For a brief moment, I simply stood there quietly while looking at the grand festival spread across the center of Astravia.
Then suddenly, a familiar voice called out from nearby.
"Arthur!"
I turned my head toward the voice and saw Miguel making his way toward me through the crowded street with an excited expression on his face.
The moment he finally reached me, he let out a small breath before asking, "Am I late?"
A faint smile appeared on my face as I lightly shook my head.
"No. I just arrived here myself."
Miguel immediately grinned after hearing that before proudly pointing toward the side beside him. Only then did I notice a small chubby girl quietly standing there while tightly holding onto his sleeve.
She looked around nervously at the crowded festival while occasionally hiding partially behind Miguel whenever too many people passed nearby.
"Arthur," Miguel said, "this is my little sister, Hana."
Then he looked down toward her and gently encouraged, "Hana, say hi to brother Arthur."
The little girl slowly peeked toward me from behind Miguel before speaking shyly in a soft voice.
"Hi, brother Arthur."
Miguel laughed awkwardly afterward while scratching the back of his head.
"She is a little shy."
Seeing the small girl acting so timidly in front of me made a faint smile naturally appear on my face.
I bent down slightly until I was closer to her height before lightly pinching Hana's soft cheek.
"Hi, Hana," I said with a small smile. "Nice to meet you."
The little girl's face immediately turned embarrassed after hearing that.
She quickly stepped backward and hid herself behind Miguel once again while carefully peeking at me from the side of his arm.
Seeing her reaction made me laugh softly. Miguel also smiled brightly after watching the interaction between us. Then he suddenly spread his arms dramatically toward the lively streets around us.
"Come on," he said excitedly. "Let's go and enjoy the festival."
The three of us began walking through the crowded streets together while looking around at the countless stalls and performances spread throughout the festival grounds.
Everywhere I looked, something different was happening.
Some stalls sold food and sweets while others displayed jewelry, clothes, toys, and strange artifacts that immediately attracted curious customers. Merchants loudly called out to passing crowds in hopes of drawing people toward their stalls while colorful lantern lights illuminated the busy streets beneath the night sky.
Nearby, musicians played lively songs using unfamiliar instruments while dancers performed gracefully before gathered crowds. At another corner, performers manipulated fire skillfully while showing dangerous stunts that caused the surrounding people to cheer loudly in excitement.
The entire city center felt overflowing with life and energy.
It is beautiful.
The thought quietly crossed my mind as I continued looking around the festival.
It had already been four years since I last attended a night festival like this. Back then, I was still together with my family.
For a brief moment, distant memories quietly surfaced in my mind. The warm atmosphere, the laughter, and the familiar faces from those days suddenly felt strangely far away now.
But just as quickly as they appeared, the memories quietly faded again while the lively sounds of night's festival continued around me.
Meanwhile, Hana looked around excitedly at everything surrounding her while tightly holding Miguel's hand so she would not get separated within the crowded streets.
Her eyes moved constantly from one stall to another, filled with excitement and curiosity at every new thing she saw.
Then suddenly, her face brightened after noticing a sweets stall nearby.
"Brother," she said while pointing excitedly toward it, "buy me that."
Miguel immediately puffed out his chest proudly as though he had been waiting for that moment.
"Of course," he declared dramatically. "Anything my little angel wants."
Hana immediately smiled brightly after hearing that.
The three of us walked toward the sweets stall afterward.
The stall displayed countless colorful sweets neatly arranged across wooden trays, ranging from small sugar candies to carefully shaped desserts coated with syrup and honey. The sweet smell filling the air alone was enough to constantly attract people toward the stall.
Hana stared at everything with sparkling eyes while trying to decide what she wanted most.
Meanwhile, Miguel proudly bought three sweets for each of us while Hana happily pointed at different options she wanted to try.
But just as the shopkeeper was handing over the sweets to us, another voice suddenly spoke from nearby.
"Can you give me that one?"
The voice was soft, calm, and strangely beautiful.
Almost unconsciously, I turned my head toward the direction of the voice. And for a brief moment, I became completely stunned.
She was easily one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen.
The woman stood near the side of the stall beneath the warm lantern lights, and her appearance alone naturally drew attention from the surrounding crowd without her even trying.
She wore an elegant red dress decorated with beautiful green patterns stretching from top to bottom, and the expensive jewelry adorning her body only made her noble appearance stand out even more. Her long hair was neatly tied behind her, exposing her graceful neck and refined features.
Everything about her appearance felt elegant and refined in a way that clearly showed she came from an important background.
But more than her clothes or jewelry, it was the calm and graceful atmosphere surrounding her that made her stand out so much from everyone else nearby.
For a brief second, I genuinely became mesmerized by her beauty while staring at her beneath the festival lights.
At my side, Miguel immediately noticed the way I was staring and quickly elbowed me lightly in panic.
"Do not look at her like that," he muttered nervously under his breath. "She is a princess from the Valenor family."
Valenor family... So she belongs to a noble family. The realization instantly made me more cautious while looking at her.
Then suddenly, before either Miguel or I could say anything further, Hana innocently looked toward the beautiful woman and spoke loudly without the slightest hesitation.
"Sister, you are so beautiful."
The moment those words left Hana's mouth, Miguel's expression instantly froze. He looked completely horrified.
Nobles, wealthy people and even controllers, rarely liked ordinary poor citizens speaking casually to them, and many openly looked down on people from lower backgrounds as if they were beneath them entirely.
A child suddenly calling out to someone from an important noble family so casually could easily create trouble depending on the person's personality.
Miguel immediately lowered his head anxiously the moment Hana spoke.
"M-my apologies, madam," he said hurriedly. "She is only a child, so please forgive her if she spoke carelessly."
His voice was filled with obvious nervousness while he carefully avoided even looking directly at the noblewoman.
I quietly watched the situation from the side while Miguel waited anxiously for her reaction. But contrary to his fears, the beautiful woman simply looked toward Hana quietly for a brief moment.
Then, to everyone's surprise, a small smile appeared on her face. She slowly raised her hand before lightly pinching Hana's soft cheeks.
"Thank you, little angel," she said gently. "You also look very beautiful."
Hana's face immediately turned red with embarrassment after hearing the compliment.
"Hehe… thank you."
At the side, Miguel quietly let out a deep breath of relief after realizing nothing bad had happened.
Meanwhile, the woman calmly collected her sweets from the shopkeeper while completely ignoring Miguel's repeated apologies. Her movements remained graceful and composed the entire time, naturally carrying the calm elegance expected from someone of noble status.
Just as she was about to leave, however, she suddenly turned her head slightly toward me. For a brief moment, our eyes met directly beneath the colorful festival lights.
I found myself staring directly into her beautiful brown eyes and unconsciously froze for a second as though my mind had briefly gone blank.
Those beautiful eyes...
For that brief moment, everything around me almost seemed to fade into the background.
But realizing my own reaction immediately afterward, I quickly recovered while feeling somewhat embarrassed by my behavior and slightly lowered my head.
The woman continued looking at me for another brief moment before simply ignoring me afterward as though this kind of reaction was something she had already seen countless times from other people.