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All throughout the years, Lizzie could count the achievements she has done. But probably, the greatest of them all was drag the king of Norvillon away from his office and eat meat with glazed honey, she paid with her own money. Well, it was her allowance, but it's her principle that everything in her purse was hers.
Garth and Erdan was a bonus. At her invitation, the former jumped out of his bed despite the hangover from drinking with his officers. The latter was on his way to a meeting with dignitaries but Lizzie was able to trap him.
And so, the most powerful family in Norvillon roamed the festival in disguise and lined up for a citrus drink next.
This time, she could not find any knights in stealth. If officials were to search, they wouldn't find any trace except a simple carriage leaving the castle.
Up to now, nobody could probably answer the question: Where is the royal family?
"This would look good on you, Papa!" Lizzie exclaimed. She lifted a brooch and placed it next to Devanti's eyes. The blue brooch borrowed the shine from the shy sun and glimmered.
The king didn't say anything but had the face of toleration towards Lizzie, the noisy bargains of the flea market in Berbax Avenue.
A few people would spare them a glance then move on. It would be impossible for a king to wear a monocle and hand-messed his usual impeccable hair just to roam the festival in secret. The same goes for the princess. Why would she hide her hair in a beret and dressed as a pageboy?
That's just absurd, the salesman of brooches thought. In a flea market, of all places.
"How much is this?" Lizzie asked the still suspicious salesman.
"150 silver coins."
"That's overpriced."
Lizzie's flat judgement irked the salesmen, but he then explained the merchandise in detail. It had something to do with Opalian blue stone and details of the metalwork that made it resemble a snowflake.
Although Lizzie admitted that it was the stone that caught her attention, her eyes can discern an Opalian blue stone, to that of an ordinary glass.
Wearing jewels and being gifted with gems without any occasion, she developed a skill she calls 'princess privilege' and can identify fake jewels and genuine ones.
She got money, but spending it on something less value was not part of her 'princess skills.' So Lizzie had to take out her street rat persona before her father could imprison the conman. She smiled sweetly at Devanti but then frowned at the seller.
"Oi, you think I'm stupid?" She pushed her voice a little lower. "Opalian stones can't be this big, and this is less iridescent. Opalian blue stone changes shade at slight tilt of angle, this doesn't." Lizzie leaned forward and squinted her eyes. "They had passed stricter laws against counterfeit, didn't you know?"
But her threat wasn't enough. The seller reddened and was about to retort. But he paled, looking past behind her and swallowed all his raging denials. "Y-You can have it for free..." He whimpered.
Lizzie looked behind her, just in time Devanti placed the half sheath sword back to his cloak. This guy.
Lizzie thanked the seller but still paid half of the initial price with a whisper. "It's great to sell things a bit overpriced, but not too much, okay? We're watching."
"Princess?" The man asked, with his eyes trembling, then back to the king.
Lizzie noticed that strands of her bangs slipped out of her beret. She was not the only one in the kingdom with silver hair. Few citizens and commoners alike have vibrant blue eyes. But the combination itself was rare.
"I've watched the parade for you, every year, I did!" The young seller exclaimed. Unlike the guilty rage he almost spilled moments ago, his eyes sparkled. "I must be dreaming, please slap me!"
Oh. It was like the minstrel in the fountain yesterday, a fan. Her fan is a crook. To change this, Lizzie winked and placed her finger near her mouth with a conniving "Shhh." Then she whispered, "Live honsetly from now on."
As they left, the seller grovelled to ground and thankful.
"We could have asked the official jeweller," Devanti said.
"Stay still Papa." Lizzie tiptoed to pin the snow brooch on his cloak. It was easier when the king bended his knees to make it easier for him. Lizzie nodded proudly at her purchase, glinting at her father's chest.
"Where's mine?" Garth asked beside them, done with his purchases. Among them, he was the least dressed in his disguise with his Levich longshoreman's attire in a open vest and a turban. The celebration's tolerant rules allowed the dockers to enjoy the celebration and it was common sight for Levichians in the city.
As to their attires, Lizzie was thankful to Madam Vaddenver's collection of apparel as inspiration for her designs.
"They got Faeldic steel." He exclaimed and raised his new dagger and rambled about masonry terms and weight precision in dagger along with terms Lizzie had vague ideas.
"Well somebody is having a blast," another commented.
For someone forcefully dragged to abandon his duties, Erdan was having a field day with his purchases. Some books, pens, inks and small boxes of something, all placed in the cart and pulled by a young boy.
"That't the seller's assistant," he explained by the question on her face. Unlike them, he was the only one who was fully cloaked himself in a full hood and half if his face covered. Although, it was a simple black, the material was obviously of high quality. Yet, despite the crowded flea market, people avoid him with fear in their eyes. It was to be expected for someone who resembled a shady lump of black like evil magicians in history.
The trod their way back to the parked carriage and the crowd was thicker by the area of booths that sells anything related to the royal family.
People scream left and right for bargain. Sellers swore that buying the similar shade to princess' favorite ribbon would make any lady resemble her beauty. Some sold memorabilia with the kingdom's seal.
Although overwhelmed, Lizzie was happy. It only showed the citizen's satisfaction with the current ruling and if not love, belief to say the least, to the Norvillons.
However, it also added to pressure of protecting this chaotic peace. Lizzie's thoughts were interrupted by another person bumping into her. Although her father and brothers protected her, the flow of the thick crowd made it hard so. Thankfully, she only hit Garth's dependable body behind her.
"Are you ok—"
"—My satchel!" she exclaimed, when she could not feel her bloated small bag.
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