My eyes fluttered open and I caught sight of orange sunlight filtering in through the window. Judging by how dark the room was, I could tell it was still quite early.

I glanced over, expecting to find myself alone when I was faced with the unexpected warmth of a body pressed against mine. Judar was still sleeping soundly, his fingers wrapped loosely around a strand of my hair. I watched him sleep for a moment, smiling to myself at how peaceful and content he seemed in his slumber.

My insides then churned with a familiar unease as I remembered the promise I'd made to myself the night prior.

(I know you well enough to know that last night was just a ploy to you.)

I ran my fingers through his tangled hair, my heart fluttering in my chest as I did so.

(That's the way you'll always be, I think. And for that very reason, you'd never be able to return my feelings.)

I recorded every detail of his face to memory, hoping to never lose sight of it. I blinked through the sunlight that had grown slightly brighter as the star burned higher in the sky now. I pulled myself out of bed and dressed myself as quietly as I could, sneaking across the room towards the door. I stole one last glance at Judar's sleeping figure under the bed covers, smiling to myself as I shut the door quietly behind me.

--

I wandered the halls until catching sight of King Sinbad. I jogged to catch up to him, bowing quickly to greet him.

"Princess, Good morning! Why might you be up so early?" he asked, surprisingly chipper considering how much he'd had to drink the night before.

"I just wanted to thank you for everything before I left," I told him, smiling brightly up at him.

His amber colored eyes widened as my words sunk in. "Leaving? But it's so early," he said, unable to mask his surprise.

I nodded slowly, casting my eyes down to the floor. I studied the lavishly colored tile as I spoke, "I've caused such a mess for everyone and it only seems right that I leave them be for a while." Sinbad listened intently as I continued. "Besides that, I don't think I can handle staying--"

(Around him...)

My heart clenched in my chest and Sinbad smiled knowingly down at me. "Where do you plan to go then?" he asked. "You're more than welcome to stay here if you wish," he suggested kindly.

"Oh, but then I'd be your burden to bear," I laughed along with Sinbad's chuckle. "Maybe I'll return here and take you up on your offer. But what I really want is to explore. My life was cut so short before and I never had the chance to really experience the world," I admitted, smiling bitterly at the recollection of my past life under Natalia's reign.

"You can't go," I heard him say, his voice much more urgent now. I glanced up at Sinbad questioningly but noticed his gaze was directed somewhere behind me. I turned around, catching sight of the flustered magi with his hair still a tangled mess as if he'd jumped out of bed and ran straight here. "I mean, you can't go alone," he stammered.

"Are you implying that you come with me then?" I scoffed, my heart thumping irregularly in my chest.

"Yeah, actually," Judar said, meeting my gaze directly.

My brows furrowed at his proposition. "Why would you?" I asked, not understanding what exactly was going on.

Judar looked a little flustered again as he stuttered, "W-Well, because you might need someone to patch you up after you exhaust your magoi."

My brow furrowed deeper now. "I don't need your help with that anymore," I huffed, turning to face Sinbad again.

"Well, the old guys in Al Tharmen would be pretty upset if anything happened to you," he said desperately.

My face twisted in confusion as I turned to face him again. "Judar, they're all gone! What are you trying to say to me right now?" I asked, becoming slightly agitated at his constant interruptions.

He gritted his teeth before answering me in a furious rush, "I... I was wrong, okay?!"

I shrunk back a little at his outburst and suddenly my heart was soaring through a multitude of things that he could have meant by that.

"About what?" I asked quietly, doing my best to keep my hopes down.

"Oh, come on," he pleaded, slightly angered. "Especially not in front of King Moron!"

I glanced back at Sinbad, who had his hands up now as he took a step back. He grinned before turning and heading down the corridor away from us.

--

 Sinbad continued down the hallway, rounding the corner and finding a small group of people huddled near the edge of the wall, peeking determinedly down the hall, watching the conversation taking place.

"What in the-" he started but was hastily shushed and pulled behind the corner as well. Kougyoku, Hakuryuu, Alibaba, Aladdin, and Morgiana were all watching intently, just as they had been during the festival the night before.

"If you're quiet, you can listen in too!" Aladdin said, pulling out a small glass ball that shimmered in the light. Sinbad stared at the familiar ball, recognizing it to be the magic tool that Yamraiha often used with her clairvoyance magic.

"We really shouldn't," Sinbad said sternly, causing the entire group to look guiltily up at him. "Can't you make it any louder?" he then asked, sitting himself in the middle of them.

---

I turned back around, finding Judar right in front of me now.

"You can't go," he muttered, his face flushing pink. "And you shouldn't go. But if you have to, I'll come with you," he said, his voice low.

A spark of hope was suddenly ignited in me as his words seeped into my mind.

"But why?" I asked, my mind in a daze.

Rather than answering, he stepped forward, his hand brushing against the skin of my cheek as he closed the gap between us. He kissed me then with more passion than I thought possible for him and my wide eyes narrowed a little as I leaned into him. I placed my hands against his chest in a futile attempt to push him away, noticing his heart thumping loudly.

He finally broke away from me, his face flushing red. He dropped to his knees then, sending my nerves into a panic. I didn't know what to do other than call out to him and try to pull him up off the ground before someone caught sight of him.

"J-Judar--" I stammered nervously, glancing around the corridor to make sure no one else was around.

He refused to look at me, his hair falling over his eyes as he then spoke in a voice so quiet that I had no choice but to remain still and listen. "You're my princess," he said silently. "And I'd follow you anywhere. Anything in this world could be yours if you so wished it... Even the magi before you," he continued, his voice tapering off into a series of small breaths.

An urgent sense of Deja Vu swept over me as I recalled the first time he'd said those very words to me when I first awoke in Kou for what seemed like such a long time ago.

I wasn't able to fight the tears that spilled over onto my cheeks as my heart clenched tightly to every word he spoke. I threw my arms around his neck, pulling him close and fearing that I was only dreaming. I almost couldn't handle the amount of warmth welling up inside of me and it felt as if my insides would burst with happiness at any moment. I sobbed quietly into his hair, squeezing him tighter as if he'd slip away from me.

Judar only smiled, grasping my arms tightly before strumming his fingertips down my back.

---

Sinbad and the others watched silently with warm smiles as the newly humbled Magi embraced his summoned princess.

---

"This is the finest ship in my fleet!" Sinbad exclaimed as the last of the cargo was packed into the cellars of the ship. "It''l take you as far as you like," he said, beaming brightly at the only two passengers it'd be carrying.

I smiled brightly up at him. "Thank you so much for everything, King Sinbad," I said, giving a quick and respectful bow.

"Make no mention of it," he told me.

Kougyoku approached me then, pulling me away from Judar's side. "If he screws up even once," she scowled quietly.

I only laughed and wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug. "I'll kill him myself," I reassured her. I pulled away from her and she seemed distraught, frowning as she waved me off. "Hakuei and I are going to miss you so come back soon alright, little sister?" she said, rubbing her face with her sleeves. My lip quirked up at one corner as I wondered if she was older than me.

The ship departed from the docks and the friends that I'd grown so fond of were becoming smaller and smaller as I watched them from my spot on the ship deck. I glanced back at Judar who was watching me intently, his crimson eyes gleaming in the sunlight.

I waddled towards him and he snaked his arms around my waist, pulling my body close to his. "Don't think that just because I like you, I'm gonna be any nicer to you," he teased, brushing my hair back out of my face.

"Well, that's alright," I told him. "I don't even like you," I smiled.

He smirked down at me before closing the gap between us, his lips catching mine in a gentle kiss that seemed too sweet to be coming from him. My lips pulled into a smile as he continued to kiss me, and I thanked whole-heartedly whatever unnatural force brought me to live this second life that I''d been blessed with.

~~~