That afternoon, everyone gathers in the East garden of the estate to prepare for the festival. As tradition dictates, the various families in the region come together in one location to display their agricultural products. This year, the honour falls upon my family's farm. The festival will consist of three parts: in the morning, the vendors will compete to see who has the best agricultural products; during midday and afternoon, there will be a self-service buffet and a tea party; and the highlight of the festival will be the evening ball. Everyone is specially invited to attend the ball at our castle, and to dance as long as they are appropriately dressed. It does not have to be expensive attire, as long as they wear their most beautiful outfit.

Before the sun disappears behind the rugged mountain ranges, we come to see the booth of the Lamstrong family. It must be said that everyone in the region values this festival. I see that the other booths are almost ready, and even people from far away have set up tents to sleep in their booths. David takes Thena and Kevin to see the other booths; my parents and Diana stay inside to prepare for tomorrow's feast, so I will be responsible for our booth. When I arrive at the booth's location, the sight of Enzo transporting crossbars to set up the stage hits me in the eye. My golden hair is not as shining as his smile. I will honestly say that I am completely fascinated by this young man. But as a woman of character, I will not reveal my yearning. Enzo is joking with the relatives, but when he sees my gaze, he turns and walks towards his sweetheart. I quietly turn to talk to the gardener of our house, Mr. John.

"I hear you have produced the largest pumpkin ever, haven't you?"

"A big accomplishment indeed, my lady!" John exclaims excitedly. Without wasting much time, he leads me to see his one-of-a-kind pumpkin at the back.

If one were to say a big accomplishment, it may sound somewhat exaggerated, but one cannot deny that it is the largest pumpkin I have ever seen. I sit down, running my hand over the rough surface of the pumpkin. I cannot hide my amazement and excitement. I stand up, turning to praise the skill of this talented gardener:

"You have truly opened my eyes, John!"

"Everything is for you and your family, my lady!"

I smile and watch him go to oversee the other stages. At this moment, Enzo also happens to approach. He nods to greet me as a courtesy, and I just smile slightly. Looking at the relatives working continuously to build a large booth, I cannot help but compliment:

"We will win tomorrow!"

"My lady, even though I am proud of our product, I do not think so," Enzo responds respectfully. I know exactly how he speaks.

"Oh, why is that?" I ask in surprise.

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"Because there is something even more perfect here," Enzo replies slowly and meaningfully. Like a fisherman, he waits for the fish to bite the hook!

"Tell me, Enzo," I feel a little annoyed that I am not getting an immediate answer. And it is crazy when I say this, I feel a little jealous of what he is about to say.

Far away, my two siblings and Kevin are walking towards me with the sunset trailing behind them. When I turn to Enzo, I see that he has been staring at me for a while. I am both afraid of being caught and embarrassed like a little girl who has just received the doll she has always wished for. I look elsewhere, unable to hide the blush on my cheeks. If anyone asks, I will say I am allergic.

I avoid his gaze, but my ears still hear his amused laughter. I clasp my hands tightly together to keep myself calm. My siblings are getting closer, and I silently count each beat in my chest. One, two, three, four... I think I might have skipped a beat.

“My lady, the most beautiful thing is the person I am looking at right now."

I am sure I have skipped a beat when he whispers sweet nothings in my ear. Like a hymn, I feel like I am ascending to heaven with a sense of serenity I have never felt before. It is a pity that I am too well-behaved and restricted by rules, or else I would have turned around and kissed him right now. Damn it, he has made me crazy! At once, I do not know what to do or how to behave properly, except for scolding him in a soft tone.

"Watch your language, Enzo!"

But he knows how to put me in a dilemma. He pushes me to the brink of breaking faith, morality, and virtue. I resist, but I also want to give in. A weak person like me is gradually tamed by him.

"Yes, my lady!"

Enzo lowers his head, seeming to know his mistake, but his tone rises high and tender, making it impossible for him to be serious. I purse my lips to keep from becoming too angry by laughing like a lunatic. Luckily, my siblings have come to rescue me. David throws me an apple, and luckily Enzo helps catch it for me, as I am a poor catcher. He hands the apple to me, and I try to avoid his gaze as much as possible. David bites into the apple in his hand and says:

"This year seems to be very difficult!"

"Why?" I look at David and the apple in my hand.

"Gramwell's apple," Thena answers. "Try it and you'll know."

"I won't eat it here!" I am very difficult when it comes to these issues. A noblewoman would not do such things.

David looks at Thena and the two of them shrug, ignoring me as they are used to my rigidity. David splits the apple in half with the strength of his hand. He raises the apple in front of me, and to my surprise, the apple has no seeds! A few minutes ago I was still marvelling at the pumpkin from our house, now my eyes are lit up by an apple that can fit in the palm of my hand like this.

A pumpkin can be larger than usual. But why does this apple not have seeds? Can humans overcome the usual laws of nature?

The afternoon sun slips over everyone's heads, flowing like the silk headbands of Muslim women in the land of the windy desert.