𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 -★彡[ᴅᴀɴ ʜᴇɴɢ]★彡

- 𝟎𝟑 -

 Upon pointing at the dark-haired boy, his eyes widened in visible shock. [Y/N's empty smile seemed to evoke a feeling of unease within him and Dan Heng found himself caught in her somehow decrepit gaze.

"Very well then," the queen glanced over to her and gave her a small nod of approval, "you best behave."

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty!" [Y/N] walked down the corridor and stood in front of Dan Heng. "Let's go."

"Ah, alright," Dan Heng cast a sideways glance to the three people standing beside him but they simply stared at him hopelessly as if wishing him good luck.

The princess opened the giant doors and stepped onto the pavement, twirling around before facing him once more. "I'll show you where you're staying, Mister Dragon."

He froze up upon hearing those words as he realized, with irritation, just how intelligent this 'insane' princess was.

"Why are you freezing up?" she took a step closer to him and poked his cheek. "I was just making an educated guess, turns out I was right!" Her eyes darkened for a brief moment before returning to their thoughtless glimmer. "The birds are singing today as well—there is truly a blessed week forthcoming."

Don't the birds sing every day? That was how it had been on most planets Dan Heng had visited, anyways. He observed her movements carefully. Not even the others know of my origin, so how did this girl manage to figure it out? Was she truly that perceptive? It was hard to believe if it was something that could be pinpointed with the human eye, that somehow no one on the Astral Express had realized it and brought it up with him.

"What's wrong?" she tilted her head to the side inquisitively. "You look pale."

"Ah, my apologies," Dan Heng began following her lead to his quarters, his eyes flickering down to see the raw skin on the bottom of her heels. How can she walk without batting an eye? Her scarlet dress billowed behind her with each step she took, emanating elegance and an eerie sort of beauty. It had been quite a long time since Dan Heng had met someone of her type.

"You're part of those people that go around the universe, right?" she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Yeah."

"So does that mean you can ride a train to any place in the universe? Like, any at all?" her eyes sparkled with excitement as if imagining all the different worlds she could travel to.

"The conductor decides our location most of the time," Dan Heng shook his head and tried to ignore the visible disappointment on her face, "normally to the place that wants assistance the most."

"...To a place that wants assistance, huh?" she muttered under her breath which fell out of his earshot.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing of importance. More importantly, I must show you some of the flowers they grow in the palace gardens! They contain such beauty that keeping them to myself simply wouldn't be fair."