With Amaryllis upset with me for no apparent reason, the beginning half of the ride was relatively quiet. Eventually, she started talking to me, explaining things about some of the stores we passed by while the Unicorns pulled the carriage through the city's streets.
Since it was my first time leaving the city during my one-week stay, I was engrossed in observing the city and whatnot, not to mention this place interested me since it was where Master grew up, and there were few things I enjoyed more than learned about Master's past.
"Treant Sushi, the restaurant has delicious food, and I usually go there for my birthday. I would visit it more often, but being a Dryad and all, our bodies aren't good at processing meat, so anything more than a few bites of fish and I'll feel sick for the rest of the day." Remarked Amaryllis with a faint smile as she gazed out the window before glancing at Alexander, who nodded while faintly smiling.
"Yep, I know all about that. Though I pity you Dryads, you're missing out on many great foods: steak, chicken, lamb, pork, etc. If I were suddenly unable to eat any form of meat, I'd go insane." Said Alexander with a shake of his head and a gaze of pity as he looked at Amaryllis, who dismissively waved her hand.
"Ah, I tried steak when I was younger, and I must admit, it was absolutely delicious, but the pain and sickness that soon followed afterward was not worth it." Said Amaryllis softly as she looked at Alexander while subconsciously shivering, causing him to laugh at her previous misfortune.
"Speaking of younger, how old are you, Amaryllis? You look like you could be the same age as me, but I know Dryads live significantly longer than humans." Asked Alexander curiously as he plopped onto his side, laying across the seats of the carriage while glancing at Amaryllis.
"My age? I think I'm 83. I tend to forget… Hmm, maybe 84?" Replied Amaryllis softly as she rubbed her chin with a thoughtful expression while glancing at Alexander, who smirked in amusement.
'Well, if I were that long-lived, I too would probably forget my age.' Mused Alexander lightly as he looked at Amaryllis before shaking his head.
'If that's so, how old are you currently, Master?' 'I'm 23, Trina.' Remarked Trina and Alexander, respectively, as the latter proudly grinned, only for the former to deeply sigh.
'Master… You're 24.' Said Zartha coldly while suppressing a laugh, her words causing Alexander to narrow his eyes in confusion before clicking his tongue.
'Shit… You're right, I am 24. How the hell did I forget my age?' Thought Alexander in slight embarrassment as he scratched his cheek, listening to his swords laugh.
'Maybe it was all the love-making your horny self does on the daily, Master?' Said Trina lightly as she folded her arms and stared at the sky, causing Alexander to roll his eyes while ignoring them.
"Princess Amaryllis, we've arrived at the Treasure Trove Restaurant." Said the guard from outside the carriage as he knocked on the door, snapping Amaryllis out of her little daze.
Sitting upright, I stood up and stretched a little before opening the door and hopping out of the carriage, though; while I wasn't royalty or nobility, I had some semblance of etiquette as I outstretched my hand towards Amaryllis while slightly bowing.
"Why thank you, Sir Alex." Said Amaryllis with a lovely smile as she grasped Alexander's hand while stepping down the carriage, causing Alexander to faintly chuckle.
"Anyway, you lead the way, Princess; I have no clue where we're going." Remarked Alexander lightly as he released Amaryllis's hand while gesturing forward, causing her to nod as she approached the three-story building.
Following Amaryllis, we entered this three-story wooden and stone building; of course, I held the door open for her; however, once inside, we were greeted with a whole entourage of people bowing toward us, or I should say toward Amaryllis.
"Princess Amaryllis! To see you visit so soon and with a guest this time, how can we be of service?" Asked the frontmost man, who was surprisingly an Elf.
"The usual, Solomon. However, make sure you add some form of meat to Sir Alex's dish. Come." Ordered Amaryllis firmly as she glanced at Solomon before turning to the left and gesturing to Alexander.
"Am I supposed to carry you up the stairs?" Asked Alexander curiously as he stood beside Amaryllis, gazing at a flight of stairs.
"C-Can you?" Asked Amaryllis in a somewhat shaky voice as she tightly grabbed Alexander's clothes, causing him to furrow his brows in confusion before nodding.
I don't know what had overcome Amaryllis, but she was clearly filled with fear, so I didn't think this was some ploy on her end; bending down, I carefully picked up Amaryllis into a princess carry and began walking up the stairs. However, the moment I did so, she tightly closed her eyes and stuffed her face into my chest; not only that but with every step, her body would faintly tremble.
'Is she afraid of stairs? That can't be; there are several flights of stairs in the Palace… Granted, I've never seen her use them, but still.' Thought Alexander with a confused yet curious expression as he looked at Amaryllis.
Using the language of the trees, I transferred some of my emotions to her, calming her down somewhat as her body stopped trembling with every step, but the fear plaguing her heart was intense.
"Um, which floor?" "T-Three." Said Alexander and Amaryllis, respectively, as the latter quickly responded with a shaky and fearful voice.
Practically sprinting up the last two flights of stairs, I arrived at the top but didn't quite set Amaryllis down since she was still terrified. Only after entering the room where we would be dining, which had an amazing city view, did I finally set her down.
"Are you okay?" Asked Alexander softly as he looked at Amaryllis, who faintly nodded while keeping her head down.
Pulling out a chair for her, I had her sit down while I sat beside her rather than opposite the table; however, my worries were a little excessive since, after a few minutes, she seemed to finally return to normal.
"I-I'm sorry, Alex. T-That was an incredibly shameful display as a princess." Said Amaryllis apologetically as she wiped a few tears while facing Alexander, who dismissively waved his hands.
"It's fine; I'm not bothered by it. I'd be more annoyed if I caught you peeking at me while I'm trying to get dressed." Remarked Alexander calmly as he glanced at Amaryllis while eating the already-prepared appetizer.
After a few more minutes of silence while we waited for our food, Amaryllis again took the opportunity to speak.
"Y-You're not going to ask about it?" "About what?" Asked Amaryllis and Alexander, respectively, as the former skeptically looked at the latter, who was munching on honey biscuits.
"A-About why I couldn't walk up those stairs?" Said Amaryllis with narrowed eyes as she eyed Alexander, who nodded.
"Oh yeah, sorry, these biscuits are so delicious I completely forgot about that. So, what's the deal with you and stairs?" Remarked Alexander with an awkward expression as he rubbed his head while Amaryllis blankly stared at him.
"Haa, well, to be honest, I didn't really want to talk about it, but I was surprised you didn't ask about it, and now that I brought it up, I kind of have to tell you." Muttered Amaryllis softly in defeat as she lowered her head and deeply sighed.
"When I was young, really young, I used to love running up and down stairs, but one day, I happened to slip and fall. I broke my arms, a leg, my spine, and my head; since this happened in a deserted part of the palace, I wasn't found for nearly ten minutes, and by then, I-I was already considered dead." Said Amaryllis softly as she tightly gripped her arms, while faintly trembling in fear, prompting Alexander to touch her shoulder as he transferred his emotions to her.
"E-Ever since then, those painful memories resurface and haunt me whenever I'm near stairs." Added Amaryllis fearfully as she wiped a few tears, only to shake her head.
"Y-You don't think it's silly, do you?" "After hearing the reason why? Not at all." Said Amaryllis and Alexander, respectively, as the latter raised an eyebrow before shaking his head.
"If it makes you feel any better, I was afraid of sleeping when younger; I wouldn't be able to fall asleep unless I was with Master." Said Alexander slightly as he glanced at Amaryllis, only for his expression to suddenly stiffen when he saw a faint smile.
"Oh, so you found that funny, Princess?" Asked Alexander with narrowed eyes as he practically pushed his face into her while she shook her head.
"N-No, I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to smile." Replied Amaryllis firmly as she shook her head, yet the smile only grew.
"Oh, really? Why don't you look at me then, Princess?" Asked Alexander as he glared at Amaryllis, who took a deep breath before facing him.
"Hahahahaha." Said Amaryllis after several seconds as she burst into laughter, causing Alexander to softly shake his head with a faint smile.
'Still, this is unbelievable.' Thought Alexander with a wry expression as he glanced at the laughing Amaryllis.