The handkerchief had the initials 'A.E.' on it.

He said his name was Aluxio, so what is his last name? I'll ask him when we meet again. I'm sure he will show up out of the blue again.

Soon the days turned into a week, Lillia couldn't help feeling a sense of disappointment that Aluxio hadn't crossed her path again. Lillia treasured his handkerchief, even taking the care to wash it with her best rose-scented body wash that wasn't for her...but he was nowhere to be seen.

"That's it; if he's not coming, I'm going to find him myself."

Determined to track down Aluxio, Lillia decided to take matters into her own hands. Clutching his handkerchief, Lillia made it her mission to find him, no matter how elusive he was.

With a determined stride, Lillia first headed to meet the princess.

Lillia knew that if anyone could provide her with answers about Aluxio's identity and whereabouts, it was Princess Alstroemeria. There was no way she didn't know him if he could enter the palace so easily.

Lillia waited patiently as the royal guards announced Lillia's arrival to Princess Alstroemeria. She felt her heartbeat getting a little faster with anticipation.

After getting the permission, Lillia walked into the greenhouse and easily found Princess Alstroemeria sitting at a tea table with three other people in the distance.

There was a guy with black hair and dark green eyes, another with pink hair and purple eyes, and, of course, the redhead who had all her attention. Lillia took a deep breath and approached them with a political smile.

"Greetings to your highness," Lillia greeted Princess Alstroemeria.

"How are you doing, Estoria?" Princess Alstroemeria asked.

The name Estoria, belonged to Lillia which she guessed was her name by a piece of paper found in her previous clothes. It was written cleanly on the paper.

Estoria.

"I'm doing well, your highness," Estoria replied politely.

All eyes at the table were fixated on Estoria, making her feel a little anxious.

"Oh, right, let me introduce you to them. Estoria, this is my elder brother, Prince Darius Enrique—

The male lead of this world, the crowned prince!

"And this is Prince Tyrion Enrique, my twin brother—

No wonder he looked so similar to her...

"And lastly—" 

"I'm Aluxio; we have met before," Aluxio interrupted.

"Alright, and lastly this is Estoria, the one I mentioned earlier, who has no collection of her past memories and just recently remembered her own name," Alstroemeria concluded the introductions.

"Greetings to Prince Darius and Prince Tyrion. It's an honor to be in the presence of your highnesses," Estoria greeted the other royalties with every word she remembered from the stories.

"Aluxio is also present here, Estoria," Tyrion added.

"Yes, I know your highness. Aluxio, I was just looking for you," Estoria said nonchalantly.

Everyone at the table side eyed Aluxio for some reason, and there it was—his flushed cheeks. Maybe he just gets embarrassed very easily? Don't worry, Aluxio, it's cute.

Estoria was zoning out staring at him, a playful glint in her eyes as she teased him in her mind.

"Did you perhaps have something to say to me?" Aluxio looked at her, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"Oh no, it was just that I was holding on to this handkerchief for a while now," Estoria smiled, painfully stopping herself from cursing at him all the bad words she knew.

"Why does she have your handkerchief, Aluxio?" Darius asked in a serious tone.

"Estoria, would you mind giving us some privacy for a minute?" Aluxio asked Estoria instead of answering Darius.

Estoria retreated to a corner of the greenhouse, casting a suspicious glance at them. After a minute or so, Aluxio beckoned her over.

"Here, take a seat, Estoria," Tyrion said, offering Estoria a forced smile.

Estoria took the seat Tyrion offered her next to Aluxio, where Tyrion was sitting previously, he went over and sat down next to the princess.

Estoria found herself in an unexpected but somewhat pleasant situation, seated between two handsome men. Darius on her left and Aluxio on her right, sandwiched between them. Estoria felt a bit anxious, shouldn't she be sitting closer to the princess instead...

"Here, your handkerchief before I lose it," Estoria said as she handed Aluxio his handkerchief.

"You can keep it; it's yours now," Aluxio replied as he closed Estoria's fingers holding the handkerchief but quickly withdrew his hand back.

While the other three sipped their teas, Estoria sat there dumbfounded with the handkerchief still in her hands, she felt a bit awkward and embarrassed.

Why was I even taking care of this piece of cloth when he didn't even want it back??!

"Okay..," Estoria mumbled, still unsure about the situation.

The handkerchief, once a source of fascination, suddenly felt like a burden to Estoria.

The handkerchief did look a bit expensive, she wanted to return it but since it was rejected and homeless, she thought about selling it and getting some pocket money instead.

"Why were you looking for me, Estoria?" Alstroemeria broke the silence, her gaze was fixed on Estoria, awaiting for an answer.

"I was actually looking for Aluxio and thought you'd know about him since he seemed to be familiar with your palace," Estoria replied, hoping to keep her explanation simple and told the truth.

"Yes, I do know him; he knows me very well too." Alstroemeria replied taking another sip of from her cup.

"Does he now?" Estoria mumbled confused about their relationship.

Estoria took notice of Aluxio and Alstroemeria exchanging subtle glances, and it piqued her curiosity. 

Since she had no clue about the relationship between them, she thought of the possibility of them being lovers or childhood friends.

"We grew up together, so he's like a family member to me," the princess replied and the others exchanged quick glances with each other.

Ah, the childhood friends to lovers route again...

It was quite common in stories for childhood friends to have a close bond, and their interactions would make others curious about their relationship. 

But the dynamics between characters can vary widely, and it's not like all childhood friends necessarily develop romantic feelings for each other.

Estoria didn't really think much of Aluxio using pick up lines on her, maybe he was practicing them for the princess but the thought of them becoming lovers made Estoria uncomfortable..

"Anyways back on the previous topic, I will conduct a search using her name to see if I can find any connections within the list of noble families," Darius said.

"What if she isn't listed there?" Alstroemeria questioned.

"We will have to post posters in the capital then," Darius suggested seemingly uninterested.

"Thank you for the help once again, brother Darius," Alstroemeria expressed her gratitude.

"Don't mention it; you should've come for me the moment you needed help," Darius replied warmly but left immediately after the matter..

"Estoria, we'll try to find everything about you so don't worry about it," Alstroemeria assured Estoria, her kindness shined brightly.

Estoria felt truly grateful for her support and unmoving kindness, as she tried to hold back her tears of gratitude. 

Estoria was just being overly dramatic.

They chatted for a while, or should it be that, Estoria was mostly listening to them conversing with each other. 

It was clear that they enjoyed each other's company, and the relationship between the royal siblings wasn't quite what Estoria was expecting. 

In the webtoons she used to read, royal families often seemed to be at each other's throats...

At the end, Estoria had a thought.

Is this how a family gathering feels like?