“What are you talking about? We saw each other just yesterday. It hasn’t been that long if you go by time.”

“To me, it felt like a pretty long time. I mean it.”

“Cut the nonsense. Do you talk like this to other women as well?”

Balter vehemently denied it, but Sione didn’t seem convinced.

While the two were bickering, I greeted Raven, who was standing quietly in the corner.

“Thanks for coming with us today, Raven. This will make the festival more fun!”

When our eyes met, I noticed that he hadn’t slept well the previous night.

His eyes were bloodshot, as red as a rabbit’s.

“Didn’t sleep well last night? Your eyes are all red.”

“…I had a book to read. Didn’t sleep much.”

“Hmm, really?”

As I stared intently, a flustered Raven awkwardly turned his head.

He was so shy that even his ears turned red, and he couldn’t make eye contact. It looked really cute.

‘I should take him out more often.’

He might act like an adult, but he was still a child.

I couldn’t help but smirk, imagining Raven, puffed up with anticipation for the festival, unable to sleep.

“Stop mocking me. I know I look funny.”

“No, I like it. I’m also pretty excited today. Going out of the palace, seeing the festival. It’s all new to me.”

I had been eagerly awaiting this day, too.

No, it would be more accurate to say that I’d dreamed of such a day all my life.

It was the first time I’d ever gone outside the palace, both in my previous and current lives.

“Everything is ready for departure. Shall we board the carriage, Bella?”

“Yep, got it.”

I took Sione’s hand and climbed into the carriage, taking a seat by the window.

Next to me was Sione, and across from me was Balter, presumably positioned to guard against any sudden attacks from both the door and the window.

“Did you bring your sword, Raven? Keep it tightly strapped to your waist just in case. Well, nothing should happen while I’m around.”

“I can take care of myself. Look out for others.”

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard.”
The carriage started to move while Walter and Raven, who seemed to have become quite close in the meantime, were talking.

It was late in the afternoon, so the area around the castle walls was already tinged with the hues of sunset.

As the carriage passed the well-maintained inner section of the royal castle and exited the gate, the wheels began to noisily roll over the dirt ground.

Finally, we were outside the palace.

‘People live here… It’s so fascinating.’

I was glued to the window of the shaky carriage, gazing at the landscape flowing by.

Perhaps because we were near the royal palace, there weren’t many civilian houses, but as time passed, the buildings gradually increased.

Vendors selling food ingredients, lively shouts, customers haggling over the prices, people heading home with baskets full, as if they were fishermen with a full catch…

Since it was dinner time, smoke rose from the chimneys, and children playing in the mud were led away by their parents one by one.

As the light faded and darkness began to rise, I stared out of the window for a long time, utterly captivated by the spectacle, which would be utterly ordinary for someone else.

“What’s so interesting out there? You can’t take your eyes off the window.”

“Do you want to see it too, Raven? You’d get a great view from my side.”

Because the camouflage carriage wasn’t very large, Raven sitting next to Walter’s large frame had some difficulty looking outside.

When I tapped on our relatively spacious seat, Raven quickly shook his head.

“It’s not that. I was just curious what scenery you found so captivating.”

“An ordinary evening landscape. But it’s special to me. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

I turned my gaze back to the window.

Understanding the hint, Walter leaned back in his seat, and Raven followed suit, gazing out of the window.

“Demons live just like humans. The human village where I used to live looked quite similar around this time.”

Raven mumbled to himself as if surprised.

I could guess his thoughts, as there was a time when I too thought that demons would be quite different from humans.

While I was quietly nodding, Walter grinned and added to Raven’s comment.

“Actually, aside from lifespan and temperament, there’s not much difference between humans and demons. Especially vampires, you could say they’re the most similar to humans. We’re the only demons forming such a large nation.”

“Be careful with your words, Walter. The pure-blooded aristocrats would be outraged if they heard you say that.”

“You must have heard it from Lady Elga as well? She mentioned that such a story was written in an old, worn-out book. Well, she did add that she didn’t read it because it was bothersome.”

Vampires are similar to humans.

The topic was quite intriguing, but we arrived at our destination, so unfortunately, the conversation couldn’t continue.

“This is near the temple of Goddess Nyx. It’s connected to the central square of the city, which is a great place to enjoy the festival.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Shall we take a slow walk around the square? It’s quite crowded at this time, so be careful while walking.”

“Sure, got it!”

I responded in an excited voice, flipped the hood of my cloak, and descended the stairs set up by the coachman.

Being short, I had to look down and tread carefully. When I finally looked up, a spectacular fountain with multiple jets of water caught my eye.

‘Oh my God, this is really awesome.’

In a city where night had already fallen, lights that seemed to be created by magic were twinkling from all directions.

The fact that the citizens of the kingdom were spending their time as comfortably as in broad daylight, unlike in human cities that would rely on candlelight at this time, was both astonishing and fascinating.
I stared in rapture at the musicians playing their instruments in front of the fountain, and at the people engrossed in dancing at the festival.

Stores teeming with wondrous items I had never seen before were filled with dolled-up couples enjoying their dates, arms linked, and the air was filled with the fragrant aroma wafting from street food vendors scattered around.

The dreamlike scenes continued, and I reached a point where I didn’t know where to set my eyes.

For who knows how long, I walked hand in hand with Sione, my mouth still agape.

It wasn’t until I reached the front of a large building that I finally halted my steps.

“Welcome, Your Highness, the Princess. It is an honor to host someone as esteemed as you.”