Today was their last day in Dellwick.

Bandit attacks had entered a sharp decline. Merchants and travelers alike hadn't suffered so much as toll gougers on the Dellwick-Brandonbury route for the past couple of days. By this reasoning, Sylphia decided that their job here was done.

And only one thing remained.

A cool, overcast sky met the two as they stepped out of the inn. The weather complemented the onset of dusk, exuding a relaxed, if somewhat melancholic mood around the village. But despite this, the citizens of Dellwick lived their day in high spirits. After all, while it seemed that winter had come early for banditry, harvest season had just reached its peak.

Stocks of grain, fruit and other produce overflowed, the volume of merchant trade being insufficient to haul them away. The recent problems didn't help, and as a result, Dellwick was faced with the largest store of unsold goods in living memory.

Such was the primary motivation for this year's festivities.

"Ooooh!" the little girl's tiny voice lit up in excitement, "Is this really that same market!?"

"Indeed, it is, my Lady." Her secretary waved her forward. "Welcome to Dellwick's Harvest Festival."

Lanterns wrapped in paper hung over the street, tied between the corners of each stall. They gave off a cool, orange light that gave the market a perpetual, late-afternoon glow.

Beneath them, people gathered in the hundreds. Farmers set up their stalls along the road, trading the bounty of this season's harvest. Indeed, the entire summer repertoire of the village was on display, whether it be fresh produce such as grain and vegetables, or preserves like jam and dried fruit.

Merchants also joined in, even some from far aflung as the southern port town of Brimmingham. Fierce competition brewed between those who shared stops along their trade route, and the non-stop clarion call of discount prices saturated the air.

Meanwhile, visitors and locals alike flooded the streets, their trails moving from shop to shop, forming the ebb and flow of traffic.

I knew there'd be a lot more people, but this many!?

Sylphia rubbed a bead of sweat off her forehead.

Phew... add that to the hot smoke puffing out of the food stands, and it's pretty exhausting, just walking around like this.

Thankfully, she always had her fan around... whether she liked it or not. It would be one of the rare occasions when she would actually use him for his intended purpose.

"Wah!" Sylphia squealed as someone bumped into her. One thing led to another and, after running into a couple more people, she lost her footing entirely.

However, just as she was about to fall to her knee, she felt a tight tug on her wrist, which she then used as leverage to regain her posture.

"Are you alright, my Lady?" Eris asked, as she crouched down, pulling Sylphia closer and wiping the dirt on her cheek.

"The heck was that!?" she whined, "Can't they look where they're going!?"

"It can't be helped, it's this crowded, after all. Children often get lost during this occasion, so please do not add yourself as a burden to Dellwick's limited force of guards."

"Chil- Hey, I'm not-" She had a retort loaded just at the tip of her tongue, when her eyes turned to the crowd around her. She quickly realized, her point of view consisted solely of shuffling hips and bellies.

She bit her lips in frustration.

Uuuu... I guess I might as well be a child, after all...

"...let's go." Sylphia said with a sigh. Though displeased, she nonetheless took her secretary's words at heart. And, resolving to not let a minor accident to spoil the occasion, she gave Eris a tug and went, "Come on, let's look around some more!"

"Ah, wait, please don't pull me!" she protested, but to no effect, "My Lady!"

"Ahahahaha!"

Alas, they plunged once more into the crowd, hand-in-hand.

After a while, the two walked past a familiar face.

"Oh, is that you, Lady Sylphia?" A young girl called out to them. Her long, blonde hair, which much resembled the vast wheat fields surrounding the village, swayed hither and dither as she approached. And with a smile, she greeted them, her cheeks dyed rosy red under the warm festival lanterns.

That is... oh, the elder's granddaughter. What was her name again?

"Ah!" Sylphia's face lit up. "Ann, nice to see you here! Did you come alone?"

"No, I-" She turned her eyes away and let out a weary sigh. "Grey was with me until a moment ago... when his buddies dragged him off. I'm guessing he's already drunk right about now. How about you, Lady Sylphia? With Miss Carlisle, I suppose?"

"Ah, no." She pointed her thumb over her shoulder.

When Ann then lifted her face, her entire body locked up, and her expression instantly soured. "Guah, Miss Secretary..."

Eris' eyes fell halfway as she greeted her, "Good evening, Miss Elroy."

"G-good evening." she replied, with a prickly tone.

"Ueh...?" Caught between the exchange of glares, Sylphia asked, "You two don't get along very well, do you? Why is that?"

Without answering, however, Ann simply shifted away and pouted. "Hmph!"

"Ehhh..." She then turned to her secretary. "Eris?"

"I have no idea, my Lady," She replied, fixing her glasses, "but I have no intention to play along with a child's games."

Despite her efforts to understand both parties, continuing the conversation only seemed to fuel the growing animosity between the two. Thus, she placed herself between them, to defuse the situation.

"Now, now," Sylphia said, waving her hands between them, "let's not fight in the middle of a crowd." She then laid her hand over Ann's shoulder, giving them a light tap. "Okay?"

The girl hung her head. "Mm... I'm sorry for causing a scene, Lady Sylphia."

"Hihi." She grinned. "Don't worry about it!"

Despite her consolation, Ann seemed seriously depressed about it.

Mmgh... if I leave it like this, she might think I'm only taking Eris' side. She's quite a capable girl, regardless of her age. It'd be a shame if she can't get along with my secretary...

"Ah, I know!" Sylphia added, with a slight bounce to her step, "How about you join us? We were just looking for somewhere to eat!"

Not just Ann, but even Eris gave her a baffled look.

The former twiddled her thumbs, asking, "Eh? Are... are you sure? I wouldn't want to bother you..."

"Of course I'm sure!" She then looked over her shoulder and winked, "Right?"

However, Eris merely turned away, refusing to answer.

"S-see?" Sylphia eked out crooked smile. "She isn't complaining!"

"Umm..."

With the girl close to breaking, Sylphia gave her one more push. She got on her tiptoes and unfurled her fan as she leant in to the girl's ears. "It'll be fun, I promise," she then whispered.

A thin, black mist sizzled into existence surrounding the indecisive young lady and dissolved into her skin.

"Maybe you could even make up with Eris."

"I-I don't really... um..." With vacant eyes, she anxiously rubbed her forearm. "Though I'd feel bad about turning down our Lady's invitation..."

"Oh! So, it's decided then-"

Just as she was about to clasp the girl's hands, a distant voice called out, "Ann!"

And with a mighty jolt, the girl awakened from her trance. "Eh? Eh?"

Wha-!?

Stunned, Sylphia watched as the black haze seemingly evaporated from the girl's skin, before dissolving into thin air.

What the heck was that!? It was... dispelled!?

"Good Gods, I finally found you!" Wading against the current, a man in the guard's uniform slowly approached, waving his arm up in the air like a bouy, bouncing up and down the ocean waves.

"E-eh...?" Ann looked distraught, either from the sudden event or after-effects of Sylphia's magic - perhaps even both.

Soon enough he caught up to them, but not before doubling over and heaving a sigh of relief.

"Grey..." the girl mumbled.

"I was so worried, you know!?" he yelled.

Both Ann and Sylphia jolted from his outburst.

"I don't know what I'd do if something ever happened to-"

"H-huh? W-What's with that?" Cheeks flushed red, she pouted. "You were the one who left me in the first place!"

"Urk... yeah, sorry about that. But I did say I'd be back real quick, right?" He sighed. "Geez. The village is so crowded tonight, I can't just stay calm if you suddenly disappeared like that."

Ann blushed fiercely, eyes flying every which way, except straight at him. "W-well... I'm sorry, I guess."

Meanwhile, Grey didn't seem to take notice of her reactions at all. Instead, he took the time to notice the two spectators to their little scene.

"Ah! Lady Sylphia, Miss Secretary!" he said in salute, "Good evening! Everything is in order!"

"A-aah... mm." Still reeling from her surprise, the little girl just gave him a wave.

This guy... is pretty dense, isn't he?

"Well, then," he said as he took Ann's wrist, "please excuse us! I did promise to show Ann around the festival grounds!"

"Ah- eh!? Wait, but Lady-"

Sylphia giggled. "Don't worry about it! We'll go some other time! Enjoy yourselves!"

"Huh..." She shook her head. "O-okay! I'll see you then!"

"Take care!"

She waved them away, and soon, the pair disappeared back into the crowd.

"Huh... what an interesting couple." Covering her mouth with her fan, she then turned Eris. "It isn't just me, right? Ann really seems to like Grey."

"Others' private life isn't my business, but it shows quite clearly in her expression. I'm sure everyone knows."

"Well, everyone except..."

She nodded. "Grey himself."

Sylphia then shrugged, saying, "Ahh, the springtime of youth."

Eris glanced pitifully at her. "...why is a little girl like you saying that?"

"G-geez... it's just a figure of speech."

After a long search, the two finally found a table at one of the shops and decided to eat there. As with every other place, the store was packed, so it was quite a while before they were able to order anything. Consequently, they expected to wait that much longer to receive their food.

And so, they joined each other in conversation to pass the time.

"My Lady," Eris opined, "about what Miss Elroy said..."

"Hm?" Sylphia shook her head. "Elroy...? Ah, you mean Ann. Um, did she say something in particular?"

Mundane as it may have seemed, the idea was quite novel to her. She had always thought of Eris as a completely serious person - almost like a robot. It never even crossed her mind that she'd ever talk to her about anything other than work, which was why she was a bit out of it.

"I haven't seen Miss Carlisle as of late-" Eris held the rim of her cup with two fingers of both hands, slowly spinning it in place. "-and I was rather surprised to see you hadn't invited her to the festival."

"Oh, that. I sent Rika ahead of us. She's probably in the Capitol by now." She crossed her arms and sighed. "I didn't know there was a coming festival, or I'd have taken her with us first..."

"Oh?" Eris' eyes narrowed as she brought the cup to her lips and took a quick sip. "How... unfortunate, indeed."

"Hey, promise me you won't tell her about it, okay? She'll probably throw a fit if you do."

"Of course, my Lady." When she put it back down, a slight smirk still lingered on her lips for but a second, before disappearing outright.

After a while, their much-awaited food arrived. Sylphia, now clutching her belly in hunger gawked at the soups and roasts that now lined their table. Fragrant steam wafted into her nose, tempting her ever more with the scent of spices mingling with the meat and vegetables.

"Waaaah!" Her eyes glistened as she lifted her fork and dove right in.

"My Lady, please, at least wait until all the plates are settled..."

Her words fell on deaf ears, however, as by the time the server had told them to enjoy their meal, the famished little girl was already munching happily.

"Haah..."

After gulping down her first mouthful, Sylphia continued their previous conversation, "So anyway, why don't you get along with Ann? She seems like a very nice girl."

Eris had just brought her spoon up to her lips, but hearing the question, she relented and lowered it back onto her plate. "I'm afraid you'll have to ask her, my Lady. I do not recall doing anything to attract her spite."

"Eeeh... maybe she doesn't like your personality, then?"

She immediately received a quiet glare.

"Eeek!" The little girl backed away. "S-see!? That's what I mean!"

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Just like that, their meal ended, without even coming close to solving the lingering tension between Eris and Ann.

The former did not seem to mind though.

And so, they continued their tour.

It was no less hectic past dark - indeed, more and more visitors seemed to be streaming in by the minute. However, when they reached the intersection between the main thoroughfare and the market street, they came upon a strangely uncongested stretch of road.

"Hm? What is-" Sylphia looked around to see what was going on, but she would find out soon enough.

Over her shoulder, that unmistakable storefront plastered with gaudy and luxurious clothes was, once again, deserted.

Nina and Cecil's Apparels.

Deflated at her realization, she mumbled to herself, "Ueh... still unpopular as ever..."

Unlike normal days, however, the store was, at least, attracting some curious gazes from the crowd, and even had a couple looking through the displays.

And in front, an especially energetic young woman - half the namesake of the store - was giving her best.

"Madam, Sir, come and take a look at our fine goods!" she yelled, "Buy one today, and you'll get this special festival scarf for free! Of course, the scarf itself is also available for a low, low price of 40 copper!"

Oh? She's selling something cheap now? I have to see this.

"Hey, Cecil!" Sylphia waved cheerfully at her.

"Eh...?" As though she made a sudden realization, she violently shook her head and stressed out, "Ah, g-good afternoon, Miss Sylphia!"

"Hihihi, what's with that reaction? I was passing by and thought I'd see how you were doing! And what's this I hear - you're selling something for less than a silver coin?"

"A-ahh...! Well, I thought about what you told me a few days ago, and came up with a great idea! With the festival coming up, I figured the number of tourists coming to visit might mean I could finally sell something! But to sell anything, I had to get some attention first... so I decided to make these scarves non-stop for the last few days!"

She then presented a folded sample to Sylphia. The material felt familiar and warm to the touch - sending a pleasant sensation throughout her chilled hands.

"Oh! It feels nice! What is it made of?"

"It's cotton!" Cecil said, triumphantly. "Though I saved on the raw material, I think I made it back with the quality of the design and needlework!"

"Hm?"

As she said, intricate patterns, crafted from the confluence of various colored threads gave the scarves a luxurious quality, while its thickness and length kept it strictly practical for its purpose. And yet, it was being sold at the price of a basket of fruits.

"It's really good! Hmm... it's really good, but..."

This isn't so much a good deal but an outright steal! Did I say something wrong when I lectured her? I don't really want to scold her, since she sort of learned the correct lesson, but...

"Um... you don't like it?"

"N-no, that's not it... I mean, isn't it a bit too cheap? I figure I might buy this for up to 70 copper. No, maybe 60? Well I am a bit of a cheapskate, so I bet you could get away with selling this for 80 a piece."

"A-aah... you thought so too?" She rubbed the back of her neck. "I've had a few customers tell me that too, but now that I've already settled on a price, I can't really change it... in the same day, at least."

Sylphia wasn't very convinced with her reasoning, and she made sure to show it in her expression.

"B-but anyway! It's not like I'm selling them at a loss, and besides, the point is to just grab some attention for the store, right? See?" She waved towards the display gallery. "There's a few people browsing right now! I think it's working!"

She sighed. "Well, I suppose you're right."

A quick glance at the 'customers', however, gave her no impression that they were in there to buy. If anything, they seemed to just be wandering around the displays, like tourists in an art gallery.

"Hmm... and how many actual clothes have you sold today?"

Like a reaper's scythe, the question instantly robbed Cecil of her spirit.

"Um... n-none..."

"Pfft... None, huh?"

"Haah... I already sold a bunch of scarves today, so I thought I finally did something right, but... eheheh..." She knocked herself on the head. "I guess there's so much to learn!"

Sylphia shook her head. "No, you're doing fine." She then patted the girl on her forearm and said, "Well, you'll always have something to learn, but you made a good first step!"

And just as quickly as she lost it, Cecil regained the twinkle in her eyes. "Mm! Thank you, Miss Sylphia! I'll keep doing better!"

"Heheh!" She gave her a thumbs up. "I'm counting on you!"

"Yeah! Ah, by the way, did you come here alone? It's pretty crowded, are you sure it's safe for you to be wandering by yourself?"

"Hm?" She cocked her head. "No, I came with-"

After a few moments, Eris emerged from the crowd.

"So here you are," sternly, she said, "My Lady, I shouldn't have to tell you not to run ahead at a time like this."

The moment she heard that voice, Cecil froze solid and shrieked, "M-m-miss Secretary!?"

"Hm? Good evening," she greeted with a nod.

"Hehehe." Sylphia hung her hands behind her neck. "Sorry, I thought you were right behind me."

"U-um... out on patrol...?" Cecil forced a crooked smile on her face, though it only made her look more terrified. "Th-there's certainly nothing suspicious going on here!"

"No," the little girl pointed to herself, "she's with me."

"Eh? A-ahh... that's right! Miss Sylphia is the Lady of Dellwick now, right?" Her lips curled into a smug grin. "That means Eris is below her now! Guhehehehehe!"

Her comment immediately attracted a sharp glare from her subject.

"O-or... not." Tears formed around her eyes. "I'm s-sorry, M-Miss Secretary..."

Sylphia giggled. "Eris, you should really try to get along with everyone more."

The woman sighed. "Anyway, what business do you have with this failing shop, my Lady? Miss Cecil doesn't sell anything you can afford."

"H-how rude! I can buy this scarf, at least!" she protested,  waving the piece of apparel in her secretary's face, "And don't call it a failing shop! It's... just not yet popular, that's all! I'll fix that one of these days, you'll see."

"My... Lady will? ...why?"

"Of course I will! Heheh, I own this business now, after all!"

The two others gazed at her in surprise.

"Eh!?" Cecil was first to react. "W-w-wait, what!? Didn't you say we were business partners!?"

"Yeah, but technically speaking, I own the shop. Look, don't sweat the details."

"Ehhh....?"

"What?" Eris then spoke, "How was I not informed about this?"

"Eh?" Sylphia cocked her head. "Did we need to?"

"Of course. Paperwork ought to have reached me before a transfer of ownership was carried out. Who made this happen?"

"Uh..." Her eyes flickered as she twiddled her thumbs. "Dante?"

Eris winced. After a brief forehead rub, she said, "My Lady, did I not tell you to be careful around that man?"

"Eh!? Did I do something wrong?"

"I don't know how he sold you the rights for a property not belonging to him, nor how you even managed to buy it, but I assume you received nothing in writing from him, nor from Miss Cecil about the transfer of property."

"Transfer of property...?" The latter appeared completely oblivious.

"Ah..." Sylphia hung her head in realization. "No..."

Geez, nobody told me land titles were already a thing...

Eris sighed.

"Wait, what's going to happen if we don't have that?"

"Then the property still fully belongs to Miss Cecil. I could only assume her massive debt was involved in the transaction somehow, so without the title as evidence, he may even claim down the line that the debt was left unpaid and charge you for it, twice."

"Geh-" Sylphia winced.

That fat idiot... so he had something like that up his sleeves, huh?

"Th-that's horrible!" cried Cecil, "Is there something we can do about it?"

"I suppose you could always just legitimize it. Apply for the transfer of property, and he can't claim otherwise."

"Alright!" Sylphia pumped her arm in the air. "Can you handle it for me, Eris?"

To which she furled her brows and replied, stringently, "Excuse me?"

"E-eh...? C-can't you handle it for me, please?"

"You seem to be mistaken, my Lady," she hid a mischievous smirk behind the back of her hand, and said, "I am the Secretary of Dellwick. Please deal with personal matters yourself, then turn it over to me for verification."

Sylphia's jaw dropped.

Eris then turned around, snickering, but not before flashing a glimpse of her smile.

"Whaaa..."

She had noticed recently that, somehow, her secretary seemed to glow whenever she left her despair like that. Of course, she found it unnerving... though, for some reason, somewhat endearing as well.

After a few hours of wandering, exhaustion finally caught up with the girl's tiny body. The couple thus took a short break on a bench beside the main road, where the there were far fewer people.

Sylphia let out a yawn.

"Do you wish to return to the inn, my Lady?" Eris asked, her voice taking on a weak whisper, as though to show her own tiredness.

"Mm..." rubbing her eyes, she answered, "I'm pooped."

"Please do not use words that do not befit your title, My Lady." She gave the girl a light pat on the head and then stood up.

"Mm..."

"Well, then." she tugged the girl back to her feet. "Let's go."

She wobbled forward, led on by the tug of Eris' hand. She wasn't all that familiar with Dellwick's layout yet, especially not its many sidestreets, so she just followed along, half-asleep.

After a while, though, she felt a vibration around her waist, waking her from her stupor.

"Mmmgh..." she mumbled, "Sebas... tian...?"

"Hm?" Hearing her voice, Eris looked around and said, "Just a little more, my Lady. We're taking a shortcut. We'll be at the inn soon."

"Ueh?"

Ah. Must be my imagination.

"Mm'kay..." she said with a yawn.

"Please take care of your footing, my Lady. The village can be quite confusing at night."

She closed her eyes once more.

Again, after a few moments, she felt a vibration.

"Ugeh...?" She groaned, before finally pulling out her fan. "What is it...?"

"Little girl," he whispered, in a low, foreboding voice, "this isn't the way to the inn."

Sylphia's skin crawled. "Eh?"

Conciousness slowly rousing, she looked around her. The faint lamp lights revealed little more than formless silhouettes jutting out from an opaque black canvas.

"Uh," she asked, lightly tugging her secretary back, "where are we?"

"We are very close, my lady." Just as Eris opened her mouth, a shadow seemed to move, out the corner of Sylphia's eye.

Eh?

Though when she turned to look, she could see nothing.

"Sebastian." She unfurled her fan. "Can you see something?"

Eris' grip tightened. "Did you say something-"

"Ngh!" He grunted, "Little girl, you're surrounded!"

Her heart jumped.

Hngk-

Everything happened all at once.

"...my Lad-" Before Eris even finished speaking, two large men leapt out from the darkness and pulled a sack over her head. "Mgfh!?" she screamed, "What is- Hey! Let me go!"

The men then swept off her feet and lifted upon their shoulders like a stack of timber. Consequently, This yanked Sylphia, who was still holding on to her, throwing her belly-first onto the floor.

"Kya!" the girl squealed.

"My Lady!?" All the while she could hear the woman's muffled screams from inside the thick produce sack. "What's happening!? My Lady!"

"Eris!"

Quickly, she pushed herself off the ground to give chase, but the moment she got on her feet, she received a hard boot to her back.

"Ugya!"

Once more, she was flat on the ground.

"Not so fast." One said among several rough, sneering voices around her. "Do you really have the time to worry about someone else right now, little miss?"

She clenched her teeth.

God... damnit!

When she got up, she finally caught the first glimpse of her attackers.

Several large men towered over her, each armed with a knife or an axe.

And alone, she stood, with nothing but a fan in hand.

The men laughed and jeered.

"Hyaha! This'll be the easiest coin I've made in my life!" One said, cracking his knuckles.

She took a step back.

And the men stepped forward.

Already, her back was pressed against a wall.

"Sebastian," she muttered.

"W-what?" he replied, "Just so you know, I'll break if you use me to block an axe, you hear?"

"Tsk. But can you suck all their blood at once?"

"Hah. I wish."

"Urgh..."

Their shadows loomed over her, each painted with a menacing grin.