it aside and said, sneering,

"What am I, a kid?"

"Uhh…?"

Leon stepped down on his own and passed her, then turned around and said, "Let's go, we need to return before sunset."

Layla bit her lip and softly clenched her extended hand to her chest before softly agreeing.

"Alright, I will be right behind you."

Leon didn't know why, but he felt like he had dissatisfied her.

'Well, it's for the best, I guess,' he told himself as he maintained his pace to match with Layla and walked right beside her.

"Just walk next to me," he said to her, "if you get lost, I'll be the one who gets scolded."

Layla looked at his face and simply nodded. "Mhm."

"Where to?" Leon asked her.

Layla looked around for a moment before replying, "I want to buy a new sandal."

"A new sandal, huh?" Leon repeated, thinking for a second. "I think I know of a place."

"Oh really? Then I will go there." She smiled lightly.

Soon after joining the Twilight Order, Leon had memorized the kingdom's map to some extent. He even remembered all the important shops and districts near Shinra Capital by heart. And now, he was confident he would not need any navigation guide to travel anywhere in this kingdom.

'It is helpful to some extent, but I have to keep looking at the map every night to memorize it perfectly.'

It was a technique he had learned, one that helped him memorize things faster.

Along with Layla, he left the town's circle and took a right turn toward a shop he knew. The street was wide and filled with people moving in all directions. Food stalls, clothing stores, jewelers, and even potion merchants lined the road.

Layla's eyes darted from one side to another as they walked. She looked like a child seeing the market for the first time.

Leon, however, was calm. He had already studied the town's structure in his mind, every street, corner, and landmark marked neatly in his memory.

Just after they left, another carriage stopped near the town's circle. It looked like an ordinary noble's carriage, but it was only a façade.

The door opened, and two young maidens stepped down. Their faces were similar, and both wore matching dresses with round glasses and small hats to cover their identity.

"Haah. Fresh air." Rinna puffed her chest and took a deep breath.

Eula giggled softly and stepped down after her.

"Hey now, just because Father gave permission doesn't mean we are completely free," Eula said.

"I know, sis," Rinna replied with a grin.

They had asked the king for permission to visit the nearest town. The king had agreed but also sent a few knights and assassins to keep an eye on them from afar.

"I smell something delicious." Rinna sniffed the air, her eyes lighting up. She turned to Eula, grabbed her hand, and pulled her forward.

"Let's go see what they are selling."

"Alright, alright," Eula said with a smile. She signaled the carriage driver to wait and followed Rinna toward the street to their right.

"Our disguise is perfect. We should go out more often, don't you think?" Rinna said cheerfully.

Eula sighed. "Maybe not. You might feel less stressed, but we third years have it rough."

"Oh? Do you get lots of classes? I mean, we do too."

"Not classes," Eula answered, "but when you reach third year, you'll be busy with extra-curricular tasks."

"Huh, but it can be avoided if I join the Disciplinary Committee or any research-oriented club, right?"

Eula nodded. "Yes, but those are not easy to get into. You have to be recruited by them."

"Is that so…" Rinna muttered, tapping her chin.

Eula smiled faintly and patted her younger sister's head.

"Don't worry. With your rank, any club would beg to have you."

"Hehe… I don't know. I thought I would be ranked at the top, but…" She looked away for a moment.

She had ranked below two unexpected students.

Eula glanced at her sister's side profile and knew exactly who Rinna was thinking of. Indeed, those two were something else, and Eula was well aware of both of them.

'Ethan and Leon…' Eula though.

They were not the kind of people anyone would expect to rank that high, but both of them had proven otherwise. Eula knew a little about Ethan, enough to understand why he was strong. As for Leon, there was still a mystery around him.

'Well, Rinna was simply unlucky, yeah…'

Nothing could be done about it. Both of them were on another level.

Walking down the road, Eula sensed several eyes on them. They were getting stares from both men and women passing by.

She pulled down her hat and adjusted her glasses closer to her eyes.

"Nothing surprising, right… haha." Eula held Rinna's hand. "Even if they identify who we are, they wouldn't really think it's the actual princesses walking hand in hand."

It was basic psychology. When people witness something too unlikely, their mind rejects it as impossible, convincing itself it's just a mere delusion.

"I see. Even so, I'm used to stares, but it still makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable," Rinna said softly.

As a princess, she was supposed to be used to attention, yet it still fazed her every time. She never went outside on her own. It was always with guards or her sister.

"It's alright. You'll get used to it," Eula said.

Rinna looked at her face and smiled faintly. "Hmm… but I'm very envious of you, sister. How do you even manage to do that?"

"Let me think…" Eula rubbed her chin. "I'd say it's because I'm good at maintaining a facade."

"Facade?"

"Yes. Even if I'm nervous, I just don't let it appear on my face. It's something I learned from our mother."

"Eh? Are you picking up weird habits again?"

"Pftt— true. But I think that weird habit is useful," Eula said, winking at her.

Thud!

Something hit her toe.

Eula looked down and saw an apple rolling at her feet.

"Hm?" She stopped and bent to pick it up.

A man came running toward them, probably the owner of the fallen apple.

"I'm so sorr—" he froze as his eyes met hers. His expression shifted completely. "Wow."

Eula dusted the apple and handed it to him.

"Here. This is yours I assume?"

"Ah… th-thank you," the man stuttered, taking it with both hands. He even bowed slightly, like he was greeting a goddess.

After handing it over, Eula continued walking.

"..."

Rinna narrowed her eyes, watching her sister.

"What?" Eula asked.

Rinna puffed her cheeks. "See, sister, this is why every man falls for you."

"Huh? Where did that come from?"

"Nowhere. You're just too nice for this world. Hmph!"

Eula smirked before teasing back. "Well, I can say the same for you."

"Heh, oh please, I'm nowhere close to you."

Eula giggled, then muttered without thinking, "That's an understatement. You even made Leon fall for you."

"Huh?" Rinna stopped walking. "Why did you bring him up?"

Eula blinked, realizing her slip.

"Huh? Oh… I just heard Leon is popular in your year, that's all."

Rinna narrowed her eyes. "I would say the same for you, sister. His elder brother was the same."

The mention of Rowan made Eula's face twist slightly.

"That 'thing' is incomparable to Leon. The younger one has decency and respect."

Rinna blinked, surprised. "Sister? Why am I getting the feeling you're taking his side?"

"You're overthinking." Eula brushed the topic aside. "Let's leave the depressing talk and eat something first. I'm starving."

Before Rinna could reply to her, she froze.

Her gaze stopped at the gate of a luxurious shop ahead. A boy and a girl stepped out together. Both had black hair, but the girl's strands shimmered fainty blue under sunlight.

Eula followed her gaze and saw the same two people.

"Leon?" she muttered. Then she noticed the girl beside him, smiling brightly, standing close to him. "And who is that?"

Leon was holding several bags, but the way he was looking at that girl, the soft expression on his face was something Rinna had never seen before.

Before she could turn to Eula, Leon's eyes shifted and met hers.

"...?!"

.

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[A/N: Sorry, the 2 promised bonus chapter will be released tomorrow. Got stuck in an urgent matter. thanks for reading!]

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