6. Two Different Worlds

"Gosh… This sounds crazy, but I don’t have any option but to believe it because I saw for myself that you came out of that door. Then, what will you do?" Grace asked.

Adro let out a long sigh while massaging his forehead. "Actually, I don't know. So far, I have never encountered a witch. The type of magic that is familiar to me is sorcerer magic, and they only use their power for weapons in war and protection. Witches are very dangerous because their magic comes from demonic power passed down through the bloodline. They have an evil heart and use their power to harm people."

"You said earlier that you were getting married. So … does that mean your bride is waiting?" Grace asked a little hesitantly.

Adro nodded briefly. "Joselyn; she is my future wife. It shouldn't be long before our wedding ceremony begins. She must be very confused, waiting for me now. The king and queen ... they must be looking for me too."

"I'm sorry for not being able to help,” Grace said slowly. “Just so you know ... as far as I know, there are no kingdoms around here. Even in other countries, there are no kingdoms like the ones you described. In this world, the things that exist in your world are impossible."

"There's no need to apologize because this isn't your fault. I should be the one apologizing for accusing you of being a witch." Adro replied.

"Incidentally, I heard your name is Grace Menken; is that right?" Adro gave a thin smile.

Grace nodded. "I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself to you beforehand. My name is Grace Menken. I was born and live in this city. For your information, you are now in Torben City. I am a student at Archman University." She stretched out her hand.

Adro just stared at the small hand with a frown. "Pardon me, but I feel a little bit unfamiliar with some of the words in your sentences. But should I shake your hand?"

"Um... Yes..?" Grace frowned.

"Very well. Glad to meet you, Ms. Menken." He shook her gentle hand. "In my place, only men can shake hands; women are prohibited from doing so. Shaking hands is a symbol of ratifying political agreement."

"I see," Grace replied. "By the way, a university is a place to take education. It's a higher level than regular school, and you will get a title by finishing it." She began to understand that Adro might have come from a place that sounded low-tech, like in the Middle Ages.

"Oh, and you can call me Grace instead. No need to add 'Ms' before my name," She continued with a smile.

"Very well … Grace." Adro nodded with a faint smile, increasing his beauty value by ten points.

"Grace, I believe you now understand that I have to return to my palace. Since you know this place so well, do you think you could help me?" Adro asked.

Grace was silent for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Honestly I-"

"Hello," Suddenly, a man wearing glasses and a white coat approached them.

"Hello, Doc." Grace answered no less friendly.

“I am Doctor Tommy. I will treat your leg, Miss …" He read the board in his hand, "Grace Menken,"

"Yes, Doc. It’s nice to meet you. Do I have to have surgery?" She asked.

The doctor nodded. "It'll probably just be a minor surgery. But first, we'll have to do some examination of your bones to determine the proper procedure." Then he waved slightly in the other direction, which was covered by the dividing curtain.

"Well ... These are Lensy and Maria. They are the nurses who will help you undergo the examination. We also have to change your clothes. You know ... you look like my little daughter when she just finished playing in the yard after the rain," The doctor said.

Grace laughed while rubbing her arms. "Do I? Actually, I did fall in a puddle."

"Shall we go now, Ms. Menken?" Asked a nurse named Lensy while pushing an empty wheelchair closer to the bed.

"Now? What about him?" Grace looked at Adro, who was also looking back at her.

"Your guardian can wait in the waiting room. We'll tell him when you're finished and can move to the treatment room." The nurse answered.

"But he-"

"I'm fine. Just go; I'll wait for you." Adro said, giving a gentle smile.

Grace stared at him without blinking. A strange throbbing suddenly tickled her chest.

"I'll ask one of my friends to lead you to the waiting room, Mr …" One of the nurses, named Maria, stepped closer to Adro, raising her brows and slowly blinking her eyes.

Adro frowned his brow a little and answered, “Adro Groendez."

“Mr. Groendez, it’s nice to meet you." She smiled.

Then the nurse started pushing the wheelchair that carried Grace. Grace kept staring at Adro as her wheelchair moved further and further away, step by step, as if the tick of the clock had been slowed down. The man was also still looking at her with a smile, then his mouth moved, "I'm waiting for you."

The throbbing in Grace's chest got worse.

***

"Wait for us. You promised you would wait, didn’t you?"

Grace nodded. Her tears fell even harder; she knew everything would be okay because they said something that meant a lot to her: "We promise we'll be back soon."

Grace's eyes opened, and her body jerked in surprise. She saw a white ceiling before her eyes.

"Are you okay?" A baritone voice made Grace turn to the side.

A pair of crystal blue eyes were staring confusedly at her. After blinking a couple times, Grace managed to regain her consciousness and remember what happened before.

After a series of examinations, Grace felt very tired because she did not sleep all night but spent the time crying. Therefore, she accidentally fell asleep as soon as she was transferred from the wheelchair to the bed. She wasn't even sure it happened a minute before she lost consciousness.

"Are you crying?" Adro pointed to the outside of his own eye, gesturing for Grace to touch hers there.

Grace rubbed the corners of her eyes, which turned out to be wet. "Oh... I think I had a bad dream," she said, making a brief smile as she wiped away the tears.

"Have they finished treating you?"

"The nurse said if I have to get an operation, I have to fast from eating and drinking, and I think I will have it.” Grace explained as she looked everywhere. "Did you see my phone?"

"Phone?" Adro repeated. "Is that the board-like object?" He pointed to the object on the nightstand beside him.

"That’s right!" Grace smiled.

"It was lying on the corner of your bed and almost fell, so I moved it to this table. So, that thing is called a phone? What's its use?" Adro asked. Throughout the day, he saw almost everyone holding and watching that shining thing.

Grace chuckled. "That's right. The phone can do many things. But its most important task is to contact people who are far away from us, even people overseas."

"Do you mean like a letter delivery bird?"

"Something like that." Grace nodded slowly. "Would you like to try holding it?" She gave her cell phone to Adro.

He stared at the cellphone's bright screen, which had various strange pictures and a dark-themed background with a silhouette of a girl sitting alone in front of a dimly lit window.

Adro took it with a frown. Grace smiled faintly, then swiped the cellphone screen. Seeing the contents moving made Adro even more amazed. It seemed that the world he entered was highly advanced.