The Crown Prince Thinks I'm a Guy

The Village of Flying Drakons

"... The Isle of Malaya?" I repeated. Almost as though I was drawn in by an unnatural force, my gaze went towards the carriage windows. It wasn't exactly hard to look for, because if you simply look up, you would immediately find the floating island. "That Isle of Malaya?"

I heard the gently laughter from my mentor. "Is there any other floating island in this world?"

It was too good to be true that my excitement immediately died down. I turned my gaze away from the window and stared at him with fierce eyes. "You must be joking? Forgive me for doubting you, but I recall only the wealthiest and most prominent persons can step foot on the island. Even for a well-known wine peddler, processing the documents for a two-way trip would at least take a few months. You may think me an ignorant girl, but I have been with you for a long time now and I have never heard any mention of you trying to come up to the Isle."

The old man and the ghost exchanged secretive looks, and contrary to my expectations, they both erupted into loud laughter. It simply bewildered me, especially after I had conveyed my opinions with fuming frustration. After all, the Isle had a special place in my heart in the past few months. After all, it was the symbol of the start of a new life, and frankly, when I had once thought I was dreaming everything, I would simply look up at the sky. When I saw the looming island above us, I would be reminded that 'Yes, I have indeed gained freedom'.

So, when I heard the wondrous words from my mentor, I was initially filled with great elation. But, seeing how impossible it all was, I grew angry at the prospect that it was all a little joke.

'They must have noticed me staring longingly at the Isle, and now they're teasing me,' I thought grudgingly, glaring at them laughing.

"Well?" I growled, my patience all but gone.

"Kid." I flinched when Janmira spoke. "Have I not told you that the old man doesn't lie?"

"But..." I mumbled, staring at the duo's faces one after the other. "How?"

I was staring at Farseer with my mouth opened, when warm hands landed on my shoulders. I yelped.

"You doubt us too much," Janmira said. "Don't ask us how we can do it, but just trust us that we can."

I've never really heard the ghost speak too many words to me, so I was simply flabbergasted. The other girl seemed to have taken my silence as agreement, and nodded silently before sitting back with a serene smile on her ghostly face.

Once again, I wondered if indeed, this was actually a real human...

For the rest of the ride, I tried to ask them more questions, but they only replied with silence or empty answers. The morning soon turned into the afternoon, and confirming that we were indeed going to Malaya, our carriage brought us steadily towards the island afloat.

By late evening, we had arrived near a small village on top of a mountain. Farseer had explained to me on the way that this village was originally built as an access point to the floating island, but after the Continental Wars started, the Isle no longer roamed freely from continent to continent. Frankly, the village suffered greatly due to them losing their livelihood, but now, years after the war, they can finally start up their business again.

Looking at the tiny, wooden houses sparsely outlining the village, I could only imagine how devastated they must have been when the war erupted. "Must've been hard."

"Oh, they're strong people." My mentor glanced smilingly at the village. "Besides, it's not like they could do business all the time on a normal era. There were times when the Isle wouldn't even visit the Aerim Continent for decades."