"ROVENSHIRE. Arcelia City's central town," Flynn sang in his loud voice, garnering attention from passersby. "It's been a long while since I last stepped foot here."

Wearing black robes to conceal their identity, Clara and Flynn emerged in a bustling street that thrived under the shadow of the floating rock island of Zephyrus' castle.

It looked like the entire world had come to gather. People bustled left and right, hopping from shop to shop. Carts of scrumptious foods lined the sidewalks. The air was filled with such a mixture of smells all jumbled up, making it hard to identify one from the other. Performance artists sat at random corners doing a strange number of tricks. One man created random shapes of small animals out of the air as children chased them relentlessly. Another woman had several instruments floating around her, all playing at the same time until someone told her off for making unnecessary noises.

Clara was about to cross the cobblestone street when Flynn pulled her back and she yelped. Kids whizzed past them in a zoom, riding on a spherical-shaped air, probably racing.

"Careful!" Flynn rasped at the kids who simply ignored him. Thankfully, he was holding Clara by her wrist so that he was able to pull her back in time. He hadn't let go ever since he caught her escaping. If possible, Flynn would have tied their hands together with a rope just to be sure.

Another sound of children's laughter led Clara's wonderment astray. They were busy making a nuisance of themselves when their parents were at home. Or probably those kids might be the children of any of these vendors.

"Princess!" Flynn called the moment she slipped from his grasp. Clara took it upon herself to play with the young ones until their mothers were ready to return them home. Happiness—the kind she had never felt before—bloomed in emotional warmth as flowers opened in spring. She was always told when she was a kid that happiness was in everything. She just had to invite it in. It was in the cool rain and deep sunshine, or even when chopping a home-grown vegetable. The point was even in the simplest thing, people could find happiness. Before, Clara didn't know what true happiness was. This newfound feeling that touched her heart would be forever cherished. This was her first time being among the crowd, drowning in their voices, and witnessing every moment in this place.

She turned around to look at Flynn. Gone was the reservation she had for him. The moment her eyes found him, she quickly ran up to where he was, tugging him along around the town.

Their feet began padding on the cobblestone streets to the rhythm in her head. Buildings made of red bricks lined the sides in symmetry, occasionally breaking in every alleyway. But some were drawn with scribbles and paints in which—Clara could guess—were the naughty children's doing.

After purchasing some muffins and tasty pies from the Anytime Bakery, they skipped further into the heart of the town. Clara couldn't help but turn her head around every second to soak everything in. Carts were selling wide assortments of vegetables and fruits. There were even tents and booths that sold ornaments and charms that were said to bring in luck.

At the side of a wall covered in graffiti, she saw an old man with a cart filled with drawing displays on sketch pads and canvas. She tentatively walked forward. The old painter smiled, showing his crooked teeth, and showed her a picture. He made a sketch of several butterflies drawn in pencil.

The man then traced his fingers on the paper and it glowed with a bright blue light. He made a gesture as if pulling something out from the pad. And several colorful butterflies shot right out of the paper.

"It's beautiful," she whispered. Clara watched them in awe as they flew until they were too far to see. One butterfly perched on Flynn's nose and a tight-lipped smile showed on his face. His eyes twinkled for an unthinkable reason while looking at her as if in a trance. It was different from his usual smirk with a hidden agenda. This one was genuine.

He blinked a few times, shaking his head before looking down at their joined hands. Clara wasn't aware she had been holding his hand all this time. So, she quickly let go. "I-I apologize."

"You seem... different," Flynn commented and Clara shot her head up with an unspoken question. "I mean, that's the happiest I have seen you. Your eyes, for a moment, looked like magic itself." His words were probably meant for Anneliese. But, at the same time, it felt like those were for Clara too. She wished she could have seen herself. Had her eyes lit up the way he described it?

Clara tried to hide her flushness with her cloak's hood, but Flynn didn't seem to mind at all as his gaze traveled around the square. He then pulled out a gold watch from his robe's inside pocket.

"It's a quarter minute until noon. Let us not miss the show, shall we?" His silly smile was back as he held her wrist tenderly like he was not worried anymore that she might run away again.

In the middle of the town was a giant public square where the great well blossomed like a sun blooms reaching towards heaven. The crowd was thicker in this area. Decorations, smoke effects, and lighting gave a festive vibe to the town square. Tree stumps were arranged perfectly for the audience and Clara adored such a sight of interaction. Such a relationship could make anything possible. It almost seemed that everyone in this town was one extensive family.

"Flynn, this is wonderful. What are these people celebrating?" Clara wondered.

"Since you lost track of time, I'll let it slide. Today is the scheduled open school tour of Blaire Academy. There are a lot of hopefuls here that the academy's interested to take in. Bit much for a school tour if you ask me. Every year they get over the top." Flynn rolled his eyes and grimaced when a sudden thought hit him. "Not to mention Henry. Just wait and see him perform... again."

She looked up at the stage that was set up with several flashing neon lights encased in floating crystal balls hovering in the air. The lights battled the sunrays and managed to stand out at the peak of the daylight. People moved in between the makeshift seats made of tree trunks, finding a great spot while passing glowing popcorns in assorted colors. The sweet, luscious caramel spread in the air, making Clara's eyes sparkle and her mouth water.

"I want that one." She pointed to the popcorn the child was holding as he passed by. When he saw Clara eyeing his food hungrily, he scurried away toward his mother.

"You want that? Are you sure?"

Clara nodded like an eager child.

"No longer having a strict diet, eh? A change of heart?

"I-It's a once-in-a-lifetime craving!" How would Clara even know that Anneliese wasn't fond of sweets? More importantly, how many lies had she told ever since she woke up in this body? "And I don't have golds and silvers with me." She sheepishly smiled at Flynn who narrowed his eyes in return. In the end, he surrendered and treated Clara with what she wanted.

They picked a seat near the end of the middle row as Clara popped rainbow popcorns inside her mouth, savoring the gooey caramel.

An ear-splitting electric noise echoed from the stage, silencing the crowd. "Please remain seated. Blaire Academy's tenth tour show is about to start in a few minutes."

The lights went out for a moment and came back again. Smoke crept from the stage and crawled its way to the audience's feet. A figure rose above the stage being lifted by the air around him. His arms stretched wide in a theatrical pose, showing off his dazzling teeth which glinted against the light. His coat and suit also sparkled like it was made of diamonds.

Flynn leaned back in his seat and shook his head. "Drama queen," he said under his breath, popping a handful of rainbow popcorn into his mouth.

"Welcome, everyone, to Blaire Academy's tenth tour performance." Lights focused on him. His brown shoulder-length hair shone in the light and an exulting expression was pasted on his face. He reveled in the limelight, attention, and fame. "I am Prince Henry Cromwell of Eurus Kingdom. Your host for this event."

Clara plugged her ears at how loud the hoots and yells were. "They all seem to love him."

Flynn wore a bland expression on his face. "Half of the people here are just people who have crushes on him. And that's probably the reason why they want to be admitted by the academy in the first place."

"Thank you, thank you. That's enough, my lovelies. Most of you have come so far." A round, cushioned seat appeared and he sat on it, crossing his legs. "I see we have guests from different empires. Welcome, welcome. We are glad to have you here." Claps and cheers resonated in the wide-open space.

"You guys came for a show, right? Let me give you a performance you won't ever forget." With that, he fell back off the floating cushioned seat and plummeted through the air just like how Clara's heart did at that moment. She gripped Jaden's arm, wanting to close her eyes shut, but they were stuck, willing themselves to watch. But before Henry could reach the ground, a pair of wings unfurled on his back. It flapped in dominance, wide and stretched, glittery sparkles illuminating each feather. He touched the ground with a soft thump as he basked in the applause.

"Asshole."

Clara nearly choked on her saliva at Flynn's remark. She didn't, and she wasn't sure if it was okay to ask, but Flynn seemed to have a bad history with the prince.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Prince Henry announced as smoke masked the ground. "We'll give what we promised. A good show for everyone!" Then the water rose like a fountain at the sides of the stage, turning into sparkles of ice rain.

There were also guest performers from other empires. The Nivalonians did their own thing by bringing a floating river in front of the stage, flowing above the audience's heads. Water-shaped dolphins swam and leaped across the makeshift river. Henry comically dove and swam with them.

"Incredible," someone beside Clara said under her breath.

"And he's so dreamy," said the other. Clara could agree that Henry was indeed incredible, but not with him being so dreamy.

The stage was in its glorious presence until night came especially when Earthals made the whole place a blooming garden in spring. An orchestra sat on a huge, fluffy cloud, playing instruments with great sound and harmony. Smoke, spices, shining glitters, and too many other things had filled the night. It was impossible to describe everything. She just had to be there and live the moment to know in this big crowd, Clara couldn't possibly be lonely. It didn't matter if Henry dominated the whole performance; she still liked it. She surely did.

The show ended with a large gray steely dragon swooping down on the crowd. Its thick horns sprouted from its steel-like scales. Its black eyes were rimmed with gold linings that peered at her. And the tips of its wings were stained shadowy black. A glint like a gemstone glimmered in its razor-sharp teeth as it breathed a tornado of air—one that was cool and fresh. With a single deafening roar, it shot up to the sky where it belonged with the other dragons. They covered their eyes and planted their feet firmly on the ground against the pressure of its ascent.

Henry shot up into the sky and spread his arms. "Blaire Academy, everyone!"

It was until then that Clara realized she had been standing up for the rest of the performance, jumping up so much that her chest heaved, trying to catch her breath.

The show ended minutes later and most people had already cleared the area.

"The show is over. Come on. I'll take you back to the castle." Flynn grasped her wrist, ushering her away from the center square to the darkening woods where they left Ivory. "By now, I'm sure the entire castle already realized you're missing."

But instead of leaving, she faced him, her face full of smiles. She could feel her whole body vibrating in excitement. "Where do I sign up?" she asked and it was something Flynn did not expect to hear from her.

Just a few hours ago, Clara was hell-bent on finding a way to go back home. But now, she was not that sure. Maybe a few more days living in this body wouldn't hurt, would it?

Murmurs and chatters filled the busy night and cold wind. People around them looked in one particular direction. Clara peeked behind Flynn and her eyes widened in fear and sheer panic, seeing Prince Emir and Maxwell with armed soldiers trailing behind them. The group scanned the area, finding something, or rather someone, who happened to be her.

And finally, meeting the eyes that sent chills to her bones, Clara watched as Emir took long strides towards their direction, throwing dagger looks at Flynn

"Guess I'll be out of the picture for a while."

To Clara's surprise, Flynn removed the hood covering her face. Gasps and murmurs grew distinct and louder around them.

"The princess?"

"She's finally awake!"

"Since when?"

"When does the royal family plan to tell us?"

Clara took a step back when Flynn leaned too close to her liking. He caught her by the small of her back, holding her in place.

"Valor!" Clara heard Emir's roar of fury, the sound of his approach growing closer.

Clara closed her eyes tight and felt a soft peck on her right cheek. "Until we meet again—" then he whispered next to her ear "—Clara."

A bucket of water filled with ice doused her head. Clara's heart rammed against her rib cage as she stood there like a statue.

"Anneliese!" Emir grabbed her, pulling her away to join the group of warriors who would take her back to the castle.

But Clara's eyes never left Flynn's retreating figure as he walked further away, drowning in the sea of the crowd with a mystery to his identity and the promise of meeting her again.