104 Princess Classic

Ah, don't be mistaken, the day was yet to be over. I still had much to see. In less than an hour, the sun would begin to set. From that point on, meeting another person would need to be postponed to another day—it would be rude to disturb someone at a time of rest—thus, it was imperative that I got my business done before day-end.

I cupped my hand over my eyes and squinted at the sun. "I guess one more person should fit."

"What are you talking about?" Raya followed my sight to the sky.

"I'm saying there's time to meet one more person. Hmm, who should I go with?" I asked half-serious, because I already knew who it was going to be. "Well, after all this talk with Leila and the rest, I just got so curious."

"What? What did you guys talk about?"

I stood up from my seat. The dress had already adhered to my butt, feeling uncomfortably sticky. I patted it down. "Just ordinary gossip. Say, if you could choose your lover, who would it be?"

Raya copied me, also getting ready to leave. "Eh? What's with the random question?" she replied, not flustered. Too bad, I was hoping to see her little outburst of embarrassment again. Maybe she was building up an immunity. How worrisome. "But, I guess it would have to be someone I've known for a long time. Preferably, I hope that person could lead me around and show me new things. They'd have to be free and uncaring." She dreamed. "Well, it's all futile talk anyway. Just random snippets of what-could-be's, which you immediately forget after snapping out of it. After all, we are nobility, we do not get to choose. Our family decides who is the most suitable for us."

"For someone who doesn't care, you sure seem to have put a lot of thought into it."

Raya glanced away, her ears red. It appeared that my worries were for naught. "Well, maybe even I sometimes long to meet the perfect partner."

I laughed and grabbed her hand. It was warm to the touch. "Right? Everyone knows, you always go for the best." I took her away from the garden that was turning chilly. A wind passed us, carrying the faint smell of dew—the rain from yesterday. I left with it. The trees waved us good-bye.

"Where are we going?" She trudged after me, our hands interlocked.

I didn't turn around; Instead, I followed the breeze, towards the entrance of the big castle in front of me. The servants streamed in, with their uniform clothing and baskets all lined up. The path was all muddy and dripping. "I guess looking for my perfect partner," I answered Raya. And then we entered.

"Huh, what does that mean? Hey, Agnes? Curses, you are ignoring me again!"

This place that looked as grand as a palace, used to be a simple lodging for hunting before. In the early years, His Majesty took it upon himself to expand it. That decision spawned from before he took the throne, as he developed a passion for its versatility. He'd visit this place a lot until it eventually became a castle. The man had spent most of his younger days here, building memory upon memory. Nowadays, it was hard to find him nearby. Instead, a new generation had moved in and what used to be a humble moat was now one of the monuments in this capital: The castle where the young nobility resided, the symbol of the future.

I—or well, Agnes at that time—also spent most of her last few years here. Naturally, it meant that the royal siblings did as well. No, they still did. Oh, and starting from now on, I still did, too. So, there wasn't much change around here, was there? Raya had joined, so there was that. Still, even if any big changes occurred, it would not matter to me. This girl, Agnes, had no relationship with anyone living here. I quizzed her once, just before arriving, and except for her fiance and his sister, she didn't know a single person here. Sure, she heard some names before, maybe even recognized some faces, but anything more than that was beyond this little fool.

Agnes growled at me. "Yᴏᴜ ᴊᴜsᴛ sᴀʏ ᴡʜᴀᴛᴇᴠᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ?"

"I can't control my thoughts, what can I do?"

I realized when I was here the first time—right after transmigrating—I never found it in me to explain the interior design of this residence. I suppose at that time my mind had been filled with a lot more pressing matters.

The castle had four wings, all named after four seasons. Not very original, but I understood the sentiment. Spring was where the reception was: the entryway, the introduction, allowing anyone entering to feel the refreshing atmosphere of people shuffling around; Like today, many people entered, and around this time, they'd stay inside. The Summer wing was the biggest hall and where the decorations were the most lavish. The wing housed galleries with the finest paintings, venues for a myriad of pastimes, and little chambers where one could enjoy tea. It's where the people living here spend most of their days. Incidentally, the Prince left me in that wing, thus it held a special place in my heart. Moving on, Autumn was where the servants resided, a separate hall and a place for communal dining. It also contained a sizable library, acting as the antechamber for the treasury. I heard that a spirit lived there, often creating mischief and bothering the people visiting. Oh dear, was it a being just like my Agnes? Finally, in Winter, there were the bed chambers, where the nobility rested their weary eyes. Most of the young ones resided there; My current business also did.

I walked my last steps, arriving at a rustic door. My destination was unlike the other rooms we passed, clearly a lot more opulent, but also older, as indicated by the chipped paint. In comparison to the other rooms, which were bolted to the sides, this one stood at the end of the hallway, right in the middle, aloof and alone.

"So this is what Leila meant when she said I'll know the place when I see it, huh?"

With Raya still in hand, I knocked on the door. While traveling, the girl was gazing at all the halls, decor, and furniture, starstruck by everything. At times, she'd fall into a daze, her eyes longingly following a random noblewoman chatting with her friends. Though her body was here, her mind had drifted to somewhere entirely else. Even though it wasn't her first visit; After all, a long while ago, she had come to see how Agnes was holding up here. Though, maybe just like me, her focus had been preoccupied at that time. 

"Is this where we are going to sleep?"

"Not quite, we'll be there when night calls. Right now, we are visiting."

Before she managed to ask whom, I turned the knob and shoved the door open. Greeting us was a magnificent vestibule, in the middle a long wooden table with seats for too many to count. Right above, there hung a chandelier, closer to the floor than the ceiling. It remained perfectly still, showing the passage of time only with melted candle-wax falling off, though the drops never seemed to hit the ground. The place looked lonesome, and even though big, the room had no pillars for support.

Raya waltzed through the seats, running her hand on the table. "This place is like a labyrinth. This castle has everything. You could live here your entire life, behind safe walls, not missing anything outside." Her voice echoed, as if distant.

I followed her, my footfalls falling loudly. "Some may like that. For some, this castle may be all the world has to offer. However, that's not a life for me, living like a frog in a well."

"Then it won't be for me either," she said. "Speaking truthfully, I've never been outside the country. It can be stifling occasionally. Enderia is just like a castle, only more giant. So maybe I'm also only a frog." She skipped along, curious about everything. Outside, through the window, it was still noisy. Servants bustled around, wagons were loaded, and horses unsaddled. But here, it was only quiet.

"No, with that brimming curiosity of yours, you're not. If I had to say, you're more like a maiden in a tower. Or, you were one, then you beat the evil witch of your father, who cut your luscious hair that you used to let down for me. Just like in the old stories. Your names even start with the same syllable."

Raya looked at me dubiously. "I feel you are referring to a tale I don't know about. Are you making fun of me again?" 

My hand went to the table. No dust. I felt a slight warmth inching into my fingers. Someone had just eaten here. "No worries, the story ends with her marrying the prince. Happy ending."

She stopped. "Not something you can say about yourself, huh?" 

"Sorry, but was that an insult?"

"Of course not. Just speaking the truth." She curtsied with grace. "I apologize if you can't handle that."

I walked towards her and grabbed her face; She didn't budge. A genuine smile came to my face. It was good to see her return to normalcy. "What do you know about love anyway? I don't see you walking hand in hand with your husband."

She peeked through my fingers. "And you do?"

"I mean, I seduced you didn't I?"

"Hah?" She got audibly louder, hiding her unease. But I felt the slight heat of her cheeks on my palm. "You did nothing of the sort," she quickly denied. "You didn't. You didn't, okay?"

I tightened my grip. "Well, fact is, I am the best when it comes to affection. With time, I can make any person love me, or you, or each other. You can call me cupid."

"Excuse me, I didn't quite catch that. What did the lady-whose-engagement-got-annulled say?"

"That is the fault of another idiot," I said, and felt Agnes about to chirp in. "Tell you what, let's have a little game. You choose any person, I bet you I can help them find their soulmate within 10 days."

"The soulmate being you? You're on. If you win then, uh. . ." she rummaged through her dress and took out some coins. "1 silver, 2 copper and a string."

"That's it?"

"I don't have anything else to give you," Raya said and sulked. "You already took everything from me."

"Fine," I said and I wished to continue, but was interrupted by the sound of a closing door. Not one in this room—it didn't echo like the rest of the noise here—yet not far away either, the sound dampened by no more than a wall. Right after, I heard footsteps, coming neither from me nor Raya. They were receded at first but gradually edged closer and got louder. They fell uniform and steady, the owner was an aloof one.

Raya glanced at me and promptly shut her mouth with obvious panic on her face. "I thought there wouldn't be anyone here," she whispered and hid behind me—futilely, I might add.

I nudged her with my shoulder. "I told you I was visiting somebody."

The bronze door in front of us squeaked, and a man with bright red hair confronted us. He wore a white tunic, embroidered with golden letters. His shoulders were cloaked with dark silk—in the middle, the pattern of the royal lion. His Highness's eyes burned with splendid valor, yet still managed to appear ice-cold. I couldn't take my sight off him. Though subtle, that was the makings of a king, I thought.

"You," he said, "Edwards fiancee. For what reason are you here?" He leaned on the door, with his hands crossed. 

I answered immediately: "Sightseeing." Then, I bowed down. "Good evening, Your Highness."

Raya stared at me, befuddled. "You couldn't have been-" she cut her sentence short. As she straightened her dress, she turned to the crown prince in a hurry. "Well met, Your Highness, Crown Prince, Allard." She curtsied with no grace.

The prince did not reciprocate our greetings. Instead, he watched us, waiting for either one to explain why we were here. But I only looked at him with beady eyes and a cute smile. 

Raya, realizing my lack of intent to waltz forward, quickly decided to take the lead. "We apologize. It seems like we have made a mistake and stumbled into the wrong room." She was a sensible lady—as long as it didn't involve Agnes.

As expected, Allard kept his cold attitude, not even meeting her eyes. He remained pressed to the door and said with a light scoff, "If that is all, you may leave."

"Excuse us then," said Raya, and took me by my hand to drag me away. We left from whence we first entered, and with great speed—and even greater angst—she shut the door behind us tight.

"Ah, wait, I wanted to stay a little more," I protested.

Raya twisted her head and glared at me with strong intensity. She kept a tight grip, fearing I may be foolish enough to run back. "And why would you wish to do that?" She asked me the same way a teacher would a student, to probe for a reasoning clearly wrong. It was that gentle smile of hers, with the little dimples forced out from maintaining an expression she truly didn't want to make, that made the girl seem close to bursting.  "Please correct me for I wish to be wrong, but when you said you had someone to visit . . ."

"The Crown Prince Allard; correct."

"You scoundrel! Why is it when something dangerous is near you always jump right in? Have you never heard the stories of his deeds? Mothers sing lullabies of them to scare their children asleep." She took a breath, sounding exasperated.

"Is he a demon or something? Well, I don't care if he really is, in fact, I hope he is because I came here to see what all the talk was about."

Raya replied, "How come you talk like you met His Highness today for the first time? Don't you both live here?"

I shook my head. "He doesn't. He has his own estate but came for the Day of the Lord. Leila told me he decided to stay awhile longer this time. She knows a lot, that gal."

"Who?"

"You really were zoned out, huh?" A sudden red tinge enveloped the two of us. I took a peek out the window and saw the sun had begun setting. Time was getting late. "It's another girl I seduced."

"Wha- you're still onto that? You idiot," she shouted. "I already said, you don't have what it takes for romance."

"I told you I have," I said, "and I'm willing to stake my pride for that."

"I know, I'm just looking for the right . . ." her words trailed off. She halted, her mind full of thought. An audacious idea had appeared. "Wait, you've said any person goes, right?" A grin followed. "The Crown Prince Allard then."