[Hinterlands, Two hundred kilometers from the capital city of Rosmayne]

In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by lush greeneries and wet morning soil, Randia and Viena traveled on foot. Oftentimes, Viena plays pranks on Randia to cure her boredom. Alas, he was so busy navigating their way that he never got bothered by her, no matter how many insects and weird stuff she put on his cloak.

"Ugh! We've been walking for four days, and you've told me nothing about where we are going!"

Randia keeps reading his map and checking his surroundings, ignoring Viena.

"Ran!"

Viena clings to Randia's hands like a monkey on a branch. At the first attempt, Randia stayed unfazed. This makes the little girl turn even more irritated, and she begins to chew his hand to get his attention.

"I told you already, we are going south."

Viena grumbled and took the map from Randia while he was off guard, "Gimme that!"

"Give it back. You can't even read."

"I CAN!"

"Well then, be my guest. Tell me where we are."

No matter how many times she tried, Viena couldn't read a single word on that paper, even the simplest letters of south, north, west, and east. To top over her illiteracy, Randia's map uses a different language and writing than the common one she knew. Hence, she just simply guessed multiple times judging by the drawing and her surroundings.

"Umm. That's the mountain, and the river is behind us already. So, we are going to this city. Right? Right?!"

"Right, if you want to sleep outside for another week."

"Eh? No way! I'm going to die! My back is on the verge of breaking apart!" Viena complained.

"I know. You are crying too loud every night for goodness sake."

"I-I'm not crying! I was just missing my bed a little! That's all!"

"Yeah, surely you did . . . Anyway, that's why we are going to this place instead. Then, we can walk another four days to reach this city."

Randia pointed to a small house and a castle portrait sequentially. Then, he took the map from her and kept walking. Viena climbs on his arm, asking to be carried as usual. She tried to find out how Randia figured out the direction they must go through when she noticed a flag between the lines where Randia previously pointed.

"Look! The flag and line are different. That means we are in a foreign land, right?"

"We're still in Rosmayne, but in a different dukedom."

The man then explained a little about feudalism and how it works to Viena. The little girl now at least knows the meaning of different types of lines that divide the entire map of the Seraina Continent into a few domains.

"I was too tired to even think about it in these past few days. But who are those guys back in the sewer? They carry big flags, and they use cool magic although they lose to you! I've never seen such knights in all my life!"

"They are mystic knights from Aramia."

"Mystic knights? From this country?"

"Not that one, a little bit to the right."

"Hmm . . . This one?"

Viena listens carefully as she eats some berries that she had picked earlier in the morning.

"Yes, that's Aramia. And those knights ... They belong to an elite order trained in Aramia's province capitals. They went through a special school nurturing them since they were your age."

"But you said it yourself that we are still inside Rosmayne territory!"

". . . That's what we need to find out."

After the tree-covered hills subside, they feast their eyes upon the horizon. It's another small town for them after days of traveling the woods. Viena cannot hide her excitement. This is the first town that she'll be visiting, but when her expectations of many things start to surface on her face, Randia tussles her hair and taps her forehead twice with his callused index.

"Don't get too excited. You'll make many mistakes."

"I-I know!"

Randia's hand then moved to Viena's chin and lifted it up.

"Now, what color do you want?"

"What color? What do you mean?"

"The next town. They don't treat cursed children too kindly either. Most people do be like that."

A glimpse of sadness replaced her bright excitement for a moment, as Viena looked away. Randia was stunned. A child's face is supposed to always be filled with joy and excitement, how can he try and make it otherwise? He gritted his teeth and regretted every word he said.

"Then, what color do you think would be best for me?" said Viena with a wide smile.

". . . Keep your eyes open and steady."

From Randia's finger, burst forth a swirl of water. The swirls get calmer and calmer until finally, they form a perfect and undisturbed sphere. The sphere condensed into a smaller sphere multiple times until it but only in the size of a bead. Only then, did he drip a drop of the water beads to each eye.

"A-Aw . . . it stings a little."

Viena tries to open her eyes. At first, it feels rather sticky, but the sensation dwindles every time she blinks.

"How about now, Ran? Do you think I'm a thousand times cuter now than I was?" the little girl posed with her hands making peace signs on the side of her face.

"One must always keep in mind that people are often more than meets the eyes."

"But beauty is a charm!"

"Charm? That's a flawed perception . . . Because beauty is a curse, Viena. Only when you have all the three, that each is not a curse."

"Three?"

Randia points at Viena's head, nose, and the middle of her chest simultaneously, each with a long pause. Viena's hands followed right after and touched the part of herself where Randia gently touched.

"Bright logic to understand. Fairness of shape and manners to share. A benevolent heart to sustain."

Viena went silent for a moment, before standing with her arms akimbo.

"Well, at least that's one in the bag! Only two more to go!"

The little girl grinned. However, the doubtful look on Randia's face makes her grin turn to irk.

They continue their journey with only a few stops. It's almost noon when the town is finally within their line of sight. Its walls are slightly bigger and wider than Viena's hometown. The striking flags of azure rose are also waving on its highest pinnacles.

"Ran! I can see the town! Hurry up!"

"There is no need to hurry."

As soon as Randia finished his sentence, Viena stumbled over a rock and bruised her knee. Randia stopped and watched her get up by herself and clean her clothes.

"See? I told you to calm down. The walls and the town aren't running anywhere."

"S-Shut up! I was just-!"

"If there is a pack of hillcats lurking around, you would've become their snack already."

Embarrassed, Viena looked away indignantly. Thus, they keep walking until they have arrived at an old stone bridge which is the only path leading to the town. On the other side of the bridge, they can see paved roads, marking the extent of Rosmayne's authority.

"Viena, come and wash your leg."

"Why should I? The town is just around the corner!"

"Right. Just so you know, where there are people, filth and flies always follow. Certain insects lay their eggs in the dust, and we can't see it. Who knows? Maybe some will stick in a naughty girl's wound and fill it with worms tonight."

Viena shivers in fear and disgust. She finally gives in and does what Randia says. As she washes her knee in the river, Randia refills their empty waterskins to the brim after sterilizing the water by boiling it with his magic.

"You don't need to rub it too hard. I was just lying."

"What?! So, it's not true?! Are you just messing around with me?!"

"Yes. That part when I said the infected wound will be filled with worms by night is not true."

"You-!"

"It only takes three hours at most for the eggs to hatch."

Viena has a dead look in her eyes for a few moments before she harshly rubs her wound even harder than before.

"No! No! Stay away! Get off me! You won't eat me! I won't let you!"

Suddenly, Viena hears the faintest bit of laugh. At first, she mistakes it for a cough, but when she turns around, she finds the tiniest crack of a smile on Randia's lips. Although he quickly erased it, Viena was able to capture the moment and hold it strongly within her memory.

"Heh. I thought you were stone-faced, but you surprised me with that suuper bad smile!"

". . . What in the world are you talking about? Come and dry your feet if you're done. We'll walk again soon."

Instead of doing as she is told, Viena kicks the water towards Randia.

"Stop it! You-! Viena!"

They ended up playing with each other, or rather, Viena bothered Randia with her antics. Until finally Randia had no other choice but to control the water with his magic to lift and throw her back to the riverside. She hasn't had this much fun in a while, and she has no other intention but to enjoy it to the fullest. The completely soaked clothes and the risk of her catching a cold, none of it matters.

After they are done, Viena changes her clothes and Randia dries up the wet ones with his magic. They continued their journey to the town afterwards and finally arrived half an hour later.

"Wow! The wall is really high!"

"Usually, the closer we are to a capital city, the bigger the towns will be."

They are now standing in line at the gates. Waiting for inspection by the town guards. The lines are separated into two; one for merchants and their cargos in wagons, and the other is for common travellers.

"Ran, are you not afraid? What if they know that you hurt their friends?"

"There is nothing to worry about."

Waiting is boring, and that is a fact for everyone. Thus, Viena looked around and asked a lot of questions to Randia. From the structure of the gate to the guard's armour and documents. They even played pick and guess to see if they could accurately find out a people's occupation by simply looking at their attire.

Finally, a merchant's wagon passed on her. The wagon contains various wares hanging to its side. They are selling lamps, brushes, fabrics, and many more. However, one thing catches her eyes the most, and that thing is no other than a mirror.

"My eyes . . . ."

At this point in time, Viena noticed that her eyes had the same colour as Randia's. Cerulean eyes, calm and captivating as the deep ocean itself. She couldn't believe it at first, but when she takes a second, third, and fourth look, she finally gets it. She is so overwhelmed by glee that she cannot even properly express herself.

Meanwhile, it's their turn for the inspection. The guard appear to be slightly edgy with their height differences. Randia is 190 cm tall, and this is not the first time that his rough appearance put others on alert.

"Your name?"

"Ran."

"Occupation?"

"Medevist."

What is the purpose of your visit?"

"We are just looking for a place to stay before continuing our journey, Sir."

"Show me your badge and pass."

Randia took a badge that symbolizes a tree with two moons as its root from his backpack. A sign of a licensed medevist, a doctor who specializes in treating magic-related ailments and illnesses. They are quite common to be found in big cities as nobles highly value their work. However, it's uncommon to see such a muscular figure amongst medevistas. That is because their craft is often practised indoors and doesn't involve a big deal of physical prowess.

"And your pass?"

Randia took another badge from his backpack. This time, it's a medallion of Rosmayne's royal insignia. It's a rose-shaped ornament made from a glittering sapphire that sits atop a platinum plate. When Randia showed it to the guard, he didn't make any reaction at all.

"Huh? What's this? I'm asking for your papers."

"That is all I have."

"Get out of the line then, you're blocking the way! No paper, no pass!"

Suddenly, someone smacked the head of the guard from his back.

"What the fu-!? Ah! Captain!"

"You fool! Don't you know what that is!?"

"W-What? What do you mean?"

"This is a Titulia!"

The guard's face turns as if death is staring at him right in the eyes. It goes without saying that no one in the Queendom of Rosmayne should ever cross someone who holds a Rosela Titulia. For that badge means the utmost honour given to someone acknowledged by the royal family.

The knight looked down to the ground and his hands were on his chest, begging Randia, "F-Forgive me, Sir! I-I don't mean to!"

". . . It's alright. You are just doing your job," Randia tried to calm the guards.

"As if a sorry would be enough! Get lost, damn you! Do your job somewhere else!"

The guard captain kicked his underling's butt and bowed deeply to Randia. He then rubbed his hands in nervousness as he smiled awkwardly at Randia and Viena.

"G-Good afternoon, Sir! Please forgive us for the trouble! Shall I accompany you for your visit to our humble town? There are a lot of places that we would recommend for you! There might not be much, but I will make sure they do their best to please you."

"No. It's alright. We'll just-"

"Oh! You brought your daughter with you! Hello there! What a beautiful little lady you are!"

The guard captain bends over to personally greet Viena. The girl immediately hides behind Randia. After all, she has some fairly bitter memories with the guards back in her hometown.

"A-Ah. I'm being too presumptuous, am I? Please, take this as a token of my apology."

The guard captain gave out a loosely tied little bag on his palm. He offered it to Viena, but the little girl was hesitant. Instead, she looks up to Randia as if she was asking for his permission. Randia placed his hand on her head and nodded.

"Accepting his gift will make him feel at ease."

Viena nodded back and took the bag.

". . . What is this?"

"Well, why don't you open and find out, my lady?"

The little girl opened the bag and found a few roughly made round-shaped things inside. They are certainly hard as a rock, but their colour is so distinct and too pretty to be called so.

"Um . . . Playing marbles?" Viena eyed the imperfect spherical object.

The guard captain let out a laugh and then shook his head.

"I'm sorry you might have mistaken it because it's not of the best quality. But, my lady, they are sweet treats."

Viena never had a candy although she had seen some beautiful ones back in her hometown. Hence, she immediately put one of them in her mouth. However, it doesn't take even six seconds for her to spit it back out on her hand.

"Eewk. It's so sour . . . ."

"I-Is it? I bought that so I can stay wide awake when doing my night shift."

Trying not to be rude, Randia took the spitted-out candy for himself from Viena's hand.

"It tastes just fine."

Randia took out a gold coin and a vial of warmth syrup to give it to the guard captain. The guard captain sincerely refused at first, but Randia won't take a no for an answer. In the end, Randia asked the guard captain for some information regarding the town's church and inn in return for his goodwill of gifts before they parted ways.

The sun is right above the head. It's mid-day. Randia and Viena have travelled far, and they are yet to take a rest. Especially Randia who walked nonstop since morning and carried Viena on his back whenever she couldn't manage to keep up the pace anymore.

Now, they are looking for a place to lay down and rest. They looked around the city for a while, looking left and right. At one time, Viena pulls Randia's clothes. The man looked her way, questioning.

"Hey, Ran. Why did you give me blue of all colours?" she pointed at her eyes.

"For practical purpose. To prevent misunderstanding and further questioning by people."

"By making us look like father and daughter? Then . . . What about I call you Dad from now on? Wouldn't that be more reassuring?" says Viena with a wide smile.

Randia slowed down. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. His eyes are trembling, and his tongue feels numb. Viena has said something that feels very warm and cold at the same time. Such is the fault of those who have been estranged from the affection of others for a long time.

"Father? Dad? or Papa perhaps? Hm . . . ? Helloo? Daddy?" Viena teased Randia who had walking with his eyes closed for a while.

"Stop fooling around and tie your shoes properly."

"Huh? Ah – You're right! How did you know?"

Randia walked away in front of her. He waited not for her because he didn't want anyone to see the bad smile that he deemed himself never worthy of.

"Wait! Where are you going?! Don't leave me! Raan!!"