They walked for a long time, exploring the countryside. Emerald felt a growing worry, wanting to tell Genna this wasn't ideal, but considering her mood, he held back. "You didn't hesitate to interact with my friends," Genna broke the silence as they neared a major city, the gleaming lights of nightlife appearing in the distance.
Emerald replied, "At the end of the day, all one can do is kill me. What's worse than that? For me, I'm not afraid to die, madam."
"Smart and hard as ever," Genna said, falling silent for a few seconds before taking a deep breath. Then, she uttered, "I'm going home."
"You're going home? Like, the Kingdom you're from? I mean, aren't you going home every day?" Emerald spun a doubt into her statement.
"No, kid. I'm actually a runaway from the Kingdom. Now I just thought it's okay to go back. I never thought about it that much," she said, a hint of pain in her voice.
"So where exactly is it?" Emerald asked.
"Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, somewhere far where human eyes never reach," Genna chuckled as she narrated the details.
"How's that supposed to work anyway? Is this 'home' you speak of beyond our human eyes to see?" Emerald was brimming with questions.
"Yes, boy. It's hidden by a veil to prevent interactions with the human world, and as you can expect, no human can enter the veil, though," Genna's explanation had a calm demeanor, trying to draw him into her comfort zone.
"Must be a cool place, isn't it?"
"Why don't you come with me?"
"Nah, it ain't like the night out we're having. I might need a whole week or something for that."
"Don't you have Christmas holidays coming?" Genna's perception was sharp. But on the other hand, Emerald knew how far she would go.
"Yeah, I got that, but what about my parents? I don't think they're going to let me out for a whole week." Emerald played his trump card.
"I got you covered, buddy. If you want to come, then there's nothing that's going to stand in your way, I promise." Knowing Genna, he knew his denial would be dismissed.
"Yeah, thanks anyway. By the way, how many years has it been since you're out from the country?" His interest piqued.
"Around 200 years, I guess," Genna casually replied.
"200? What the fuck?" Emerald's doubts began to surface. A vampire wandering on the outskirts of her kingdom for so long—what could be the reason? She even risked blackmailing the Caztels to gain re-entry to the Kingdom.
"Heh heh, anyway, I don't think it's much of a time for us," she said, an undertone of greedy anticipation in her voice. In response, Emerald offered a pleasant smile.
As they continued their casual banter, Genna led Emerald to a shop. She insisted he enter, and despite his gut feeling that this would go awry, he accepted her assertiveness. A staff member approached them. "Welcome, madam, what brings you here?" To Emerald's surprise, she casually undressed them, though he quickly realized she was merely making them comfortable, not actually stripping them.
Genna replied, "I just had an old room meet with the Caztels, so I'm on my way back."
"Got a new dog, I see," the staff member sneered at Emerald.
Emerald's attention snapped to the comment, and he countered, "Better than a stray one who smokes shitty cigars." He clearly didn't like the jab. But Genna, ever composed, simply gave Emerald a gentle shoulder bump. Emerald apologized, even though he didn't feel it was right. Accepting Genna's disapproving gaze, the staff member, too, apologized for her childish comment. "I'm Miss Waltz. Since Madam Genna is a frequent customer, we're quite close." Emerald didn't buy it.
They began shopping, and Genna started modeling everything she saw, seemingly desperate to buy out the entire shop. "How's this, boy? Does it look good?"
Emerald shrugged. "Yeah, good, I guess." He continued to give the same noncommittal answer to everything she showed him.
"I've been waiting for you to pick something up. What's so special about picking something for you? Come on, lad, suit yourself," Genna urged, pushing him out of his comfort zone. Emerald reluctantly gathered some clothes and sneakers that suited him, but everything was in black. Genna's jaw dropped as soon as she saw his selections. "No wonder you don't have any fashion sense!"
"Well then, why don't you try picking something for me?" Emerald replied. The reason for his shabby wardrobe could entirely be attributed to the collection he'd just chosen.
After hearing that, Genna decided to "spike him up." She began rushing around, picking out every item she could find for him, while Emerald stood there like a mannequin.
"How the fuck am I supposed to carry all this? Anyway, what about the bill?" Emerald asked, burdened by a pile of bags, as she had seemingly purchased half the shop.
"Don't worry, big boy, Mommy's got you covered. After all, you needed me to find something for you," Genna said, looking to add more items to Emerald's collection.
As Emerald grew bored, he walked over to the billing counter and asked, "Madam, the bills?"
"No need to worry, boy, it's all paid. For transportation, take that mirror. I'm sure your blood is also bonded to it," Miss Waltz at the sales counter said. Emerald looked surprised at her words and stood there to verify them. Astonishingly, she just smiled and tilted her head towards the mirror, confirming his suspicion: Miss Waltz was no ordinary shop assistant. Without thinking, Emerald tossed the bags towards the mirror, and they vanished as if into a portal.
Before leaving, Emerald asked Genna, "Aren't you coming?" She looked at him from afar and waved goodbye. "Nah, I'm too good to be continued. See you at Christmas, big boy."
"But I didn't say anything!" Emerald protested.
Genna raised an eyebrow and gave him a sarcastic look that clearly said, Are you for real, kid? Understanding her unspoken message, Emerald just turned around. When he got home, he pulled the bill from one of the bags and read it, his eyes widening in disbelief. He uttered aloud, "Half a million euros? WTF!" It was the first time he had ever seen such a colossal amount. Emerald was then forced to tidy up all the shopping bags before finally going to sleep.
(To be Continued)