City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Magda

"Go, you have an appointment, and you won't want to be late for it," said Lorle.

El nodded before following the half-elf.

Soon we are in the elevator, and it begins to move up. Showing us each floor, covered in beautiful mist.

They are beautiful, that I wish. I could go out and explore every one of them.

I hope I will be able to tomorrow. We have an invitation, which came with access to the entire legacy.

"First floor to the fourth floor are the store floors. They sell nearly everything, from kitchen tools to ivory art," informed the half-elf.

"What is the requirement to get space on these floors?" asked George and half-elf smiled.

"There is no requirement; it is up to Master Silver, who wants to give it but if I were to say, then it would be loyalty," she replied, wiping the expectation out of his face.

He shouldn't have asked for it. We already knew that over 75% of the stores here are owned by the locals.

Even among the remaining 25%. Half of them have become local.

Soon, the elevator crossed the four floors and reached the fifth one. The theater looked incredible, making my heartbeat wildly.

I want to become an actress. I have wanted to be since I was a child.

I am leaving the academy this year and already started applying to the theater companies. My focus is on the Eckels, a theater company based in Namdar.

It is one of the best ones in the empire and the oldest. It had sent many of its people to the spirit.

It is difficult to get into it.

So, I applied to the other theater companies as well. Including the few in the merchant states, who are accepting applicants from the empire.

I heard quite a lot of praise about the velvet theater and its director. He was quite famous before his fall from grace.

Now, he has started to get famous again. His plays are wonderful; one of the best, that even my teacher had given an example of it openly.

Which they didn't dare to do before.

The elevator moved up, and the store appeared. Not a normal store, but Eva Cain, that everybody is talking about.

I wish the elevator could move slower, but it didn't. It passed through it, before finally stopping.

As the energy screen disappeared. Another type of fragrance hit us. They seemed more powerful but also had heavy calming effects.

We stepped out of the elevator, and immediately, the effect amplified.

I looked around and felt tears in my eyes.

This is not a spa in front of me, but a freaking forest. I could see trees everywhere.

From the flower trees to trunks of trees to greens and shrubs; there was greenery everywhere. So much so that they masked the walls of the spa itself.

They seemed to have spared no expense in making it seem like a forest.

They even created mini-streams. One of them is passing beside me.

It's so beautiful.

I looked around and saw my parents and even El had tears in their eyes. One can't help it.

"Welcome to the velvet spa," greeted the teen of the same age as El and I.

"Please follow me," she said and led us to the changing room. Where robes are neatly placed on stone racks.

I chose one of my sizes and changed into it. The robe is a cream color and light as a feather. It feels amazing against my skin.

I looked at myself in the mirror one more time and came out and the same teen was waiting for me.

"Miss Pearson, would you like me to lead you to the waiting room directly or through the memory sanatorium?" she asked.

"Sanatorium," I replied, and she nodded and moved with me following behind.

There is a huge article about the memory sanatorium of a velvet garden in the papers. The author expounded in great detail about it.

I want to experience it. Just like the author it did.

She stopped and opened the door. Leading me to the beautiful cove filled with heavy greenery.

There are stone circles in between. Which are the straw mats.

A lot of people are sitting there. I could only see a silhouette as they were covered in a light mist.

I looked at them, before focusing on the massive vortex waterfall. Thousands of droplets filled with colorful mist are swirling, making a beautiful sound.

I heard it earlier. It was faint, barely audible, but here it was louder.

Hearing the sound, smelling a wonderful smell, and seeing beautiful scenery, a quake rang through my soul.

I shook, before gently sitting on the round mat, beside the small stream, while tears flowed down my body uncontrollably as the memories flashed in front of me.

I am experiencing memories. Good and bad, some I had forgotten a long time ago.

All of them are flashing in front of my eyes.

There is no control over it and I have not tried to control it.

The memories are beautiful.

I do not like all of them, but it is a blessing to enjoy them. I am relieved once again as I felt the same emotions near the same intensity as I felt in the past.

I don't know how long it had lasted, but soon the memories started to disappear.

Soon, I gained control over my emotions and felt so light and free, like I had never felt before.

I smiled and looked around.

Hun!

A moment later, the teen appeared in front of me through the mist. She didn't say anything, nor did she need to.

I got up, and she led me out.

She gently opened the door, and I walked out of it. On the other side, Eryna is waiting for me.

"How are you feeling?" she asked gently. "Better than ever," I replied. To which she smiled and walked ahead into the large waiting room.

There are people everywhere, sitting in the mini forest.

I am referring to it as a forest rather than a garden because it bears more similarities with the forest than the garden.

People looked at me as I looked at them. I recognize some and those recognized are all the important people.

Soon, she stopped, and I sat down beside my brother. He is drinking tea with a colorful mist enveloping it.

"It was something else, wasn't it?" he asked with a sigh, and I couldn't help, but nod.

I was about to pick up the treatment catalog in front of me. When a woman wearing a spa uniform came and placed a steaming tea in front of me.

Tea that had mist inside and outside of it.

"Thank you," I said to the woman. She smiled and walked away, while I picked up the cup and breathed an amazing aroma, before taking a sip.

It looked hot but didn't feel hot when I took a sip.

It had a light, refreshing taste. When I swallowed the tea it seemed to transform into energy and spread that refreshing energy into my body and mind.

I was enjoying the tea when El came in; she sat beside me silently and a few seconds later, her own tea came.

Usually, we talk when we are sitting in one place, but now I am fine with silence.

Nearly everybody is silent here. Even those that are talking are talking in whispers.

It was a little over two minutes after El, my parents came, and they looked calm with their bodies relaxed.

Seeing that, I couldn't help, but smile. They needed this.

"Have you seen the people?" asked father softly as he sat down beside us.

"A lot of important people from Inam are sitting here," replied George. "Not just Inam, but also Namdar and merchant states. There are even a few from the empire," he replied.

He looked around before his eyes focused on a beautiful woman with silvery gray eyes.

"See that woman? She is lord Silver's sister, Lady Leila. The elf beside her is Lady Blackwell of Amberhold," he informed, before identifying the other people.

He seemed to recognize nearly everyone here.

Soon, their tea arrived, and they began to drink it while looking at the treatments.

Every treatment is free. Thanks to El's mother.

It made me feel a little guilty seeing how expensive these treatments are.

"Which package are you choosing?" I asked her after I looked over.

"They all are very expensive," she replied. Hearing that, I couldn't help but shake my head.

This girl should understand by now how powerful her mother is and, while the treatment is expensive, I am sure her mother could afford it.

She might not even need to pay for it.

The top executive has many privileges, and her mother is one of the most powerful women here. I am sure, she has privileges too.

"Don't think about it too hard. Your mother wants to spoil you; you should let her do it," I advised.

She hesitated for a moment before nodding.

I smiled and turned to the book. There were many packages, and all seemed enticing.

Hun!

I was about to call the staff when I saw a man appear in front of us. A familiar man, seeing him, and father got up immediately.

"Pearson, I didn't expect to see you here," said the man and looked at us. "And with the whole family," he added.

There is a clear curiosity in the man's eyes. He is a bastard, her father does not like him, and not many people do, but he is a relative of the lord of Inam.

So, nobody could do anything to him, despite hating his guts.

The raven-haired man is Jules Benil. A vice-guild master of the merchant guild of Inam.

"It's all because of Miss Swan. She is a friend of my daughter, and her mother is kind enough to give us the invitation," replied father.

His expression is neutral, but mirth in his eyes.

The man followed Father's gaze and looked at El. There was confusion in his eyes for a second, before a spark of realization lit up.

"Ah, Madam Swan's daughter," he said.

A contempt appeared in his eyes for a moment, before it disappeared, and a smile took its place.

He nodded at her and talked to Father for a few minutes before walking away.

I shared a look with my family before moving to the catalog. It's really hard to choose. There are all sorts of treatments for every type of skin.

Everything looks great.

I was looking at it in indecision when I saw a raven-haired woman appear in front of us, or rather, in front of El.

What struck me was how respectfully Eryna was standing behind her. I also found people are looking at us, or rather, the women.

It's clear, she is important and feels familiar.

"Miss Ella, I hope you have been having a good time," said the woman.

"Yes," replied El after a hesitation.

"Have you chosen the treatments?" the woman asked, to whom El shook her head. "It's too hard. Everything is great," El replied in indecision.

The woman smiled and raised her hand toward her, before stopping, seeing El, shaking a little.

El didn't like people touching her.

"May I?" the woman seemed to understand that as she asked. El hesitated for a moment, before nodding and the woman took her hand.

A few seconds later, she let go.

"You have the same wonderful skin as your mother. The most suitable for you would be the ardent radiance package," she replied.

"Thank you," replied El. "There is no need to thank me," she replied with a smile.

"Miss, can you help me too?" I asked. Before I could stop myself, and felt the eyes of my parents on me.

"You must be Ella's friend?" she asked, and I nodded. The woman smiled and took my hand.

Immediately, I felt like I was naked. Different sort of naked, where I didn't feel shy or ashamed.

I felt like this woman could see every part of me, both inside and outside with those powerful skills. They are the most powerful skills I had felt used on me.

A few seconds passed, and a woman withdrew her hands.

"You have drier skin. Aqua rejuvenation would be perfect for you," she replied, before turning to El.

"Don't worry about anything and enjoy the spa," she advised El before walking away.

"Do you know who that was?" asked my father in a hissing voice. "Someone important," I replied.

I gathered as much.

"That's Maeve Hanson. Director of the spa," he informed me, and my eyes widened.

"Oh," I said.

I turned a moment later and saw her talking with important people. Including Lord Silver's sister and elf from the merchant states.

Soon my parents and brother chose their treatment as well, and the staff took us to the treatment.

Hours passed, and I went through one treatment after another. It was a trip to heaven that I will never be able to forget in all my life.

Click!

"You seem happy," said El, as I entered a beautiful room. "I am. I don't think I have ever been so happy and relaxed," I said as I sat down beside her.

"Me, too," replied El.

"I will be sure to thank your mother for it," I said, and her cheeks reddened.

It was amazing. I wouldn't have been able to experience it so soon. The waiting line is years long and treatments are expensive.

A few minutes later, my brother came, while my parents took more than an hour to return.

When they did, they looked kind of ashamed, with their cheeks red but their eyes were filled with joy and some other things I wasn't able to tell.

A few minutes later, we all changed back into our clothes before stepping into the elevator.

Ting!

The elevator rang as its door opened, revealing the most beautiful store I had ever seen.

It is also the most artful and opulent.

It had plants, but it didn't feel like a forest. Instead, these plants feel like they are here to make already beautiful stores even more beautiful.

"Welcome to Eva Cain," greeted the attendant as we stepped into the store.

My eyes instantly got focused on the tree in the center.

Unlike all the surrounding plants, the tree isn't real. It seemed to be made of metal and had colorful mist dancing around it, making leaves on it chime beautifully.

"Look at these dresses. Jewelry, they are beautiful," breathed Mom, nearly gasping.

Everything is beautiful. Dresses, shoes, jewelry. I wanted to buy them all, but when I looked at the prices, I couldn't help but get somber.

They are expensive, really expensive, but people are buying them.

There are a lot of people in the store despite it being a silent opening, and they are rich.

My father is looking at them. Informing us about them with privacy. Hearing their names, it seemed like. We are the poorest people here.

We are actually compared to these people.

We were looking at things when I saw El beside me freeze and I turned to see where she was looking.

Someone is coming toward us. Someone beautiful, with the air of command, that the very mist seemed to part as she walked.

"Dear child," said Margaux and hugged El. "Mom," said El, with tears appearing in her eyes.

She had been missing her mom. She thought she wouldn't be able to meet her today, but she came.

A few seconds later, Margaux let go and turned to me and smiled, before turning to my parents.

"Mr. Pearson, Mrs. Pearson, thank you for taking care of my daughter, all these years," she thanked, bowing faintly.

"You don't have to thank us, Miss Swan. Elanor is family," replied father. Making Margaux smile.

"Ella is lucky to have you," she said, patting her head.

"It's not her, but us, who are lucky to have her in our lives," replied father.

His words might be corny, but it is true. El is a friend that a few have a fortune to have.

"I hope you have liked the spa?" she asked. "Yes, it was wonderful. Thank you for it, Miss Swan," replied Mom, with a big smile on her face.

"I am glad," said Margaux and turned to the store.

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