"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
Adro gazed at the clear sky above him. His eyes squinted to shield his crystal irises from the piercing sunlight."We're lucky. It's still quite early, around eleven in the morning in the modern world." Adro said, lowering his gaze.Grace's eyebrows shot up. "How do you know? Even my watch isn't working here," she glanced at her watch, which had stopped ticking since they arrived in this world."I just need to observe the position of the sun and the moon," Adro explained, pulling a broad smile. "If you find that impressive, believe me, this is just the beginning."“Well, it is impressive, but I hope I don't have to witness anything more impressive if it means you have to resort to violence," Grace replied."I'm sorry, but I can't promise that. In this place, the only way to protect oneself is through violence. You have to kill if you don't want to be killed.""It sounds dreadful, but I understand. Do what you think is right, Adro. This
Adro raised both of his hands beside his body, followed by Grace."Do not shoot. It's me, Adro, your eldest prince." Adro declared with a slightly loud voice, stepping closer to the soldiers who had arrows aimed at him."Your Highness?" The commander stepped forward. His eyes narrowed. "Is it really you?"Adro smiled. "It's me, Maxim. My hair may have changed, but it's genuinely me.""Based on what, can we believe that you are the real Prince Adro? The witches have played many tricks and caused chaos. Do you think we'll wholly believe you?"A chuckle escaped Adro's lips as he continued to smile. He nodded. "I understand. That's what you have to do. You're a critical commander, Maxim; that's why you were chosen to safeguard the eastern region of the kingdom. But believe me, I am Adro. I was trapped by a witch on my wedding day.""If your words are true, why do you look so calm now? I believe worry is the only reaction from a groom who acciden
"Lover?"Adro's parents stared at each other with furrowed brows, while Grace could only hold her breath.From what she had heard during her time with Adro, Grace learned that people in the kingdom where he came from didn't greet women. That's why she just slightly bent her knee and bowed. The only thing that kept her from a panic attack was Adro's warm hand gripping hers firmly."What do you mean byLover, my son?" The king asked."I'm sure it means exactly what you're thinking, Father. She is the woman I love, and we are in a relationship." Adro explained."Oh, dear God," the Queen mumbled, clutching her chest.Adro wasn't surprised by his parents' reactions. Although it seemed sudden, he had planned this since he learned that he would return to his original world. Before discussing the witch wreaking havoc in his kingdom, he would inform his