Lucille’s way back home to the forest had been a tiresome one. When going through the town, there had been stares and whispers all around her. It made her feel like a pariah of sorts. Their gazes were heavy and she felt as if people were pointing fingers at her. She did her absolute best to not have a meltdown and focus on the path in front of her and not on the people. It was excruciating for an anxious person like her; she absolutely hated being the center of attention. Fortunately, no one had confronted her about the ordeal from earlier and no one questioned her about her dogs; Noir and Ange had been walking like normal dogs in order to not make the townspeople even more worried.

Once she entered her cottage, she took deep breaths. “That was the worst thing I’ve experienced in my entire life…”

“Don’t pay them any mind,” Noir remarked. “Just get necessities and then store the cottage in storage.”

“Yeah…”

She got out a large backpack in order to pack necessary stuff for travel. It would be a hassle if she had to keep taking out her cottage to get an item; she knew that it would also be burdensome due to the possibilities of not having space to put her house in. She wasn’t just packing for herself, but also for Noir and Ange.

“Make sure to store the snacks I like! You know meat motivates me the most.” Ange remarked with glistening eyes.

“Yeah, yeah…”

Since she was used to moving around, packing her bag was a quick and simple task. She slung it over her shoulders and then exited the cottage. When she had returned home, the sky was slowly turning a darker shade of blue. Now, it was black and only a crescent moon illuminated, giving minimal light to the forest. She turned around and commanded, “Cottage to storage!”

The size of her cottage gradually got smaller until it was the size of a pebble. It was then absorbed into the turquoise gem of her ring. She suddenly hears someone humming behind her. In an act of caution, she turned around with her guard up…only for her to lower it when it was just Janet.

“So that’s how you store your house. Fascinating…”

“When…when did you get here?” Being startled by her caused her tongue to be tied.

“Just now.”

“You’re…pretty fast.”

“I get told that a lot. I don’t really know if I am.”

Lucille smiled. “Shall we set off, then?”

“Where are we heading?”

Lucille realized she had no direct plan to reach their destination. She turned to the dogs. “How do we reach the faerie kingdom?”

Noir and Ange looked at each other before staring at Lucille. Ange remarked, “To be honest, the way to the faerie kingdom is very obscure. One has to find a portal that leads to it. The kingdom itself is in a very secluded area that can only be accessed by these portals. However, they spawn sporadically. Noir and I were just lucky to have found one in the faerie kingdom that led us out to the human world.”

Janet furrowed her brows. “Really? At random? That feels like a hassle. How do we know where a portal will open and where will it be located?”

Lucille had an idea. “Why don’t we visit the faerie researcher? If they’re an expert on faeries, then that means they should know how to track down a faerie portal.”

“Where do they live?”

“Central Capital, I believe. That’s where all the scholars are located.”

Janet hummed. “Central Capital…”

“Have you been there before?”

“I haven’t. However, I heard that it’s crowded with people. I’m not very good with large crowds.”

“No worries. I’ll help you out. I did live in Central Captial for a while.”

“Then, I’ll be in your care.”

Lucille smiled. Janet’s presence couldn’t help but to make her smile constantly. She was petite and cute, so her presence felt healing to her.

“Let’s head out.” Noir remarked. “It’s going to be a long walk until we get to the capital.”

“Right.”

As they left the forest, Lucille noticed Thomas’s mother standing in front of her store with a basket in her hand. She approached the two. “I heard everything from Thomas. You two are leaving and it did upset him.”

“I’m…sorry. For making Thomas upset and for what happened to Peter.”

She shook her head. “What happened with Peter isn’t your fault. He’s recovering, so don’t feel guilty. I know Thomas will be upset for a few days, but he’ll get over it. He did say that you made a promise and that he trusts you’ll keep it.”

“Yes, I did…”

She then handed Lucille the basket. “Take it. It’s full of meat that I wrapped nicely. You were a regular, after all. Your dogs always brought Thomas joy as he has a hard time making friends. I also want you and your dogs to have something nice on your journey.”

“Thank you… The meat your store had was truly of good quality and price.”

Thomas’s mother chuckled. “I’m glad to hear that. Peter wants to take over the family business when he becomes an adult, so I hope he recovers well.”

“Maybe when I return, he’ll be working there.”

Thomas’s mother chuckled once again. Their conversation ended as Lucille realized that if she kept talking, their departure would be delayed. She wanted to leave as soon as possible. Once again, she thanked Thomas’s mother for the meat.

“Now, this is good-bye, ma’am.”

“Good luck, Lucille.” She then turned to Janet. “Janet, you didn’t live here long, but good luck to you too.”

Janet nodded in response. The mother knelt down and gave the dogs head pats and that was when the group finally moved.

Lucille clutched the basket tightly and just kept walking. They walked past the entrance gate and just kept moving. She dared to not look back.