"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's okay if you don't want to tell me."

"No, it's fine. I'm just doing this because… it was something the princess wants to know."

Lily's answer surprised me so much, and I can't help but notice something rather odd in her words. First of all, the fact that the second princess of the water empire wanted to know more about the two princes of the fire kingdom. This fact was truly the most surprising considering their positions, and it's almost as if the princess is looking for a potential marriage partner.

The second surprising part was about what she said… was how Lily indirectly mentioned that she is close with the said princess.

"Lily… can I give you a piece of advice?" I said to her a little softly, and Lily stared at me with worry, as if she realized what she said was wrong.

I can already tell that she is only going to be even more uncomfortable if I just give her advice about keeping a secret, but I do need to tell her to not spill too much about her relationship with the princess. If it was anybody else other than me, then for sure they will exploit her position to get in touch with the princess. If that happens, then both her and the princess might get in trouble, or worse.

After thinking about how I should say it, I decided to just be a little less straightforward with her. 

"I actually… do know some things about the two princes." I said with a little smirk on my face, and Lily suddenly turned very curious.

"W-What is it??"

"I heard that the first prince is very-very handsome."

As I said that, my grin cannot be held back, and my smile turned even wider. Lily noticed that I was joking around, and she became really annoyed.

"Stop joking around! That's not what I wanted to know about!"

"I-I mean, what else can you mean when you say the princess wants to know about the two princes? Surely, she wants to know about a potential marriage partner or something, right?" I finally said what I had in mind, and Lily immediately realized her mistake.

She looked quite troubled with what she just said. But from the looks of it, the damage isn't as big as I thought. If I were to just say it raw and right away, then Lily would feel even more uncomfortable than now. At least, when I'm joking around like this, she will receive the message much easier.

"That's… not exactly wrong, but…"

"It's okay! I keep my secrets well. But, I'm telling you, I've seen that guy bare naked at a big festival once. His body is very well-shaped!"

"That is really not what I wanted to know, Nathan…" Lily finally gave up yelling and let out a long sigh. "Based on what I heard, though… the second prince was even more handsome."

… huh? Where did she even hear that?

"Who told you that? Don't tell the princess that." I said firmly this time, and Lily noticed that my tone had gotten serious.

"W-Why not? Was it… bad?"

"No. It's just that the second prince is really ugly." I tried really hard to be convincing, but it looks like Lily isn't even buying it. 

"I'm serious, the second prince is thin and frail, he is weak, and he is too much of a nerd. His physique is nothing compared to the first prince!" I tried again, but Lily is really just not listening.

"It sounds to me like you are much closer to the two princes than what you tell me, Nathan." Lily said with a big smile, and I only laughed a little.

Well, look at you, smart girl… And here I thought I had the upper hand when it comes to secrets.

"I just see them often during big festivals. Trust me, the first prince is so much better." I lied again, but Lily is really not listening this time.

Lily only chuckles at me for trying really hard to lie. "You say that, but I have heard from many other people that the second prince was so much better in combat compared to his siblings. Someone once told me that the second prince's abilities were even comparable to the fire kingdom's 'Dark Knight'."

W-Where the hell did she learn that!?

Okay, it's so damn obvious now. She is actually connected to the damn princess if she knew that much!

For now, though… I guess I should just act surprised.

"R-Really!? No way, I don't believe it. The second prince is a lazy guy! From what I saw, he was really weak. And wasn't the fire kingdom's 'Dark Knight' like… super strong? It's just impossible for a lazy royal like him to be that good." 

This time, I tried my best to be as convincing as possible. While that may have worked, it seems like my position in Lily's eyes have been reduced so much.

"If that's what you think, then I guess it must be true…" Lily said with a disappointed tone, and I can't help but realize the state of the conversation now.

The tables have… really turned.

"Anyway… I also heard that the son of the earth nation's holy knight is attending. Have you also heard about this?" I changed the topic after noticing the direction of the conversation, and fortunately, Lily took the bait.

"Yes, I have heard about that as well! The holy knight of the earth nation… was very famous. His son should be as good, right?"

"Well, we can't really know for sure. But, I'm excited to see what kind of person he is, if he is going to be in our year."

"Me too! I wonder if he is as strong as his father."

The topic then became about the son of the holy knight, which in truth, wasn't that hard to talk about. The holy knight of the earth nation was very famous, and his achievements were known all over Avenor. It's a little suspicious that so little was known about his son, but at least we now know that he will be attending a great academy here at Ellen.

At least both Lily and I agreed that we would like to find out more about the son of the holy knight. He was quite an interesting one to know, I guess.

We didn't really talk any more about the two princes and princess from both countries. I think the two of us knew that we have our own secrets, and we decided to respect each other regarding them. At the very least, we both needed a friend so that we could go to the exam together and not be lonely.

We talked for quite a while, and Lily occasionally gets called by the stern old lady at the front desk to help out. It was still around time for breakfast, and Lily was in charge of delivering the breakfast that was cooked in the kitchen to the people sitting at the tables.

"How long until your shift is over?" I asked Lily after she came back from her third round of delivering breakfast back and forth.

"In about… an hour, I guess. Breakfast time is about to end soon." Lily answered after taking a glance at the wall clock not far from our position, and I really wondered if she was busy.

"Are you busy after that?"

"Not really, no. I was thinking of going around the city since I haven't been here for long."

"Oh, I was also planning to roam around the city after this. Would you like to go together?" I asked Lily, fully not knowing what the heck I just asked.

Lily suddenly turned really surprised, and I immediately realized what I just said. 

That was indeed… a date invitation. I was so excited that the words just blurted out of my mouth.

"If you don't mind, of course..." I quickly added to make myself look better, and Lily only laughed a little.

"I don't mind! I was initially planning to go alone. But if it's with you, then I guess it might be fun!" She answered just as energetically as always, and I was amazed at how easily she accepted.

Well… I had no idea what kind of situation I just got myself into.

But, a date with a cute girl in a city we've never been to before!? This isn't even a date anymore. It's a vacation!

Lily and I then agreed to take our time preparing for the adventure later, and we'll meet up again in this lobby in about an hour. I headed back to my room to change into more proper clothing, since I was wearing a rather shady black robe that was ruined to hell by many battles. After changing into a more proper clothing, I decided to use my time to write a letter to someone back at the kingdom.

Once the promised time arrived, I packed the letter neatly and headed out to the lobby again to see Lily. I found her waiting for me by the door of the inn, and I hurriedly walked over to her as soon as I saw her. I noticed that she was also dressed nicely as if this was really a date, and I can't help but wanting to enjoy this as much as possible.

"You look great! I was wondering if you don't have any other clothes other than that dirty robe." Lily commented after seeing me in a casual outfit, and I just laughed a little hearing the comment.

"Well, that robe has been with me for so long. I just really like it. You look wonderful as well!" I complimented her appearance, and it looks like she really likes it.

"Thanks! Shall we go?"

"Yeah. Where do you want to visit first?" I asked Lily, and she started thinking really deeply.

"I heard… there was a park that was unlike any other parks." She tried recalling what someone had told her, and I tried thinking of a place to visit as well.

"Then, let's try visiting the places close by." I suggested the idea, and Lily agreed to it.

Beforelong, we opened the door and left the inn. Our early date, after only knowing each other for an hour, has begun.