I found Kia waiting in the main hall. She was still wearing that formal outfit from before: dark-red leggings, those tall black boots, and the frilly white top with gold trim. Her sword was at her waist, like always, and her long white hair was in a neat braid over her shoulder. Standing this close to her, my brain kind of stopped working.

She caught me staring and gave a small smirk.

“See something you like, Shako?”

My face went red right away.

“I—uh, no! I mean, you look nice. Very… formal.”

Kia laughed.

“I told you, this is what I wear on official business. A princess must look the part, even on a casual stroll. Come on, before Astress finds another excuse to make you carry plates.”

We went down the entrance hallway. Usually, walking through the castle felt endless, but today it was even worse. I didn’t know where to look. If I stared at the floor, I could almost hear Astress telling me to keep my chin up.

Raise your head, Mister Ikitayashi.

If I looked ahead, Kia was right there, and that weird knot in my stomach tightened even more. Was I supposed to walk beside her? Or behind her? She was royalty, and I was just some kid in a borrowed servant’s uniform.

“You are very quiet,” Kia said, glancing at me. “Are you still sore from practice?”

“A little,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. “Mostly, I’m just trying not to walk like an idiot. Astress spent several days lecturing me on my posture.”

Kia chuckled.

“Astress is, as ever, excessively diligent in her duties. But you are not on duty today. There is no need to conduct yourself as if you are on parade.”

We pushed open the heavy front doors and stepped into the courtyard gardens. The air was warm and kind of dry, and it smelled like sun-baked stone and flowers. Some gardeners were working near the hedges, and another was fishing leaves out of the big stone fountain in the middle. Ignis flowed through the fountain, bubbling and making the white stone paths glow. I stopped by the edge, trying to think of something normal to say so I wouldn’t look like a total fool.

“Are all the plants here from Elysium?” I asked, looking at the bright red flowers and the bushes with pale white leaves. “Back home, almost everything is green. Here, it feels like it’s always autumn.”

“Most of them are,” Kia said, stopping beside me. She lightly touched the petal of a red blossom. “The soil here has Ignis running underneath it, so the plants take on the heat of the land. It would be a shame not to give them the recognition they deserve.”

“I guess that’s fair,” I said. “Back on Earth, it’s mostly concrete and roads. We don’t really have places like this. Or, if we do, I’ve never seen them.”

Kia looked at me thoughtfully.

“You speak of your home as though you miss it, yet you make it sound rather dull.”

“Yeah, I guess I am,” I said with a shrug. “But it was home.”

Her expression softened.

“Then I will have to show you that Gehenna has plenty of good things to see, too.”

She smiled and led the way toward the outer gate. We stepped through the gates, and the quiet garden was instantly replaced by the noise of the city. The street was wide and paved with smooth flagstones. High-roofed wooden buildings lined both sides, and low stone channels of Ignis ran along the curbs like glowing streams.

“Torin, move!” someone shouted.

Suddenly, two boys came sprinting out of an alley, chasing after a wooden toy. The older one ran straight into Kia, bumping into her side. The younger one tripped and fell on the stone street. The older kid started to complain, but then he looked up, saw the gold trim on Kia’s shirt, and his face went totally pale.

“P-Princess Kia!”

Kia dropped onto one knee right in front of them, completely ignoring the dirt on her boots.

“Are you two alright?” she asked gently.

“W-We’re sorry, Your Highness!” the older boy stammered, his voice trembling. “We were racing, and I didn’t see you, and—”

“It is fine,” Kia interrupted softly, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “No one is hurt. But you must be more careful. The street is crowded today, and you could get hurt if you run into a wagon or a patrol.”

She looked down at the younger boy and pointed at his scraped knee.

“Can you promise me to watch where you are going next time?”

Both boys nodded as hard as they could.

“Yes, My Lady!”

Kia smiled and gently ruffled their hair.

“Good boys. Off you go now, before your parents begin to worry. And do try not to get into any more trouble on the way.”

The boys scrambled up, bowed so hard they almost knocked heads, grabbed their toy, and bolted back down the alley as fast as their legs could carry them. Kia stood back up, dusting off her knees with a satisfied breath.

“You’re really good with kids,” I said, kind of amazed.

Kia shrugged as we kept walking.

“They are only children, Shako. Yelling at them would only make them afraid of the crown, and fear makes for poor subjects.”

“Still… I don’t think your father would have ruffled their hair.”

“My father would have lectured them on street safety for an hour,” she said with a laugh, rolling her eyes. “Trust me, that is far worse than anything I could say.”

We walked down the main road until we hit the marketplace. The noise was everywhere. Merchants shouted from under brightly colored stalls, selling purple vegetables, sweet-smelling bread, and white apples. The smell of grilled meat over hot braziers made my stomach start growling immediately. A lot of people recognized Kia. Older stallholders bowed, and a group of young women whispered among themselves as we passed. Kia waved and greeted a few people by name, acting totally relaxed.

Then their eyes turned toward me.

I could feel everyone staring. I tugged at my stiff collar, suddenly wishing I could disappear into the ground.

“Shako, look at this,” Kia said, stopping by a vendor with an orange canvas cart.

Dozens of spun, glowing candies on little wooden sticks hung from the cart’s roof, shining in shades of yellow and amber.

“Have you ever had Solar Spun?” she asked.

“No. Does it taste good?”

The stall owner, an older man with a bushy mustache, chuckled.

“The best in the realm, lad! Fresh spun sugar, warmed right over the valley vents.”

Kia pulled out two silver coins and paid before I could even check my empty pockets. She handed me one of the glowing sticks.

“Here. Try it.”

I took a small bite. It melted instantly on my tongue—sweet, warm, and tasting a bit like honey and oranges.

“Whoa,” I said, blinking. “That’s actually really good.”

Kia took a bite of hers and smiled.

“Astress and I used to sneak out of the palace to buy these when we were little. My father always found out, of course, but Luzel would talk him out of punishing us.”

We walked side by side down the avenue, eating our candy in the sun, almost like we were two normal teenagers. And that was when it hit me.

Wait a minute.

She asked me to come with her.

She showed me around the city.

She bought me food.

We’re walking together like this.

Is this… a date?!

I almost choked on my candy.

No way. That couldn’t be right. She’s an actual princess, and I’m just some awkward guy from Earth who barely knows how to sweep a floor. She’s just being nice to the stray she picked up, that’s all.

Still, my heart wouldn’t calm down. I glanced at her. The sunlight made her white hair shine, and she was smiling at the shops. She looked way out of my league. Maybe because she was.

“Shako?” Kia stopped and looked at me, tilting her head. “Why is your face so red? Was the candy too warm?”

“N-No! It’s fine! Totally fine!” My voice cracked a little. “It’s just… really hot out here. Lots of sun.”

Kia blinked, looking confused, before a teasing grin appeared on her face.

“If you are feeling too warm, I know a place where we can find some shade. There is a lovely spot by the river, just through that archway. Shall we?”

She turned and started down a set of stone stairs. I stood there in the heat, trying to calm down and hoping I wouldn’t embarrass myself.

I trailed after her, watching as she unbuckled her sword and took off her boots. She dangled her feet in the river like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Wait, what are you doing?!”

She glanced at me, looking kind of confused, then laughed.

“Taking a break, of course. Come, sit down.”

I did as she told me and sat down next to her. I took off my shoes and slowly dipped my toes into the warm orange water beneath me.

“Do you recall when I mentioned that the Ignis is rather pleasant at this time of year? Well, what do you think?”

“It’s… pleasantly warm, yes. Not as warm as the Ignis back at the castle, of course, but still…”

My heart wouldn’t stop racing. Sitting here, side by side with a princess, feet bare in the river, I kept telling myself not to freak out.

Easier said than done.

“How do you know this spot?”

Looking back, maybe it was a weird thing to ask. I was kind of overwhelmed, though, so I couldn’t really think straight. Still, it felt better than just sitting here and saying nothing.

“My mother used to come here, back when she had only just become queen of Elysium. Whenever life at home felt too heavy, she would slip away to this place for a little peace.”

“Is that also why

you

come here?”

“Yes, as it happens,” she replied with a soft sigh, then continued, “But I noticed that you seem troubled by something as well, so I believed it might be beneficial for both of us.”

I just kind of stared at her. My mind went blank, and whatever words I wanted to say just got stuck somewhere.

“What is on your mind, Shako? You can be honest with me.”

I didn’t really want to tell her that my heart was racing a million miles per hour right now, but I didn’t know what else to say.

“I… I don’t really know. There’s just too much going on inside, I guess. I can’t really figure out what I’m supposed to feel.”

“Like what?”

“I just… I still feel out of place, no matter where I am. It’s like I’m pretending to be someone I’m not, and… I’m kind of worried I’ll mess up or let you down. Or break one of your father’s rules or something.”

“Shako…”

She said my name so tenderly that I couldn’t help turning to look at her.

“You do not have to prove your worth to me every second. I chose to bring you here.”

“I know. I’m just… being pathetic, is all.”

“You are not pathetic. You are simply lost, and there is no shame in needing someone to help you find your way.”

Kia stood up and held out her hand to me.

“Well then, shall we continue our excursion?”

I hesitated for a second before taking it.

“Thank you, Kia. You always know what to say to cheer me up.”

“It is no trouble at all, Shako. However, there is something I feel I must say.”

She took both my hands in hers. Her hands were smaller than I expected, but somehow they felt steady.

“Please, do not be so quick to dismiss your own worth. Even if you cannot see it now, your life holds meaning—of that, I am certain.”

I didn’t really mean to start crying, but I guess those words just got to me. I remembered what Rai told me that day: You’re not a nobody, Shako. I tried to wipe my eyes and blew my nose with the handkerchief I always kept in my uniform pocket. Doing this right in front of her was kind of embarrassing, honestly.

After that, we kept wandering around town. We checked out some tiny shops, special monuments, and all these corners of Gehenna I probably never would’ve found by myself.

The first place we went was this workshop squeezed between two wooden buildings. Above the door hung a sign with a flaming hammer, and as soon as we walked in, the heat smacked me in the face. The blacksmith wore soot-covered goggles and hammered away at some weird, glassy metal that glowed orange under his hammer. He stopped as soon as we came in and bowed. Kia started talking to him like they were old acquaintances, asking about shipments and picking up this dagger with a handle carved from the horn of some mountain beast. I just kept my hands shoved in my pockets, way too scared I’d knock over or break something.

A little further down, we ended up in an open plaza with a huge stone monument in the middle. It was a statue of some knight in armor, holding a broadsword that pointed down into a bowl of fire. There was a plaque at the bottom, but I couldn’t read any of it.

“That is Lord Vaelen,” Kia explained, noticing me staring. “He defended Gehenna’s gates centuries ago during the Great Siege. Our people leave offerings here when they pray for good fortune before a journey.”

Just like she said, the ledge around the statue was covered with little gifts—woven flower wreaths, coins, and these tiny carved stones.

From there, the street went uphill toward a set of white stone terraces that looked out over the city’s western canal. Street performers were everywhere, and people crowded around to watch. One guy spun rings of fire and caught them behind his back like it was nothing. A little further on, an old baker waved Kia over and grinned at us. Before I could say anything, he handed us both these warm pastries covered in some kind of spice and refused to take even a single coin from Kia.

Every time we turned a corner, I felt like I was seeing a new side of this place. Back home, towns were always busy, everyone glued to their phones or running for the train. Here, it was different. The air smelled like roasted meat and sweet bread, and there was this quiet humming sound from the Ignis channels under the street. The more we walked together, the more the awkwardness in my chest faded. People kept bowing to her, but when she looked back at me to show me some weird bell tower, a clock with spinning rings, or a stall selling glowing stones, she just seemed like a normal girl showing her friend around.

After a while, the crowds thinned as we got closer to a park. I didn’t notice at first, but two people were watching us from way up on the rooftops.

“So that’s our hero, right?”

“So it would seem. I confess, I expected a figure shaped more…”

“…Brawny?”

“I might have said heroic. But the word is often mistaken for something visible.”

“Well, you know what they say. Beggars can’t be choosers. We take what we can get.”