Night slowly settled over the capital.
From the windows of Allan's house, distant city lights shimmered across the streets like scattered stars. The loud chaos of the day had faded into a quiet murmur somewhere far away.
Inside the house, the dining table was covered with plates.
Aria stood beside it, staring.
Her eyes moved slowly from dish to dish.
Green leaves.
Long thin stems.
Round red fruits.
Soft white slices floating in clear soup.
Everything on the table looked like…
…grass.
She carefully picked up one of the leaves between her fingers.
"…Grass?"
Jennie froze for a moment.
Then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Grass? No way!"
She leaned over the table, wiping tears from her eyes.
"This isn't street grass!"
Aria blinked.
Jennie gently took the leaf from her hand.
"These plants are grown by people," she explained proudly.
"They're planted in clean soil, watered every day, protected from insects."
Jennie lifted the leaf toward the light from the window.
"The more care a plant receives…"
She smiled.
"…the more delicious it becomes."
Aria thought about this for a moment.
"…More care… more delicious."
Jennie nodded happily.
"Exactly!"
Then Jennie tilted her head curiously.
"Wait… have you never eaten vegetables before?"
Aria shook her head.
Allan, who had already taken a seat, adjusted his glasses thoughtfully.
"That makes sense."
He folded his hands on the table.
"Your former owner was a Wolfian noble, correct?"
Aria nodded.
"Wolfians prefer meat-based meals," Allan said casually.
"So your diet probably consisted mostly of meat."
Aria's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But it was enough for the room to grow quiet.
Her eyes lowered toward the table.
Somewhere deep in her memory, an image surfaced.
A long dining table.
Heavy silver plates.
Steam rising from freshly prepared food.
At the center of the table…
A large dish.
She remembered the shape first.
Two elegant horns.
Then the face.
Cooked.
The horns curved almost exactly like the ones Allan had on his head.
Aria slowly looked up.
Her eyes drifted toward Allan's horns.
Then she looked back down at the table.
No one said anything.
Jennie watched her quietly.
After a few seconds, Jennie suddenly stood up.
"Well!"
She clapped her hands.
"I actually prepared something special for you!"
She hurried into the kitchen.
Allan cleared his throat awkwardly and began rearranging the plates, pretending to focus on something important.
Jennie returned a moment later carrying another dish.
She placed it carefully in front of Aria.
A cooked fish.
"I made this for you," Jennie said.
Then she scratched the back of her head nervously.
"Don't expect anything amazing though."
She gave a sheepish smile.
"It's my first time cooking fish."
Allan quietly muttered,
"You burned the first three."
Jennie kicked his chair instantly.
"Stop revealing my cooking secrets!"
Allan exaggerated the pain, clutching his side dramatically.
"Violence! I am being assaulted in my own home!"
Jennie punched his shoulder again.
"Your home? I pay the grocery bills!"
Allan leaned back in his chair, pretending to collapse while laughing.
Jennie crossed her arms, but she was smiling too.
Aria watched them silently.
Allan overreacted to Jennie's gentle punches, groaning as if mortally wounded while clearly enjoying the attention.
The strange warmth in the room confused her.
People arguing.
People laughing.
Someone cooking food just for her.
These were things that didn't exist in the world she had grown up in.
She slowly picked up the fish.
For a moment she didn't eat.
Instead she looked at Jennie.
Then at Allan.
Then back at the plate.
Something inside her chest felt unfamiliar.
Small.
Fragile.
But warm.
Finally, Aria took a bite.
And for the first time since leaving the courtroom…
She felt like she was no longer alone.
Chapter 4 — The Road Out of the City
Morning arrived softly.
The capital was quieter than usual in the early hours. Thin fog drifted between the tall buildings, and the streets were still half empty.
A simple carriage waited near Allan's house.
Two horses stood calmly at the front, their breath forming small clouds in the cold air.
Jennie adjusted the strap of a small travel bag and climbed inside.
Aria followed quietly.
The carriage door closed with a soft wooden click.
Outside, Allan stood near the gate of the house.
He had already said everything he needed to say.
The driver flicked the reins.
The carriage began to move.
The wheels rolled slowly across the stone road as the capital began sliding past the windows.
For a while, neither Aria nor Jennie spoke.
The city streets gradually grew wider.
The tall buildings became smaller.
Eventually, Aria turned toward Jennie.
"…Why do you talk like that?"
Jennie blinked.
"Like what?"
"Your words."
Aria tilted her head slightly.
"They sound… strange."
Jennie was quiet for a moment.
Then she gave a small smile.
"Ah."
"That."
She leaned back against the seat.
"It's because I'm a Murk."
Aria's eyes shifted slightly.
Jennie noticed the reaction immediately.
Her smile softened.
"Don't worry," she said gently.
"It's not something bad."
Aria remained silent.
Jennie looked out the carriage window as the city walls slowly approached in the distance.
"Murks are… different from the common races."
She tapped her teeth lightly with her finger.
"Our bodies developed in strange ways over time."
She smiled again.
"Speech patterns are one of them."
Aria watched her carefully.
Jennie continued.
"Most Murks actually can't marry members of the common races."
Aria blinked once.
Jennie spoke quietly.
"We can live together."
"But children… usually aren't possible."
Her expression shifted slightly.
Not exactly sadness.
But something close to it.
The carriage passed beneath the massive stone gate of the capital.
The city slowly disappeared behind them.
Jennie exhaled softly.
"But Allan married me anyway."
Aria looked at her.
Jennie smiled again, though this time it felt a little smaller.
"He said he didn't care."
She folded her hands in her lap.
"He said people marry for many reasons."
The carriage rolled farther down the road.
Fields replaced buildings.
The capital grew distant behind them.
Aria glanced out the window one last time.
Far behind them, near the gate, a thin figure stood beside the road.
Allan raised one hand.
He waved slowly.
Jennie leaned slightly toward the window and waved back.
Aria watched silently.
The carriage continued forward.
The road stretched toward the distant horizon.
And for the first time in her life…
Aria was leaving the city that had once been her entire world.