"Your Grace, where will be the first destination?" Lady Octavi asked from the coachman's side, leaning down toward the window.
"Hmmmm…" Father stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Let's go to the town square first. We can see a lot of entertaining people there."
"Right on, Your Grace," Lady Octavi acknowledged with a nod.
I watched Lady Octavi pass Father's instructions to the coachman. The whip cracked, and we headed straight for the town square.
On the way there, I gazed out at the bustling city. The streets were lined with buildings displaying various symbolic signs on their boards. I saw an anvil with two hammers crossed above it; a glass with foam spilling over the rim; a weighing scale with an object on one side, tipping the balance; a fork and spoon crossed over each other; and a large pair of scissors.
I was so curious about these signs that I turned to my parents.
"Father, Mother, what are the signs in front of some of the buildings?"
"Ahh, Aurelia," Father smiled, pointing out the window. "It shows what the building is."
"An anvil with two hammers crossed is a blacksmith," Mother explained, ticking them off on her gloved fingers. "A glass is a tavern or inn. A weighing scale signifies a trade market. A fork and spoon is a restaurant. And the scissors indicate a salon, tailor, or boutique."
"I see…" I murmured, fascinated.
Then, I spotted a unique and far more complex sign than the others. It depicted a person riding a horse, holding a banner in one hand and a sword in the other.
"And what about that sign? It is more unique and complex than the others."
"That sign… It is an army insignia," Father said, his voice turning serious.
"Insignia?"
"Or you can call it the Army Sign. That specific sign you saw represents a Cataphract unit."
"Cataphract?"
"It is a men-at-arms unit—specifically, armored heavy cavalry. It is our best unit."
"Is there another building like that?"
"Yes, there is," Father replied dismissively. "I think you don't need to be concerned about it."
After some minutes of riding and absorbing the sights of the road, we finally reached the town square.
It was incredibly spacious. Dominating the center was a towering statue of a long-haired woman with only a single wing on her back. The square was teeming with people—performers, street merchants, and crowds of onlookers. There was a juggler tossing anything people threw at him into the air; a singer belting out a romantic poem; and a trobairitz composing a rhythm and melody beside him.
"Aurelia, you can stroll around with Lady Octavi and Adel. Your mother and I have something to do," Father said, adjusting his coat.
"Sure, Father."
Mother and Father walked off alone on foot, leaving us behind. I noticed there was no one following or escorting them.
We began strolling around the town square. My first destination was the statue; I wanted a closer look. As I approached, I realized just how massive it was. Standing directly in front of it, I assumed it was at least three times the height of Lady Octavi.
"Who is she, Lady Octavi?" I asked, craning my neck.
"She is Gennaia."
"Gennaia?"
"She is one of the goddesses from the God's Realm," Lady Octavi explained. "She is the most timid goddess, and the other gods and goddesses stamped her as the weakest among them."
"Why does she have one wing on her back instead of two?"
"Because of her incompetence at being a goddess," Adel spoke up suddenly from behind me.
"Well," Lady Octavi interjected smoothly, "there are many interpretations of the wing. Some people believe it is a sign of weakness and incompetence. However, others believe it is a sign of Gennaia's freedom. Gennaia is a timid goddess, so she usually does not hang around with other gods and goddesses. It means she never commits the sins that the other gods do; she remains pure as white. She is the freest goddess in the God's Realm, often visiting the Human Realm to play instead of staying in the heavens. Because she usually transforms into a human, her wings paid the price of the transformation—she lost one of them."
"So, is there any reason for this statue being here?"
"Because she usually came to this city when she visited the Human Realm. That is why there is a statue of her here."
After taking a good look at the statue, we continued strolling around the town center. We watched the juggler deftly handling bags, balls, and hats thrown by the crowd. Then, the sound of melody and rhythm attracted me. I followed the music and saw two girls, around seventeen years old. One was singing, and the other was composing the music.
"What is the thing that emits a sound on that girl's shoulder?" I asked.
"Oh… that is a Vielle," Lady Octavi answered. "And she is a trobairitz."
"Trobairitz?"
"A trobairitz is a girl or woman who plays instruments to compose a poem. If it is a man or boy, they are called troubadours."
We stood there, enjoying the performance until they finished their song. Once the music stopped, the singer began to walk around with a small bag in her hand, and people started dropping spare coins into it.
I realized I didn't have any money.
"Do you bring any coins, Adel?"
"Of course, My Lady," Adel replied promptly.
"Let me give them the coins, My Lady," Lady Octavi offered, stepping forward. "It is your first time strolling around here."
Lady Octavi approached the girl and dropped several white coins into the small bag. I saw the girl's face freeze in disbelief at what she had received. Our eyes met, and she immediately lifted her skirt and curtsied deeply to me, causing everyone nearby to turn and look at us. I just smiled at her. The other girl, seeing what was going on, hurried over and curtsied to me as well.
I simply waved at them and started to leave the scene to avoid the attention. They waved back enthusiastically.
Once we were away, I asked Lady Octavi what had happened.
"What did Lady Octavi give to them that made them greet us like that?"
"I just gave them eight silver coins," she replied casually.
"How precious is that?"
"Let's see…" Lady Octavi calculated in the air. "The average inn cost for a day is ten copper coins with three meals. A luxury inn cost for a day is forty copper coins with one meal. And one silver is worth about one hundred copper coins. So, eight silver coins equal eight hundred copper coins. Eight hundred copper coins equal eighty days in an average inn with three meals… Is it not enough, My Lady? I can give them gold coins if My Lady wants."
"I think it is enough," I said, stunned. "But is it okay for Lady Octavi to give that many coins?"
"What are you talking about, My Lady? Silver coins have no meaning for us."
"Ehhhhhh..?" I stared at her in disbelief.
"Let's ask Adel how many coins His Grace and Madam gave for you, My Lady," Lady Octavi suggested with a smirk. "Adel, how many coins did His Grace and Madam give for this occasion?"
"It is about fifty platinum coins," Adel answered without batting an eye.
"What are the values of those coins?" I asked, my head spinning.
"The lowest one is copper, then silver, gold, and platinum," Lady Octavi explained. "One platinum coin equals one hundred gold coins. One gold coin equals one hundred silver coins. One silver coin equals one hundred copper coins. So, one platinum equals one hundred gold coins, or ten thousand silver coins, or one million copper coins. And Adel has fifty platinum coins."
"Ehhhhh…" I gasped. "Why did Father and Mother give me so many of those coins?"
"I think it is just small change for them," Lady Octavi shrugged.
"Ehh! Small things? That many coins is a small thing?"
"Yes, it is."
"EHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
We continued strolling around the town square, trying to shake off my shock. Next, we visited the street merchants. I saw rows of pendants, hair clips, and many ornaments displayed on cloths on the ground. I looked around at them with interest.
Suddenly, I heard a scuffle behind me. I turned to see Adel grabbing the back of a little boy who had tried to pass behind her. The boy was around Aurelio's age and wore shabby, dirty clothes.
"I felt a little hand itching my hips, and I found the little hand belonging to this," Adel said, lifting the boy into the air with one hand.
The boy kicked and struggled in her grip. "RELEASE ME! RELEASE ME!"
"Hooohhhh…" Lady Octavi's face turned scary, and her hand rested on the hilt of her sword. "There was someone who tried to steal from us."
The boy's face went pale with terror, and he looked like he was about to cry.
"What are we going to do with him, My Lady?" Adel asked.
"First, lower him from your hand."
Adel lowered him to the ground. But the moment his feet touched the earth, he tried to bolt. Adel's hand was faster; she snatched him by the collar before he could take a step. He kept struggling, running in place while Adel held him firm.
"OI… LITTLE BOY! DO YOU DARE TO RUN FROM ME?" Adel barked with a terrifying tone.
"Waaa… waaa…" The boy started to whine.
I stepped in front of him, lowered my body to his eye level, and tried to calm him down.
"What is your name?" I asked softly.
"I don't have it…" he mumbled.
"You don't have a name?"
"I think he is from the street, My Lady," Adel explained. "Where some people throw their kids to the street, so they don't have any name, or know their own name."
"Hehhh! What a horrible thing to do…" I gasped.
"Wait, My Lady," Lady Octavi interrupted, narrowing her eyes at the boy. "I think that kind of street is gone, so there are no kids living in the streets anymore... YO, BOY, ARE YOU TRYING TO LIE?"
"Ehhh..ehh..ehhh… No, I am not lying to you!" he stammered. "I am living in the streets…"
"So why are you stealing from us?" I asked.
"Because we haven't eaten for two days…"
"WE? What do you mean about that?"
"There are my little sisters…"
"You have little sisters?"
"They are," he sniffled. "But they don't have any blood relation to me. They are just like me, thrown by parents in the street."
"So you took care of them and protected them?" I smiled warmly. "What a brave boy."
The boy blushed, looking down at his dirty feet.
"Can you show me where you stay? I want to meet your little sisters."
He looked up suspiciously. "What are you going to do with us? Are you going to sell us?"
"Of course not," I assured him. "I just want to see where you are staying. Do you mind?"
"...Okay. Then you can come."
"That's amazing."
Lady Octavi leaned in close to my ear. "Are you sure about this, My Lady?" she whispered.
"It is okay," I whispered back. Then I addressed the boy. "Okay, boy. She will release you, but you must not run, and you must lead us to where you stay."
"Alright…"
"Adel, you can release the boy."
Adel let him go. True to his word, the boy was well-behaved and didn't run. He started to lead us toward the street he came from. The place was a bit far from the town square, taking us past some weird and dark alleys far from the public eye.
We arrived at the street where he lived. It was a cramped, dirty alleyway. I looked around but didn't see anyone else.
"I don't see your little sisters in here, boy," I said.
The boy put his fingers in his mouth and blew a sharp whistle.
Tweeeeeet!
Suddenly, three little girls emerged from a dark corner. We walked over to them and saw a pile of newspapers on the ground; it seemed they were using them as a mattress.
The three little girls all had brown hair and brown eyes, while the boy had black hair and black eyes.