Inside the bedroom, unaware of the spying eyes not long ago, Kilian finished the last of his portion and leaned back, a comfortable sigh escaping him.
He took a sip of his coffee, its rich aroma filling his senses as he watched Elara, who was still slowly working her way through the generous portion on her plate.
A playful glint entered his eyes, and with a subtle movement, he nudged a pastry closer to her side of the table with his foot.
Elara, however, seemed to notice his plate was now mostly empty. She looked up, her gaze meeting his.
Kilian was holding his coffee cup, a soft smile playing on his lips.
"Young Master"
she began, a hint of surprise in her voice.
"how did you finish eating so fast? Perhaps you didn't even eat that much."
Kilian scoffed playfully, his smile widening.
"You just eat too slow, Elara," he teased.
Their eyes met again, and he gestured with his free hand.
"Don't mind me. Keep eating. Make sure not to leave any food left."
Elara, already feeling quite full, shook her head gently.
"I can't eat anymore, Young Master, or else I won't be able to move and do my chores for the day."
Kilian raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Young Master. Thank you for the food," she replied, her voice soft.
Kilian made a dismissive hand gesture.
"No, thank you for joining me for breakfast."
After that, Elara started to clear the table, tidily stacking the used plates.
Kilian was still looking at her, then his gaze drifted to the room service trolley, where several untouched dishes remained, still covered.
"What happens to these leftovers, Elara?" he asked, pointing at the trolley.
Elara glanced at the remaining food.
"They will probably be thrown away, Young Master, because we can't eat them without permission."
Kilian's eyes lit up slightly at her words then asked.
"Elara,just to confirm, is the library located outside the castle walls?"
Elara paused her cleaning, looking a bit surprised by the question, but then confirmed.
"Yes, Young Master, it is."
"It's a short walk from the main gate."
Kilian nodded slowly, looking as though he was thinking deeply about something.
"Then, can you pack them up for us?"
He requested, a thoughtful expression on his face, gesturing towards the untouched food on the trolley.
"We'll bring them outside. I have a good idea where to put those leftovers to use."
He then considered something else.
"Do we need to bring guards with us, or is it alright if not?"
Elara shook her head gently.
"It is fine either way, Young Master."
"Knights are patrolling around the Kingdom and its city around the clock."
"Good," Kilian said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.
"We don't really need to bring one to where we are going anyway."
After Elara finished tidying the room and ensuring everything was in its place, she looked at Kilian, ready to depart.
He took a moment to adjust his attire, a simple but finely made tunic that felt surprisingly comfortable, before nodding to Elara.
Oh, and Elara," Kilian added, just as she was about to turn away.
"Could you also bring these items on the list for me? The strong ones if possible. We might need it."
Elara, looking slightly puzzled but accustomed to her young master's whims, nodded.
"Of course, Young Master. Right away."
She retrieved the items, tucking it carefully into a small satchel she carried for essentials.
Together, they exited his bedroom and started walking towards the castle gates, making their way outside.
As they walked side by side, Kilian kept his gaze forward, but his mind raced.
He had asked Elara about the library's location, and if they needed guards, mostly to keep up the pretense.
He knew exactly where the Grand Library of Noxhaven was. In fact, he knew where almost every significant location in Aethelgard was.
The game, he mused internally, it was an open-world RPG, not just turn-based.
Its vast maps accommodated not only the various human kingdoms but also the sprawling territories of other races and monster-infested lands.
Kilian had spent countless hours exploring every nook and cranny of this digital world, committing its geography to memory.
Stepping out of the castle gates and onto the main thoroughfare of the capital city, Kilian subtly scanned his surroundings, confirming his internal map.
The important buildings such as the Grand Library, the Merchant's Guild, the Adventurer's Hub, the Royal Arena and more are all seemed to be exactly where they should be, just as he remembered from the game.
The layout was impressively accurate.
The most striking difference, however, was the sheer density of life.
The streets are filled with people.
Merchants hawked their wares from brightly colored stalls, children chased each other through the bustling crowds, and the aroma of street food mingled with the scent of fresh bread from bakeries.
Small businesses, like food carts and artisan shops, spilled out onto the pathways, adding a vibrant, chaotic energy that the game never truly captured.
"Right..." he murmured.
In the game, only the NPCs could actually interact with such as the quest-givers, the lore keepers, the hidden Easter egg characters, they were all scattered around.
The world felt lived-in, but never truly alive.
He then realize that this was the real Aethelgard, far richer and more complex than any virtual rendering.
It was a world brimming with faces, stories, and lives that existed beyond his interactions.
The realization was both exhilarating and daunting.
"Haha" He then murmured to himself.
"At least they don't look like the same background characters as each other."
"Or else I will lose my mind seeing the same exact person a dozen times in the street."
As they continued their walk, navigating the lively streets, Elara pointed ahead.
"The library is just there, Young Master," she said, indicating a large, imposing structure barely visible in the distance through the bustling street.
Kilian, however, stopped.
"Before we go there, Elara, I want to take a detour," he stated.
"I have other places I want to go first."
Without waiting for a reply, Kilian turned and began walking in a different direction, heading directly towards what appeared to be the heart of the city's marketplace.
As they drew closer, the gentle murmur of the city transformed into a vibrant cacophony.
The air thickened with a rich tapestry of scents such as the sharp tang of exotic spices, the sweet perfume of blooming flowers, the earthy aroma of fresh produce, and the tantalizing sizzle of cooking food.
The marketplace was a dazzling riot of color and movement.
It stretched out before them, an intricate maze of temporary stalls and wheeled carts, each crammed with a bewildering array of goods.
One moment, they passed a stall draped in bolts of silk and linen, shimmering in hues of sapphire and emerald.
The next, they were skirting a cart overflowing with polished wooden vases and delicate ceramic ornaments, glinting under the sunlight.
Street vendors loudly advertised their wares, their voices competing with the cheerful chatter of shoppers and the distant clang of a blacksmith's hammer.
Small children, dodging through legs, darted past stands piled high with ripe fruits and freshly baked pastries.
While others watched, wide-eyed, as a performer juggled brightly colored balls near a corner.
It was a bustling, living hub, alive with the pulse of the kingdom.
Kilian led them deeper into the bustling market, his eyes scanning the various wares.
He stopped abruptly before a stall that shimmered with delicate brilliance.
It was entirely dedicated to women's accessories, from earrings that dangled like dewdrops, bracelets intricately woven with fine metal, pendants of varying shapes, and necklaces that shimmered with embedded stones.
Each piece seemed to feature different types of gemstones, catching the light in myriad ways.
Upon facing the vendor, a middle-aged man with shrewd but slightly anxious eyes.
Kilian noticed the man's expression shift from general attentiveness to sudden, nervous recognition.
"Young Prince Kilian?"
The vendor stammered, his voice hushed and nervous, a bead of sweat tracing a path down his temple despite the cool morning air.
Kilian's eyebrows raised slightly, a hint of surprise touching his features at being immediately recognized.
He then offered a thin, polite smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Hm, So you know me, huh?" he said, his voice even.
Then, his smile sharpened almost imperceptibly as he added,
"Then you know what will happen too if you try to scam me, right?"
The vendor visibly flinched, unable to meet Kilian's gaze.
He simply nodded, sweating a little more profusely.
Kilian's attention then turned to a specific item on display, a delicate silver necklace with a polished gemstone.
"Is this made of what I think it is?" he inquired, his tone neutral.
The vendor quickly, almost eagerly, replied, "Yes, Young Prince! It is embedded with an ---- gemstone."
Kilian's gaze lingered on the necklace for a moment, then he looked back at the vendor.
"Do you have any other accessories with the same stone, but for men?"
The vendor's eyes lit up slightly at the prospect of another sale.
"Ah, yes! Aside from that one necklace, this leather bracelet is the only other item we have that is embedded with an ---- gemstone."
He quickly reached beneath the counter, rummaging for a moment before pulling out a simple, yet elegant, leather bracelet.
A single, smooth gemstone was set into its center, framed by subtle metalwork.
The vendor presented it to Kilian.
Kilian reached into the pouch of coins he'd found in his bedroom, the one that must have belonged to the original Kilian, and paid the vendor.
"This is the best type of gemstone that I can get to imbue with magic when compared to the other types located in the Noxhaven Kingdom"
Kilian thought to himself, his gaze fixed on the dark, lustrous stones on bith accessories.
Elara, who had been standing a respectful distance away, watching the exchange, tried not to eavesdrop too intently.
But her curious gaze was drawn to the sparkling items in her Young Master's hand.
As Kilian turned from the vendor, she couldn't help but voice the question that had formed in her mind.
"Young Master, If you don't mind me asking, why did you buy those two specifically?"
She asked, her tone carefully neutral but with a clear undertone of confusion and curiosity.
***
/I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If its alright, please drop a comment or a powerstone to help me keep making this world bigger!