How To Break Qaq If The Dragon Catches The Wrong Person? Chapter 23

Chapter 23 The Market

Loria’s description that day was not exaggerated in the slightest; the Royal City’s market was truly bustling.

Even though this event took place every month, it did not diminish people’s enthusiasm. The main thoroughfare of the Royal City was packed with citizens coming and going, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares rose and fell on both sides of the road, selling everything imaginable.

The two of them did not bring any attendants on this outing.

To avoid being recognized by the public and causing unnecessary trouble, Kairis wore an exquisite silver mask, revealing only the lower half of his face, making him look quite mysterious.

Mian, on the other hand, didn’t need to be so cautious.

The maids assigned to look after his daily life seemed to find great satisfaction in dressing Mian. The clothes they prepared for him every day were almost never repeated, but every outfit was equally well-fitting and beautiful.

Since he wasn’t wearing a mask, he was actually more eye-catching than Kairis, and many passersby’s gazes would linger on him for a few seconds.

Mian, however, had no time to notice this; his attention was completely drawn to the dazzling array of goods lining the road.

The stalls were set up one after another, making it impossible to take everything in. Mian’s head was not nearly enough to keep up, turning left and right in fascination, feeling as if his brain might be scrambled.

Kairis followed behind him. After watching for a while, he reached out and pressed down on the top of Mian’s head.

And so, Mian stopped moving.

Kairis did not immediately withdraw his hand but kept it there for a moment.

Mian felt the warmth of Kairis’s hand transmitting through the glove to the top of his head. Accompanied by the light but firm touch, he felt like his walking posture was all wrong.

Watching the Little Dragon walking ahead of him unconsciously start moving his arms and legs in sync, a faint smile appeared in Kairis’s eyes. Then, knowing when to stop, he withdrew his hand.

The moment he returned to normal, Mian was suddenly captivated by a small object displayed on a stall.

—It was a lifelike carving of a Little Dragon.

The Little Dragon was made of wood. A pair of delicate wings were spread, standing majestically on the display stand. It was clear that the seller’s craftsmanship was quite good; the wings were made as thin as cicada wings, seemingly translucent.

Moreover, the buyer must have known the Dragon Race well. The shape and structure were exactly like a real dragon, down to the vivid details, leaving no room for criticism.

Kairis noticed his gaze: “Do you like that one?”

Mian nodded. After a moment of hesitation, he walked over to the stall.

The owner of the stall was a young man who looked quite young. He seemed to have just set up shop and was busy placing the goods he brought one by one onto the display.

Noticing a customer lingering in front of his stall while he was busy, the man casually called out, “If you like it, feel free to pick it up and take a look.”

Mian obediently picked up the wooden Little Dragon carving and began examining it.

The more he looked, the more he liked it.

Standing patiently on the side, waiting for the stall owner to finish tidying up, Mian held up the Little Dragon and asked, “How much does this cost?”

The stall owner had actually noticed the polite customer holding the item and waiting there for a long time out of the corner of his eye. It seemed the customer genuinely liked it, so he turned around with a smile in his voice: “Let me see which one you have. You’re my first customer today, so I’ll give it to you for half price…”

Then, the moment he clearly saw Mian, he stopped speaking.

Mian waited: “?”

The young man was stunned for a moment. After recovering, he smiled brightly at Mian: “If you like it, I’ll just give it to you.”

Mian was momentarily dumbfounded, unsure what was happening.

Although the stall owner’s attire looked simple, a closer look revealed it was quite refined. He was probably a leisurely noble or wealthy merchant who didn’t rely on his craft for a living but was just here to enjoy the market’s excitement.

Mian parted his lips, about to speak, when a hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.

The next instant, a gold coin was tossed onto the stall. Kairis’s cool voice sounded beside him: “Keep the change.”

The stall owner was startled. Seeing the taller, masked young man’s hand resting on the shoulder of the younger customer, he immediately understood.

So they were a couple.

“Thank you for your patronage, then. I wish you two a long and happy life together,” he said, a little regretfully, but still offering his blessing.

Mian instantly froze, wanting to explain something, but then feeling that the blessing wasn’t entirely wrong either…

While he was struggling internally, Kairis spoke up.

“Thank you,” he replied calmly, then led Mian away from the stall.

Mian remained dazed for a long time, not even noticing when Kairis let go of him.

As he slowly came back to his senses, he figured Kairis probably just found it troublesome to explain and went along with the assumption.

There were many delicious foods, fun things, and interesting performances at the market. The two of them walked for a long time before reaching the end. Mian quickly forgot the small incident, holding a pile of small items he had bought, feeling utterly satisfied.

Humans were truly fascinating.

At the end of the street, the carriage waiting to take them back to the Palace was parked. Even at the very end, there were still many stalls set up, though there weren’t many customers compared to the busiest sections.

Mian saw a thin boy sitting at the end of the street.

To facilitate management, all market stalls were of a uniform style, but this boy was different. His stall was just a piece of cloth that looked somewhat worn, with a few miscellaneous goods scattered on it.

Right next to him was a normal stall, but it was occupied by a few boisterous-looking boys who had casually placed some stones and branches they had picked up from the roadside on it, looking like they were playing a game of buying and selling, having taken over someone else’s spot.

Mian paused, deviating from the direction of the carriage, and walked up to the small boy.

He crouched down and picked up a large box from the cloth in front of the boy—it was unclear what it was used for. He asked, “How much is this?”

After wandering around with Kairis, Mian had already mastered the process of human trade.

The boy looked surprised that someone would actually buy his things. He paused, then timidly replied, “One… one silver coin.”

Mian nodded, placed a silver coin into the jar where the boy collected money, and quietly slipped a small gold nugget inside as well.

Gold wasn’t very important to him right now, but for humans, it seemed it could be exchanged for many things.

The little boy didn’t notice his action, seemingly happy about selling his first item today.

Even if it might be the only one for the day.

Since they had too many things, Kairis had gotten into the carriage first. Seeing Mian approach, he lifted the curtain for him and took the somewhat heavy items from his hands.

Mian was feeling a little happy because he had just helped someone and wanted to share it with Kairis.

Unexpectedly, Kairis seemed not to have seen anything and didn’t ask him about it.

The servant outside drove the carriage after the two were seated. The carriage began moving slowly. Mian waited for a while, and when Kairis didn’t speak, he felt a little disappointed.

…But then again, how could he have seen it from this distance, and with how secretive his movements were?

Besides, maybe Kairis hadn’t even noticed what he did, assuming he just suddenly wanted to buy the box.

Mian’s mind wandered, all his emotions written on his face, as easy to read as ever.

“You did well,” Kairis’s lips curved slightly, and his voice suddenly sounded.

Mian was stunned. He subconsciously looked over and met Kairis’s slightly smiling eyes.

He was silent for a moment, then quietly shifted his gaze, feeling his ears grow warm.

…He had just been feeling regretful, but now that he was actually praised, he felt a little embarrassed.

Author’s Note:

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We’re entering the VIP section tomorrow! Thank you all for your support! I’ve set up a VIP lottery [heart][heart]

A warning: The next chapter includes cross-dressing, so readers who are sensitive to that should proceed with caution.