The next day, they were in a cramped storage room in the palace gardens, tucked near the outer walls. The air smelled faintly of soil and old tools.
Clara had already brought a set of plain clothes and a dark cloak- nothing like the elegant garments usually worn inside the palace.
"So," Veronica said slowly, eyeing the clothes with clear skepticism, "I'm going to use cloning magic to make my appearance look like you?"
"Yes."
Veronica crossed her arms.
"Clara, this is risky."
Clara raised an eyebrow.
"Coming from you?" she said dryly. "I'm actually surprised you hadn't thought about sneaking out before."
"Well, I did," Veronica admitted. "But the world outside the palace is wide… and unpleasant. I'd get lost."
Her nose wrinkled slightly.
"And I doubt a dirty marketplace would interest me."
Clara sighed.
"I get it, I get it. But do you have to call it dirty? Honestly, you spoiled princess."
"What did you say?" Veronica narrowed her eyes.
Clara straightened immediately.
"I said the Princess has every right to choose what interests her."
Veronica stared at her for a long moment.
Then her lips curled slightly.
"You've been getting very brave lately."
Clara shrugged, picking up one of the cloaks.
"Well, if I'm going to be executed eventually, I might as well make the experience interesting."
Please don't let that be today.
Veronica watched her quietly for a moment before letting out a soft, amused breath.
"…Fine," the princess said.
Her fingers lifted, a faint shimmer of magic gathering in the air.
"Let's see if your ridiculous plan is worth the trouble."
***
Their first step outside the palace walls, where Veronica realizes the world is louder and messier than she imagined.
A soft glow gathered around Veronica's fingers.
The air shimmered.
Magic spilled outward like liquid light, curling around her figure in thin ribbons. For a moment, the storage room was filled with pale violet sparks, drifting like fireflies in the dim space. Her silver hair lifted slightly as the spell took hold, strands dissolving into threads of light.
Then the color began to change.
Silver melted slowly into warm brown.
Her sharp violet eyes softened, shifting into a familiar honey shade. Her features adjusted subtly-the angle of her jaw, the curve of her lips, the shape of her nose-until the princess standing before Clara was no longer the feared royal of the Empire.
Instead-
Clara stared at herself.
Her eyes widened.
The magic was beautiful.
But what surprised her even more was the woman now standing in front of her.
Brown hair. Honey-colored eyes.
Was I actually this beautiful?
She knew what she looked like in the mirror, of course. But seeing her own face standing across from her felt strangely different.
Somehow… prettier than she expected.
"Wait…" Veronica tilted her head slightly, studying Clara's stunned expression. A teasing smile spread across her lips.
"Don't tell me you just fell in love with yourself."
"W-what? No!" Clara stammered immediately. "I'm just not used to this and all."
Her gaze lingered on the woman in front of her.
Then she blinked.
"Wait… I have a dimple?"
Veronica stared at her like she had just said something deeply stupid.
"Idiot," she said flatly. "You aren't aware of your own dimple?"
"Well, I never smile at my own reflection."
Veronica looked at her incredulously.
"What kind of idiot doesn't smile at her own reflection?"
She folded her arms.
"Your dimple is actually one of the most charming things about your face."
Clara froze.
Veronica added, almost casually-
"You have a beautiful smile, Clara."
Clara's breath stilled.
Her heart did something… strange.
A beautiful smile?
She quickly turned away.
"A-anyways," she said hastily, grabbing her cloak, "enough chitchat."
She pulled the hood over her head.
"I'll go outside first. Then you follow."
Veronica watched her for a moment, amused.
"Running away already?"
"I'm being cautious," Clara muttered.
She moved toward the door and paused with her hand on the handle.
Behind her, Veronica spoke again.
"Clara."
Clara glanced back.
The princess- still wearing Clara's face-
"If someone falls in love with you out there, don't blame me." Veronica smugly said.
Clara groaned.
Then she pushed the door open.
"Just try not to look too arrogant with my face," she said as she stepped out into the garden path. "It'll ruin my reputation."
Veronica snorted softly behind her and followed.
The palace walls loomed ahead.
***
The palace gardens were quiet.
Too quiet.
The gravel path crunched softly under Clara's boots as she walked ahead, trying very hard to look like someone who belonged there and not like someone actively committing treason.
Behind her, another set of footsteps followed.
Veronica- currently wearing Clara's face- moved with far too much confidence for someone sneaking out of the imperial palace.
Clara glanced back.
"You're walking like you own the place."
Veronica raised an eyebrow.
"I do."
"…Not right now, you don't."
They slipped through a narrow service gate hidden behind a row of climbing ivy. The old latch creaked as Clara pushed it open just enough for them to squeeze through.
Outside the palace walls, the world immediately felt different.
The air was cooler. Less polished.
Less controlled.
A small road ran along the outer perimeter of the palace grounds, mostly used by gardeners and supply deliveries. A few simple carriages occasionally passed through, carrying goods toward the inner districts.
One of them waited not far from the gate.
It was plain- just a small wooden carriage with faded paint and a tired-looking horse lazily chewing on its bit. The driver, an older man with a wide hat pulled low over his face, barely glanced at them when Clara approached.
Clara pulled a few coins from her pouch.
"We need a ride to the eastern market district."
The driver weighed the coins in his hand, then shrugged.
"Get in."
Veronica looked deeply offended by the carriage.
"This is the vehicle?"
"Yes."
"It looks like it might collapse."
"It won't."
"How do you know?"
Clara climbed inside.
"Because if it does, we won't have to worry about sneaking back into the palace."
Veronica stared at her for a moment.
Then she stepped in.
The carriage lurched forward with a groan of wood and leather.
Inside, the space was cramped. The seat cushions were thin, and the windows rattled slightly as the wheels rolled over uneven stones.
Veronica sat stiffly, clearly trying not to touch anything.
"…This smells like horses."
"It's a carriage."
"It also smells like people."
"That's because people ride in it."
Veronica looked like she might file a formal complaint with reality itself.
The carriage rattled through the streets, leaving the polished white stone roads near the palace and slowly entering the denser parts of the city. Buildings grew closer together. Colorful signs hung above shops. Laundry lines stretched between windows.
The sounds of the city grew louder with every turn.
Eventually, the carriage slowed.
The driver knocked once on the side.
"Market district."
Clara pushed the door open and stepped down.
Veronica followed.
Then stopped.
Noise.
Sound crashed into them all at once.
Voices overlapped in a chaotic hum. Merchants shouted prices. Carts rattled over cobblestones. Somewhere nearby, a street musician played a cheerful tune on a flute.
The air smelled like roasted meat, spices, smoke, and sugar.
Clara stepped into the street.
Veronica followed.
Then stopped.
Her honey-colored eyes widened slightly as she looked around.
Stalls stretched down the long road, their cloth canopies painted in bright colors. Piles of fruit gleamed in wooden crates- deep red apples, golden pears, strange purple berries Clara had never seen before.
Children darted between crowds.
A baker pulled fresh bread from a stone oven, steam rising into the cool air.
The city was loud.
Messy.
Alive.
Veronica stood very still.
"…It's loud," she said. But Veronica couldn't hide her amazement. The marketplace was crowded and colorful.
Clara grinned.
"Welcome to normal life."
Veronica's gaze moved slowly across the street.
A man loudly argued with a spice merchant.
A woman laughed as she haggled over fabric.
Two boys chased each other through the crowd with wooden swords.
The princess wrinkled her nose slightly.
"It smells."
"That's the spice market."
"…And animals."
"That's the livestock section."
"…And smoke."
"That's food."
Veronica glanced sideways at her.
"Your standards are remarkably low."
Clara shrugged.
"It grows on you."
They began walking down the street.
Clara kept her hood low, weaving through the crowd like she had done it her whole life.
Veronica, on the other hand-
Was staring at everything.
Her head turned constantly.
A glassblower shaping molten glass.
A woman selling embroidered scarves.
A stall filled with jars of colorful powders.
Clara noticed people occasionally glancing at them.
More specifically -
At Veronica.
Right.
Because Veronica currently looked exactly like Clara.
Which meant the princess had accidentally inherited Clara's face… and "Clara" was exuding elegant mannerisms and regal posture, a small change but apparently enough to make you much more attractive.
A young merchant leaning against a fruit stall straightened when they passed.
His eyes followed Veronica.
Then he smiled.
"Well now," he said casually. "Haven't seen you around before. Are you two twins?"
Clara froze internally.
No.
The merchant looked directly at Veronica.
"New in the district?"
Veronica stopped walking.
Slowly, she turned.
Her expression was calm.
Cool.
Regal.
Which was absolutely the wrong attitude for a random woman in the marketplace.
Clara quickly stepped in.
"She doesn't talk much," Clara said.
Veronica blinked at her.
The merchant chuckled.
"That so?"
He leaned slightly closer to Veronica.
"Well, quiet girls are interesting too."
Clara felt the shift immediately.
The air around Veronica grew colder.
Oh no.
The princess's eyes narrowed.
"…Interesting?" she repeated slowly.
The merchant smiled, clearly unaware he was flirting with the most dangerous woman in the Empire.
"Yes."
Veronica studied him for a long moment.
Then she tilted her head.
"Clara."
Clara swallowed.
"Yes?"
"…Is it normal," Veronica asked calmly, "for strange men to approach you like this?"
Clara sighed.
"Unfortunately, yes."
Veronica looked back at the merchant.
Then she smiled.
It was not a friendly smile.
"How fascinating," she murmured.
Clara grabbed her sleeve before she could cast a jinxing spell.
"Okay, we're leaving."
They walked away quickly.
Behind them, the merchant blinked in confusion.
A few steps later, Veronica spoke again.
"…He had terrible posture."
Clara stared at her.
"That's your takeaway?"
"Yes."
"You almost threatened a civilian."
"I was evaluating him."
"You were judging him."
"Obviously."
Clara rubbed her temples.
Why did I bring the princess outside.
Then Veronica spoke again, quieter this time.
"…But."
Clara glanced at her.
The princess was still looking around the busy street.
"…It's not as dull as I expected."
Clara smiled slightly.
"Give it ten minutes."
She pointed ahead.
"Now come on."
"Where are we going?"
Clara's grin widened.
"To buy sugar."
Veronica frowned.
"…That's it?"
"Oh no."
Clara gestured toward the endless line of stalls.
"We also need fruit, syrup ingredients, and something new."
Veronica looked intrigued despite herself.
"What kind of new?"
Clara smirked.
"You'll see."