Reincarnated as the Villainess's Unlucky Bodyguard

Chapter 104 The Endless Shopping Spree

Liria sighed. It was going to be a long day.

As they finished their leisurely lunch, Enara clapped her hands with renewed excitement. "Now that we're refreshed, it's time for round two!"

"Round two?" Liria asked, dread creeping into her voice. "We've already bought half the kingdom."

Enara waved dismissively, her midnight eyes sparkling. "There's still the other half. Come on, we haven't even looked at shoes yet!"

Liria groaned but followed the young princess out of the café. Queen Verida, as composed as ever, strode behind them, her golden eyes surveying the bustling street like a predator ready to pounce.

Ananara, perched indignantly on Liria's shoulder, muttered, "If I have to endure one more store, I swear I'll—"

"You'll what?" Liria whispered back. "Refuse to insult people for an hour? That'll show them."

"Don't test me, mortal," Ananara hissed, though his tiny pineapple body lacked any true menace.

The next destination was a sprawling shoe emporium that took up an entire city block. Inside, the walls were lined with shelves that stretched to the ceiling, displaying every kind of footwear imaginable: boots inlaid with enchanted gems, sandals that sparkled like starlight, and heels so tall they looked like weapons.

Enara immediately dove into the collection, grabbing shoes at random and trying them on. "What do you think of these?" she asked, strutting in a pair of thigh-high boots made of shimmering black scales.

"They look...expensive," Liria replied diplomatically.

"Perfect, then," Enara said with a grin. Read the latest on empire

Queen Verida, meanwhile, was examining a pair of combat boots with steel toes and fiery runes etched along the sides. "Practical and intimidating," she mused. "I'll take them."

Liria leaned against a display, her arms already aching from carrying multiple bags. [You know,] the system chimed in, [your strength stat is impressive, but even it has limits. Are you sure you don't want to 'accidentally' drop everything and run?]

Tempting, Liria thought back, but I'd never hear the end of it.

[True. You'd also probably lose your job. Or your life. Hard to say which would come first.]

After what felt like hours, they finally left the shoe store, with Enara now the proud owner of over a dozen pairs of footwear. The carriage, already overflowing, groaned under the additional weight.

"Next stop: accessories!" Enara declared.

Liria felt a pang of despair. "Is there anything you don't need to buy?"

[Careful,] the system warned. [If you get used to this kind of luxury, you'll never be able to go back to instant noodles.]

I miss instant noodles, Liria thought wistfully.

By the time they finally returned to the palace, the carriage was bursting at the seams with their purchases. Enara flopped onto a couch in the grand sitting room, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

"See?" she said, grinning at Liria. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Liria dropped the last of the bags onto the floor, her arms feeling like jelly. "Oh, no, not bad at all. Just an eight-hour marathon of consumerism."

"Stop complaining," Ananara snapped. "You weren't the one who had to endure being in a bag next to shoes that reeked of magic."

Verida chuckled, pouring herself a glass of wine. "Well, I'd call today a success. Don't you agree, Liria?"

Liria collapsed into a chair, her exhaustion finally catching up to her. "Sure," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Let's do it again sometime."

Enara laughed, clearly oblivious to Liria's suffering. "Oh, we will. Definitely."

Enara, lounging lazily on the couch as she flipped through one of her new purchases a shimmering enchanted notebook suddenly glanced up at her mother. "Mother, when is Nyssara coming back?"

Verida, sipping her wine with practiced grace, raised an eyebrow. "She'll return when she's done with her mission, Enara. You know how thorough she is."

"That's not an answer," Enara pouted, tossing the notebook onto the pile of shopping bags. "She's been gone for over a week! And she took Daena with her."

Liria perked up at this, leaning forward slightly. "Yeah, about that... What exactly are they doing? It seemed like a pretty big deal."

Verida studied Liria for a moment, her golden eyes sharp and calculating. "It is a big deal," she said slowly, "but it's nothing you need to concern yourselves with."

Enara sat up straighter, her midnight eyes narrowing. "That's what you always say when it's definitely something we'd want to know."

Verida smirked. "And that's exactly why I say it."

Liria crossed her arms, frowning. "Not even a hint?"

Verida leaned back in her chair, a wicked glint in her eyes. "Patience, girls. All will be revealed in due time."

Enara groaned dramatically. "You're impossible!"