Odilia arrived in the capital of Kuroba by carriage with Merlin and Emiko the following night. When she woke the next day, she was surprised, but felt at home lying on a thin futon splayed on the bamboo floors in the morning.

Odilia’s stay in Toukuhai wasn’t going to be as long as Erwin first described it to be. She only had a week before Erwin would move on to Makigawa and she would return home to watch over the birds.

Emiko wasted no time and created a tourist plan for the two of them. As promised, handsome Merlin was there also.

The night before, Odilia had teased Emiko for having a crush and Emiko admitted to liking him saying, “Of course I like him, I have eyes!” So now every time Merlin looked away, Odilia wiggled her eyebrows at her friend and whispered childish comments.

“Eye-candy, you say,” Odilia snickered. “Is he the medicine to your illness too?”

Emiko shoved her. “You are so not funny.”

“You’re smiling.”

Emiko rolled her eyes. “Your words don't even make sense.”

Besides their playful bickering and shared admiration for Merlin’s hotness, Odilia truly felt free since becoming an adult. She finally got to admire the capital city without having to rush through it with the beck and call of Erwin’s job as she usually did.

For starters, the architecture of the city was beautiful. The houses weren’t clumped so close together and had vibrant green lanes of grass. Some people had front yards where flowers, or even fruits and vegetables would blossom. Some houses weren’t houses, but apartments, tiny houses stacked upon each other one after another. The market, in contrast, was overly crowded, but in a beautiful way with various shades of colors. Odilia enjoyed the buzz of noise and people whose lives were so far away and different from hers.

Someone bumped into her. Odilia looked down and saw a girl. Her hair was long and black with short bangs parted down the middle. The girl wore a sakura pink kimono. She looked like Ai before Ai became a crane. Odilia frowned.

“Come on!” Emiko tugged on Odilia’s kimono sleeve. “We’re late.”

Odilia had stopped in her tracks so she now hurried to catch up to her friends. The three were on their way to see a play staged in the public theatre.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The story told at the play was the story of Hannya, a youkai or ghost story about a woman whose evil nature turns her into a beast. Emiko bought them matching masks of Hannya's face after the play.

“Why?” Odilia demanded, holding up the grotesque snarl framed by tall horns and pointed ears.

Emiko put her mask on, decorating it to the side of her head like an ornament. “Why not? It’s fun.”

After four days, Merlin’s lenient days of work were over so for the rest of the week, the girls went shopping.

“Let’s get new fabric for kimono!” suggested Emiko.

“Sure,” said Odilia. “As long as they’re cheap.” Odilia hadn’t cared much for the fabric of her clothing in the past, and she’d cared less after experiencing four years of constant travel. When on the move, you learn to value comfort over trends. Most days, Odilia just wore men’s clothing. Erwin didn’t mind.

The market place was bursting with more people than usual. When Odilia and Emiko reached the stand that sold bundles of cotton and silk, women and girls were wrestling over the little that was left.

“What’s going on?” Emiko demanded the store owner. She had to yell a little to get heard over the noise. In response, the store owner pointed to a pamflet nailed to a post. Similar notices were plastered on the walls of nearby buildings or billboard stands of various businesses. Odilia couldn’t make out the whole paper, but one line was bold and clear.

“His highness’s birthday celebration…” Emiko squinted. “...and we’re all invited!?” she squeaked the last one in a bite. “Why didn’t Merlin say anything?”

Odilia poked her arm. “The days of leniency, remember?”

Emiko took her gloved hand in reply. “Girl, we can not shop here.” Emiko scooted away from the small shop, driving Odilia away too.

“What’s wrong with that shop besides it having only two colors left to choose?” wondered Odilia. “It’s not like the prince would actually see us.”

“But all the other eligible bachelors in this country would,” said Emiko. “Everyone is invited. And by that, I mean, everyone.”

“So?” Odilia crossed her arms. “I thought you moved to the capital to get a job.”

“And get married, buy a house, and have children.” Emiko added. “You know, so I actually have a life.”

“Ehhh…” Odilia didn’t exactly agree with that opinion. A life wouldn’t chain someone down to one person, place, or thing. Life meant flight, freedom and movement. Like traveling the world instead of staying cooped up in a house. Odilia was thinking of Erwin’s recent decisions for her. Odilia leaned back so she could better see her friend. “I guess Merlin would be there, but he already knows what you look like.”

Emiko harrumphed and flipped a lock of silky brown hair behind her back. “More the reason to have him see me all dressed up. Besides, I’m not betting my chances with Merlin, Lili. There’s a difference between husband-material and eye-candy.”

“There is?”

Emiko nodded.

“Oh.”