Finding Stardust (Princess Of Akkadia)

Chapter 17 - Haoran's Plan

At 6 PM, Emma and her fellow students finally returned to their hotel. After spending a full itinerary the whole day outside, the students certainly wanted to enjoy some free time to do things on their own. For some people, that would be shopping, exploring, or resting.

Dinh, Alex, Eric, and David had made plans to do a picnic on the grassy field of Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower. They would pose as adults and drink wine while eating snacks and chatting there.

As for Emma, she had promised to go out with Haoran. So, the moment she arrived in her room, she quickly showered and changed. At 6:30 PM, the guy rang her room's doorbell. He wore a buttoned-up t-shirt with the long-sleeves rolled up to his elbows and paired it with jeans and nice leather shoes.

When Emma opened the door, she was momentarily stunned because she didn't expect Haoran to look so neat. Usually, this young man would only wear a short-sleeved shirt and casual shorts. As for Emma's outfit, she wore the dress she had bought with Mary and Nadia for the first time during this trip.

She looked stunning in her bright yellow summer dress with pretty floral patterns. And to top it off, she also wore a wide summer hat and cute red strappy sandals. She looked like a summer fairy. All of these made her appear fresh, and that fascinated Haoran.

Both of them were stunned, looking at each other. Haoran had never seen Emma wear feminine clothes like this before; the same thing went for Emma, she had never seen him looking so formal and neat.

For a few seconds, the two of them stood still, gaping at each other, and when they're about to say something, no words came out of their mouths. After being stunned like two fools for almost ten seconds, the two burst out laughing.

"I can't believe you can look neat, too," Emma said as she wiped her tearing eyes from laughing too hard.

"Of course, I can. I respect you as my date. So, I have to look neat on our first date," Haoran showed off his dress.

Emma raised one eyebrow. "First?"

"I know that if I perform well, you'll give me a chance for a second date, then a third date and so on," he replied with a faint smile.

The girl blushed at his words.

"You look so beautiful," Haoran said honestly. He didn't miss the opportunity to praise Emma's appearance, which fascinated him since she looked so different from usual. She always looked beautiful in his eyes. But he knew she's trying to appear better than usual, and he wanted the girl to know that he appreciated her efforts.

Emma could only smile at the guy's praise. "All right, Young Master Lee... Where will you be taking me today?"

"That is a surprise," Haoran said as he offered his hand to Emma like a gentleman. The girl stared at the young man's hand before shaking her head.

She frowned and looked from left to right, worried their schoolmates might be around. "What if somebody sees us?"

Haoran, who later understood Emma's worries, finally sighed and nodded. He had heard from Alex that one of Emma's friends liked him, so most likely, she wouldn't risk being seen on a date with him because it would make her friend upset.

"Alright," he said dejectedly. He then put his hands in his pockets and walked alongside her toward the elevator which took them down the lobby.

They passed by three of their schoolmates there, but they were all from Class B. The three of them were chatting about their plans for the free time.

"I've called a taxi and the driver is waiting in the hotel's courtyard. We can just go out..." He pulled Emma's hand so the girl wouldn't attract the attention of their schoolmates.

Ten minutes later, they were already inside the taxi heading toward the banks of the River Seine. Emma was impressed by how the city was still decorated with ancient buildings that still looked beautiful. She stared out of the cab window with mixed emotions. Never did she forget that her parents' last traces were in this city.

'Tomorrow, I must find a way to sneak out and search their tracks,' she thought to herself.

"You look sad," Haoran commented in a soft voice. "Are you thinking about your parents?"

Emma nodded. "I am."

"Do you remember what they look like?" he asked again.

She closed her eyes and imagined the faces that returned to her memory last night when she jumped down from the Eiffel Tower. Her mother was stunning and her father was very handsome.

"I do..." Emma said quietly.

"Good," Haoran nodded in satisfaction. "Then, my decision's right."

"What decision?" she asked in surprise.

"You'll find out soon enough," he replied in a mysterious tone.

Emma looked at him and tried to guess what he's thinking, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hear anything.

'Is my ability to read minds only temporary?' The girl was feeling disappointed.

She looked at the taxi driver through the rearview mirror and tried to hear out what he was thinking.

'Weather today is really nice. Ah, these lucky kids will be having a nice time outside. Are they dating? But they're so young! Indeed, times have changed. If it was my daughter going out together with a boy, I would scold her.'

BAM!

Emma widened her eyes in surprise. She could hear the taxi driver's thoughts clearly. The old man was thinking about her and Haoran.

'The girl is beautiful. It's a shame her face looks so sad.'

"What happened to you?" Haoran asked in puzzlement. He had seen Emma's face turn pale. "You look like you have seen a ghost."

Emma stared at Haoran for a long time, trying to read his mind like she did with the taxi driver. But she really couldn't hear anything. 'Why is it not working on him?' she thought.

Was it because she liked Haoran, so his thoughts became inaccessible to her? But Arreya Stardust could read Kaoshin Stardust's mind. That showed that even though Arreya loved Kaoshin, she could still listen to his thoughts. Emma was perplexed.

"Hey, hey, is there something on my face? You're staring at me," Haoran asked again.

"Uhm, nothing..." Emma lied and threw her gaze out of the window.

They didn't speak to each other until the taxi stopped at Pont Neuf. It's on the banks of River Seine, near the Notre-Dame church. Haoran paid the taxi fare and led Emma down the road, passing by several used-book stalls and art sellers by the river. He finally stopped in front of a small kiosk.

"We have arrived," he said enthusiastically.

She looked at him in surprise and moved her gaze to the small stall. In front of the kiosk filled with paintings and old books, was an old man busy packing up his painting equipment.

"Why are we here?" asked the girl.

Haoran called the old man and spoke to him in French, explaining that he had made an appointment over the telephone. He wanted the old artist to draw some paintings for Emma.

The girl understood French, so she was surprised upon hearing what this guy was up to. She subconsciously pressed her lips and stepped back a little. Haoran's actions had truly stunned her.

"You—have you planned this?" the girl asked in a stutter.

"Yes." Haoran smiled. "If we can get a picture of their faces, we'll be able to find your parents more quickly. Mr. Neville here is one of the best portrait artists in Paris. He'll be able to sketch your parents based on your instructions from what you remember."

Emma stayed silent. She hadn't thought about this before. Haoran truly cared about her affairs and even thought of little things like this. She was very grateful for him.

"Haoran... thank you..." whispered the girl into his ear. She could no longer hold back her feelings before and wrapped her arms around his neck.