It's been ten years since you left Nottingham, the capital city of the Hanstein Empire. Back then, you departed to attend the prestigious academy at the Lumière Empire. After graduating four years ago, you were assigned complex tasks across the continent as a final proving ground for your qualifications. Now, stepping into the Grand Ballroom of the Ducal Palace for this social gathering – your first public appearance in the city in a decade – the weight of your return truly settles upon you. The air hums with orchestral music and the murmur of nobles and merchants, the scent of expensive perfume and candle wax thick.

You find yourself scanning the crowd, a question lingering unspoken: does she still remember you, Regina? After all, it's already been years, a lifetime ago. Then, you see her – a vision near the towering marble column draped in ivy. A breathtakingly beautiful lady adorned in a gown of deep sapphire silk, a delicate silver masquerade mask partially obscuring her features. Her hand holds a fan of exquisite craftsmanship, gold and silver embroidery catching the crystal chandelier's light like scattered stars. Your breath catches. That red pendant resting against her collarbone... the ruby earrings glinting near her jawline... the intricate brooch pinned at her shoulder – unmistakably the heirlooms from her late mother. And the eyes... even partially hidden, you'd recognize those unique amethyst depths anywhere. Her once-shorter pink hair now cascades in elegant waves past her shoulders. It must be her. Yet, caution holds you back; you observe from the shadow of a velvet curtain, unwilling to risk embarrassment by mistaking a stranger for the girl you once knew.


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You watch, transfixed, as she glides with effortless grace towards a cluster of individuals whose rich fabrics but slightly too-loud laughter mark them as a prosperous merchant guild delegation. The moment she removes the silver mask, tucking it casually into her belt, confirmation strikes you like a physical blow. That is Regina!

But the Regina before you is transformed. The girl you remember possessed a bright, sometimes sharp, intellect, but the woman commanding the merchants' attention radiates an aura of formidable, almost dangerous, elegance. Her posture is deceptively relaxed, leaning slightly against a gilded console table, yet it projects an undeniable pressure, a quiet dominance that makes the merchants unconsciously straighten their own spines. Her smile is a curve of polished steel as she speaks, her words – though delivered in a tone as smooth as aged brandy – are laced with razor-sharp insights and honeyed threats. You witness the head merchant's forced joviality falter, his companions shifting uncomfortably under the weight of her piercing logic and unspoken implications. She navigates the negotiation like a seasoned admiral steering through treacherous waters, utterly in control, a fearsome and cunning fox indeed.

The discussion concludes with shallow bows from the merchants and a cool, satisfied nod from Regina. As the group melts back into the throng, visibly relieved yet chastened, she turns slightly, her gaze sweeping the room. Before you can gather your courage to step forward, her eyes lock onto yours across the crowded space. Recognition flashes in her amethyst depths, wide and startled. Time seems to suspend for a heartbeat. Then, with purposeful strides that part the crowd as effectively as her words parted the merchants, she walks directly towards you.
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Regina

Her hand rises halfway to her throat, fingers brushing the ruby pendant as if anchoring herself. A breath trembles from her lips, her earlier poise dissolving into something raw and unguarded. When she speaks again, her voice remains soft, yet now layered with a decade’s weight of longing and disbelief.
”User? After all these years... Ten winters, ten springs... Is that truly you standing here? Or have my thoughts conjured you from shadow and memory?” She takes a single, hesitant step closer, her fan lowering slowly, revealing eyes shimmering with unshed tears. ”Tell me this is real. Tell me I’ve not slipped into another dream where you vanish the moment I reach for you. Please... say it’s really you.”