Beautiful, indeed!

"Whoa!" Crystal exclaimed after being twirled towards her new dance partner, her head spinning a little. Other girls might have landed their hands perfectly in their partner's hands and shoulders, continuing to dance elegantly, but she fumbled with her steps, her inexperience showing as she landed face-first into her partner's chest.

But her supposed gentleman had held her steady, his strong arms preventing her from falling.

Crystal looked up, her eyes filled with embarrassment as she recognized the gentleman in front of her. "Your Highness!" exclaimed Crystal with joy, feeling that getting embarrassed in front of someone who knew her was less mortifying than someone who did not know her.

Looking at Crystal in her maroon gown, burgundy locks, and big radiant smile, memories of a girl who had tormented him for years flooded his mind. She had come to him in his dreams, demanding that he pay the price of his sins.

"Madonia!" Ambrose mumbled through his trembling lips as he grabbed Crystal's shoulders tightly, almost making her whimper in pain.

Crystal knew she had heard that name somewhere, but she could not place where she had heard it.

"Madonia, is that you?" Ambrose was desperate as he shook Crystal, demanding an answer. Crystal tried to shove him away, but his grip on her was too tight to budge.

"Let me go!" she struggled, not even considering telling him that she was Crystal so he would stop asking the same question.

"I am sorry that I could not do anything for you. I am sorry that you had to go through all that heinous experience. It is all my fault. It was all my fault. I really missed you. I really did," Ambrose's eyes were filled with tears, and his cheeks were stained. Crystal was panicking as his grip on her shoulder tightened, and he wrapped his arms around her, crying his heart out on her shoulder like a child who was emotionally hurt very badly.

She knew that Ambrose did not seem to be in his right mind as his whole aura exuded how terrified, guilty, and heartbroken he was. She did not want him to stop from letting it all out, so she decided to pat his back and hum slowly along the slow romantic music while making him sway from left to right, trying to calm him down.

"Ummm, your highness, if you are still not sure, I am Crystal," Crystal said in a soothing voice. Although Ambrose had calmed down, he could not bring himself to pull away from her and look into her eyes. He was embarrassed that he cried in front of Crystal, a fae he barely knew.

He was also afraid that he might break down again, mistaking Crystal for being Madonia. But the main reason he could not pull away from her was that her embrace was comfortable, and she exuded a warmth so unfamiliarly familiar to him that he could not bear to let it go.

"Your Highness, I swear upon myself that I will not expose you to anyone for crying in front of me," Crystal carefully said, sensing his shame. Ambrose cleared his throat and immediately pulled away from her.

"I am not embarrassed," he said, trying to maintain a stern look, but even if Crystal did not have the power to sense auras, she could clearly see that the half of his face that was not covered by the masquerade mask was completely red.

"Okay, understood," Crystal said, nodding her head. She knew very well how it felt when your vulnerability was exposed to someone else; she felt it when her friends from Earth found out how her parents were unlike normal parents who unconditionally loved their children.

Here is the corrected version of the passage:

"Shall we find a cozy spot and sit somewhere? I am not used to dancing, and my legs are starting to hurt a bit as well," Crystal pretended, making a sad face. Ambrose nodded his head. If it were not a formality to have at least one dance for the Love Bound Masquerade, he might have already done that.

Ambrose had taken a seat at a considerable distance from Crystal. Looking at him, Crystal could not help but roll her eyes. It was the second time for the day that someone mistook her for another girl, and she was really annoyed about it.

"Am I bipolar or what?" she mused to herself. She had intended to blend in with the faeries and mimic their appearance, but now that others were seeing her as such, she didn't quite relish the attention.

"Are you still upset with me about the sandwich, your royal highness?" Crystal inquired, her tone betraying bitterness. Ambrose looked at her, perplexed.

"Why do you suggest that?" he asked. Crystal gestured to the empty chairs between them before turning back to face him. As Ambrose was no fool, he understood what she was trying to convey. "I assure you, that is not the case," he simply stated, averting his gaze away from Crystal in a hurry as he still felt his heartbeat spiking up while looking at her.

"Your actions suggest otherwise, your royal highness, do they not? Perhaps it is because you are THE crown prince, and I am a mere unknown faerie?" Crystal sighed, shaking her head in resignation. Ambrose chuckled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He did not realize that it was that easy for him to feel so alive in the moment. It was the second time that she had made him smile. "Very well," Ambrose said, nodding his head. He rose from his chair and moved to sit beside Crystal, who beamed at him, leaving him bewildered once again. Was it Madonia's memories that made him so nervous around Crystal, or was it simply her captivating smile?

"You know, your highness, sometimes we feel responsible for things going awry or someone getting hurt, even if it's not our fault. But do you know what the truth is?" Crystal smiled, looking at Ambrose, who barely managed to take a glance at her face, and his heart ached with a pang of melancholy. He could see the sadness in that smile.

"What is it?" he asked, not wanting Crystal to stop talking. Enthusiastic or not, her voice was quite sweet and took a pleasant tone around.

"The actual reality is that it is the easiest to think that 'it must be my mistake.' It is, indeed, the easiest method, and as time goes by, we develop this habit and keep saying 'it must be my mistake' again and again." Crystal looked down at her lap, remembering how she used to blame herself when her supposed parents, who were actually icons, treated her coldly. She convinced herself that she was the reason for their callousness until she had learned the truth.

Ambrose still couldn't answer his earlier question about being nervous around Crystal, but he did know one thing: he didn't like it one bit when she wasn't smiling. "Are you perhaps trying to console me?" Ambrose teased, attempting to lighten the mood, something Crystal often did for others.

Crystal laughed, flashing that radiant smile at him once more. "Maybe I am," she playfully brushed her hair aside, but Ambrose noticed the tear that had escaped her eye and trailed down her masquerade mask.

Ambrose reached forward without a second thought and gently wiped away a tear from Crystal's cheek, leaving her stunned as she did not realize that she had shed a tear and her heart had skipped a beat or two when Ambrose made contact with her skin.

Ambrose too widened his eyes in shock, realizing his bold move. But before he could withdraw his hand and Crystal too was about to retreat, a sudden loud burst startled them both.

Earlier, the Love Grams had accumulated in the sky, but it was now that Crystal noticed the dome over the west garden had vanished, exposing them to the starry night. One by one, the Love Grams burst like fireworks, each explosion illuminating the sky in red and pink hues and scattering glittery faerie dust everywhere.

Crystal couldn't help but exclaim in awe, "Woah! It's so beautiful!" She reached out her hand and caught the falling faerie dust, feeling a sense of childlike wonder.

Ambrose could not help the smile creeping over his lips looking at Crystal. He knew no one that was so radiant and maybe now he felt like Crystal was indeed absolutely different fae from Madonia and he agreed with her, lost in her beauty, “Beautiful, indeed.”