"Good day, Miss Yalina." Levi's expression was calm as he addressed the woman known as the "Tulip."
"Good day… handsome sir. You know me?"
Yalina glanced at Levi, her tone carrying a hint of playful teasing.
"I just heard your name from him… the most beautiful tulip… he wasn't wrong." Levi pointed at the enthusiastic villager as he spoke.
"Thank you…"
It was clearly a compliment, and Yalina recognized it, so she smiled and gave a slight nod. After a brief pause, she added, "Then again, handsome sir, you know my name but won't tell me yours—that's hardly gentlemanly."
Her voice was gentle with a trace of languid softness, like a breeze drifting through early autumn at noon.
Levi's impression of her immediately improved.
After a moment's thought, he said, "My name is Levi. I'm a traveler, wandering from place to place to see the different sights of the world. I passed by here hoping to buy some flour to bake bread for the journey—nothing more."
At his words, Yalina's eyes suddenly lit up. "That sounds wonderful."
"In truth, it isn't," Levi shook his head. "There are many troubles on the road you wouldn't expect—and dangers as well."
"But when you look at the boundless blue sky like an endless curtain, when the wind on the mountain peaks scatters the morning mist into drifting clouds, when behind you lies a jade-like lake, and on the horizon sail white ships… don't you think it's all worth it?" Yalina's eyes shone brightly, as if she longed for it deeply.
Levi simply smiled without replying.
At that moment, Yalina snapped back to herself, a trace of helplessness flickering in her gaze.
What she felt helpless about was that such a life was something she could never have.
Her father had already chosen a gentleman for her.
And she had no say in the matter.
Even though she felt an inexplicable fear toward that fiancé.
After a moment of silence, Yalina looked at Levi, and suddenly an idea came to her. "Mr. Levi, I'd like to ask you for a favor."
"Do you see that forest?" She pointed to the dense woods behind them.
"My fiancé lives there. He invited me to visit his residence."
"He has some friends and relatives, and he said they all want to meet me." Though she spoke, her eyes revealed clear reluctance.
"And what do you want me to do?" Levi asked.
"My fiancé said he would leave a trail of ash in the forest. If I follow it, I'll be able to find the manor he built deep inside."
The situation sounded strangely familiar, and Levi's heart stirred slightly.
"Actually, I don't want to go. But he was chosen by my father, and my father believes that before we marry, we should deepen our relationship."
There were things she didn't say out loud.
When she first saw her fiancé, he seemed perfect—handsome, well-spoken, wealthy, even a knight granted a title by a nearby baron.
And yet, something about him felt wrong.
She couldn't point to any concrete evidence, and in the end, she had no choice but to accept him.
Because her father wanted to use this marriage to elevate their family's status.
Even so, Yalina had done her best to avoid contact with him.
They hadn't even held hands.
Until recently, when he proposed that she visit his home, saying his friends would be there and wished to meet the "Tulip Flower" that was Yalina.
It was a perfectly reasonable request—and her father readily agreed.
So no matter how unwilling she felt, she had no choice but to go.
He said he would return first to prepare and receive the guests. On that day, he would scatter ash along the path, and by following it, Yalina would reach his manor.
The whole situation sounded deeply unsettling.
But her father had already been captivated by the bright future her fiancé promised.
He even patted his chest and assured the man that Yalina would arrive as scheduled.
Yalina couldn't change her father's mind.
But she had made some preparations of her own.
She had brought two pockets full of peas and beans.
She planned to scatter them along the roadside, so that if she got lost in the forest, she could still find her way back home.
After all, something like ash would vanish with a single gust of wind.
And as for beans and the like—although birds might peck at them—they were still far more reliable than a trail of ash.
Before Levi arrived, Yalina had been preparing to head alone to her fiancé's manor.
But after Levi appeared, the moment she saw him, she felt he was trustworthy.
There was no particular reason—just her intuition.
Yalina trusted her intuition.
So, on impulse, she said to Levi, "I'd like to hire you to escort me to my fiancé's manor."
"Of course, there will be payment. I can give you a quart of flour for free—what do you think?" Yalina quickly added, afraid he might refuse.
A quart of flour was roughly equivalent to about one liter, worth around half a silver coin—about the daily earnings of a common laborer.
For simple accompaniment, it was quite a sincere offer.
However, Levi frowned slightly when he heard it.
Not because the payment was unsatisfactory, but—
Because he felt an even stronger sense of familiarity.
He already knew this was a world that fused many fairy tales together, not limited to just Snow White. It was possible that the entire Grimms' Fairy Tales collection had been merged into it. And upon hearing Yalina's request, he immediately thought of her identity—
She was a miller's daughter.
Beautiful!
A mysterious young man!
A fiancé!
And a trail of ash along the road!
All of these clues pointed, in Levi's mind, to a particular fairy tale—The Robber Bridegroom.
Before Levi could respond, the enthusiastic villager couldn't help but speak up, "Miss Yalina, riding in a stranger's carriage isn't safe."
"Old Harvey, I'm not that delicate." Yalina drew the short sword at her waist and casually swung it a few times, the sharp gust of wind it produced showing considerable force.
Levi's thoughts stirred, and he cast Detection on her.
Sure enough, she was no ordinary person.
Her physical attributes were generally around 2—on par with a squire, far stronger than an average person. Three to five adult men would likely not be her match.
She had also trained in a knight's breathing technique.
Considering she was a distant relative of nobility, it wasn't surprising she had access to such training.
However, she clearly hadn't received the full inheritance. She only had the body-conditioning portion. From the results of Detection, she did not possess the method to condense a life energy seed.
That was normal.
After all, even among distant relatives, certain knowledge wasn't easily passed down.
That said, the reason why the miller dared to let his daughter travel alone to the manor also became clear.
His daughter possessed the strength of a squire.
The destination was merely a forest not too far away.
And the man she was visiting was a well-known and reputable knight, granted a title by a baron.
It wasn't surprising that a somewhat carefree father would make such a decision.
After Yalina sheathed her short sword again, the enthusiastic villager fell silent.
Levi looked tall and lean, but he had a well-built physique under his clothes—it just wasn't visible.
Ordinary people couldn't tell.
So in Harvey's eyes, Levi was no match for Miss Yalina; his earlier warning had only been a precaution.
Another figure from a fairy tale.
Levi's curiosity was instantly stirred.
So after putting on a thoughtful expression, he looked up at Yalina and said, "Of course, no problem."
"Just don't forget your quart of flour."
A smile appeared on Yalina's face. "I can give it to you in advance."
With that, she was about to have the mill workers bring over the payment.
Levi shook his head. "Thank you."
"But let's settle it after we return," he said.
Yalina became even more satisfied with Levi. Looking at him gratefully, she said, "Thank you. You truly are a man of noble character."
Levi almost laughed when he heard that.
He said to Yalina, "Please, come aboard, Miss Yalina."
Yalina nodded gently, then stepped up the small stairs at the back of the carriage and entered the compartment.
Light streamed in through the windows.
The interior of the alchemical carriage surprised and delighted her.
Levi's carriage was clean, warm, odorless, and neatly arranged.
There were seats by the windows, from which one could look out at the scenery outside.
The comfort of it all made Yalina's eyes light up. She even felt an impulse to travel the world in such a carriage—watching ripples on a lake, listening to the echo of the wind in a valley, seeing the first light of dawn atop a cliff, and feeling the warmth of fire on a snowy night…
"Miss Yalina," Yalina had been lost in her reverie, her heart surging with emotion, but Levi's voice ruthlessly pulled her back to reality. "Which way should we go?"
"That way." Yalina moved to the front of the carriage and pointed out a direction for Levi.
"Then let's be on our way." Levi guided the horse forward, heading into the forest.
Clop, clop, clop…
Yalina soon made another unexpected discovery—this carriage didn't jolt as it moved. She had already prepared herself to be shaken to pieces.
Although there was a path through the forest, its condition was far from good.
Carriages traveling over it would normally bump and lurch over uneven ground, tossing the passengers up and down as if their bodies might come apart.
But Levi's carriage was different.
It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it wasn't unpleasant either—it remained within a tolerable range.
That alone made Yalina's eyes light up, a satisfied expression appearing on her face.
This relatively smooth riding experience made her once again unable to resist imagining a life of traveling and adventuring by carriage.
After a while, she finally came back to her senses and said to Levi, "Do you see the ash marks by the roadside?"
Levi glanced over and indeed spotted the ash in conspicuous places. "I see them."
"Then just follow the ash trail forward." Yalina opened the window of the carriage as she spoke, giving instructions while scattering peas from her pocket along the roadside as markers. "Thank you, Mr. Levi."
"No need to thank me. After all, you are my client now," Levi replied calmly.
He looked ahead.
Before him stretched a winding path covered in fallen leaves and wildflowers. The leaves formed what seemed like a golden carpet woven by nature itself. Hooves and wheels landed upon it with a faint rustling sound, as if the forest were softly telling ancient stories.
Wildflowers dotted the surroundings—red like fire, pink like clouds, white like snow—swaying gently in the breeze like a group of colorfully dressed spirits dancing.
On both sides of the path stood towering trees that blocked out the sky.
They were like ancient giants, standing tall and straight along the road. Their trunks were thick and twisted, bearing the marks of time. Their branches were heavy with lush green leaves, shimmering with golden light under the sun like countless sparkling jewels.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, forming beams of golden light like stage spotlights illuminating every corner of the forest.
A thin layer of mist lingered throughout the woods, giving it an air of mystery.
The mist curled among the trees like delicate veils, wrapping around trunks and flowers alike, appearing and disappearing as if part of a beautiful ink painting.
Occasionally, a small deer would dart out from the mist. Its eyes shone like bright stars, and its fur gleamed with a silvery sheen under the sunlight. With a light leap, it would vanish into the depths of the forest.
Not far away, a clear stream flowed gently. Under the sunlight, it shimmered like a silver ribbon winding through the forest.
Within the stream were many colorful stones and small fish. The fish swam freely, their bodies glimmering with shifting hues like living crystals.
Along the banks grew dense aquatic plants, swaying softly in the water like a group of green dancers. Among them bloomed white water lilies, their petals as pure as snow and their stamens golden like honey, quietly unfolding on the water's surface like maidens of flawless grace…
As Levi took in the scene, he remembered that he was on his way to meet a figure from the fairy tales of his previous life. A faintly different feeling stirred in his heart, and the corners of his lips unconsciously curved upward.
He felt that wandering this world, encountering different fairy tale characters, wasn't such a bad thing at all.
This world surely didn't contain only the Magic Mirror Queen, Snow White, the Three Shepherd Brothers, and the Robber Bridegroom. There had to be many more figures.
Perhaps he might even have the chance to see Sleeping Beauty, Thumbelina, and all kinds of old witches…
At this thought, the anticipation in Levi's eyes grew stronger, and his mood lifted even more.
Meanwhile, inside the alchemical carriage, Yalina continued scattering peas along the road as markers while gazing at the scenery outside. The unease she had felt about going to meet her fiancé gradually faded, replaced by a growing sense of ease and delight.
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