It was near evening by the time we arrived in the land of the south. However, just from the glimpse I got of what looked to be a busy town just ahead of us, I thought it to be quite an interesting area. Everywhere I looked, the people of the town seemed busy, yet polite, friendly, and happy."Wow," said Lily, "What an interesting town. And the architecture of the buildings is quite stunning.""EVERYWHERE is stunning!" said Ana, "I want to explore!""Where do we go from here, Your Highness?" I asked Prince Jaron."First, I'll have Kam transport everyone's luggage back to my place," said Prince Jaron, nodding knowingly in Kam's direction, "In the meantime, if you all would like to take a stroll around town, that's fine with me.""That would be wonderful. But Your Highness will have to be our tour guide and show us the best places to visit.""Of course."Pretty soon, Kam left in a carriage destined for Prince Jaron's abode. And shortly thereafter, our tour of the town began.Along the way, Prince Jaron told us a bit about the town and its history. The town's name is Jacksontown, and it is quite a long distance from the capital, which is where Prince Jaron's royal family lives. The entire land of the south is divided into two major halves: the eastern half, and the western half. Prince Jaron and his family live in the eastern half. Although it is divided, the entire land of the south has a diverse and rich history, with many elements contributed from the land of the east, even including certain elements of the land of the west.Curious, I asked Prince Jaron what it was like for him to live alone in a town as a prince, miles away from his family."It's actually really nice," said Prince Jaron, "It's really peaceful here, and everyone knows me and treats me like family."In a way, Prince Jaron's answer was rather comforting. Although I myself was walking in a town with a prince, who was very much dressed like a prince, I began to worry that I looked out of place in such an area. But if the town's people were comfortable with a lone prince casually walking around among them, then I could assume that they would feel just as comfortable around a princess.Throughout the day, Prince Jaron proved to be a satisfactory tour guide, taking me and my ladies in waiting to the very best areas the town had to offer. A gourmet ice cream shop with delicious flavors. A historical antiques shop. And a theater that held daily public performances that anyone could take part in. All places that contributed to the merriment of everyone present.Nightfall finally approached, and it was time to get settled in for the night."Your Highness," I said, "We thank you so much for such a wonderful evening. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and we look forward to many more wonderful days in your homeland. But now it is dark out, and we need lodging for the night. Do you know of any suitable inns for us to stay in?""Inns?" said Prince Jaron, "You all are staying at my place.""...Really?""Yeah.""...Your Highness, we are very grateful for the offer, but we do not wish to intrude on Your Highness's space. We really wouldn't mind staying in an inn.""Princess Kai, I insist. I already had Kam prepare rooms for everyone.""...Oh?""Yeah. I had him prepare them when I sent him home with everyone's luggage. He should be waiting for us now, so let's go home.""Alright."Before long, Prince Jaron had a carriage transport everyone from the bustling town to his peaceful estate in a quiet neighborhood. There were so many large, nice houses and farms to be seen along the way as we rode through the neighborhood, much to the awe of my ladies in waiting.When we finally arrived at Prince Jaron's estate, my ladies in waiting, including myself, were all shocked at the size of the house. It turned out to be the biggest house in the neighborhood, and the only one sitting at the edge of it."Ready to go in?" asked Prince Jaron."Of course," I said.Once Prince Jaron led the way to the entrance, we were met with immediate grandeur. A large yet empty looking living area was straight ahead of us, followed by the dining area and kitchen. And on the left was a staircase, which I assumed led up to the private quarters."Wow, what an amazing house," whispered Ana. And naturally, the rest of us women agreed that it was indeed a lovely house. However, I thought that there was a hint of loneliness to it.Kam appeared soon after our arrival to greet us."Hello, everyone," said Kam, "Welcome to our house. I've already prepared the rooms for you all, and your luggage is safely put away. Would you ladies like to follow me upstairs to see the rooms?""*gasp* What?! We get our own room?!" asked Ana."Ha ha. Yes. You ladies get your own individual rooms.""Really?! Oh, my goodness! That's great! Let's go see them!""I like your enthusiasm. Let's go."With Kam leading the way, we all went upstairs to the private rooms. Each and every lady in waiting happily got a room of their choice to use for the entirety of our stay in Jacksontown. I was really happy for all of them. When they were all settled in, Kam approached me about my room."As for you, Your Highness," said Kam, "you have two choices for rooms. You can either stay in your own beautiful bedroom, or you can share a room with Prince Jaron.""I'd rather you share a room with me," said Prince Jaron."...Share a room?" I said, surprised."Yes. It will be nice. Just the two of us.""...I don't know."I still didn't even know the prince that well yet, so for me to immediately spend the night with him in the same room seemed a bit...scandalous."I appreciate the offer, but for tonight, I'd like to retire to my own room for now," I said."I understand," said Prince Jaron, "But before you go, there's something nice to see. Follow me.""...Ok."I followed Prince Jaron outside of the house to what looked to be the backyard, a somewhat empty backyard at that."So, what was it that Your Highness wanted to show me?" I asked."Look up," said Prince Jaron.When I did, I was met with the most majestic array of stars I have ever seen."Wow, that's-that's so beautiful," I said, "I hate to say this, but they're even more beautiful than the stars back in my country.""Someone once said that the stars look like this because the south is close to a magical area, but I don't buy it," said Prince Jaron."A magical area? Really?""Yeah. Some people even went out to find this 'magical area', but they never did, so I don't think it exists. I don't believe magic itself exists. I think that the south's stars are just naturally more beautiful than they are everywhere else. Ha ha."I used to read a lot about mages and other magical creatures being a part of the history of many countries, with some countries even banning magic altogether because of how powerful it can be. So, after a while, newer generations of people growing up in an area where a ban against magic was in effect, assuming the ban never got overturned, would have reason to believe that magic didn't exist, that it was instead just a legend. Maybe the land of the south was one of those places. But then again, there were also some areas where magic just simply wasn't present, so the south could be a part of that category as well. Regardless of the reason, I myself thought that the stars of the south looked very beautiful.As I gazed up into the night sky, Prince Jaron grabbed my hand, looking into my eyes when I looked at him before he also turned to gaze upwards. Thereafter, we spent the next few moments quietly together, silently admiring the stars.