Princess of the Silver Ocean - Chapter 72

“What spell is that, sister Ai?” Lara asked, staring with wide, fascinated eyes.

“This right here, sweet Lara,” Ai replied, grabbing labels and a pen in one of the cupboards and approaching the work table, “is what will make the potion come alive.”

Astoria pressed her lips together and leaned forward. She wrapped her arms around her waist and, feeling fascinated, examined the tranquility potions which had scarlet lines of particles attached to them.

“Come alive?” she asked her, raising her eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

Ai began writing ‘Tranquility’ in bold, capital letters on the labels. She removed the labels, sticking one on the tranquility potion bottles.

“You see how the potions look like a green, gooey liquid?” Ai pointed at the potions to which Astoria nodded.

“The spell I just cast will turn that liquid into a gas state,” Ai continued, “The potion bottles will contain floating green gas in twenty-four hours, and that gas is the tranquility.”

“Wow,” Lara breathed out, her eyes glued to the tranquility potions lined up on the work table, “The potion will look like that pink one over there?”

Lara pointed to the pink potion she had seen earlier. Ai nodded, giving her a thumbs up.

“The tranquility potions will be ready for usage in the infirmary once the time is up and they turn into a green gas,” Ai crossed her arms and smiled.

“Only a droplet is needed for the tranquility potion to take effect, so these potions will last us for about two to three months, and then I will have to make more once we run out of them.”

Ai grabbed the potion bottles and placed them on one of the empty shelves.

“Now then,” she said as she placed the last tranquility potion on the shelf, “Who is ready for some food and fun at the festival?”

Astoria and Lara exchanged glances and smiled at Ai.

“We are!” the two replied in unison, their voices cheery.

Ai walked to the work station, took her safety gloves, and went to wash the pan, mortar, pestle, and spoons wearing a pair of pink gloves she used when washing the potion equipment. When she was done, she cleaned hers and Astoria’s gloves, hanging them on the small rail atop the sink. She walked to the door and gave them a thumbs up.

“Okay, great!” the fox princess exclaimed, “Let’s go then!”

She opened the door, and they all headed to one of the royal carriages. The carriage driver bowed and opened the carriage door for them to enter. They thanked him and entered. Lara and Ai sat together while Astoria sat across them. A few seconds later, the carriage began to move, heading to Yuudai for the second and last day of the Festival of Paint.

“Oh, by the way,” Astoria leaned forward, her hands gripping her seat, “I have something I have been curious about since I arrived here in Chesropis.”

“Hm?” Ai tilted her head.

“When I came here,” Astoria began, “I noticed that there were no cars at all, just animal-drawn transport like this carriage here. How come?”

“Ah that,” Ai tugged her hair behind her ears, “We have a no-car policy which states that no cars are allowed within the kingdom of Chesropis unless they are to drop off someone, and that is only at designated times between 4 and 5h30 pm.”

“Oh wow,” Astoria leaned back, feeling impressed by this, “That is quite interesting. So that was why I was allowed to come by car because it was estimated that I would arrive within the time slot?”

Ai nodded and began to gently pat Lara’s head, earning a look of satisfaction and happiness from the little fox.

“My mother came up with the rule as she wanted a clean society free from pollution and car accidents,” Ai added, smiling at Lara, “and she wanted to reduce our kingdom’s carbon footprint.”

Astoria nodded. “Your mother is amazing.”

They arrived at the festival to find it still bustling with creatures and tourists. The only difference was that today, fewer creatures and tourists were shopping and enjoying the festival today.

“What should we do first?” she asked the fox princess.

Ai pinched her nose and closed her eyes, thinking of places they could go to. She opened her eyes and smiled as an idea popped into her head. She turned her attention to Lara and crouched down to her level.

“How about we do what you want to do first, little Lara?” Ai suggested, eyeing Astoria and then Lara.

“R-really?” Lara beamed, crinkling her eyes and nose as she grinned from ear to ear.

“That is a good idea,” Astoria nodded.

“Then I want some candy,” Lara said, “May we go buy some?”

Astoria and Ai exchanged glances and nodded.

“Kids sure love candy,” Ai whispered to Astoria as they stared at Lara’s beaming face.

Astoria nodded. “They sure do. I’m surprised that’s what she wants to do first.”

Ai clapped her hands.

“Okay then. Let’s go find a candy stall,” Ai began to leave, and Lara followed her, entwining her hands with the fox princess’.

Astoria smiled as she saw them walk hand in hand. She could not believe that she was leaving today. It was like she had just arrived a minute ago. That was how time felt like it had passed by so quickly in the blink of an eye.

‘Ah, I have to see Morvin and Naida again. Great,’ she thought, crossing her arms as she walked next to Ai.

They passed many stalls until they reached a stall that was decorated colorfully and cutely. It was a candy stall, and many parents were lined up with their kids, waiting to buy some candy. Astoria and the others joined the queue.

“I see a variety of candies,” she told Ai.

Ai nodded. “I, for one, just want some pink candyfloss.”

She smiled at that as she also loved candyfloss. As the queue began to get shorter and shorter, it was finally their turn. Just then, a female figure crouching down across the counter emerged, standing next to the stall owner.

“Oh!” Astoria and the female figure both exclaimed, pointing at each other.

“It’s you,” Astoria said, staring at the werewolf woman they had met yesterday who sold them food.

“Oh, you’re that ‘werewolf’ lady, right?” Ai leaned forward and asked her, whispering the werewolf part.

The werewolf woman nodded, giving them a smile.

“It is great to meet you two again,” the woman said.

Ai nodded and smiled back while Lara gazed upon the variety of candies lined up on the counter.

“So you are selling candy today?” Astoria asked the woman while Ai and Lara spoke to the stall’s owner, telling him what they wanted.

The woman nodded.

“This here is my magic teacher,” the woman said, pointing at the stall’s owner, “I’m helping him sell today.”

“Magic teacher?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

The woman shook her head ‘yes.’

“Yeah, he teaches me how to control magic and summon magic spells and the sort,” the woman explained.

“Oh, and two Fairy Rings, please,” they both heard Ai say.

The fox princess turned to Astoria.

“What do you want, Nexi?” she heard Ai ask her, causing her to turn her attention away from the werewolf woman and to the variety of candies.

She leaned forward and saw blue candyfloss and colourful twister-like candy. She pointed to those two things, and Ai nodded.

“The blue candyfloss and ten Twisters, please,” Ai told the owner.

The owner began to put the candies in different clear plastic bags. He prepared the blue candyfloss for Astoria and pink candyfloss for Ai and Lara. When he was done preparing everything, he gave it to them. Astoria grabbed her blue candyfloss and some candy-filled plastic bags. Lara and Ai grabbed their pink candyfloss and the remaining plastic bags of candy.

“Thank you,” Lara and Ai told the owner in unison.

“Princess Nexi?” Astoria heard the werewolf woman call out to her.

She turned her head to the woman who handed her a piece of paper with writing on it.

“What’s this?” Astoria asked the woman.

The werewolf woman leaned forward, her face a few inches from Astoria’s.

“If you need a magic or summoning teacher, let me know,” the bright gold-eyed woman told her.

“A teacher?” Astoria mumbled to herself as she stared into the woman’s eyes.

The werewolf woman leaned back and nodded.

“I just have a feeling that you will need me one day,” the woman clasped her hands together and looked up at the clear blue sky, “Call it my amazing intuition? Or maybe…fate?”

Ai and Lara stared at them, wondering what the two were talking about. Astoria stared at the white piece of paper in her hand and looked up at the werewolf. For now, she was not going to think this was strange or weird.

‘Let me just say thanks and leave,’ she thought.