After feeding Sofia more of her favorite treats and finishing his own breakfast, Aziz turned to his mother and said:
"So… wouldn't it be nice if we went out for a bit today?"
Hearing her son's suggestion, Astrid thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Actually, it would be good. We still haven't seen the whole city yet. Do you want to go now, sweetheart?"
"I do. Let's go, Sofia. Will you come with me?" he asked, already taking the little fox girl's hand.
Feeling his hand holding hers, Sofia's heart, which had calmed down after she started enjoying her sweets, began to race once again.
Still, she nodded shyly and stood up. The most surprising thing was that she didn't even ask her mother for permission to go out — it seemed the little fox girl wasn't thinking straight in that moment.
"And you, Stella? Aren't you coming with us?" Astrid asked, noticing that their hostess had remained seated.
"Not this time. I have some documents that need my attention today. Sofia can go with you, and I'll send Sylvia along as well."
As soon as her name was mentioned, the elf entered the room, just as composed, silent, and beautiful as before.
"Sylvia, accompany them around the city, please."
"Yes, my lady."
With that, the group made their way outside the palace.
Once outside, Sylvia asked them a question:
"So, shall we walk or take a magic carriage?"
Hearing that they could ride a magic carriage, Aziz's curiosity flared. Back on Earth, he had read countless fantasy novels with these kinds of things — Victorian flair mixed with magical engineering. His eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Let's take the carriage. It wouldn't be good for the children to walk the entire city," Astrid said after noticing Aziz's interest.
Sylvia nodded and raised her hand, which bore a ring on her index finger.
After transmitting a mental command to the ring, the carriage materialized in front of them.
Aziz was mesmerized. The carriage was even better than he had imagined — long and elegant, built from dark steel plates with golden lines that pulsed as if breathing magic. The design had a Victorian feel but with much more magical technology from this world.
"Come on, let's get in," Sylvia said.
Upon entering, Aziz was surprised. The inside was far more spacious than it seemed from the outside — it could easily fit around fifteen people.
'Definitely spatial magic.'
Once everyone was comfortably seated, Sylvia pressed a button beside her. A holographic table appeared with a pulse of mana.
"What's that thing you're doing?" Aziz asked curiously.
Pausing what she was doing, Sylvia replied, "I'm just setting the route and adjusting the average speed so we can enjoy the city view through the windows."
After explaining, she activated the magical command that made the carriage start moving. It shook a little at first, but then it felt as smooth as if it were standing still. Looking through the window, Aziz noticed they were floating just above the ground.
'Amazing. There's still so much I haven't seen or even imagined about this world,' Aziz thought, fascinated. Seeing things firsthand was worlds apart from reading about them in fantasy novels.
"Hehe, do you like this carriage? Just so you know, we can ride in it anytime I want. You just have to ask me," Sofia said sweetly, noticing how much Aziz was enjoying the carriage her mother had given her to tour the city.
"Yeah, it's very comfortable. It would be incredible for long trips."
As their conversation continued about how great the carriage was, it moved through the city, passing by interesting sights. Whenever Aziz saw something curious through the window, he would turn to ask Sylvia or Sofia what it was and what it was for.
Moving through various parts of the city, they naturally drew attention. Everyone recognized the elegant carriage.
Hours passed as they toured much of the vast neutral city. Around noon, they decided to stop by the same restaurant where they had first met.
As they exited the carriage, their group quickly caught the attention of nearby citizens, who began whispering among themselves.
"Who are those people with the governor's daughter?"
"I've never seen them before. They must be visitors from outside the city."
"But since when does young lady Sofia walk around with strangers?"
"Wait, look — even Sylvia is with them. What's going on?"
Unbothered by the murmurs, they entered the restaurant. Sylvia once again stored the carriage in her spatial ring.
Inside, Aziz took the lead and walked up to the reception desk, with all the women following close behind. Once there, he pressed a magical button shaped like a bell.
Cling!
Five seconds later, a girl appeared. She looked no older than eleven, with black hair and bright violet eyes.
"Hello, dear customer! How can I help you?" the girl asked, looking directly at Aziz.
Taking a step forward before Aziz could reply, Sofia said:
"Actually, he just wants to see the menu."
"Oh! Miss Sofia, I had no idea he was with you!"
"Yes, he's with me. Please bring him a menu."
Aziz was going to say he didn't need a menu, but seeing Sofia's oddly defensive stance, he decided to drop it — though he'd definitely ask her about it later.
As he received the menu from the girl, he felt her fingertip trail across the back of his hand. Looking at her, he saw her give him a subtle wink. Before he could ask what that was about, he was suddenly pulled away by Sofia toward the stairs that led to the VIP area of the restaurant.
"Come on, let's order upstairs," Sofia said, her voice tinged with irritation at what she had just witnessed.
Seeing this, Astrid and Isis chuckled at the scene, and even Sylvia allowed herself a small smile.
Minutes later, with everyone seated in the private room that was always reserved for Sofia, they had already placed their orders and were now waiting for the food.
"So… what was that downstairs, Sofia? Why did you act that way?" Aziz asked, seeing she was still a bit irritated.
"Hmph, it was nothing. Just... nothing. Forget it," Sofia muttered, a bit embarrassed by her behavior.
Aziz, being sharp, looked directly into her eyes and noticed a faint glint of rivalry and jealousy — even though she tried to hide it.
'Heavens… is this really jealousy? This girl…'
Choosing not to push the subject further and risk upsetting her again, he remained quiet and waited for their food to arrive.
It didn't take long for the meals to be brought in — but to Sofia's displeasure, the server turned out to be the same girl from earlier.
"What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be downstairs at the reception?" she asked.
"Hoho, don't worry, Lady Sofia. I've already assigned someone else in my place. It would be disrespectful of me not to personally serve such distinguished guests," the girl replied in a playful yet polite tone.
"Hmph, fine then."
While the girl placed the ordered dishes from the cart onto the table, she exchanged a few glances with Aziz — intentionally trying to provoke Sofia… and succeeding.
Seeing what was happening right in front of her, Sofia was about to say something again when she suddenly had an idea.
Sliding her chair closer to Aziz's, she looked at him intently. Feeling her gaze, he turned his head and saw her looking first at him, then at her plate — which was full of sweets and pastries.
Understanding what she wanted, Aziz sighed softly, cut a piece of dessert, and fed her with the spoon.
Getting what she wanted, Sofia leaned her head proudly on his shoulder, locking eyes with the girl across the table.
'Hehehe, I won,' she thought smugly, basking in her small victory.