Leonardo decided it was time for Maliny to choose a dress for the royal banquet. He summoned a carriage and gathered a few handmaidens, though Maliny's expression only brightened when she spoke up.
"I want Druvok to come too."
Leonardo raised a brow, considering… then gave a half-shrug.
"Fine. He can carry the boxes."
They set off soon after, the carriage rattling along the cobblestone streets. Maliny sat by the window, blind but curious, leaning her head toward the sound of the bustling city.
"Druvok," she called softly. "Tell me what you see."
The goblin, seated across from her, grunted.
"Stalls selling useless trinkets. Children running with sticky hands. Street vendors shouting for people to buy things they don't need."
His voice was rough, tinged with that sharp, dry humor he always carried.
"And what else?" Maliny smiled.
Druvok hesitated. Outside, the world moved in colors and shapes he hadn't bothered to notice for years. But now, sitting in this silk-draped carriage beside a blind girl asking him to see for her… something felt different.
"I see people living," he murmured, voice low. "It's… peaceful."
Maliny tilted her head, sensing the shift in his tone.
"You like it?"
"I don't know," Druvok admitted, his gaze fixed on the small, ordinary scenes. "I've never known peace long enough to decide."
⸻
The carriage stopped before a grand boutique named "Vernelle's Atelier" — the most prestigious dressmaker in the capital.
As they stepped inside, the scent of expensive perfume and polished wood filled the air. Noblewomen swayed between mannequins draped in shimmering silk and rare lace. The moment Leonardo entered, several heads turned.
A chorus of polite greetings rose around him, but there was something hungry in the way the ladies' eyes lingered.
"If I could catch the attention of the young duke," one woman mused inwardly as she fluttered her fan. "Handsome, rich… and future lord of one of the wealthiest duchies. A prize worth chasing."
Leonardo, for his part, offered little more than a charming smirk, barely glancing their way.
Druvok noticed how those same noblewomen pointedly ignored Maliny, their glances passing over her as though she were nothing but a shadow.
The shopkeeper, however — an older woman with sharp eyes and a sharper sense of social standing — rushed forward the moment Maliny's name was announced.
"Prepare the best," she ordered her staff, already pulling bolts of crimson and pale silver silk.
One of the waiting noblewomen sneered inwardly.
"I've waited months for a gown from this place, and the blind brat gets it by birthright."
Just then, the bell over the door chimed, and a new figure entered. The room's warmth seemed to cool as everyone turned.
Leonardo's expression hardened instantly, his jaw clenching, eyes narrowing with cold fury.
It was Lady Elyse — the Third Prince's new favorite. Every inch of her dressed to kill, a delicate predator in silken blue.
Druvok could feel Leonardo's hatred thick in the air.
Lady Elyse's gaze swept the room… then landed on Maliny.
A slow, cruel smile curved her lips.
"Well, well," she spoke loudly enough for the entire shop to hear. "What's the use of buying a dress this fine… when no respectable man would marry a blind thing? Or is it for your pet monster? I hear no human wants you now."
The words cut sharp.
Maliny stiffened.
Druvok's eyes darkened, a growl rising in his throat as he took a step forward.
But before a sound left his lips, Leonardo's voice sliced through the room — cold, silk-smooth, and laced with venom.….continue in next chapter