Alpha sat on the wooden chair while Princess Lio Yuyan sat across from him, slightly lifting her mask to sip a warm herbal drink.
She said, gazing at the busy street through the glass,
"The atmosphere here is different… I feel like a normal person. No one's kneeling, no one's avoiding my eyes."
Alpha leaned back, resting his arm on the chair's backrest,
"That's strange—most people wish to be anything but ordinary. Yet here you are, a princess, wishing for normalcy."
She smiled faintly,
"Because they don't know how golden our cage really is. No real choices… everything is calculated."
Alpha nodded quietly,
"Freedom is worth more than gold, but no one realizes that until they lose it."
The waiter arrived, placing two simple plates before them: toasted bread with some cheese and sweetened dates. The princess thanked him politely. Alpha took a piece of bread without a word and ate in silence.
Watching the street vendors outside, the princess said,
