When Nathan arrives downstairs, he sees that dinner is a selection of different types of pasta. Nathan orders the Ravioli di radicchio rosso, an Altissian specialty, before trying to locate his friends. He finds Domani already sitting at a table far from the counter. Weird... why's he sitting so far away? He walks to the faux wood table before pulling up the chair beside him.

“Good evening, Nathan,” he greets while reading a newspaper; a rarity in cities.

“Hey,” Nathan replies. He's about to ask Domani about his choice of location but decides against it when he sees the latter's serious expression. Instead, Nathan pulls out his phone and looks through his social media. Out of habit, he goes to Jordan’s profile page and sees a selfie of him in front of a hotel in Altissia. He smiles to himself before Domani peers over his shoulder, “That’s taken at the front of the Leville, I'm surprised he can afford such refined accommodations...”

“I don’t appreciate you looking at my phone, you know," Nathan says half-heartedly.

“Just trying to help.” Domani goes back to perusing his newspaper.

Rhea arrives a little later and orders her food at the counter before sitting down next to Nathan and Domani. The group makes idle chit-chat as they eat before Vincent finally arrives, thirty minutes later.

“What took you so long?” Nathan asks, already finished with his food.

“Had to talk with my parents. They want me to go visit them over the break,” he explains.

“Oh. Uh... what did you say?”

“I said I couldn’t, obviously.”

“You can leave if you want, I’m not going to force you to come with me on this stupid trip that you guys planned…”

Vincent laughs before replying, “I want to stay. I can visit them another time… hopefully…”

Once Vincent gets back from ordering his food, Domani informs the group of Jordan’s location and the conversation shifts to other topics. After dinner concludes, the group convenes in Vincent’s room, the closest to the dining hall.

“So, we know where he is. Now what’s the plan?” Nathan asks, starting Phase Two of “Operation Lovebirds” as Rhea had decided to call it, much to Nathan’s dismay.

“Well, I’m going to do my best to procure invitations for Vincent, Rhea, and Jordan early tomorrow,” Domani replies. “Hopefully Jordan will get his delivered to the Leville tomorrow if I am successful…”

“How’d you get those invitations to the queen’s coronation anyway?” Vincent asks while plugging his phone into a charger.

“Well...” Domani hesitates. “Being a member of House Lorenzia has its perks.”

“Wait a sec... House Lorenzia... why does that name sound familiar?” Rhea thinks aloud, her face scrunched up in concentration. "Wait a minute... isn't that a royal house?! You were a royal this whole time and you didn't tell us?!"

“Well, I had to keep it a secret and I technically still do but… I suppose it is about time I told you all,” Domani responds. Rhea nods, still a bit bitter but slowly understanding.

“Back to the plan,” Domani says, redirecting the conversation. “We will all go to Il Palazzo Altemeria first thing in the morning. I should be able to get you and Vincent in and, seeing that he already has an invitation, Nathan should be fine.” He pauses to wipe his glasses with a microfiber cloth that has what appears to be House Lorenzia’s crest on it. “Next, we will go to the Leville to confirm that Jordan is indeed staying there before heading over to Lorenzia Estate.”

“So, we’re going to be staying at your um… house?” Nathan asks, awkwardly lifting his head up to meet Domani’s eyes.

“Of course. My friends shall have nothing less than the hospitality of House Lorenzia,” Domani says, smiling slightly.

“The final part of Operation Lovebirds is to actually get you two to the coronation together!” Rhea reveals, clearly too pleased with herself.

“Ugh… do we really have to call it that?” Nathan asks, noticing a smile forming on Vincent’s lips.

“Yep! That’s a really great name, Rhea!” Vincent teases, bringing her into a side-hug.

“I’m sure you and Jordan will enjoy the coronation considering the many activities couples will participate in,” Domani adds, observing the conversation amusedly.

“You do realize we’re not a couple, right?” Nathan reiterates for probably the fifth time since their journey began.

“You’re not a couple yet,” Rhea corrects, smiling. She begins taking pictures of Vincent’s room which looks much nicer than her own, she thinks to herself.

Nathan sighs and walks over to the window. The night sky is full of crystal stars, the bright full moon complementing the scene. They're brighter than he’s ever seen them before, thanks to the lack of light pollution in Traversata. The few minutes of calm silence is only interrupted intermittently by Domani sipping his coffee and Vincent tapping his phone as Nathan stares out at the never-ending sky, wondering how he got here.

“We should all get a good night’s sleep if we want to be ready for tomorrow!” Rhea suggests, breaking the stillness.

“Good idea. I’ll be off to my room then. Good night, everyone,” Domani says, lifting himself out of an armchair. He silently walks out the door holding his empty coffee mug. Rhea leaves after taking a picture of the night sky and a yawn, as if suggesting Nathan to go to sleep. However, Nathan continues to stay, staring out the window. He’s thinking way too much, about the past, the present, and the future when he really shouldn’t be. Vincent seems to get that Nathan appreciates the silence and he quietly goes to sleep, leaving Nathan alone to gaze up at the sky all through the night.

----------------------------

The next morning, Nathan wakes up in a different room, having no recollection of how he got there. The sun’s barely up so he probably woke up early, he thinks.

“Ugh…” he groans, earning a headache for getting up too quickly. He grabs his phone off the table, surprised to see it plugged in and fully charged.

“Dom…” he concludes, the only person in the group who comes to mind when considering responsibility and reliability. Nathan checks the time on his phone: 06:04, only about forty-five minutes away before the first ferry of the day leaves for Altissia. Nathan trudges over to the bathroom to freshen up... probably a good idea since I'm going to be seeing the queen in a couple hours.

When he steps out, there’s a note on the floor:

Meet us at the port. Make sure Rhea’s awake, Vincent’s already with me. - D.L.

Nathan changes into a suit, one that his father used to wear. It bears the crest of the Tenebraean Guard and a sylleblossom pin, the national flower of Tenebrae. Nathan tries not to dwell on the past like he did yesterday, rushing to finish looking presentable before a monarch.

When he’s finally done styling his hair and straightening his outfit, Nathan admires himself in front of a mirror. I wonder what mom would say if she saw me wearing this... he thinks, barely recognizing himself.

“Maybe they’ll think I’m a real member of the Guard,” he jokes, knowing that it was impossible after Tenebrae was annexed by Niflheim. He checks his watch, also his father’s, it reads 6:47.

“Crap, I’m going to be late!” he internally shouts. Nathan rushes out of his room, hauling his suitcase to Rhea’s room. He knocks, waiting patiently for Rhea to answer. A few seconds later, she opens the door, already dressed in a bright blue dress resembling the sylleblossoms of Tenebrae.

“Wow… you look amazing,” Nathan comments, fixing his sylleblossom pin.

“You’re not too shabby yourself,” Rhea teases, grabbing her suitcase.

“Let’s get going, we don’t want to make Dom kill us!” she says, giving her room one last check before closing the door.

A short walk later, the pair arrive at the port, exactly at 6:55. Thankfully, the ferry hasn’t docked yet, still a few meters away.

“Glad you could make it,” Domani says, giving them a once-over.

“Looking great too,” Vincent adds, looking up from his phone.

“Thanks,” Nathan says, trying not to look too uncomfortable as he watches the ferry coming closer to port.

When the ferry eventually docks at the port, it’s close to 7:10. Domani looks utterly pissed, planning to file a complaint to the Altissian Port Authority once they arrive. While Domani disapproves of its lack of punctuality, Nathan admires its intricate design, no doubt taking many hours to sculpt.

"Are you just going to keep your car here?" Nathan asks as the group boards the ferry.

"I'm sure it will be more secure on the mainland rather than in Altissia," Domani responds while presenting his identification card. The guard stationed on the ferry apologizes profusely after learning of Domani's identity.

"No need to apologize, signore. I won't be filing a complaint."

When the cohort finally boards the ferry, Nathan notices that there’s another group behind them, taking up most of the remaining space.

“They’re the members of the Accordo Astonishers! Do you not know who they are?!” Vincent shouts, causing one of the members to turn around.

“Aww, it’s a fan, guys!” a young woman wearing a maroon-colored dress says, turning around to face Nathan and his friends.

“A fan? I stan!” another person shouts from behind her, gathering the attention of the rest of the Astonishers.

“Owen, tone down the gay please, you’re scaring these people,” the woman from earlier says. “Sorry about that, he’s... special.”

“Not a problem, Ms…?” Domani replies, looking her up and down.

“Please, just call me Bella! You look like an important person, have I seen you before?” she asks, giving him a smile.

“Guilty as charged. Prince Domani of Lorenzia, pleased to meet you.”

“Oh! Well, pleased to meet you too, Your Highness. What are you doing here on a ferry?”

“Going to Her Royal Highness’ coronation, of course. I have no doubt that she will be an amazing queen.”

“You think so too?! Oh my gosh, she’s such a role model, did you see her at the...”

“They’re going to be talking about her for a while,” Nathan whispers to Vincent and Rhea. “I’m out, see you guys later!”

Nathan walks to the bow of the ferry, breathing in the salty sea air and feeling the wind whisk through his entire body. A sense of calm sets in, momentarily making him forget his troubles.

Meanwhile, Vincent is talking to the members of the Astonishers up on the ferry’s elevated balcony. Domani is busy talking with Bella on the main deck so Rhea decides to join Vincent upstairs.

“Hey Vincent?” she says, trying to interrupt Vincent’s animated conversation. Her attempt is futile, however, when he doesn’t even register her presence.

“Vincent, your friend over there wants to ask you a question!” a young man with blond hair shouts, getting up from his seat. He makes his way over to Rhea and smiles.

“Robertus Herus, but you can call me Robert,” he introduces, completely blowing Rhea away.

“Oh, um… hi! I’m Rhea,” she replies, holding onto the balcony’s railing to keep herself steady.

“I’m very glad I met you, Rhea. Care to join me downstairs?” he asks, pointing at the stairs a few meters away.

Once they reach the main deck, Rhea gathers her courage to ask, “So… are you part of the Astonishers?”

Robert chuckles before responding, “Not in a million years! I’m just their technical engineer. Have to join them every time they go on tour in case something breaks.”

“Oh! Well, I think you’d be an amazing performer,” she mumbles, blushing.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, nothing…”

There are a few seconds of awkward silence before Rhea makes up an excuse to go to the bathroom; not her proudest moment. Back at the ship’s elevated balcony, Vincent is still busy talking to the Astonishers, a group that he was going to join after he graduated from high school. Unfortunately, his parents prevented him from auditioning and he applied to the University of Accordo instead. He was forced to study chemical engineering by his parents but he’s secretly taking voice lessons, determined to not give up on his dream.

“Why don’t you join us for our show tonight? I can give you guys free tickets,” Bella says, addressing Domani and Vincent.

“What do you think?” Domani asks, turning towards Vincent.

“Are you for real? Of course I'd go!" Vincent agrees. "Where’s the show going to be?” he asks, ready to enter the destination into his phone.

“Arena Galviano of course! They’ve converted it for us to use for the next couple of days,” she explains, trying to protect her eyes from the wind.

“When did we give you the authority to hand out tickets like that, gurl?” a light-skinned man with dark brown hair jokes, his wavy hair somehow staying in place as a wind gust passes.

Bella rolls her eyes and retorts, “Shut up, Javi.” She walks closer to Vincent to whisper in his ear, “Meet us before the show, maybe we can get you to sing with us on stage.”

Vincent grins and whispers back a “thank you” before looking towards Altissia, only a few minutes away.

At around 8 AM, the ferry finally docks at Porta Acorensa on the southern tip of Altissia. Nathan is amazed at the city’s mesmerizing architecture, letting his eyes wander from building to building. He doesn’t know how anyone could live here and get bored, imagining himself strolling down every cobblestone street and riding through the city’s canals, the gorgeous buildings around him as he slowly falls as-

“Nathan!” Domani shouts, interrupting his thoughts. He taps his watch and beckons for Nathan to follow him.

“Coming! I’ll be there in a sec!” he replies. With a sigh, Nathan grabs his suitcase and walks off the ferry, unaware that a man is watching him from a nearby cliff.

----------------------------

“He has arrived, Your Excellency,” a servant informs a tall man with red-violet hair.

“Send him in,” he replies, putting on a black fedora.

A muscular, ebony-colored man steps into the room. He wears the uniform of the Niflheim Armed Forces: black and red armor over a bulletproof vest.

“I was wondering where you went off to,” the former says, sneering.

“He’s here, Izunia. That was my mission,” the latter responds.

“And for that you have my thanks, Commander.”

Commander Antonius Subeo gives the man a grunt before exiting the room, he has better things to do than bicker with the Chancellor.

“Things are about to get interesting…” the chancellor says, getting up from an armchair to put on his black trench coat.