In the following days after Taron and Torin's return to Eirad, there was a huge celebration that consisted of festivities that the entire capital took part in. Parades, theaters, and the like were included. It was nice, celebrating with my family. However, while their demeanors on the outside didn't show it, I could tell that the troubles involving the failed alliances and the pressure that Zathron had put on them were weighing on their minds the entirety of the time.

On the last day of the festivities, a royal gathering was held on the grounds of the castle in one of the grand rooms, consisting of royalty, nobles, and the likes. Naturally, I had to attend and wear one of those God-awful pink frilly dresses that made me mentally vomit every time I opened my closet and saw it hanging from the clothing racks. After being greeted by high-ranking officials for what seemed like countless times and sitting by the King's side listening to endless deliberations on the failed collaborations, which heavily consisted of Zathron's disapproval of the King's agenda and the insertations of his personal opinions that others agreed with, I managed to slip away to a table in the corner of the room with Akano, where I could be at ease. I had planned to tell her about my idea of leaving the kingdom in secret and the journey I wanted to make to the Elven Kingdom for two good reasons. One, being that if she tagged along with me, things would certainly go a lot smoother. The other, being that I couldn't very well order her away or slip away from her since she was always by my side. I felt as if I could trust her, so I sprang it on her.

"You want to do what and go where?" Akano replied, eyeing our surroundings, hoping no one heard my ridiculous request. "Yuki, is your head alright?"

"My head is fine. I know it sounds crazy, but I need to get to the Elven Kingdom."

"Crazy doesn't scratch the surface of it. " She whispered severely. "You're telling me that you want to leave the kingdom behind your father's back, and trespass into not only a nation, but the palace of the King, risking capture that won't only certainly spell your death, but throw both kingdoms into war?" After pausing, I nodded my head. "That's out of the question, absolutely not. I won't let you go and put yourself in danger like that." She replied, her tone hardening. "Do you know what they'll do to you if you're caught? You're the Princess, Yuki."

"Then all the more reason you should come with me," I replied, doubling down on my request. "With you by my side, I know I can get there and back without any trouble. And if you won't come, then...." I clenched my fists and showed her my unwavering eyes. "I'll go alone."

Akano paused and gazed at my determined look in disbelief before she spoke. "You....aren't going to back down, are you?" She asked, with me replying by shaking my head, to which she gave a defeated sigh. "You've always been stubborn Yuki, but this is something else." She observed a group of nobles heading in our direction. "We'll talk about this later tomorrow. Now's not the time." She prepared her fake smile for the nobles, and I did the same, hoping that she would consider my request, for if she didn't, things would get a lot more troublesome.

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Akano and I decided that we would talk over what I had asked of her during the Academy's free period, which started around midday. We agreed that we would meet in the academy's library since it's usually empty and where I spent most of my day. While I was waiting for our time to meet, I did what I usually did and read books about the world to pass the time. By this point, I had already read most of the books in the library, but there were still some I didn't bother picking up since they didn't seem to be useful, but on a whim, I decided to head to the section of the library that I had never been to, just to kill time. I reached for a book on the shelf and tried to pull it from the spot, but it didn't budge. I was so used to being alone that it took me a while to notice that someone else had reached for it too, and he was right next to me. Awkwardly, we just stared at each other. I could tell because of his wild sunset-orange hair and matching eyes, that he was an outlier. Along with that, he donned something irregular on the top of his head, barely visible as if he was trying to hide it....

"One horn? And that hair, where have I seen these features before?"

As I tried to jog my memory, the boy grew impatient and scowled. "When are you going to let go?" He asked while his eyes narrowed.

"S-Sorry." I apologized while removing my hand from the book, him taking it off the shelf and clutching it tightly. "That book....it's about cooking. Is that something you do often?" I asked, trying to lighten the tense air that had suddenly encircled us.

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"It's none of your business whether I do or don't." He fired in response, before turning around and stepping off.

"Right....." It was clear that he either didn't like talking to me or talking to people in general. That was the first time I had ever seen him so I had no clue if I did something to make him as irritated as he seemed. "This is why I should just mind my business." I grumbled to myself, picking up another book and returning to my corner of the library.

"Who was he?" For some reason, I couldn't get him out of my mind. I'd been in the library day in and day out and had never run across him until today. Also, almost all the other students were still in their classes. His being here at this time proved that he was just like myself, someone who had tested out of the curriculum. I still couldn't recall where I had seen someone who shared the same appearance as him, so I shook it off and killed time until Akano had arrived.

"Alright Yuki," She started as she took the chair across from me and sighed, showing signs that she wasn't very ecstatic about breaking and entering into a land that we were forbidden from stepping foot on. "I'm all ears."

"Right," I began as I pulled out and spread the map of the Elven Kingdom that Akano handed me earlier in the morning, which she retrieved from the Association's Headquarters upon my request yesterday. "So, as you know already, I need to get to the Elven Kingdom, more specifically," I pointed to the spot where the Elven King's Palace was estimated to be located on the map. "Here."

Akano leaned over the table and observed where I had placed my finger. "The Tree of Wisdom?" She replied with a raised brow and a confused look, to which I nodded my head. "Why do you need to go there, of all places?"

I pursed my lips. This is where I was stuck. I hadn't decided yet as to whether I should fill Akano in on what I was trying to achieve in relation to the Queen, or keep her essentially in the dark, only telling her what she needed to know. I closed my eyes, thinking it over, and after a brief pause, opened them, having come to a decision.

"I.....can't say."

"You can't say?" She echoed, to which I shook my head. After staring at me in suspicion, she leaned back into her chair and exhaled heavily. "So, you want me to help you do something as ridiculous as this, for a reason that I can't know?"

"I'm sorry. It sounds unreasonable and selfish, but, this is something I need to do, Akano. I know it's difficult to follow along with something when you're not even allowed to ask why you're doing it. So.....I get it if you won't-"

"I'll go."

I broke off from my sentence and slightly widened my eyes in surprise. "You...will? Really?"

"Don't get me wrong, I do still think this is a very bad idea. I was really only considering whether or not I should let you go but by the look on your face just now, you weren't going to take no for an answer." Akano stood up and placed her hands on the table. "So, I'm in. What friend would I be if I let you go by yourself anyway?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, I sat back down. "Thanks, I really don't know how things would go if I went alone."

"So, what's the plan?"

"Uh, that's still a work in progress."

"You wanted to break into another land, and you don't have a plan yet?" I shook my head in response. After thinking for a bit, Akano responded. "I think I could find us a way to the border in secrecy, but there is that matter of actually getting inside the nation. You do know there is a barrier set across the entire Kingdom, right?"

"About that, I think I can find us a way inside, using my magic."

"Conjuring magic? That just might work, though I can imagine it's never been done before since there's only been a handful of people like yourself throughout history and I'm certain none of them used it to break into a Kingdom."

"I guess I'll be the first." I joked with a light smile on my face. "Just leave it to me. Now, there is the matter of just how I can slip away from the castle. Any ideas?"

"An extended trip, maybe?"

"To where exactly? Obviously, I can't tell them the Elven Kingdom. If we're going with that, it needs to be somewhere far away, so my disappearance from the capital wouldn't be unusual. "

"If it needs to be far, I think the Academy is sending certain students to the outer region of Eirad as a part of their studies. You can use that as an excuse. As long as no one cross-checks the list of students going, we should be fine."

"Great, that should be fine. I still would like to limit the inconsistencies though, what day do they leave, and for how long will they be out of the capital?"

"The day after tomorrow, I believe. And for five days."

"Five days.....is that enough time?"

"Judging by the distance we have to cover to reach the capital," Akano started as she analyzed the map. "We'll be entering from some ways away from the Kingdom's center, so we'd have to cover some ground, but it should be just enough time."

"Alright." Our eyes met for a second, and we both couldn't help but chuckle a little. "This is going to be some journey, isn't it?"

"Let's hope it's not, for the both of us."

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I broke the news of my "trip" to the King and my siblings in the dining hall later that evening, and they all seemed to buy it. I felt a little guilty lying about where I was actually going but this time, I was lying for the sake of Yukina, and not myself. I was determined to help her return to her body. I tried not to think about where I would end up when she was out of that space she was stuck in, though it would occasionally surface from time to time. Whether I would get pushed out and cease to exist or return to my world where I was certain I was six feet under already, both outcomes scared me. But I had to keep going, for her sake and well, mine too.