Compared to facing rejection when expressing his feelings, for Adro, it was even more challenging when he had to restrain his feelings.
It's hard to believe that all this time, Adro's feelings were not unrequited. When he couldn't hold back from making Grace his own, it turned out that she was desperately holding back her feelings to protect the heart of a woman she didn't even know.
"Oh my God, Grace, I can't even distinguish between kindness and naivety because of you," Adro said while stroking her hair. "All this time, you held back your feelings when you knew that I loved you. How could you manage to do that?"
Although Adro's embrace felt like heaven, Grace pulled her body away. She wiped her tears and spoke, "Now I've explained it to you. No more lies, and nothing is hidden from you. I hope you understand why we can't be together."
"No," Adro replied, keeping both of Grace's arms within his grasp. "Instead, because I already know the truth, I'm more
Grace's eyes briefly widened as the elevator doors closed. She glanced at Adro, who still wore a faint smile. "Did I really look so out of place?"Adro shrugged his shoulders. "I just sensed you looked a bit tense, yet I wanted you to feel comfortable coming here."Blushing, Grace cleared her throat and replied, "Well… This is such a luxurious building."Adro nodded. "I know. But it doesn't feel as comfortable as being in your home.""Nonsense," Grace scoffed. "How could anyone feel uncomfortable in such a penthouse? Not just anyone can live in a penthouse.""I was born and grew up in a palace that was much more luxurious and grand than this, yet I never
Grace's eyes widened as she discovered Adro was peacefully sleeping beside her, holding her close. Adro’s bare upper body prompted Grace to sit up and check her body under the thick blanket. A long sigh escaped as she found herself still clothed. Assisted by the moonlight streaming through the nearby large window, Grace realized they were on a spacious bed. Meanwhile, almost the entire room remained dark. 'How did I end up here? I don't remember anything.' Grace thought. "Grace, what's wrong?" Startled by the heavy, raspy voice, Grace turned to find Adro opening his sleepy eyes. His crystal blue irises seemed to glow in the darkness from reflecting the light beamed in from the window. "Why am I here, Adro?" Grace asked. "Hm?" Adro furrowed his brow. "You fell asleep, so I carried you to bed. You drank too much beer." "We... slept together?" Grace hesitated. Rising to his seat, Adro replied, "I don't see anyone else here but us." Grace fell silent, her face a little lower. The
"Whose son?" Keneth furrowed his brow. Then, he clicked the speaker menu on the screen on the car dashboard.Listening in on Keneth's brief conversation, Adro and Grace fell silent while exchanging glances."She said Adro was a woman’s son who disappeared in a car accident six years ago. She kept pleading with us to meet Adro after seeing him on TV." The woman on the phone explained."Does she have any proof? What's her name again?" Keneth asked."Eve Marviez. She has photos with Adro, and I believe you should see them. Now, Eve has no immediate family and is somewhat ill.""That's impossible. I don't have family here." Adro said to Keneth.
"Even identical twins don't look as much alike as this," Eve said, reaching for Adro's hand and collapsing onto her knees. "You are my Febian. Have you forgotten? Have you been brainwashed?"Adro shook his head, still wide-eyed. "This is impossible.""Are you sure?" Merhit asked, trying to help Eve stand. From the beginning, she suspected that Adro might be Eve's real son due to their striking resemblance."I am. This is the first time I saw her." Adro replied."You are my Febian! Please! Why are you doing this to your own mother?" Eve exclaimed, struggling as the nurses tried to make her stand up.As Adro continued to deny it, Eve became more hysterical until she was short of breath, and pain gripped her chest."Eve, are you okay?" Merhit asked, noticing Eve's difficulty in breathing. Then she turned to the other nurse. "We need to take her to the medical room.""Alright." The man nodded and lifted Eve's frail body out of the visitat
"Wh-what do you mean?" Adro widened his eyes."We've promised to be together forever. No matter what happens, we have to stay together. This time, let me be the one to fight for you." Grace spoke."Grace… are you sure?" Adro held both of her shoulders."The only precious thing I have now is you, Adro—not a career, not money, or anything else. I love you so much, and I'm willing to lose everything just to be with you."Adro's lips quivered. He clenched his jaw and dropped his head. "I wish I could stop you from doing this. I'm so sorry, Grace."Smiling, Grace warped Adro inside her arms. "You don't need to apologize. From the beginning, you had to go back because you had responsibilities in your original world. I used to have nothing to fight for. All I knew was to stay alive until I died of old age. But now I have you, Adro. And remember: Helping you return is my pro
Grace's words silenced Eve. Slowly, tears began to well up in her eyes. "They look so alike." She said with a quivering voice. "I know." Grace nodded, tightening her grip on Eve's trembling hand. "But he's not your son, and you know that. They also have slightly different eye colors. You must have noticed that too." Eve then lifted her gaze. "You must be aware that this is unusual, don’t you? Your friend Adro might be in danger because he bears a striking resemblance to my Febian." "I'm aware. That's why we came here. But you don't need to worry because Julius can't harm Adro." Eve's eyes widened. "How do you know about Julius? Who are you two?” "Please calm down, Eve," Grace said, then she continued after the woman settled, "I'll explain something that might surprise you, but I need you to promise not to speak to anyone about this. Adro and I desperately need your help." Controlling her breath, Eve nodded. "I promise." After that, Grace took out her phone and called Adro. Afte
Taking a long breath and exhaling, Suzan continued, "Let's just assume I believe in magic. Now, answer my question: Where do you come from?""I come from a world where magic exists—a world with kingdoms and creatures you call mythology. I am a prince from a fairytale world." Adro explained.Suzan fell silent again for a moment before opening her mouth. "So, you can cross into this world thanks to my father's help?""Not thanks to your father, but because of your father." Adro corrected.Sighing again, Suzan asked, "Then why are you looking for me?""I have to meet your father to be able to return to my world," Adro answered.
The full moon shone. Its light illuminated a workspace occupied by three people.Adro had prepared all the items Suzan requested: a box of chalk, a small clay pot, and two doors.A triangular symbol, with its longest side facing the door of Adro's workspace, became the final chalk stroke Suzan made on the floor. Now, the wooden floor bore a peculiar symbol of considerable size in its center."From this door, you will cross into another world." Suzan pointed to the workspace door, then turned to indicate the toilet door on the opposite side of the room. "From that door, you will return here."After hearing Suzan's explanation, Adro and Grace rose from their seated positions on the sofa. Adro glanced at Grace, holding
"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