Oops. Someone has a rival?
THIRD PERSON's POVWalking down the corridor in heavy footsteps, Chester couldn't wipe the frown on his face. If the creases between his brows were still visible in a few days, he wouldn't be surprised. The whole situation was annoying him enough that he felt like aging a hundredfold. If the elf could age like any mortal, his smooth skin would turn wrinkled, and the hair would go gray down to the last strands already.The reasons for his stress were:1) Oswin, his eldest brother and the King of Aldous, went missing for two months without a single trace. He had no idea whether he was dead or alive. Even if their brotherbond showed the latter, he still couldn't rest assured.2) The stubborn, good-for-nothing Baltras King named Judas kept annoying him with marriage proposals that were rejected no less than ten times. If he were to build a paper castle out of those letters, it would be as tall as his height.3) There had been a report earlier this morning regarding the suspicious movement
ELENA's POV"Oswin, are you okay? Are you hurt?" I rose to my feet, sending the chair crashing to the floor with a resounding thud. Ignoring the startled glances from nearby customers, I rushed toward Oswin, leaving the fallen chair behind.I didn't know that he was standing at the nearby table, gathering all the dirty dishes. Not until the sound of the breaking glass echoed, exposing his whereabouts. I was so engrossed in talking with Brad that I failed to notice him. Not to mention the shock I heard from his last sentence. But if Oswin had been there all along, did that mean he had heard what Brad had said? Did he hear the confession?Snap out of it, Elena. You have another important thing to worry about! I inwardly slapped myself and broke out of my thoughts."Let me see," I said, brushing off any curiosity when I arrived next to him. The first thing I did was bend down and roll his black pants up to his knees to see if there was any injury, given how he stood not that far from t
OSWIN's POVAfter the confession, that brat—I meant, Brad guy visited our restaurant even more than usual. He used to come only at dinnertime, but now he also came to luncheon. Each time I saw his face, the irritation inside me only grew stronger.Sometimes, he would drop by twice a day. On weekends, he would spend the entire day sitting at the corner table, doing nothing but staring at Elena. I used to confront him that if he had done eating, then he should leave to make the table available to other customers. But being a rich brat, he would order a new dish every hour or two to keep his place in the restaurant. It was such a waste of food since he never got to touch them in the end. What annoyed me to the core was the fact that he would always ask Elena's time for small talk. Even though she politely refused, using an excuse that it was her working hour, he still patiently waited until she was off work (this happened at dinnertime). It made me wonder if he had nothing else better
THIRD PERSON's POV"There's no way I am going to let you marry him." Judas lashed out, snapping everyone out of their shock. "You are mine, Rosalina!" He growled, his feet unconsciously bringing him closer to where the Aldous' princess stood.However, before he could be anywhere near her, Garry stepped up in front of Rosalina, shielding her from the potential threat. "Stay back," he said, no longer lost in a trance. The thought of Rosalina getting hurt snapped him out of his reverie as a surge of protectiveness began to take over him."How dare you speak to me in that tone? Know your place, Garry." Judas said through gritted teeth. He wanted nothing more than to tear Garry into pieces, but once again, he knew he was no match for Aldous's general."Oh, I sure know my place, King Judas. That is to protect Aldous and its people from harm. You had already inflicted harm on Princess Rosalina once in the garden. Be grateful that you can still stand on two feet instead of having broken ones,
THIRD PERSON's POVGarry walked straight ahead and at full speed, without caring for the shorter legs that were trying to catch up with him."How come you act cold to me again after stealing my first kiss?" asked Rosalina breathlessly, still trailing behind Garry."Princess Rosalina, it's you who stole my first kiss," he replied without looking back at her or slowing down his pace."It doesn't matter, you..." she trailed off and gasped upon catching on to something. Then she sped up her pace and ran past Garry before coming to a stop right in front of him.Thankfully, Garry's reflex was good, so he halted his step in time, or else the princess would have found herself kissing the castle floor."Did you just mention your first kiss? Oh gosh," she covered her mouth and laughed, making Garry's face turn so red. "I really can't believe I was your first kiss," she mumbled. Her hand still covered her mouth in surprise as she giggled."What's so funny?" he asked, a frown appearing on his red
THIRD PERSON's POV"L-Lo-Lov-Lover?!!!" Aiken looked between his General and the Princess in confusion; his eyes widened to the size of boiled eggs."It's a long story," Garry replied with a sigh, trying his best to keep a neutral expression as his face flushed red. "How are the soldiers doing?" he asked, wanting nothing more than to change the topic."Good as usual, General. Their stances are getting better. The same goes with their magic. However, they struggle with combining the two skills. After all, these boys are newly recruited. We can only take things easy.""I understand that, Aiken." Garry nodded. "But we don't have that much privilege. Given the unusual silence from the northern border, I think Damian is plotting something. That Mordez's king is sneaky. He must have sensed something about King Oswin.""What about my big brother?" Rosalina asked, her eyes blinking innocently as she looked at Garry.Now that Garry had mentioned Oswin, it just occurred to her that she hadn't s
OSWIN's POVI walked back inside the house with my mind in a mess. I blamed myself for not going after Elena sooner. I regretted holding myself back and letting her go.But what if I did catch up to her when I opened the door? Would I still be able to open my mouth and stop her from going? I half blamed and half questioned myself."No, you did the right thing, Oswin. It's better this way," I murmured, hoping to soothe the guilt gnawing at my heart.With a sigh, I lifelessly dragged my feet and guided my body into the bathroom. Despite coming out freshly showered, my mind was still a complete mess. Nevertheless, I tried not to think about it anymore. Shaking my head as if it could shake my thoughts off, I trudged to the bedroom and rummaged through the closet to get a change of clothes so I could get ready for work.Today would be the first time I spent my day without her near me. The thought of it alone already stirred a strange, creeping sensation in me, like a lingering discomfort I
OSWIN's POVIf I, the king of Aldous, had not been clear about my purpose before, I knew exactly what he was going to do right now.I needed to ruin this date.As the first group of bumper-car riders finished their turn, the blaring music suddenly stopped, though true silence never came since we were still in the bustling park. The line I was standing in finally began to shuffle forward. I watched as a team of employees split into two teams, carefully ensuring each rider's safety. One team guided the previous group of riders toward the exit, while another team stood at the entrance, poised to open the gate and welcome the next eager group.It seemed luck was on my side today since I happened to be in the last cut for this second group, allowing me to be in the same batch of riders as Elena and Brad. I couldn't help but gloat over how fate was helping me with my plan.Once I stepped onto the platform, the staff closed the gate and told those behind me to wait for the next round. I coul