While the Prince was speaking with Aeonian in the quiet folds of the mountain, the city below was alive in its own heartbeat. Lena and Evelyn drifted through the shopping district like every other pair of sisters—yet their laughter carried something brighter, something the walls and windows seemed eager to hold.
The shops sparkled under warm golden lights. Scarves in soft colors hung like banners, shoes gleamed in neat rows, and little jewelry stalls glistened as though each trinket carried a secret story. Lena, cautious yet eager, let Evelyn tug her forward from one window to another. Evelyn had a way of pulling her into the joy of small things—of ribbons, of earrings shaped like tiny moons, of hats far too extravagant for everyday use but too charming not to try.
