The next morning, Seren had been informed that their departure was scheduled in the afternoon and decided to explore the market of the port city to escape the nobles who had been trying to get an audience with her.
Drayce and Arlan had already disappeared, their whereabouts unknown, as they decided to search for the traces of the Black Witch. That was why the local nobles had been targeting the Queen of Megaris, who was the only royal inside the Selve Estate.
As such, under the protection of Drayce's two knights, Slayer and Azer, Seren slipped away from those ambitious gazes together with Arlan's guardian knight and her lady-in-waiting.
Inside the market, Sir Imbert Loyset was acting as guide to the group disguised as nobles and escorts.
"I wonder what I should buy from here?" Seren commented.
"Your Majesty, though Selve is a port city, it is known for its craftsmanship literature as the current city lord, Duke Selve, is famous for his love of the arts. From here, you can buy various beautiful crafts and even books from other kingdoms could be found here," Lady Xena informed the younger woman.
Seren found herself curious how different the market in Selve was compared to the capital, Karlin, and they continued to walk along the crowded street, unaware that they had long become the center of attention.
Though they were wearing clothes without the crest of the Ivanov Royal Family, the sight of a veil-covered woman with purple eyes walking with four escorts caught the eyes of the sharp-eyed people in the market, but they were soon drawn away upon noticing the three strong men carrying swords with them.
Those who were aware of the arrival of the King of Megaris could guess these newcomers must be those esteemed guests from Magaris, and those who were not aware thought these were probably part of the entourage of the Crown Prince. The merchants and shop owners were quick to cater to their needs, but the passing nobles dared not disturb their shopping trip, worried that rather than favor, they would earn the ire of these people.
Along the way, Seren bought various things, ranging from local snacks to earthenware to beautiful fabrics. When she came across an accessory shop and found hairpins that looked familiar to her, it reminded her of the first gift she received from Drayce.
It was the butterfly hairpin her husband bought her when they stopped in Karlin on their way to Blackhelm. A smile graced her lips with that memory and she asked, "Xena, I had such a hairpin with me when I arrived at the palace for the first time. Do you know where it is?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. It is kept in your wardrobe room."
"When you make my hair after our return, make sure to use that hairpin."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Seren looked at another shop beside the one selling accessories. "Seems like it is a book shop."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Would you like to visit?" Xena asked.
Seren nodded and the two women walked inside that bookshop which seemed bigger than it looked from the outside. They discovered that it had quite a few customers already as it was a famous book shop. Slayer chose to follow them inside the shop while the other two knights stayed outside to stand guard.
The young queen became curious to see which books were considered popular by the locals, glancing at the customers who were browsing books around her. It was rare for commoners to know how to read and write, rarer for them even to be able to afford to read books at leisure, thus, the majority of those inside were visibly well-dressed, signifying their wealth and status as either nobles or rich merchants.
Seren walked along those huge bookshelves, passing by books related to sciences, then administration, commerce… hundreds of books divided into multiple sections. As the two women walked deeper into the shop, they soon heard a group of young women giggling to themselves. Their whispers gradually became clear to Seren when she reached the other side of the shelf across those girls.
"...This is the latest romance story."
"I heard it's better than the last one we read."
"Do they have more romantic scenes?"
"Yes, yes, the steamy ones? So many of them." The girls giggled together once more, poking fun at each other about which scenes from the last book they liked the most. From the small gap from the shelf, Seren peeked at what book they were talking about and decided to buy it too.
Lady Xena realized the Queen's intentions. Once those girls left, Seren and her lady-in-waiting went on the other side of the book shelf, and even without Seren telling her to, Lady Xena picked all volumes of that book series for her master.
As the one who had been by her side the most, the noble lady had started to understand her master really well. Being considerate of Seren's shyness and curiosity, she did things without needing her explicit orders.
Meanwhile, Slayer was keeping eyes on them from a distance, merely keeping eyes on the surrounding people, scanning them with the gaze of a hawk. Upon seeing the Queen's lady-in-waiting carrying a number of books, he was about to head towards them to help her, but the woman shook her head at him, telling him not to come close, which caused him to raise a brow in question.
The two women then walked deeper inside the shop, walking to avoid the shelves where most people gathered, causing them to reach a section where not many customers went. Seeing the desolate shelves, Seren's curiosity was piqued, making her wonder what kind of books were considered unpopular, but just as she took a few steps in that direction, one female attendant who had been rearranging books came to block their path.
"My Lady, are you going to that section?" she asked, treating the veiled young noblewoman with genuine concern.
"Yes, is something the matter?" Lady Xena replied on behalf of Seren.
The attendant looked hesitant. "Let me tell you…that section…women from noble families, they don't go there. It's not appropriate…"
This only strengthened Seren's curiosity. "What is there? Are those books different from other books? Are they something taboo? If you do not sell them then why do you still keep them in your shop?"
"My Lady, it's…well, young ladies who are not married…you can say it's—"
"Those two women, why are they allowed?" Seren pointed towards a pair of noblewomen, who looked to be in their late twenties to early thirties perusing books on one corner.
"Ah, those women are married, my lady and…"
"So married women are allowed to go there?" Seren commented.
"Yes, my lady,"
Lady Xena stepped forward. "Who told you that my lady is not married?"
The attendant looked at Seren once again. Though her face was veiled, from the visible details of her appearance, it was obvious she was yet to reach her twenties.
"Apologies then."
"We are going towards that section."
"Yes, of course. Please let me know if you need any assistance."
The female attendant apologized as she allowed the two young women to enter that restricted section. Slayer, who had been shadowing the two, decided to stay away. After a quick glance at some of the titles on the spines of the books, he had a vague understanding as to why the attendant stopped them.
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