After a long walk across the garden, we had finally made it to the front gates. I had properly told the servants of my intentions, and they had already prepared for my leaving. The knights opened the gates all slow and dramatic. Servants lined up left and right, bowing as we walked past. For just a simple walk outside, there was really no need for all this, really.

But I sort of understand why they went to such lengths. This was my first time taking a walk in the capital since… how long? Definitely years. Not gonna lie; even I felt like this was a big step.

I won’t complain about this; hell, I welcomed it. I need to melt the ice surrounding my name, and having a witness to me going out to have fun with Leila will definitely help!

“Safe travels, Lady Carine!” The servants said in harmonic unison.

The gates closed before us. Leila looked at me with her usual neutral expression.

“Shall we, Lady Carine?”

“Yes, we shall.”

As we began our walk to the capital square, I glanced at Leila once again. It took quite a bit of willpower to prevent myself from letting my jaw fall, but now I was a bit more calm to study her clothing choices.

You guessed it. Leila was finally wearing something other than her work clothes for once.

A lotta big steps are taken today, huh?

I gotta say, she looked like a totally different person in that get-up. I mean, her robotic personality was still pretty much the same, I think…? But I guess the way you dress really does change a lot on how others see you.

She wore a long-sleeved blouse with a long skirt, which meant she basically copied my style. Sorry, I was kidding. This kind of clothing was pretty much standard, in the upper class anyway. 

That said, I had to clarify that she didn’t copy me bar for bar. For example, I wore a corset belt since it came packed in with my blouse. It wasn’t exactly choking me; hell, I could barely even feel it. I wondered why I even bothered putting it on. 

Before I left, a maid also gave me a small laced cape-like fabric to cover my shoulders with. I believe they call these pelerines? Who knows?

Although our clothing style was roughly the same, somehow, Leila has a whole different aura to her. Her maid outfit was always impeccable, clean of any dust or dirt, no matter the job. It usually gives off a sense of professionalism or cleanliness. 

Now though? It felt like she defined the words noble, elegant, and composed, all at the same time. It was the kind of aura that made you feel like she would pat your head without saying a word.

Leila carried a small satchel with her, hanging across her chest. Judging from the way it bounces and sways, I guessed it only contained money and such.

I, too, carried a small white leather handbag, which carried little more than my coin pouch. It was my first time ever getting a chance to finally use my allowance, so I was a bit excited when I pulled my coin pouch out of my drawer. 

Actually, back when I opened my coin pouch to check how much allowance I had…

Oh. 

Oh Lord.

Ain’t this too much?

Those were my thoughts as I stared at the golden glow pouring from my pouch

I mean, with my schedule, I hardly ever leave my mansion—let alone step onto the street outside—so I never saw a reason to need an allowance. It’s not like Mother and Father wouldn’t buy me anything I wanted, though I never really asked for anything specific anyway.

“Where are we headed, Lady Carine?”

Leila’s sudden question pulled me back to reality. I faced her as I answered, “To the central square. I believe we can find something nice to eat.”

Leila gave a small nod, and we continued down the path.

Anyway, I kind of figured that the walk there would be pretty much quiet. I had a hunch that Leila wasn’t feeling herself today. I mean, she was staring at a wall for who knows how long. Had I not entered her room that noon, would she still be there until nightfall?

But this was her rare day off. She barely ever got any, so I was damn well going to make sure she actually enjoyed it.

…

We entered one of the restaurants in the square, the doorbell chiming. I chose it randomly based on a simple game of eeny meeny miney mo, and surprisingly, it wasn’t packed at all. Besides a few patrons here and there, there were plenty of empty seats. Whether that meant this wasn’t rush hour or the food here wasn’t good, I didn’t know yet.

The interior of the place was delightfully clean and proper. Polished dark wood, clothed tables with soft, comfortable-looking seats, warm lighting with lanterns and candles. Despite how small it was, you could tell they were trying to prop this place up as a luxurious place to eat. I could tell this was a good place for business talks, judging from the way the tables and walls were lined up. 

A waiter brought us to a seat next to a rather expansive window covered by a curtain, the sill was decorated with potted plants and vibrant flowers. Leila sat across from me as we were given our menu.

Written elegantly in admittedly slightly faded ink was an assortment of food choices. From seafood to steaks to salads, it seemed like they had them all here. The chef here was either talented or… you know, Talent-ed.

There was a whole section dedicated to wine, but if I ordered one, Leila would definitely snitch on me to Mother. No thanks.

I glanced up at Leila who… didn’t even bother looking at the menu?

“Leila? What would you like to eat?” I asked, just in case.

“Whatever it is you choose for me, My Lady.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly. “That is unacceptable, Leila. You are free to choose whatever you like.”

Leila remained unblinking for several seconds before finally giving a nod. “Understood.” She finally picked up her menu and started reading through it.

I feel like I’m forcing her to stop being in work mode more than anything…

…

The meal was delightful, but it was uneventful. Leila ended up ordering something light, so I followed suit and ordered something light for myself. That meant we finished our meal pretty quickly, and we weren’t exactly rushing.

There was a little bit of a problem when it came to paying though. Even though I insisted that I should be the one paying, since I already troubled her so much, Leila had somehow already paid for the meal before I even noticed.

I didn’t know when she did it or even how, but… knowing Leila, I felt it was best not to question it.

Come to think of it, we left the restaurant a little bit too quickly, in my opinion. Sure, the sun was ready to start setting, but I kind of wanted to spark a conversation or two while we were having our meal, but I didn’t have the chance to. Now that we were back in the square, I just stood silently.

However, inside, my mind was panicking slightly.

What the hell should we do now?

I admit… I didn’t think this far into the plan. I was a bit eager to start Operation Ice Melter that I didn’t even plan this part out properly. I was totally banking on a longer stay at the restaurant and heading back before night fell. There was still a solid hour or two that I could use, but what to use them on?

“Where shall we go next, Lady Carine?”

I wonder that myself.

I held back a flinch before I faced her. “Why don’t we go for a small walk?”

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