Early Morning!
Catherine slowly opened her eyes and immediately felt her body being restrained. She lifted a corner of the blanket and saw Dahlia hugging her waist while sleeping.
"Hehe… Who would have thought that the great business prodigy of the royal capital drools in her sleep?" Catherine chuckled softly, gazing at the glistening droplet at the corner of Dahlia's lips.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Dahlia smacked her lips a few times, as if savoring something in her dreams. The slight upward curve of her mouth made it obvious she was having a good dream.
"She's really adorable!" Catherine's eyes sparkled as she reached out and gently poked Dahlia's delicate little face, making her frown slightly.
"Hehe…" Catherine let out a mischievous giggle, then grabbed a strand of her own hair and tickled Dahlia's nose with it.
"Ha-choo..."
Dahlia yawned with her mouth slightly open, rubbing her nose with one hand. Her drowsy eyes blinked sleepily as she gazed at Catherine.
"Why are you up so early?" Dahlia mumbled, still heavy with sleep, her lips curling into a lazy smile.
"It's not that I'm county; it's that you sleep too much. It's already late." Catherine said helplessly. She glanced at the semi-transparent window—outside, the sun was already shining brightly.
"Really?" Dahlia's sleepiness faded as she touched the corner of her mouth. A faint blush spread across her cheeks—she had drooled again.
"Looks like you had a good dream, huh? You were even drooling in your sleep." Catherine teased.
"Mhm… pretty much," Dahlia admitted with a nod. She had dreamed about the delicious food at Drunken Night Restaurant.
"Come on, get up. Sleeping in so late at someone else's house is really impolite!"
Catherine sat up, stretching lazily. "It's really unbelievable… This bed is even more comfortable than the one at home."
"Mhm, the mattress is so soft, the blanket is warm, and there's even a faint, pleasant fragrance," Dahlia murmured, stretching out her feet lazily. "I really want to sleep a little longer…"
She had been exhausted these past few days, especially when Catherine was sick. She had barely slept well, always half-awake, worried.
"Get up already. Didn't you say you wanted to see that person who looks like Elisa?" Catherine tugged at Dahlia, scolding her playfully. "Besides, I need to find a pawnshop and sell the perfume."
"Forget it. A small, remote town like this? There's no way they'd have a pawnshop," Dahlia said, her eyes flickering slightly. "Even if there was one, they probably couldn't afford it."
"Then what should I do? Just let it go bad?" Catherine asked blankly.
"If it goes bad, then so be it. You don't even like it anyway. Besides, it was given to you by that person," Dahlia said softly, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes. "In the future, if you ever need perfume, I'll get it for you."
"You'll get me perfume? What do you mean?" Catherine blinked, a little confused.
"You'll find out soon enough." Dahlia said playfully. She had already found out that Sedona City had a shop that sold perfumes, and she had decided to take Catherine there.
Most importantly, Dahlia needed someone who could stand against the Fourth Prince. Once Supreme Realm Perfume hit the market in the royal capital, it would undoubtedly squeeze out the Fourth Prince's perfume business. If her family had no backing, they would likely be swallowed up by him in no time.
But Catherine, the daughter of a duke, was a living banner. With her as the face of the business, the Fourth Prince wouldn't dare go too far—after all, a grand duke was not someone a mere prince could easily contend with.
Of course, if it were the First or Second Prince, perhaps the grand duke would give way slightly. But the Fourth Prince, who had little real power? Sometimes, even a mere count held more influence than him.
Unless a prince was granted his own territory, he couldn't truly challenge a grand duke. And since the Fourth Prince wasn't an heir to the throne, the grand duke had little reason to fear him.
"You're being all mysterious." Catherine grumbled, throwing off the blanket and getting out of bed. She felt much better now. Though there was still some lingering weakness, walking wasn't a problem.
The two quickly got dressed and left the room. Looking up at the vast blue sky, they saw that today was a beautiful day—the sun was shining brightly.
"Should we go eat first?" Catherine hesitated. She started to miss the rice porridge yesterday.
And then there was Lord Lucas—she wanted to thank him in person. Or maybe… ask if he'd be interested in buying her perfume. She just couldn't let it go. Or perhaps, deep down, she just wanted to earn enough gold coins to buy a four-stringed lute.
"You really think they'd still have breakfast saved for us at this hour?" Dahlia glanced at the sun hanging high in the sky.
"Uh… maybe?" Catherine scratched her cheek. In noble households, they usually kept some food warm.
"And you wouldn't feel embarrassed eating it? It's almost noon," Dahlia rolled her eyes, grabbing Catherine's hand and leading her outside. "Let's eat out instead. I remember a place with a weird name. No idea if the food is any good, though."
"Oh!"
Just like that, Catherine was pulled out of the castle by Dahlia and into the bustling streets outside. Her reaction was much like Dahlia's yesterday—perhaps even more intense. After all, she was a noble.
"I feel like Princess Lucy should come see this place. She'd probably love it here." Catherine mused.
"Then tell her when you go back." Dahlia replied softly.
"Of course! I also need to bring back some gifts—for Princess Lucy and for Little One."
Catherine's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "This is my first time traveling far from home, and the first time I'm bringing back gifts for someone."
"Alright, then let's go shopping later and see if there's anything worth buying." Dahlia nodded before tugging Catherine toward a pizza shop.
After a short walk, the two arrived at the entrance of the pizza restaurant.
"This is the place you were talking about? The name really is strange… but the smell is amazing." Catherine said in surprise.
"Let's go in."
Dahlia stepped forward, pushed open the door, and led Catherine inside. The moment they entered, the shop's unusual decor left both of them stunned.
"Welcome! May I take your—" Elisa started speaking, but halfway through, she froze.
She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and looked again—still the same two familiar figures standing in front of her.
That reaction instantly made Dahlia and Catherine realize something. She clearly recognized them.
"You… You're Elisa?" Dahlia narrowed her eyes, pointing at Elisa in shock. "What happened to you? Why do you look like this?"
"You—what are you two doing here?!" Elisa exclaimed in disbelief.
"Elisa, it is you!"
Catherine's eyes widened in shock. "Why… Why did you get ugly?!"
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