The white flakes slowly fell from the dark sky. The air was cold, almost hard to breathe. The streets of Clinkton, as before, were covered with thick snow, and few people went about with lanterns in their hands.
"So, where are we heading, Human?" Aeris asked from beside me, her eyes darting from house to house, people to people, with a slight anxiety.
She was wearing the fur cloak I had given her. Covering her torso completely, her ears were now normal human shaped as I had given her a ring that would alter her appearance. It was a bit advanced than the one I wore as Dimitri.
"To the place where we will rest," I replied to her question, giving her a knowing look. "It's a small inn."
"I see," She replied, her fingers rubbing her chin. Her eyes closed as if contemplating something. "Can I ask one more thing?"
"Sure,"
"Why are you disguising yourself in your own land?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You know what I mean—Blue Hair, fiery eyes." She said, pointing at my hair. "Why are you doing that?"
"Why? I don't look good or something?"
"No, you look... Han—No, never mind!" She averted her eyes, her fingers tightening around her cloak.
This reaction again...
I groaned inwardly, then looked at her again, "I will explain everything once we are out of public view... So, for now, just call me Dimitri or just don't speak with anyone at all."
"I would prefer the latter,"
As our conversation continued, we arrived at the inn where I had previously spent the night. I held the handle of the door and pushed it open.
The tavern still smelled of ale and freshly cooked food that almost made my mouth water. The adventure made me quite hungry.
People sat at the tables eating their food and drinking ale to forget their workload. Barmaids ran around with trays in their hands.
I stole a glance at Aeris, who looked at everything with intense paranoia as if the whole tavern was about to come to get her.
I think she is being more paranoid than necessary.
[Nope, she is still being less paranoid than you.] Dante's voice crackled in my head, carrying a tone of mockery.
What do you mean?
[Oh, nothing like 'wanting to kill people right after meeting them for the first time']
Kindly, Fuck off.
[Will do.] His tone quietened before nothing but a whisper remained.
I turned towards Aeris, who was still gawking at everything. "You want to eat?"
Her gaze met mine, and she just replied with a simple nod, following her previous statement of not speaking.
"Fine, just go find a seat or..." I paused, looking around the inn. "You want to eat upstairs in my room?"
"Latter," She simply replied.
"You can speak, you know? Just call me Dimitri, that's all." I sighed and handed her the key to my room. "Go upstairs. The number of the room is engraved on the wooden key chain. I hope you can read?"
"Of course, I can." She shot a glare at me, taking the keys from my hand in one swift motion.
She headed for the stairs close to the counter. The inn lady shot her small glance before looking at me and smiling.
"Oh, Dimitri, how did the test go?" She asked, cleaning the counter with a cloth.
"Well, I pretty much aced it," I replied, giving her a thumbs-up as I took my seat in one of the chairs.
"That is great! When are the results coming out?"
"3-4 days, they said when I asked," I replied, taking the menu in my hands and opening it. "Say... anything new that happened around here?"
"Not anything in particular. The latest gossip is about a noblewoman staying here in our inn with her female guard."
"It's a pretty rare sight to see nobles stopping by in our small town"
She must be talking about Lyra's sister... What was her name?
Right... Thanks
"Nothing else?" I asked her, shoving the menu towards her while pointing at a dish.
Her face suddenly lit up as if she remembered something. "Ah, wait, there is another rumor going on..."
My ears perked up. I kept the menu aside and asked. "What might that be?"
"It is about the Blitzfeld Duchy's youngest... Word on the street is—He disappeared."
My eyes slightly narrowed, the curve of my lips slightly faltered. Disappeared? Not escaped?
"What do you mean by 'He Disappeared'?"
"It is exactly as I have said... He disappeared from the estate. His posters are even up on the Capital city of Kaiserhelm. If I am right, they have even started putting up his posters in this small town too."
"Did you see the picture on the poster?" I asked, curious about the look they have painted me with.
"Well, I have one of the posters given to me by the people that came by. Want to take a look?"
"Why not? I might recognize him."
The inn lady knelt behind the counter and pulled out a cream white paper with a picture and an amount.
"Here you go," She said, handing over the poster to me.
I took the poster from her hands and eyed it with intent. The amount was given as 500 Gold with a writing that said:
Noah Von Blitzfeld, The Youngest son of House Von Blitzfeld, has gone missing. Any information on him or bringing him back will grant you a reward of gold from the Duke Friedrich Von Blitzfeld and the Duchess Lorelle Von Blitzfeld.
Wow, when did I become so expensive for them?
Then I looked at the photo, and a smile crept onto my lips. They are never finding me with such a filthy drawing.
It was me when I was bloated and ugly. My wheat-blonde hair was unkempt, my face was swollen. My silver eyes held no confidence—Ah, how I not miss those days bad old days.
"Nope, never seen him." I handed the poster to the lady as I picked the menu back up.
"I know he is a noble, but for a noble, he is quite ugly and bloated." The lady said, taking the poster from me. "Don't you think so, too?"
[Pffft. Hahahaha]
Shut the fuck up!
"Yes, you are right." My grip on the menu tightened slightly. Lady, I am sitting right in front of you...
"Oh, I almost forgot that you were showing me a dish." She slightly leaned forward, glancing at the menu. "So, what do you want?"
I pointed my finger at the dish that I wanted—Honey Glazed Venison with Flatbread and a side of mashed potatoes.
"That is a delicious choice... for two, right?" She took the menu from my hands. A small and playful smirk playing at her lips.
"Yes, for my friend also..."
"So, who is this 'friend'?" She asked, her lips curving.
"Just a friend..." I replied, awkwardly smiling. I knew what she was implying, but I am not gonna let her have her way.
"Hmph! You're no fun," She said, turning around to go back into the kitchen, but before she disappeared behind the curtains, she turned her head. "Also, please be mindful of your activities... My beds are not that strong~"
She said it loudly stopping all the chatter that was going on behind me. I turned my head slightly, seeing everyone looking at me with flushed expressions.
Seriously?