And so after a LONG LONG LONG time...

...Lolli-chan is back once again with an update! ^_^;; Yup, it's really me. For real!

Before you start throwing daggers me, lemme apologize first! *sweatdrops nervously* HONTOU NI GOMENASAI FOR TAKING MORE CLOSE TO THREE MONTHS TO UPDATE THIS! It was my intention to update earlier but my final term was really crazy! Honestly, it was so terrible with all that massive number of projects and presentations urgh! *shudders* And I have just finished my exams and hence, I could finally update today. Once again, I'm really sorry! m(_ _)m

*Reads the previous chapter reviews* Gosh you guys are the sweetest and most supportive people ever! *blows kisses* I am really glad to see new reviewers! Thanks Herlene, sdcu, cheng, anime07, KitsuneSenpai18, YourBuddyBJ-Z, Kagome Pureheart, Kate Eli, ren, chuchay1903, Rycans, Lenny. Young, peaches7 and 3 guests. And many thanks to all for the faves and follows!

I know you are itching to read now, so alright! Enough with my blabbers and let's move on with the story first! And please forgive me for any mistakes made in the chapters because I was rushing!

The final day where the effect of the Flowers of Desires begins to wear off has approached... What adventure awaits the pair of royal lovebirds?

~ Chapter 10 Into Town ~

Black brogue shoes clicking across the floor, a silver-grey haired man strode down the corridor. The sun was already way past the horizon and was glaring down at the realm from the vivid blue sky. The excitement in the castle seemed to have died down a little after the Princess's birthday celebration last night and activities were resumed to normal.

It was time to tend to the King's morning wash-up. Since he couldn't find his master in his own chambers, the only other option was the princess's chambers. Hence, he was making his way there now quickly to wake the two lovebirds.

When he arrived, he knocked on the door lightly. But strangely, there was no response. Nevertheless, he tried once again by calling out to them. "Your Majesty? Hime-sama?" But no one replied him. It was all silent on the other side of the door and he figured that they were still sleeping. Hesitating at the door, he pondered over what he should do next. To wake, or not to wake?

Just then, at the end of the corridor, a rangy servant boy appeared. At the sight of Neil, his anxious face broke into relief.

"Master Butler, there you are!"

He shouted across to grab Neil's attention. The boy has been searching around the castle, looking for him everywhere. And at last, he has found him. His legs sped up immediately to catch him, fearing that he would lose and miss the butler again.

"Wait! Master Butler!"

But of course, there was no way Neil wouldn't be able to hear him. Especially when the boy's voice was echoing off the castle walls. Moreover, he has also sensed the distress in his voice and turned around instantly to face him. It was only when the boy stopped abruptly before him and panted heavily that Neil realized how long this servant has been looking everywhere for him, judging from all that sweat slicking his face.

"What's wrong?" Neil asked, with a slight tint of worry in his voice.

"Well-" The smaller figure gasped for air heavily. "-I saw two people slipping out of the back gates earlier." He panted once again, bending over with his hands on his knees.

Eyebrows raised with no change in expression, the graceful butler merely stared at the young lad.

"That's...all? You came here to tell me this?" he asked disinterestedly. He expected something far worse than this.

The boy's head jerked up instantly with pure anxiety showing on his face. "No! There's more!" he exclaimed. "Listen! They looked exactly like their Highnesses!"

Upon hearing the last two words, Neil stiffened in reaction and his head turned jerkily to shoot him a look of disbelief.

"-wasn't sure if it was them though," the servant boy added as he frowned and tried to recall. But Neil didn't seem to have heard his words because he threw open the doors leading to the inside of Nike's chambers without any warning. His eyes shot to the bed immediately, hoping to at least see those two people being sensible for once.

"What the..."

Empty. No one was there, except for the messy bed. Shock registered on his face and his mouth opened widely in horror. Unbelievable! Those two have yet again... he groaned inwardly. His hands reached up to ruffle his hair and pull them in frustration before throwing his head back in exasperation.

Even after letting them went off yesterday on their own, he thought that they wouldn't attempt to sneak out of the castle again. However, it turned out that Neil was being too easy on them and they took another chance to slip out without him knowing.

"HIS MAJESTY! HIME-SAMA! WHERE DID THEY BOTH GO!?" he demanded loudly. Like a mother searching for her kids who have went missing. How could they just walk out without informing anyone and bringing no guards with them? What if something was to happen to them and nobody knows about it? With this dreary thought in mind, he clutched his head in agony and fell to the floor.

As if sympathizing with him, only a howl of cold wind blowing through the windows replied the poor agitated man.

~ oOo ~

"Hmm?"

A young lady, donned in a victorian puff blouse with a dark red overskirt, paused in her steps. Her soft and curly burgundy red hair cascaded past her shoulders and down her back in lovely waves. She turned to look back slightly with her eyebrows arched. Surprise lit up in her peach orange eyes, and confusion followed quickly on its tail.

"What's wrong, Nike?"

Her companion, a tall and handsome man, stopped to wait for her after he has realized her sudden halt. Even though he was dressed in a simple navy blue tunic with black boots, the clothes looked great on him. In fact, everything seemed to fit him well.

"Ne, Livi? Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

She paused, unsure if her words would sound ludicrous. But she still said them anyway. "Erm, for that one second, I thought I heard Neil screaming... But it must be my imagination..." she said thoughtfully.

He threw back his head to let out a bark of laughter. "Hah! Impossible! The castle is a little far away. But speaking of this, he should have realized our disappearance at this timing." He shook his head smugly. "Well, he should have gotten used to it now, it's not the first time after all," he smirked widely.

Of course it would be like this! Her ears must have been playing tricks on her. "Yeah... but shouldn't we have left a note behind or something? Will he punish us later?"

An hour ago, Livi had awaken Nike up earlier than usual in the morning with his pervertness. Raining soft, tingling kisses down her neck, letting his hands roamed all over her body and whispering sweet, honey words into her ears. The vulnerable princess gasped wide awake and trembled from the great pleasure pulsing through her. When she finally realized Livi was pressed up against her with his warmth seeping into her skin, she blushed furiously from head to toe and threw him off the bed instinctively. It earned a loud groan from the pervert but it wasn't enough to stop him because he soon crawled back into bed and approached her with a seductive smile.

"Let's get out of here." That was what he first told her.

"Huh? Now?"

And that was how they both ended up in their disguises on the bustling streets in the town market. She imagined what Neil's face would be like when they return to the castle at the end of the day. With this scene in mind, she shuddered involuntarily and hugged herself in fear. Neil's nasty lecture could go on for a couple of days.

Livi snickered at her face. "You aren't scared of putting your life in danger to save people, but you're scared of getting scolded by Neil?" He shook his head in incredulous and laughed at her. "And here I thought there were no limits to how gutsy you can be."

"B-but Neil is scary when he's angry!" she retorted. "E-eh Livi? You are trembling!" She pointed out and moved closer to look into his face. A hint of fear was showing in his eyes.

He grew embarrassed and snapped back at her. "I'm not! You're seeing things! Stop wasting time now and let's move on." He spun around and stalked off. This left Nike no choice but to trail after him while grinning to herself. Hah, she knew he was afraid of the punishment too.

Gosh, he looks so cute when he's embarrassed.

"Quit staring, baka!"

"Hahaha alright..." But she continued staring at him playfully, which made Livi's eyebrows twitched. However, on the inside, he wasn't angry a single bit. He glanced at Nike from the corner of his eyes, his blue orbs taking in her full appearance. She no longer looked like the Rain Princess from the Rain Dukedom, not with that hair wig and clothes. And yet, even in her disguise, her looks were attracting the attention from the males whom they walked past. But being the unobservant person she was, Nike wasn't aware of the stares while Livi was.

Men staring at his wife certainly annoyed the hell out of him. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to his side as they continued walking. Nike blushed at his action, but didn't resist.

"Livi, will people recognise you?" she asked worriedly. Unlike her, he wasn't wearing any wig.

"No, they won't," he answered confidently. "Nobody will expect the King to be an adult overnight." He continued leading the way coolly without any hesitation. Seeing him like this made her relax and smile brightly, and she figured she might as well enjoy this day.

Stalls were set up at the sides and people were checking out the goods on display. Shoutings of the prices by the stall owners could be heard and people were brushing past the couple as they busied themselves with their shopping. Nike was looking around the stalls when one wooden stall cart caught her attention and she hurriedly pulled Livi along with her towards it.

"Livi, look at this! It's so pretty!" She touched one of the objects hanging from the cart. It was made in the shape of a circle with a willow hoop and a net was wove in it. Feathers and beads were hanging from the bottom.

The stall owner caught them staring at the object and came over happily to serve her customers. "My dear lady, you have such a good eye! Will you like to buy?"

"What's this thing called?" Nike inquired.

"This is called a Dreamcatcher!" the woman exclaimed. "Made from the best grown sinew plant and willow tree."

Nike's eyes sparkled in wonderment. She watched as a slight breeze swayed the soft sinew fibres and feathers gently. "Dreamcatcher? The name is as pretty as the thing. Does this have a special meaning behind it?"

The stall owner wasted no time in answering her question. "Yes. This Dreamcatcher represents the circle of life, our Mother Nature, including all living things. It has the power to nab bad dreams and allow good dreams to pass. Just hang it in your bedroom and it will work its magic on you," she winked.

Taking away bad dreams... Nike's eyes flickered to Livi, who was busy staring at the other accessories intently and quietly. Would it take away his nightmares? Not that he was having them recently, but she really wanted Livi to have good dreams while he slept. If there was anything she could do to take away his stress, she would gladly do so.

"So, do you wanna buy it?" The women's cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts.

Nike whipped her head around. "Yes, of course! Please give me one of this." Handing over the money, she paid for it while the the stall owner handed her the item.

"Eh, you bought it?" Livi asked, noticing the Dreamcatcher in her hand. She nodded her head eagerly and held it up for him to see closely. In her mind, she has already decided the perfect place to hang it, right at the balcony doors.

He took the thing from her and frowned at it. "Why did you buy such an unimportant stuff? For decoration?" He shook it hard.

"Hey!" She snatched it back and cradled it to her chest. "It's important! Don't ruin this right after I bought it!" She started petting it like a baby while Livi just stared at her weirdly and frowned again.

A smirk appeared on his face suddenly. "If you're gonna pet it like that, why don't we just make a real baby instead?" he suggested. "W-what?" Nike looked up and stared at him blankly before the words sank in. Her face turned to a dark shade of red and his smirk grew wider.

"B-baka! How c-could you be so b-b-blunt and said t-this weird thing!? People are listening!" Stumbling over her words, her embarrassed face flushed even more.

"Blunt? Me? Or would you rather I use actions instead?" Livi grinned at her and cocked his head to the side rather sexily.

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-you!" she exclaimed.

"What about me?" he asked, almost too innocently.

She gaped at him in embarrassment. "Pervert!" she yelled at him. "PERVERT!" She glared at him while he beamed at her proudly.

A chuckle behind them interrupted them. It was the stall owner from earlier.

"Hehehe, you both make such a cute newly-weds! Watching you guys makes me so happy!"

"N-n-no, we are-" Nike began stammering but Livi cut in.

"Really? Sorry, my wife is really shy. And anyway, how did you know we are newly-weds?"

The older woman just smiled. "Just a guess. You guys have that newly-weds aura around you. Oh! And by the way, are both of you going to watch the circus that has just arrived in town?"

"Circus? They are here?" Livi asked, his tone getting excited.

The woman nodded her head. "Yes! Do check it out and have fun! It'll be held at the Town Square."

Livi's eyes brightened up instantly. "Thanks! We'll definitely go there now!" With this, he thanked her one last time before pulling the confused Nike away.

"C-circus? What's a circus, Livi?"

His head turned to look at her before he gave her a wink.

"You'll see."

~ oOo ~

At the Town Square, the place was swarming full of people. A huge crowd was lining up at the entrance of a gigantic tent with red, orange and blue stripes, which was where the circus would be held. It was even worse than the market and because of this, it was harder for Livi and Nike to move around together. Even people from the outskirts of the town has come to watch the special performance by the circus.

Nike stared up at the strange tent with a triangle roof in fascination. "This is the circus?" she asked. She has never watched a circus in her whole life. Her country didn't have this. "What kind of performance will they give us?"

"Acrobatics, trained animals, musicians, unicyclists..." Livi listed a couple of things that he could remember about a circus. He had only watched it once, when he was seven years old. But ever since he had taken over the royal throne, he never once had the reason or freedom to head into town to watch the circus anymore.

But not until today. He has a reason now to watch it."

"Musicians!" Nike squealed in sheer delight. "What are we waiting for? Come on, let's get into the line!" She was about to run ahead in excitement before he grabbed her hands tightly to keep her to his side.

"Hold my hand and don't let go, Nike," Livi ordered. He couldn't afford to lose her in this messy crowd. Growing embarrassed, the princess murmured an apology for being impulsive. She squeezed his hands tightly and contained her excitement first, allowing her husband to lead them through the crowd and towards the line. They soon joined the queue and glanced around them.

Meanwhile, a bunch of ladies queueing in front of them were chattering loudly. "I heard that it's opening in just a couple of minutes!" One of them exclaimed and clapped her hands excitedly. The rest let out squeals and shifted on their feet eagerly.

Nike caught on their excitement too and she pulled Livi's shirt. "Did you hear that, Livi? They said that it's gonna be opened soon! I can't wait!" she enthused. "I have never seen a circus before! Tell me more!"

He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Well," he began. "A circus has jugglers-"

But his words were cut off immediately because the entrance to the circus opened suddenly and the crowd behind them screamed and pushed the both of them forward instantly without allowing them a second to grasp the situation.

"NIKE!" Livi shouted over the crowd noises, trying to hold on to her hand tightly.

Nike's breath was knocked out of her when the person behind her pushed her hard forward. "Urgh! Livi!" she screamed in terror. Her hands were gripping his hand tightly. "LIVI! I'M BEING SUFFOCATED HERE! GAHH!"

"DON'T. LET. GO." The young man gritted his teeth as he tried to grab her arm with his other hand. Unfortunately, a sudden wave behind pushed them forward even more and separated them. Their hands were forced apart and their fingers brushed against each other's before the distance between them grew in the crowd and they were swept away.

"AHHHH! LIVIIIII!"

"NIKEEEE!"

And hence, the couple was torn apart by the unbeatable strength of the crowd and lost each other.

Note: All facts about the Dreamcatchers are real!

Do me a favour and drop a review? :) And alrighty, I'll be writing the update for the other fic, so see ya later!