The argument Lucy had with her father left her feeling tense and frustrated. Once again, he was controlling her life, denying her even a single voice in her own decisions. He seemed intent on confining her, wanting to keep her as his perfect princess forever. Isolating her from the world, he expected her to comply with his wishes without question, regardless of her own beliefs about right and wrong. It was infuriating beyond measure.

"He never listens to me; he never tries to understand," Lucy complained to her handmaidens in the palace gardens. "And he refuses to let me live my own life. It isn't fair."

"Who said life was fair?" Aquarius replied.

"I love my father, and I know he means well, but some of his actions are just nonsensical," Lucy said. "He fills my mind with knowledge of the world, yet confines me to this palace. It feels like I'm a prisoner."

"In a really, really nice prison," Aquarius quipped.

"But wealth doesn't guarantee happiness."

"I'll take your word for it."

"I want to see the world. I want to dance in the streets, smell the spices in the marketplace, sail across the seas, and climb mountains. There are so many wonders to explore. That's what I desire right now—not a husband."

"He just wants what's best for you," Aries said. "He believes marriage will make you happy."

"How can marriage make me happy when I'm not even in love? Forget love; I don't even have any real friends yet."

"What are we, chopped liver?" Aquarius teased.

"Oh, sorry! Except for you two, and you're wonderful. But I want to broaden my horizons and meet different people. How can I do that if I can't even go outside?" She sighed. "Sometimes I think I should just leave and see the world on my own."

"I don't know, Princess," Aries said. "The outside world might be overwhelming for someone like you."

"Is that a promise?" Lucy joked, excitement in her voice.

"I think it would do her some good," Aquarius said.

"You do?"

"Honey, I've never seen anyone who needs to get out more. Your father is wise, but he doesn't know everything. He can be wrong. Just don't tell him I said that; pointing out a monarch's flaws can be dangerous."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Lucy assured her. "And you're right. While my father is a benevolent ruler, he is mistaken about some things, especially regarding me. He shouldn't keep me here and dictate who I can be with. If only he'd listen."

"Have you ever tried talking to him about it?" Aries asked.

"I've tried countless times, but he just sees me as a rebellious youth who will eventually understand. What about him? When will he understand? Maybe he would if I left."

"But where would you go, Lucy?" Aries asked. "How would you survive? With all due respect, do you even know anything outside of Lazan? You could get lost, hurt, or even kidnapped."

Here's a refined version of your text:

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"Okay, you might have a point there," Lucy said.

"We understand how you feel," Aries replied. "But you shouldn't make any rash decisions, especially when you're upset. Perhaps you should take a moment to relax and think things over."

"A trip to the oasis, perhaps?" Aquarius suggested. "Its refreshing waters should ease your tension."

"That does sound nice," Lucy said. "Why not? Let's go."

"Wonderful!" Aries exclaimed cheerfully. "We'll call the guards and gather your bath oils."

Lucy chuckled and gazed up at the endless sky. Sometimes, she wished she knew someone who could truly understand what she was going through. While Aquarius and Aries were good friends, they couldn't fully relate to her struggles. They didn't know how it felt to have her entire life controlled, to live in a world where no one could hear her, no matter how loud she screamed. Little did she realize that someone out there understood her plight. Though their circumstances were different, the essence of their struggles was the same, and in time, Lucy would forge a lifelong bond with this person.
...

As usual, Natsu's stomach roused him in the morning, that familiar gnawing emptiness reminding him of his life on the streets. He loathed waking up to hunger pangs, but they were nothing compared to the torment of going to bed with an empty belly. What he wouldn't give to fall asleep with a full stomach just once.

"Morning, Happy," he said, sitting up. "I think I've got another crick in my back. I need to find a new tarp to sleep on."

He stretched and cracked his knuckles.

"So, what should we have for breakfast? Dates or melons?"

"Oh, not fruit again! I'm sick of fruit! Why can't we ever have fish?"

Natsu jumped at the unexpected reply. He scanned the shelter, his dark eyes searching for any sign of a person. But there was no one—only Happy.

"Hello?" he called suspiciously. "Is someone here?"

Silence.

"Did you hear that, Happy?" Natsu glanced behind him.

"No. Did you?" the voice replied again.

"There it is again!"

"There's what again?"

Natsu slowly turned back to Happy, realizing the voice was coming from the cat. He crouched down to Happy's eye level, fear creeping in.

"Did you... Did you just talk?"

"Huh? What?" Happy responded in perfect human language, confusion mirroring Natsu's own. Natsu jumped again, stunned by the revelation.

"Whoa, whoa... Wait a minute. You can understand me?" Happy exclaimed.

Both were in shock, grappling with the bizarre situation. They did the only rational thing: they screamed.

"Ahhhhhhh!" they cried in unison.

Natsu bolted from the hovel, hyperventilating as if he were about to be dragged to the underworld.

"Okay, okay, deep breaths, Natsu," he told himself. "Get some fresh air. You're just imagining this."

"Wait! Stop!" Happy called, chasing after him.

"No! Bad cat! Stop talking!" Natsu ordered.

"Wait! Come back! Don't leave like this, pal! I'm freaking out here!"

"You're freaking out?! My cat is talking like a human! That's impossible... Unless you're part parrot."

"I am not! I'm a full mammal, thank you very much! But how are you understanding me? Humans are technically more intelligent, but they're not that advanced—especially you."

"Hey!"

"Sorry, buddy, but you can't even read."

"Oh, this is not happening! This is not happening!" Natsu exclaimed. "I'm not really hearing my cat talk; it's... it's the hunger pangs! They finally made my brain snap! Ma always warned me this would happen! That's why she bugged me about eating enough protein!"

"You're not hallucinating, Natsu! You're really hearing me!"

"Then... then you're not Happy! You're some kind of demon in cat form!"

"What?"

"Who are you? What have you done with the real Happy?"

"I am the real Happy, you idiot!"

"Prove it!"

"Last time you gave me a flea bath, you were so hungry you almost ate one of my fleas!"

Natsu turned red with shame, recalling that desperate moment during his extreme starvation. He hadn't actually eaten the flea, but the thought had crossed his mind.

"Alright, so you are the real Happy. But if you're really him, and I'm not losing my mind, how are you talking to me?"

"I don't know. I'm a cat. How could I have all the answers?"

"Well, I don't know who else to ask."

"Hey, maybe that weird fortune teller lady might know?"

"What weird fortune teller lady?"

"The one next to the pottery stand. We pass her every day in the marketplace. How have you not noticed her?"

"Normally, I'm too busy thinking about how to keep from starving to death to pay attention to anything that's not food. Anyway, how can she help us?"

"She's a fortune teller; she's bound to know about the weird and supernatural. Or maybe the desert heat has driven her insane. Let's hope for the former."

"No, let's hope the desert heat has driven me insane. I can live with being poor, homeless, and hungry. But poor, homeless, hungry, and insane? If it comes to that, death is the only option left for me."

"I wonder if cats can hallucinate. Maybe I'm the one going insane? What do you think, buddy? Am I the crazy one or is it you? Personally, I think it's you. Between the two of us, you're the loose cannon."

"Do me a favor: don't talk to me until we meet this fortune teller. I'm this close to running off to find the nearest nut house. If we even have those here, and if we do, can I afford to go there?"

Natsu was sure he had lost his sanity, and who could blame him? Living on the streets, running under the blazing sun, scavenging for scraps—anyone would snap under those circumstances. But thankfully, Natsu was far from losing his mind. In fact, he was on the brink of discovering a fortune grander than any gold or jewel.