"Should we just go in?" Catherine asked, pulling gently on Dahlia's arm. Her eyes flicked toward the pizza shop. "Elisa's probably still working, right? We came a bit early today."
"Let's go in and check," She said. "If she's busy, we can wait. Besides, maybe we can get a pizza while we're at it."
Catherine's eyes lit up instantly. "Pizza? Really?!"
Dahlia chuckled and nudged her forward. "Come on, let's not block the doorway."
Pushing open the door, they stepped into the cozy atmosphere of the shop, greeted by the rich aroma of baked dough, melted cheese, and herbs but they both left the shop quickly after seeing it packed with people.
"We'll just wait outside, then." Dahlia agreed, stepping back from the door to stand beside Catherine. The two chatted casually, their conversation occasionally broken by the sounds of footsteps and chatter from passersby.
Customers entering and exiting the pizza shop cast curious glances at the pair, some whispering to each other as they passed by. Are they just standing there to enjoy the smell?
After half an hour…
"Creak!"
The door swung open, and Elisa stepped out, her gaze landing on Dahlia and Catherine, both shifting their weight from one foot to the other to keep warm.
"Why are you two standing out here? Why didn't you come in?" Elisa asked in surprise, tilting her head. Earlier, one of the staff members had mentioned friends waiting outside, but she'd thought it was a joke.
"Well, you were working," Dahlia scratched her cheek awkwardly. "We didn't want to go in and distract you since we weren't planning to order anything."
"Yeah, we were only standing here for a little while." Catherine added, shifting on her heels to shake off the numbness from the cold.
They had stood outside for half an hour, all because they didn't want to interrupt Elisa's work. After all, she was very busy making pizza for customers.
"Oh, honestly…" Elisa rolled her eyes with a sigh. "You could've at least come in and let me know!"
As the store manager, Elisa could leave early if needed, though she usually stayed a bit longer unless there was a special reason.
"It's fine. We just got here," Dahlia said softly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Are you ready to leave now?"
"Yes!" Elisa nodded with a smile. "Give me a moment to take off my apron."
"Alright." Both girls nodded.
Elisa stepped back inside the pizza shop, quickly removing her apron and giving a few instructions to the staff before returning. Her eyes flicked between Dahlia and Catherine as she asked, "So, where to tonight? My place again, or shall we have dinner at the Drunken Night Restaurant?"
"Let's go to your place." Dahlia said quickly.
"Alright, then how about we grab some takeout from Drunken Night Restaurant and buy a few steamed buns? What do you think?" Elisa suggested.
That was her go-to meal—after all, eating pizza every day could get boring. She preferred ordering her favorite dishes from the restaurant and pairing them with steamed buns for a simple yet satisfying dinner.
"Sounds good to me." Catherine agreed. Last time they went to Elisa's place, they had pizza.
"Alright, let's go then." Elisa chuckled softly and led the way down the street.
Passing by a steamed bun shop, they bought twelve mantou. Then, they went to the second floor of Drunken Night Restaurant and packed six dishes, spending about seven hundred copper coins, which were paid by Dahlia.
After that, they stepped toward Elisa's rented house. That house was still occupied by her alone.
"Elisa, aren't you afraid of living here all by yourself?" Catherine curiously observed the surroundings. Last time, she hadn't looked carefully.
"Huh?" Elisa was momentarily stunned and asked in confusion, "Afraid? Why should I be afraid?"
"You're so beautiful. Isn't anyone bothering you?" Catherine's eyes carried a hint of concern. "In the capital, I've heard that many pretty girls living alone get harassed by some perverts."
Elisa chuckled softly, her green eyes glimmering with amusement. "Well, it's different here. Sedona City is pretty safe, and besides..." She patted the small dagger hidden beneath her coat. "If anyone tries anything funny, I'll make sure they regret it."
Dahlia raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."
Catherine giggled, though her worry didn't entirely fade. "Still... It's good to be careful. Not everyone has good intentions."
"Don't worry, I know how to take care of myself." Elisa reassured, leading them toward the front door of her home.
"No, it won't happen," Elisa shook her head gently and said, "There are patrol guards making rounds regularly. No one dares to cause trouble. If they get caught, they'll be locked up in the 'dark room'."
There was one thing she didn't mention—aside from the patrols, the main reason no one dared to bother her was because she worked at the pizza shop owned by Lord Lucas. Who would dare to harass her?
"'Dark room'? What's that?" Dahlia asked curiously. Even though the two of them had been living in Sedona City for four days, there were still many things they didn't understand or hadn't heard of.
"Um..." Elisa clutched the paper bag in her hands a little tighter and calmly explained, "It's a place where the city guards detain offenders. Basically, it's a completely dark room where people are locked up for a few days."
"Eh? Do they starve the prisoners?" Catherine asked in surprise.
"It's not that. They're just locked up, and I heard they get some barley water to drink." Elisa said with a light laugh. She had overheard customers mentioning the "dark room" at the pizza shop, though she wasn't sure what purpose it actually served.
"Wow! Isn't that punishment way too light? Wouldn't those criminals just be enjoying themselves there?" Catherine exclaimed. She knew about the punishments in the royal capital—offenders usually got at least a few lashes.
"'Dark room'?" Dahlia frowned. She had a feeling there was more to this punishment, but with so little information, she couldn't analyze it properly.
"Come on, let's talk inside." Elisa urged. The weather outside was really getting chilly.
"Mm."
"Alright."
Creak!
The door opened, and Elisa stepped in first, taking off her thick fur boots and slipping into a pair of fur slippers.
"Go ahead and change too. I just bought these fur slippers from the Big Market yesterday," She said, pulling out two pairs from the shoe rack. Squatting down slightly, she placed them in front of the two girls, adding gently, "These are much more comfortable to wear indoors."
"Okay!" Catherine slipped on the fur slippers and exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, these are so convenient!"
"I think so too," Elisa said with a smile as she stood up. "The Big Market comes out with new things every so often. These fur slippers just started selling recently."
"Looks like I need to visit the Big Market too," Dahlia said as her eyes sparkled slightly. While changing her shoes, she added, "I'll buy a few pairs to take back to the royal capital."
"Have a seat first. I'll get the fire going."
Wearing her slippers, Elisa's footsteps made soft tapping sounds as she walked to the dining table, placed the buns down, and then moved to the stove in the corner of the room. She skillfully started a fire, looking every bit like a homemaker—nothing like the graceful elf one might expect.
This scene left Catherine and Dahlia stunned once again. They had never done such things themselves—there were always maids at home to handle these chores. Even though it was their second time seeing their friend do this, they still found it fascinating.
"What are you two standing there for? Put the stuff down," Elisa said with a chuckle as she placed a kettle on the stove. Seeing the two girls frozen in place, she added with a smile, "Haven't seen this before, huh? Well, this is what life looks like."
"Elisa, we're going to stay over at your place tonight." Dahlia said softly, placing several bamboo containers on the dining table.
"Huh?" Elisa blinked, staring at Dahlia, then at Catherine, who looked equally surprised.
"Is that a problem?" Dahlia asked, her eyes blinking innocently.
"Of course not," Elisa replied with a light laugh. "It's just that my bed is a bit small, so it'll be a tight squeeze. But if you don't mind that, you're more than welcome to stay the night."
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