"Ah, that hurts!" Princess Dyyana cried out.
"Miss!" Xiao Yun and Shu Mia called out simultaneously, rushing to help their miss up.
Shu Mia, in her anger, pushed Lian Evelyn, causing her to fall again.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Xiao Yun scolded Shu Mia.
"I don't know where you came from, but how dare you bump into my miss?" Shu Mia yelled back at Lian Evelyn and Xiao Yun.
At that moment, Princess Dyyana's guards rushed forward, swords drawn, and immediately held them at Lian Evelyn's neck.
"What are you doing? It was an accident! Are you trying to kill someone over this?" Lian Evelyn shouted angrily.
The commotion caught the attention of the surrounding crowd.
"Put down your swords," Princess Dyyana commanded sternly.
"But Miss, they…"
"I said put them down!" Princess Dyyana snapped.
Reluctantly, the guards lowered their swords, offering an apology to Lian Evelyn.
"Everyone, what happened here was just a misunderstanding. Please go back to your business," Princess Dyyana announced to the crowd, raising her voice to calm them.
The villagers dispersed, and Princess Dyyana turned to Lian Evelyn. "Miss, I'm truly sorry for what happened just now."
"It's fine. I'm sorry for bumping into you. It was out of my control," Lian Evelyn replied, glancing away. "But you shouldn't try to kill someone just because of an accident."
Princess Dyyana gave a pointed look to her guards, who immediately knelt in apology.
"I'm really sorry, Miss. I acted out of fear and wanted to protect you. I'm willing to accept any punishment," one of the guards said.
"What do you think, sister? I'll punish him if you want. The choice is yours," Princess Dyyana said, glancing at Lian Evelyn with a raised brow.
Lian Evelyn sighed. "Fine, just forgive him. He didn't mean it."
"Thank you, Miss," the guard said, bowing deeply.
"Okay, this matter is over. Don't mention it to my brother, understood?" Princess Dyyana said, her tone final.
The men nodded. "Understood, Miss."
"Now, go back to the line and buy two packets of candy from each variety," she ordered.
Just as the guard was about to move, Lian Evelyn called out, "Wait."
"What is it?" Princess Dyyana asked.
"Are you really going to wait in line for candy?" Lian Evelyn asked, walking closer to Princess Dyyana.
"Yes, why?"
Lian Evelyn took Princess Dyyana's hand gently. "How about this? You take my spot. I've already made an appointment with the candy shop owner. They'll serve us right away. You can come with me."
"Oh, really? I didn't know we could make appointments. This candy shop just opened today. How did you manage to book ahead? You must come from a wealthy family," Princess Dyyana said, intrigued.
"You're sharp. My father is a General of War. He has many influential friends, and this shop's owner is one of them. That's how I was able to make an appointment," Lian Evelyn explained.
"General of War?" Princess Dyyana thought to herself. "Oh, you must mean General Lian. Zaeil "
Lian Evelyn nodded.
At that moment, the candy shop owner appeared, seeing Lian Evelyn outside. "Miss, you've arrived! Why are you standing out here? Please, come inside!"
"Come, let's go," Lian Evelyn said, holding Princess Dyyana's hand and leading her inside.
Xiao Yun, Shu Mia, and Princess Dyyana's guards followed them, trailing behind as they entered the private room inside the candy shop.
"Miss, these are all of our candies. You may taste them before deciding what to buy," said the owner, placing a wide variety of colorful sweets on the table in front of Lian Evelyn and Princess Dyyana.
"Wow! This many?" Shu Mia exclaimed excitedly.
"Shhh," Princess Dyyana gave her a subtle signal to keep quiet.
Lian Evelyn chuckled at their interaction. "Sister, this is Master Chen, the owner of this shop," she said, pointing to him.
Princess Dyyana nodded politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Miss Evelyn, is this your friend?" Master Chen asked with curiosity.
"Yes, we just met today. Oh, and you haven't told me your name or your family background yet," Evelyn said, turning to Dyyana with a smile.
"Oh right! My name is Yan Yan. I live in the castle, and my brother is General Wei," Princess Dyyana replied, lying smoothly.
"Miss, why did you use your mother's name? And why General Wei?" Shu Mia whispered, confused.
"Shhh," Dyyana hushed her firmly.
"Oh! So you're General Wei's sister? That explains a lot," Lian Evelyn replied with interest. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"It's just that… my brother is involved in an important investigation right now, and I'm worried that if the wrong people find out who I am, they might target me," Dyyana explained.
Lian Evelyn nodded in understanding. She picked up a piece of candy and gently offered it to Dyyana. "Here, try this."
Dyyana took a bite and her eyes sparkled. "It's delicious! I've never tasted anything like this before."
She passed a sample to Shu Mia, who tasted it and immediately grinned. "Miss, it's so good! Please buy some for me!"
"We've only tried one. There are so many more to go through," Dyyana replied.
"How about this? I'll buy one of every variety for you," Lian Evelyn offered generously.
Princess Dyyana was shocked. "No, no, that's too much! It must be expensive. I can't accept it."
"It's not a problem," Evelyn replied calmly and turned to Master Chen. "Please wrap one packet of each variety. I'll pay for them."
"Of course, Miss," Master Chen said and left to prepare the order.
"Wait…Evelyn, that's really too generous. And besides, it's not healthy to eat so many sweets," Dyyana said, trying to refuse politely.
"Yan Yan, just accept it. It's a gift from me to celebrate our meeting," Evelyn insisted warmly.
"But…"
"No buts. If you don't accept it, I'll think you don't consider me your friend," Evelyn teased, pretending to pout.
Just then, Master Chen returned with the neatly packed sweets and handed her the receipt. "Here you go, Miss."
Lian Evelyn handed him the payment without hesitation. "Thank you, Master Chen."
"Thank you, Evelyn," Princess Dyyana said sincerely. "But now I feel like I should give you something in return."
She reached into her sleeve and took out a beautiful green jade pendant, placing it gently in Evelyn's hand.
"If you ever visit the castle and run into trouble, show this jade to the guards and tell them you're someone important to its owner."
"Wow… it's beautiful. This must be very valuable. I can't take it," Evelyn replied, stunned.
"I accepted your gift. You must accept mine too," Dyyana said with a soft smile.
"Alright. Since you said this jade can protect me, I'll wear it every time I go to the castle."
Dyyana nodded. "Can we meet again? Even though we just met, I feel like you're someone special. I hope this isn't our last meeting."
"Don't worry. If you ever miss me, you can come to my house anytime," Evelyn replied with a warm grin.
"Really?" Dyyana asked, her eyes lighting up.
Evelyn nodded. "I need to return home now. See you again soon."
"See you," Dyyana replied, watching Evelyn leave with Xiao Yun.
Outside the shop…
"Miss, we came all the way here for candy, but we're going home empty-handed," Xiao Yun sighed.
"Who said that?" Lian Evelyn smiled. "I gained a new friend and a beautiful token. That's more valuable than candy."
They walked until they reached the back of the house. After climbing and jumping over the wall, Evelyn landed gracefully.
"Phew! What a perfect little adventure," she said, stretching.
"Are you sure it was perfect?" said a stern voice suddenly.
Both girls froze. Standing in front of them, arms folded, were General Lian and Madam Qinan, watching them with unreadable expressions.