Finding Stardust

The flower petals were still falling down from the sky. Now, not a single person made a sound, as if they all wanted to maintain the sacredness of the moment so that it would not be damaged by their screams calling Aeron's name over and over again, like they did before.

Unknowingly, a smile slowly etched on Emma's face when she realized that the song Aeron sang was her parents' love story. Slowly, her left hand was also raised to receive the abundance of flower petals that rained down from the sky.

Therius held his breath as he watched Emma smile. He realized that he rarely saw this girl smile so beautifully like now. Emma was mostly quiet and didn't show many expressions since they first met. Her smile was few and far between, especially after she arrived in Akkadia and was hit by constant sadness and tragedy

Ahh, she had such a beautiful smile. Therius really wished Emma could smile more often. Now, the man realized he should thank Aeron for bringing a smile to his wife-to-be's face.

'No need to contact the Minister of Arts and Culture. I retract my orders earlier.' 

Therius signaled to Avato. His assistant nodded in understanding.

After the second song finished, the rain of flower petals stopped and the serene atmosphere changed into lively. Aeron again greeted his fans and threw more flowers at them. The screams of the girls who received a flower from the handsome man were deafening.

From his movements, Emma could tell that Aeron was a herbomancer. It was he who had created a rain of flower petals while he was singing. This impressed Emma quite a bit.

Dropping so many flower showers for almost ten minutes straight was certainly not an easy thing, even for her who was also a herbomancer.

Emma had absolutely no idea that Aeron was a womanizer, a true Casanova. He used herbomancy to seduce and flirt with women so that they all fall for him.

Seeing Aeron throwing flowers at his fans made Emma feel nostalgic. She remembered her father, Kaoshin, loved creating plants when he was with Arreya.

He didn't do it to seduce Arreya, like what Aeron was now doing to the girls in the plaza, but to give life to the arid regions they pass by, so that the poor and hungry may find food from the earth.

"What are you thinking?" Therius asked Emma softly.

Emma shook her head. "Nothing. I just really like this song."

Therius had to admit that Aeron had a good voice. He no longer disputed it, now that the man's performance tonight had put a smile on Emma Stardust's face.

Emma nodded. She also felt the story in the Aeron's song just now was quite familiar. He intentionally used the characters of a farmer and a princess, instead of a general and a princess, so that the royal family wouldn't get offended.

"He is a fan of my parents?" Emma turned to Aeron and took a good look at the young man. Inwardly, she felt grateful. Her heart had been a big mess the past weeks, and everything felt so dark for her. But tonight, she was comforted by listening to a song about her parents. "If you met him, tell him I like the song, and I'm thankful that he created it. It's such a beautiful song."

"I'll tell him later," said Therius. He looked up at the stage and paid close attention to Aeron. Ah, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea if he invited the Aeron to his wedding party with Emma. The man still didn't know he is the crown prince of the Akkadian.

Therius could imagine his surprise.

Aeron sang a few more songs and turned the female audience crazy. Women of all ages kept shouting his name. They all became very sad when he closed the performance with one last song and then waved away.

Apparently, his performance was the highlight of the festival. After Aeron disappeared, the host came back to the stage and greeted the audience.

"Finally, the time that we have been waiting for. It is time to release our lanterns and conclude the festival. Everyone, get your lanterns ready!"

"Alright ... it's time for us release our lanterns. Please write down your wishes, and we will immediately send the lanterns to the sky together." 

Xion handed the marker to Emma and her lantern. "Here, write down your wish. I already did."

"What did you write?" asked Emma.

Xion shrugged. "That is a secret, Princess."

Emma took the marker and the lantern with a pensive expression. She didn't believe in any gods or anyone out there who could grant her wishes. It felt awkward if she had to write her wish on this lantern.

"Your wish doesn't have to be a big one. You can write a wish that you want to meet your family," Xion explained. "Or you can write that you wish for a longer summer..."

"Hmm .." Emma nodded. She finally wrote down that she wished to meet her mother and brother soon.

Therius also wrote down his wish. After they were all done, the three of them immediately got ready to light the lantern and send them up to the air.

From the tip of his finger, Therius created a fire and lit Emma's lantern. He then lit Xion's, and finally his own. After they were ready, the three raised their respective lanterns and released them into the air.

Thousands of lanterns flew into the air decorating the night sky like thousands of fireflies. The scenery was breathtaking. Almost no one made a sound. Everything felt solemn and beautiful.

The people cast their gaze up and watched their lanterns fly high to the sky and slowly they turned into small twinkling lights, like stars.

The night view was magnificent. It couldn't be described in words.

"We'd better go home now. Tomorrow you have to look fresh for the wedding," Therius whispered into Emma's ear. The girl nodded.

Therius stretched out his hand and clasped Emma's hand. He wanted them to walk holding hands, back to the theater, and then secretly fly from there back to the palace.

"You guys go ahead," said Xion suddenly. "I still want to be here."

He didn't wwant to be a third wheel for much longer. The Night of the Three Moon Fire was special, especially for couples. He did not want to disturb the soon-to-be married man and woman. Xion thought they might want to do something once they're back in the palace. He didn't want to be in the way.

"All right, don't forget, tomorrow you have to a nice outfit. The king will be there," Therius said again. "Wedding starts at 10 am. Don't stay up late and get drunk. No hangover. I won't forgive you."

"Good night, Xion," said Emma.

"Good night, Stardust," replied XIon.

Therius and Emma quickly disappeared among the festival-goers heading toward the theater. Xion remained standing in his place, watching the sky. The lanterns looked like fireflies flying to the moon. It was enchanting.

"Xion Draconi! You are in the capital too?"

Xion turned to the side when he heard someone called his name. His face immediately showed a big smile when he saw Aeron appear suddenly. The man deliberately covered his head with a wide scarf so that festival-goers could not see his face.

Xion could imagine that the people around him would become hysterical if they found out that their idol had suddenly appeared here.

"How do you know that I'm here?" Xion asked in amazement.

"Ah.. Well, earlier I saw a gorgeous girl standing here, and suddenly I saw you were standing next to her. Is she an acquaintance of yours? What's her name? Oh.. she is so pretty," said Aeron with a laugh. "You know, if there is one thing I'm good at, it is spotting a beautiful woman among the crowd. After I finished my performance, I rushed here to see her, but she is gone."

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From the author:

I want to join Wattys (writing) competition in Wattpad and so the book cannot be published on other sites. It has to be exclusive on Wattpad. So, go find the book now before it's gone. The title is:

Ludwina \u0026 Andrea: A Love That Never Fails.