Chapter 03

ELENA's POV

His eyes widened the moment my palm came into contact with his cheek. He finally released his grip—probably due to the shock—causing Tim to fall with a thud, violently coughing and gasping for air.

"Come on!" Taking advantage of the opportunity, I grabbed his wrist and dashed out of the alley into the big street with rows of streetlights illuminating the night. I neither dare to look back nor slow down. I only dared to stop and catch my breath when I saw a police station not more than a hundred steps away. "Phew. We're safe." I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

"How dare you filthy creature touch me? It's disgusting!" said a deep voice behind my back.

I almost forgot I had a person in tow until he made himself known by jerking the hand away from my grasp. I turned around to see him brushing the sleeves of his robe as if my hand had dirtied his fabric. My nostrils flared in anger at his actions. I lifted my gaze, ready to give him a piece of my mind. However, I was rendered speechless when my gaze landed on his face.

With enough streetlights, I was in awe of the unearthly handsomeness of my savor. I hated to admit it, but the longer I stared at him, the more my heart started doing the awkward cha-cha.

The pointed nose and the sharpness of his strong jawline on his oblong face looked as if it could cut like a blade, a striking contrast to his naturally rosy pink lips that appeared soft and inviting like velvet. The bluish-grey eyes complemented his pearly white, glass-like skin, harmonizing perfectly with his silver robe. His pointed ears...

Hold on! What kind of human has pointed ears? A monologue popped up at the back of my head as I stared at the tall, too-handsome-to-be-real figure up and down.

"If you servant dares to stare at me any longer, I'll have those eyes of yours plucked out and throw them to the ground."

A nasty one! I rolled my eyes. Wait. What did he call me? Unable to contain my curiosity any longer, I asked, "What did you just call me?"

"Mortals are always the same. Weak," he muttered with a sigh.

"Hang on! I heard that clearly, okay? I want to confirm since no one around here ever speaks the way you do," I said, standing with my arms akimbo, glaring at the so-called rude and eccentric person I had ever met.

"Of course, how can I be compared to anyone? Not to mention mere mortals here," he simpered, making every word and action get on my nerves.

"Well then, Mr. Self-important. Who exactly are you that made you think you are unparalleled?" I asked in a challenging tone, being fed up with the all-high and mighty attitude.

He lifted his chin and looked down at me with a smirk—a handsome one at that. "I'm Oswin Alvingham, the king of the elves," he proudly presented himself with a voice full of pride and authority.

My jaws dropped open at his word. Using my fingers to clean my ears for better hearing, I asked again, "Err... Who did you say you were?"

*******

"Hey." A deep voice echoed throughout the room, infiltrating my eardrums.

I ignored it and snuggled into my pillow, hoping he would leave me alone. It took me quite a while last night to adjust and fall asleep in this constricted area. Yet, I was now being woken up by none other than the person who had caused me misery in the first place.

"Hey, servant. Wake up," repeated the voice.

This time, I could sense someone was kicking my couch. Looked like he refused to let me sleep peacefully.  

"What?" I replied with a hoarse voice; my eyes remained closed. I intended to ignore the call at first, but judging from the relentless kicks, I knew ignoring it would be futile.

"I'm hungry," said the voice of the one who was the source of my torment.

Seriously?! This guy! Just because he saved me, does he think he has the authority to boss me around? Wait, did he even save me at all? I complained at the back of my head, but I didn't speak my mind aloud.

"Go find yourself something to eat in the fridge," I said. "And leave me alone. I need more sleep."  

"What's a fridge?"

The question made a deep, long growl escape from my lips. I felt like crying. I just wanted to sleep, but even that simple request couldn't be granted. Knowing it would make me eventually wide awake after finishing explaining everything, I decided to fully acknowledge the royal presence in my room.

"Please sit tight and await your meal, King of Elf. This servant will go and make something for you." I kicked the blanket off before bringing my body to sit on the couch. Running my hand through my bed hair, I looked up and glared at the tall figure in front of me.

"It's good that you know your place." He sat down and smirked proudly as if he couldn't sense the sarcasm hidden behind my words. Not that I expected him to.

I rolled my eyes and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. After freshening up, I went to the kitchen and looked for something light to cook. Although it was a small fridge, the inside still looked spacious, for there wasn't lots of food stored. Luckily, there was still some stuff left to make breakfast. Those leftovers should be sufficient to solve the problem for the morning. Taking out two eggs, a big bowl of leftover rice from the other night, and a bag of frozen mixed vegetables from the freezer, I put on an apron and thought about what I could make out of those ingredients.

"Fried rice should be fine," I murmured to myself with a nod.

I pulled out a pan and put it on the stove. Turning the gas to low, I watched the butter melting and sizzling under the heat when a deep voice reverberated from the other side of the room, making not only the pan but my temper boiled.

"Hey, is it done yet? I'm hungry." Oswin's voice echoed from the living room.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, refraining from using the spatula I held to commit murder. "It'll be done soon, Your Highness," I shouted back without opening my eyes. Only when I finally calmed down did my eyelids flutter open, and I continued cooking.

While tossing and turning the garlic with the sizzling butter on the hot pan, I recalled the events that brought the elf king to my house in the first place.

***Flashback to last night***

"I'm Oswin Alvingham, the king of the elves," he said, looking all high and mighty as he announced his identity.

"Who did you say you are?" I asked, shocked to hear such a sentence. I had been living in California for almost two decades, but never once had I ever heard such nonsense.

"Why do mortals here like me to repeat myself so much? I said I'm Oswin Alvingham, the king of the elf."

I sighed, shaking my head. Inwardly, I was sympathizing with the tall figure before me. How cruel the world was to give someone only the look but not the brain. It was a tremendous waste to have such a flawless appearance on a total blockhead.

"Why are you still standing? You're supposed to bow before your king," he said in a threatening voice.

Yet, I found it chucklesome instead.

"Okay. I bow before the greatest king of all." I made a gesture of bowing, trying my best to stifle a laugh. "Now, if the king is kind enough to tell me where his house is, I'll catch a cab for him."

"I don't get what you're saying. What's a cab? What's the house?" he furrowed his brows in confusion.

I suppressed the urge to stomp my feet and yelled. I felt so suffocated inside, but I discreetly bit my lower lip and endured the frustration brought by the proclaimed elf king. Forcing a smile, I calmly started an explanation. "A cab is an automated vehicle that helps transport people from one place to another, while a house is where we live. You know, with walls, roofs, and a bed. More like that. In short, it's where we sleep."

"I still don't get the first one, but I somehow seem to get the latter. But I don't live in a house. I live in a castle. I have a private chamber. That's where I sleep," he said with a blank face.

Is this guy testing my patience?! I gritted my teeth, wanting nothing more than to groan or maybe scream to release my frustration. Still, I fought them all back. Instead, I plastered a smile and continued to speak in a calm tone.

"Well, then, where is that castle of yours located, Your Highness?" I asked aloud.

"Ethelred Forest, East of Achaikos, Kingdom of Aldous," he recited in one breath.

I almost fell to the ground upon hearing these hard-to-pronounce words. "This guy really takes a heavy blow to the head from birth," I muttered under my breath.

"What did you say?!" he snapped, his bluish-grey eyes flashed with a murderous glare.

"Oh, nothing. This servant said nothing at all, Your Majesty." I hurried to correct myself after seeing the dangerous aura emitting from his eyes.

This guy's hearing is off the chart! I let my inner voice speak, no longer dared to say the words out loud.

Lifting my hand to look at my wristwatch, it surprised me to see how late it was. I needed to go home and sleep. I had work tomorrow. However, I couldn't just leave this guy out on the street alone.

If I left him alone, he would either get beaten to death because of his attitude, or he would end up in hot news.

It turned out that I was left with only one last choice.

"Your Highness, you must be tired. How about we go and get you rested for the night?" I asked, knowing there was no other better option.

***End of flashback***

"Right. This is how the magnificent king grants me an honored visit to my little nest," I sighed, scooping the fried rice into two empty plates. "Well, I have no one to blame. I'm the one who has brought this upon myself, anyway,"

Putting on a smile, I carried the plates to the kitchen before calling for Oswin, who was probably still sitting patiently on the couch. "Your Majesty, may I invite your greatest presence to the dining table? Breakfast is ready."

"What is that weird-looking, colorful, but kinda brown thing?" He asked the moment he walked in, and his eyes landed on the fried rice on the table.

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<TO BE CONTINUED>