Luna felt exhilarating and creepy at the same time that she was able to conjure a shield. Who would have known I would be able to do magic? She thought. Back in her world, that would have been considered bullshit and superstitious––people would distance themselves away.

Nevertheless, it had been almost two weeks since she managed to do so, and by every passing day, Lucilius would never fail to make a surprise visit and attack her out of nowhere just so she could learn to put up a barrier whenever there was danger. And he seemed to enjoy it very much, unlike the Healer.

But she got used to it and was now able to make it appear and disappear at will, and sometimes she could widen the barrier to a few more feet around her. Lucilius pestered her about psychokinesis as well but she wasn’t able to make any progress on that.

‘Hah…’ 

The bathwater was really warm. Luna had woken up rather late and stayed in the bathtub to cool her head off. She wasn’t ready to do another training session so it was a healing session for her sore body and exhausted mind. 

‘Y-Your Majesty…!’

Luna heard Helena’s panicked high-pitched tone.

Hm?? Your Majesty????

It took her a moment to figure out what was happening but by the time she realised it was all too late.

Wait. Shit––

The bathroom door opened abruptly and Lucilius walked in. Luna shrieked and turned around so she wouldn’t be seen; only her bare back.

‘LUCILIUS!’ she yelled. ‘What are you doing in here!?’

‘You’re taking too long, Healer. We need to move out quickly.’

‘Where!?’ 

***

That damned son of a bitch!

Luna sighed. There was no use cursing him anyway. Her moment was interrupted when he barged into the bathroom like an uncultured man––wouldn’t an emperor be well-educated in this? That was so embarrassing. So Luna concluded that he probably was trying to piss her off.

He brought Luna to ride a carriage and she was informed that they were heading to some shops. Seated opposite each other, Luna felt that the carriage had a large interior where she could comfortably sit on the soft seat with much room for her legs and his legs.

Luna peeked outside from inside the carriage. ‘This will be the first time I am going to the city,’ she said.

Lucilius was silent for a moment. ‘You mean ever since you woke up with amnesia?’ he asked.

‘Ah, yes,’ she lied.

‘Adhara Town is one to admire but you’ve been here plenty of times,’ he said. 

‘Well, I don’t remember,’ she replied.

He nodded to himself. ‘Considering how you always get lost in the palace, it makes sense,’ he muttered.

Luna’s eyes caught the sight of street vendors selling food and accessories. ‘Wow, it’s a very busy street,’ she remarked.

‘That’s the commoners’ shopping area,’ he said. 

Luna frowned, wanting to argue at the unfairness but remembered back in her world, they had high-end shopping complexes as well so it was all just the same. 

‘I guess you haven’t been wandering around since you were busy,’ said Lucilius. ‘The nobles’ ones are far upwards.’

The noise from people yelling here and there eventually died down and only the thuds of the horse and the wheels of the carriage were heard. 

‘I thought nobles usually order them from their home?’ she said.

‘We can do that, but it’s your first time without magic, you wouldn’t be able to change like before.’

‘What? Change what?’

Lucilius didn’t reply. He figured it was too much of a hassle to tell her that she was able to change her appearance at will before she lost her magic. The carriage stopped and the door opened from the outside. 

He stepped out and held out his hand for Luna to hold. The gap from the step to the ground was quite high for a lady to get down––

‘Hyup!’

Luna had jumped off the carriage without taking his hand, landing on both of her legs with ease. Either she didn’t see or pretended not to see, he had no idea.

‘That was quite a height,’ she commented and looked up from her feet.

Before she could see his waiting hand, Lucilius quickly retracted it. 

‘So, what’s this place?’ she asked, looking around. ‘Are you bringing me to buy new clothes or something?’

‘Yes,’ said Lucilius, walking towards the large shop right by the carriage. Luna followed suit. 

‘Are you holding a party?’ she asked.

‘Duke Maximilian’s daughter had just gotten married, and he’s holding a banquet,’ said Lucilius. ‘He’s a good friend of mine, so I’m going.’

They entered the shop.

‘Welcome, Your Majesty,’ the lady, owner of the Tatiana Textiles bowed deeply, greeting the emperor. She had already expected their arrival.

‘Am I going to be a spy?’ Luna asked. ‘Will I be disguising and looking out for assassins?’

Lucilius frowned. ‘You have an interesting imagination, Healer.’

She chuckled. ‘Guess I’m not doing any of those––’

‘We’re going there as partners,’ Lucilius interjected.

She blinked. ‘Huh??’

‘Don’t get too surprised,’ he said. ‘We’ve been doing this ever since you were the official magician.’

‘But why?’ she queried, running her hand on the fabric near her. 

Lucilius exhaled sharply. He knew he had to explain it. ‘Metamorphosis,’ he said. ‘You were able to change your appearance at will. So you played out as my partners––short hair, long hair, black hair, blue hair, slightly older, slightly younger, you name it.’

‘Ooh, so I change for every different party?’ 

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘They wouldn’t shut up about how I should get an empress quickly so I bring you as a different person to have them stop matchmaking me.’

‘So now you’re the playboy emperor with a lot of women in your harem,’ she quipped.

‘Well, I should have stuck to one appearance,’ said Lucilius quite regretfully. ‘Since they see me having a whole harem, they keep offering me a woman to keep.’

Luna winced. ‘Yikes, they offer their daughters as if their children don’t have any thoughts of their own.’

‘So, you are actually a way for me to escape all those advances.’

‘Ooh…’

‘Your Majesty,’ Tatiana spoke from behind them. ‘It’s ready.’

Lucilius pushed Luna towards the owner. ‘Go and have a look.’

***

‘What kind of hairstyle do you want, Miss Luna?’

‘Mmm… Any kind…’ 

Luna had half of her face buried in the pillow she was hugging, as she sat on the chair of the dressing table with Helena brushing her hair from her back. It had been two weeks since she went out to buy a new dress with Lucilius. 

The banquet was to be held in a few hours and Helena kind of ran out of time because Luna refused to wake up from her nap.

‘Don’t you think I gained a little weight, Helena?’ she asked, examining her face in the mirror.

‘It’s good if you have,’ said Helena. ‘You were very thin.’

Luna huffed. ‘I only eat and sleep every day, that must be why…’

‘Don’t you worry, Miss Luna, the dress will surely fit,’ said Helena then she tapped Luna’s shoulder. ‘You can sleep while I do this. I’ll wake you up when it’s time to change.’

‘I just woke up from my nap, how could I sleep again?’ Luna chuckled.

But it wasn’t even twenty minutes after she said that when she dozed off. Helena shook her head in amusement.

***

‘You can’t undo it. It’s a curse from a Guardian Fairy.’

Luna opened her eyes, finding the starry sky above her. She was lying down on a soft ground, and as usual, a mere participant as she couldn’t move her body or speak at will. The wind was blowing gently and it was cold, but not too much for her to bear.

‘What did you do to have angered her?’ the male voice continued.

She didn’t reply.

‘Don’t look so troubled,’ said the man that she couldn’t see or pinpoint where he came from. ‘You’re powerful enough to avoid activating it. You’re the formidable, feared magician. Who in the world could save your life other than yourself?’

‘No one,’ the body she was in spoke.

‘See? Now, sleep well. I’ll watch over.’

Darkness closed in. ‘Shut up. Go away.’ were her last words and she woke up.

***

‘Miss Luna, be a bit more natural when you walk!’

‘How!?’ Luna whined. ‘I don’t need a spine anymore. I can just use a corset to support my whole body.’

‘You’ll get used to it,’ said Helena. ‘Now go! I think you’re running out of time.’

The Healer hurriedly headed for the teahouse in the garden. It was nearing dusk and the sky was a mixture of red and orange and it was a lovely sight. She sat on the chair to admire the flowers basked in the dim sunlight.

‘Did you wait long?’ 

Luna turned to look. ‘Oh, hi Lucilius,’ she said, feeling a bit awkward. ‘No, I just arrived.’

His hair was neatly slicked back and he looked extra attractive––definitely someone she would swoon over if she were a noble princess.

‘Why is your posture like that?’ he asked, approaching the teahouse. 

‘Is it that bad?’ she winced. ‘The corset is trying to replace my spine.’

He hummed then looked around as if searching for something. Luna followed his gaze but she couldn’t figure out what he was trying to do.

‘What’s wrong?’ she asked. 

He saw what he wanted and she knew it from the way his eyes lit up a little. Lucilius walked over to a section of flowers on the ground. He knelt and reached out for a white snow-in-summer flower, plucked it carefully and went back to her. Being way taller, he easily tucked the flower into the left side of the braid on her head. In his eyes, she looked stunning.

Luna’s eyes widened in surprise at the gesture. In normal circumstances, she would probably blush.

Lucilius tilted his head. ‘Hm? Why is your face so red––’

‘It’s not!’ Luna yelled over him quickly and pushed his body. ‘Quick, let’s go!’