The Imperial City, unlike much of what was shown in the original work, is a pretty cool place to enjoy. There are a number of reasons for this: we are not in any truly enormous conflict that has everyone rationing supplies, and there's certainly no crisis happening.
The truly problematic conflict is the Northern War of Independence. In short, some provinces up there want to break away from the empire for a variety of different reasons, but the main ones are due to abusive taxes and a cultural heritage of those people.
They are, in a way, treated as slaves and inferior to common imperial citizens because about a hundred years ago they were dominated in the middle of a war that I don't remember now because I missed history class.
The reason Victorian goes crazy in the future of the story and becomes a rival to Leonhardt is due to the complete defeat of the people there that will happen in a few months, where soon after, the barons, counts, and any scoundrel bourgeois will just impose even more abusive prices so that the people there have to work until they're skeletons.
I really wanted to help them with this, but the situation is too delicate to just jump in and pound my chest saying, "I am Darius Moonlight and I want this shit to stop!", and also, the course of the conflict suggests that the imperial army will win no matter what.
This, combined with the fact that no major problem is plaguing the Empire, is one of the reasons why everyone can live peacefully, and it's also what allows me to walk the streets without a care in the world with Moriah.
We bought a fruit surrounded by honey, and she loved it with stars in her eyes, leaving me to demolish both servings of french fries. By the way, my clothes are slowly getting worse, I've already lost two buttons and plan to take off a gold stripe for the next purchase.
"Hey, feel like buying something to remember this day?"
"It's not necessary, my dear Darius. You'll also be in a worse state if you keep it up..."
"Okay, that sounded like a 'yes.' Let's go over there."
I point to a small shop somewhat separated from the rest, but with enough foot traffic to indicate the business's success. I link my arm with Moriah's, practically dragging her there without caring about the number of complaints coming from her mouth.
It doesn't matter much to me, we just need to get something pleasing to the eye and then see how the date will continue. A bell echoes above me, but the store owner seems very discontent to see a young man whose clothes are slowly deteriorating and a demi-human.
My initial urge is to tell him "go fuck yourself", but I maintain my composure because I'm in very good company and because picking a fight here seems like a terrible idea considering it's just for a souvenir.
The counters show a collection of cheap jewelry, the kind that isn't even worth a second glance, while on the walls there are paintings for sale and home decorations. I walk in with a tired face, tapping my fingers on top of the glass shelves while looking for anything eye-catching.
"So? Did anything catch your eye? Moriah?"
Odd, she always responds right away. When I turn my head, I see she's staring directly at a wooden frame upholstered with red velvet, but what's really the selling point in it are a bunch of butterflies and moths pinned with threads in the center.
This... is bad. Moriah won't stop staring, frozen in the middle of the store with her fists clenched. The slight fluttering of her wings suggests that at any moment she could go into a frenzy and just destroy everything.
I touch her shoulder, the shock makes Moriah almost jump and open her wings.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, dear... I just... forgot about the habits of the other races."
Damn. I can see from her gloomy face that she's about to explode, and I just feel worse knowing I put her in this position. I look at a kind of cylinder in the corner of the room, a light finally goes on in my head and I have an idea of what I'm going to do.
"Hey, boss, I'll take this frame and that thing over there."
I tear a button off my clothes and discard it like a coin tossed up, only for it to land on the counter where the seller is.
"We don't exchange with this kind of money here, so..."
I don't even wait for the damn guy to finish talking and I already have the perfect weapon for a robbery in my hands.
"Then put it on the king's tab, you son of a bitch."
Just like that, I hit the glass with all my might, and it shatters in all directions. The stuffed butterflies and moths start to fall, but I make sure to catch them all without letting any hit the floor. Seeing the seller's shocked expression honestly makes my day.
"Oh yeah. If I see you selling this shit again, I'll bury your head, got it?"
With the iron cylinder resting on my shoulder, I elbow Moriah, who was coming out of her shock a bit. She accompanies me outside as I hand over the remains of her kin.
"Do you want to give them a proper burial?"
"Yes, I do..."
Moriah holds each of her kin in her hands with great delicacy, even caressing the chitin of one as we walk through the streets. To be honest, this left a bad taste in my mouth.
It's clear that humans and other races love to display trophies or even luxury objects made from the bodies of other creatures, and with demi-humans, this is especially complicated because of how they interpret it. Even though there are demi-humans of all kinds of species, it doesn't necessarily mean that the animal counterpart in nature has become extinct.
Butterflies and moths can still be found out there, as can sharks and other creatures. Those who share similar animal characteristics see them as their "ancestors" and have a lot of respect for them... I just can't say the same for humans, since I've never seen them respect monkeys.
Moriah takes a deep breath, her gaze lowered to the bodies of her "sisters", lifeless and artificially maintained with a beauty that should have disappeared long ago.
"I... didn't expect to see this today. Now I remember why I never liked going out into the city."
"Is it because you've seen this before?"
"Yes. I remember being afraid they would do the same to me if I left the mansion..."
She takes a deep breath and closes the eyes for a moment, as if mentally apologizing to each dead moth. I can't comment much, I don't understand that kind of feeling... but it's better to avoid mentioning that she tried to taxidermize me before, otherwise, it'll only make the mood worse.
"There's a really beautiful garden nearby. Do you want to bury them there?"
Moriah nods her head positively.
We walk through some narrower streets, with the smell of incense escaping from the windows of the houses and lanterns illuminating the cobblestones.
Moriah seems more centered now, less tense, but her gaze still returns to the butterflies in her hands every ten steps. I can't imagine what goes through the mind of someone who sees a similar being, even if symbolically, hanging on a wall as a tea room decoration.
It must be a horrible thing. I couldn't stay more than two minutes in a room seeing a human being hanging against the wall and whole, with their bulging eyes darting to the corner in a strange pose.
We enter the grounds of the garden in question, near the headquarters of the Magistrate of the Sages. There are roses, poppies, and the friendly gardeners put in blood and sweat to keep everything in perfect condition. I really love this place when my head is a mess.
There's a spot between the plants and trees where many families usually have picnics, so it's best we go there. There's a pleasant wind here.
Moriah places the butterflies and moths on the grass, making a stone circle with the ones she found on the ground. Then, she separates the butterflies and moths, each in its own space, and uses her own hands to bury them with a pile of dirt.
It's probably not the same as her native soil, it's the most she can do in this situation. I stand there in silence, with my hands in my pockets and my gaze focused on Moriah's back, who remains kneeling as she contemplates the simple funeral.
In the background, a distant sound of bells begins to ring. What a beautiful coincidence...
After a few minutes, she stands up. Her wings vibrate discreetly, and the expression on her face has lost some of its previous melancholy. She looks at me, eyes shining faintly with the light of the lampposts.
"Thank you."
"I just broke a display case and threatened a merchant. It wasn't even my most rebellious day."
She smiles, genuinely this time.
"It was more than that, Darius. I feel like I've chosen to love the right person, and that is you."