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
Grace's brow furrowed. "Her… room? Do you mean Princess Jocelyn is in this palace?""That's correct, ma’am. Since Prince Adro suddenly disappeared on their wedding day, the princess has been waiting for him in this palace. She said his highness would return for her." She explained, then smiled in relief before continuing, "And she was right; Prince Adro has indeed returned. Finally, Princess Jocelyn doesn't have to wait any longer."A piercing in her heart made Grace almost grimace. As she suspected, Jocelyn had been waiting for Adro all this time. And now Adro had returned to his world, at a time when his engagement to her hadn't reached its limits for marriage."Ma’am, does your eye adornment feel irritating?"Anez's question startled Grace out of her reverie. Then she wiped the corners of her watery eyes with a single move. "My… My eyes are a bit sensitive, but I'm fine.""If the irritation persists, I can remove it and
"I… I can’t believe…" Jocelyn turned to the king and queen, seeking validation for Adro's statement, but both of them remained silent. "How could this happen? Didn't you… love me?" Jocelyn stared at Adro, covering her mouth. "Princess, please calm down first. We were just about to discuss this," the queen stood up and approaching the trembling girl. "I'm sorry, Jocelyn. I truly apologize. I realize that I have never loved you as a woman all this time. But with the girl I've chosen, I love her as a woman. I want her to be my partner for the rest of my life." Adro explained slowly. "Stop it, Adro!" The queen snapped. Then she embraced Jocelyn's shoulders. "We'll talk about this. Be calm and don't worry—" "No, mother." Adro interrupted. "I don't want to hurt Jocelyn even more by giving her false hope. There's nothing more to discuss because my decision is final, no matter what you say or whatever the consequences are. I will marry Grace." Staring at her son in disbelief, the queen
"I-I’m..."Jocelyn's brow furrowed while examining the girl in front of her from head to toe. From her attire, she seemed like an ordinary noble, just like the girls who had come to the palace to meet Damian."Oh, did I make you uncomfortable? Would you like to sit in the garden and enjoy a cup of tea?" Jocelyn asked."I… I'm not sure..." Grace mumbled, trying to control her erratic heartbeat."I can see you're quite interested in this garden. Usually, only the royal family can enter, but this garden belongs to my fiancé, so I can accompany you inside if you'd like," Jocelyn said, then extended her hand. "I know it's quite late, but our tea is light. I’m sure you will like it."
"So, the prince who disappeared has returned with key information about this dreadful disaster.""So far, no one has survived after disappearing due to the witch’s mischief.""That's because the victims were children.""The information…"The five men in the room turned to a man with a crown of Eek Tree. Of the six men at the large round table, he was the only one not wearing a smile on his face.&
"What do you mean, Grace?"Grace bit her lower lip and cast her gaze downward. "You can marry Princess Jocelyn if you must or if you desire to.""Grace!" Adro cupped both of her cheeks and directed her to look at him. He saw tears slowly streaming down her cheeks. "Why would you say that? What happened?""I just... thought it was the best, for the greater good." Grace put her gaze down again."No. Someone must have said something to you. Tell me, who is bothering you?""No one is bothering me, Adro." Grace lifted her face to look at his eyes and continued, "On the contrary, I'm the one bothering them.""You're bothering them?" Adro reiterated. "Grace, you're the most helpful person here. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to come back.""But because of me, you've broken off your engagement!" Grace replied, silencing Adro.Then she continued, "Princess Jocelyn... I just met her. She's a good girl, perfect, and has
Grace could feel her knees trembling.She had a monster standing before her—three meters tall with wings twice the length of its body. It had glowing red eyes and a large bill filled with saw-sharp teeth. Yet she didn't know she could be this brave. She was even half-conscious when she grabbed the sword lying on the ground and somehow swung it at the monster's back."Come here!" Grace exclaimed, adopting the stance Adro had taught her.CAWK!With rage, the monster lunged at Grace. She ran aside with the heavy sword in both hands. Fortunately, as the monster was injured, its movements weren't as fast as before, allowing Grace to stand beside it and swing the sword at its wings.CAWK!"Yeah! Feel that!"Grace's cheers made the monster even angrier, attempting to attack her again. When the monster flapped its wings to attack her from a higher position, Grace swung her sword and thrust it into the monster’s belly.Blue
"So, his name is Julius?" Lady Camelia placed her teacup on the table.Grace's eyes widened. She covered her mouth with her hand. "Is this supposed to be a secret?""Not really. It's information that will be disclosed until the upcoming war council." Lady Camelia answered."You don't even know what you can and cannot say.""And she promised she could help. Quite foolish, really."Grace glanced at the twin brothers, whom she now knew were named Vizo and Vincent. They just raised one of their eyebrows at her."There may be things that shouldn't be known by just anyone, but it's your right to choose to say w