Sean's question left Grace silent. God, they had only known each other for three days!However, what weighed on her heart wasn't Sean's rushed action; she considered it a bold move for a man, and for some reason, it looked sexy! But what made her uneasy was Adro.For some reason, the first thing that came to Grace's mind after Sean asked her out was Adro. Did Adro still have romantic feelings for her, even after he realized that it was just random feelings because he was tired of his new job? If so, he would be disappointed if she dated someone else. But shouldn't Grace build thicker boundaries between them?Apart from his good looks, Sean was a good man; he's also respectful to women. Technically, Sean was Grace's ideal man. He was someone who treated her right, unlike other men except Adro. Maybe by going out with him a few times, she could slowly forget Adro and truly build a serious relationship."It must be fun," Grace answered.Smiling wide,
"So, he is your colleague who spent the whole day with you?"Turning slowly to face Adro, who was closing the door behind her, Grace nodded. "Yes, I just told you that.""And he's also the one texting with you last night?"Grace nodded again. "M’m."Leaning against the door, Adro hid his clenched fists by folding his arms across his chest. "Why didn't you ever tell me about him?"Adro’s face and his question tensed Grace's neck, but she had to control herself. This was her home and her life; they were just friends. Why should she feel scared and guilty like this towards him?Taking a deep brea
"Having dinner? Here? With you?"Adro nodded while savoring his steamed red beans. "You told him that I'm your family, and we're very close. Won't it be odd if I didn't want to know anything about your boyfriend?"Grace pondered for a moment before nodding. "Y-you're somewhat right."A smile formed on Adro's lips. He patted Grace's head. "Of course I am. Invite him to dinner here. Don't worry; you know I get along with anyone easily.""Um, Adro," Grace played with her food using the fork, avoiding eye contact. "Could you possibly have another motive besides making Sean less suspicious of you? Honestly, I think Sean would understand just by my explanation—no need to talk with you at a dinner.""Well..." Adro rolled his eyes upward, rubbing his chin with his fingers. "Actually, I have many reasons to invite him. Firstly, I'm afraid he might suspect my background, and I'm not sure you can explain me to him correctly. Secondly, I'm a bit concerned about you after hearing how your ex-boyfr
A sardonic chuckle escaped Adro's lips as he flashed a crooked smile. It turned out that the one wearing a mask in front of Grace was not him. That scoundrel was even more hypocritical than him."Didn't I tell you my reasons the other day?""I do remember. But I can't help but think: Isn't living together a choice? You claimed to be learning to live free from the stifling cultural influence of your long-deceased grandmother." Sean said.Adro raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying that we should live separately? Are you worried about our situation?""As fellow men, can you be at ease if your girlfriend lives alone with another man?" Sean folded his arms across his chest, shaking his head in frustration. "You two are not e
Lilford shook his head, then chimed in, "Actually, the problem is Adro claiming that the girl is not his girlfriend, so the haters accused him of being hypocritical and deliberately fooling his fans.""That's because Grace is my sister. Moreover, the issue is almost resolved now. Our anti-rumor team is skilled." Adro replied."Speaking of your sister, I think I saw a girl who looks like her with a guy in front of the Golden Time Hotel," Elvis recalled.Staring at Elvis with widened eyes, Adro asked, "Are you sure? Which Golden Time Hotel?""The one next to the Spring Hill Apartment, my girlfriend's place. That girl was wearing a brown coat, and the guy with her had black hair. If I'm not mistaken, his face looked Asian." Elvis explained.Adro returned his gaze forward, furrowing his brow. "It sounds like them. But Grace said they would watch a movie in the Varcici area.""Oh, don't tell me that guy is your sister's boyfriend?" Elvis guessed,
Sean's bare top body fueled Adro's anger to the core. "Where's Grace?" he growled."How did you get here?" Sean asked, furrowing his brow.Adro didn't answer. Instead, he barged into the room. Then, his body felt like turning into stone when he found Grace sitting on the bed, clad only in her undergarments."Adro?" Grace's eyes widened."Hey! What's wrong with you, dude?" Sean pulled Adro's shoulder from behind.Turning his back, Adro threw a punch to Sean's jaw, causing him to fall to the side. "You filthy scoundrel!""Adro!" Grace exclaimed, jumping off the bed.However, Adro, who was overwhelmed by anger, only had one thing on his mind: he had to finish off the scoundrel who had touched the woman he loved. With no second thought, he jumped to strike Sean's face repeatedly."You scum! How dare you touch her?! I'll kill you!" Adro snarled as he continued to throw punches, while Sean could only protect his head with both arms,
"All this time, I pretended to be foolish, as if I were just confused by the circumstances, but the truth is, I clearly realize that I love you. I concealed everything because you didn't feel the same way about me. You just see me as a friend. I was afraid to make you uncomfortable with me and even push me away.” Adro explained, hanging his face."But when that man came, I couldn't hold back. I couldn't stand seeing you with him. I couldn't just stay silent and smile while another man held you and embraced you right in front of me. I couldn't bear to see you look at another man with love when that look was what I always yearned for from you." He continued.Gulping down, Grace didn’t know what to say. She was silent for a moment and tried to speak, "Maybe… maybe you are just…""I've never been more serious, Grace. I truly love you." Adro replied wholeheartedly.Biting her lower lip, Grace continued, "What about Joselyn? Don't you love her?""No, I don’t." Adro shook his head. "I don't
A black sedan with extremely tinted windows was parked near a skyscraper. Anyone passing by wouldn't realize that the driver, who was wearing a hat and dark sunglasses, was a famous model who had been in the limelight for almost the past two years. His crystal-blue eyes fixed on the building's entrance. After half an hour of waiting, his eyes widened as a brown-haired girl with wavy hair finally appeared. He started his car when the girl reached her parked car right in front of the office building. Adro might have gone insane. He admitted that he was a psychopathic prince—a persona he never realized existed within him until he fell in love for the first time. Since leaving Grace's home, he has not contacted her again or met her in person, as per her request. However, it only made him realize how deeply he had fallen for her, a
"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