Chapter 28: Getting the oranges (II).

"Inventorium."

The elven professor takes out some cloaks, she gives one to the noble girl while she takes the other for herself.

"In exchange for our little trip to the market." she wraps it around her body, completely hiding her teacher's uniform. "How about explaining to me more why you want the fruit so badly for Miss Blanchet anyways?"

.-.-.-.-.

Professor Fraeya Abeline, someone of high credentials filled with unending accomplishments from her old scholar school that was only for the best of the best was now leading one of her students into the very rare Elven market that only a few would be able to be welcomed in.

They would be outside the school gates, walking quickly into the streets of the human market that was still full of life.

The two walked within proper distance with the hood of their cloak over their head.

"So... you're unsure as to why your mind is acting strange when it comes to your human friend?" The professor would then repeat the story she's heard. It appears that the noblewoman has been doing things she wouldn't normally do, which was for her- it was weird.

"Unsure is... a little right. However I don't see Miss Blanchet as a friend, only a mere acquaintance or a classmate, professor." (Lady Evelyn) corrected the teacher and the elven girl tilted her head in confusion.

"If she's an acquaintance, Lady Evelyn, best to just leave it to one of your maids." (Professor Fraeya) couldn't understand what was going on in this noblewoman's mind.

Was she just this nice?

In denial that clearly there was something else going on if she's willing to step into Elven territory to the point of buying costly fruit to give to a sick girl?

Lady Evelyn thought of one of her maids buying the fruit, smiling and thanking them instead of her. Her cute little dimples and light blue orbs of eyes would twinkle if she found something that interested her.

It seems when she was in her ditzy fever dream- she was only willing to take orange flavored medicine.

If someone else... gave that to Miss Blanchet...

"I don't think I'd like it if someone else gave it to her, professor." The girl replies thinking it through.

"And why is that?" (Professor Fraeya) asks, her student's eyebrows furrowed under the hood of the cloak.

The expression on her face, she looked so... unsure.

The professor's question baffled her with no answer.

"I don't know." (Lady Evelyn) stares at the stalls seeing so many people walk past her, she wonders suddenly if the sick girl's working place has received the news that Miss Blanchet won't be able to go to work today due to her sickly state.

Everything... seems to have been clouding her thoughts with Miss Blanchet as of late.

"Do you know what's going on with me, professor?" she asks the teacher who scoffs, moving her direction of walking into one of the alleyways.

"With all due respect, Lady Evelyn." (Professor Fraeya) takes a wooden emblem out of her pocket and sees an arrow symbol that was on the brick. The key to the market has been found. "If you don't know how you're feeling would a teacher that's only taught you for a day so far would answer?"

Giving a good point to the noble lady, she couldn't deny it. All of this- this must be something else.

Her friend Serene's words suddenly came into her mind, was she poisoned or manipulated to always think of Miss Blanchet?

No... that's just absurd.

"You're right, professor. Perhaps it's just me worrying over trivial matters."

The Professor stared at Lady Evelyn before smirking, thinking that this was all intriguing the girl was still in the process of accepting. "It's only the first day that I've taught here, Lady Evelyn Alarie. It's unwise for me to have a favorite student but now I'll be keeping my eye on you and your acquaintance for a while."

Everyone in that class seemed to be rather either fond of her or just hating on her, it really makes you think as to why.

"Miss Analissa Blanchet, quite a character."

The professor couldn't wait to meet her soon. Such a rare human that's already grabbed her attention would be a gem to see.

Lady Evelyn looked over the empty alleyway and wondered where the elven market was actually. "Professor, why did you take us to an empty alleyway? I don't see anything. Not a door to a market?"

"I'll be teaching you what we call hidden in plain sight."

Back to the task at hand, she takes the wooden emblem raising it onto the brick that had a carved drawing of an arrow.

The traditional and symbolic weapon for elves.

"Le fluer mon arrou, passietou le hourizoun."

Chanting the elven tongue.

The flower blooms an hour, passing by the horizon.

"Nepo."

With the last words, the bricks seemed to be moving by themselves. Each brick moved to stick to one place until it made a door shape on the side.

To Lady Evelyn, it was her first time seeing this kind of chanting magic from an elf. Who knew there was something like this just in the commoner side of the kingdom?

"First time seeing this kind of contraption?" (Professor Fraeya) takes a book out of her inventory and lets the winds move to the page about the contents of the brick door before giving it to the noble lady.

A lock contraption made by the people of Dwartashel, the kingdom of dwarves.

It can only be opened by specially made wood from the kingdom of elves, since it has been enchanted by them.

"Yes... it's my first time seeing this kind of door." The girl looks over at the page and sees the brick's movement and the magic circle theory that was used to produce the mechanism.

"Breken Loucke. That's what us elven people would call this, the first contraption where the elves and dwarfs decided to make a symbol of friendship." The professor was slowly turning the trip into a lesson.

"The people of Dwartashel were suffering from the cold winters, over hundreds of years ago. A Dwarven engineer came up with the idea that why not live inside a mountain?" (Professor Fraeya) swipes her fingers in the air and the wind follows, turning the next page where several illustrations of cold dwarfs were trying to huddle up for warmth and then the said mountain they were living in. "They wouldn't have any problems with monsters attacking them, they could have warm fires started and no cold wind would give them the pain of frostbite."

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"They will make their city- now a kingdom inside a cave but with a really secure door so that only a selected few would be able to come inside." The wind blew once more, the next page of illustration was several people wandering through the forest of elves looking to negotiate. "Finally they thought of having their people have a special emblem carved from the rare metal as a sign of citizenship that they belong to the city, but they needed magic to power it."

"Dwarfs are beings with no magic, so they needed someone who had it."

Lady Evelyn knew only some parts of the history where the elves and dwarfs got along their differences but some of Professor Fraeya's stories were not included in the book, like where it all started thanks to a hidden door. "While dwarves were known to be prideful creatures, the dwarf engineer that suggested it all set it aside, just so his kin would be spared from the merciless winter."

"The elves were stubborn but they were understanding and lended their aid in exchange for a copy of the same mechanism as the door, some were used for war to shelter the elderly and children."

"Now we use it for secret places like this."

Professor Fraeya reveals the huge market where so many elven people were shopping and calling out to others, there weren't any humans in sight.

It seemed so peaceful and beautiful.

Lady Evelyn turned the page on her own and saw illustrations of the elves and dwarves finally getting along. "How about humans? Humans have magic so why didn't the dwarves come for help at that time?"

"At that time my child, hundreds of years ago and even now. Other races see humans as something of... as your educator I'm trying to find a proper alternative word."

"Humans were often seen as a race of being sly." The professor tried to lighten the load by the next following words. "Bad blood in history, humans tend to forget because of your short lifespan and think it's alright now but for us other races that live a long time and barely age, the memories are fresh."

The slaving of beast-men, the burning of half the elven forest, and so many more. "There were so many things that humans did before we reached a peace treaty, seeds of mistrust are still there so we built a secret place here."

The professor points at the market where so many elves were conversing with themselves and children playing with one another with sticks using them as a makeshift sword.

"Are there any more questions?" (Professor Fraeya) asked the girl who shook her head seemingly satisfied with the short history lesson the professor gave.

"I have none, but thank you for telling me something I haven't known, professor. The books on the other race's history were lacking, so this gave me some perspective on things." (Lady Evelyn) brushes her finger slightly into the cover of the book before offering it back to the Professor but she stops her.

"As your educator as well to many nobles that's going to be leading so many people and possibly other races-" She takes a look at the book about elven culture before taking out other books having information about beast-men, dwarves, mermaids, and the other kingdoms. "It's best that you learn a little more about their culture if you're to be queen and make alliances with other kingdoms."

All the books were floating in the air, dancing around the top of their heads.

"Inventorium."

Lady Evelyn took upon the challenge of being a better queen by taking her professor's advice and storing it inside her built-in space inventory. "Thank you, professor."

Professor Fraeya felt a little happy inside hearing her student's thanks and seriousness upon the education of humans. "If you ever are in need to know the history of my kin, you know where my staff room is."

"Now why don't we find the fruit you're looking for to give it to your friend?"

The two... somehow bonded a little with Lady Evelyn learning more about the elven people as they talked to one another.

"Please! Come take a look to see my finest fresh orange fruit for only half the price today!" A young elven girl yelled out and that took the two's attention to where they walked on forward to ask for the price.

The professor takes off her hood, and for some reason a little after effect of sparkles and shine happens before she speaks to the elven lady. "How much for a few?" it seems that even her voice seemed to be turned deep and a little suggestive.

The elven girl who was at the stand fanned herself at the beautiful- handsome stranger's words. "Oh we weigh them cutie, thirty gold coins for one kilogram but for you I think... I can make an exception and make twenty-five gold per kilo."

Lady Evelyn watched as the professor charmed the hell out of that store lady and even got a better price of the deal to get the fruit on. "Another lesson, Lady Alarie. If you have the privilege to be pretty I suggest you use it."

She flashes a romantic smile at the stall owner and the elven girl immediately gives them a brown paper bag to put the oranges in.

The noble lady wasn't sure of what happened.

"Y-Yes professor."

"Oh and here, we pick the fruit ourselves until it weighs into a kilo, it's a self serving act that we do. Humans in your kingdom would usually just let the owner pick it, but elves have the courtesy of having the customer pick."

Lady Evelyn nods, learning another new thing today, she takes an orange fruit and inspects it. "Hmm..."

Surely the deeper the color... the more sweet it is?

Having no knowledge upon fruit picking, Lady Evelyn just took the most deep colored orange there was while the professor worked her way into flirting more with the elven stall lady to haggle a lower price.

"E-Excuse me..."

Lady Evelyn didn't notice another person's figure was right beside her, casting a huge shadow over her figure. "I-I couldn't help but notice that- you took... a rotten fruit inside of your paper bag."

The Villainess blinks at the side character who warned her about the rotten fruit that she picked, Lady Evelyn quickly peaks inside the brown paper bag to see if it was true.

Surely enough there was an orange that was deep orange in color but... nothing looked wrong with it.

"T-The smell... it's going to rot soon." The huge stranger with lots of scars on her body took the orange in her hands and started peeling the skin, and there it revealed a lot of bruises and the sickly smell.

"Um... I-If I may... you should pick ones like... these."

With her soft voice she guided the noble girl into picking the right fruit, telling her how to avoid the oranges with soft spots or those that felt spongy, the fruit's color didn't needed to be deep, because sometimes even the greenish hues of color were just as tasty as the bright orange ones.

"T-This... should be enough for one kilo..."

"Many thanks, this would really... make her happy." The Villainess' eyes softened and grew grateful at the helpful stranger- that was a human.

So only a few humans can get inside here too.

"Oh? Farrah! You're back shopping here?"

The elven lady that was handling the store called out to her big yet... not threatening looking figure. She was a little shy when waving to her direction, "H-Hello... I-I'm here to take... some fruit back to my grandma..."

"I know dear! Your grandma geez I hope her back isn't killing her today. Here I already have them prepared. Thank you for helping last time." She takes brown paper bags filled with oranges and gives them to the side character who smiles warmly at the lady.

"T-Thank you... The payment..." (Farrah) was taking out her leather wallet from her pocket before she was met with a laugh from the elven store lady.

"Oh shush, your grandma and I have been friends for a long time. I've been with her since her youth and I owe her a lot."

Lady Evelyn blinks at the elven lady in surprise. She didn't look- old!

The professor notices this and nudges her arm. "Elves can live up to thousands of years and still look like that."

"H-How old is she, professor?"

"By my guess about three hundred years old, quite young actually. She's the definition of a young lady in my culture." (Professor Fraeya) whispers to the Villainess but unfortunately, the elven girl was literally right in front of them so she heard everything.

The elven lady takes the rotten fruit and throws it at the professor.

Professor Fraeya's reflexes were fast so she was quick to cast the wind to stop it, floating mid air.

"Oh... Another lesson, Lady Alarie. Never reveal a lady elf's real age."

Lady Evelyn blinks in disappointment because she really just revealed her age out in front of her and now she's just telling her not to?!

"I-I... um... have to go. Thank you for the oranges..."

"And we have to pay and go home, Professor."

Professor Fraeya nods, taking out her wallet but not before the store lady puffs her chest taking out the old sign that had a discounted price on it before putting the original price of sixty-gold per kilo.

"This is rather... way... beyond my paygrade."

"Professor, I'll pay for it."

"...Please do, Lady Alarie."

Kaching!

Sixty-gold went into the drain, and both the professor and the villainess decided to part their ways when they got back into the school grounds.

With her hands wrapped around the brown paper bag full of sweet fruits that could possibly help the Heroine to recover for the first time in a while, she felt so excited going back home to her dorm room.

However... what she wasn't expecting to see at the front of her door, was her fiancé and her maid blocking the way inside.

What the crown prince doesn't know, that if things get ugly- Liara was ordered to pull out a knife to anyone who might be considered a threat.

Crown Prince Dereck angrily clenches his fist while talking to Liara Fischer. "Let me in, as the crown prince. I demand to be let inside to see Lady Analissa!"

The crown prince demanded such a thing-!

Liara felt disturbed.

"My apologies, however I've been given orders that no one would be allowed unless they've been given milady's permission to. May it be... someone of royalty, your highness." She gave her most sincere bow of apology to him but it wasn't enough to stop persisting.

"You're a mere maid of my fiance, I could have you fired the moment I tell my father of what you did."

He threatened the maid who only tried her best on keeping her composure upon the crown prince's arrogant presence.

"I believe that's not possible, I am Milady's possession not the king's."

The crown prince who had his trusty butler right beside him scowled at how this lowly maid dared insult his master's ownership over people. "How dare you! The crown prince is ordering you to move and you don't do as he says?!"

Charles William, clicks his tongue and takes a staredown with the maid.

"This would be considered treason, Liara. I suggest doing what the crown prince wishes and no one has to get hurt."

The crown prince took a deep smirk having backup with him.

"Crown Prince Dereck, leave my home."

The Villainess walked over in a fit of rage, she tried her best not to show it on her face in the fit of the moment but it seems her anger got the best of her.

Threatening her maid, and demanding to see Miss Blanchet knowing what will happen if he dared to do so.

It made her really... angry.