Orange Blossoms

Haku burst into Ren's room without knocking. She was panting, sweat glistening on her red face.

"She woke up!"

The oni had run across the entire city to share this news with the boy, and it was clear he had to go with her now.

Ren got up from his wooden desk and followed the girl leisurely through the streets. She would sometimes rudely tell him to hurry, but most of the time she just cursed Ren under her breath.

Zel was sitting in front of Lily's house when they arrived. This was the first time Ren had seen him in street clothes. The sleeve of his immaculate white shirt lay on the dirty white table, while his brown pants, which reached the middle of his calves, were folded beneath him. His long black hair was tied back, its length falling just past his shoulders. He was boredly pushing an empty cup in front of him.

"It took you a long time to get here."

Haku shot an annoyed glance at Ren, "Because someone didn't want to hurry!"

Ren raised his hands defensively, "She had just woken up. I don't think we should upset her right away. Maybe we could let her rest a little longer."

Although he seemed worried about Lily, he was preoccupied with his date that day and didn't feel like dealing with anything else.

"Honestly, I don't even know why I'm here."

The door flew open, and Lily stepped out, wearing a pair of flat, baby pink shoes. Her long white skirt was split in the front, revealing her bare thighs. A dark brown corset was tightly tied in the front around her waist, holding her hastily put-on top in place. Her orange hair was carefully styled, her bangs perfectly framed her oval face, a braid was above her right ear, and on top of her head, on both sides, two horn-like buns were tightly tied up.

Ignoring them, she started walking towards the castle with hurried steps. She stopped abruptly in front of the gate, taking a deep breath as the others hurried to catch up. Stepping out of the castle courtyard with graceful strides, a faint smile settled on her lips as she held her skirt on both sides to avoid stepping on it. The people greeted her happily as an old friend, and the girl greeted them back kindly. She would even stop to chat, discussing mostly her health or the country's economy. She looked like a princess. With her thin hand, she covered her mouth when she laughed sweetly at something. She nodded understandingly and watched every move of the citizens.

Ren watched her, trying to reconcile this polished princess with the volatile mage who had nearly killed Haku. Was this an act? Was she two different people? He still wasn't sure.

"What is this witch doing?" Haku frowned, her arms crossed.

Ren understood what she meant. The last time they met, Lily seemed more like a mad genius than a delicate young lady.

"Prophet Lily, we pray for your well-being every day. You must also help Ezekiel on his journey. Hurry with your recovery!"

The smile on Lily's face froze for a few seconds, a flicker of irritation crossing her eyes before Zel stepped between the old woman and the about-to-explode prophet.

"Ms. Mary! Thank you for worrying so much about us! Lily's condition will improve when the time comes. Until then, I thank you for the prayer on her behalf. I can assure you that she appreciates it very much. Unfortunately, she is exhausted from all the talking, so we must leave now. Excuse us."

He placed his palm on Lily's back and gently pushed her, so that the old woman wouldn't see her face. The girl, irritated, pouted her face, which she immediately let down when someone came across them.

After a few meters down the street, Lily entered a store whose name Ren couldn't read. He had never thought about it before, but it was strange that he understood the language here. He could speak and read it without any problems.

Looking around, Ren noticed a store’s window framed with a pink curtain next to them. He thought of Sonja. Plush toys and other women's things looked back at him. This is the kind of place a girl like Sonja would shop, he thought, a gentle warmth spreading through his chest.

Ren, drawn by curiosity, stepped away from the group. He walked in front of the glass, his feet taking him closer to the door before he realized it, then entered the store alone.

A pleasant little bell chimed as he entered, announcing his presence. The walls were painted pale red, accented with white furniture and small hearts scattered here and there.

The saleswoman was filling one of the bottom shelves when Ren walked in. She happily left everything on the floor and jumped in front of him.

"Good day! How can I help you?" After she looked at the boy more closely, her grin became even wider. "You're the new boy, aren't you? By any chance, did you find someone for yourself? Here in Ivory Conclave? Maybe I know her! Just tell me her name!"

The middle-aged woman swayed excitedly from her heels to her tiptoes. With her stocky body, she blocked the boy's way. Ren, who was starting to feel uncomfortable from all the questions, regretted coming in here.

The front door opened again, and Zel stepped in. Ren looked at him for help. Fortunately, the Hero was used to handling uncomfortable situations and how to escape from them, or rather, how to rescue Lily from them.

"Good day, Olive! Sorry for the interruption—"

"You could never interrupt me!" the woman cut him off.

"Thank you. I got very thirsty while escorting Lily. Could I get a glass of water? And I would like to hear more about your children."

The woman disappeared into the back with a lot of nodding, so Ren could finally breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you." Ren instinctively shuffled his feet, his gaze flicking around the room as a feeling of unease spread through him. He felt as if he had been caught doing something shameful, but at the same time, he enjoyed it as friendly teasing.

He looked at a few ornate pieces of jewelry, but in the end, he only decided on a bouquet.

"That's not a gift for someone, is it?" Zel's giggle was full of mischievous glee.

Ren fidgeted with the flowers in his hands. Zel slid next to him and provocatively nudged his shoulder.

"Maybe... for Haku?"

All the time they had spent together played out in Ren's head. When she had wanted to kill him, several times, or how she would even eat his food when he wasn't looking, and then innocently pretend she didn't know anything about it.

"No." He stated with a completely straight face.

Zel blinked curiously, "I thought you two were close."

"We are close. Just not like that... I met an elf girl yesterday, and she invited me to meet up today."

On one hand, he said it to clear up the misunderstanding, and on the other hand, he wanted to show off.

Zel's brown eyes started to sparkle, but before he could ask for the elf girl's name, Ren interrupted.

"What about you? You're the Hero, I'm sure every girl would want to go on a date with you."

Zel's face grew somber, "So you heard the prophecy? They're more afraid of diverting me from my destiny."

Ren remembered what he had heard from West and felt even more sorry for him. He had almost forgiven him for the stabbing. Ren stroked Zel’s back awkwardly.

Zel placed a few gold coins on the table and yelled something to the woman in the back, then they left the store. Lily and Haku were already waiting for them. They noticed the orange flowers in Ren's hand and looked at each other, then at Lily's hair.