Chapter 869: One Year Later

After one year in the business of conning the rich out of their money, both Rowena and Julian have come to know the art of the trade by heart.

Some of the customers around Julian's booth turned out to be far more interested in her than a 'magical bracelet' and tried to strike a conversation with her as she left.

"My lady, I have never seen you around in these parts." one gentleman walked alongside her. "May I perchance come to know your name?"

"Apologies, I have somewhere to be," Rowena said as she kept a fan close to her face. "I do not have time to mingle or social callings, I'm afraid."

"Is it in the city? I am acquainted with the Master of Carriages. Rather, the one who owns all of the carriages." Another stepped forward with a grin. "Perhaps I can give you a ride?"

"No need, you have my thanks." Rowena continued to walk and push herself into the crowd. 

The two followed after her to her annoyance.

"Don't block the lady's path." Another 'gentleman' tried to protect her from the busy crowd and gave her a winning smile. "You must be very careful. Who knows what ruffians could do to...huh?"

"Where is she?"

"Did she get swept up in the crowd?!"

The sound of those three awful men got further away as Rowena hid herself behind the back of a rather burly man. Unlike those men from earlier, he was dressed in simple clothes.

Now this time, the guy was truly helpful. He seemed to have noticed her situation and helped her escape.

Rowena sighed in relief when she finally managed to shake them off her track and could no longer hear them.

"Thank you for the assistance."

"Of course." The burly man nodded. "People should know when to stop when asked."

"I agree with that." Rowena curtsy and then made her way out of the crowd and headed for her destination.

It was rather meddlesome when some people insisted on trying to get to know her. It seemed like they didn't notice her age, didn't care or were simply focused on her beauty.

Somehow, Rowena wished that all of them became enamored and enchanted on the magical bracelet, alas this also occurred.

Julian once remarked that she was both the best asset in attracting customers but was also good at luring them away.

For now, Rowena rushed into the rented inn room she stayed in and quickly undressed. She was not attached to her dress and saw it as nothing more but a costume.

A small reminder of her past.

Gone were the fancy dress, the beautiful fan which mesmerized and attracted the eyes of the rich young lords and merchants who visited the boo

th, that was over.

Instead, Rowena was now dressed in far more comfortable trousers and a shirt not unlike Julian's. Her beautiful long hair was now tied up in a functional ponytail as well.

She checked her map, crossed out the current location, and counted the time before she finally headed out of the city to wait for Julian.

It was important for the two of them to come and leave separately. So, according to their previous agreement, she stayed in a nearby forest.

While Rowena waited, she sighed and watched the birds atop their nests with a wistful expression. Every now and then, she remembered Lucent and smiled sadly.

"He would have been a lovely companion, and then we would have been three," Rowena muttered to herself. "The two would get along well."

After some time, her stomach growled.

"Ugh, I was so eager to leave the city and not see those men that I forgot to buy a snack," Rowena grumbled underneath her breath.

However, she didn't need to complain any further.

"Rowena! Are you alright? I saw three chase down after you." Julian said once he finally arrived. "I would have tossed them a rock if we didn't have a crowd. Sorry about that."

"I'm here and quite fine." Rowena smiled. "I was tempted to stomp on their feet, but I resisted. Didn't want to attract further attention."

"Phew, your patience is long. Thanks for waiting… because I got ya something." He gave her a new bag filled with supplies and then presented a much smaller one.

"What's this…" Rowena's eyes widened. She smiled as she picked up the small pie and bit down on it. It was a delicious meat pie, savory and still hot. "Mmm, I was getting hungry. Thanks."

Julian chuckled. "Slow down on the food, kiddo. That's for the road and some are for me."

"Got that."

It didn't take too long for them to ride their horses and trot down the road. Julian asked. "Where do you wanna go for our next adventure?"

"We won't be performing in the next city," Rowena said along with the mouthful of food. "We could avoid other travelers by heading down a valley path. Some people gossip, so we have to stay low."

"Sounds good to me, though you might want to drink some water first." Julian grinned. "Is it just me, or did you learn bad manners when you stuck around my side? You look like a chipmunk."

Rowena swallowed down her food before she stuck out a tongue. "I know my manners, but I don't need to impress you, Julian."

"Fair enough." Julian chuckled. "I just don't want you to choke."

Rowena laughed. "Worry about yourself first. You nearly bit down your tongue while

we were riding yesterday. Shall we race to the valley? It's just up north."

"Sure."

The two of them raced towards the valley, laughing and cheering each other, sometimes even teasing each other until they arrived at their destination.  When they finally stopped at the entrance, both Rowena and Julian were unprepared for what they saw. 

Rowena's mouth fell open as she took in the view. "This is…"

"Woah," Julian said.

The two of them exchanged looks for a moment. A word both came to their mind and it was….

"Incredible." 

"Beautiful."