As the lantern festival continued outside, four people were seated in a nearby administrative building. Vivia, Eurus and Lucian stood on one side, the former two kneeling on the floor with remorse - or at least Vivia was. Eurus was occupied with swaying his precious balloon.
Zerath focused on his capable assistant first. "I must say, I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be kneeling before me, Lucian."
"It's quite unexpected for me too, my lord," Lucian said, stone-faced.
"So care to explain the unexpected circumstances?"
"Princess approached me with a request asking if she could disguise as your coachman."
"And?"
"Naturally, I rejected it."
"But?"
"She was quite persuasive."
"In what way?"
"The princess is quite adept at convincing."
"How did she convince you?"
"That she wanted to have some special fun memories before her departure."
His narrowed gaze fell at her. "At my expense?"
Vivia cleared her throat and averted her eyes.
"Indeed, my lord."
"And you agreed?"
"My lord is quite a prankster himself. I thought you'd enjoy this new experience."
"Why do I feel that you just wanted to see me suffer?"
"That's your imagination, my lord," his facial muscles were unmoved as if paralysis had set in.
Zerath's index finger continued to tap on the chair's armrest. "It's still difficult for me to believe that you participated in something like this. You're always the stern and responsible aide. You never let me play any pranks."
"You're the Crown Prince, my lord. Decorum must be maintained."
"Princess Clairette is also a royal princess."
"Not of Rudaheim's. She's merely a guest."
"So it's fine as long as guests play pranks."
"As long as they're harmless."
Zerath stared at him, recalling the bumpy carriage ride. "...It was far from harmless."
Vivia cleared her throat again.
"You've endured far worse, my lord," he said, unfazed.
It was quite evident that an acceptance of guilt from Lucian was an impossible dream to achieve. So he went on.
"What about Ril?"
"He was happy to get a day off, my lord."
"I'd have given him that if he had just asked."
"Then Princess wouldn't have been able to disguise as a coachman on an official leave, now would she?"
Vivia nodded. "A valid point."
Zerath pressed his lips, then parted. "Considering how she looks exactly like Ril, I believe Sir Draconis is involved too. She could dress like him, but the demon eyes wouldn't have been possible without magic."
"Indeed, my lord."
"So you managed to involve an Order too."
"It seems that the Princess has many talents."
He glanced at her. "And what talents did you exactly use to make him agree?"
"A deal."
"Deal?"
"There is a special breed of owl that is apparently only found in the Human Realm. He agreed to help me in exchange for delivering a few feathers after my return."
"Why does he want an owl's feathers?"
"He didn't reveal his plans to me but considering his…obsessed nature with studying magic, it must be related to some magical spell."
Vivia remembered how the Magic Ministry and specifically, Draconis's office was nothing but a giant hoard of books and scrolls. Lots and lots of books that spoke of magic and the world's structure. Vivia and her relationship with books was already not quite a friendly one since the beginning, so the sight had made her dizzy. She hadn't expected Draconis to be a nerdy demon in any respect.
If he is so obsessed with magic, then why couldn't he do something about Nethermoor! Can being nerdy and lazy go hand-in-hand?
But she remembered how Draconis's eyes had lit up at the prospect of getting his hands on those feathers. An almost sinister expression had laced his face, which made her wonder if it was a bad idea to get into this shady deal, after all.
"I believe he's trying to craft some spell," Lucian said. "For which he needs to understand some properties about that owl's feathers. He says that's how it usually works. Honing magic means to understand the miracles that exists in nature."
"I see," Zerath arched his brow. "Well, I'll have a word with him myself. He really likes colluding with people, it seems."
Whether it's cousin Astaroth or Vivia.
Zerath had known that Draconis was most probably involved with Astaroth's corruption, but he had no direct evidence of it as he had with Astaroth. Astaroth was quite fiery and impatient and didn't give much regard into hiding his tracks that well. But Draconis wasn't a fool. He wasn't an Order for nothing, which proved that even if he had received a share of gold from Astaroth, he was extremely cautious with its use. He wasn't the one to leave breadcrumbs to follow his trail.
Vivia said, "Why are you complaining though? I just had four people on my side. How did you convince an entire city to play a prank?"
"Being the Crown Prince gives me some very convenient powers," he smiled.
She grimaced. "If you hadn't caught me and Eurus at the orphanage, then my cover wouldn't have gotten blown. Count yourself lucky," she snorted.
"Orphanage? No. I realized it quite sooner than that."
She was dumbfounded. "How? My disguise was perfect!"
"You became Ril only on the outside, not inside," he blinked. "I asked what you'd do if you saw your ex in Bellor - Bellor being your hometown."
"So?"
"Bellor isn't where Ril is from. He is from Whivil. You surely became Ril's lookalike, but you didn't know anything about him."
"..."
She glanced at Lucian with grievances. His inscrutable gaze was the same as before.
"I only agreed to help you play the prank. I didn't promise that it'd fool my lord. It was pointless to fool him for more than an hour, much less the whole day."
So I was busted long before already? And here I was celebrating my victory!
Zerath's eyes coolly twinkled. "Apart from dancing, you sing quite well too, Princess. Your tragic song had almost brought a tear to my eye. Almost."
An urge to kick him in the knee erupted within her, but she controlled her instincts.
Vivia said, head held high. "This is just one setback. I'll be more prepared next time. You won't win again."
"Do you see it that way?" He raised a brow. "On the contrary, I feel like I lost to you though."
"How?"
He smiled. "You look charming even as a man."
Vivia stumbled off sideways even though she was kneeling on the ground. The knights guarding the entrance were close to losing their center of balance as well.
Her knees propped back by two steps as if trying to make distance between them. "Crown Prince Zerath, do you admit that you're indeed…"
"I feel like if it's Princess Clairette, then gender wouldn't be such a problem for me."
The merry, cheeky smile lifting his lips felt dead serious for some reason. Nobody could come to a consensus if Zerath was playing another prank or not.
Lucian said in an impassive tone, "My lord must be cautious with his choice of words."
"You don't allow me to play pranks. Am I not allowed to express myself through words too?" He complained.
"Not the kind of words that could cause unnecessary misunderstandings."
"You should ease out a bit, Lucian."
"On the contrary, a little rigidity would be much appreciated on my lord's side."
"The Order is enough to exercise that rigidity. I was a street kid. I like to be a free bird," he chirped.
"Shall I prepare for our return, my lord?"
"Have you talked to Razaas about his responsibilities?"
"Indeed, I've imparted all my knowledge to him. Until my lord appoints a new head, I think he'll do a decent job to look after the orphanage and children. Though he's still unsure."
Ah. So he chose Sir Razaas. The orphanage would be in good hands…Vivia thought with a smile.
Zerath looked at her. "Shall I arrange new clothes for you, Princess?"
She lowered her gaze and then looked back. "I think I'm fine. Men's clothes are actually more comfortable than the heavy dresses," she scratched her chin.
"As you wish. I'll have another word with Razaas and be back."
As he left, Vivia leaned back, resting her weight on her palms. She drew out a long, tired sigh.
"Ah, that was such a bummer. I thought I had him fooled."
She glanced at the side and found Lucian staring at her back with his unreadable gaze. She coughed and straightened her posture again.
"But whatever the outcome, Sir Lucian helped me a lot. Thank you so much. I…hadn't actually expected that you'd agree to help me. Me being a human and you being so loyal to the Crown Prince."
"I feel quite the same on my side. It was unexpected to see the princess's fondness for pranks. As much as I've met you during the annual festival between our realms, Princess Clairette always struck me as a demure woman."
The Festival of the First Light was the only time when the two realms came together to celebrate the end of the horrific war and the welcoming of a new era. It was the only day that humans and demons attempted to hide their hatred behind their mask of fake smiles.
"I'm just trying to live my life to the fullest. Coming so close to death made me realize that I've missed out on so many fun experiences. I'm a Princess, yes, but I don't want to live a caged life."
"That's an unachievable dream, Princess."
Her eyes slightly widened, taken aback.
Lucian's unnerving gaze held hers. "Freedom when you're in a position of power is like trying to bring fire and ice together. You may think that you're free because you've power, but power is one of the most binding chains to ever exist in our world."
"...You think that the Crown Prince is not free?"
"He is especially not free. Neither is His Majesty."
A pang of sadness hit her heart, and her gaze dropped. Her thoughts automatically drifted to Veloria. It occurred to her how Zerath, in a sense, felt like he was chained toward gaining her acceptance.
"Is that why you're so strict with the Crown Prince?"
His eyes weighed her, then broke his gaze first, staring ahead.
"If he wants true freedom, if he wants to break the chains, then he would've to tear the world down and build it anew. The world that he envisions. As long as this current society exists, it only drags you down."
She choked. "Isn't that extreme?"
"Balance only exists in nature, Princess. Society is always very lopsided."
"That's quite a grim view to have, Lucian," Zerath's voice returned and he smiled at the two.
Lucian threw him a blank look. "A kid taken in from the streets is the last person to defend society."
He chuckled. "I'm just saying there're some nice people too."
"Too few to cancel out the lopsidedness."
Vivia alternated her gaze between the two and it brought a smile on her lips. "You really adore the Crown Prince."
Lucian stared at her as if her words didn't make any sense at all.
"I don't particularly like or dislike my lord. I'm just an aide."
"Your words hurt me, Lucian," Zerath held a downcast look. Then he approached him and lifted his chin at an intimate angle.
"Aren't we so close? We practically stick to each other's side all day long."
Vivia let out a sharp gasp and stumbled back again. She rubbed her eyes to check if she was imagining it, but Zerath - the Crown Prince of Rudaheim, was truly staring at Lucian with a questionable and longing gaze.
Eurus finally tore his focus from the balloon, but she covered his eyes. "Not for children! Not for children!"
Lucian's expression didn't falter even by the tiniest fraction by their unnatural proximity. "Is this another prank of yours, my lord?"
A sunny countenance lit his face. "Just thought to get back at you for colluding with the Princess."
"That's petty."
"I never said I wasn't," he chuckled, then glanced at Vivia, who had closed her eyes but was still peeking at them through the slit between her fingers with a crimson blush across her face.
"Now that the prank day is truly over, we should take our leave. How about I ride the carriage this time, Princess?"
Vivia felt an innate sense of danger as he uttered those threatening words. "I'd be happy to ride with Sir Lucian!"
"Ah. A disappointment," he pursed his lips.
Walking to their carriage, they heard a booming voice call out to them. Vivia saw Razaas waving at them with his bulky arm.
"Don't forget to come back some other time, Ril! We'll have that eating contest for sure!"
She brightened and waved back, shouting at the top of her voice. "Yes!!"
She then noticed a small head pop from behind Razaas's legs. The same little demoness child from before timidly looked at her. A nervous smile gradually bloomed on her lips, and she waved her hand, her beautiful eyes shining misty with hope and relief. Her lips parted to say,
'Esthar om ven.'