After a month, mo and the others adjusted to the life in inkworld. Mo helps out using his bookbinding skills, Farid accompanies Roxanne to the market, and Meggie and Agi takes care of the two kids. That morning, Agi got up when she heard giggles. She sat on the sofa and Meggie smiled along with Brianna and Jehan.

"Good morning how was your sleep?" Meggie asked.

Agi massaged her temples, "I think Farid kicked me on the head"

"I think that was me, sorry"

"Oh, right. Well, it's okay"

The four of them; mo, Meggie, Farid, and Agi sleep all together in the small living room. Agi went to the kitchen to get some water.

"Where's the others?" she asked.

The house is a bit quiet that she assumed that no one, other than the four of them, is home.

Meggie combs Brianna's hair when she answered, "Working"

"Lucky for them. What can we do?"

"Hmm, we can play at the front yard"

The morning is nice, not too hot or cold. Little Brianna and Jehan are playing with a maroon ball with Meggie keeping an eye on them. Agi is walking back and forth just beside them and watched their neighbor. A man went to this girl, who looked like his wife, carrying a baby. They looked so happy.

"Won't you look for john?"

Agi turned around, "What?"

"John, won't you look for him?"

"Oh, right. Of course I will"

"I'm sure he misses you a lot. When you see him, why don't you give him a chance?"

Agi sighed and sat beside her, "I don't see what's so great about love. Mostly, people get- hurt"

"You wouldn't know how it feels if you don't try. Just promise me, you'll try loving someone"

"Fine, to make you shush"

At the castle, the young prince got up early and left with fern in a simple attire; he didn't even wore his crown. Oberon insisted on coming, but adeon said he wants to go alone. It's actually three weeks since he last saw Agi at the party. Now, he decided to pay her a visit just to have the talk he wanted to have before the women dragged him away. As he arrived at dustfinger's neighborhood, he went down of fern and tied her next to a tree. He passed by the other shabby houses and went up on a small slope where dustfinger's house stands. When he walked up, he heard children's laughter. He stopped when he saw Agi, in the front yard, amusing two kids and Meggie with a little magic. Agi's arms are up in the air, controlling a big bubble of water.

"Amazing!" he finally said.

Agi turned around in an instant, startled, and the water bubble burst and left her long hair wet. The kids laughed, Meggie trying to control herself, and the prince ran to her aid.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it" Adeon said sincerely.

Agi squeezed her wet her and as always, looked annoyed, just being with his presence. "Like I said a buffoon"

"Well, I was kind of wondering if you'd like to have a walk in town"

"Sorry, but-"

"She'll love that" Meggie butted in.

Agi gave her a glare, but Meggie pushed her towards the prince. She's giving Agi a chance to wander around town, since it's what she really wanted to do and who knows, Agi might find love.

"Are you sure you can look after Brianna and Jehan all by yourself?" Agi asked.

Meggie smiled, "Yes, I can"

"To make sure that there'll be no problem, why don't I let Oberon help" adeon added.

Agi and Meggie looked confused. Oberon? He's nowhere around them, or that's what they thought.

Adeon rolled his eyes and sighed, "I know you're here, Oberon. Come out"

All of a sudden, a stout man appeared behind barrels and cringed.

"T-this must be the place I left my- my hat" Oberon lied.

"It's on your head"

Oberon gulped and stood in front of his young master apologetically, "I'm so sorry, but I really can't just leave you alone, sire"

Oberon is really a loyal assistant and friend. Ever since adeon was a kid, he'd always look after him. Adeon smiled and patted him on the back, "That's alright, Oberon. But, would you mind helping Meggie out?"

"Absolutely sire"

Adeon already left with Agi and Oberon waved goodbye along with the kids.

Agi and the prince walked side by side towards the town quietly. Even without looking a royalty or the crown, everyone still recognized the prince and bowed to him.

"This is awkward" Agi whispered.

Adeon smiled, "Sorry about this"

They were nearly out of town to the field when Agi saw someone that surprised her dearly. Adeon stopped walking when he realized that Agi isn't beside him anymore. He went back and looked at where Agi is looking. There's a flower stall just around the corner with a young woman, watching over the flowers. A man suddenly appeared, surprisingly John Macon, and gave a bouquet of flowers to the girl and kissed her. They were so sweet.

"Just when I thought about giving love a chance" Agi muttered and walked away.

The two of them reached the field between the wayless woods and the town, where they seat and feel the cool breeze.

"I see. So the guy earlier is your friend John Macon" Adeon said.

Agi picked a grass and played with it, "Meggie told me that John likes me, but I can see he doesn't. Love really stinks"

"Why, do you like him too?"

"No"

"Then why do you say love- stinks?"
The prince had no idea. For a lot of people, love is greater than any other riches. It makes you feel something different. Agi faced adeon and decided to open up with something she never talked about before with anyone else.

"You know, I never really felt love" she began, "When I was a kid, I grew up with a cruel father who always attempted to- kill me. He even remarried a woman, though my grandpa told me that my mom was the perfect girl. He didn't accept my mom for what she is- a witch. My mom left me and my brother to someone as cruel as my father and never came back. That's why love stinks"

"You never gave love a second chance?"

"What for, so I would get hurt? No thanks"

"Come on, give love a chance. It's not always bad, until you meet the right person. It can make you feel better and much better than magic"

"Even if you say that, no other guys would like me. I'm like the greatest negative thinker in the world"

"That's not true. I like you"

No one ever said that to Agi- ever. Adeon looked serious when he said that but Agi just laughed about it.

"As early as now, I'm telling you, you can't" Agi said.

Adeon is quite confused and squinted at her, "Why not, are you married?"

"No!"

Agi finally decided to tell him the truth. That she's from a country called Italy and got stuck in a book, inkheart, by the evil Capricorn. Told him about Capricorn's evil plan that's why they need to find a way to get out of this book. All these things, Agi didn't tell adeon these to hurt him, but to prevent from hurting him. Before he completely has feelings for her, Agi avoids it to happen.

Back in the village, dustfinger is on her way home to have lunch when he came across mo, Roxanne, and Farid. The four of them went home together and Meggie welcomed them with Brianna and Jehan.

Roxanne carried Jehan to give him a kiss and smiled at Meggie, "I hope they didn't gave you and Agi trouble"

Meggie followed them to the kitchen, helping Farid stack the fresh vegetables they bought in a pantry, "No trouble really and Agi isn't home"

"She's not?" mo asked like a concerned father.

Eversince they met Agi, mo treats her like his own since Agi never experienced having a caring and loving father.

Meggie sat beside her ever charming father and looked ecstatic, "She's with prince Adeon"

The others got surprised and just in time, Agi arrived. Meggie ran to her excitedly and wanted to know everything that happened.

"How did it go?" she asked.

Agi walked towards the kitchen to see what they're up to and gave Meggie a clueless look, "Nothing. We just-talked"

Mo took Brianna and Jehan to their room while Farid clears the table, Roxanne boiling a pot of water, and Meggie peeling some big potatoes beside Agi.

"Oh dustfinger, dear, could you get some fresh thymes and apricot from the woods?" Roxanne asked.

Dustfinger is resting his eyes in the living room when his wife said that. He puts on his coat and gets ready to leave.

"Agi, would you mind accompanying him? He usually gets the wrong ones" Roxanne added.

Agi's mind was flying that she only realized that someone was talking to her when someone nudged her. She hurriedly got to her feet, "Oh, sure. I'll go"

Roxanne handed her a small brown woven basket for the apricots and waved goodbye as they leave. They passed by the field towards the woods. None of them are speaking and Agi's mind is still away. After her talk with adeon, revealing to him everything, she thought adeon would change his mind. But he didn't.

"I'll help you and your friends go back. But until you're here, I'll show you that love doesn't stink" adeon had said.

It made Agi's perspective on love more complicated. She'll eventually leave inkworld and might never be back, but adeon still insists on liking her. With all those thinking, Agi didn't notice that they're already in the woods; tall trees of different kinds and shrubs of herbs. Dustfinger took the basket from her and walked away, "I'll get the apricots and you get the thymes"

It wasn't hard to look for the thymes. Agi sat on one corner of the bush and picked a few stems of thymes and placed it on her gray skirt. Just a few inches away from the bush of thymes, dustfinger found an apricot tree. He climbed on it and sat on a branch a few five feet from the ground. As he was picking, he got a glimpse of Agi. She's got the good ones that Roxanne likes.

All of a sudden, dustfinger felt something crawling on his hand. It was a fat hairy green caterpillar. Dustfinger tried to shrug it off, and accidentally, he lost his balance.

Agi heard the shout and the loud thump on the ground. She left the thymes she picked and ran towards dustfinger. Mashed apricots surrounded the fire juggler, who is moaning in pain. He really fell hard on his right arm.

"Dustfinger, are you alright?" Agi asked worriedly and pulled him up to sit.

"It's alright, it's just a- broken arm" dustfinger explained, holding on to his right arm.

Agi gasped in terror, "Just a broken arm? Dustfinger, it could be serious!"

"Believe me, I had worse. We need to worry about the apricots"

"Well, I could get them"

"Definitely not"

"Why not?"

"Uh, hello, look what happened to me"