"Ma'am, is this really you?" Emill asked the woman in front of him, his words tinged with thoughtfulness after the witch had left.

"Emil, you're not the kind of person who deserves to be a Knight of Marchant guild," the woman said, noting Emill's stiffness from his recent experiences.

"Is that enough to prove who I am? Now, tell me something: how does the new me look?" Helen inquired.

Emill cast an observing glance at Helen. Her body was youthful yet carried a mature allure; her bosom was full and had a soft, inviting curvature. Her hair shimmered under the gentle rays of the sun, catching Emill's attention automatically from time to time.

As he looked at her, Emill noticed no resemblance to the Helen he knew; there was a tiny black mark on original Helen's chin, but it was absent on this young woman's face.

"You embody both youth and maturity so gracefully, young miss. You leave my mind in a whirlwind just by looking at you," Emill replied candidly.

"Hoho, is that so? But where is William? I really want to see the expression on his face when he sees me like this," Helen said as she walked towards the carriage and opened the door.

The first thing her eyes met when she looked inside the carriage was a young man sitting at the corner of the seat, gazing out of the window on the opposite side. As she opened the door, he turned towards her and smiled.

Helen's heart beat unusually fast at that moment.

"Is it because I'm young again? Seeing a young man makes my heart go crazy. But he's not just any young man; he's extremely handsome," Helen continued gazing at the young man for a few seconds.

"Ah, I apologize, madam... young lady. I forgot to tell you, I found this young man while he was being hunted by a group of goblins. Apparently, his memory had been messed up, probably from a harmit flower," Emill hastily explained, noticing the tension between them as he spoke to inform Helen.

"Hunted by goblins?" murmured Helen. She remembered how goblins had disrupted her journey and shattered her dreams. With those thoughts, she felt a sympathetic connection toward the young man.

"Those disgusting bastards didn't deserve to live for harming a young man like this," said Helen as she boarded the carriage.

The carriage was a square space with two comfortable seats placed on either side, positioned so that the occupants faced each other.

As Helen stepped into the carriage, she lowered herself to enter, causing her plump bosom to be partially revealed to the young man's eyes. However, King's expression remained unchanged as he continued to gaze at the scenery, a sight that would surely render an ordinary young man unconscious.

"what's with these humans? Why are they all dressed similarly?" thought King, noticing the dress Helen wore, identical to the one the old lady had worn.

After Helen boarded the carriage, she noticed William, the little boy, sleeping in a seat opposite the young man. She sat close to him, and Emill followed suit, settling nearer to King.

The carriage urged its horses onward, turning back the way they came. The horses pulled the carriage swiftly along the road.

"Can you talk?" Helen asked King, who nodded in response.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"He can talk indeed, but he's quite shy. Even when I try to help him, he gets embarrassed and screams," explained Emill from the side.

"What's embarrassing about helping someone?" Helen asked, confused by his statement.

"By the way, he said his name is Eirik," Emill added, dodging Helen's question.

"Eirik, that's a beautiful name, but it seems today is a very unfortunate day for you," said Helen. As she said this, she remembered vividly how the goblins had destroyed her rare potion right before her eyes, and once again, she felt sympathetic toward the young man.

"He has a handsome face. Although I've seen many handsome young boys before, this man is quite special. His skin texture, his expressive face, and his curly hair attract anyone's eyes effortlessly. If he were by my side, I could make good use of him," thought Helen to herself as she observed Eirik's future.

"Seems even though I'm young, my mind is still that of an old one," Helen realised even tho her outer appernce change she's still in her deep thought about how to profit her merchant guild from everything, a habit from her old self.

"Since you lost your memory, I don't think you remember where you came from," Helen said, addressing King.

King nodded in response to Helen's question.

"Do you have any money with you?" she asked. King shook his head in denial.

"Then let me offer you something. I will pay for your healing session, and you can pay me back by working in our guild," Helen suggested.

"Hah, look at her, just like her minion. She's also wicked. The way she's trying to lure me into her trap is laughable," King thought cynically, recognizing the trap Helen was setting before him. A mocking smile briefly touched his face, but he suppressed it.

"But even so," King's mind recalled the giant coin they retrieved from the carriage and how it was offered to the witch, the sound of the coins echoing in his ears again.

"Very well, I agree," said Eirik.

Helen's face lit up with a smile at Eirik's response. Although she found his way of speaking a bit unusual, she didn't mind it much.

As the carriage swiftly moved through the forest, the dense trees and sounds of animals heard and seen by King slowly receded as they approached the edge of the forest. At one point, they passed a giant tree with a wooden board hanging from one of its branches. King didn't understand the language written on it, so he couldn't decipher its meaning, but he knew they were now out of the forest.

"Foolish bastards, you managed to flee your own king, huh? But worry not, I will soon return for my treasure, after gathering more riches with me," King thought to himself as his eyes briefly glanced towards the young girl infront of him.

Emill sat silently beside King, his gaze fixed on Helen throughout the entire journey in the carriage, still unable to believe what he was witnessing.

After leaving the forest behind, the shaky feelings they had experienced when traveling in the forst road dissipated as they entered onto a well-built road.

A layer of smooth, well-laid rocks paved the way for the balanced road. Upon reaching it, the carriage's speed increased tremendously.

King observed the passing scenery—fields of growing crops, grazing domestic animals enjoying their freedom, and scattered tiny villages. After a while, he noticed a giant wall in the distance that piqued his curiosity.

Noticing the change in King's expression, Helen also glanced out the window towards the towering walls in the distance.

"Don't you remember the city you came from?" she asked Eirik noticing his puzzled expression.

As the carriage drew closer and closer, towering buildings surrounded by the wall appeared before Eirik's eyes. They were beautiful, painted in attractive colors, with smoke rising from large chimneys. Flocks of birds flying up into the sky caught his gaze.

"That's the Rose Petal City, a place where even royal lineage admires its beauty," murmured Helen, looking at the city now clearly visible ahead.

Eirik and Helen glanced sideways towards the city, unknowingly drawing closer until the moment their scents mingled.

Eirik caught a sweet aroma emanating from Helen, stirring a warm feeling in his heart. Helen, in turn, felt an energetic sensation upon smelling Eirik's scent.

They looked at each other, sharing a startled expression. Without words, they wondered, why is his/her scent was so captivating.

As the carriage made room for another exiting carriage from the city, the driver maneuvered to the side. However, one of the wheels hit a rock on the road, causing the entire carriage to jolt abruptly. The sudden movement brought Eirik and Helen back to their senses, and they awkwardly moved apart from each other.

Helen glanced at William, who was still asleep despite the commotion in the carriage.

As they approached the city gate, two men in iron armor, wielding spears, approached the carriage and inquired about their journey. One of the guards walked up to the carriage window and knocked on it.