After breakfast, we boarded a carriage and set off towards the exhibits. Since each exhibit was located in a different place, we decided to temporarily split up and arrange to meet again at home. The king and queen planned to visit some places together, taking advantage of one of the rare occasions they could go out alone.
It's worth mentioning that both the queen's and the king's outfits were somewhat simple, yet still displayed beauty and elegance. Asia, Aria, and Lucas would also follow their own plans during the outing.
My parents decided to take Anna to a place where children's artworks were being showcased, but at the same time, charming. I thought it was an appropriate choice, considering Anna usually appreciates colorful and cheerful things. As for Albert, he simply mentioned that he would attend a lecture about my steam train invention.
Apparently, he was curious to hear Crystal's people's opinion on my invention. After all, this is a country with a rich culture, and there's no better place to get an opinion on this kind of thing.
While these thoughts filled my mind, the carriage gradually slowed down until it came to a complete stop. It was our stopping point, both for me and Emi. As we stepped out of the carriage, we bid farewell to our family members. As the carriage started moving again, Emi and I stood in the same spot for a few seconds, watching it slowly disappear.
"Shall we?"
I said, extending my hand to Emi with a warm smile on my face. Upon seeing my gesture, Emi also smiled warmly and readily accepted, intertwining our hands in a small gesture of love.
"Of course"
Emi replied with a smile. So, Emi and I headed towards the museum, where various artworks that could only be appreciated on that day were on display. Although I wasn't a great art enthusiast nor the best person to judge its quality, it didn't matter to me.
Emi's smile was enough to make me happy. With a warm atmosphere between us, we entered the museum and were greeted by a variety of paintings, each with its own uniqueness and brilliance.
Emi's eyes sparkled as she admired the artworks, and I could clearly feel her excitement increasing. By the way, Emi was wearing a beautiful white dress with pink details.
On her ring finger, our ring sat, and her hair was adorned with a small clip featuring a white flower design, further enhancing her beauty. At that moment, all I wanted was to stand there, admiring Emi, but unfortunately, we had a museum to explore.
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With that, Emi and I began to wander through the museum, our hands remaining intertwined throughout the tour. Of course, we weren't alone, after all, it was a museum. There were several other people present, also enjoying the artworks. Most of them seemed enchanted and studied the pieces with great interest. Observing these characteristics, I got the impression that they weren't just visitors like us.
While Emi appreciated the artworks, I looked around hoping to find something that truly interested me. As I mentioned before, I'm not exactly an arts enthusiast. While surveying the surroundings, I noticed two people dressed in black with hoods covering their faces.
Although it wasn't entirely uncommon, something about those two individuals gave me an uneasy feeling. Somehow, I felt like I had seen them outside just before we entered the museum.
What intrigued me the most was that, no matter which part of the museum we explored, Emi and I always ended up in the same spot. It started to seem suspicious to me, but, to be honest, what could I do? It's not like I could report them just for walking around the museum. Besides, it could be just my paranoia. Either way, there was no evidence to support my suspicion, so there wasn't really anything I could do.
As I pondered all of this, the lighting in the area suddenly began to flicker, but quickly returned to normal. Something didn't feel right about this situation. For some reason, my instinct told me that something was about to happen.
My thoughts began to materialize as the lights went out completely. Before the lights went out, I kept my eyes fixed on the two men. Even in their dark clothing, I could make out their silhouettes, and I realized that both of them started moving in our direction, precisely towards me and Emi.
While observing the two hooded individuals, I noticed that one of them made a suspicious move inside his cloak, as if he were reaching for something. Obviously, I couldn't see exactly what the hooded figure was holding, but something told me that both Emi and I should quickly leave that place.
Holding Emi's hand, I began to guide us along the same path we came from, as I had mentally mapped the museum to a certain extent. However, I kept watching the men, trying not to lose sight of them.
"Ren, is something wrong?"
Emi asked, noticing my concerned expression and cautious demeanor. Her voice betrayed worry. I hesitated to tell her that something might be wrong, but decided to do so anyway. I gently squeezed her hand and replied in a tense whisper.
"Emi, there's something wrong with this situation. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but I feel that something is off. Please, hold my hand tightly"
As we continued to move through the museum, I kept a vigilant eye on the two hooded individuals, making sure not to lose sight of them. With each step we took, the sense of urgency grew, reinforcing my conviction that we needed to get out of there as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, it seemed that our fears were becoming a reality. Just before we turned a corner, we were startled by another hooded person, blocking our path. I looked back and saw one of the men approaching, while the other blocked our other possible escape route. Emi and I were completely surrounded.