My hand went up to the hinges of my hood and tugged it slightly.
"Alright… everything's fine and good," I said with a calm voice. "but I feel like we're all just ignoring the elephant in the room."
Felix's gaze flicked to my hood. "I see…"
He reached to a small, rather dirty-looking leather bag resting beside him and picked it up. Holding it out to me, he said, "About your identity… we've already made arrangements."
I raised an eyebrow, eyeing the bag. "This… is the arrangement?"
Liona leaned forward slightly, her voice low and matter-of-fact. "Those are the pills I prepared. Take one every day, and they'll temporarily change how you look—elvish enough to blend in."
She leaned back and folded her arms before continuing. "The effect lasts a day. If you miss a dose, you revert back to your human form"
I tilted my head, frowning at the grimy little bag. "And… why the hell would you put pills in this?"
Liona shrugged, her expression calm. "The bag was neat when I gave it to Felix."
Both of us turned to Felix. He cleared his throat, shifting awkwardly.
Before anyone could say more, Gaylord's deep voice cut through the silence. "If the bag is the problem, we can change it at any time."
"That works," I said, handing it over. Gaylord accepted it with a nod, tucking the grimy leather pouch away securely.
Felix coughed lightly, glancing at me. "Anyway…" He stretched the word long enough to make me look up. Then, more directly, he said, "You'd better get going home, Ren."
Gaylord followed. "Indeed. You need to prepare yourself for the journey to the Capital tomorrow."
I nodded, wrapping my mind around the fact that by the next day, I'd be on my way to the Capital to begin my first "conquest."
With that, I stood and headed out of the temple, carrying my clothes and the fertilitybrew along with me.
The walk home was quiet, a lot quieter than I expected for a busy afternoon. My thoughts were already on tomorrow, and on the women… and men I would meet then.
It didn't take long for me to get home. I approached the door, lifted my hand, and knocked. That's when I noticed it—slightly ajar.
Strange… Diane always locks the door. So why is it open?
"Hello? Is anyone home?" I called, stepping closer.
Silence. Not a single sound.
So I did what any normal person would do in this situation—I pushed the door open a little and stepped inside. "Diane? Are you home?"
Still no reply.
"Where did she go?" I muttered to myself.
"She went out."
Said a voice behind me that made me flinch.
I spun around with wide eyes. It was Luno. She carried a bag slung over one shoulder, though it was hard to tell what was inside.
"Oh… Luno. It's you," I said, sighing in relief. "Where did Diane go?"
"My mother went to the market," Luno replied calmly.
"Oh… I didn't know she was heading out." I nodded, still processing how quiet the house was.
Her eyes drifted to the bag of clothes in my hands. "Are those for you?"
I gave a short nod. "Yeah. I'll be leaving for the capital tomorrow… to meet the princess."
"Oh… I see." She looked down for a moment, then back up at me. "Good… luck."
I nodded silently. A brief moment of silence passed, before she spoke.
"I was planning to make lunch," she said, her voice softer now. "If you want, I could make something good for you… especially since you didn't… eat anything this morning."
"Mhmm. Sounds good," I muttered, smiling faintly.
She returned the smile. "Okay, I'll go make lunch now."
As she headed toward the kitchen, I turned toward my room to begin packing the few things I'd be taking with me.
I entered and began folding the clothes I'd bought, along with the ones from the chest I'd been "borrowing."
As I packed, my mind went through everything since I'd arrived—the banging I gave Diane on my first night, the good times with Liona, and that one unsatisfying night with Luno. If there was one thing I really wanted, it was a proper close-up with Luno.
I let out a slow sigh and returned to folding.
I was at the last few pieces, and I saw the small vial of fertility brew next to a cloak at the corner of the bed. I picked it up, turning it over in my hands, careful not to let it drop.
I stared at the bottle for a while—my only shot at getting to the princess. Imagine the possibilities… and then a thought struck me.
Wait a minute...