Adro squinted slightly at the phone screen shown to him. It was indeed a photo of him wearing a glimmering maroon suit without an inner; that was the outfit he wore for this afternoon's solo debut photo session. From what he heard, they would publish those photos tonight.
"It’s just one hour ago," Adro mumbled while glancing at his watch. "This world is amazing."
"I'm sure you're Adro Groendez." The girl stated.
Adro nodded and gave a faint smile. "Yes, that's me. It looks like my agency just uploaded that photo."
An instant, bright smile appeared on the faces of the two girls. "ST Agency announced your debut around 6 p.m. They posted it on all their social media accounts. It's also reported on some celebrity n
Like other visual art students, some of Grace's best artwork during her college years earned a spot in the university art exhibition specifically for graduating students. Although the exhibition lasted only two days, coinciding with the graduation party and ceremony, she was proud that her work could be seen by many people.However, the art exhibition was less crowded compared to the entertainment art performances and fashion shows held in one of the campus auditoriums. The show aimed to showcase the final works of the art and fashion design departments. The event also served as a competition for all participating departments.In this event, the fashion design and modeling departments collaborated on a runway show and announced the winner of the fashion design final project. What added excitement to the event was that the top five designs would be worn by real models during the runway session.“We collaborate with Sky Talent Agency and renowned clothing br
Until the show almost concluded, Adro still couldn't find Grace. He hadn't actively searched for her among the numerous spectators because, as a model, he needed to keep his gaze straight ahead during the runway. Only when the picture-taking session came could his eyes scan every seat around him. ‘Why hasn't she come yet? Why is she taking so long?’ "Committee! We also want to take pictures together!" shouted some female students from below the stage. "Sorry, that can't be done." One of the committee members guarding the stage replied. However, Adro approached one of them and said, "I don't mind taking some pictures with my fans. Can you filter them so it won't be too many, please?" The male committee widened his eyes. "Are you serious about this? You won't impose any extra charges on us, will you?" Adro chuckled and shook his head. "This is a personal request. It seems some of the spectators below are my fans. I just want to briefly g
"Whom do you want to meet?" Grace asked, glancing around and realizing that Adro's fans had almost surrounded them.Adro threw a brief smile at his fans. "I'm sorry, everyone. I've been waiting for someone, and since that person has arrived, I think I should leave now.""A-Adro, wh-why are you with Grace Menken?" Lily asked with a little shrill voice."Yes, Adro! How do you two know each other? What's your relationship?""Grace Menken? How is that possible?""How can Menken know Adro?"Hard questions and murmurs echoed after Lily boldly asked Adro the personal question.Instead of getting annoyed, Adro was delighted. He tightened his embrace around Grace's shoulders while raising his eyebrows. "Wow, Grace, I didn't know you were this famous on campus. At home, you always said that you don't have many friends.""At home?""What's their relationship, actually?""Grace, how do you know Adro?" Rossa asked in a rush, staring at Adro’s hand that was still hanging on Grace’s shoulder in disb
"Huh?" Grace muttered.“The first time I arrived at your home, I found your paintings had dark and cold emotions. The characters in your paintings never smiled. However, in these three paintings, you started to add bright colors and warm elements." Adro continued.With a furrowed brow, Grace observed her paintings from the oldest to the newest. How could she not have noticed it? Adro was right; her art style had gradually changed."Does this have something to do with your mood?" Adro asked, checking the dates on Grace's three latest paintings; one of them was a Joselyn painting.Grace fell silent. Upon reflection, it was true that her mood influenced her artwork. And her paintings had undergone a drastic transf
"A-Adro?" Grace placed both hands in front of her chest as Adro's face got too close to hers."Don't make a scared face; you need to look used to it," Adro whispered, reaching out to unfasten Grace's seatbelt.Shooting up her eyebrows, Grace now understood what Adro was doing. Then she peeked behind Adro’s back to witness Victor's expression, which she had never seen before. His furious eyes nailed at them, and his face turned red, even visible from a distance, as if it were boiled from the inside."He... looks mad," Grace mumbled."Hm?" Adro glanced at Grace's unfocused eyes. Then he fastened her seatbelt, smirking. "You seem worried. Should I go out and approach him?"Grace's eyes widened. She shifted her gaze to Adro's eyes, which were still right in front of hers. She cleared her throat, trying to lean back, although it was futile as the backrest of the seat was so solid that it couldn’t afford her more space. "I-I'm not worried. I
"You will?" Grace's eyes sparkled. "Oh! Glad to hear that!""Yeah! I've made a list of exciting destinations-"Adro's sentence was cut off when his phone rang. "Oh, excuse me, I need to take this for two minutes," he said to Grace as he reached for the cell phone from the sofa."Sure. Take your time," Grace replied."Thanks," Adro said before answering the call. "Spencer? ... Yes, I know... He did? Haha, what a nonsense guy... No, no, I'm fine, of course - You know I don't check my phone often like you guys ... Yeah, sure. I'll check it out now. It's in the group chat, isn’t it? ... No problem."Sipping her wine, Grace glanced at Adro, who had just hung up his phone, before staring at the phone screen. A smile formed, and a chuckle escaped his lips as he typed something on it.As Adro promised, he finished in just two minutes. Then he placed his phone back on the sofa. "I’m sorry, it's my friends reporting something they think is
Grace's eyes widened as her body was stunned, feeling the warmth of Adro's lips on hers while watching a pair of closed eyes right in front of her.Opening his eyes, Adro looked into Grace’s hazel eyes before releasing his lips from hers. He pulled his head back a little only to find Grace's cheeks turning redder, and her eyes widened."A-Adro..." Grace stammered.However, without hesitation, Adro seized Grace's lips again and devoured them. He didn't care about what would happen after this; he couldn't even believe he was suddenly kissing her. He was a dignified prince but unable to control himself.Grace's words unleashed Adro's emotions. He desired the girl in front of him so much. He wanted to protect the g
"Congratulations, Grace," Adro said, handing over a large bouquet of carnation and orchid flowers.Grace swallowed, looking at Adro from head to toe. He wore a deep denim-blue suit that made his eyes stand out. His appearance even caught the attention of people around them."Don’t… don't you have a photoshoot?" Grace asked as she received the flowers, then thanked him."I asked for permission to leave early to accompany you. Isn't this a once-in-a-lifetime moment?""It is..." Grace mumbled, unable to look into Adro's crystal eyes.Grace thought that after last night's incident, she could avoid him for a few days, considering he would leave tonight.
"Princess Grace Menken will not be a queen," Adro stated, causing everyone to turn to him. "I, Adro Alymer Groendez, will renounce my position as the crown prince of this kingdom." "What did you say?" King Groendez stared at Adro with wide eyes. "You can't do that. Since birth, you have been destined to be the future king." "I apologize, Father, but I refuse that destiny," Adro replied. "What's your reason? Now you can marry the woman you desire. This kingdom is free from monsters and witches. There's no reason for you to refuse to become the future king." "There is," Adro replied. "I have found a life that makes me happy, and that life is in a world where I am stranded. I returned to this world only to save this kingdom and bid farewell to my family, not to return to my old life as a prince." "Adro," the Queen looked at her eldest son with teary eyes. "I apologize for my decision that has disappointed this kingdom, but I wish to get your understanding. I relinquish my heir title
"It's damp and smelly here. Are you sure you're okay?" Adro asked.Grace sighed. "This is the third time you've asked the same thing, Adro. I'm fine. Don't worry.""Alright," Adro replied, then reached for Grace's hand and held it tightly. "But you have to stay close and not let go of my hand."Then, they walked through the hallway, which led to the underground prison specifically designed to confine dangerous criminals."I can't believe that after entering the death cave, fighting various monsters, and defeating the Magical Stone spirit, you're still being overprotective of me," Grace said, feeling Adro's grip tighten."I don't care how strong you are now. You're my woman; I'm responsible for your safety," Adro replied, then sighed. "Your severely injured leg is enough.""Alright, I understand. Thank you for worrying about me," Grace said, embracing his arm.Arriving at the underground chamber, they encountered three iron doors
The darkness enveloping Grace slowly faded. She fell onto both knees and faintly saw the Magical Stone kneeling, still in the same spot.Grace squinted her eyes and furrowed her brow. If she heard correctly, didn’t that monster say that she would walk on her stomach and her head would remain bowed? But why was her perspective still the same as before?"Y-you..." The Magical Stone stammered. The red light shining around his hands, which were covering his stab wound, slowly dimmed. "How... how is this possible?"Shifting her gaze from the pensive Magical Stone, Grace raised her hand and found she still had her human form. "I... haven't changed?""It's impossible!" The Magical Stone exclaimed. "I cursed you. No one in this world can escape my curse after touching me!"The old man's words brought a s
Not only would Grace transform into a hideous monster, but she might also lose half of her sanity, leaving her constantly craving human flesh. She would be separated from Adro and everyone she knew to live as the slave of the half-monster man until the end of her days.Grace didn't want her tears to fall. She didn't want the Magical Stone to see her weakness. She had come this far, overcoming all obstacles that drained her strength and emotions.'Since I was a kid, I've always been Grace the loser. But can a loser walk this far? Can a loser face kings, future in-laws who hate her, and even monsters?’“You don't know how strong you are, Grace!” She gritted.Clamping her jaw, she nodded. "I agree.""Naive. With a weak body like that, the words coming out of your mouth sound as if you're a great knight. But don't you know that I can hear the quickening of your heartbeat?" The Magical Stone said. Then he dug into his large ears before pulling out a strand of hair that turned into a massiv
A small gust of cold wind sent shivers down Grace's skin. Despite the fact that the underground air was cold from the start, she felt as though the dark tunnel ahead held something sinister waiting for them.Damian turned to Grace. "I think I should check inside.""We're on the same page. I will go too." Grace nodded. "But what about the others?""We just need to climb up that plant to get to Jocelyn, but I'm afraid she might not be able to continue the journey further," Damian said."I don't mind going in without an escort. I have a feeling there's something in there." Grace whispered.Damian nodded once, then looked upwards. "Elvaro!""Yes, Your Highness?""We've found a way here. We're going to check it out, so you all wait there.""Damian," Jocelyn's weak voice sounded."Jocelyn, stay there and don't move much. Elvaro and Kederic will protect you. I'll try to return as soon as possible. But if we're not back in about
Damian grimaced as Jocelyn poured water over the burns on his back and limbs."This is the medicine Lady Camelia gave me before I left. I hope it can alleviate Prince Damian's injuries." Grace handed a small black bottle to Jocelyn."The spring we found doesn't lead to anything. That means King Absolen mentioned another spring," Damian spoke."Thank you for saving us. You are badly injured.” Grace said."My task is to protect you. And I might have turned into ashes by now if you people hadn't helped me," Damian chuckled."That's not funny," Jocelyn muttered, wiping away her tears that started flowing again. She lowered her face as Damian sat up."Sorry for making you worry. Thank you for treating me," he said, wiping away her tears, then stood up with his sword. "I will check the conditions outside.""You need to rest, Damian. Elvaro and Kederic have gone out to find torchwood." Jocelyn stood up as well."There are other
In that area with rocky dry soil, carnivorous plants thrived alongside giant bushes, forming a small forest.Through the cracks in the ground, gas appeared several times. Damian noticed it when they were surrounded by the plants. During the fight, he kept looking for the nearest gap to the plant's growth center and studied the moments when the gas spurted.Damian knew this was a daring move. He might have to risk his life if he made even a slight mistake, but he had seen who Grace Menken was. Unexpectedly, she had a great leadership spirit. When facing people, she seemed weak, but when on a mission like this, she could make quick and courageous decisions. If he died here, he was sure she could lead the others out.According to his calculations, Damian threw the still-burning torch right into a hole near the entrance to the giant bush forest. Just as the torch entered
"Grace." Jocelyn gazed at her, pulling out her arrow with trembling hands."We need to run from here," Grace whispered, preparing her sword. "On the count of three, shoot the one blocking our way, and run."Jocelyn nodded; meanwhile, the snakes hissed louder and crawled closer."One.""Two."Grace tightened her grip on the sword, taking a deep breath. "Three!"Jocelyn's arrow flew, striking the snake standing in front of them right in the neck. This angered the other snakes to attack them.One of the nearest snakes moved to strike Grace, but she swung her sword as quickly as possible, injuring it. Before the other snakes could reach them, they ran as fast as they could."Oh... darn it..." Grace huffed in her run.Jocelyn looked back, only to find the snakes were almost catching up to them. At the same time, her untrained legs began to give in."Hold on!" Grace shouted, reading Jocelyn's condition.Seeing on
The group entered the forest with minimal lighting to avoid attracting attention. Grace rode a horse alongside Damian.After ensuring they were far enough from the palace, Damian raised one hand, signaling the group to stop. "Open the baggage carriage!"Damian jumped off of his horse, followed by Grace. He climbed onto the small carriage and opened a food box placed on the top stack."Are you okay?" Damian asked while pulling out a girl dressed as a boy."Jocelyn, are you alright?" Grace joined.Catching her breath, Jocelyn nodded. "I'm fine. Thank you.""Princess Jocelyn? How did you end up in there?" A guard asked.Damian carried Joclyn down from the carriage. "Stretch your legs first. It must feel stiff after bending for so long." The