Mirabella returned to the house with a deep frown etched on her brows. She didn't like to be left behind in the house while her crew set off to sail. As she entered the house, her eyes fell on Pipo, who tiptoed out of the kitchen with the bunch of bananas in his hands.
Pipo froze in his steps, not expecting to get caught. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for Mirabella's wrath. Yet, to his surprise, she simply ascended the stairs, storming off to her room.
Pipo tilted his head in confusion.
He peeled a banana and threw the skin aside carelessly. He popped the fruit into his mouth and decided to follow her up the stairs.
Mirabella entered her room, slamming the door behind her with a loud thud. Pipo, who had just about to step inside, received a hard kiss from a wooden door, causing him to fall back from the impact of intense affection. He quickly stood up from the floor, gingerly touching his majestic hair, making sure it still remained intact in its place.
Inside the room, Mirabella collapsed on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She pouted at the thought of spending an entire month without her crew by her side. She doesn't think that her illness from a few days ago is the only reason Gideon won't let her go with them.
In the past, he never left her behind. What has changed? She wondered silently.
Gideon instructed his crew to make necessary arrangements on the ship. He decided to come home to console his little egg. As he opened the door and entered with gusto, his legs slipped on the banana peel and he fell to the floor, landing pitifully on his front.
Gritting his teeth, he struggled to his feet and noticed his golden embroidered bib was now smeared with the gooey remnants of a banana.
Pipo!
Smoke billowed out of his ears like a furious bull as he climbed the stairs, holding his waist. Outside Mirabella's room, Pipo stood there, stroking his ears, unsure of how to make her open the door.
Gideon saw red at Pipo's figure. He silently untied his stained bib and approached Pipo from behind. Sensing the movement behind him, Pipo turned to look, but before he could see, his face was hidden by a piece of white cloth covering his head.
Not long after, Pipo felt someone rubbing his head vigorously with the cloth. His eyes widened when he felt something sticky and cool above his head. He tore the material apart with his sharp claws and attempted to scratch the captor's face.
Hearing a noise coming from behind the door, Mirabella scowled and got off the bed to open it. She was dumbfounded by the commotion in front of her room. There, on the floor, Pipo and Gideon were rolling around, trying to strangle each other. Her eyes moved to the bib lying on the side.
Mirabella's gaze zeroed in on the thin strand of hair sticking in the mashed banana on the cloth. She recognized that the bib was the same one she had gifted to Gideon and the hair…
Her focus immediately snapped back to Pipo's head and she gasped in shock. She knew Pipo valued his two strands of hair like his eyes, and now he had lost one.
"Stop it!"
She shouted, gaining the attention of both people on the floor. Pipo and Gideon were unwilling to give up and glared at each other, but they knew continuing the fight might upset Mirabella.
"What happened?" she questioned, looking at them with a stern expression, her arms folded in front of her chest. They both looked at each other, and Pipo turned his head away from Gideon with an airy "Eek."
This pesky monkey! Gideon cursed under his breath.
With a resigned sigh, Mirabella walked into the room to grab some cotton and salve to tend to their wounds. A few minutes passed, and Gideon's once-handsome face was now marred with marks from Pipo's claws. With his once-dominant twin hair now down to one, Pipo slumped dejectedly in Mirabella's lap. The single strand of hair swayed forlornly in the wind.
"Are you still angry with me?" Gideon asked hesitantly, tying his new bib around his neck.
Mirabella looked at him and slowly shook her head. "I'm not. I will wait until you return," she said softly.
Gideon nodded in satisfaction and patted her head. "When I return from Dusthaven, I'll bring you something nice."
Mirabella's eyes widened in surprise. "Dusthaven?"
Gideon nodded. "The Crown Prince ordered us to escort the Dusthaven King back to his kingdom."
"But the Crown Prince's wedding isn't over yet," she asked in bewilderment.
Gideon shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? We just have to follow orders."
Mirabella nodded and helped Gideon prepare for the month-long journey.
When the sun rose in the morning, Mirabella accompanied Gideon to the port to see him off. Her eyes swept over their ship, which was spotless, not even a speck of dust in sight. The sails had been replaced with new ones, and even Primrose's white bib had been changed to a colorful one.
She had never visited Dusthaven before. Their expeditions were mostly between Noctara and Everdale, so part of her heart longed to see the kingdom. She had heard from Gideon that the land of Dusthaven was filled with sand on one side and rocky mountains on the other.
Tales had that the Dusthaven's garden is akin to heaven.
The crew members began loading the supplies needed for the journey. Since their guest was from the royal family, every goods they purchased for the king was of the finest quality. Gideon paid special attention to the food and provisions for the king.
Once satisfied that everything was in order, he turned to Mirabella. "Make sure you lock the door at night, and if you get bored, visit Talia's house," he instructed his little egg.
"You've said that at least a hundred times today, Gideon," Mirabella replied with a smile.
Gideon looked at his little egg and sighed. Even though it was his decision to leave her behind, he felt sad about departing without her. He approached and hugged her. "Stay safe until I return."
Mirabella returned the hug and nodded in his embrace.
"You monkey!, take care of my little egg," Gideon said to Pipo, who screeched in protest.
Before Gideon could pluck the remaining hair from Pipo's head, Mirabella stopped him and shook her head gently. After wishing him and the crew a safe journey, she climbed down from the ship.
"Mirabel, I'll miss you!" Jax yelled from the ship.
Mirabella laughed at his dramatic tears and walked away from the port with Pipo on her shoulder.
At Everdale Castle, servants loaded trunks filled with King Eros's belongings into a carriage, preparing to take them to the port. Silas glanced over at His Majesty, who was conversing with Crown Prince Orion. Beside the prince stood a maid, her head bowed respectfully before the king.
His eyes then landed on the group of aristocratic ladies who were ogling at His Majesty. The women in the garden couldn't help but mutter among themselves. They had heard about the Dusthaven's king's departure and gathered here to bid him farewell. But they hadn't anticipated stumbling on the King's attire.
Their faces flushed red in shyness and embarrassment at the King's figure. Eros stood there, his upper torso exposed to the sun. His honey-dusk skin shimmered in the light, and a wide, ornately designed belt cinched his waist. His pants were wide and loose-fitting around his thighs and hips, tapering at the ankles with layers of fine leather straps that accentuated his strong frame.
Golden chains hung gracefully at his side, encircling the fabric at his hips. His torso was well-defined, his spine straight, and a shawl with golden embroidery draped elegantly over one shoulder. Atop his head rested a headdress adorned with a large yellow gem of Hawk origin, symbolizing the lineage of Dusthaven.
Silas wondered why the hawk turned into a peacock when they were just going to board the ship.
As the servants finished loading the trunks, Silas failed to notice a small black raven hopping onto the carriage, hiding behind the pile of luggage.
Kael, who had successfully escaped from Mr. Wenzel's grasp, cautiously hid himself among the trunks being loaded onto the carriage. His brilliant black eyes sparkled as he stared at a partially opened trunk. Climbing up, he peered inside, seeing a heap of his uncle's clothes.
Without a second thought, he jumped in, landing on a soft cushion of clothes, and exhaled softly. He made himself comfortable by lying flat on the clothes, treating them as a bed, and started to doze off.
"Ah, best wishes for the upcoming wedding," Eros said, a sly smile curling at the corner of his lips.
The maid standing beside the Crown Prince blushed at the words while Orion gave a flat "thanks" in return.
Eros nodded and returned to the carriage, accompanied by Silas. The carriage left Everdale Castle and headed toward the dock. After a swift journey, they arrived at the port. Gideon's crew, recognizing the royal carriage, immediately disembarked from the ship and assembled in line to greet the great king of Dusthaven.
Silas descended from the carriage and opened the door for Eros. Gideon, standing in the center, looked forward to meeting the king. His eyes fell on the golden leather sandals that emerged from the carriage before moving up to the young man with a strong frame.