Night fell. At eight o'clock, the commotion in the castle's backyard quieted down, and the day's experiences became fodder for bragging.
"Hurry up, hurry! The candlelight in the Lord's room is about to go out."
"Coming, coming, wait for me."
"Miss Elisa, good evening."
"Good evening!"
Elisa nodded to the two maids and walked towards the castle exit, her mind pondering the dinosaur fossils discovered during the day. Lord Lucas had transported back a small dinosaur fossil today, about the size of Annie.
"It seems Lord Lucas has a new plan," Elisa muttered to herself. Today had been a truly magical experience, but she still hadn't tried the glider. She wanted to talk to Lord Lucas about learning to use one.
"Hm?" Elisa turned her head towards the left of the castle gate. Her emerald eyes flickered as she said faintly, "Mina, are you waiting for me here?"
"Elisa, are you going to the pizza shop again?" Mina emerged from the shadows of the castle entrance. Her eyes gazed at the elf, and her cat tail swished as she said coolly, "In a few days, do you want to learn to use the glider?"
"Uh..." Elisa was taken aback for a moment, then frowned. "Is this an order from Lord Lucas?"
"No, it's a personal invitation." The corner of Mina's mouth curved slightly. She had just returned from receiving intelligence from outside.
"Alright." Elisa nodded. She had, in fact, just been thinking about learning to use the glider, and learning with someone else would be for the best.
"Be careful. There are restless people in the city again lately," Mina said coldly, stepping back into the shadows and moving within them.
"It seems those people are getting impatient," Elisa said as she watched Mina leave. She pulled up her hood and strode out of the castle gate.
She was going to the back kitchen of the pizza shop to help. Making pizza had become a sort of hobby, especially creating new kinds. There was a new style of pizza today.
When she had free time in the evening, she would go to the pizza shop. It had become a habit of hers. In her words, making pizza was a joyous activity that let her forget many of her troubles.
After leaving the castle, Elisa stepped into the shadows of the buildings, slowly making her way to the pizza shop. She didn't dare walk openly these days, partly out of habit, and partly for fear of being discovered.
Ten minutes later, when she was still about a dozen meters from the pizza shop, she stopped. Her emerald eyes stared quietly into the shadows of a building ahead.
Someone was there. Although they were well-hidden and invisible to the naked eye, she could feel a cold, sharp presence, as if blood would be spilled the moment she stepped forward.
Elisa's left hand tightened on her longbow, her right hand already resting on the nock of an arrow, her fingers gripping it tightly. She could loose an arrow in a second.
One second, two seconds... five seconds...
The elf remained in a standoff with the person in the shadows. Elisa was not confident she could kill in one shot. Her experience told her she had only one chance; if one arrow couldn't end the fight, she would be the one to die.
Just as Elisa was contemplating whether to retreat, a cold voice came from the shadows, "Elisa!"
"Who are you?" Elisa frowned, her long, pointed ears perking up. The voice sounded slightly familiar.
Something moved in the shadows, and a figure stepped out, stopping right at the edge of the darkness. A pair of fierce red eyes instantly reminded Elisa who it was.
"Jones, is that you?" Elisa cried out, her emerald eyes widening.
"..." Jones slowly pulled down her black hood, revealing a head of long brown hair and a cold face full of a wild beauty.
"Jones, it really is you." Elisa's pointed ears twitched. She released the arrow nock with her right hand and scanned her surroundings. "What are you doing here?" She asked curiously. "Lucy? Is she here too?"
"Princess Lucy wants to see you," Jones said coolly. She had been observing Elisa's movements for the past few days and had figured out her routine of going to the pizza shop, so she had chosen this spot on the path to intercept the elf.
"Lucy is here too?" Elisa was stunned for a moment, then said happily, "Quick, take me to her."
Jones turned and walked back into the shadows, and Elisa immediately followed. They moved silently through the streets and soon arrived at the third floor of the Drunken Night.
Knock, knock, knock!
The leopard-eared girl knocked on the door, then knocked a few more times before the door was opened. Lucy appeared in the crack of the door. As soon as her eyes spotted Elisa, she threw the door open wide.
Creek!
"It really is you, Elisa." Lucy beamed at Elisa, reaching out to grab her hand and pull her into the room.
"Lucy, why are you here?" Elisa asked quickly. For the princess of a nation to appear in such a remote place, something must have happened.
"It's a small matter." The smile on Lucy's face stiffened slightly. She shook her head and said, "I heard from Catherine and Dahlia that you were living alone. How did you end up living in the castle?"
"Something happened," Elisa said with a slight laugh. She could see that Lucy was troubled; otherwise, the princess of a nation wouldn't need to hide like this, or have someone secretly intercept her on the road.
"What happened? Was your identity exposed?" Lucy looked at Elisa's gray hair. It shouldn't have been exposed, right? Wasn't this a disguise?
"The Black Iris organization set a trap..." Elisa briefly recounted the luring incident.
"That human trafficking organization? They're despicable," Lucy said, gritting her teeth in anger. "How come their shadow is everywhere?"
"Huh? You've encountered them too? Did they dare to make a move on you?" Elisa asked in surprise.
"Yes, back in the Capital. If it weren't for Jones, maybe..." Lucy said with a serious face.
"..." Jones's red eyes narrowed slightly, her right hand resting on the finger blades at her waist. The people from that organization were not simple. She had investigated for a long time without finding anything useful.
"How audacious," Elisa said with a cold face. She had underestimated that organization.
"It seems that Lord Lucas is treating you very well," Lucy said softly, a strange look in her eyes as she gazed at Elisa.
"Lucy, why did you come here?" Elisa asked again. Something must have happened in the Capital, otherwise, the king would not have allowed the princess to travel so far from it.
"Elisa, I heard that Lord Lucas is an exceptionally skilled doctor, and even saved someone who was certain to die. Is this true?" Lucy asked with a serious expression.
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