Chapter 93
Surprisingly, Ray gave his permission quite easily.
He said it would be fine since we’d be bringing escort knights along, and it was a masked festival anyway—no one would recognize the children’s faces. Once both Ray and His Majesty the King approved our outing, the three kids practically jumped for joy.
Even earlier today, the three of them had invited me to the “Palace of Trees.” They were gathered there, enthusiastically discussing what kind of costumes to wear for the festival.
“Lady Laila, what about this one?! We can wear matching ones!”
Rubiana’s eyes sparkled as she held up a mask shaped like a cow.
“Ah, or maybe this one…!”
Eladin, looking a bit shy, held up an exotic-looking princess mask—a luxurious one complete with a golden tiara and dangling earrings.
“What about this one, my lady? Please take a look.”
Raltz’s choice was a ghost mask—white, with strange purple eye makeup. A white cloth was attached so that it could cover the entire body.
All three masks were… uniquely full of personality.
‘Isn’t there… something a little more normal?’
As I hesitated, the three of them began to argue over whose mask was best.
“My mask is way better!”
“No, mine is!”
“No, it’s definitely mine.”
“Wait, wait. I’ll choose one myself, okay?”
I quickly stopped them and began rummaging through the pile of masks on the table.
It looked like they’d swept up every type of mask available in the market—the sheer number was staggering. There was no way we’d ever use all of them.
…Let’s just think of it as helping the local economy.
As I dug through the pile for something reasonably plain, my fingers brushed against something.
“…Ears?”
It was a pair of pointed ears made from fabric that felt almost like real skin. They seemed to be designed to clip onto the edges of your own ears, making them look long and pointy—like an elf’s. The texture was so realistic that I couldn’t help but wonder how it was made.
As I turned the ears over in my hands, Eladin, who’d been watching me, started digging through the pile too. Soon, he pulled something out.
“Those ears come as a set with this.”
In his hands was a long, sky-blue wig and a half-mask of the same color.
“Elves usually have green or sky-blue hair, you know,” Rubiana quickly chimed in.
I looked quietly at the wig and ears.
The outfit wasn’t too flashy, which I liked, and the pale blue color reminded me of my father’s silvery hair—it felt oddly familiar.
Perfect.
Having made up my mind, I told the three kids, “I’ll go with the elf costume.”
“……”
The children’s shoulders slumped as they each put their masks down reluctantly.
Even though we had permission to go to the festival, that didn’t mean we could wander around for the entire duration of it.
Ray had only allowed the children to go out for one day—the second day of the festival. His reason was simple: the deeper into the festival it went, the more crowded and dangerous it became.
The children accepted that easily. The prince and princess, of course, were used to restrictions like that, and Raltz, being the son of a high noble, knew well enough that he couldn’t roam freely either.
Still, since this was their first time going out to enjoy the festival like ordinary kids, they were absolutely thrilled.
“Look over there!”
Rubiana pointed toward one corner of the plaza. A troupe of street musicians was performing there. Compared to the royal orchestra, their clothes were shabby and their skills unrefined, but there was something lively and refreshing about them.
The bard was singing of dragons, fairies, and spirits.
Yesterday had been the first day of the festival, when all the lights in the capital were extinguished for the opening ceremony. Even the royal palace wasn’t exempt. It was my first time seeing such a sight, and it left me both startled and awed. It truly felt like an ancient tradition handed down through the ages.
The people of Siwin called this ceremony “Opening the Road to the Sky.” According to the bard, that road was now open, and the kingdom was overflowing with the magic and energy of otherworldly beings.
Even as a magician myself, I couldn’t actually feel anything like that—but if the song said so, then perhaps it was true.
Ray had deliberately chosen the second day for our outing, since the first night would be too dark after the lights were extinguished. And of course, Rubiana had insisted, “The second day is when you can see elves visiting the human world!”
We hadn’t seen any elves yet, but there were certainly plenty of people in costumes.
“There are so many… unusual people,” I remarked.
In the end, Rubiana had chosen the bear mask after much debate between that and the cow one. But “bear mask” didn’t mean anything cute or cuddly—it looked like the face of a ferocious beast carved out of wood. The fierce expression and intricate fur detailing were so vivid that it startled me at first glance. With that mask on, and the red eyes peeking through the holes, Rubiana looked just like a little wild cub.
“They’re selling something tasty over there.”
Raltz pointed at a food stall with one hand while staring at me. He wore a blue magician’s mask decorated with golden sequins around the eyes—it made him look more mature than usual. So he had something normal like that but tried to give me the creepy ghost one, huh?
“There are so many people… it looks like a sea of waves,” Eladin whispered beside me. His red half-mask looked striking against his pale skin, giving him the air of a noble young master—which, unfortunately, made him stand out even more.
Our escort knights were also disguised, and I pulled my hood up to avoid attracting attention. It was spring, though, so it was a bit warm.
“Shall we grab something to eat first?”
The three kids instantly replied, “Yes!” in unison.
Siwin was a kingdom famous for tourism, so even street food was said to be hygienically handled. I was relieved—I could safely buy them juice and snacks, and we began wandering leisurely through the festival streets with our food in hand.
It had been a while since I’d been out in the capital, and seeing the bustling crowds made my heart lift.
On one side of the plaza, stalls sold all sorts of trinkets, the most popular of which were masks. Even the foreigners walking around seemed to be buying one each.
As we walked, I browsed through the stalls, thinking I might pick up a small souvenir if something nice caught my eye.
Then, one stall in particular drew my attention.
“Wow…”
It was full of glittering glass crafts that shimmered under the festival lights.
They weren’t as dazzling as gemstones, but their delicate beauty had its own charm. Some were shaped like unicorns, others made into colorful bracelets or necklaces.
Among them, the multi-colored glass bead bracelets looked especially pretty.
Rubiana would love that.
I was about to call her over when—
“I wanna try throwing darts too!”
“C-Calm down, Ruby.”
She was already caught up in a dart-throwing game nearby, clutching a handful of darts in her tiny hands. Eladin hovered anxiously beside her, ready to intervene if she hurt herself.
There was no point calling her now—she was far too focused.
Well, if she doesn’t like it, I can just keep it myself.
I thought casually and pointed at the bracelet.
“Excuse me, could I get that one—”
“I’ll take that!”
Before I even finished my sentence, a hand darted out and snatched the bracelet right from under my nose.
“Ah, yes, yes!” the shopkeeper said cheerfully, handing it over.
I blinked in surprise and turned toward the culprit.
“……”
The person’s face was half hidden behind a vibrant butterfly mask. Their hair was completely covered by a matching cloth, making it impossible to tell its color.
But judging from the sharp line of their jaw, I could tell they had a refined, attractive face.
“…What are you staring at?”
They snapped at me when they noticed my gaze. The voice was youthful—high enough that I couldn’t tell if it belonged to a boy or a girl.
…They just cut in line while I was talking.
I sighed inwardly.
Fine. I guess first come, first served.
It probably wasn’t intentional.
I turned back to look for something else. Soon, a silver-thread bracelet caught my eye. It had a delicate glass orb in the center—blue and white like the sky meeting the earth. For a street stall, it was surprisingly high quality.
Eladin would probably like this one.
I reached out to pick it up myself this time—
But just as my fingers brushed the bracelet, someone snatched it again.
“I’ll take this too!”
“……?”
It was them again.
They shamelessly paid for it and gripped the bracelet tightly.
They kept buying exactly the things I reached for, and their movements were so fast I couldn’t even react in time.
Seriously, what’s with this person?
I grumbled inwardly, tempted to buy out the entire stall just to spite them.
But if I do that, no one else will get to buy anything.
So I decided to let it go and started browsing the other items—when suddenly:
“No, you know what? Just give me everything here.”
“……!”
“Oh ho! You’ve got great taste, customer!!”
The stall owner was overjoyed. Worried the buyer might change their mind, he hurriedly dumped all the goods into a box.
I could only stare in disbelief.
Sensing my gaze again, the masked person turned to look at me.
Under the flickering lights of the stall, their eyes shone—an astonishing, vivid blue.
