Princess of the Silver Ocean - Chapter 51

There were just too many herbs and spices to memorise. Ai was still working on memorising herbs, spices, and plants. She still had a long way to go before knowing all the herbs, spices, and plants that exist out there.

“What do you need?” he asked the fox princess.

“Luqu leaves, Queen’s Grass, Blue Peppermint, and Shimmer Anise,” she replied.

He nodded and began finding those herbs and spices, placing them into separate labeled jars. She thankfully smiled and took the jars placed in a plastic bag. She paid GZ800 for that! Talk about expensive.

“And we’re done,” Ai stated, “Let’s go grab something to eat.”

The aroma of delicious food and snacks was sifting through the air. The wind whistled through the surrounding trees. Their mouths began to salivate as they saw meat being fried. The sizzling sound of meat on pans and open fires made Astoria’s stomach softly grumble.

“I’m with you on that,” Ai chuckled upon hearing the grumbling sound, “Let’s find some drinks and burgers.”

They stopped by a female human who was frying some burger patties. She smiled upon seeing the two princesses joining the queue. There were many customers, so the two had to stand in a line and wait their turn. Ai standing in the queue, could not sit still as she was excited about devouring a delicious burger.

“Do you smell that?” Ai asked, sniffing the meat-scented air.

“It smells incredible,” Astoria replied.

The food in this world tasted nothing like what she had in her world. Although the food was similar with a subtle difference. It was finally their turn, and they stood in front of the shapeshifter.

“Princess Ai and princess Nexi. I’m honoured to be able to serve you two,” the shapeshifter gushed.

She was dressed in medieval clothing. Her delicate dress flowed from top to bottom with a v-neck, which subtly revealed the graceful dress worn below it. The smooth, corset-like, tied fabric of her dress covered her stomach. A long leather belt was worn high around her waist.

Below the leather belt, the dress flowed down wide and hid the dress below. The front of the top dress was longer than the bottom dress and curved outwards. The back continued to flow long behind her and ended in a narrow rectangle.

Her sleeves were incredibly long and narrow. Their flow was broken up below the elbow as they were divided by wide, modest bands. These were the same fabric and colour used to outline the bottom of her dress.

“I did not think I would get to meet the two of you today. I really thank the gods,” she exclaimed, a glint of happiness and admiration in her bright gold eyes.

“Wow. It’s my first time seeing a shapeshifter up close,” Ai expressed.

The woman’s eyes widened in shock. “How did you know that I was a shapeshifter?”

Ai grinned, standing proudly. “My brother taught me how to tell if a creature or human is a shapeshifter.”

Ai leaned forward and whispered. “Right now, it’s your eyes. Only mystical eye colours exist for canine shapeshifters. The mystical colours are bright gold or yellow, steel blue, and red.”

The woman nodded. “Ah, I see. Yes, I’m actually a Beta werewolf.”

“Wow,” Astoria said, wide-eyed, “That’s pretty cool. I have never seen a werewolf before.”

The woman smiled. “If you wanna continue chatting with me, I would really love that as I came here for a well-deserved break. I will be here before midnight strikes. For now, what kind of burger do you want me to make?”

Astoria and Ai nodded. The fox princess asked for a cheeseburger, while Astoria wanted a beef burger. The werewolf nodded and began to make their burgers. She looked like a professional chef from the way she prepared their order.

Her movements were both fast and precise. The two princesses watched her, their gaze fixed on her movements.  After five minutes, their orders were done.

“Here you go,” the woman said, giving them a brown bag that had their food inside.

“Would you like drinks with that?” she further asked, raising an eyebrow.

Astoria tilted her head and pressed her lips together, wondering what kind of drinks this world had.

‘It’s not like I can say I want a Pepsi. Maybe they do have the same kind of drinks as the ones in my world?’ she thought.

“I have Cherry Earthquake, Strawberry Wacker, Mountain Java, White Wine Infusion, and Tropic Dark Beer,” the woman explained.

‘Never mind,’ Astoria realised, ‘It’s definitely not the same. Has the same ingredients but definitely doesn’t exist in my world.’

“Ooh,” Ai crooned, impressed by the choices, “I’ll have the Strawberry Wacker.”

She turned to Astoria. “What do you want to drink?”

“Oh, I’ll have the Strawberry Wacker too,” Astoria responded.

Ai nodded and said, “Two Strawberry Wackers, please.”

The woman prepared their drinks, and Ai turned to face Astoria.

“If I was done with selling my paintings,” she began, “I would have asked for an ice-cold Tropic Dark Beer, but my father does not allow me to drink. Something about it being unbecoming of a future queen.”

Astoria watched as Ai pouted, her expression hinting that she was a bit disappointed.

‘An ice-cold beer does sound good, but I’m a princess just like Ai, so I cannot have any alcohol right now,’ Astoria internally agreed.

“Here you go,” the woman said, handing them their drinks.

Astoria took the drinks, and Ai paid the woman.

“It was a pleasure to meet you two,” the woman stated, bowing her head.

“Thank you for the food,” Ai beamed, raising the bag with their food in the air.

“Do you have a stall somewhere, or are you just a customer this time?” the werewolf woman asked, her bright golden eyes fixed on Ai.

Ai nodded and pointed in the direction of her stall. “Yeah, it’s that way. I’m just taking a break. You can visit me there if you like.”

The werewolf woman nodded. They thanked her again and left to find a place to sit and eat. Astoria turned her head back, glancing at the werewolf whose gaze was fixed on Ai.

‘That is a bit suspicious and creepy,’ Astoria thought and turned away.

They found a seating area that had round tables and seats. Many tourists and creatures were relaxing there. They were either chatting excitedly or having a meal. Astoria and Ai sat down, placing their bags in one place.

They began to eat their food, enjoying how delicious it was.  Astoria took a sip of the Strawberry Wacker and widened her eyes at the delicious taste.

“The drink tastes great too,” Ai complimented.

Astoria nodded, and they continued to eat their food. They chatted in between their meal and had a few laughs in the process. She found that she got along quite well with the fox princess. Perhaps because Ai really liked Nexi and stuck to her like glue, so they quickly got used to each other’s company?

The city was filled with the sounds of laughter, dancing, music, and games being played. It made Astoria forget about her predicament for a while. She forgot about Cosmo X, Jigger, and that her soul was in another woman’s body.

‘When was the last time I felt like this? Completely free from my worries and predicaments?’ she asked herself.

Ai devoured her meal like a hungry fox and, when she was done, let out a long sigh of satisfaction. She was now fully content. She grabbed her drink and leaned back, lifting it to her lips. She then stared intently at Astoria as if examining her.

“What is it?” Astoria asked, shifting in her seat, “Is there something on my face?”

Astoria began to wipe her face with a serviette, and Ai shook her head ‘no.’ Astoria tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

“Then what-”

“What the hell are you doing here, my stubborn older brother?” Ai interrupted her, staring at the figure standing behind Astoria.

‘Oh,’ she thought, ‘Ai was staring at prince Yashiro, not me.’

Astoria immediately stiffened when she realised he was behind her.

‘Yeah. What the hell is he doing here?’ she wondered, rubbing the nape of her neck.

“Nice to see you too,” he joked, taking a seat next to Astoria.

She shifted away from him, keeping a distance between them.

“You didn’t leave me some food?” he asked Ai, tapping his fingers on the table.

“Buy your own,” Ai blurted, “I was spoiling Nexi, so I only bought for her.”

He playfully pouted. “Can’t you spoil your older brother too?”

“No,” Ai simply replied, drinking her Strawberry Wacker.

He softly laughed and rested his chin on his hand, his eyes now fixed on Astoria.

“Are you enjoying being spoilt, Nexi?” he asked her, a glint of amusement in his gray eyes.

She just nodded, unable to utter a word.

‘Wow, Nexi,’ she thought, ‘This wounded prince is totally smitten by your very existence.’