"Are you sure, miss?" asked the carriage driver. I nodded, slowly making my way into the wooden holder.

It took me almost the entire morning and afternoon to persuade the doctor to let me out, claiming that this was too important for me to miss out on. Although I did manage to escape the depths of the hospital, I had an even harder time finding a dress that would live up to the expectations of the ball.

It was a little difficult to walk. I didn't let that stop me, though – I had to be at the festival even if my life depended on it.

The coach had started moving and I stared quietly out the window, watching the hospital get smaller and smaller as the driver sped away. I sighed, tilting my head to the right to lean against the wall of the shaking carriage.

"Just a bit longer…" I reassured myself, my eyebrow twitching.

After a half an hour-long bumpy ride, the carriage came to a full stop. An excited-sounding driver called out from the driver seat, letting me know we had arrived at the destination.

"Finally…!"

I slowly made my way out of the carriage. The crowd surrounding me caught me off guard; I was surprised to see so many people. Tables were set up all around and there had to be hundreds of people in just this area alone – it wasn't too difficult to blend in. I looked around this rest spot but found no sign of anyone I knew.

"Miss, it doesn't seem like you came prepared," the driver called out, giving a slight laugh. I raised an eyebrow, looking over to him with a questioning look. "This festival originated from the legend of the blue-winged angel, Belligeron, who fell in love with a human. It is a longtime tradition to wear blue feathers on your dress when attending this yearly event as a way of covering the true identity of said angel."

"Is there… anywhere I can get feathers from?" I asked. All that did was earned me a laugh from the driver.

"You've come to the right place," he reached to the briefcase sitting next to his feet, pulling out six brightly-colored blue feathers. "I happen to have some right here, miss. I am attending this festival as well, so it's a good thing I brought extra, isn't it?"

"Shouldn't you be doing your job as a carriage driver?"

"I wasn't even on duty, but you rushed to me asking if I was available for a drive to the festival, so I agreed to do it since I was on my way here as well," he laughed. "Don't be such a party-pooper!"

"Oh… I guess that's why you were dressed so fancily. Thank you, I appreciate it a lot."

He smirked and jumped off his seat anxiously, dashing towards a nearby food table. I couldn't help but laugh at the man's strangeness.

I took the feathers and quarreled with myself on what the best place for them would be.

Then, I reached for my hair, which gave me an idea. This would be the perfect accessory to use as a clip! I gave a satisfied grin when I placed it in my hair, walking off into the distance to finally explore my first ever festival.

I made a left, nearly bumping into a woman on my way there. As I passed the large staircase that my eyes seemed to miss earlier, I notice a strikingly-beautiful figure light up right before my eyes: standing at an impressive height of 42 feet right in front of a large stairway, the clock was almost calling out to me. Above the clock itself was the statue of a feathered shield.

I sighed, gazing into the mass of silver while watching the time go by.

I nearly fell forward from being so distracted. That fall made me notice something I definitely didn't see earlier. As I spotted the familiar figure, I ran down the stairs.

"Oz, hey!" I called, noticing the blond boy walk by with a female next to him. He blinked and turned around to face me.

"Alva-chan! What are you doing here? You should be resting!" he said with a tone of worry. "But you look really good in that dress."

"Thanks. I'm fine. And besides, I don't want to miss an event as big as this one that only comes around once a year…" I sighed, rubbing the back of my head. "And this girl… isn't she the one from earlier?" I said, recalling Vincent.

He laughed and looked over at the girl next to him.

"Yeah, this is Echo-chan. Echo-chan, this is Alva-chan. She's a really nice girl."

"Just Echo," she corrected. "Hello, Alva-sama. It is a pleasure to meet a friend of Oz Vessalius-sama," the female said courteously while showing no signs of emotion.

"Hey there, Echo. It's nice to meet you."

I had to admit, she was a pretty cute girl. Vincent was lucky to have her around.

"Oz, have you seen Break?" I asked curiously. He merely blinked and shook his head no.

"How about Sharon?"

"Haven't seen her, either..."

"Damn…"

"Why not check that big building over there?" The Vessalius heir continued, pointing behind us. "I heard there's lots of cake being served in that building and that's probably the first place Break would go to. Sharon-chan is probably having tea there right now, too."

"You're right." I slapped my forehead, wondering why I didn't bother asking someone about where all the sweets were before. "Thank you! I'll see you two later, then!" I waved, running as fast as my body let me in the direction of the large building.

I quickly scrambled inside through the entrance, making sure I didn't make the mistake of bumping into someone again. The crowd flooded the area, making my mouth drop open. Finding those two here would be too damn difficult.

"This place is huge."

The swamp of people made it harder to get around, but I decided on my next plan. I ran past them and decided to head off to the center of the room, hopefully managing a better view from said position.

"I guess they aren't here…" I looked around with a sigh. Suddenly, as I walked forward, I bumped into someone's table. I bowed to apologize without looking to see who it was; once my eyes opened up again, I was surprised to see who I ran into.

"S-Sharon!" I said with surprise. "I'm so glad I ran into you."

"Oh my! Alva-san! Where were you? Break and I were very worried."

The female placed her cup of tea down onto the table gently, giving me an apprehensive look.

"Break never told her about what happened?" I told myself, thanking the heavens for this. If Sharon were to find out, I would get thrown back into the hospital in a heartbeat.

"I'm sorry, I was meeting an… old friend," I white-lied, hoping Sharon would buy that. "Have you seen Break anywhere?"

"Break?"

She placed a hand to her cheek, thinking for a moment.

"He was here just a little while ago. Perhaps it would do you good to check out the roof? Break seems to like that spot and it's where he always goes to wait for the fireworks."

"Ah…" I sighed with relief. "I guess that's where I'll head to."

"Break didn't talk much when he was here. He must have been so lonely without you, it's so romantic," Sharon began, entering her dream world. I laughed uneasily and gave her a crooked smile.

"N-No, I doubt that…"

"But if you're planning on going, I advise you to do it now. The fireworks will start very soon and the party will be over."

Sharon picked up her cup of tea, going back to doing what she was doing. I nodded to the now-distracted female and proceeded to head up the stairs. The more steps I took, the more my feet turned into lead – why was I so worried about this?

I guess my fear of Break wasn't that temporary.

But thankfully, the Rainsworth princess had been right.

As soon as I arrived to the rooftop, Break's back was the first thing my widened eyes noticed. It was quiet and not many others were here.

"Crud, and I wanted to blend in. That's going to be difficult to do now."

I slowly made my way to the quiet Break, who was leaning forward against the brick railing with the wind gently blowing against his hair for added effect. I had to admit, this scene couldn't have looked more perfect.

"Uh… Break?" I poked his shoulder. "G-Good evening."

"Oh?" blinked the man as he turned around, looking at me with a slightly surprised expression. "Hello there. I quite expected you to come despite your injuries."

I stared at him silently, wondering if this was the type of reaction I hoped for. Then again, this was Break, meaning a surprised expression and a 'why are you here?' was not something one should expect. He didn't seem to have any candy around him, either.

I hope he wasn't still mad or upset at me… even thinking such things made me want to vomit.

"Break... thank you for not telling Sharon," I continued, unsure of what else to say. "She'd have killed me."

"No need to thank me. If I told her, she'd have killed me, too. It's the best way to keep safe."

I fidgeted with embarrassment, playing with my hair. Break eyed me as if he were wondering what I was doing. I couldn't tell if I wanted to move closer to him or to ignore him completely… probably more of the former. I tried to brush some of my bangs out of my face, when-

Bam.

My head shot up, realizing where that sound had come from. The display of fireworks had begun and myriads of colors splashed swiftly through the sky, with everyone giving all attention to the colorful display overhead. Break gave the fireworks a single glance before pulling something out his pocket.

I was too distracted with the scene before me and did not notice Break's actions until his pale hand made its way to my face. I blinked, wondering what it was he had just placed into my lackluster brown hair. As I touched it, I mentally gasped.

"Break," I said with surprise. "Isn't this a symbol of-"

"Love, as ojou-sama would call it? Maybe," he cut off my sentence. "For the first and last time, I believe I have found myself feeling it. Or maybe that's what you want me to think~"

He did not look at me at all, but instead stared off into the display ahead with a smile of sincerity sitting on his face. My eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. I was astonished, but a laugh crept onto my lips, causing Break to look at me in confusion.

"Mm?" questioned Break. "Is something the matter?"

"I just find it funny… how you got to me first," I said, placing my hand above my head to feel the green-colored pin.

"Oho~" he said in a satisfied tone. "It's nice to know the feeling is mutual~"

"W-What?!" I flailed my arms like a lunatic. "I didn't say anything, stupid!"

"Of course you did. You can't change the past, Alva-saaan~" he stretched the honorific in my name, pulling out a lollipop from his coat pocket. "And I suppose ojou-sama now wins the bet."

"What bet…?" I questioned.

"I have told ojou-sama love is a useless feeling many times in the past. Sometime a few years ago, she promised me that I would someday find love. I promptly disagreed, thus turning it into a bet~"

I gulped.

"And… what would the loser of the bet have to do?"

"Mmm, I don't remember. I am pretty sure it was an obnoxiously embarrassing expectation, but since I was so sure I'd win at the time, I agreed to do whatever ojou-sama was planning on making me do."

"Oh god," I said with shock, half-watching the fireworks decrease. "You're not telling Sharon. If you do, I'll kill you."

"You're not curious~?" Break questioned while flapping his sleeve. "Besides, how bad can things be~? Ojou-sama's dares could only be something regarding her biggest obsession: love."

"Exactly!" I said loudly, causing a few people to glance at me for a moment, making me withdraw in embarrassment. "I hope Sharon's mind is in the right place…"

Fake tears streamed down my face. By now, the fireworks had entirely come to a close, people exiting the roof and beginning to make their way home.

"Alva-san…" Break said seriously.

I got nervous. He lifted his hand and slowly reached for me, as if hinting to take this to the next level. I nearly exploded from nervousness.

He was going to kiss me.

He was going to kiss me here.

"…forehead attack!" he lightly tapped my forehead with his pointer finger and smirked. I nearly felt like I was going to collapse from being ridiculed.

"You just had to build up all that suspense, didn't you?!"

"Perhaps," he smirked. "And… Alva-san?"

"Yes…?"

"Are you…" he took a slight pause, gaze of confusion piercing through me. "…still afraid?"

I blinked, taking a while to digest this.

"That's right… I was scared of him because of how he acted after the fire yesterday."

I smiled. Instead, I threw my arms around him, pulling him into a warm embrace. My grip on him tightened and I smiled the smile I'd held back for so long.

"A-Alva-san…?" Break asked me as he allowed his arms to gently hold me closer.

"No, I'm not scared. I answered your question, so…" I pulled away from our embrace and allowed our eyes to meet once again. "…don't worry about it anymore, all right?"

He looked at me quietly for a few seconds.

"Heh. If you say so~"

LATER:

The moon lingered silently above the world, leaving rays of light in its wake. It was cold – typical for a moist, autumn day. Although the Reveille festival ended several hours ago, I felt a little heavy from overworking myself.

A short while after the party, I called my doctor since I'd felt guilty about running so quickly, even if I somewhat did get his approval. Break even chipped in, making excuses that practically left me scarred. I closed my eyes and thought back to the somewhat-recent past.

"Please, doctor… I really wish to stay here. Believe me, if anything is remotely off with my health, I'll be sure to tell you right away!" I said in dedication.

"Alva-san, I am sure you realize the consequences of forcing your body to move around in a situation where it shouldn't," the doctor began. "It should be in your best interest to return here as soon as possible."

"Excluding some minor arm pains that come and go, I feel perfectly fine. Besides, I-"

Before I could finish, Break appeared behind me, grabbing the phone out of my hands. He snickered, pulling his lollipop out of his mouth so his voice sounded proper.

"Bower-san," the hatter began. "On behalf of my wife, I would like it if you allowed her to stay home. We have very important business to tend to."

"What could be more important than her health? This is indiscreet!"

Break put a sleeve to his mouth, fake tears streaming down his face.

"We really need to make a baby. I beg you, Bower-san. We have been trying for months and it isn't-"

I hastily snatched the phone from Break, giving him the dirtiest look I could possibly make at the moment.

"Break, you moron, s-shut up," I whispered so only he could hear me. Then, I returned the phone to my ear. "Uh, sorry about that, Bower-san. He hasn't been feeling very well lately."

Before I could add any more information, the phone was snatched away from me once again, with the one responsible this time dashing away with it firmly sitting in his hands.

"My wife just told me to tell you our babysitter called. She is unable to make it to watch our children for the next month due to an accident, thus needing Alva-san to stay home and watch them while I work. Please, Bower-san." Break was smiling immensely, satisfied with the actions he'd been taking.

"No! He's lying!" I finally caught up to Break, grabbing the phone out of his hands yet again.

"I'm sorry, Bower-san. He forgot to take his pills today…"

The person on the other end of the line said nothing. Instead, silence engrossed the conversation. I blinked, calling out the doctor's name and asking him if he was still there.

"Please feel free to stay home, Alva-san. I just…" he coughed. "…read your report and apparently you're good enough to go. Sorry for bothering you."

With that said, the doctor immediately hung up, not even bothering to wait for my goodbye.

"Oh, great. You scared him away, Break!"

"At least I got the job done, right~?"

Geez… Break was truly nonsensical.

"Alva-san!" a voice called out, snapping me out of my daze.

"Eh?"I jumped up in surprise. "Sorry, Sharon."

"Is something bothering you? And may I ask, why is your arm bandaged up?"

She placed a hand to her cheek, slightly worried.

"Uh... I want to be a doctor when I'm older. I think I can learn a lot from putting myself in the shoes of my patients, so I did this," I said. "And… yeah, that's pretty much all."

"Pleasebuythatexcuse…"

"Ah, I see. That is quite understandable," Sharon smiled, crossing her arms in front of her politely on the table. Break was sitting inbetween the two, listening in on their conversation.

"Yes!"

"Ojou-sama," he finally spoke up. "How did you feel about the festival?"

"It was anything but a letdown this year, as well. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the fireworks and the food was delicious. How about you, Break?"

I watched as the two engaged in conversation, leaning my head against the palm of my left hand.

"Mmm. I didn't find much excitement in it until the tenth hour when Alva-san came to greet me," he said as he gave me a naughty look. I sweatdropped.

"Break, no!" I called out, causing Sharon to turn around and look at me. I quickly smacked my mouth shut, looking down onto the plate of food before me. I took a single bite out of my meat in an attempt to look normal.

"Break…" Sharon said. "What did you do to Alva-san? This is unacceptable!" She pulled out an enormous metallic fan out of thin air, whacking him over the head and watching as the man collapsed onto the marble floor.

"B-Break!" I called, kneeling down to feel if he was still alive. Very few could survive Sharon's painful attacks and it was a miracle Break wasn't dead by now. "Gah… you're so beaten up. This is kind of funny in a way."

"I'm… glad I entertained you," he raised a brow in frustration as he tried to pry himself up. I helped him up slowly – as I did this, something fell out of my pocket. I squeaked and quickly grabbed the clip, shoving it back into my pocket.

"Oh my, Alva-san," Sharon said with stars appearing in her eyes. "Who gave you those green feathers? And don't worry about Break, he'll get up soon. Ignore him."

"Ignore him, huh…?" I mentally slapped my forehead, wondering how Sharon was so bipolar. I helped Break get up anyway, watching him smile while rubbing off a trail of blood running down his mouth.

"Now, Alva-san. Who gave you that charm?" she questioned, clasping her hands together romantically yet also evilly. The tea-obsessed princess closed in on me, ignoring Break's presence completely.

Silence.

"Could it have been Oz-sama, perhaps?"

Silence.

"How about Gil?"

I shook my head no.

"Break?"

I tensed, feeling goosebumps corrode my body.

"I only gave it to Alva-san because I thought she could use more hair decorations, Ojou-sama~" Break said with a smile. "You know how few she has."

"You are very well aware of the meaning behind those charms, Break. But anyways…" she pushed Break aside, grabbing both of my hands and eyeing me with utmost happiness. "I am so glad for you, Alva-san! I will pray you'll be able to teach Break some manners, including how to enter a room properly! We need to hurriedly arrange the wedding ceremony!"

"The heck?" I questioned, sweatdropping. Yet another unexpected Sharon-esque response. "I didn't say I wanted to marry Break!"

"Oh my! Speaking of which, wouldn't that mean I won the bet?"

Break perked up upon hearing this, attempting to crawl away so his presence wouldn't be seen.

"Break… you are not allowed to escape. This is a very important moment." A glint of naughtiness appeared in Sharon's eye, startling even Break. He waved his hands in front of himself, laughing.

"Ojou-sama, I am a very tired old man. I need my rest," he said, grabbing his lollipop and preparing to dash forward.

"Oh no you don't. You're not going to leave Alva-san hanging, are you? I'm sure she'd be very upset…"

"Actually," I sighed. "I think I'd prefer that. I'm a little scared of what you have in mind, Sharon," I admitted.

"It won't be a problem for you!" she said, tightening her hands into fists determinedly. "Are you willing to partake in this?"

"I think I'll go to bed… and listen to this tomorrow. Is that all right with you?"

"My, oh my. If you truly are exhausted, then please, go rest."

"She lets me go so easily compared to Break."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I really, truly needed some rest.

LATER:

I stretched my hands tiredly while looking out the window, thanking the heavens for another very normal day. I changed into my bed attire and lay down only to have my mind completely overtaken by the events of today… again. Something seemed off, though.

I picked up the nearest book and tossed it towards the closet, smashing its doors open and watching a confused Break fall out.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked.

"Is it so wrong for me to want to say good night?" he questioned, giving a fake pout.

"Your goodbyes are way too irregular. Learn to come in through the door!"

"How imprudent," he said, dusting off his white coat and getting up off of the floor. "Maybe you aren't as charming as I thought~" he joked.

"I wasn't charming to begin with…" I said. He merely tapped my lips with his pointer finger.

"That's not a very wise thing to say, miss."

Break walked around for a moment. He then pulled out some candy and, as expected, stuffed it into his mouth. The unexpected portion was that he actually offered a piece to me.

"Thanks, I'd lov-"

Break pulled the candy out of my reach just as I tried to grab it, throwing it into his mouth.

"Damn that guy, he freaking tricked me!"

"God, Break! You'd make such a bad husband, you know that? You're insane!" I whined, earning myself a laugh.

"Would you like me to act like a good husband~?" he inched closer to me. "It's not a very difficult task to please you."

"N-No thanks…"

"Well then, I shall take my leave. Good night, then."

The moment he left, I plopped back onto my pillow.

What a day.