This is it.
The final, decisive round of the Pallafiocco match.
My name is Majory—Princess of the Gnomes, Captain of the Gold Team.
If I can lead my team to victory, the amateur tournament is ours this year.
There's no better way to celebrate my birthday.
I'm so happy I can barely stay still.
Làidir.
Bumbling.
Greanny.
And the twins—Beagy and Milly.
I couldn't have asked for a better team.
Maya's squad doesn't stand a chance.
Sure, Assho, Yosho, and Gready are strong—but didn't we already knock Donny out with Bumbling's Heavy Pallafiocco?
A direct hit so precise not even a national ace could've pulled it off.
We lost the first round.
Won the second.
And in the third—we haven't taken a single warning. Not one elimination.
And that's not all.
Làidir and I pulled off two flawless double-ribbon bows—two points each.
The judge even awarded extra points for Làidir's near-perfect aerial maneuvers.
And as if that weren't enough, Greanny just completed a standard bow.
Meanwhile?
They've lost Donny—and only scored two points total.
How hard can it be to finish them off?
Three more points.
That's all we need.
Still… we can't let our guard down.
Yosho and Assho are about to throw.
Yosho's precision is terrifying. Down to the millimeter.
And Assho is no less dangerous.
Their ability to slip the Pallafiocco through the ring and cross it with their partner's is unmatched. They rarely miss.
And their aim? Razor-sharp.
I won't let them hit us again like they did in the first round.
Hmm… yes.
Formation A3. The best one.
I catch the others' eyes and give our unmistakable signal.
Yosho and Assho must've read our move.
They throw.
Exactly as expected.
They fall right into it.
One more second—
"Now!" I shout.
Greanny and I dodge the two Striped Pallafiocchi flying toward us.
Yes!
Two more points!
The arena erupts.
The crowd is with us—listen to that applause!
One more.
Just one.
I glance at Beagy and Milly.
Six years old—and faster than anyone I've ever seen.
They understand instantly.
And they run.
Perfect sync.
Straight toward the opposing team's rings.
The air goes still.
Thin. Tense.
If they make it—we win.
Come on.
Light and agile, they push off, levitating—
There.
Suspended midair—
—and they leap, each with their own Pallafiocco!
Beagy dives straight through the moving ring.
Milly—swift and sharp as a falcon—launches herself at the exact moment the central ring passes and nudges it toward her brother's!
The ribbons slide through the rings.
They cross.
The two circles brush together, chiming—
—and yes. They do it.
Beagy and Milly form a stunning bow, shimmering with light.
They clutch it with both hands, proud.
The crowd explodes—cheers, screams, thunderous applause.
We look at each other, grinning.
We won!!!
-----
I can't hold it in anymore.
I'm bursting with joy.
Winning on my birthday—this is unreal.
And this rainbow-glazed cake? Absolutely divine.
Hey.
Actually… maybe I could use my birthday for something else, too.
"What if we go down to the underground halls?" I ask my friends.
I'm buzzing with excitement.
They exchange uncertain looks.
"…Are you sure we're allowed to?" Maya asks.
"Of course!" I say. "I turned sixteen today. I'm officially of age—and for me, this would be the best gift ever. I don't even know how to explain it. I've wanted to do this for so long. So? Are you coming?"
Beagy takes my hand and looks up at me.
Then he reaches for his little sister's hand and turns to the others, suddenly very serious.
We all watch him, curious. He always manages to draw everyone's attention.
What is he going to say?
"Let's go," he declares. No hesitation.
He's so convincing the others light up immediately.
"Yeeees!!!" they shout, cheering.
Perfect. It's settled.
"We'll have to be careful, though," I add. "I don't want our parents noticing. They'd stop us for sure."
"Don't worry," Làidir says gently, reassuring as ever.
We agree on a quick plan and move carefully through the park, splitting up—then regrouping at the entrance to the underground halls.
We did great.
No one noticed us.
Not even a shadow fairy could've pulled off something like this!
Together, we pass under the archway and head toward the famous—uncharted—underground of my castle.
Then we start down the grand staircase.
We move in silence, softening our steps so no one can hear us.
The guards should all be at the party, but better not risk it.
We slip past the prison cells one by one.
Quiet. Fast.
Until we reach the second staircase.
And we go down again.
No guards in sight. Perfect.
If no one knows, no one complains.
I'll tell Mom and Dad later.
I can already picture their faces… hahaha.
We're close to the last corridor now.
Here, staying quiet is impossible.
The stone floor makes our footsteps echo—
loud enough to stir unease.
My friends seem nervous too.
But it doesn't take long to reach our destination.
Here we are.
The massive wooden door stands before us, carved with a delicate floral inlay—something I've only ever heard about.
I stop.
"Here we are," I announce proudly. "We made it."
I step up to the lock, turn the heavy key, and push.
The door opens with a loud creak.
All twelve of us cross the threshold.
Thud.
We turn slowly, eyes wide.
The door has slammed shut behind us.
Beagy and Milly clutch my skirt tightly.
They're scared.
"What happened?" Milly whimpers.
Good old Làidir strokes her hair gently.
"It's okay. Everything's fine. The door just closed—and Majory has the keys, right, Meg?"
"Of course, sweetheart," I say, smiling at her.
"Actually," Greanny adds with a grin, "it's better this way. No one will come bother us now!"
He winks at Beagy, encouraging him to tickle his little sister.
She bursts into laughter.
"Okay, okay, stop. Let's go," she says, calm again.
Beagy squeezes her hand and smiles.
"Yes, little sis. Let's go."
The underground isn't exciting at all.
Not like I imagined.
It's dark. Damp.
Every now and then, a drop of water slips down the walls.
A few scattered torches. Nothing more.
I was hoping for a little adventure.
Instead… ugh. Boring.
We should just go back up.
I stop and look at them.
"I think we can head back," I say. "Thanks for coming with me—and sorry for dragging you all the way down here. I was curious because I've always been forbidden to come. Even though I don't get why. There's nothing here but cold."
I see their eyes light up.
"Then let's go finish the cake!" Gready says cheerfully, the glutton.
We all burst out laughing, instantly agreeing.
We've been down here for a while now.
We're hungry. Cold.
And this constant half-darkness is starting to get on my nerves.
I can't wait to go back up.
There's the door.
I take out the keys and—
…
Where's the keyhole?
I don't understand.
"Guys… the keyhole… it's gone."
Yosho steps closer and gently moves me aside.
"Gone? That's impossible. Let me see."
I move out of the way and let him check.
He inspects every inch of the wood, carefully…
It looks like he can't find anything either.
He turns to us, shaken.
"I—I don't get it. We came in through here. With the key."
"Maybe we picked the wrong door," Assho cuts in, practical as always. "Let's look for the right one."
He starts to walk away, but Milly runs after him and grabs his pant leg.
"That's not true! We came in right here!" she insists. "Look. This was the only door with flower carvings—and this one has them."
"My little sister's right," Beagy says.
He looks uneasy now.
"Hey, hey, it's fine. No need to panic," Fealsy says, trying to calm everyone down.
But Donny, as usual, won't let it go.
"Oh, listen to the philosopher," he sneers.
"Enough. Don't start," Làidir snaps.
Despite Làidir's towering height, Donny steps right up to him.
"And what if I don't? What are you gonna do?"
Làidir doesn't back down.
He lowers his gaze and stares him down.
Too much tension. I have to do something.
"Hey! Stop it. This isn't necessary. We're just a little nervous."
My attempt falls flat.
Donny, whenever he's scared, always shows his worst side.
"At your service, Your Highness…" he mocks.
Always the same.
And that only makes things worse.
Gready clenches his fist and moves toward him.
"If you don't shut up, I'll—"
Donny locks eyes with him, icy.
"You'll what, fat lump? Come on. Show me what you've got. Go ahead."
Bumbling grabs Donny by the shoulders.
Oh no. What do I do now?
Yosho steps in beside Gready.
This is about to turn ugly.
"ENOUGH!"
We all freeze.
The twins step forward together, placing themselves in front of Donny—
their voices firm, leaving no room for argument.
"Instead of saying cruel things like you always do…" Beagy starts,
"…help us find a solution," Milly finishes.
Donny finally shuts up.
He shrugs, like none of it mattered.
"I suggest we look for another way," I say. "There has to be another passage somewhere. I'll go first."
I move ahead.
The others follow.
I really hope I can find a way out.