After that, Luke couldn't fall asleep anymore.
Logically, he'd only slept a few hours over the last two days—he should've been exhausted. But lying in the rocking chair, quietly enjoying the calm, his sleepiness suddenly vanished without a trace.
"Strange…"
Luke muttered to himself.
That drew Fiora's attention. "What's strange?"
"That I can't sleep," Luke said, gradually turning serious. "Impossible!"
Sleep was such a crucial thing for humans. In a time this leisurely, not being able to sleep was simply unacceptable!
Fiora couldn't help finding it funny as Luke shut his eyes stubbornly, determined to force himself to sleep.
But not long after, Luke opened his eyes again—there was a hint of confusion in them for the first time.
Then he sat up and muttered, "I really can't sleep."
People were weird like that.
When you want to sleep, you can't. When you don't want to sleep, you can sleep like a rock.
The quiet around him made Luke realize something was missing. He turned his head and asked, "Where's Lux?"
Fiora replied, "Probably still upstairs asleep."
"What?!" As if he'd been massively provoked, Luke sprang off the rocking chair and charged upstairs without another word.
He absolutely could not allow someone to be sleeping more comfortably than him right now!
Very soon, Fiora heard a chaotic ruckus upstairs—like chickens and dogs were being set loose.
A moment later, Luke walked back down looking thoroughly satisfied.
Behind him came Miss Crownguard, radiating resentment, her eyes like they could kill.
It was afternoon now, and the sunlight wasn't as harsh.
"Such nice weather today. The capital must be lively," Luke said in high spirits, standing in the yard as he shared his idea. "Anyone interested in going for a walk?"
Since he couldn't sleep, and there was nothing to do at home, he might as well go stroll the streets.
He'd discovered shopping wasn't just a women's hobby.
It was also a rich person's hobby.
Just thinking about the several thousand gold coins sitting at home made him want to go spend some.
"I'm not going!" Lux sat on the lounge chair sulking, still angry.
Luke held up two fingers. "Two days of ice cream included."
"When do we leave?" Lux asked instantly, beaming.
One down—easy.
Luke looked at Fiora.
Meeting his gaze, Fiora set her book down and smiled. "Let's go."
And just like that, the plan was decided.
They climbed into the carriage and set off casually. Even the destination was casual.
With so many people in the capital, it was lively anywhere.
The four of them walked along the streets, pedestrians coming and going in an endless stream. Everything was full of everyday bustle—loud and vibrant.
"Red-heart fruit! Fresh-picked red-heart fruit!"
A shout drew Luke's attention, up ahead on the right.
Several wooden crates sat on the ground, filled with fruit, and the stall owner sat on a small chair calling out.
As they passed, they took a look, and Luke stopped.
He glanced at the red-heart fruit and muttered, "Isn't this a red delicious apple?"
Those red fruits were neatly piled in the crate. No doubt about it.
They were bright in color and looked quite nice.
"Red delicious apple?" Lux heard his mutter and looked over, puzzled.
"That's what we call it back where I'm from." Luke casually picked one up and gave the vendor a look.
After getting the vendor's permission, he wiped it off and tossed it into his mouth without worrying about cleanliness.
Sour with a bit of sweetness, and most importantly, not many seeds.
"Tsk. With red delicious apples this good, not making candy apples would be a waste."
The more he ate, the more satisfied he felt, and he even started missing the taste of home.
Lux's ears were sharp. The moment she heard that, she scooted over, eyes sparkling. "Candy apples? I heard the words 'candy apples'!"
That had to be delicious!
Luke ignored Lux's excitement and looked at the vendor. "Wrap up four or five."
"Coming right up~!" The vendor replied enthusiastically and quickly packed the apples.
It was cheap too. All that only cost a single silver coin.
But that one silver coin could buy Luke quite a lot of happiness.
They kept strolling through the streets, buying plenty more along the way—mostly Luke buying.
Lux and Fiora remembered he'd already bought a lot yesterday, but judging from today, he still hadn't had enough.
"I seriously don't get what you'd use these little rocks for," Lux said, baffled as she looked at the black-and-white pebbles in her hand. "As decorations? There are decorations way prettier than these."
The stones were all about the same size. Who knew where the vendor had collected them from—there were a lot.
What was worse, they were even more expensive than the red-heart fruit. Luke had spent a full gold coin on them.
Lux stared at Luke's side profile.
Wasn't this what people called a sucker?
"Of course they're useful," Luke said with a smile at Lux's confusion.
He actually thought the gold coin was well spent. He'd been planning to make a board game anyway. What was popular here resembled chess.
Luke wasn't interested at all.
So he was thinking of making a Go board—at worst, he could still play five-in-a-row.
The board was easy. The pieces were hard. And today he'd found ready-made ones on the street. One gold coin was absolutely worth it.
"Useful for what?" Lux still didn't understand.
Luke just said mysteriously, "You'll find out."
Seeing him tease like that, Lux puffed her cheeks in annoyance, shot him a fierce glare, then turned away and refused to ask anymore.
They walked a bit farther and seemed to reach a small plaza. It was lively, with people singing and dancing.
A few people held instruments, forming a small band.
The music swirled outward from them across the plaza, and many people—men and women—started moving and dancing along to the rhythm.
The whole scene was joyful.
Luke watched for a moment, then suddenly stopped, looking thoughtful.
Lux, walking behind him and not paying attention, bumped straight into his back. She stumbled a step and complained, "What are you doing now?"
Luke ignored her and kept watching the dancers, thinking seriously.
The vibe was cheerful, sure, but it still felt like something was missing.
A few seconds later, his eyes lit up.
He remembered!
At a moment this festive, how could you not have barbecue and beer?
With that, he turned around immediately—this time with a clear goal. "We're going back. I forgot to buy something!"
Lux looked utterly confused.
Fiora just smiled faintly, not bothered.
This time, Luke bought even more.
Iron racks, a whole pile of materials, and several round wooden barrels about a meter tall.
There was no way they could carry all that while strolling, so they loaded everything into the carriage first and planned to bring it home later.
Once the items were stored, Yurna stayed behind to guard the carriage.
Luke and the two girls went back to the little plaza from earlier.
They planned to stay there for a while—watching street music and carefree dancing was actually pretty fun.
There was also a small bridge here—an arched stone bridge. Beneath it ran a clear river, flowing swiftly, leading who knew where.
Luke stood on the bridge, looking at the scenery on both sides while listening to the rushing water, and enjoying the music.
Fiora, too, was savoring a rare moment of relaxation.
Lux leaned over the bridge railing, looking down at the river. She watched a few ducks waddle over from the plaza, apparently wanting to cool off in the water.
Their little legs moved in a ridiculous side-to-side waddle—hilarious.
The current was fast today. The smarter ducks knew this wasn't the kind of flow you wanted to play in, so they all turned back.
But one looked… not very smart. It even stuck a foot in to test the water—then slipped and fell right in.
It flipped over, splashed around a few times, and finally managed to right itself. The moment it got upright, it was facing a wall.
Lux couldn't bear to watch. She shut her eyes—then cracked them open a sliver.
Sure enough, the duck slammed right into the wall, hitting its head hard enough that even watching made your scalp hurt.
But it only let out two annoyed "quacks," found a chance to climb back onto shore, and left without looking back.
Lux asked Luke in confusion, "Do you think that duck didn't feel pain?"
Luke froze at the question.
After a second of serious thought, he answered solemnly, "No."
Lux looked even more puzzled. "Why?"
Luke said, "Because that was a goose."
Lux: "?"
She blinked, then looked at Fiora.
Fiora couldn't help laughing softly and then gave a small nod.
Lux's cheeks immediately turned red. She lowered her head, lacking confidence. "I… I actually realized that earlier."
Why did ducks and geese look so similar?
Ugh.
So embarrassing.
"It's fine." Luke reached out and patted Lux's shoulder lightly. "People mix things up sometimes."
Lux suddenly felt like this guy could be pretty nice at times.
And then she heard Luke continue, "Worst case, I'll just mock you for the rest of your life."
Then came his merciless laughter.
"Quack quack quack quack—"
Lux's face turned even redder. She snapped her head up, eyes dangerous.
A desire for murder and silencing witnesses rose in her heart!
But she held it back.
She clenched her small fists.
In the year 679, Luke—this hateful jerk—mocked me in public. I, Lux, will remember this grudge!
After the little bridge incident, Lux felt like staying any longer would be social suicide, so she proposed moving on.
So they followed her lead and headed to the next street.
This was an entertainment street. There were all kinds of amusements on both sides. Luke glanced around—some of it was genuinely interesting.
One spot in particular was very crowded. At the end of the street was another small plaza.
Curious, the group walked over.
A large crowd had gathered. The owner had rented a huge area, taking up almost half the plaza. Looking inside, it seemed to be an archery game.
Just then, the owner started explaining the rules.
"Honored guests, this game is called 'Bend the Bow and Shoot.' Three silver coins per attempt."
The owner was a plump-looking middle-aged man, standing in front of the crowd and speaking loudly. "The rules are simple. See those targets? As long as you spin fifteen times in place, then hit any target with your first arrow, you win a prize."
The space was large—the plaza stretched nearly thirty to forty meters from end to end.
He paused for breath, then continued.
"First prize is the target at thirty meters. The reward is a bracelet worth twenty gold coins. And the grand prize is the target at forty meters—reward: a necklace worth fifty gold coins."
Everyone followed his gesture and looked into the field.
Targets were set at five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, and thirty meters, each with a different prize.
But at twenty-five meters, the target was clearly much smaller, and the thirty-meter one was smaller still.
As for the forty-meter one, it was ridiculous.
Who knew what trick the owner used, but it was moving left and right.
In a normal state, hitting a target at forty meters wouldn't be hard.
But don't forget the condition: spin fifteen times in place—and the "standard" had to be whatever the owner said it was.
That was where the game got tricky.
After the rules were explained, many people were eager to try.
After paying three silver coins, they stepped up one by one.
Luke and the others watched nearby, amused, but didn't rush.
After spinning, you had to shoot within three seconds or it wouldn't count.
That rule was reasonable enough.
The man who stepped up now spun a full fifteen times according to the owner's standard, then immediately drew and fired.
But the arrow's direction was wildly off.
The crowd burst into laughter.
The first challenger left in embarrassment, and soon a new challenger stepped up confidently.
It didn't go much better.
Luke and the others watched for a while. More than ten challengers had tried. Two managed to hit the nearer targets by luck—but as for true skill, none so far.
The owner's grin was stretching crooked.
Then he turned his head and saw Luke and the others. The first thing he noticed was their clothing—high status, unmistakable.
Then he looked at their faces.
Wasn't that the prince?
Luke's face was fairly well-known in Demacia now.
That festival day alone had drawn who knew how many people—the Grand Plaza had nearly been packed to bursting. And Luke's looks and presence stood out, leaving a deep impression on many.
On the streets, seeing the prince didn't mean everyone had to rush over and bow.
Most of the time Luke walking down the street wasn't all that different from anyone else.
TN: Kinda hard to translate humor and jokes... and this damn chapter in general :( , at least they had fun.
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