Mayor Twyx sure was a nice guy. Here he was letting you, Joy, and even Min sit in the same carriage as him. He was supposed to be royalty and the mayor, and you weren't sure if the statuses from those titles stacked, but the point remained that he was someone of super high importance. Yet he was sharing his ride with a maid, a knight, and someone who showed up only in her pajamas the night prior. Your brain wasn't going to let you live that down just yet.

The carriage you were in was supposed to be quite large for one person, but since there were four people instead, it was a bit of a snuggly fit. Red velvet silk cushions, windows on both sides, the entire thing being made out of gold. A single crumb of this carriage was worth more than you.

Your eyes widened.

It just hit you that you were going to meet the king of Candie Land. Oh shit.

Mayor Twyx (technically Prince Twyx but you two decided you should continue addressing him as the mayor) was sitting across from you. His eyes fell upon your left leg moving rapidly in place.

"Miss y/n?"

Your eyes snapped up.

"Huh?"

"Are you feeling nervous?"

You swallowed your saliva.

"Yeah... I mean combined with the earlier shock of you being literal royalty, the fact I'm about to meet the ruler of this world is insane."

Twyx stared at you. Then, he smiled.

"I'm afraid I've given you some misunderstandings with my words, Miss y/n. When you first awoke, I told you that you were in Candie Land. While that is technically true, Candie Land is the name of our world, and is separated into four mainlands. The land we live in is called Kandel. My father is only the monarch for Kandel; there are other rulers as well."

"Ohhh, okay. That makes sense," you nod, "While that does calm me down just a bit, my head is still spinning from the fact that you're royalty... and not just because I was knocked out yesterday." You narrow your eyes at the knight sitting to the right side of the mayor. His arms are crossed together, head tilted down with his eyes closed.

But somehow, he felt your glare and looked up.

"You were a stranger who appeared out of thin air, intruding on our land," Min met your eyes with a look of stoicism. "I had to put the safety of our people first."

"Yeah, yeah, but couldn't you have given me a warning first?" you raised a brow. "It's not like I would be able to run away anyways. The girl in her pajamas running away from someone wielding a spear?" you scoffed.

He blinked, looking to his left where Mayor Twyx was staring at him. You swore you saw him flinch, but you blinked and he had his neutral expression again. Min opened his mouth to speak, but abruptly closed it again before sighing. Then, he looked back at you.

"Fine. I sincerely apologize for hitting your head to knock you out when you first arrived here, human." Mayor Twyx let out a soft sigh while Joy had an exasperated smile on her face.

"Forgive me, Sir Min, but you don't exactly sound—", she started.

"—Sincere. The word is sincere." You finished her sentence. Now it was your turn to cross your arms, "I get that you don't trust me, but like, I find it hard to believe that you think I pose any danger at all." Surprisingly, the annoyance in your chest gave you the courage to speak up.

The knight opened his mouth to reply before Mayor Twyx shook his head.

"Min, Miss y/n is my guest. Please refrain from making any unnecessary comments, and remember to address her with respect." He said, causing appreciation to ripple within your chest. "I understand your worries very well, but just as Miss y/n said, I believe there's no need to be on edge. My father will surely have the answers to our questions."

Min turned his head the other way, staying silent. You were about to stick your tongue out at him when Joy faced towards you.

"Don't worry, my lady. King Kane is far from intimidating! In fact, he's very kind and welcoming to outsiders. Please don't worry about making a good first impression, it'll be all okay!" she chirped, the sunlight making her hair twinkle. You blinked.

"Really? That's a relief to hear." Scratching your neck, you returned a shy smile. "Thank you, Joy..."

She hummed happily in response.

Your eyes trailed to the contents outside the window. The carriage was taking a short cut to the palace, but you could see little stone and wooden houses to the left belonging to the Candi people. Children with sparkly hair ran around, their laughter filling the air with joy. A large fountain was in the middle, and a woman sat on the edge reading a book. Her brown hair had a slight glossy shine but nowhere near as sparkly as the people with colorful hair.

Mayor Twyx described himself as a Candi person, but you wondered if there were subcategories as well such as 'chocolate', 'chewy candies', 'hard candies', or even 'gummies'.

You looked at him through your peripheral vision. His golden eyes were also on the little town, a noticeably softer gaze decorating his face. His arm was prompted up on the window, his cheek laying on his palm. A gust of wind rustled his hair and you were shocked to see it actually slightly flutter.

What? How? Wasn't his hair made out of chocolate? Man, this world was confusing.

Now that the exhaustion and shock of waking up in a new world and losing your memories subsided, overwhelming curiosity and confusion plagued you instead. You wanted to know more, know how the Candi people even existed, if they were actually edible and made out of sugar, and most importantly: how to get home.

Well, wherever home was.

The knot in your chest tightened until a new sight caught your eye. Again, you looked up to see a town, except this time the houses were made out of what seemed to be marble, granite, and hardwood. They were considerably larger than the last village homes. Shops lined the street as people wearing dresses, suits, and outfits befitting nobility chatted and walked amongst themselves. Another fountain was in the middle, its waters sparkling like dozens of little diamonds thanks to the sunlight.

"This village sure seems a lot fancier than the last one." You commented, observing how some of the Candis were decked out in jewelry. One woman even had a parasol covered in shiny gems. Talk about not knowing what to do with your money.

"We're currently at the upper part of town, or uptown for short," Joy answered, "Uptown consists of nobles or wealthy businessmen, while downtown, the village we were last at, is usually populated by commoners and farmers!"

"Ahhh," you nodded. This was where all the big shots lived. How come Mayor Twyx lived so far away despite being royalty? He was much closer to downtown than uptown.

"Um, mayor?"

He smiled, "Hm?"

"Are you an introvert by chance?"

His golden lashes fluttered when he blinked, "Pardon?"

"Oh, I mean, I noticed your mansion is kinda far away from the townsfolk, uptown in particular. So I was wondering if you just preferred to live a cozy life in the woods. Oh! Just in case you're wondering, an introvert is someone who recharges their energy by being alone. Haha."

His silence combined with his stare left you sweating in your velvet-cushioned seat for a good five seconds, and then, he laughed.

"I usually consume sugar to replenish my energy levels, but I suppose you could say I value my alone time as well. However, that isn't the reason why I live far away from the upper parts of town. As Prince, every citizen is someone I must protect, but as mayor, I focus on caring for the lower parts of town." His gaze softened, "That is why I live near the forest."

"Oh... that's cool." You replied. There was an awkward silence after you responded, and it seemed like Joy and Min were expecting you to say more as well since they stared at you a bit funnily. Little did they know, you were anything but quiet on the inside. You quickly avoided any further eye contact with the man in front of you.

Man, how was this guy real? You snuck a glance at him, breath stuck in your throat as the sunlight outlined his features in a golden light. You could hear the sound of your own heartbeat in your ears, and you swallowed nervously.

Thankfully, Joy, being the only extrovert in the carriage, piped up once the silence was too much to bear.

As the carriage came to a slow stop, you snapped out of your thoughts as a guard walked up to the window where Mayor Twyx was. He wore similar armor to Min, a sword attached at his hip. Once he caught sight of the mayor, he immediately bowed his head low and then saluted.

"Welcome back, Your Highness Prince Twyx of Kandel! May your radiant golden light keep shining on us all." He shouted, before turning to the side and nodding at someone you couldn't see. Meanwhile, you looked at Mayor Twyx with an amused and bewildered expression. He coughed into his palm, ears tinted a slight red.

"Should I start calling you that instead?" you asked, a grin on your lips. The mayor flinched before a sheepish smile appeared on his face.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather you continue to address me as 'Mayor' than my... other title."

You laughed, "Alright," then curiosity got a hold of you, and you peaked your head out the window to see...

Holy shit.

King Kane lived in a castle. A massive one at that. It towered over you so much that you couldn't even see the very top. The walls were a light beige color with blue tiles and tips on top. Many small windows were scattered across the walls, and there were two towers on either side. All of a sudden, the spiked gate lifted to reveal an entrance into the castle. There were even more guards lined against the walls, you counted about ten, with spears in their hands and a stoic expression decorating their face. It reminded you of a particular someone, but man, security sure was tightened here.

The carriage started to move again, and once you were inside the entrance was shut again.

The carriage doors were opened by two guards, one on both sides. Min and Mayor Twyx stepped out first, and as Joy was about to step out, you saw Min reach out his hand towards her. She took it and he helped her gently to the ground.

"Thank you, Sir Min!" Joy chirped. Min nodded in response.

Before you knew it, your brow was already raised at what happened before you, and as you got out the carriage yourself, a gloved hand reached out to you.

"Here, Miss y/n." Mayor Twyx stared at you. It took you a full three seconds to process what was happening before you gingerly took his hand, noticing it was very firm.

"T-thanks." You grinned. He returned a small smile before looking at Min and Joy as well.

"Min, Miss Joy, please wait in front of my father's chambers while Miss y/n and I talk with him."

"Understood, sire." Min nodded.

"Of course, my lord," Joy curtsied.

Then, Twyx turned to you.

"How are you feeling, Miss y/n?" he asked. "While the guards escort us to my father's room, we can discuss what you want to ask him."

"Honestly, I'm still nervous as fuc—fudge. But at the same time, I'm really looking forward to getting some answers," you gave him a tiny smile, "and also meeting your dad as well."

He nodded.

"I promise you will receive some answers for your questions, Miss y/n. Now, please follow me." Mayor Twyx turned around, his cape fluttering behind him.

Stone brick walls enclosed around you while torches lined up evenly as your group navigated through the hallways. Every now and then there was a painting, a table with a vase, or a guard prompted up against the wall with a spear in hand. You lost count of how many times you made awkward eye contact with one.

Since the king's bedchambers were on the highest floor, it was going to take a bit of walking to get there. The thought itself made you exhausted already, and you wiped invisible sweat from your forehead.

As you were lost in your thoughts, a certain mayor ahead slowed down to match your pace. When you blinked, he was no longer in front of you but to your right instead.

"Miss y/n, I don't think I've mentioned much about my father to you."

You met his eyes, "Now that you say it, I guess not. So far, I only know that he's your father, the king, and a pretty nice guy. Well, according to Joy."

Twyx chuckled, "Indeed, but there's one thing I haven't told you yet. My father's health is... unstable, at the moment. He is currently bedridden." There's a brief silence. "I apologize, Miss y/n. I hope this news doesn't ruin your visit."

You halted, a look of pure bewilderment on your face.

"Huh? Of course it wouldn't... It's not your fault or your father's that he's not in the best condition. Why would you think that?"

He stopped in place and turned around, looking as surprised as you were. Meanwhile, Min and Joy came to a stop as well, their eyes darting between the two of you with no knowledge of what was going on.

"I, well," he paused, as if trying to find the right words. "Earlier you mentioned how you were looking forward to meeting my father, and I was worried how it might not live up to your expectations."

You blinked. Once. Twice. Then, a warmth filled your chest and made your heart feel like a pile of goop.

"D-don't worry!" you stammered, "I'll have a good time no matter what. Promise." At times like this, you really wished you had more skill points in charisma. "So uh, please don't say things like that again. Alright?"

The mayor studied your face for a few moments before a soft smile graced his lips.

"Of course. Thank you... Miss y/n."

In the back, Min was staring daggers at you while Joy had the twinkle of a thousand suns in her eyes.

"Oh my..." she whispered, failing to contain her smile.

Min glanced at her before looking forward again. He coughed into his palm, drawing the attention of the two in front of him.

"My liege, we should get going."

The mayor nodded, "Oh, of course. My apologies for the sudden stop." He shot you one last smile before turning around.

Finally, the four of you (and a whole lot of guards stationed by the walls) made it to the king's bedchambers after way too many flights of stairs to count.

While you were busy catching your breath, Mayor Twyx turned to Joy and Min.

"Miss y/n and I will be back after a few questions. Please wait for us here, Min, Miss Joy."

The maid and knight stood on either side of the door, almost in a protective manner. Earlier you thought that maybe you were overthinking things, but this only made your suspicions grow further. Something was off, and you didn't have a clue why. Should you ask Mayor Twyx about it later?

Snapping out of your thoughts, you gave Joy a nervous smile and Min a subtle look of annoyance before following the mayor into the king's room.

The moment you stepped inside, the scent of chocolate and mint filled your nostrils. Guess the king was some kind of minty chocolate? Wait, so were Candis born the same way as humans were? Unfortunately, your amnesia didn't wipe your knowledge of childbirth and child making as well, so here you were thinking about how Candi conceptualization happened. To be fair, it was an intriguing question. Like if two completely different Candis came together to create a new one, would it be a mix of the parents or was it completely randomized? Man, so many questions... so little answers.

Okay wait, you were about to meet a king and you were thinking about this of all things? You quickly pinched your arm, snapping yourself out of your unholy thoughts.

The room you were in had little to no light besides a single torch on the wall. In the center was a large bed draped with opaque red curtains over it. There was the silhouette of a figure lying down, but besides that you couldn't see much.

The figure coughed, causing you to flinch in surprise.

"...Twyx? Is that you?" a hoarse voice called out. The mayor went up to the bed and slowly pulled the curtains back, revealing the king staring up at the two of you.

Kind, pale green eyes met yours, and you could definitely see the resemblance between the king and his son. Dark brown hair, sepia-colored skin, and soft bushy brows. He seemed like he could be the tiredest man in the world with the wrinkles and bags he had under his eyes, yet he still made sure to greet you with a smile. There was an aching in your heart that appeared the moment you laid your eyes on him.

"Yes father, it's me." Twyx returned a soft smile, "How have you been? Miss y/n is here with me today as well." He turned to you and nodded. With your heart pounding, you walked up and bowed your head to the bedridden man.

"G-greetings, Your High-- I mean, Your Majesty." You said, already wanting to fling open the door, book it out of the room, and live in a cabin in the woods far away from civilization. "My name is y/n. As the mayor said, I'm... human."

His pale green eyes widened. A moment passed by as he studied your features, and then, he laughed.

"How blessed I am to come across two humans in my lifetime," the king wistfully said. Then, he started to cough violently. Twyx stared down at him in worry, and turned around as if he was going to call for help until he was stopped by the king. "I-it's alright, my son. Just stay where you are." He met your eyes, "I'm sorry I'm not in tip-top shape for our first meeting, y/n. I've been... quite ill for some time now."

You quickly waved your hands around, "N-not at all! Please don't worry, Your Majesty. Seriously, it doesn't bother me. Besides, it's not like you brought this sickness on yourself."

For some reason, the atmosphere in the room abruptly changed once you said that. The king averted his eyes, and even Mayor Twyx looked uncomfortable. You made a mental note of how you just royally screwed up, immediately brainstorming any excuses to leave the room.

"I-I'm so sorry! Was I being rude?" you frantically said, feeling the sweat drops fall down your face. "I'll never say it again so please don't make my head fall or anything!"

With this, Twyx turned to you with wide eyes.

"You would never be executed because of something like this, Miss y/n. There's no need to worry, I understand you were only trying to lighten the mood. It's just that..." he trailed off.

"My son is right, don't berate yourself my dear." The king weakly smiled, "Your words merely reminded me of something. Although, that's all in the past... No need to fret over it." For a split second, it seemed like there was a deep sadness in his eyes, but it flickered away so fast you wondered if you were imagining things. "I am very happy to meet you today, y/n. While you're already aware of it, my name is King Kane, the ruler and protector of all who reside in Kandel. Now, tell me, how can I be of service to you?"

You swallowed your saliva, touched at how welcoming the king was.

"I-I'm looking for a way home, Your Majesty. Back to a world named Earth. However, I... I'm missing my memories."

"Missing your memories?" the king furrowed his brows, "What do you mean by that?"

"Miss y/n woke up in front of Snowflake Lake with no recollection of how and why she got there. So far, she can only remember her name and that she comes from Earth."

"How puzzling indeed," the king replied, "You really can't remember how you got here, my dear?"

"Nope," you said, "I get a massive headache everytime I try to remember. But Mayor Twyx told me that you could answer my questions, Your Majesty. Please, can you tell me how to get home?"

There was a brief pause.

"A long time ago, when I was only a mere boy, a human just like yourself arrived in Kandel. He had also woken up in front of Snowflake Lake, except he was a much older man and even eccentric in a way. My memory fails me as I can't recall his name, but I do remember that after a few months, my parents informed me he had returned back to his world." King Kane recalled his memories almost in a fond, nostalgic manner. You listened carefully, making sure your ears were as open as they could be.

"Really?" you breathed, "that's great news then! It means it's totally possible to get home."

The king nods, "Yes... but I'm afraid I don't know how he returned back to Earth."

You blinked, "What? What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

"I was never told of how he was able to get back to your world. After he left, no one spoke of him again." The king stared at you sadly, "I'm sorry, my dear. I'm afraid I don't know how to get you home."

"W-well maybe it's through Snowflake Lake," you stammered, "Mayor Twyx told me it was a portal of some sort between Earth and Candie Land. Maybe if I jump in it, it'll transport me back to--"

All of a sudden, there was a hand on your shoulder. Your eyes trailed up to be met with a golden brown. Except their usual gentleness was replaced with a cold expression.

"No," Mayor Twyx shook his head, "you can't. Don't do that, Miss y/n." You blinked in surprise, wondering if you heard wrong.

"What? Why not? You never know, it could work--"

"--It won't. Snowflake Lake is extremely dangerous for us Candis. Those who go inside risk being frozen and shattered into a dozen pieces due to the freezing temperature. You may be human, so I can not say for certain that it'd happen to you, but I will not allow you to risk your life by going inside. Even... if it's to get you home." Twyx stared at you with a look that you couldn't quite decipher. You stared back, frozen in place. This was the first time the mayor spoke in such a serious manner that it threw you off and gave you the most whiplashiest whiplash possible.

"Okay...," you slowly nodded, "I won't go inside Snowflake Lake." A look of gratitude instantly appeared on the mayor's face.

"Thank you, Miss y/n."

There was a brief silence in the room before you spoke up.

"But, as the king said, he doesn't know how the last human returned to Earth. And if I can't go inside Snowflake Lake again, how else am I supposed to get home?"

King Kane stayed quiet for a moment before lighting up, "Ah!"

You perked up, "you remembered how to get me home?"

"Oh, not exactly." You deflated again, "But, I thought of a place that might tell you how to do so." The sparkles in your eyes returned. Mayor Twyx blinked and stepped closer to the king.

"What place, father?"

King Kane coughed before responding, "The Kandel Library, a library that seems perfectly ordinary on the outside, but secretly holds records of all the previous humans that arrived here. Only those in the royal family may access it with a special key the librarian holds. I believe if you go there, you may find the answers I could not give you."

"T-that's perfect!" you exclaimed, "Where's this library?"

"It is located near the lower parts of town. Although the librarian will recognize you at a glance, my son, he still requires a code in order for you to access the records. When he asks, tell him, 'Earth'."

You nodded, thinking it was kinda silly that the password for the secret human archive was the name of your world. "Earth. Got it. Thank you so much, Your Majesty."

He smiled weakly, "It was a pleasure meeting you today, my dear. If you recall your memories, I'd love to hear about your world and your life."

"Oh! Of course..." you scratched your cheek, "I don't know if my memories are coming back anytime soon, haha, but if they do, I'd be more than happy to tell you." Then, you looked at Mayor Twyx. "Shall we go?"

"Yes," he nodded, "Though, do you mind if I get a moment with my father? I need to discuss a private matter with him."

"Yeah, no problem! I'll just be waiting outside. I'll tell Joy," you scoffed, "...and Min about our change of plans. So take your time!" Then, you disappeared outside.

Once you were gone, Twyx turned to face his father.

"How are you feeling?" he softly asked. "Is... is your heart any better? What did the healers say?"

The king stayed silent for a moment.

"I'll be fine, my son." He reached out to touch Twyx's face, only to be seized by another violent coughing fit. "I-It's the cough that's persistent, that's all. It's gotten to the point where I can predict when I'll get one-" he coughed, "knew it." Although King Kane was trying to lighten the situation, Twyx didn't laugh. Instead, he furrowed his brows.

"Ever since that day, your health has been decreasing year after year. The healers are able to slow the decay down, but it's been a decade since this happened." He sighed, "If only... if only mother-" Immediately, Twyx looked up with immense guilt on his face. "I-I apologize, father, I shouldn't have said-"

"It's alright," The king smiled sadly, "after all, I still think about your mother every day as well. Now then, I'll be alright. You shouldn't keep a lady waiting."

Twyx's gaze lingered on his father for a bit longer before he nodded.

"Of course. I'll send you a letter soon, father. Until next time we meet," with that, the mayor shut the door behind him.

"Welcome back, my lord!" Joy greeted, "I was informed by my lady that we'll be going to the Kandel Library right about now?"

The mayor stared at her, "Oh, indeed. Let us go."

As the four of you made the trip back down, you couldn't help but observe how Mayor Twyx's expression seemed a bit off. Maybe you were imagining things, but he seemed...

His golden eyes made contact with yours, and you flinched. Oh shit. A smile instantly appeared on his lips, "Hm?"

"Oh! Nothing," you sheepishly grinned.

Once he turned back around, you let out a sigh of relief. Whatever, maybe you were imagining things. Besides, you were going to return to Earth in the end, meaning you couldn't afford to get attached to anyone here.