While they were walking toward the shopping district, Maria explained to Lorelei how the capital was divided.
"First, the capital is organized into three different areas — well, four if you count the castle. There's the lower sector, the middle sector, which we are in right now, and the high area right over there."
She pointed at a staircase leading toward a big door.
"You remember that door we passed by to enter?"
Lorelei nodded.
"Well, there are three of them at every intersection in the capital. It's to separate the rich from the poor. Mother told me it was a system put in place by the 14th king during his reign over the kingdom. He's also the one who created the four fountains across the capital and made the four artificial rivers that run through each sector. Although people despised him, Mom never told me why they hated him so much. She only said that he did something in the past, and he was assassinated by one of his sons, who took over the throne after him. His son only stayed on the throne for about two years before mysteriously disappearing."
Maria seemed deep in thought while talking to Lorelei about the kingdom.
"You should ask my Mother about it. She'll explain everything there is to know about the history of the kingdom and the capital. She used to live in it, after all. For now, let's go check out the shops!"
Before Lorelei even realized it, they had already reached the shopping district. The shops here were really different from the ones behind the stands in the market. These shops seemed more refined and decorated. Their names were written in different styles and characters. Some even had drawings or big characters beside their names. The shops weren't the only thing that had changed; the appearance of the people had too. Here, people were dressed elegantly and more modestly. Even though it wasn't much different from the people back there, they seemed to give off a more sophisticated and serious impression. As they walked across the district, Lorelei could feel their piercing gazes on her back, so she asked Maria.
"Why are tHey looking At us?"
"Oh, don't mind them. In the high area, there aren't really many shops, so some nobles have to come down to the middle sector to buy what they need, or they just send servants. But for some reason, even if the people here aren't much different, the nobles despise them. Mom told me not to mind what they do or say, and we'll be fine."
They walked across the district, observing the different types of shops. Here, the quality of the products was way higher and way more expensive than the stuff back in the market. Maria even explained that apart from the shopping district, there was a gigantic shopping mall, but it was only reserved for nobles, academy students, and high-ranking people in the hierarchy. They approached a workshop after hearing loud thuds from outside. Maria went in, and Lorelei followed. Inside, they saw a big, bald man near a forge with a molten rod beside him that he kept striking with a heavy hammer. At the sound of the bell, he didn't even bother turning around.
"This is no place for kids to be. Leave."
The man didn't seem too friendly. Both Lorelei and Maria were scared by his appearance and voice. Maria spoke in a low voice.
"We just came to observe..."
The man didn't reply and kept striking the molten rod with his hammer. The two girls thought it would be fine for them to look around for now. The shop's walls were decorated with swords, shields, spears, and all types of weapons one could think of. There were even glowing items with a crystal inside, just like the one Lorelei had seen back at the other shop in the market. In front of the forge, there was a row of prosthetic arms and other parts hanging around the forge that immediately caught Lorelei's attention. In the brief moment that Lorelei wasn't looking at Maria, she sneaked over to a barrel full of swords, picked one out, and started swinging it around to try it out. But she lost her balance and fell, making a loud thud as the sword dropped. What followed was a long silence.
"I will not repeat myself. Leave at once."
Both girls, terrified by his serious tone, left the moment he spoke those words, apologizing before taking off as quickly as they had come in. Maria walked while talking to Lorelei and not looking at where she was going. Soon enough, she bumped into someone and fell on the ground, the basket falling with her.
"I apologize, sir."
She looked up to see a young man with blond hair, guarded by two soldiers who were pointing their spears at her. The young man stared down at her with disgust.
"Have the lower beings even lost their eyesight now? Can't you see where you're going?"
"I already apologized, sir. I'm sorry."
"An apology won't cut it. You dare sully my suit with that filthy body."
"Well, I don't know what you want. Step aside if you have nothing else to say."
"You're talking back?"
The man approached her and raised his hand. Just at that moment, Lorelei stepped forward. Through her hood, she looked up at the man in disgust, and he looked back at her.
"You filth really have no limit to your disrespect, do you?"
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of marching, growing closer and closer. All of them turned toward the sound and saw multiple knights. The three at the front were on white horses while the others marched in synchronized rhythm. They were all wearing white armor with golden strips toward the edges, covering every inch of their bodies. On the right side of their waists, long white swords could be seen bumping against the ground at every step.
"Oh, the royal guards are back from their expedition," the young man said.
The three guards at the front weren't wearing helmets, but the rest were. Their faces were still hard to discern, but as they got closer, Lorelei recognized them. They were the same knights who had forced her to kill the man. She lowered her hood over her face with her hand and turned sideways. Her feet clenched hard within her shoes, and her hand gripped the hood so tightly it felt like it was going to tear. The vision of the bloody grass and the man's eyes flooded her mind. His words played over and over again, asking her to kill him. She wanted to kill the guards right there. She wanted to give them the most atrocious death she could think of. She wanted to cut their limbs apart, just as they had done to the man. But she resisted again and again, holding in the temptation.
"Kill them. All of them," she heard.
"Kill them."
"Kill them."
"Kill them."
The same voice she had heard in the storage room repeated over and over in her head. She clenched her teeth in rage until blood came out. She wanted to give in to the voice, but she mustn't. She was going to wait until she got stronger, until she had enough strength to make their lives nothing more than mere toys within the grasp of her hand. The main guard in the middle looked in their direction, and she lowered the hood even more until they passed. While the knights faced away from her, she whispered.
"I'll kill all of you."
Soon enough, the marching slowly passed, leaving them in silence. The guards raised their spears and whispered something in the young man's ear.
"Very well, so be it. I will leave you two for now, but don't think I won't remember your face."
He walked away, leaving only Maria and Lorelei. Maria leaned in to see if Lorelei was all right since she hadn't moved for a while. She saw blood rolling down her cheek and wiped it for her.
"It's fine, Lorelei. We won't see that jerk anymore anyway. Thank you for standing up for me."
She patted Lorelei through her hood and grabbed her hand. "Come, we still need to buy the energy stone. The one we have right now is about to run out." She dragged Lorelei to a nearby glowing shop, where they bought the stone for fifteen lyrr. The shop owner told them it had enough energy to last them for two months. Maria thanked him and left.
"Lorelei, we need to hurry back to the carriage. It's almost sunset."
Lorelei nodded and let herself be dragged across the capital once again by Maria. She couldn't even focus on looking around like she had while they were exploring. Her mind kept replaying scenes of the time she had spent with the man. It was painful. It was like she was drifting ashore, with Maria being the waves that carried her. The blood splattering against her face and the knight's sword being raised with every slash was frightening. It was all too frightening. Tears pooled in her eyes but couldn't seem to find their way out. She held them in. She had to be strong. She had to avenge him. Until then, not a single tear must be shed, for on the bloody path she was treading, there was no room for the weak. Her facial expression hardened, and she swallowed back the tears building in her eyes. Before she even realized it, they had already arrived at the carriage and were waiting for the carriage man to attach the horses before boarding. Once they did, the carriage took off, leaving the capital behind. The ride home this time was quiet and still. None of them dared to move or even speak. Each stared through the window, waiting for time to pass. From a distance, Lorelei saw a long pillar of light. At its peak, there was a star-shaped symbol with an arc going around it. The column itself was imposing; it seemed to stretch for miles below the ground and above the skies. She didn't know what it was, but she wasn't in the mood to ask Maria now, so she stayed quiet. When they arrived, Silvia was there waiting for them. As soon as the carriage man opened the door, Maria jumped out to hug her mother, while Lorelei slowly got off, taking her time.
"How was it?" she asked the girls.
"It was so fun! We did so many things there, and here are the groceries."
Maria handed the basket as well as the rest of the money to her mother.
"Thank you, Maria. How about you, Lorelei? Did you like it?"
"YeAh, I did," she answered softly.
"Well, that's good. Next time, let's go all together."
Silvia walked over to the carriage man, who was waiting beside the horses. She thanked him and handed him some money before he took off again.
"Shall we go now? I made dinner for you girls. You must be tired, right?"
Maria shook her head, but Lorelei stayed motionless. Silvia placed the basket over her shoulder, took the girls by the hand, and slowly walked toward the house.