It was nearly dark, and the streets were filled with weary people hurrying home after a long day's labor. In some of the houses lining the road, candles or oil lamps had already been lit. The dim yellow glow and the occasional whiff of stew wafting through the air made everyone on the street quicken their pace. Perhaps, in that moment, a simple but warm dinner was all they truly desired.
A light hired carriage rolled slowly along. The uniformed coachman occasionally tugged the reins, keeping the Dremon-spotted horse pulling the cart at a leisurely pace to avoid pedestrians darting across the road. The horse was growing restless, repeatedly tossing its neck and snorting.
The coachman turned back and asked respectfully, "Sir, we've arrived at the Phoenix Tail Flower District in the eastern city. Where would you like to alight?"
The hired carriage came to a halt at the alley entrance.
"How much?"
"Thirty coppers, sir."
Lorist fished out two small silver coins and handed them over. The coachman counted out ten coppers in change.
Lorist took only five. "The other five are my thanks for your service."
The coachman happily removed his cap and dipped his head. "Thank you for your generosity. I wish you a pleasant evening."
In
One gold Forde was worth twenty large silver coins, one large silver coin was worth five small silver coins, and one small silver coin was worth twenty coppers. As the Forde Commercial Alliance grew and its sphere of influence expanded, these four currencies had become the standard in more and more countries and regions. Some kingdoms and duchies had even stopped minting their own money, shipping their gold and silver directly to the Forde Commercial Alliance to have these four coins struck as their reserve funds.
The owner of a fruit stall that hadn't yet closed for the evening spotted Lorist approaching and froze for a moment. Then, with delighted surprise, he called out loudly, "Hey, Little Lorist! Where have you been all this time? Haven't seen you in over half a year! Here, try the fresh strawberries—just arrived, very sweet."
Lorist smiled and nodded. "Uncle Jiro, business treating you well? I was away on academy business for a while. Just got back today."
He picked up a strawberry, took a bite, and praised it. "Excellent—very sweet. Uncle Jiro, weigh me two jin. Oh, and a box of that honey fruit candy too."
"All right." The fruit seller began gathering strawberries while glancing around. Seeing no one paying attention, he lowered his voice. "Little Lorist, what happened between you and Miss Windsor? With you gone for over half a year, I've often seen a middle-aged nobleman escorting her home, and then the two of them going out together the next morning. And last month, a squad of guards and knights showed up with several carriages, saying they were here to take Madame Windsor and young Master Bilinghum back to inherit their lands. Did you know about all this?"
Lorist nodded, then shook his head. "I know some of it. Some I'd rather not know. Uncle Jiro, the truth is, we broke up over half a year ago. I'm just here to pick up my luggage. If you ever need me, come find me at the academy—that's where I'm living now."
"Oh! So that's how it is. You two… what a shame. Sigh! That'll be three small silvers." The fruit seller sighed as he handed over a paper bag of strawberries and a box of honey fruit candy.
Lorist paid, accepted the strawberries and candy, and smiled. "People have different aspirations—you can't force it. If you get along, you stay together. If you don't, you part ways. It's no big deal. Goodbye, Uncle Jiro."
He turned around, and his smile vanished. His face darkened. She had actually dared to openly bring her lover home for the night, letting the neighbors gossip—forcing him to be the one to end it. Truly ruthless.
The alley was narrow—only wide enough for a single carriage—and short, perhaps ten meters long. Beyond it lay a small open square. On the far side stood three four-story, dark-red, pointed-roof buildings. On either side were two- or three-story flat-roofed structures of varying heights, built from earth and timber.
A little girl of four or five, wearing a floral dress, sat alone on the steps of one of the two-story buildings to the left, head bowed, fiddling with something. When she saw Lorist emerge from the alley, she glanced up, then froze. She rubbed her eyes, and once she'd made him out, she leaped to her feet with excitement and came rushing toward him.
The little girl's clear laughter was like a stream of sweet spring water flowing through Lorist's heart. He laughed too, crouching halfway down and opening his arms to catch her in a tight embrace. Standing up, he spun her around a few times.
"Little Loni, what were you doing just now? Where's your grandmother?"
"I was waiting for Daddy to come home. Grandma's making dinner," Little Loni answered in her baby voice.
"Heh heh, Little Loni's so adorable. Come on, let Brother Lorist give you a kiss."
"No!" Little Loni giggled and shook her head vigorously, dodging to keep him from kissing her.
In the end, Lorist got his way.
"Hmph!" Little Loni wiped her face with her hand, looking very annoyed. "Brother Lorist is the worst! You haven't come to see me in so long, and you're always poking me with your stubble. I'm going to tell Daddy, and he's going to spank your bottom…"
"Heh heh…" Lorist laughed happily and produced the honey fruit candy. "Look, what's this?"
"Ah! Fruit candy! Little Loni's favorite! Brother Lorist is the best!" Little Loni's eyes locked onto the candy, her loyalties shifting in an instant.
Lorist laughed in spite of himself and handed it over. "Don't eat too much tonight, or your teeth will hurt."
"Mm, I know. Thank you, Brother Lorist. I'm going to show Grandma!" Clutching the candy, Little Loni darted away at full speed.
Little Loni's father was named Morander, a Silver Swordsman serving in Morant City's garrison. Little Loni's mother had passed away early, and it was her grandmother who had raised her through hardship. Every day, Little Loni waited at the front door for her father to come home, but because of his duties, he only had three days off a month to visit.
Lorist watched until Little Loni's figure disappeared into her two-story house, then turned around. Paper bag of strawberries in hand, he walked toward the three four-story, dark-red, pointed-roof buildings—the place he had lived for three years.
He rapped on the bronze door knocker. Before long, the door opened. The maid who answered hadn't expected to find Lorist standing outside, and for a moment she covered her mouth in surprise.
Lorist smiled gently. "May I come in, Lina?"
"Ah, of course. Please come in, Young Master Lorist."
After closing the door, the maid named Lina followed behind Lorist, visibly uneasy, her hands fidgeting with nowhere to go.
Lorist held out the paper bag of strawberries. "Bought them at the alley entrance—sweet and fresh. Lina, have some."
"Oh, thank you, Young Master Lorist. You're always so kind." Lina hurriedly accepted the bag with thanks.
After half a year, returning here gave Lorist an odd sense of revisiting old haunts. "Don't be nervous, Lina. I'm only here to collect my luggage. Are my things still in the same room?"
"Ah, yes. After you left, Miss told us not to go in to clean. The door's been locked the whole time, though she's gone in a few times herself."
"The furniture in here is more than half gone too. Are you all preparing to leave?" Lorist asked, looking around the noticeably empty hall.
"Yes. Miss sold this family house. We'll be moving out before the end of the month."
"What about the shop on Triumph Avenue? Did she sell that too?" Lorist asked.
Lina shook her head. "I'm not sure about that. But I heard from Suzy that they've been looking for a buyer—they just haven't settled on a price yet."
Lorist sighed. "It seems your miss has made up her mind to leave for good this time."
Lina nodded and looked at Lorist. "Young Master Lorist, shall I brew you a cup of tea?"
"All right. I may never get to drink tea brewed by Lina again. I certainly won't pass it up today."
Soon Lina brought over a cup of hot tea. Lorist took a deep breath and complimented her. "Still as fragrant as ever. Your tea-brewing hasn't regressed one bit, Lina."
Lina lowered her head and asked softly, "Young Master Lorist… are you really going to break up with Miss?"
Lorist stared at the steaming cup of tea, silent for a long while before answering in a distant tone. "Lina, it's not me who wants to break up with your miss. It's your miss who forced me to. The truth is clear enough—and especially during these six months I've been gone, you can't tell me you don't know what she's done. She's stopped at nothing to reclaim her family's lands. And I… aside from wishing her success, all I can do is leave."
Lina hesitated for a moment, then said with sudden firmness, "But… but I still feel that Miss made the wrong choice. She shouldn't have separated from you…"
Lorist smiled. "Lina, not everyone sees it the way you do. Your miss has her own considerations."
He stood up. "All right. I've had Lina's tea. Let me go upstairs and sort through my things. I'll have them shipped out tomorrow morning."
"Oh, Young Master Lorist, wait—let me get you a candle."
He pushed open the door and stood in the threshold, staring dumbly at the familiar furnishings inside. Lina followed with a candle stand, asking in confusion, "Young Master Lorist, what's wrong?"
Lorist came back to his senses and reached for the candle stand. "Oh, thank you, Lina. Let me be alone for a while. I need a moment of quiet."
Lina nodded in understanding. "Of course, Young Master Lorist. Just pull the bell rope if you need anything. I'll be downstairs."
He set the candle stand on the desk and slowly sat down. Scenes from the past flashed before his eyes—in this very room, at this very desk, he and she had debated endlessly over the design of a gown…
To save on expenses, the two of them had knelt on the floor cutting fabric, sewing by hand…
He and she had argued fiercely over how to decorate the shop…
And that day—moonlight like water—she had undressed before him…
He lay on the floor while she curled up beside him, playfully tracing circles on his chest with her little tongue, asking him to draw a few more design sketches for her…
It was, in the end, a very old-fashioned love story.
Back then,
Lorist had felt awkward at the time, unsure what the girl was crying about. If she'd been jilted or something, would it be right for him to go offer comfort? While he was wrestling with the question, the girl suddenly hurled herself into the lake—she was trying to kill herself.
Lorist carried the unconscious, waterlogged girl back to the Academy Enforcement Department's office and kicked Fatty Shi awake. The two of them bustled about for a good while before the girl came to. She was beautiful, but she kept her mouth shut and refused to say a word. That didn't faze Fatty Shi, though—by noon the next day he'd figured out the whole story.
Her name was Windsor Bilina, eighteen years old. Her father was a viscount in the Qigeda Kingdom. Some time ago, two of Qigeda's Grand Dukes had fallen out and begun recruiting forces, sparking open conflict. Viscount Windsor had the misfortune of siding with the losing Grand Duke, and since his territory was right on the front lines, he was among the first casualties. His castle was breached, his lands carved up, and the viscount himself, wounded in a desperate charge, was summoned by the God of War to the afterlife. Madame Windsor and her seven-year-old son naturally became captives.
In wars between nobles, the families of the losing side wouldn't be mistreated exactly, but it was common and tacitly accepted for them to be expected to pour drinks and dance for entertainment. Madame Windsor, though past her prime, still retained her charm, and she was quite popular in the camp. After six months the fighting subsided and the two Grand Dukes shook hands and made peace. The Windsor family had lost its territory and was no longer of any value, so Madame Windsor and her young son were released for free. But Madame Windsor's belly had grown noticeably, and no one knew which knight or lord was the father. To avoid scandal, she had no choice but to throw herself on the mercy of her eldest daughter, Miss Windsor Bilina, who was studying at
Living in a honey pot all her life, the eldest Miss Windsor had never dreamed she would face such a day. The nightmare her mother and brother brought turned her from a soaring phoenix into a common hen. Losing her father meant losing her protector; losing the family's lands meant losing her income. The usually proud young lady humbly went crawling to her admirers, hoping to recover at least part of the family's territories.
The result was that Miss Windsor was cruelly humiliated. Not a single noble who knew the fate of the Windsor lands lifted a finger to help—though quite a few had intentions of a more intimate nature. Utterly disillusioned, Miss Windsor was consumed by despair, feeling that life was worse than death, and she slipped away to Moon Lake in the middle of the night. At the time, she had been living in the academy's female dormitory, not too far from Moon Lake.
Fatty Shi said that Viscount Windsor had actually been quite shrewd with his affairs. Besides his territory, the Windsor family also owned a property in the eastern residential district of Morant City and two shops on Triumph Avenue. Never mind the rest—those two sources of rental income alone would have sustained a respectable life in Morant City.
Lorist, unable to help himself, had blurted out that this was actually the capital the Windsor family needed to make a comeback.
Then he turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin. The girl who had been sitting silent and motionless in the office, refusing to eat or drink or make a sound, was now standing right in front of him, her beautiful wide eyes fixed on him as she asked, "You say the Windsor family can still make a comeback…"