Fairy Princess | Fairy Tail (TEMP HIATUS)

09 - A Beautiful Stranger

I am now waltzing around the city of flowers with this hot stranger I met yesterday, visiting every popular tourist place and food stand he could possibly come up with.

"So this is the royal castle, Mercurius! It's not usually open for visitors, but they open the gardens during the Grand Magic Games because of all the tourists," Sting explained and led me inside the bushy maze. I wandered around in awe since I've never seen a real castle before, aside from our old grand guildhall I guess. "So... What do you think?" he asked.

"It's beautiful..." I whispered and continued to wander around the garden, admiring all the gorgeous flowers and sparkling lights.

"Isn't it?" Sting chuckled from behind me, "Here." I turned around to face him and he held out a small, but lovely lavender flower and tucked it in my hair. "Looks good on you," he smiled.

"T-Thanks..." I shyly smiled back while looking at my feet.

"What a lovely couple! Would you two like a picture to commemorate this scene? It's only 1000 jewels!" a photographer asked while pointing his camera at us.

"We're not a..." I stammered, my face dusted pink from the misunderstanding.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Would you still want a commemorative picture with your friend?" the man insisted.

"Do you want to? It's pretty cheap anyways," Sting asked.

"Uh... Sure..." I said and stood next to him, holding up a peace sign with one hand.

"Come on, kids! Scoot closer together!" the photographer directed. I stood frozen in my spot, unsure of what to do. Should I scoot in? Would that make him uncomfortable? But the photographer might get mad... Suddenly, Sting took a step closer to me and hovered an arm around my shoulders, also holding up a peace sign. He's close... I can smell his cologne at this distance... The scent suits him- Wait, Levina, stop. Don't be a creep! You literally just met this guy! Just because he's a bit- no very- hot. And he's kind of- just kind of!- polite since he's actually trying to be considerate and not taking advantage of the situation to touch my waist or shoulders... Levina, your standards for men are so low... But it's nice to know that chivalry isn't dead...?

"Now, smile!" I forced a smile for the picture as the flash went off, blinding me. Sting offered to pay for the pictures, much to my protest, and the man handed us each a picture before leaving.

"You didn't have to pay for it," I said.

"It's fine. It was only 1000 jewels; consider it my gift," Sting winked, making me give in.

"Thanks. The picture turned out well," I smiled, unknowingly causing Sting to smile too.

"So, you want some dinner?" he asked and I nodded, "So, what do you feel like eating?"

"Um... I'm not sure. I don't know any places here, so you choose," I answered. Sting paused for a moment before snapping and leading me to another unknown destination. We ended up stopping at an all-you-can-eat barbecue buffet.

"A-Are you sure? It looks really expensive," I asked, still staring in awe at the beautiful restaurant.

"It's okay. I promised you dinner, didn't I?" he winked and opened the door for me. We were seated in a quiet corner, and I let Sting do the ordering since it was my first time at the place.

"You're okay with eating meat all night, right?" he asked while skimming the menu. I nodded and continued staring around the stunning place. "It's really obvious it's your first time here," he chuckled.