After saying farewell to the March family, Lydia and Elara set out. Their destination was Hinch, a wonderful coastal city right at the border between the Principality of Montaire and the country of Arne.
Under normal traffic conditions, it would only take around twenty minutes to reach the city of Hinch from Elara's house. Since Montaire and Arne were part of the same Union, the citizens of both countries could freely cross the border without having to go through immigration/customs.
As Elara navigated the busy main road of Montaire, Lydia, who sat beside her, stared at the ever-changing scenery beyond the window. The shops, the buildings, the people, everything she was about to leave behind. She left the Palace due to heartache, but thanks to that, she finally got to embark on a road trip that she had been waiting for all her life.
She thought she would feel at least a little excited about this surprising turn of events. But now that she was just minutes away from leaving her hometown behind, the only thing that she felt was a deep sense of melancholy. Not happy, not sad, just... empty.
Lydia lowered her window, letting the fresh morning air into the car. The princess's hair immediately danced in the air due to the sudden gust of wind.
Elara took her eyes away from the road for a second and looked at the princess. For a brief moment, she was taken aback by the sight of Lydia's beautiful yet melancholic face as she leaned toward the half-open window while the strands of her blonde hair fluttered in the wind, rolling like gentle waves on a midsummer sea. It was like a scene from a Renaissance painting unfolding in front of her eyes.
"Ehm... is it too hot in here for you, my lady?" asked Elara as she turned her gaze back toward the road. "I can turn the AC up if you'd like."
Lydia let out a gentle smile. "No, it's okay, Elara," she said. "I just want to feel the air of my hometown before I leave. And Elara?"
"Yes? My Lady?"
"As I've said before, please call me Lydia."
"Ah, yes. Understood."
Elara knew the princess must have felt sad leaving her country behind in such an abrupt manner, but she didn't want her to be drowned in sorrow. They had the chance for a fairly long road trip, funded by the Crown. Might as well enjoy it as best as they could.
"So...Lydia. Have you ever been to Hinch before?"
"No, not really. I have been to various big cities in Arne, but never visited Hinch before."
"Oh, in that case, we should stop there for a while. I know a good restaurant with a remarkable view of the ocean. You'll love it."
"Really?" Lydia's face lit up a bit. "In that case, Hinch will be our first stop on this trip."
Elara noticed Lydia's little smile. She felt relieved. "By the way, Lydia, there's a good café right before the entrance to Hinch," continued Elara, "they have delicious cakes there, and the view is also fantastic. Do you wanna stop for a minute and try it?"
"Oh my, Elara, did you just read my mind? How do you know I'm in the mood for cakes now?" said Lydia. "Of course, we have to stop there. By the way, you said near the entrance to Hinch, how far away is it? I mean, have we even crossed the border yet?"
Elara smiled briefly before continuing. "Oh yeah, we crossed the border about five minutes ago."
"What? Really? Why isn't there any sign telling us we've left Montaire, or maybe 'Welcome to Arne' or something like that?"
"Well, since the people in the Union can freely cross the border, they didn't really bother to make a sign or a billboard or anything like that. Basically, if you could see either Montaire or Hinch, then you've already crossed the border. And look," Elara pointed toward a sprawling building right at the end of the main road, "that's Hinch."
"What?" Lydia adjusted her seating. "We're already there?"
"Yeah," said Elara without turning to see the princess. "It's pretty close. It's actually farther to go from my place to the Palace than it is to Arne."
"I didn't realize we are so close to the border. Interesting. But more importantly, does it mean we are now close to the café that you talked about?"
Elara let out a chuckle. "More importantly? I guess you're right. Cakes are more important than the mere border between two nations. And yes, we are close." Elara pointed to a small establishment on the left-hand side of the road. "There, look. That's the café."
"That white building?" asked Lydia.
Elara nodded. "Yep, the White Cat café."
"The White Cat café. What a cute name. Why is it called a White Cat café? Is it because of the white paint?"
"A lot of people think so, but that's actually not true. Wait, let me find a good parking spot for a sec," said Elara as she looked around in front of the café to find an empty spot. "You see, the owner used to have a very beautiful white Persian cat. We used to call her 'Your Majesty'. The café was named after her." As she finished her sentence, Elara managed to swiftly park their car right between rows of bikes and scooters. "Ok, let's go!"
"We? You seemed to know a lot about this café. Do you know its owner?" asked Lydia as she rummaged through her bag and then took out a pair of big sunglasses that she bought from the flea market the other day.
"Yeah, I used to work part-time here in my school days," said Elara as she checked the rear and side-view mirrors. She then grabbed her bag from the back seat and said, "Alright, let's get in."
"Okay, time for cakes. Let's go," said Lydia. She opened the door, but right before she got out of the car, she paused for a second and turned toward Elara. "By the way, Elara. You're paying, right?"
Elara found that question quite amusing. "Yes, yes. Don't worry. I'll get the bill later," she said with a little smile on her face.
"Yay. Okay, let's go!"