"Well?" she demanded. "You said you'd explain."
Elira sat across from them, still clutching the coin pouch in both hands as though she needed to feel its weight to believe the day had truly happened.
She took a slow breath.
"Alright," she said quietly. "But you have to promise not to interrupt until I'm finished."
Carolina narrowed her eyes but nodded.
Eguine simply waited, watching her carefully.
Elira looked down at the pouch in her hands before beginning.
"This morning started normally," she said. "Better than normal actually. I sold almost every loaf of bread before noon. The market was busy and people were buying quickly."
Carolina perked up slightly. "That's good."
Elira nodded.
"Yes… and then a royal guard came to my stall."
At that, Eguine's eyebrows lifted.
"A royal guard?" she asked.
Elira nodded again. "From the Western Kingdom. He was tall… dark cloak… armor with the crest. I think his name was Torren."
Eguine and Carolina exchanged a quick glance.
"He bought the rest of my bread," Elira continued. "Every last loaf."
Carolina blinked. "All of them?"
"Yes. And he paid far more than they were worth." Elira gave a small, bewildered shake of her head. "I tried to tell him it was too much, but he insisted."
"That's… strange," Eguine said slowly.
"I thought so too," Elira admitted. "But I packed up my stall and went to meet you both at the tower like we planned."
Carolina gestured impatiently. "Which is when he came back with your ribbon."
Elira nodded again.
"I didn't even realize it was gone until he walked up behind us holding it."
Eguine gave a small smile. "You should have seen your face. You looked so confused."
Carolina snorted. "And he was just standing there holding this little red ribbon like it was some royal artifact."
Elira laughed nervously at the memory.
"Yes… well… after that I went to the inn to see Mr. Haun."
Her expression slowly became more serious.
"He asked if I had any bread left. Someone had placed an order for a large meal tonight."
Carolina shrugged. "That sounds normal."
"I told him I'd bring fresh loaves tomorrow morning," Elira continued. "But when I went to leave…"
She paused.
"My coin pouch was gone."
Carolina straightened immediately. "You lost your money?"
"I thought I had," Elira said quietly. "I searched everywhere. The floor… under the tables… everywhere."
Her fingers tightened around the pouch in her lap.
"I was nearly crying when someone stepped in front of me."
Eguine leaned forward slightly.
"And?"
Elira swallowed.
"At first I only saw his shoes," she said. "Black leather… polished so brightly I could see the firelight in them."
She hesitated.
"And when I looked up… he was holding my pouch."
Carolina frowned. "So someone found it?"
Elira shook her head slowly.
"The entire inn went silent," she said. "Mr. Haun came out from behind the counter… and then he dropped to the floor."
Carolina blinked. "Dropped?"
"Into a bow," Elira said quietly.
Eguine's expression shifted.
"To who?"
Elira looked between them.
"He called him Sire."
The carriage wheels rumbled over the road as they left the town behind them.
Carolina stared at her.
Eguine went very still.
Elira lowered her voice.
"And that's when I realized…"
She lifted the pouch slightly in her hands.
"…the man who returned this to me…"
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"…was the Vampire King."
Then Eguine suddenly gasped.
"Oh my—Elira!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with pure excitement as she grabbed Elira's arm. "Do you realize what this means?"
Elira blinked at her, confused.
Eguine clasped her hands together dramatically. "You're going to be a queen!"
Carolina whipped her head toward her. "What?"
"Yes!" Eguine insisted, practically bouncing in her seat. "This is exactly how those stories begin! A mysterious king notices a girl in a crowd, returns something she lost, and suddenly she's swept away to a palace!"
She leaned closer to Elira with a dreamy smile. "Oh, how romantic!"
Elira stared at her.
"Romantic?" she repeated weakly.
Carolina, however, looked horrified.
"Romantic?" she echoed sharply. "Eguine, that was a vampire."
Eguine waved a dismissive hand. "Yes, a king. That makes it better."
Carolina turned back to Elira, her expression full of alarm.
"Elira, how did you even know he was a vampire?" she asked quickly. "And more importantly, how did you manage to leave?"
Elira hesitated.
"Well… Mr. Haun called him Sire," she said. "And the entire inn bowed the moment they saw him."
Carolina shook her head in disbelief.
"But why did he have your coin pouch?" she pressed. "Did you drop it? Did he take it? How did he even find it?"
Elira frowned slightly, trying to remember.
"I don't know," she admitted. "I had it when I entered the inn. I remember paying for the room and speaking with Mr. Haun about the bread order… but when I went to leave, it was gone."
"And then the vampire king just appeared with it?" Carolina asked.
Elira nodded slowly.
"He was standing there when I looked up… holding it."
Eguine sighed happily, resting her chin in her hands.
"He was probably watching you the entire time," she said dreamily. "A powerful king noticing a humble baker's daughter…"
Carolina groaned. "Eguine!"
But Eguine only grinned.
"I'm serious! Think about it. He helped her stand, returned her coin pouch, and spoke to her personally."
She pointed at Elira with dramatic certainty.
"That is exactly how love stories begin."
Elira sank back slightly in her seat, clutching the pouch tighter.
"Or," Carolina muttered darkly, folding her arms, "it's how tragedies begin."
The carriage rolled onward through the darkening road, the lantern above them swaying gently as night slowly settled over the countryside.