“I’m Luca. Jon’s assistant.” Luca answered, rubbing his face as he feels the familiar irritation that comes with a hangover. “He asked me to get your phone number and name.” He said, trying to make sense of the situation.

Audrey, equally disoriented pulled away, her eyes flashing with confusion and anger. “I was going to fly out last night! Why did you hold me back? Are you trying to trap me here?"

"So you missed your flight. You can get on the next one. Just give me your name," Luca insisted, not understanding the gravity of her distress.

"No, I can't get out of here until next year because I missed my window! You've ruined everything! Let go of me!" she demanded, Luca not realizing he was holding her tightly.

“What is your deal? Just calm down.” Luca said, loosening his grip on her arm.

“Calm down? Calm down?! You owe me a year of servitude for what you just did!” Audrey shouted as she waved her hand across his face, her eyes subtly glimmering with fairy magic as she attempts to put Luca under a spell. “One year. For one year, you will obey and fulfill my wishes!”

Luca was stunned by her strange act and flinched before scoffing. “Seriously. Just calm down. Let’s go get something to eat, then I’ll drop you off at home or at a relative’s place.” He says, trying to deescalate the situation.

“No… You don’t understand!” Aubrey shouted, frustrated. “I’m not supposed to be here! You kept me here! I don’t have anywhere to go anymore!” She glared at Luca and sighed before crossing her arms. “You’re going to have to take care of me, Luca.” She says, using his name with a contemptuous tone.

Luca was about to retort when his phone suddenly buzzed and rang. He sighed and pulled it out of his pocket to see several missed texts and calls from Jon. Just as he was about to start going through them, Jon had called him again. “God… He’s so impatient.” Luca mumbles before answering the call. They spoke for a few minutes before Luca set out a heavy sigh. “There’s a bit of a situation, but, yeah. Don’t worry, I’ll make it happen.” He says before hanging up and turning to Audrey as he digs into his pocket for a card.

“This is my boss.” He says, handing Audrey a business card with Jon’s name and face on it. “He’d like to meet you. We’ll rendezvous with him before we eat.”

Audrey hesitantly picks the card from his hand, suspicious and still frustrated with the situation, but as she sees the face on the card, her face lights up with recognition. “Hey, I know him! He’s the banner guy!”

Luca rose an eyebrow but nodded. “Yeah. He’s the one who organized and funded the Flower Festival. He saw you dance at the party last night and was interested in meeting you.”

Audrey’s expression was lifting at the thought of meeting the man on the banner, and not only did he want to meet her, but he was interested in meeting her. A small smile formed on Audrey’s face before it paled and she grimaced, her stomach turning before forcing her to rush over the edge of the rooftop and spew out its contents. “Ugh… I don’t feel so good.” She groaned, wiping her mouth.

Luca frowned and his face contorted in mild disgust as he hoped no one below on the street caught was she just threw up. “Lets, uh… Let’s get you something to eat.” He suggested. “And a hangover cure.” He added as he began walking down with Audrey.

“By the way. You still haven’t told me your name. I think I deserve to know that if I’m to be ‘taking care of you’, don’t you think?” Luca prompted, giving her a side stare.

Audrey sighed as she replied, “Audrey.” Though, she hesitated to give him any more information.

Luca nodded and glanced at the purse Audrey dragged by its strap, noting its luxury and worth, recognizing the brand and valuing the accessory to be worth more than a car. “So you missed your flight and you don’t have a home here. Where are you from?” He asked, curious. To Luca, she seemed to have more than enough money to find a comfortable place to stay, though he was unaware of the means of which she obtained her clothes and the accessories she wore.

Audrey groaned and waved a hand dismissively at Luca in response. “Ugh… no questions. My head hurts.” She complained, her face still contorted in a frown due to her hangover.

“Fair enough.” Luca agreed. Though he hadn’t drank nearly as much as Audrey last night, he wasn’t exactly in peak condition either. “I think I remember seeing a Cafe on the first floor of the building.” He adds as they begin to descend through an elevator. “We’ll grab something to drink there before we meet up with Jon.

As they made their way to the café, Audrey thought of the enchantment spell she placed on Luca and wondered if it worked. She could sense her magic on him, but was unsure if it was working with the way he responded. She shrugged, confident that her magic was working, as it’s never failed her before.

As they waited for their drinks, Audrey took the time to closely examine Luca, her gaze scanning his face and comparing it to the business card he gave her. “You look like him.” She notes.

“Yes, I’m told I do. I don’t know why. We’re not related.” Luca replied, a hint of annoyance in his tone.

Audrey examines the photo for a moment before commenting on Jon’s hair. “He has his hair pointing up… is he a fairy?” She asks cautiously. She’s only ever seen fairies with his hairstyle.

“…What?” Luca asked in confusion, though mildly amused before he glanced at the photo, misinterpreting Audrey’s words as a question to Jon’s lifestyle. “Oh. You mean his spiky hair? He’s most certainly not gay.” Luca responds as he hands her a caffeinated drink.

As Audrey takes a long sip out of the drink, she continues to look at the photo on the card, wondering about Jon and his intentions. “What does he want with me? Does he want to capture me?” She asked, Zelda’s words of warning coming to mind. She always wondered if the words were serious about humans or if Zelda had been joking.

Luca chuckled as he responded. “You could say that. Not too many people catch his interest, so he very much wants to meet you.” Though Luca was doing this for Jon, he couldn’t deny he was beginning to feel a pull towards the strange girl as well.

“You’re definitely different from most girls we meet. How long do you plan on staying in town?” He asked, curious and interested as they left the building and walked out onto the street.

Audrey sighed heavily as she glanced up at the sky. “Because of you? A year. I missed my window.” She says before turning to face Luca with a glare. “You owe me now. I don’t have a home here. So you’re going to provide me with one.”

Luca scoffed at her audacity. She expects me to rent her a place to stay? Definitely privileged. Though at least she’s interesting. Luca thought to himself before finally responding. “Tell you what; I have an extra room or two at my place. I can let you stay there, but only temporarily.” He offers, “Consider it repayment for having you miss your flight.”

Audrey nodded in agreement. “Deal. But you also have to promise never to hold me back from flying. Not you or this ‘Jon’ guy, understood?” She added, her tone firm and serious.

Luca shrugged in response, “I don’t intend on making you miss your flights, Audrey.” He says, though he can’t help but smile at Audrey’s serious expression, finding it endearing. However, he shakes the thought, finding her attractive will only be problematic, and he’s sure he’ll be over her by the end of the year. “But, sure. I promise.”

Soon they arrived at the rendezvous spot Jon arranged—a country club. Luca spoke to a receptionist, setting up a one-year membership for Audrey as she was toured around the building. Once done, they sat down and waited for Jon in the lobby before he finally arrived with tea and biscotti.

Audrey’s eyes lit up at both the sight of Jon and the food he brought. She stood up and greeted Jon with a smile. “Nice to meet you. You arranged a grand festival. It was my favorite part of my story.” She says, expressing her delight over her time at the festival.

Jon glanced at Luca, puzzled. “What? What is she talking about? Is she a journalist? Is she writing a story about me?”

“No, she’s not writing a story or anything like that.” Luca explained with a chuckle. “At least not that I’m aware of. We’ve just been waiting for you.” He adds before reaching for a teacup and biscuit.

“Oh.” Jon responded before turning to face Audrey with a smile. “Well, in any case, it’s nice to meet you. As you danced at the festival, I couldn’t help but admire your skill and talent.” He said as he sat down with them.

Audrey responded with a haughty chuckle. “I practiced day and night over the course of months for that dance.” She says with pride, before sighing with disappointment. “Today was supposed to be grand reveal.”

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Jon hummed quietly as he listened. “So you’re a dancer?” He asked intrigued before glancing toward Luca who used the opportunity to excuse himself. “I’m gonna head off, but I’ll be back later.” He says, having done his job and feeling satisfied enough to now take his leave.

Jon nodded before returning his gaze back to Audrey’s seemingly drawn in by her eyes as he begins to feel an unfamiliar emotion surge through his body. “I’m a marketing director at Labon.” He says, properly introducing himself. “I travel around the world as part of my job. I am due to fly out to Paris next week.” He pauses before smiling. “Would you like to come?”

Audrey’s expression beamed with joy as she nodded her head vigorously before grunting softly and pausing, feeling a bit dizzy as the hangover still ails her. “Yes. I’ve been looking for an artifact to bring back home.” If I can bring artifacts from across the mortal world, that would certainly impress everyone back at home! She thought to herself.

“What’s the attire like there? I want to make sure I’m perfectly prepared.” Audrey asked as she reached for a cup of tea.

“Luca can help you with that later. Where are you staying?” Jon asked, glad that Audrey agreed to tag along on for the trip.

Audrey narrowed her eyes and took a sip before responding. “Luca can tell you that later.” She replied with a witty remark.

Jon chuckled in response. “Cheeky. But sure.” He says, dipping his biscotti in tea before taking a bite. “Do you play tennis?” He asked, changing the subject. “The club here has a really nice court.”

Audrey shook her head, having never heard of the game. “No, but I’m a quick learner.” She then mimicked Jon and dipped her biscotti in tea, not having known that was a thing to do.

“Good.” Jon replied with a smile. “Then I’ll teach you.” He says, finishing up his breakfast and standing up. “Can I get your number?” He asks, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Audrey tilted her head in confusion, not understanding as she watched Jon fiddle with his phone. “Luca has it. He can give it to you later.” She lies, standing up as well. “In anycase, I have to go now.” She says abruptly, putting the teacup down before grabbing a hand full of biscotti and rushing out, leaving Jon alone and confused to ponder what just happened.

Audrey burst through the doors and spotted Lucas just outside, arranging transportation for himself. "Luca! Luca!" she called urgently, hurrying over to him. "I need a phone!"

Lucas tilted his head, his brow furrowing as he regarded Audrey. "What? Why? What happened to yours?"

Audrey groaned, rolling her eyes. "You ask too many questions, Lucas. I don’t have one," she retorted, unused to being interrogated.

Lucas harrumphed but relented. "Fine, I'll get you one." His chauffeur pulled up, and Lucas opened the car door. "Anything else?"

"Yes! Clothes! Take me somewhere with lots of clothes!" Audrey insisted, sliding into the car as Lucas held the door, his expression skeptical.

With a resigned sigh, Lucas agreed. "We can go to a boutique near the plaza," he suggested. The chauffeur acknowledged and started driving toward their destination. As they arrived, Lucas stayed in the car, knowing better than to join Audrey on a shopping spree. He knew with her type, he’d most certainly be reduced to a shopping cart for the girl.

When Audrey returned, she had a bundle of expensive clothes draped over her arm. She set the clothes inside before returning back to the boutique. Lucas narrowed his eyes in confusion, wondering why she didn’t have a bag, but as Audrey returned and repeated the same thing four times, he quickly came to the conclusion that she, much like Jon own mother, had simply bought the whole store and was taking out the clothes she planned on wearing immediately.

However, in truth, Audrey was simply window shopping and when no one was looking, used her magic to conjure an exact copy of the clothing she liked. She never entered the store proper and therefore wasn’t given a bag. When she finally returned to the car with the last of her selections in tow, Luca turned and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Why didn’t you get a bag?” He asked, wondering why she felt the need to come back and forth several times.

“I don’t need a bag, this one is perfectly fine.” Audrey responds, holding up her handbag.

"...What?" Luca asked, his confusion deepening. "That’s not what I meant—" He caught himself mid-sentence, realizing it was futile to question Audrey further. Shaking his head, he gestured for the chauffeur to drive them home. During the journey, Luca handed her his spare phone, having restored it to its default settings.

"I don’t know why you don’t have a phone, but you can use this one. I have a few spares at home, so it’s no problem. I swapped the number; you can find it in the settings," he explained. "Since you’ll be living in my home, I’ll need to contact you frequently. Make sure to answer when I call."

Arriving at Luca’s manor, the chauffeur parked and opened the door for them. Luca gestured towards him. "If you need to go anywhere, he can drive you." The chauffeur nodded respectfully. Audrey smiled and nodded in return before turning to Luca.

"I’d like a proper meal. The tea and those biscuits—"

"Biscotti," Luca corrected.

"The tea and those biscotti were nice, but hardly fulfilling," Audrey continued. "I’d prefer a proper meal."

"Agreed. I’ll cook something up. Meanwhile, you can explore the manor. Your room is in the far corner," he said as they entered, parting ways—Luca heading for the kitchen and Audrey went to explore the manor.

When Audrey found her room, she was disappointed. There were no windows, no trees, no pets, no flowers, no fountains and no access to a balcony. She hardly considered it a room. It was so, so much smaller than her own room back home and the thought that she would have to stay in such a bleak and empty room, made her feel disheartened. She began wondering if she could handle a year in the mortal realm, but shook her thoughts, knowing it wouldn’t help to dwell on negative thoughts. With a sigh she reached into her handbag and pulled out an enchanted mirror, though it was magical, to anyone else, it simply looked like a fancy compact mirror used for makeup.

She waved her hand over the reflection and muttered a spell, causing it to link up to its alternate over in the fairy realm. Within seconds, Zelda’s face appeared within the reflection, her expression a mix of relief and disapproval. “Princess. I was beginning to worry. Where are you? I’ll have some servants fly over and meet up with you. You should have called me earlier!” Zelda says, not knowing the gravity of Audrey’s situation.

“Zelda, I’m in still the mortal realm.” Audrey confessed hesitantly, afraid of being scolded. “I’m going to be stuck here for the year.”

Zelda stared at Audrey with wide eyes, her face paling before fainting, her visage disappearing from the mirror’s reflection.

“Zelda? Zelda!” Audrey called out before sighing and closing the mirror. She knew Zelda could be melodramatic and decided to just call her again later. Putting the mirror away, she glanced at the small bed tucked in the corner of the room. Although small, it did look comfortable and well crafted. “At least there’s one good thing.” She mused to herself before stepping out of the room to explore the rest of the manor.

As she explored, she found a number of strange things she’d never encounter before; a television, a stereo, and a room dedicated to books, as though someone built a miniature library within the manor. She stepped into the room for a moment and wondered if Luca had read all of the books within the shelves, or if he simply had collected the books.

Before she could pull a book out of its shelf, she was interrupted by the savory scent of food, indicating that Luca had finished cooking their meal. She immediately followed the source of the smell to the kitchen where Luca had began preparing the dining table.

“Nothing special, just a typical english breakfast.” Luca said as he pulled out a chair and sat down.

Audrey did the same, however she stared at Luca and pushed her plate toward him. “I need you to taste it for me.” She demanded casually.

Luca tilted his head with a look of disbelief. “…What?” He asked, unsure if he should be offended.

“Someone has always tasted my food for me. I need to make sure it’s both tasty and safe.” She explains, as though it should be common knowledge.

Luca sighed and shook his head as he stabbed a sausage on Audrey’s plate and took a bite out of it, staring right into Audrey’s eye as he did. “Happy?” He asked. Luca wasn’t surprised by her reasoning but wondered how long he’d be able to put up with her privileged habits.

Audrey nodded with a smile and sat down, pulling the plate back towards her before digging in with joy. As they ate, Audrey noticed that Luca wasn’t the kind to eat in silence. He had taken to asking her questions. He asked what her plans were now that she was staying in the city, asked again about where she was from and who her family was, but each of the questions were answered vaguely if at all.

After finishing her meal, she stood up and stretched. “I think I could really use a soak in your hot spring,” she said, turning to Luca. “Where can I find it?”

Luca chuckled softly to himself, amused by Audrey’s grand but casual request for a hot spring. He knew she was privileged yet her requests still amused him. Getting up to collect Audrey’s empty plate and placing it in the sink, he replied, “It’s not exactly a hot spring, but the bath is down the hall,” gesturing in the direction she needed to go.

When Audrey entered the bathroom, it was large, almost the size of her room, with a large, sunken tub at the squared at the center of the room. Just behind it, was a glass-encased shower, just as large as the tub itself. The floors were marbled black with veins of gold painted into the tiles. The entire eastern wall was sort of television, though Audrey didn’t know how to operate it, it was set to display the image of a beautiful landscape.

She approached the tub and inspected it, wondering how to make water appear from it. She then glanced around, looking for a basin or something to fill the tub with, but upon seeing nothing, she returned to Luca. “Luca! There’s no water.” She says, sauntering up to him with her arms rested at her hips.

“What do you mean, ‘there’s no water’?” He asked, his brows furrowed as he watched Audrey simply point towards the bathroom. He sighed and walked to inspect it, Audrey following closely behind. He approached the tub and knelt down to turn the knob and water began filling the tub from holes on its sides. He turned to look at Audrey. “It works just fine.”

Audrey stared at the tub, now filling with water as he mouth hanged agape. “How’d you do that? Oh, it’s a contraption” She said, leaning forward to inspect the knob he had twisted.

“Hm.” Luca responded before pointing at the knob. “This one turns on the water.” He then pointed at the next one. “This one turns on the heat.” And he finished by pointing at the last knob. “This one turns on the jets.” He stood up and wondered how Audrey could be so rich, yet so clueless. He decided while he was here, he might as well show her how to operate everything in the bathroom. It took about five minutes, but Audrey proved to be a quick learner, and he soon left to leave her to bathe.

The day had finally arrived for Jon to take Audrey to Paris. Throughout the week, she diligently prepared for the trip under Luca's guidance. During their preparations, Luca had shown her a passport, which puzzled him. He couldn't understand why he had to explain the concept to Audrey, knowing she had flown before. He shrugged off his confusion, attributing it to Audrey always having everything done for her or having her hand held.

When Luca wasn't looking, Audrey used her magic to create a copy of the passport, seamlessly replacing Luca's details with her own.

As the chauffeur drove her to the airport, Audrey was greeted by Jon holding a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. Unfamiliar with the gesture but grateful, Audrey accepted the flowers, finding the mortal realm's blooms a delightful novelty. She briefly struggled with the box of chocolates before successfully opening it, savoring their sweetness with delight. Before long, they boarded the plane, ready for their journey to Paris.