Rayla remembered how nervous she was the second time she stepped into Katolis. She thought that her elven appearance might invoke some animosity among the citizens due to her involvement with King Harrow's assassination. She suggested that she could use her "Human Rayla" disguise if something went south, but Callum immediately shot her proposal down despite Ezran's claims as one of her biggest fans.

The boys assured her that she would be safe, and she believed them - after all, they were the Head and the Heir of the monarchy. And with the support of their aunt General Amaya and their High Council cleric Opeli, she knew that she could consider Katolis as her second home.

Her first week was a horrible mess. The kingdom was still trying to recover from Viren's usurpation, and there were casualties from the battle in the Storm Spire that required immediate assistance. There was also a lack of manpower, so Rayla volunteered to assist some of the affected communities like transporting essential goods and tinkering mechanical stuff.

Some people were giving her wary eyes, while others were obviously anxious and would scramble away at her mere presence. Then there were serious talks in the High Council about her residency in the castle, which she tried not to get involved with.

It was hard.

Everything changed drastically in her third week, the day after Ezran was publicly crowned as the King. He could have introduced her as a Xadian ambassador for Queen Zubeia since technically she has not been relieved from her role as a Dragonguard. Instead, the young king presented her as a Katolian hero who saved the Dragon Prince, a claim that she denied adamantly.

It was unfortunate that the Katolians preferred their king's version much to the boys' enjoyment, so she had no choice but to suck it up. And with Callum's shameless display of public affection, everyone became invested in their fairy tale romance.

Which brings her back to her current dilemma.

Several kids - both humans and elves - gathered around her as she sat on one of the playground's stone benches, and if she was not mistaken, most of them were in their pre-teens. She wasn't sure how she ended up in that situation; as far as she remembered, a human child approached her pleading to get a balloon that got stuck in a tree, and then it snowballed into an afternoon storytime.

"Lady Rayla! Lady Rayla!" one of the girls raised her hand enthusiastically. "How did you and Prince Callum met?"

"They met on a night they saved the Dragon Prince's egg, dummy," her companion scolded her lightly. "Didn't Auntie Greta tell us that last time?"

"But Lady Rayla, how did you find Prince Callum when you first met?" another kid asked, drawing some long oooh's and aahh's in the crowd. "Did you fall in love at first sight?"

The Moonshadow elf chuckled, shaking her head at their curious glares. "I'm sorry to disappoint you all, but I never fell for Prince Callum when we first met. Actually, we never liked each other to begin with."

There was a loud gasp, followed by a 'What?!', 'But you're so pretty and so cool!' and a 'Nobody can ever dislike Prince Callum!'

"You see, there's this misunderstanding among us elves that all humans are bad, and to humans that all elves are monsters." she went on, tucking her hair behind her pointy ear. "But when we saw the egg of the Dragon Prince, we decided to cast all of our differences for the sake of one goal - to return the Dragon Prince to Xadia."

"And then you fell in love with him, right?"

"Not so fast, sweetie." Rayla booped the kid's nose with her index, earning her a giggle. "But eventually, yeah."

She tried not to snort at their simultaneous coos and awww's. Shaking her head with a bemused expression, she thought, Kids these days.

A Moonshadow youngling lifted her hand. "Lady Rayla, Lady Rayla! When did you start liking Prince Callum?"

"Yeah, when did you start liking him?" a human boy parrotted with a nod.

"I think," Rayla drawled, tapping the side of her chin with her finger. "I think it was when he faked himself as his King brother so he could save him from danger? You know, on that unforgettable night when a beautiful, fast and daring assassin," She raised her elbows with a fighting stance, her hands clenching her imaginary daggers. "Met this cute, dorky Prince alone in the castle halls running for his life."

"And you swept him off his feet?"

"Oh yes, I definitely swept his feet," she snickered, folding her hands on her lap. "And when I asked him 'Where's Prince Ezran?', he looked at me straight in the eye and said 'I am Prince Ezran.'"

Another loud oooh's broke in the crowd.

"It's pretty admirable for me that a brother would protect his sibling even if it costs his own life."

"If only my brother can also do that." One of the elven boys snorted, which earned him an elbow poke from his companion.

"Shut up, Gyrion!"

Their friends laughed at the sibling's interaction.

"And that's how you fell in love with him, right?" the Skywing girl squealed.

Rayla burst out laughing "Why do you guys want me to fall with Prince Callum immediately? And no, I did not fall for him at that time. I liked him, yeah, but as a friend."

The elven girl grimaced. "So...you rejected him?"

"Oh no, sweetie. No rejection happened." The Moonshadow waved her hand dismissively. "Besides, he loved someone else."

A human girl scrunched her brows in confusion. "But Prince Callum loves you, right?"

"Over time, yeah." The Moonshadow elf stretched her left hand to pat her head. "You see, Love is not always about romance. You can love someone as a friend, a family, or even as a fellow being. You can love them equally, and at the same time differently. That's why Love is a universal feeling."

"Love sounds...complicated."

"It is, sweetie. It is," she nodded with an impish smirk. "Love is always a very complicated subject."

"How did you realize that you love Prince Callum more than just a friend?" a young boy who was sitting across her asked.

Rayla withdrew her hand, sighing at her audience as she reminisced. "Before we left to Xadia, we encountered an injured dragon who attacked a nearby town, and then we overheard her captors saying that they wanted her to be chopped alive."

Her crowd gasped audibly.

"So I told Prince Callum and King Ezran to finish the mission while I stayed behind to rescue the injured dragon. Live or die, the dragon must go home."

"Oh no!"

"Poor dragon!"

"Did the dragon survive?"

"Yes, the dragon did survive," she told them with a wistful smile. "And it was all thanks to Prince Callum."

It was difficult for Rayla to relive the event without shedding a tear, and it warmed her how patient the children were as she recovered her bearings.

"Unfortunately, the magic that Prince Callum used made him sick. Like, really sick," she muttered with downcast eyes. "And I was so worried because he was feverish and delirious and dying...and it pains me to know that he did it to save me."

She couldn't help but smile when a five-fingered hand tugged her sleeve. "But Prince Callum got cured, right?"

"Yes, he became well. And I didn't do anything. He just cured himself," she beamed at her young audiences. "And that's how I realized...that I was in love."

She snorted indignantly when they all went hurrah and whooped with joy.

"And you told Prince Callum about your feelings?" one of the Earthblood girls asked eagerly.

"Well...almost?" Rayla had to muster all of her strength not to laugh when everyone groaned in defeat. "I was about to finish my confession when Prince Callum woke up aaand we kinda forgot about it."

Someone slapped their forehead while another lamented. "Aww, that's a bummer!"

"But how did you two end up together if you failed to confess your feelings - AHA!" one of the human boys sat ramrod straight, jabbing his index towards her as if he was accusing her with something. "Prince Callum confessed his feelings to you!"

"Is that true, Lady Rayla?"

"Oh my sources, is it true?"

"Is it true?"

She hummed with a teasing glint in her lilac eyes. "Kinda...yes and no?"

A Skywing elf kid scowled. "What kind of answer is that?"

"Yes, because he told me how brave and strong and beautiful I am," she answered as her audience went giddy. "And no, because he said those things to comfort me...as a friend."

Rayla had to smother her laugh at their ridiculous yet childish reactions, raising her hand to appease them. "So kids, I hope my story will teach you how not to jump into conclusions."

One of them whined. "You're teasing us, Lady Rayla!"

"Yeah, you're teasing us!"

"Lady Rayla is so meanie!"

"Hey, I'm not a meanie. I was telling the truth." she crossed her arms with a pout, feigning annoyance. "Prince Callum is the one who's a meanie."

"How come?"

Ralya bit the inside of her cheek. "Because...he confessed to me the next day."

She doubled over laughing when some of the kids went whoopee absurdly while a few cheered 'finally!'.

These kids are ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous, she bemused.

The sun was starting to set on the horizon, signaling the kids that it was time for them to go home.

A little girl no younger than six grabbed the edge of her shirt as she stood up. "Are you going to play with us tomorrow, Lady Rayla?"

"Uhh..." she gulped tensely as several pairs of puppy eyes darted her way.

As much as she enjoyed their presence, she had to say no. Her schedule was fully-booked tomorrow. Aside from training the new military recruits being the new commanding General after she took over Amaya's position, she also had to attend a dinner party with Xadian diplomats to discuss nonsensical politics. Not to mention, a possible after-party to conclude the night.

So she decided to compromise.

"Next weekend I'll be here for the whole day." Rayla crouched down, brushing one of the kid's shoulders with her hand. "That way, we can play anything that you all liked!"

"Like Hide-and-Seek and Playhouse?"

"Yup!"

"And storytelling time?"

"And storytelling time." she nodded with a grin.

As she bid the children and their guardians farewell, she noticed a familiar mop of brown hair under a large tree, with his back leaning against it with crossed arms and a smirk that made other ladies swoon. Her knees buckled a bit when his piercing green eyes met hers, and the intensity of his gaze almost turned her into a puddle of goo.

Despite knowing each other for years, Callum can still make her insides goopy like a moonberry slush.

"What are you doing here, smug prince?" she approached her coolly.

"Waiting for a lady like you."

"Smooth talker."

His mirthful laugh sounded like a melody in her ears, and it was so contagious she couldn't help herself but giggle. Her arms automatically rested on his shoulder when his lithe arms wrapped around her torso, tugging her closer.

"How long have you been standing here?"

Callum's mouth was slightly upturned. "I think it was around 'how did you and Prince Callum meet?'"

"And the prince charming did not even show up to save a damsel in distress?" she gasped theatrically. "How meanie."

"Hey, I'm not a meanie," he booped his nose to hers, grinning. "Although there are some itty-bitty mistakes in your story."

One of her brows jerked up, tilting her head to the side. "And what are those itty-bitty mistakes that I committed, Your Majesty?"

"Well, first of all, I wasn't in love with Claudia."

"Did I ever mention the name Claudia?" she chortled when he gave her an impassive look. "I'm sorry, Your Grace. Carry on."

He cleared his throat. "As you've said earlier, Love is a universal feeling. And while I was a blushy puppy back then - hey, don't laugh at me, you bully!" he pouted when she burst out laughing, and when she calmed down he continued, "Anyway, my teenage feeling was a mess with Claudia, but not messy enough to make me jump over the edge of a Storm Spire."

Rayla hummed, tilting her head to the other side with a tease. "Oookay, so what's my other itty-bitty mistake?"

"As long as you promise me not to lau - see, you're laughing at me again!"

She wiped her tears with the heel of her palm while her mage Prince slumped his forehead to the crook of her neck, snickering at their childish antics.

Callum nuzzled her cheek affectionately when she stopped spasming from her giggling fits. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too." she sighed at his embrace. "How was your trip?"

"Boring without you."

"Have you eaten anything?"

"Nope," he shifted his head, pressing a kiss on her jaw. "Had to fly all the way here to surprise you."

"And it was a pleasant surprise," she smiled at his boyish grin, shivering a bit when his hand traced the base of her skull up to her horn cuffs, a symbol that in a few months, they will become a husband and wife.

"Can we stay here for a bit? I don't want to go back to the castle yet."

How could she deny those beautiful green eyes?

The couple slid down to the ground without breaking their embrace. The mage sighed contentedly as he leaned his back against the trunk while his fiancee draped herself on his chest, her arms limping on his sides.

"Are you still awake, Ray?'

"Mhmm," she murmured, cuddling him more as she listened to his steady heartbeat. "So comfortable."

Rayla wasn't sure if it was the summer breeze or her betrothed used his arcanum to make themselves cozy. She smiled when he unwound his red scarf and wrapped it around her neck, allowing themselves to share its warmth.

"How was your day?" he asked, resting his chin on top of her head.

"Nothing worth reporting," she closed her eyes as she nuzzled his neck. "I woke up alone, ate my breakfast alone, went to the courtyard with the Sunfire recruits and beat the hell out of them, and then your aunt popped out of nowhere and forced me to take a breather. You know the rest of it."

Callum kissed her temple. "Aunt Amaya might be a strict General, but you're a fucking Spartan."

"She forced me to take her position. Now she realized her mistake."

"Take it easy, love. We don't want you to earn a moniker as 'The Monster in Katolis'"

"Hmm, I kinda love that nickname," she smirked deviously. "Makes you shiver to the bones."

Rayla yelped when he poked her side with a snicker.

The stars were winking at him in the dark sky, and in that deserted playground, the only distinctive sounds that Callum could hear were the musical strings from a band accompanying a romantic cry of a soprano from a nearby town square and the breathing pattern of the beautiful woman in his lap.

"Ray?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't believe in love at first sight," he muttered with a grin. "But I do know about finding your one true love."

She was about to say something when a loud grumble caught her attention.

"I think it's time for us to go home," Rayla chuckled, disentangling herself from his scarf so they could stand up. "You already skipped a meal so I'm not going to allow you to skip dinner."

"Will there be a dessert afterward?"

She rolled her eyes as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "As long as you'll be on your best behavior."

"That's not going to be a problem."

Once he finished patting the dirt from his trousers, the couple left the playground with interlaced hands, her engagement ring rubbing against his bare fingers.

"Hey, Cal?"

"Hmm?"

"You still haven't told me about my other itty-bitty mistake."

The mage prince hummed in contemplation. "I thought I already told you."

"Told me what?"

"That I'm not a meanie." he deadpanned.

Rayla elbowed his ribs. Hard.

"That's not an itty-bitty mistake," she scoffed when he guffawed. "That's a big fat truth!"