"How are you, my son?"
A very unexpected visitor was hanging out with the Principal as Aaron was deliberately called in the dawn in his office. Still wearing his grey sleep wear, he gazed at his father who seemed younger than usual. He looked exactly like Aaron in his 20s.
"Why are you here, father?" he asked the King who had a very smug smile plastered on his face. Aaron knew that his father will never be able to smile that way if his mother is not around. And just as he guessed, his mother came out of the comfort room of the principal, looking young again.
"We wanted to go to the flower island for their annual festival. Your mom and I had the enchanted stones to keep the people from knowing our real identity." the king said, laughing a lot as the beautiful queen sat beside him. The principal was just looking at them, smiling too, because he was honored by their very presence.
"Father, I hate to break it to you, but the people will recognize you. The two of you look younger, but you have the same face."
"But we are wearing commoner's clothes, Aaron," the king said, quite sad now because he realized that their child was right.
Aaron sighed. He had mastered the art of convincing the king by using his mother as an alibi. "Father, what will you do if they recognize my mother?"
The king's smile was wiped out in an instant that it almost scared the principal. "Cut off their hea—"
The queen lightly smacked the shoulder of the king and hid her mouth and nose with her fan. The king immediately shut up and looked at her like he was in love with her.
He, in fact, is desperately in love with her.
"I told him that it's a very stupid idea. I knew that the people will recognize us but he insisted," the queen said, sighing. Her blue eyes twinkling in the room.
"It's the only opportunity I have to see you as you were when I married you!" the King explained, now bowing in front of the queen, afraid that he might have upset her. "I want to marry you again!"
The queen and Aaron, together with the principal was so appalled by the actions of the king.
"Behold, the courageous king who is hailed as the best in over a hundred years," Aaron said, laughing, as the queen comforted the king.
"Oh, and Aaron, you can invite a friend to the island with us," the queen said and smiled at him as the king was happily sitting again, sipping his tea. He really loved the taste of the yang flower tea, and he always drinks it with the queen. "It's the most perfect time to go to the flower island, so I'm sure you will have a great time."
"I'll think about it, mother," Aaron said and smiled at her. The first and only person that came into his mind was his beloved Lorelei—Therese, and he immediately thought about how he would invite her.
"She'd really look beautiful with all the flowers surrounding her," he said to hinself as the king and queen laughed with each other.
"By the way, Mr. Aaron," the king spoke teasingly as he held on the hand of the queen. "We will depart after an hour, so you better hurry if you want to invite your friend."
"A-an hour? It's dawn!" Aaron was so surprised he yelled in a whispering manner. The king didn't care anymore because his attention was onto someone else now.
"Sorry, Aaron. We have to travel by sea for 8 hours because it's far. So we have to arrive there before lunch for our lodging. You have to hurry up to invite your friend now."
The principal smiled at Aaron. "You won't get in trouble for sneaking."
Aaron sighed and went to his room to change and pack his clothes in a hurry. He made sure to wear nice clothes for when he goes to invite her. He fixed his now black hair and he kind of wished he could go out with his own face, but he knew he couldn't.
He took his bag and hurriedly went to the girls dormitory without thinking much as to what he would do and say, and that took a toll on him as he stood in front of Therese's door.
He mustered his strength and knocked on the door, careful not to wake other people in their rooms.
It took him a long while of standing before Therese finally opened the door. She was wearing her white sleeping gown, making Aaron get flashbacks about their times together. Her hair was quite disheveled and her face had obvious drool lines, but she still looked pretty to Aaron who blushed so hard, again.
"Hello, Therese," he called, and the sound of his voice instantly woke her up from her dazed state.
"E-Eros? What are you doing here?!" she asked as she covered her mouth, scared of Eros smelling her morning breath.
"I'm sorry for coming to your room in such a hurry and at dawn, but we have to hurry up now," Aaron said. "We are going to the flower island."
"Flower Island?" she asked, her face brightening up and she moved closer to him. "Today is their festival isn't it? We are going there, won't we?"
"We will, so you need to change and pack your clothes too," Aaron said and showed her the bag he was carrying.
Therese hurriedly closed the door and changed her clothes, and she made sure to dress nicely.
"It... Feels like a date..." she said as she clutched her chest, confused as to why it was beating so fast. "Come on, Therese, don't think like that."
She fixed her hair and put in her hat, and she took cute clothes with her before opening the door.
Aaron looked at her, and he couldn't help himself from being amazed as to how she looked. He always thought that she was an angel that he didn't deserve, and looking at her now only aggravated that feeling—the feeling of helplessness before her, as if he was unworthy of even looking at her.
He gave in to his feelings and he stepped forward, making Therese step back to the wall, putting his hand on it as he moved closer to her ear.
"You look so beautiful it's almost painful," he said and he leaned his forehead in her ear.
Therese's eyes widened. Eros— her Eros said that to her too, but before she could even react, he pulled her hand and their bags and they ran as fast as they could to the huge boat waiting for them at the end of the school.