TVCWB Chapter 49

Chapter 049

Time passed quickly, no matter how uneasy Perea felt.
Before she knew it, it was the next morning. After breakfast, it was already time for the afternoon tea she had been invited to.

Perea chose the neatest dress she owned. For a moment, she wondered if she should wear the dress she bought with Dia before, but it felt too fancy for simple tea, so she decided against it.

Theo dressed up as well. He wore a shirt with gold embroidery that matched his golden hair perfectly, along with deep navy pants. With a pretty ribbon tied around his neck, he truly looked like an angel who had just fallen from the sky.

Perea clapped several times at how cute he looked and took his hand.

“Shall we go?”

“Mm-hm! Let’s go!”

“I think Madam will like this if you give it to her yourself.”

Perea handed Theo a small bouquet of flowers. She had gone out that morning to buy it as a thank-you gift for being invited to tea. There were beautiful gardens around the hotel and annex, but she couldn’t pick flowers from private property.

“I’ll give it to her!”

Theo answered proudly, tucking the bouquet under his arm.

Ray followed naturally behind them. As always, he wore his black cloak, completely hiding his face, ears, and tail. Because he always dressed in black like that, the hotel staff had started calling him “the Shadow Knight.” Of course, the three of them had no idea.

They rode the elevator down to the first floor. The lobby was crowded with guests checking in and out, showing how popular Eclit was as a tourist city.

They passed through the door leading to the annex area. When they waited at the entrance along the garden path, a well-dressed staff member approached them.

“Good afternoon. This annex is for guests only. Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes. We are Theo and Perea.”

“Ah! Welcome! Madam Trukisil informed us in advance.”

The staff smiled brightly and guided them inside.

The place they were shown to was the glass greenhouse Madam Trukisil had mentioned. Inside were beautiful flowers, a small fountain, and sculptures arranged so naturally that it felt like stepping into a painting.

Perea had already admired many things since coming to Eclit, but she couldn’t help letting out another big gasp of admiration.

In contrast, Theo and Ray remained calm. They had lived in the Imperial Palace, so this level of luxury was normal to them.

Soon, the kind middle-aged woman from yesterday entered the greenhouse. Like Perea and Theo bringing Ray as a guard, she also came with attendants and two knights.

“Theo, Perea. Welcome.”

“Good afternoon, Madam Trukisil. Thank you for inviting us.”

Perea stood and greeted her politely. Theo also stood and handed her the bouquet.

Madam Trukisil smiled warmly at the sight of the cute child offering flowers. She smelled them and laughed gently.

“They smell wonderful. Thank you.”

“Perea and I picked them! They’re very pretty flowers!”

“I can see that. Thank you again.”

After ordering a vase for the flowers, Madam Trukisil sat down. Perea and Theo sat as well, while Ray and the knights stood behind them.

They talked about the weather at first, then about Eclit.

“Did you hear that a monster appeared on the road to Eclit recently?”

“Yes, we know. We came to Eclit that day.”

Perea smiled lightly, unable to add that the beastman who killed the monster alone was standing right behind her.

Madam Trukisil’s eyes widened.

“Really? Did you see the monster? I went to the auction the other day… It looked terrifying! It was huge! If it had reached Eclit…!”

“We arrived late, so we didn’t see it properly.”

“That’s good. It wouldn’t have been suitable for a child to see.”

She gently patted Theo’s head while he ate cake.

Theo nodded quietly. He wanted to say that Ray had defeated the monster, but since Perea didn’t mention it, he decided to stay silent. His palace-trained awareness helped him again.

“In my region, monsters don’t appear. So I bought Moreta meat at the auction to take home.”

“I see…”

“Yes, I even reserved Moreta steak at the Plaza Restaurant for tonight! It was so delicious. What if I want to bring more back?”

Perea knew Moreta meat actually wasn’t that tasty, but she couldn’t tell her. She just smiled and agreed politely.

They continued talking about sightseeing in Eclit, and eventually the topic of next week’s opera came up.

Madam Trukisil said she was looking forward to it and had already ordered a beautiful mask.

“Do we have to wear masks to the performance?” Perea asked.

“No, it’s not required. But the masks in Eclit are beautiful! Watching a performance while wearing one feels more romantic. It’s something you can only do here.”

Perea nodded. The masks she had seen around the city were indeed beautiful.

“I hadn’t thought about wearing one, but maybe I should.”

“I highly recommend it! If you’d like, we can visit the shop I use. They make custom masks, and they’re fast enough to finish before the performance.”

Madam Trukisil eagerly offered. Perea quickly waved her hands in polite refusal. The shop clearly handled expensive items, and she couldn’t afford that.

Although they were staying in a luxurious hotel and eating expensive food, that was thanks to Theo, the prince, and Ray, his guard. Perea herself was just a veterinarian from a small village.

“Thank you for the offer.”

Madam Trukisil looked a little disappointed but smoothly changed the topic.

Perea realized this was how noble social conversation worked. It wasn’t really her style. She preferred reading books and discussing knowledge rather than polite social talk.

“Thank you very much for inviting us today.”

“I had a wonderful time as well. It must not have been easy for a child from a small village to travel somewhere so grand…”

Madam Trukisil looked at Theo with concern, as if she had decided he was a pitiful child with a difficult background.