Both Adrian and Felix found themselves on foot, since beasts, even domesticated, ones were not allowed to roam freely in the capital to avoid causing panic.
Well, the only exception was if you were a Duke or Grand Duke, then the rules could be bent....or rather, outright ignored.
The Frost Wolves had been handed over to the beast stables near the northern gate, leaving the two to continue their journey through the bustling streets of the capital.
Compared to the snow-filled North, the capital was a lot warmer. The houses here were built closer together, their stone walls painted in brighter colors, with banners hanging from windows and balconies that overlooked the lively streets below.
Even the merchant’s stalls looked quite different from the ones in the North and the foods sold there were even more so.
Whilst the North....or rather, the former Adrian, was used to hot stews and protein, lots and lots of protein, the merchant’s here sold a variety of fruits and vegetables.
There were even pastries on display in some stores.
"Maybe I should get Renelle some?" Adrian muttered to himself, but decided otherwise.
As much as his lady was a sweet tooth, doing too much on the first meet would just scare her away....right?
Felix, still exhausted from a non-stop travel from the North, led the way towards the Ardent mansion here in the capital.
He was still very much nervous around Adrian but at the same time, he was relieved that the journey had seen its end.
This demon butler would finally reach his lady’s side and he’d be able to go back to the North and probably be pampered by his girlfriend.
He deserved that much, right?
Speaking of the the demon butler, Felix turned around to reluctantly ask if he wanted to tour the capital a bit, before reaching the mansion.
He was sure the answer would be no, but the moment he turned, Adrian was gone.
Felix blinked.
For a moment he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.
But no.
The street behind him was filled with people moving about their business, merchants shouting, children running between stalls, nobles passing by with their attendants... yet the one person he had been escorting just seconds ago was nowhere to be seen.
"...What?"
Felix turned around fully, scanning the crowd.
’He was just behind me...’
Felix had only turned for a second. Two at most. Yet somehow Adrian had disappeared like a ghost swallowed by the crowd.
His voice died halfway, that demon butler was completely gone, a chill immediately ran down his spine as he imagined exaggerated scenarios.
If the demon butler was lost and couldn’t get to his Lady’s side in time, then maybe he’d blame Felix.
And if he did, maybe he’d wrap him also in shadows as he had done with the beasts on their way here, before drilling holes all over him.
The thought immediately caused him to go pale as he started looking around for the butler before it was too late.
Meanwhile, a few stalls away, Adrian calmly adjusted the thin-framed glasses resting on his nose as he stood before a bakery display.
Unlike the North where food was simple and filling, this bakery had clearly been made for indulgence. Rows of pastries were lined neatly on the shelves, golden crusts dusted with powdered sugar, fruit tarts glazed with syrup, soft cakes layered with cream.
The smell alone was enough to pull people in.
Adrian tilted his head slightly.
His gaze slowly moved from one cake to the next, before his eyes finally settled on one.
"That one."
The baker looked up from the counter.
"A fine choice, young master," the man said cheerfully as he picked up the cake Adrian had pointed at, mistaking him for a noble, "our strawberry cream cake is one of our best sellers."
Adrian watched him pack the cake into a neat white box tied with a ribbon.
The baker spoke again while working.
"Buying it for someone special?"
"Yes," Adrian answered without a change in his expression.
"Then...." The baker paused, turned around and picked something from behind his counter before putting it in the same box as the cake, "a little something for the lucky lady, that’ll be eight coppers."
Adrian took out a gold coin, placed in on the counter, before walking away, not allowing the baker a chance to even say anything.
"Y-young master this is too—" the baker grabbed the gold coin and rushed out the store moments after Adrian walked out, but by the time the baker reached outside, he was completely gone.
"W-what the hell just happened?" The baker couldn’t help but let out as he looked at the gold coin in his hand.
He finally gave up and walked back into the store, permanently storing Adrian’s face to memory.
***
Felix sat by a fountain with his head down and face blank, he had already accepted that he was going to die, but he’d at least like to send his girlfriend his final good byes.
Ah, maybe he could do that with carrier pigeons, but there was none readily available right now.
Maybe he could try catching the ones landing close to the fountain, he turned to the left, noticed that there were no pigeons, only the demon butler standing there, before turning to the right, again, no pigeons.
....
Wait.
Felix slowly turned his head back to the left, and the demon butler was still standing there.
Adrian stood quietly beside the fountain, the small white box tied with a ribbon resting in his hand. His expression was calm, as he looked directly at Felix.
For a few seconds, Felix simply stared back at him, his brain struggled to process what he was seeing.
Then his eyes slowly widened.
"...AH!"
Felix nearly fell off the edge of the fountain as he jumped to his feet.
"W-where did you go?!" he blurted out, his voice far louder than he intended.
A few nearby pedestrians glanced at them briefly before continuing on with their day.
Adrian looked at him, then down at the box he had in hand, "I went to buy something."
Felix followed his gaze and finally noticed the ribbon.
"...Cake?"
Adrian gave a small nod.
Felix stared at him again.
This time, his expression was complicated, on one hand, the demon butler still terrified him, but on the other hand...
"...You vanished just to buy cake?"
"Yes," Adrian simply responded, "is there a problem?"
Felix rubbed his face.
’I travelled two days without sleep for this man,’ he exhaled deeply before straightening himself.
"None," Felix muttered, giving up on trying to understand Adrian’s thought process, "the mansion is this way."
He started walking again and Adrian followed calmly behind him, holding the cake box carefully as the two continued through the streets.