《Their Magical But Deadly Journey》 CHAPTER 1 PROLOUGE SAZHARINA¡¯S POV ¡°AHHHHH, where did you go out ?!¡± I shouted when suddenly a man appeared in front of me. I was just here wandering around the pool side when it suddenly blew hard on my back so I looked at it. But approaching me, there was a man standing in front of me and carrying a gift. ¡°Does it matter?¡± He raised an brow. ¡°I was invited by your mother,¡± he said in a matter-of-fact tone. His voice was obviously mocking me. ¡°What?¡± My brows furrowed. I really don¡¯t know what is going on right now. He suddenly appeared in front of me. He frustratedly groaned and rolled his eyes like I was the dumbest people in the world. It¡¯s just that he¡¯s handsome. Well, I did not lie. He looked like a god because of his handsomeness ¨C exagerrated, but he was so handsome! With his thick eyebrows, hynotizing almond-shaped eyes, not so big and pointed nose and plumpy lips, he indeed like a god. His jaw is also well -shaped and it really adds to his good looks. Marry me! ¡°Am I too handsome so you¡¯re just like that if you stare at me?¡± I realized when he suddenly spoke. ¡°Your saliva is dripping, pftt-¡± Then heughed out loud. I immediately wiped my mouth but I was very annoyed when I found out that I wasn¡¯t salivating. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± I pped his arms. ¡°Aww.¡± He caressed her arms while darkly staring at me. ¡°What?¡± I raised an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest. ¡°The pain of your beating, are you really a woman ?!¡± ¡°Probably! I¡¯m beautiful then you won¡¯t believe I¡¯m a woman ?!¡± And our banter has already begun. Every time he throws stones at me, I p his arms. He also chased me when I kicked his knees causing him to fall to the ground. ¡°W-wait .. S-stop,¡± he sighed. He was still holding her chest while breathing deeply. ¡°Y-you okay?¡± I concernly asked. I was also a bit breathless because we had been chasing each other for so long. He nodded. Later on, his breathing started to turn back into normal again. ¡°That was tiring!¡± I eximed. He scoffed. ¡°Yeah, I almost died.¡± Iughed. ¡°And your cause of death is?¡± ¡°Running.¡± Iughed hard. Wow, I didn¡¯t expect him to ride on my jokes. I just realizedtely that he was staring at me all the time. As expected, the awkward feeling surrounds us. But he did not leave me with his strange gaze. It makes me ufortable but I don¡¯t know why I can¡¯t scold him or resent him. I faked a cough. ¡°I-Is there dirt on my f-face?¡± I slowly asked. He, in turn, seems to have returned to sanity. He quickly removed his gaze from me. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to look at you like that.¡± He smiled nervously at me. He was also sweating and I noticed his hands were shaking a bit. Why? He looks like he was going to poop. Yuck, Sazha. I forced a nod and invited him inside. In fact, my mother invited him. Maybe my mom expects him too. We went inside the house but I couldn¡¯t see Mommy. I asked one of the guests and she immediately answered. ¡°Oh, baby, your Mommy has LBM,¡± she said sweetly with mixed concern in her voice. ¡°I think she¡¯s in the CR of her room. You must check her out, maybe that¡¯s what happened to her.¡± I smiled as I thanked her. I looked for him quickly ¨C wait, I don¡¯t even know his name! When I looked for him I saw him on the side talking on the phone? Wait, I don¡¯t see his phone. I could see him talking because I could read at the mouth of his mouth but he wasn¡¯t even talking on the phone but I could see he was holding his ear. It was as if he had invisible airpods and he could hear what he was talking about there. Iughed at the thought. Who in the world would use invisible airpods? There is no even such thing. I fixed my self when I saw him walking toward my direction. I even saw another female visitor heading in his direction. Who doesn¡¯t? He looks like knight-in-shining armor. But instead of a sword, he held a goblet of wine in his left hand. His face was serious and his eyes were emotionless as he walked closer to me. I don¡¯t know but I feel like the world is slowing down and I see nothing but him. ¡°Let¡¯s go, honey.¡± I snapped back to reality when he spoke. Wait, did he just call me ¡®honey¡¯? ¡°I called you honey because I¡¯m irritated by the stare of other women. It¡¯s like they¡¯re going to eat me alive,¡± he whispered on my ear and I chuckled. ¡°You look like a bone,¡± I joked. He just looked at me badly so Iughed. ¡°Anyway, we didn¡¯t have formal introduction.¡± I faced him. ¡°I¡¯m Sazharina Versalles.¡± Iid my hand in front of hin, offering a shake hands. He dly took it as he grinned. ¡°Antricus Porlliander.¡± My brows furrowed when I heard his name. It was familiar. It was like I already heard his name years ago. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Antricus asked. I slowly shook my head, and smiled at him. ¡°Nothing, let me tour you around.¡± ¡°Where? In your heart or here in your house?¡± He grinned. ¡°Why not both, honey?¡± I teased him, emphasizing the endearment he called me earlier. He narrowed his eyes at me, as if I hadn¡¯t seen his ear turn red. ¡°Maybe not now, but soon, honey.¡± He winked at me, making meugh out loud. I walked around him inside the house, even though I knew my chest was throbbing because we had been teasing him before. Hay, then, I must say this is one of my special birthdays. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°ARE you sure you¡¯re gonna be okay here, Mom?¡± I¡¯ve been here in Mommy¡¯s room before to check. Her friend was right. Mommy has LBM. ¡°Of course, sweetie.¡± She caressed my cheeks softly. I can also see her weakness. I forced a nod. ¡°Just call me when you need help, hmm? ¡°Of course. Enjoy your birthday, okay? I¡¯m sorry if I can¡¯t be with you on your birthday.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Mom.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Just take a rest. Maybe you just ate something bad. ¡± Even though I had told her that before, she still wouldn¡¯t believe it. She said that what she eats is safe, especially since she prepares it herself. Suddenly, her stomach hurt. Maybe her energy was drained so she also weakened. I went down immediately after we talked. Then I remembered that I was going to introduce Antricus to Mommy but I decided to do it next time. Maybe Mommy is resting too. ¡°How was it?¡± Antricus asked after I got off. I sighed. ¡°She has LBM, all of a sudden.¡± He smiled at me, strange smile so I couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Well, I know it¡¯s not my business anymore but I can¡¯t help but get confused. There was something in his smile. Or maybe I was overthinking too much? ¡°You okay?¡± I snapped back when he asked. Concern was evident in his voice so I can¡¯t help but smile. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± He nodded. ¡°Anyway, do you still want me to tour you around?¡± I offered. Our tour of the house was dyed earlier because of Mommy. ¡°Sure!¡± He smiled sweetly. I tour him around the house. From the kitchen, to the wide yard, the backyard and even to its underground where there are rooms that you can hang out. I used to sleep here when I was still 9 years old but that only stopped when Grandma, Mommy¡¯s mom, forbade me. ¡°Wow, you have a lot of rooms, huh,¡± he said with amusement in his voice. ¡°Yup, this room used to be mine.¡± I pointed to the small room next to the bookshelf. ¡°It¡¯s a pity because Grandma forbade me to hang out here.¡± ¡°Why?¡± His eyes was still roaming around. Perhaps surprising to an extreme extent. I shrugged. ¡°L threatened me not toe here and said someone would take a fairy from me.¡± I chuckled when I remembered what she had said before. I often hang out here, especially when Mommy scolds me. There is no problem because it is clean here and I am with my cousin. She is myforter when I cry and she will take me here. It¡¯s wide underground because it¡¯s like a rounded library but the only difference is there are rooms around. Its position is circr because its underground curve is also circr. At the very end is high bookshelves full of various books. This is also where our other rtives sometimes sleep when we have a family reunion. But one day, Grandma visited here she caught me lying here underground. ~~~shback~~~ ¡°Iha, what are you doing here?¡± I jumped in panic because of Grandma. I didn¡¯t even feel like she entered here. ¡°L-L¡­¡± I startled. I was really surprised at her. After all, who wouldn¡¯t be surprised if an old woman suddenly appears behind you. The rattle of her cane is also weak so you can¡¯t hear it. Include her long hair that goes down her back and her white dress. If I hadn¡¯t just been Grandma, I might have mistaken her for a fairy ¨C with a cane. ¡°Why do you always hang out here? Did you know that a kid like you shouldn¡¯t hang out here?¡± My L said strictly. I was swallowed. ¡°Uh, just now, Grandma. Ate Keizy is out so I don¡¯t have anyone toe here with.¡± She just nodded, satisfied with my answer. ¡°Just don¡¯te here alone again, ah.¡± Curiousity invaded my system. ¡°W-why, Grandma?¡± Her piercing gaze stared on mine so I couldn¡¯t help but be scared. Her stare was so frightening that even my other cousins ??were scared when she was around ¨C even the oldest of our cousins, who was 17 years old, pushed her back. ¡°One word ¨C fairy.¡± I was suddenly intrigued. The seriousness of Grandma¡¯s voice was really terrifying. Plus her emotionless and serious face. But even though I was horrified, I was still able to ask questions. ¡°W-what¡¯s up with the fairy?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll take you. Our family has a legend, Sazharina. I know you don¡¯t know that yet but I¡¯ll exin it to you when the timees.¡± I swallowed and was forced to nod. ¡°Y-Yes, L.¡± She stered a small yet mysterious smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go. You can¡¯te here anymore.¡± She turned so I followed. ~~~end of shback~~~ Since that day I have never attempted to go underground without anyone. That didn¡¯t happen again for several years because even Ate Keizy, with whom I always went there, didn¡¯t invite me either. It¡¯s only now that I¡¯m with Antricus again. ¡°Wow¡­ ¡± he only whispered when I told him about underground. I chuckled. ¡°Unbelievable, right? ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°I mean, who wouldn¡¯t believe that you have a hidden story underground?¡± I sighed. ¡°I was scared too, e. But I just remembered what Grandma said. Maybe when the timees, she¡¯ll be able to exin it to me as well.¡± Hopefully ¡­ ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get out of here,¡± he said after a moment of silence. I just nodded so we went up the stairs to the exit of the underground. I looked inside for a moment but was horrified by what I saw. Impossible! I can not believe! ¡°Sazha?¡± I was back in a trance when Antricus tapped me on the shoulder. ¡°Y-yes?¡± He looked at me with concern in his voice. ¡°Are you okay? You look pale.¡± He touched my forehead. ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± I nodded, still not in mind. He nodded but hesitation was evident in his face. I am not lying. I don¡¯t look back. What I saw was true. I looked at it again but it was fixed in its original ce. What was that? I¡¯m not mistaken. What I saw was true. THERE WAS A HIDDEN ROOM BEHIND THE BOOKSHELF AND IT WAS OPEN EARLIER.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. CHAPTER 2 ¡°ARE you serious about what you said, sweetie?¡± I told Mommy what I saw underground but she didn¡¯t want to believe me. Maybe I¡¯m just distracted or because I¡¯m hungry. Even if I say I¡¯m telling the truth, she still insists on denying the possibility that there is a hidden room in the underground. And if she believed what I said, she would still prefer to see it in person. That¡¯s what I opened up to her when she woke up earlier. I can¡¯t tell her thatst night because she¡¯s already asleep. Fortunately, there are many helpers here in the house so the whole first floor was cleaned because of the party that took ce. I couldn¡¯t sleep at that time and I wondered if what I saw was really true. But it¡¯s really true! It was obvious to my two eyes that the bookshelf was on the side and behind that was the very spacious room. It¡¯s like a tunnel. If I hadn¡¯t told Mommy about it, I might have gone crazy thinking about that underground. So here we are in the kitchen and I detailed to her the whole story. She was serious at first butter, sheughed. ¡°Mom, how many times have I told you that I wasn¡¯t hungry at that time! I could clearly see the spacious room behind the bookshelf!¡± She sighed, just finishedughing. ¡°Hey, my daughter. You read too much. Maybe the details of those fairy books you read entered your mind. I stomped my foot, getting irritated now. ¡°Mom, please! Believe me!¡± Se looked different when he saw that I was serious about what I was saying. She looked at me seriously, smirking. ¡°All right, if you want to believe me, take me underground right now,¡± she challenged. I nodded quickly at her, smiling broadly. But my smile faded when she added words. ¡°But when I can¡¯t see the room you¡¯re talking about, you¡¯re gonna be grounded. I¡¯ll also reduce your allowance.¡± My eyes rounded. ¡°Wh-what?! You can¡¯t do that, Mom!¡± I argued. She can¡¯t just ground me, or worst, reduce my allowance. She grinned. ¡°Of course, I can. I am your mother, Sazharina. And I call the shots,¡± she said emphatically.. I was depressed. What if I can¡¯t show her the room? What if she thinks I¡¯m just lying and making up a story? I know my mother. She hates liars and story makers, especially wasting her time on nonsense. And I knew I would be damned when we saw nothing underground. I released a heavy sigh. ¡°Okay, Mom. I¡¯ll bring you there.¡± I OPEN the door of the underground and switch on the lights. I tried to find where the room was but I was depressed to see that it wasn¡¯t open. The bookshelf is in the right ce. I tried to push the bookshelf to the side to see the room but I couldn¡¯t. I was starting to get scared especially when I felt Mommy¡¯s evil stare behind me. ¡°Where¡¯s the room you were saying, Sazharina?¡± Mommy asked me impatiently. ¡°Just a minute, Mom. I¡¯m trying to push this shelf.¡± I pushed the bookshelf sideways again but didn¡¯t really want to. Mom scoffed. ¡°Are you insane, Sazharina ?! How can you push that, it¡¯s really stuck to the wall ?!¡± I was dazed. No! This can¡¯t be! I know there is a room here! I tried to push it again but I just tired my self. I was crying in frustration, Mom¡¯s sharp look at me from behind added.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. ¡°What now?¡± Mom was about to take my ce with her arms crossed over her chest. I bit my lower lip. ¡°I-I can¡¯t open it, M-Mom.¡± She closes his eyes and exhale a deep breath due to irritation. ¡°Can you hear what you¡¯re saying ?! You can¡¯t push that because it¡¯s really stuck to the wall!¡± ¡°Mom! ¡°I cried in frustration.¡± I¡¯m telling the truth! Why can¡¯t you just believe me ?! ¡± She stared at me wickedly. ¡°You know how much I hate liars, don¡¯t you?¡± she calmly but emphatically asked me. I just bowed. Is this what I¡¯m saying, e. Mommy didn¡¯t believe me. As a result, I just fabricated the story and lied. I tainted my image on Mom. She would think I was a liar and make up a story ¨C even if what I said was really true. How could it not have opened this time? Whereas yesterday it was wide open. Am I really just rolling my eyes and it¡¯s not really open? Or maybe it¡¯s just caused by fatigue so I¡¯m hallucinating things? ¡°Now, let¡¯s go back. Go straight to the bedroom! You¡¯ll be grounded for 5 days!¡± Mom turned her back on me and I was left no choice but follow her. As she always say, ¡°I am your Mother. I call the shots.¡± We were climbing the stairs out of the underground when I looked at the bookshelf again. My eyes widened when I saw it open again and quickly called Mom who was now outside. ¡°Mom! Come here!¡± I called her. ¡°Mom! The bookshelf is open! Look!¡± She came over to me and looked at the bookshelf. I was so surprised to see that it was closed again, back to its original position. What the? How? It was open earlier! I tried again to find where it was but I couldn¡¯t find a room. The bookshelf is in its original ce again as if it had never opened before. What¡¯s going on ?! Why does it disappear immediately ?! I immediately turned to Mom and backed away when I saw her sharp gaze. ¡°Are you ying your mother, Sazharina?!¡± She angrily screamed. ¡°Mom!¡± I shouted when she dragged me out of the underground. She held my hand as we entered the room. She dropped me on my bed, staring at me sharply. ¡°You will stay here for 5 days, Sazharina! The helpers will provide you with food and other necessities. But you are not allowed to leave this room for 5 days, until I say so. Did you get it?!¡± I had no choice but to nod at her. She heaved a sharp sigh, irritated at me. ¡°C-can you please not reduce my a-allowance?¡± I asked a favor. I would rather be imprisoned for a few days here than have my allowance reduced. I can¡¯t live without an allowance, duh ?! How can I buy my things? Nothing is free in the world, everything is expensive. I grew up spoiled by my father. He gets me what I whatever I want, expensive or not. But- I don¡¯t mean to brag- I¡¯m proud to say I¡¯m not one of those spoiled brats who will do anything to get what they want, by hook or by crook. If I want something, I¡¯ll take it. But if I can¡¯t, so be it. I¡¯m not going to make a fool of myself just to get what I want. In my case, if I want, I¡¯ll get. I don¡¯t have to use the ¡°by hook or by crook¡± method. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to reduce your allowance, you¡¯ll gonna stay here for one week.¡± I snapped back in reality when my Mom spoke. Can I do that one week? I feel like I¡¯m sick and need to be isted. ¡°One week?¡± She arched a brow. ¡°Any problem with that?¡± I agressively shook my head. ¡°No, Mom. I-It¡¯s fine with me.¡± Well, I don¡¯t really have a problem with that. I can stay here for a week, as long as my allowance remains the same. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m leaving. You must be thankful I didn¡¯t scold you for lying and spitting nonsense.¡± She rolled her eyes. Thank you, then. Just kidding. She left my room. The wind blew me away, wondering what I was going to do here in the room in a week. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll be bored here since there is a TV for entertainment. If I don¡¯t want to watch, I could just stay in the balcony. Maybe it¡¯s an opportunity for me to rx my mind. Also perfect because it¡¯s summer and a few months before the new school year. I¡¯m in my second year of college next school year. I was advanced by one year so instead of first year college, I was second year next. I shouldn¡¯t be thinking about underground. But every time I have free time, I just find myself, thinking about it over and over. Is there really a hidden room behind the shelf? Howe I¡¯m the only one who can see that? Why does it return to its former ce when others are already seeing. Or what if I¡¯m just hallucinating? What if there really isn¡¯t a room there? Maybe I read too much fictional books? Especially those fairy books I love to read. Oh gosh, that underground was driving me insane! Antricus and I shouldn¡¯t have gone there. I wish I hadn¡¯t seen that room. Wait- can I tell Antricus about the underground? What if he doesn¡¯t believe me either? He might say that I made up a story and that I was lying to him. I don¡¯t want him to think of me as a liar. But then, suddenly there was paper thrown in the window dividing my bedroom and balcony. I quickly opened it and a cold breeze greeted me. I immediately got cold so I went inside. I opened the paper with a stone inside. For maybe to be thrown properly. Who threw it? You can¡¯t just identally throw a piece of paper and hit the window of my room, can you? I read what was written on the paper and immediately my body hair stood on end when I saw what was written on the paper. I looked around the window but could see nothing but darkness because it was night. I don¡¯t want to go out suddenly because I¡¯m really scared. I looked again at what was written on the paper. I gulped because I had just examined what was written there. The color of the letter was red as if the pen used blood there. There is also a skull drawn on the bottom of the paper, on the right. Whoever he is, he definitely knows something about what happened earlier and I¡¯m also sure he knows about the underground. ¡®See you on the underground after one week, Sazharina. Just be careful ¡¯cause too much curiosity can kill you.¡¯ CHAPTER 3 IT¡¯S BEEN two days since I received that message. And since then I haven¡¯t slept well. There is always something bothering me in sleep so I always wake up at dawn. I can¡¯t tell this to Mommy because she won¡¯t believe me again. I don¡¯t want to ruin her trust in me anymore so it¡¯s better if I just don¡¯t tell her. During the two days I was stayed here in the room, I did nothing but think about the underground. It just keepsing to my mind and I can¡¯t be bothered. I am aware of how I feel because it has happened to me once. Because I was so curious about something, I couldn¡¯t sleep at the thought of it. I can¡¯t be bothered until I know the answer. Eventually, I was almost doomed by my curiosity. And it¡¯s happening again now just because of our simple underground here at home. I¡¯m exhausted. I feel like I¡¯m going crazy with so much curiosity. Add to that that I have nothing toin about so it really umtes in my mind. But I feel different now. Usually, when I feel curiosity I immediately remove it from my system. I don¡¯t want to do the same thing again. But now, it¡¯s really weird. I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m going to be ruined by my curiosity even if it¡¯s contrary to what is written on the paper ¨C which to this day still terrifies me when I read it. ¡°Sazha? Hey!¡± I snapped back in reality when my Mom clicked her fingers in front of me. Mom is here in the room now and she said she will hang out here until this afternoon. He was also bored because I was not in the living room. ¡°Y-yes?¡± I blinked. She narrowed her eyes at me. ¡°You¡¯re not on your own. Are you sick?¡± ¡°Uh, no, Mom.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I was just thinking of something.¡±This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. She bit his lips. ¡°Is it about the underground again?¡± My eyes widened and shook violently. She can never find out about the underground again. I have a strange feeling about this underground and just in case, I don¡¯t want her to be affected by my curiosity. ¡°No, Mom. I-I was thinking of what should I d-do in my stay h-here.¡± I chuckled nervously. She nodded. ¡°Maybe you can do yoga to rx your mind. Or read some books, because the next school year is near.¡± I nodded in no time so that Mommy would be calm as well. ¡°Sounds great, Mom!¡± She smiled happily. ¡°Do you want to do it now?¡± I nodded. ¡°Okay, Mom. I¡¯ll just go get change.¡± I went into my walk-in closet and looked for something to wear for exercise. At the end, I just wore a maroon sports bra and ck leggings. I tied my hair in a high ponytail to avoid obstruction when we exercised. I went out of the room and saw that Mommy was gone. Dressed well maybe. I searched for yoga exercise videos on YouTube on our TV for something to follow. I also lit anti-repellent candles so that we would not be bitten by mosquitoes. I also turned off the aircon and opened the window to let in fresh air. The sun was not very high yet so the heat was just right. I looked at the clock and saw it was only nine o¡¯clock. Soon Mommy arrived. I smiled when I saw that we were wearing the same color sports bra while hers was beige-colored leggings. Her hair was tied back in a bun so the clean look. You wouldn¡¯t think Mommy was in her 30¡¯s-40¡¯s because she was a teenager to look at. It¡¯s fun. ¡°You look good, Mom!¡± I praise. Sheeughed at me. ¡°Of course, dear!¡± Then she winked at me so we bothughed. ¡°So should we start now? I want to rx my mind.¡± Mom said while stretching her arms. ¡°Yep. I¡¯ve downloaded some stretching exercises then yoga afterwards.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it!¡± she cheered happily. ¡°GO, Sazha! You can do it! Go, go go!¡± Earlier Mommy was cheering while I was stretching. After all, the difficulty of the videos we watched. The pain in the body because other exercises you need to be flexible. E, I¡¯m not like Mommy who even in her 30¡¯s has a soft and flexible body. ¡°Mom, I can¡¯t really do it!¡± I frowned. Earlier I was trying to do thest exercise we watched but I couldn¡¯t. How, I have to bend my body backwards while raising my hand. When I bend my back I will apply my palm to the floor to cover my body and my back will not fallpletely. It¡¯s like I¡¯m doing a gymnastic stunt but not flexible. Mommy is still just the basics for her! ¡°Well, of course! You don¡¯t even have physical flexibility!¡± she whimpered. I just got bored and decided to choose yoga exercises. My back really hurts with the exercise I did earlier. Most of it is just basic stretching but I don¡¯t think that stretching will include that gymnast stunt! We decided to have a drink first before proceeding to our yoga exercise. We sat on our mat, inhaling the fresh airing from outside. ¡°y it.¡± I yed the video and we started to copy the yoga exercises on it. I can say that my brain is rxed because of our gentle breathing. It also includes fresh airing from outside. I just closed my eyes in the entire exercise. We also did breathing exercises, teaching us to breathe property so our lung will be also healthy. It can save us from lung problems. I didn¡¯t think that with the long closing of my eyes, what I could imagine ¡­ It¡¯s dark. The surroundings are very dark. I don¡¯t see anything. ¡°Sazha ¡­¡± I looked behind me when someone called to me. But I could see nothing but pure darkness. ¡°Sazha¡­ ¡± ¡°W-who¡¯s that?! Show me!¡± Somewhere I turned my gaze but I could really see nothing. ¡°Hey, i-it¡¯s me¡­ ¡°W-who are you really?! I can only hear the man¡¯s voice. I¡¯m confused! ¡°Help me¡­ T-the book¡­ G-get it¡­ ¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± Momentster a light shone on me. It was so bright, dazzling. I still have to block my face with my two arms so that I don¡¯t get dazzled. ¡°W-who are y-you?¡± I asked in nowhere. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Help me to get the book.¡± The light said. ¡°W-what book?¡± ¡°The book of fairies.¡± ¡°F-fairy?¡± My forehead creased. ¡°Yes, help me find the book ¡­¡± I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s a man or what because I can¡¯t recognize his voice. It¡¯s deep and echoes all around. Not like the man before. ¡°W-who are you first?¡± I can¡¯t help him if I don¡¯t get to know him. ¡°I¡¯m your girlfriend.¡± My eyes widened. ¡°B-boyfriend?! When else did I have a boyfriend?! ¡°I know you don¡¯t know me yet. The day will alsoe, you will know me.¡± ¡°W-why don¡¯t you introduce yourself to me now ?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, my dear. But I can¡¯t meet you yet.¡± ¡°H-how can that help you?¡± I¡¯m depressed. I don¡¯t even know if what he¡¯s saying is true. How did I have a boyfriend I didn¡¯t know? Where am I? Is what the light in front of me says true? Where can I find the book he says? ¡°Just follow my direction, dear.¡± He started walking so I just followed him. I was shocked when I couldn¡¯t even get close to him as he was getting farther and farther away from me. He¡¯s gone. I can no longer reach him. I tried to run but my feet didn¡¯t even step. I am tired. I didn¡¯t even catch up with him. ¡°SAZHA!¡± I opened my eyes and Mommy opened up to me with a worried face. Only now did I notice that I was full of sweat and I was gasping for breath as if I were running. ¡°M-mom?¡± ¡°What is happening to you? Are you okay?¡± She rubbed my face, still a streak of concern on his face. I nodded quickly, still panting. What was that? What did I see? Is that premonition? And I was out of breath! Do I really tell the truth about what I saw and what I did? I¡¯m not dreaming? But what is that? Who is my boyfriend? What¡¯s in the book? I¡¯m in a mess! One after anotheres to me. First, the messagest night. Second, this in turn. Is Grandma¡¯s story about the underground really true? Does that have anything to do with what happened to me before? ¡°You¡¯re spacing out again.¡± I was back in a trance when I heard Mommy¡¯s serious voice. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Mom.¡± ¡°Tell me the truth, Sazharina.¡± I looked at him. I gulped when I saw Mommy¡¯s serious face. Has she noticed me yet? But I was dumbfounded at what she said next. ¡°Are you on drugs?¡± I bit my lower lip to stopughing. I quickly shook her while still suppressing augh. ¡°What¡¯s funny?¡± Mommy¡¯s question lingered. ¡°N-nothing.¡± She stared at me so I couldn¡¯t help but grin. I even pinched my snout just so I wouldn¡¯t be able tough harder because of Mommy¡¯s bad stare at me. ¡°I- HAHAHAHAHA, I¡¯m sorry, Mom, ¡°Iughed apologetically. ¡°Hey, hey, you take care of that. I¡¯ll just prepare our lunch!¡± I just shook as I stared at the door that Mommy closed. I sighed and went to the balcony to breathe some fresh air. To this day I¡¯m still a little out of breath, probably because of myughter earlier. I roamed my eyes from here on the balcony while breathing in the fresh air. I looked in one direction and my eyes widened when I saw that. When else has there been such a thing here? As far as I know, it wasn¡¯t there the other day, was it? Am I really being toyed with? Is this real? Tsk. I went back to my room annoyed by what I saw. It¡¯s like I¡¯m just being toyed with. I looked there again andughed sarcastically. Whatever the mystery in the underground, I¡¯ll make sure I can solve that too. I guess I should ask Mom when there was a bookstore here with us. The name is still strange. ¡°Encanto Underground BookStore¡± CHAPTER 4 A/N: I will post Antricus¡¯ POV starting from this chapter. I¡¯ll start Antricus¡¯ POV from the beginning before they meet Sazharina all the way to the cafe scene. And after that, I will post the POV of the two of them in the next chapters. I hope you are not confused, thank you! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª- SAZHARINA¡¯S POV ¡°ANTRICUS ?!¡± Oh, God! I missed him! ¡°Wow, why do you look so shocked-HEY!¡± He couldn¡¯t finish what he was going to say when I suddenly jumped up and hugged him tightly. God, it¡¯s been a week since we¡¯vest met ¨C and it was my 19th birthday. Because I was grounded in the bedroom for a week we didn¡¯t even meet. I don¡¯t know if he was looking for me or he was also busy the past few days. I¡¯m here at the cafe near us. This was the first one I went to after I got out of the room. Seriously, it was as if I had been imprisoned for the length of time I had been grounded. Usually when I¡¯m grounded, I only spend three to four days in the room I only got out yesterday and it was still night so I didn¡¯t get out. I ran away early earlier because I was really anxious to get out. I went straight here to the cafe, our cafe to be exact, and met a friend. Fortunately, I saw Antricus here ordering as well. He was even surprised to see me here, not even expecting us to meet ¨C and even in the cafe! ¡°Did you miss me?¡± Antricus smirked. I yfully rolled my eyes at him but I also couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Hmm, slight?¡± I teased. He rolled his eyes at me. ¡°Just a little? Are you sure?¡± I giggled. ¡°All right, so much!¡± He also giggled, shaking his head. ¡°As expected.¡± We bothughed. ¡°So what happened to you? Why did you suddenly disappear?¡± my curiosity. Maybe this is a better conversation starter for us. I also want to know what he¡¯s been up to for a week. Call me ¡®tsismosa¡¯ or whatever, but I¡¯m interested to him. He heaved a sigh and smiled weakly at me. And that cue, I know he hasn¡¯t gone well these past few days. ~~~ ANTRICUS¡¯ POV ¡°What do you want, Dad?¡± I annoyed the question of my father sitting on his throne. Dad is the king of our kingdom. He is the ruler of all the fairies of my kind. We live in a world of fairies where we have many types. Some of these are our kind, Fantasixers. We fulfill people¡¯s wishes on their birthdays. We have a lot of Fantasixers because we are divided based on the people we will grant their request. Second type are the Seekers, they are the fairies who are looking for the future human lover who will be assigned to them by their leader. Suppose they were for Cupid, but in a strange way. And thest type are the Savers, they are the fairies who save people in danger. There are three kingdoms here in our world with three types each. We are the most powerful kingdom here so we have many opponents and many are trying in our lives to oust us from our kingdom. I, as the king¡¯s son, will inherit this kingdom in the future. It will pass into my hands so while it is still early, my father is already training me how to lead this kingdom. ¡°My death is near¡­¡± My Dad mumbled. Oh, damn, here we go again¡­ ¡°Dad! Can¡¯t you just stop saying that, can you?¡± My frustration went up again. He sighed. ¡°But, what should I do? My body is getting weaker and weaker these days.¡± I gulped. He was right,tely I have often noticed the weakness of his body. Dad is not sick, he is really old so his death is also approaching. Say, I will also soon be appointed the next king of our kingdom. But I¡¯m not ready yet. ¡°T-then what should I do?¡± I asked. I have no choice but to learn to rule our kingdom. Because otherwise, it will fall into the hands of the Dark Ridges. Dark Ridge is our fairy antagonist. All kingdoms are against him because he wants to rule all kingdoms here in our world. And now, we are his new target because he found out that my father is failing. ¡°First, you must find your queen now,¡± he answered seriously so I swallowed. How am I suppose to do that? It is not easy to find a girlfriend that I can marryter. And I¡¯m not the type to easily fall in love with a woman. Or so I thought ¡­ Dad showed me in therge mirror a photograph of the woman asking. Her eyes were closed while his two palms were still sped. ¡°This girl is Sazharina Versalles.¡± Dad pointed to the picture of the woman. ¡°Today is her 19th birthday, that means you will fulfill her request,¡± he went on. My mouth dropped open as I looked at Sazharina¡¯s photo. I don¡¯t know but my heartbeat suddenly quickened even though I could only see a picture of him. I also have a strange feeling in my body. It¡¯s her 19th birthday today, huh? So I have to give her what she wants. Because we have so many Fantasixers we are divided into different human ages. I will fulfill the wish of the ages 15 to 20 in the world of human. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve been staring at her that I can almost feel the features of her face. She has almond-shaped eyes, long eyshes and thick brown eyebrows. She also has pointed and proud nose, her rosy cheeks that are a bit chubby when she smiles, and thin rosy lips. Her face is also heart-shaped which adds to her beauty. She is so beautiful. I¡¯m sure she has a foreigner race. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re staring too much at her.¡± I was brought back to reality when I heard the teasing in Daddy¡¯s voice. I looked at him badly but he just smirked at me. ¡°And now you¡¯re guilty.¡± He giggled. ¡°Dad, stop. I was just memorizing her face,¡± I reasoned out. ¡°You weren¡¯t like that before, ah. Did the wind change?¡± He won¡¯t really stop teasing. I looked at him deadly. ¡°Stop.¡± ¡°Wow, my son had just his love at first sight.¡± He released a heavy breath that you thought had reduced the weight on his chest. I just stared at him and let him tease me. Whatever my reason, I know he won¡¯t believe me and he¡¯ll just tease me. ¡°So, what¡¯s her wish?¡± I asked, diverting the topic. He grinned. ¡°Diverting the topic, huh?¡± ¡°Dad!¡± Heughed. ¡°Okay, okay, chill.¡± Heughed blocking two palms in front of me, calming me down. ¡°Her wish? She hope she finds the man she loves.¡± Dad continued. What?! That¡¯s her wish? I don¡¯t know but I felt annoyed because of her request. Why is she asking for that? The others will have a nice wish done to her, she just wants to have a boyfriend ?! ¡°Why, are you jealous?¡± My eyes widened when I heard Daddy¡¯s question. Why did I forget that he could read my mind? Why did I even forget that Fantasixers can read each other¡¯s minds and people¡¯s minds? I quickly shook my head. ¡°O-of course, not.¡± Shit! Why did I stutter?! Dad just raised a brow on me and continued discussing about that girl. While discussing about her, I don¡¯t know why I was excited to be with her in the world of people. Dad also said that if possible, she might be my queen ¨C the queen of the kingdom I would one day rule. But I knew that was impossible. Just one look at her I knew she was hard to reach. First of all, I knew she wasn¡¯t just a simple girl. I can feel she exerts something unexinable. I can¡¯t figure out what that is. ¡°Good luck, Antricus. Make her your queen.¡± Dad said seriously and smiled at me. He pursued me to make that girl to be my queen. Dad can also feel it. He can feel something about that girl. We know she¡¯s not just an ordinary woman. I unconsciously nodded at him, making him smiled teasingly. I justughed before saying goodbye to him. I QUICKLY got into the world of humans, and luckily, my tunnel was Sazharina¡¯s house itself. I hid on thewn as I watched her stroll along the edge of the swimming pool. I didn¡¯t know how I was going to show her so I thought of winding up behind her Fortunately she turned around so I quickly teleported to her front. ¡°Ahhhhh, where did you go out?!¡± she shouted. I restrained myself fromughing because he was really shocked, as if he had seen a ghost ¨C well, I was a fairy. I sneezed quietly before thinking of an answer ¡°Does it matter?¡± I raised a brow. ¡°I was invited by your mother.¡± Oh, damn, I think it¡¯s awkward to listen. ¡°What?¡± Her brows furrowed. Slowpoke. Tsk. I frustratedly groaned at that thought and rolled my eyes. Well, it¡¯s just that she¡¯s beautiful. I didn¡¯t think she was any better personally. I could clearly see the shape of his face. Herplexion is so white that you would think she was pale but not because it was just her naturalplexion. Her angelic eyes make her more beautiful. They are mesmerizing. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve been staring at her but she¡¯s also staring at me. ¡°Am I too handsome so you¡¯re just like that if you stare at me?¡± I snapped her back in reality. ¡°Your saliva is dripping, pftt-¡± Then Iughed hard to tease her.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. She immediately wiped her lips and her face turned red with annoyance when she realized I was just teasing her. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± She pped my arms. ¡°Aww!¡± I caressed my arms while looking darkly at her. ¡°What?¡± she asked sharply and even crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°The pain of your beating, are you really a woman ?!¡± ¡°Probably! I¡¯m beautiful then you won¡¯t believe I¡¯m a woman ?!¡± And so we started teasing. Every time I tease her, she will stone me. I chased after her when she suddenly kicked my knee due to limping but in the end, I still stumbled. My God, his strength. ¡°W-wait .. S-stop,¡± I sighed. I was holding my chest while breathing deeply. ¡°Y-you okay?¡± She concernly asked. I nodded. Later on, my breathing started to turn back into normal again. ¡°That was tiring!¡± She eximed. I secretlyughed at her eaction. I thought I was just tired. I scoffed. ¡°Yeah, I almost died.¡± Sheughed. ¡°And your cause of death is?¡± ¡°Running.¡± Sheughed out loud. Maybe he didn¡¯t think I would ride on his joke. I stared at his smiling face. She looked carefree. It was as if he had no worries about problems. Maiden. I just stared at her, not caring about the awkward surroundings. She didn¡¯t scold me either so I just kept staring at her. I can feel something in her. I have a strange feeling about his personality. I can feel the strong power exerting in her presence. Who is she? Why is it like this? Why is she different from other women I¡¯ve met? Who really are you, Sazharina Versalles? I was back in reality when she faked a cough. ¡°I-Is there dirt on my f-face?¡± She slowly asked. No, honey. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re too beautiful. Wait, what?! ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to look at you like that.¡± I faked my nervousness, and smiled at her. I also wetted my hand and shook a little. Just a little bit, I can be an actor. She nodded hesitantly and guided me into their house. In the distance I saw Sazharina¡¯s Mommy. Sazha inherited it. But sorry, Tita. We can¡¯t meet yet. I did a little magic on Tita¡¯s stomach. A little spray here, a little spray there, and vo! Tita climbed up while holding her stomach. I¡¯m sorry, Tita. You might go to sleep. I¡¯ll take care of your girl. Sazharina went to one of their guests because she couldn¡¯t see her Mommy. I called the other world because I knew Dad was asking for an update. ¡°What now, Antricus?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here inside their house, Dad. I made it.¡± I touched my ear to amplify the volume of the call because I couldn¡¯t hear what Dad was saying. If anyone sees me, they might think I¡¯m crazy because I¡¯m talking to someone but nothing. ¡°What? How did that happen?¡± Dad asked in shock so I couldn¡¯t help but grin in my mind. ¡°Well, I did a little bit of magic.¡± I chuckled. I heard him tsked. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll preach to me again when I get home because I used my power. Daddy doesn¡¯t want me to use my power in the world of people because it¡¯s dangerous. I might hurt people and someone might see me using my power. ¡°It was necessary, Dad.¡± I reasoned out. ¡°Even!¡± He argued. I just sighed and admitted defeat. I¡¯m not really going to win Dad ever. When I saw that Sazharina had finished talking to thedy earlier, I immediately ended the call. I wore my nk expression while walking towards her, not minding the stares of other women. Geez, scary. It was as if they were going to eat me alive. ¡°Let¡¯s go, honey.¡± Iughed mentally when I saw his shocked expression. ¡°I called you honey because I¡¯m irritated by the stare of other women. It¡¯s like they¡¯re going to eat me alive,¡± I whispered on her ear and she chuckled. ¡°You look like a bone,¡± she joked. I just looked at her badly so sheughed. ¡°Anyway, we didn¡¯t have formal introduction,¡± she said and faced me. ¡°I¡¯m Sazharina Versalles.¡± Sheid her hand in front of me, offering a shake hands. I dly took it and grinned. ¡°Antricus Porlliander.¡± I should take my act into higher level now. I saw her brows furrowed when he heard my name. I tried to read her mind but I was so horrified that I couldn¡¯t read her mind. How did that happen? How could I not read her mind. Her eyebrows still met so I couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± She slowly shook my head, and smiled at me. ¡°Nothing, let me tour you around.¡± ¡°Where? In your heart or here in your house?¡± I teased her again, grinning. ¡°Why not both, honey?¡± What? Did she just call me the endearment I¡¯ve called her earlier? I narrowed my eyes at her, as if I didn¡¯t feel my ear was red. Get yourself together, Antricus. ¡°Maybe not now, but soon, honey,¡± I teased her back and winked at her but she justughed at me. We toured around their house peacefully as if I don¡¯t feel the loud beating of my heart every time she holds my hand. Damn it. CHAPTER 5 ANTRICUS¡¯ POV SHE TOURED me all over their house after she went to see her Mommy. She greeted her and told me that her Mommy¡¯s stomach suddenly hurt. Her Mommy was sure that what she ate was safe because she herself prepared it for herself. Of course, that¡¯s safe. I just did a little magic because I can¡¯t meet her yet. She guided me to their house from the kitchen, to the wide yard as well as to their backyard. Indeed, they are damn rich. Their house is so big! ¡°Wow, you have a lot of rooms, huh,¡± Imented when I saw their underground. It¡¯s like a library museum because of its size. It is round in shape and has arge bookshelf in the middle wall. Around it is a room. They have arge underground and many rooms that you can live in. They may put other rtives to sleep here when they have a reunion. ¡°Yup, this room used to be mine.¡± She pointed to the small room next to the bookshelf. Just the door of the room I knew it was for her. The design of that door is unique and obviously feminine. ¡°It¡¯s a pity because Grandma forbade me to hang out here.¡± I can sense the sadness in her voice. ¡°Why?¡± I curiously asked, still roaming my eyes around. Its extent is unique. I feel like a dwarf because the extent is staggering. It¡¯s like an open space but there are tools on each side. If you don¡¯t look closely, you¡¯ll think the doors are just design, but when you get closer you¡¯ll see that there¡¯s a bedroom behind it. Their underground is wide so it is really wide. She shrugged. ¡°L threatened me not toe here and said someone would take a fairy from me.¡± What? I looked at her but her eyes were just wandering. Why did her L say that? What does her Grandmother know about fairies? Maybe she noticed my confusion so he told me what his Grandmother said when she was caught hanging out here alone. I was shocked. I never thought her Grandmother knew anything about fairies. And they have a legend! Her L even threatened her that a fairy would take her if she kept hanging out here. If so, where is the tunnel of the fairies in case they try to take Sazharina?This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. I looked at the bookshelf. Come to think of it, for fairies like me to have a tunnel into the world of humans, it needs to be wide and dark. It must be just the right size to fit the fairies. It is also dark to speed up the journey of the fairies into the world of humans. Is this bookshelf enough to be the tunnel of fairies? ¡°So, that¡¯s it, since then Grandma hasn¡¯t allowed me toe here. It¡¯s only now that you¡¯re with me again after ten years I guess?¡± I was back in reverie when she spoke. She even chuckled while looking at me. ¡°Wow ¡­¡± I said just after she told me about the underground. Honestly, I didn¡¯t even listen to her clearly but I just said that so I could make up for the fact that I listened to her. Sorry, Sazha, but your story is too much for me to understand. I wonder why she told me about this underground. Does she trusts me that much? She chuckled. ¡°Unbelievable, right? Indeed, unbelievable that even I cannot believe. ¡°Yes.¡± I nodded. ¡°I mean, who wouldn¡¯t believe that you have a hidden story underground?¡± If I weren¡¯t just a fairy, I might not believe her story. ¡°I was scared too, e. But I just remembered what Grandma said. Maybe when the timees, she¡¯ll be able to exin it to me as well.¡± I didn¡¯t reply. I just let the moment of silence to ensued us. I also stare around as I remember the detail of every corner of this underground. Who knows I might use this, right? But of course not in a bad way. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get out of here,¡± I invited after I recorded the details of this underground in my mind. I need to tell this to Dad, maybe he knows about this. If not, will he force me on Sazharina? We climbed the stairs out of the underground but I didn¡¯t notice that Sazha hadn¡¯t followed me. I turned to her and saw her face turn pale as if she had seen something terrifying. ¡°Sazha?¡± I tapped her shoulders. She was still a little surprised so I couldn¡¯t help but wonder. What¡¯s with her? ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°Are you okay? You look pale.¡± She nodded. ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± She didn¡¯t seem to be telling the truth but I just let her. She looked horrified. She was pale and her eyes were also slightly widened, obviously shocked. THE PARTY ended peacefully even though I often see Sazharina anxious. She also looks at our path to the underground as if you thought someone was chasing her. I tried asking her but she refused to answer. I just let her but I always look at him in case something happens. Yeah, I admit, I¡¯m worried about her. I didn¡¯t even do what Daddy wanted me to do with him. However, I have something to tell him. I¡¯m sure he knows about this. He¡¯s a king of our kingdom. Even though he is not the ruler of the whole world of fairies, as the king of one of the kingdoms, I know he knows something. I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t be king if he didn¡¯t know enough about fairies. Or maybe not¡­? ¡°I TOLD you, Dad! Sazha¡¯s Grandma knows something about fairies. ¡± Earlier I was telling the stories Sazharina told me at the party. After the party, I immediately informed Sazha that I was leaving and quickly went to my tunnel earlier. It was only a matter of time before I arrived in our kingdom and I even caught up with Daddy who was sitting on his throne, waiting for my return. But when I told him, he didn¡¯t want to believe. How will Sazharina¡¯s grandmother find out about fairies? And then what does the bookshelf have to do with the passage of fairies into the world of humans? I tried pointing out the details to him but he kept insisting that what I was saying was really vague. And I don¡¯t seem to have any proof. ¡°Son, you can¡¯t just jump into conclusion! What if that girl¡¯s Grandmother knew about the fairies? Many people know about our types. Who knows, maybe she¡¯s just scaring Sazharina? ¡± Dad reasoned out. I fell silent. I hate to admit but he got a point. How could I not immediately think of that?! Of course, Sazharina was too young that time. Her Grandmother can only scare her! ¡°Eh, what about the bookshelf?!¡± I insisted. Dad looked at me annoyed as if I was so stupid because I couldn¡¯t get his point. ¡°What has their bookshelf got to do with our magical tunnel? It¡¯s not like their bookshelf is big, it¡¯s a tunnel right away!¡± I¡¯m upset. Annoying. Why doesn¡¯t Dad get that I want to point out? ¡°I know you¡¯re smart and observant, son. But don¡¯t use it just to make a conclusion in your mind,¡± Daddy said calmly. I bowed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dad.¡± Dad smiled at me. ¡°It¡¯s okay, son. Just rest and go to your room.¡± I just nodded and bowed first to pay my respects before I went to my room. Iid my body in myfortable bed and let my mind rest. But goddamit! Why can¡¯t I stop thinking about her? I used to be concentrated in the underground and now it¡¯s about her? Can I have a peace, please?! I¡¯m damn tired! I can¡¯t stop thinking about her. Her angelic face, her womanly yet contagiousugh, and her smile! I felt like I¡¯m in heaven every time she smiles at me. I have a weird feeling every time she looks at me. I feel like I¡¯m always falling into her eyes. It¡¯s mesmerizing. And her smiles bring blood to life. She loves tough and tease someone. Shee¡¯s the type who doesn¡¯t lose when ites to bullying. She always has teasing to throw at you. I smiled at those thoughts. She is weird. A crazy smile crept into my lips thinking about her. Damn, this is bad. I shook my head to erase those thoughts. I decided to go to sleep but when I closed my eyes, another image of Sazharina¡¯s beautiful face came to me. I couldn¡¯t help but smile again until I fell asleep, still thinking about her. Damn, I¡¯m fvcking crazy. CHAPTER 6 A/N: This is Antricus¡¯ POV continuation. Enjoy. ANTRICUS¡¯ POV THE NEXT DAY, I immediately nned to visit Sazharina. I still need to check if my suspicion about the underground is correct. I don¡¯t know but someone is actually telling me that there is something strange about their underground, especially on their bookshelf. And I swear, my gut never failed to impress me. Also, I want to check her condition. Especially since I saw yesterday at their party that she was pale. I was about to leave my room when I saw my father outside the room. ¡°Where are you going?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to Sazharina¡¯s house.¡± His cold gaze pierced on me. ¡°No.¡± I¡¯m surprised. ¡°B-but, Dad¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°No, son. You will stay here. I will ask you to do a lot.¡± My mind protested. How am I gonna check her? ¡°You can see her after a week,¡± my father said as if he had read my mind. ¡°After a week?!¡± I frustratedly shouted. He sharply stared at me so I barely backed away. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare raise your voice on me, Antricus.¡± Damn goosebumps. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Dad. It won¡¯t happen again.¡± I bowed. ¡°I-I was just shocked.¡± He heaved a sigh. ¡°Follow me.¡± I no longer answered and followed him. We entered a spacious room, as far as I remember, here the fairies in Daddy¡¯s kingdom were meeting.. What are we gonna do here? Dad used his power to call his subjects. It didn¡¯t take long for my peers to appear. They also included my cousin and my best friend. Like me, they are also Fantasixers. ¡°Hey, bud, long time no see,¡± my cousin Gabriel greeted me and patted my shoulder. I could not answer when my best friend Isaac appeared in front of us. And as expected, my cousin immediately looked at him. They don¡¯t get along because of me. What my cousin thinks is that Isaac, my bestfriend, is kidnapping me from him. Isaac agrees to annoy Gabriel. Since then, they have always quarreled every time they met. ¡°Yow, man, how¡¯s life?¡± Isaac greeted me with a grin. I justughed secretly when I felt Gabriel¡¯s dark aura and the sharp look he was throwing at Isaac. ¡°Still handsome,¡± I answered and smiled. Iughed suddenly when Gabriel and Isaac looked at me badly. ¡°Arrogant.¡± ¡°Arrogant.¡± I burst outughing because they looked at each other in horror. They told me at the same time that I was arrogant. Atleast they reconciled somehow. And I¡¯m not arrogant! ¡°Wow, it¡¯s good that you got along,¡± I teased. They acted as if they were vomiting while shivering looking at each other. ¡°Disgusting, man.¡± Isaac said while annoyed looking at me. ¡°Disgusting, bud. Don¡¯t you ever say that again, horrible!¡± Gabriel fake shaking the clothes you thought had dirt clinging to him. I was about to answer when Dad caught our attention. Everyone fell silent, including the three of us, and looked seriously at Dad who was standing up straight and still sped. His awra screams dominance and you even apany his serious and sharp look. Being king belongs to him. He is able to subdue his subjects in a simple word. ¡°Attention, everyone¡­¡± I came to my senses when I heard my father¡¯s deep voice. ¡°Today, we will hold an urgent meeting and I want everyone to share their thoughts about this.¡± We all nodded and listened intently to him. My dad rarely asks for an opinion, and now that he¡¯s done it, I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t just a simple meeting. ¡°Listen everyone, especially Fantasixers.¡± We Fantasixers looked at what Dad said. I squinted my eyes on my father as I tried to read his mind. But he seems to have blocked his brain so we can¡¯t read what he¡¯s thinking. That¡¯s nice, Dad. You make me nervous here. ¡°Yesterday, a girl wished something on his 19th birthday¡­¡± My eyes widened. ¡°That means, my son is assigned for her. Do you know what he asked for? ¡°My father asked mypanions. The others shook as I clenched my fist. I don¡¯t know what Dad is nning about it but I have to stop it if Sazharina is going to ruin it. I am willing to disobey my own father for the sake of Sazharina¡¯s safety. ¡°Her wish was, hopefully she will find the man she will love.¡± Mypanions gasped when they heard what Dad said. ¡°Damn, it looks like I already know what happened,¡± I heard Gabriel whisper which Isaac immediately agreed. My Dad continued. ¡°I sent my son there to fulfill the woman¡¯s request. And also to test if that woman can pass as queen of this kingdom when my son takes over my throne one day. ¡± I heard the gasps of ourpanions again so I could not help but bow in embarrassment. What is Dad¡¯s n? Just say what he wants to say! ¡°Now, for your mission, I want you all to keep an eye for this girl.¡± Dad gestured with his hand and in a sh saw Sazharina¡¯s picture. I was about to protest when Dad continued speaking which made me smile. ¡°Keep this girl safe. Keep her out of harm¡¯s way as much as you can. When something bad happens to her, I swear, I¡¯ll make you all pay.¡± I heard the others swallow with us because of Dad¡¯s threat. He is really scary. He looks sharp at everyone and his voice is serious. I smiled in my mind. I thought he would do harm to her. He just wanted it to improve. But that makes me ask a question, what did Dad see in Sazharina? Did he realize what I told himst night that Sazharina was not ordinary? Or does he have something else to do with the woman? I hope he has no other ns for the woman ¡­ Because when something bad happens to Sazharina, I swear all hell would break loose. ¡°So what are your thoughts about this?¡± Dad asked everyone. No one raised a hand, still looked skeptical and others seemed to disagree with what Dad said. ¡°Anyone?¡± Dad looked at them coldly when no one raised their hand. I looked at Isaac as he raised his right hand. He immediately got my father¡¯s attention so he just nodded at him, a sign that he could speak. ¡°Do we really need to keep an eye on her? Look, my King, she is already 19 years old, I¡¯m sure she can protect herself. ¡°The others immediately agreed with what Isaac said but just one look at them Dad made the surroundings quiet again. ¡°To answer your question, Isaac. Yes. We need to keep an eye on her.¡± He looked at everyone again. ¡°Just like I said before, she can be the queen of this kingdom once I pass the throne to my son. Any thoughts?¡±This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. A female fairy rose up near Dad¡¯s ce so he could easily see her. I think she belongs to the Savers. ¡°How are we gonna keep an eye on her? We have our own duty here, dear king.¡± The king smiled a little as if he liked what she asked. ¡°That¡¯s a brilliant question, Loreal. To answer that, I would stick a screen where we can watch Sazharina¡¯s moves-¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± I cut my Dad¡¯s words off. I could not ept what he said. It¡¯s okay for me to watch Sazharina, but watching over her and her actions is no longer possible. Sazharina also has privacy! ¡°You can¡¯t do that, Dad! Sazha has her own privacy, and we can¡¯t invade that!¡± Dad seriously looked at me but I didn¡¯t even flinched. ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know that thing? Of course, I do! I know that girl has her own privacy. Finish your father first.¡± Dad seriously said. I calmed myself down before nodding at him, indicating that he can continue what he was saying. ¡°Like I said, I would stick a screen where we can watch Sazharina¡¯s moves OUTSIDE.¡± Dad emphasized the word ¡°outside¡±. I bowed down in shame. I didn¡¯t even let Dad finish his speech. ¡°And for the sake of her safety, I hope this Information doesn¡¯t get out to others. It¡¯s difficult because Dark Ridges are spreading around.¡± We all nodded and promised not to share this information outside the kingdom. Someone else gave an opinion and question and it was all answered by Dad. He missed no question. In just a few minutes, the other fairies were leaving and only our father and I were left. ¡°Let¡¯s go, son. You have many errands to do.¡± Dad tapped me on the shoulder before he passed. I¡¯m sorry, Sazharina. We can¡¯t meet today. I just sighed and followed Dad. In just a snap, Dad and I are on the throne again. ¡°What should I do, father?¡± I meet Dad sitting on his throne and staring into space. He seems to be thinking deeply. ¡°Let the other fairies keep an eye on her.¡± He turned to me and looked at me seriously. ¡°T-then, what are my tasks?¡± ¡°For your task, I want you to make her fall in love with you. And eventually, marry her.¡± My eyes widened at what Dad had ordered. How do I do that? Like I said, she¡¯s not just a simple girl. Shee is hard to reach and I think I will never pass her by. She was like stars in the sky, bright but hard to reach. ¡°Are you serious there, Dad? Look, you just said yesterday that she¡¯s not a simple woman. There¡¯s something strange about her, isn¡¯t there?¡± He nodded. ¡°I know, son. I know that woman.¡± I was shocked by what Dad revealed. How did he know about Sazharina? Is he rted to the woman? ¡°She is somehow rted to me. Her father was my bestfriend.¡± I was stunned. Is that true? How did that happen? When else did he find out about Sazharina¡¯s personality? Is that how he protects Sazharina? ¡°Son, I¡¯m giving you the hardest work I can give. Please, marry her and give her the life she deserves.¡± I was stunned. Just now Dad said ¡®please¡¯ whenever he ordered. Just now¡­ CHAPTER 7 A/N: Still Antricus¡¯ POV ANTRICUS¡¯ POV DAD¡¯S words didn¡¯t put me to sleep. It just keeps spinning in my mind and no matter what I do, it won¡¯t get rid of my system. I have many questions I want answered but I am afraid that I may not ept my father¡¯s answer. What if I also have something to do with Sazharina¡¯s personality? Is she also a fairy like us? If my father is a close friend of her father, does that mean that Sazharina also has fairy blood? Is she a half-blooded fairy? Or pure-blooded? I¡¯m in a mess! I feel like I¡¯m going to get sick because of the series that happens to me. First Sazharina¡¯s underground, then her being the queen at the moment just in case and now her personality is also a problem for me. Did Sazharina know about this? Is she aware that she has a blood fairy? Can I not read her mind because like me she is the same as me? I just had my hair pulled back because of the frustration I was feeling. I can¡¯t be quiet until I get the answer I want. I longed to know the answers to the various questions that troubled my mind. I flinched when I heard a faint knock outside my room. ¡°Son, let me in.¡± I immediately opened it and my father weed me. ¡°What do you need, Dad?¡± He first went to my room and sat on the side of my bed. ¡°Do you want an answer?¡± My forehead furrowed, wondering. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°To all your questions.¡± He turned to me with his cold gaze. I nodded quickly, happy that my questions would finally be answered. But I was immediately depressed by what he said next. ¡°I will give you the answer to all your questions. Just finish your task within 5 months.¡± I gulped. Is five months enough for me to fall in love with Sazharina and convince her to be our queen? How is her mother? Will she agree with us? ¡°H-how¡¯s her mother? What if her mother didn¡¯t consent to it? How can I make her queen if her mother doesn¡¯t agree to it?¡± I keep asking. If I were to be asked, I could easily do my job of making Sazharina fall in love, but I wonder what her mother would think. I don¡¯t want her mother to think that I¡¯m just using Sazharina because it¡¯s not like that. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that.¡± Dad answered confidently My eyes narrowed as I stared at him. He answered my question with confidence ¡­ Tell me he has alreadyid out a n? What are you nning this time, Dad? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Son. My n does no harm. It won¡¯t cause any trouble to your Queen.¡± I don¡¯t know why, but it feels satisfying every time he calls Sazharina ¡°my queen¡±. I nodded. I trust my Dad. I know he will protect my Queen in any way. ¡°Alright, Dad. I trust you in this.¡± I went straight to my bed while my Dad stormed out of the room. I watched what Sazharina was doing. Dad had already put a screen around to see what Sazharina was doing every hour. It¡¯s also amazing because we can see the disasters surrounding my queen. My eyes narrowed when I could see nothing on the screen but only darkness. When you see something on the screen, say she is doing something outside. If not ¡­ She¡¯s just in their house? How is that possible? Hasn¡¯t she been out of their house since I left him two days ago? As far as I know, Sazharina is an extrovert. She loves going outside and explore everything. She loves socializing with others and she¡¯s not the type to choose friends. That¡¯s why danger also approaches her because she¡¯s only approaching anyone. What if something happened inside their house? What if someone attacked them in there? My heart pounded rapidly thinking that maybe Sazharina is in harm right now. I did not hesitate and hurriedly went into the world of men. I was nervous when I got out of the tunnel and quickly teleported to the balcony of Sazharina¡¯s room. I can still hear some soft music. When I looked, I almost fell where I was standing. I pped my forehead because I looked like a fool who was confused, while they were just peaceful here in Sazharina¡¯s room while doing yoga with her mother. Oh, God. You¡¯re so paranoid, Antricus. I thought about what had happened to her, and then she and her Mommy were just doing yoga. I am dangerous to my father now. I decided to stay there even for a while until Sazharina¡¯s Mommy was panicking because she suddenly panted and she was also very sweaty. Damn, what is happening to her?! I tried reading her mind but it was blocked. Sazharina seemed to see something in her mind that was not pleasant. ¡°SAZHA!¡± Sazharina opened her eyes as if she hade from a bad dream. She¡¯s also panting as if she had run a few kilometers. Her sweat was dripping and fear and astonishment were obvious on her face. ¡°M-mom?¡± Sazha whimpered as she regained her breath. ¡°What is happening to you? Are you okay?¡± Her mom rubbed her face, still a streak of concern on her face. Sazharina nodded, though still panting. I¡¯m fvcking worried, what happened to her? I was about to enter her room when my chest lit up. Damn it! Why did I forget that I didn¡¯t say goodbye to my father?! I¡¯m fvcking doomed now! I looked at Sazharina again who was holding back augh as if her mother had said something. I looked at my chest again when it lit up again, but it was already streaked with pain. Dad must be really mad right now. I should go. I teleported but first I gave Sazha a look who was chuckling withughter. I smiled to myself. ¡°So fvcking cute ¡­¡± I whispered before finally entering the tunnel. ¡°WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, ANTRICUS?!¡± I could hear Dad¡¯s deafening screams throughout my room. It¡¯s furious. As soon as I arrived in the kingdom, I was greeted by a loud p. There were also no fairies scattered around, maybe they knew Dad was furious. It¡¯s weird if my dad gets angry. He will touch anyone just to ease his anger. Even so, he is still one of the most feared of all the fairies in our world; with the exception of the leader of us all who to this day we still do not know her full personality. I snapped back in reality when I heard Dad¡¯s thunder voice again. ¡°ANTRICUS!¡± I just bowed at theck of an answer. I can¡¯t find a reason especially since Dad is so angry. ¡°YOU DON¡¯T WANT TO ANSWER, HUH ?!¡± I looked at Dad as he looked sharply at me. ¡°THEN FACE YOUR PUNISHMENT!¡± My eyes widened in horror. ¡°WAIT, DAD!¡± He looked at me sharply. ¡°Care to exin?¡± I took a deep breath to say my reason. I can¡¯t help but answer him. Dad hates that. He wants an excuse when you sin because you don¡¯t like what his punishment will be. I swear, his punishment is your greatest nightmare. ¡°Okay, calm down first, Dad. So, earlier I tried to look at Sazharina on the screen but I only saw ck. I was worried, Dad. I didn¡¯t want to hurt my queen so I went to their world. I just checked her condition , Dad. That¡¯s just my intention. ¡± I took a deep breath. I ask him to ept my excuse because otherwise, I¡¯m at the end. ¡°I want to protect my Queen at all cost. I want to protect her as much as you want to protect the only daughter of your bestfriend.¡± Dad seemed to ept my excuse because I saw him smile. ¡°I¡¯m d that you want to protect-¡± He didn¡¯t finish his words when someone cut him off. ¡°King!¡± It bowed to pay respect. ¡°Dark Ridges are attacking us!¡± My father stood up when the Dark Ridges suddenly entered. Some of itsrades were captives of our kind. My fists clenched. It looks like the war will start again between the White Lights, our group and the Dark Ridges group. The group of fairies who betrayed us. In fact, there were no Dark Ridges back then. Our fairy world was silent until an unexpected event urred so the Dark Ridges were formed. Until now only my father knows who their king is but my father says nothing. The conflict between the two worlds of fairies will remain a mystery and a secret ¨C which only my father can answer. I came to my senses when I heard the shout of one of my kind. It tries to free our enemy¡¯s captive. He¡¯s just lucky because Dark Ridges hasn¡¯t hurt him yet. It looks like they just n to intimidate now. ¡°What do you need, Dark?¡± my father¡¯s cold question to the leader of our opponent. Their leader Dark grinned horribly at my father. But I was irritated with anger the next thing he said. ¡°I want the queen, Levtricus.¡± Our opponentughed horribly. My father, on the other hand, was adamant in his position but I knew he was furious. ¡°You will never get our Queen!¡± My voice thundered. Dark turned to look at me and I noticed the strange but I couldn¡¯t imagine him looking at me. It was as if he was digging into my whole being. If then I was afraid of him because of his wickedness, now I will never be afraid of him. I have nothing to fear now. Especially if it¡¯s my queen in question. I am willing to change just to protect her She is my precious queen. She is my gem. And she is my life. ¡°You¡¯re a fool to aspire to a queen!¡± Dark shouted. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve him because you¡¯re just a kid who knows nothing!¡± I clenched my fist. All right, insult me. Say what you want to say. Just don¡¯t try to tamper with my property. ¡°Insult me ??whenever you want, Dark. I don¡¯t care. Just don¡¯t touch the queen I own.¡± Darkughed as well as his colleagues insultingly. You thought I said something funny. ¡°Your property? Are you kidding?! You can¡¯t protect her! You don¡¯t deserve her because you¡¯re a fool who knows nothing!¡± Dark¡¯s furious cry. I smirked dangerously. I looked at him with a cold but sharp look. I smiled in my mind when I felt the departure of hispanions. ¡°Be careful of what you always say, Dark. Because you don¡¯t know that will hurt you one day. Don¡¯t you ever fvcking touch my Queen or else ¡­ YOU WILL TASTE MY OWN WRATH. ¡± I heard my Dad gulped because of what I said. He must be really proud of me right now. But it seems that nothing of our opponent is what I said. He just smiled and I didn¡¯t even see any fear on his face. ¡°You think you¡¯ll scare me?¡± he teased, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I don¡¯t fvcking care.¡± He grinned. ¡°Remember my words, stupid Antricus. You will never ever have HER. You will never have your Queen.¡± I was shaking with rage and annoyance but he even managed to smile at me and my father before they left. Fortunately, there was no war ¡­This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Dad turned to me. ¡°Protect her, Son. Do your best to protect her. We can¡¯t let the Dark Ridges take over our Queen.¡± I know, Dad. I know. Ever since you introduced her to me, I have promised myself that I will watch over and protect her no matter what happens. Not only as a gift as her boyfriend but also for her to be king one day. ¡°I promise, Dad. I will protect my Queen. I will protect my Sazharina and will spend the rest of my life with her. Because I¡¯m her present boyfriend and her future king. I am her knight and she is my Queen.¡± CHAPTER 8 A/N: Last part of Antricus¡¯ POV, mwaps. ANTRICUS¡¯ POV IT¡¯S BEEN a week since west met. Even though I really want to see her, I hold myself back, especially since Dark Ridges is in our kingdom. I felt that our life was on the verge of disaster, so even though I wanted to see her, I stopped myself. Maybe someone will follow me here in the world of people and they will even meet Sazharina-worst, maybe she will be in danger. When that happens, I will never be able to forgive myself. In the past few days a lot has happened, just like the Dark Ridges visited us again, it¡¯s time we should take a look at what Sazharina is doing. But we were just surprised when the Dark Ridges suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It¡¯s a good thing that the screen also died immediately because otherwise they might have seen our Queen. It¡¯s just surprising that they suddenly appeared when it was time for us to watch over Sazharina. ¡°What are you doing here, Dark?¡± Dad asked Dark who was now grinning at us. He was looking at us stupidly as if he saw something in us that he shouldn¡¯t. ¡°I just want to visit, Levtricus. Don¡¯t be selfish to your kingdom,¡± he answered mockingly while his devilish grin was still on his lips. ¡°I¡¯m not selfish in my kingdom, Dark,¡± Dad answered back and looked around where the other fairies were surrounding us. ¡°Just mine, why are you suddenly showing up here? Don¡¯t you know that someone like you is not wee here?¡± Dark clicked his tongue. ¡°Typical Levtricus. You¡¯re still like that,¡± he said, making my forehead creased. What does he mean? Did he know Dad since then? From my peripheral vision, I saw Dad turn to me but he immediately averted his gaze when I also looked at him. I squinted my eyes at him. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m leaving, Levtricus.¡± I turned my gaze to Dark. But I was surprised by what he said next, ¡°Just continue watching your Queen. She looks good, huh?¡± I clenched my fist because of what he said. It means he saw what we were doing earlier. But how did he know right away? It¡¯s suspicious if he just showed up here and we¡¯re supposed to watch over our Queen. Well, unless someone told him to. I heard Dark¡¯s sillyugh so I turned my gaze to him and saw him looking at the screen even though it was off. ¡°Be careful, Antricus. I might see her one day.¡± That gave me goosebumps. I was about to attack him when he suddenly disappeared with his men. We, on the other hand, seemed to have a thorn pulled out of our throats and breathed a sigh of relief. I immediately turned my gaze to Daddy who was also looking at me meaningfully. I just nodded to him once before finally leaving and going straight to my father¡¯s room. I know he knows¡­ Apart from the Dark Ridges ¡®visiting¡¯ us, nothing happened to us during the remaining days. Our routine is repeated over and over again-we will do our duty and keep an eye on Sazharina who until now we still don¡¯t know what she is doing because every time we look at her all we see is ck, although we hear a voice sometimes and we also see her when we move the screen closer. Others evenmented when they saw Sazharina¡¯s appearance. Dad and I also talked about what happened when Dark Ridges visited us. I know he has doubts like me and I know we have the same thoughts. ¡°We should be careful by now. I think something bad will happen if we continue to look at Sazharina too often. We need to remove the screens.¡± I immediately agreed and talked about how to carry out the n without others noticing. It¡¯s difficult, it looks like a snake has entered our yard. Because of that, we removed the screen one by one every day so now the day when I can go to the human world again, there are only four screens posted in the entire kingdom. And of course that doesn¡¯t include the one in my room. ¡°Be careful in the world of people, son. We don¡¯t know what danger they may bring. And especially that the Dark Ridges might also trace us to the world of people,¡± Dad said at length when I will say goodbye to him that I will go to the world of people. I nodded. ¡°Copy that, Dad. I¡¯ll be quick, I¡¯ll just talk to her too.¡± And find out about their underground. I¡¯m still not done with that. Until now, I think that their underground has something to do with what is happening now. It all started when I went to Sazharina and when I set foot in their underground. Someday, these questions will be bombarded by answers. We just need to find a way to find the answers. The answers to my questions are alreadyid out, I just have to find a way to find them. I¡¯m just like a pirate looking for treasure-but instead of treasure I¡¯m looking for, I want answers to the various questions in my mind. ¡°Be careful, Son. Goodbye.¡± Dad bid a farewell before I entered the tunnel. My Queen, here Ie. I GOT TO the human world quickly, and as expected, I came out of Sazharina¡¯s house. I looked at the balcony of her room and saw that she was not there. Her room was clean and it looked like she was still outside. Suddenly I heard someone¡¯s footsteps going to his room but I shouldn¡¯t panic because they can¡¯t see me especially since I chose not to show up. I also saw a small bag with a string on his bed. I think it¡¯s called a sling bag as I remember Josh telling me. I wonder how¡¯s my Queen so far? Is she ok We didn¡¯t see each other for a week, did she think about me too? But all those questions immediately disappeared when I saw Sazharina enter the room. I immediately feel the strength of my heart beating and I want to beat her with a hug but I don¡¯t want her to be afraid. She is wearing a floral off-shoulder top and tight denim jeans. She took the sling bag and put it on her shoulder and left the room. I simply followed her from inside their house before riding a¡­ motorcycle?! She knows how to ride on a motorcycle?! Wow! I immediately followed her until wended somewhere. There are only coffees here and some drinks. There are also human foods like cake. As long as I remember Josh taught me, it¡¯s called a cafe. She sat in a corner and took out his phone. She tapped it but immediately put it back inside her bag. I looked around inside. It smells good inside and feels good because the temperature is just right. The design around is also nice and the aroma of coffee smells good inside. This ce is perfect for humans who like to study. Most of what I see here are people who read. I was still looking around the cafe when I heard a bell on the door. There I saw a woman enter. Her face was familiar as if I had seen her somewhere. She was wearing a white croptop shirt and denim skirt. I raised an eyebrow when she went in Sazharina¡¯s direction earlier. What will he do with Sazha? He might do something bad! But my doubts disappeared when Sazharina¡¯s face lit up when she saw her. They even kissed each other¡¯s cheeks before the girl sat down. So, she was Sazharina¡¯s friend? Yikes, I feel bad for thinking bad about her. But can you me me?! I¡¯m really anxious by those around Sazharina! They might be members of Dark Ridges! Just a few minutester, they were talking happily while there was food in front of them. I sat down in an empty seat, and there was a woman sitting across from me staring intently at the screen in front of her. I was just staring at Sazharina when the girl I shared the table with suddenly acted weird. She rubbed her arm as if it was cold. She was also not at ease where she was sitting until he called one of the workers here at the cafe. ¡°S-sir, I think your air conditioner is too strong,¡± I heard her say to the cafe staff. The man he was talking to creased his forehead. ¡°Are you sure, Ma¡¯am? The temperature of our air conditioner is just right for this cafe. We don¡¯t move it.¡± The man looked at the air conditioner before looking back at the girl. The woman just nodded before turning her gaze again. A few momentster, the woman was shivering from the cold. ¡°S-sir! It¡¯s r-really cold h-here! Are y-you sure you didn¡¯t touch your thermostat?¡± The woman stammered because she was really cold. ¡°Ma¡¯am, you¡¯re the only one who feels that. Look at our other customers,¡± He turned his gaze around, ¡°none of them feel too cold.¡± ¡°Oh, gosh! This cafe of yours is scary! My hair is still standing on end! It¡¯s creepy!¡± the woman replied back, still rubbing her arm. The staff just sighed while shaking his head. Maybe he thinks the girl is just acting. She is offensive. She made me look like a ghost because of his feelings! Just sitting there, is it my fault that she feels strongly about creatures like me?! ¡°Gosh! It¡¯s really creepy! I¡¯ll just go out!¡± The other customers turned around because of the woman¡¯s speech. Even Sazharina and her friend turned to the woman in confusion. ¡°Miss, maybe you¡¯re just sick,¡± said the man next to our table. ¡°What sick?! A sick in my brain?¡± the woman answered back. It¡¯s irritating. ¡°Maybe.¡± The man at the other table answered with a shrug. The othersughed, making the woman¡¯s head even hotter. ¡°Grr!¡± The woman hurriedly packed her things and left the cafe. The other customers just shook their heads because of her behavior before going back to their work. I turned to Sazharina¡¯s direction when I heard what she said. ¡°No, Steph, I¡¯m just here to cool off. I have something to do after, so I can¡¯te with you.¡± The Steph she was talking to just nodded before they said goodbye and left the cafe. I quickly followed it to find a ce where I could pretend to be a human. I can¡¯t wait to spend the rest of my time with her again¡­ And to practice my acting skills. I feel bad though. I don¡¯t want to lie to her but what can I do? She can¡¯t know my true personality right now. Soon, she will also know the truth¡­ and I hope she can still ept me¡­ I quickly entered the cafe and pretended to order. I smiled secretly when I saw from the corner of my eye Sazharina¡¯s eyes widen as she looked at me. ¡°Antricus?!¡± She screamed in shock so that the others turned to her but she ignored it. Here we go, time to put up my acting skills. ¡°Wow, why do you look so shocked-HEY!¡± But I didn¡¯t expect that she would suddenly hug me. Damn, that was so unexpected. I hugged her back and simply smelled her. She smells good. I just hugged her even though I could feel the strong beating of my heart. ¡°Did you miss me?¡± I smirked. She invited me to sit in her friend¡¯s ce earlier. She yfully rolled her eyes but she also couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°Hmm, slight?¡± I rolled my eyes at her, slightly chuckling. ¡°Just a little? Are you sure?¡± She giggled. ¡°All right, so much!¡± I also giggled because of her cuteness. Damn, I missed her so much. ¡°As expected.¡± We bothughed. ¡°So what happened to you? Why did you suddenly disappear?¡± she asked after a while. A moment of my challenge in acting¡­ Sorry, my baby. I don¡¯t wanna lie to you but I don¡¯t have a choice. I heaved a sigh and smiled weakly at her. And that cue, my acting has just begun. ¡°Well, these past few days, my family often gets into trouble. Papa and our neighbor often fight over a piece of property.¡± Well, Dark Ridges is our neighbor and Sazharina is our property. I think I¡¯m smart for making up such scenes. I saw her smile quickly disappear from her face so I quickly thought of a way to make up for it. ¡°But of course, Papa is his opponent. In the end, the property is still ours. We really fought for the property because I know it¡¯s ours,¡± I retorted while staring at him. She is mine, she is ours. And no one can get her. ¡°OMG! It¡¯s good and the property is still yours!¡± Se said happily while still getting apuse. I smiled. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s really ours.¡± She sighed. ¡°You¡¯re good to go out,¡± she said with a pout. My forehead was wrinkled. ¡°What do you mean, Que-Sazha?¡± Damn. ¡°Because I¡¯m grounded in my room for one week.¡± ¡°What?!¡± I asked in surprise. She was a little surprised so I apologized. Is that why we can¡¯t detect her behavior because she is grounded in her room? Why? ¡°Yes.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Mommy got angry because she thought I was lying to her.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± I¡¯m curious. I need to know why his mother did that to her. ¡°About the underground.¡± I was surprised by her revtion but I didn¡¯t show it. So she knew?! Does she know about the underground? Did she see anything suspicious there? ¡°W-what do you mean?¡± Fvck, don¡¯t stutter! She heaved a sigh and yed with her lips. ¡°Maybe because you don¡¯t believe me, eh,¡±she said softly. I smiled at her. ¡°Tell me, Sazha. I¡¯ll try to believe what you say. But if you¡¯re notfortable, keep that. I¡¯ll just wait for the time when you feelfortable saying what you want to say.¡± She sighed in relief. ¡°P-promise?¡± Iughed when she raised her pinky finger. I also lifted mine and folded it, creating a pinky promise. ¡°Promise.¡± ¡°That underground because-¡± But she didn¡¯t finish what she said when suddenly we heard a shout somewhere near the cafe. He screamed so loudly that other customers also heard it. ¡°HELP! HELP ME! Sazharina and I looked at each other and seemed to have the same thoughts so we left the cafe together and hurriedly tracked down the person asking for help. We went to him quickly because we heard the scream nearby. ¡°W-what happened, mister?¡± Sazharina asked the man. The man faced her and both of us were shocked when he knelt down in front of us.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Please! Help me! My brother is missing! H-he was j-just with me before w-when I was shopping, he suddenly disappeared!¡± He stammered his story to us before bursting into tears again. ¡°Calm down, mister. Tell us what happened calmly so we can help you,¡± Sazharina calmlyforted him. I couldn¡¯t even see the panic on her face. The man sniffed before speaking again. ¡°A while ago we were just shopping here near the c-cafe, then he just held on to my clothes because he might lose them. Then t-that¡¯s when I just noticed f-for a moment, I-I couldn¡¯t see him!¡± He started crying again so I stopped him. ¡°Breathe, mister. Take a deep breath. How can we help your brother if you don¡¯t want to tell the whole story?¡± He stopped crying so he continued to tell the story. ¡°T-then t-the person who saw it said, s-someone took him who was riding in a van! They said they couldn¡¯t stop him because the person who took him had a gun. Please, maybe that man wants a ransom! Help me! Sazharina just stared at him as if weighing what the man was saying in front of us. ¡°Are you sure?¡± I looked at Sazharina in shock at what she asked. She just stared at the man as if reading his mind. Wait¡­ mind reading?! That¡¯s right! Why can¡¯t I read this man¡¯s mind?! I stared into his eyes even though he tried to avoid them. And there, I read his mind. This man tsk, tsk, tsk¡­ ¡°Liar.¡± Sazharina whispered. I grinned in my mind. So, she knew, huh? ¡°I agree,¡± I answered what Sazharina said. I saw that the man was sweating and became anxious. I also couldn¡¯t see the avoidance of his gaze as if he was looking for something wherever hended. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! Help me find my brother!¡± ¡°Stop the act, mister.¡± Sazharina slowly approached him and I was surprised when she ruffled the man¡¯s hair. It fell on the floor and people gasped. People murmured because they recognized the man in front of us. It¡¯s not familiar to me because I don¡¯t live here. ¡°OMG! He¡¯s that gang member who cheated to ask for money!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s him! ¡°I thought he was already imprisoned?¡± I heard people whispering around. After a while I heard a sound from not far away. The red and blue lights on the top of the vehicle are also eye-catching. ¡°The police are here!¡± I heard a man scream next to me. It¡¯s called police¡­ I was surprised when the man tried to run away but people immediately stopped him so Sazharina quickly chased him. She immediately punched the man so that he fell to his knees. The police arrived and caught the man and put him in their car. I heard apuse around me and most of them were looking at Sazharina, who was looking at me. ¡°You did a great job, hon,¡± Iplimented her andughed when her cheeks turned red. ¡°T-thanks,¡± she answered blushing while looking away from me. I justughed at him and asked him to leave. Today is a tiring yet wonderful day for me. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m tired or not. As long as I¡¯m with her, I will never get tired. As long as I¡¯m with her that¡¯s enough for me. I want to be with her in everything, bad or good. ¡°Let¡¯s go home, hon.¡± I smiled as she spoke, especially when she wrapped her hand around my arm. Yeah, we¡¯re indeed going home. Home in each other¡¯s arms. CHAPTER 9 A/N: Back to Sazha¡¯s POV SAZHARINA¡¯S POV ¡°MY GOD, SAZHA! SLOW DOWN!¡± I let out a loudugh after I heard his rant. After what happened earlier at the cafe, I invited him home to introduce him to Mom. We had no choice but to ride my motorcycle. But me being the badass girl who loves to tease others, I sped up running so we were almost flying on the road. He hugged my waist tightly as if he was going to die at any moment. It¡¯s fun seeing him like this though! I just sped up my running which was not enough, there was still a fire effect in the gutter of our road to make it look like in action movies. I justughed because Antricus was like a baby behind me clinging to me.This content ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t much traffic so we could joyride freely. ¡°NO, THIS IS FUN!¡± I shouted. This is indeed fun-especially with a tarsier clinging to my waist. It¡¯s inspiring to keep speeding up my motorcycle. ¡°WE MAY RUN OVER!¡± he said so I couldn¡¯t do anything but slow down my pace a little. I looked at the meter and it passed to 40km/h. Geez. It took us a few moments to reach the house. I looked at Antricus and burst outughing when I saw him pale and stunned. It was as if he had seen a ghost. ¡°You looked like you saw a ghost,¡± I teased him while still holding my stomach because ofughter. ¡°W-what the fvck was that, Sazha?¡± He turned to me with his eyes widening slightly. Iughed. ¡°A joyride.¡± ¡°You called that ¡®joyride¡¯?!¡± He said as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. Iughed again. ¡°Yes, it was fun, wasn¡¯t it?¡± He just frowned and cried like a child. ¡°I will never ride your motorcycle again!¡± he shouted. He sniffed as if he had a cold even though he didn¡¯t. And then, I dirty thought came into my mind. It was fun teasing him, so what if I tease him more? I¡¯ll just want to see how he will react. I smirked in my mind at that thought. ¡°You don¡¯t want to ride on my motorcycle anymore?¡± I snorted and pouted like a child. He immediately shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to! I want to live for a long time, no!¡± A devilish grin stered on my mouth. ¡°Then ride me instead,¡± I seductively said and winked at him. I stoppedughing when I saw how his eyes widened as if he had seen something horrible. And his cheeks were red as tomatoes. Damn! His reaction is funny hahahahahahahaha!! ¡°W-what¡­¡± He pointed at me while his cheeks were still red. ¡°Y-you¡¯re k-kidding, a-aren¡¯t you?¡± I smiled innocently and shook my head at him. ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m serious.¡± He blushed even more so I couldn¡¯t stopughing. I almost fell from where I was standing if I didn¡¯t hold onto the motorcycle. He seemed to realize that I was just tripping him so he red at me. ¡°It wasn¡¯t funny!¡± he whined when I still didn¡¯t stopughing. I stoppedughing and slightly caught my breath. I looked at him who was looking at me with folded arms. ¡°Yes, it was!¡± I answered back. He was about to answer when our gate opened and Mommy appeared there wearing a white shirt and red leggings. He was even surprised when he caught me outside; while he hadn¡¯t noticed Antricus behind me. ¡°Oh, what are you doing here outside? Get in.¡± Mom said. I turned my back and Mommy also turned her gaze to him. She immediately frowned and turned to me in surprise. ¡°Uh¡­ Mom, this is Antricus, he¡¯s my friend,¡± I introduced Antricus while gesturing to her with my hand. Mom formed an ¡®o¡¯ in her mouth before looking at me teasingly. I red at her because I knew what she was thinking. She took us to the living room while she went straight to the kitchen so that my ¡®guest¡¯ and I would have something to eat. I still had to make her blink because her eyes and voice did not escape the teasing of me. Yeah, she was thinking that Antricus was just more than my friend. She was always like that so I¡¯m used to it. The only difference is that I introduced a man to the house again after two years. Thest man I brought here was my past fling, Blue. Mommy knew him as my projectmate before but she didn¡¯t know that Blue was my fling at the time. I was 17 years old at that time, and I didn¡¯t really know anything about thing like that. Like I said, I am a curious girl. I love to discover and explore new things. It¡¯s just like those times when almost all of my girl ssmates when I was 17 had flings. Then I didn¡¯t know what does flings means so I asked them but they didn¡¯t give me an exact answer; instead they looked for me and it was Blue. We became flings for almost 4 months and it would havested longer if they hadn¡¯t migrated to Australia. I didn¡¯t regret that he became my fling though, since he was aplete package. Then my first boyfriend was Kale when I was 18. We became a couple for 7 months but we also broke up when I found out that he had a girlfriend for a long time before he became my boyfriend. And worst of all, he even got her pregnant! I was still attached and looked bad! Until now, my anger towards that Kale has not disappeared. And that won¡¯t go away until I hear him say sorry. I was back in reality when something poked my cheeks. I looked and saw Antricus looking at me. Only then did I know that it was his finger that poked my cheek. ¡°You¡¯re spacing out. Are you okay?¡± he asked, concern was evident in his voice. He removed his index finger from my cheek. I nodded with a smile. ¡°Yeah, just remembered something.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± I looked at Mommy when I saw her carrying a tray with cake and orange juice. Antricus helped him and Mommy just thanked him. ¡°Like old things,¡± I answered before taking a juice and drinking it. Just now I felt my throat dry because I didn¡¯t finish the drink I had earlier at the cafe and I wasughing so hard earlier. ¡°Do you mean your past flings are ¡®old things¡¯?¡± My eyes widened at Mommy¡¯s sudden question. ¡°Mom! What are you saying? So embarrassing!¡± I hissed. I looked at Antricus with an emotionless face and slightly dark eyes. It somehow bothered me but I just ignored it. ¡°What? That¡¯s the truth, honey.¡± Mom said. I yfully rolled my eyes on her, ignoring Antricus¡¯ dark aura and his heavy gaze on me. ¡°And oh, Antricus, don¡¯t you have nicknames? Your name¡¯s too long.¡± I cringed when my Mom pouted like a child. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t have one, Aunt¡­¡± Antricus answered gently. ¡°Aww,¡± Mommy turned to me. ¡°Sazha, give him a nickname!¡± My eyes widened and looked anxiously at Antricus who now pursed his lips. Based on his reaction, it seems that he is notfortable with someone giving him a nickname. ¡°I-I don¡¯t think Antricus like one¡­¡± I looked at Antricus¡¯ face again and creased my forehead when I saw him looking panicked. Antricus faked a cough so Mom and I looked at him. ¡°I-It¡¯s fine with me, I agree with Ma¡¯am somehow about my name.¡± Mom giggled. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t call me Ma¡¯am, call me Aunt instead,¡± she said to Antricus and I couldn¡¯t help it when he looked at me and winked at me. Grr, Mom¡¯s obviously ying me. Antricus smiled. ¡°Okay, Aunt. ¡°So, what are you two gonna do here, Tray and Sazha?¡± I frowned when Mommy suddenly called us. Even Antricus seemed surprised but I could see amusement in his eyes. ¡°What?¡± Mom whimpered when she saw us frowning at her. ¡°You don¡¯t want to give him a nickname, so I did instead.¡± ¡°Tray¡¯s sounds good, Aunt,¡± praised Antricus-I mean, Tray to Mommy so she pped with joy. ¡°OMG! I knew it!¡± I just giggled out of nowhere because of Mommy¡¯s behavior-although she is always like this when I introduce a boy to her, but not like now when she acts like a child. Usually, when I introduced my ¡®projectmate¡¯ to her, she didn¡¯t say anything but you wouldn¡¯t have seen her look bad at Blue then. As for Kale, she was still a bit heavy hearted when I introduced him as my ¡®boyfriend¡¯, but she didn¡¯t object to our rtionship. Mom has always been supportive to me. She always supports me in what I want as long as I¡¯m happy there. But even so, I know my limits as her daughter. It¡¯s not because she¡¯s supportive of me, I¡¯ll use that to do nasty things. Mom was kind, and I didn¡¯t want toe when she restricted me just because I exceeded my limit. And I don¡¯t want to disappoint her. That¡¯s why I¡¯m doing everything to repay her for all the goodness she gave me. ¡°Honey, you wannae with us?¡± I snapped back in reality when I heard my Mom spoke. He was about to cook lunch and Antricus-I mean Tray insisted that he wants to help Mom in the kitchen. I think I need to get used to being called Tray. Mom made a good nickname for him. It was easier for us to call him. ¡°Actually, I can¡¯t, Mom. I¡¯ll just get something from my room but this will be quick. Have fun!¡± I answered and said goodbye to them. I don¡¯t know what they will cook but knowing Mom, I know she will cook more than one dish especially when we have guests at home. When I entered my room, I immediately cleaned it and put away my clutter. I also fixed the books that were scattered in my room because I only did reading during the one week I was locked in the room. As I was putting all my books back on the shelf, I noticed a strange book at the very end of my bookshelf. And yes, I have my own bookshelf in my room because I¡¯m a bookworm. I love reading books. In fact, I¡¯d rather spend my free time with books than hanging out with fake people. As I mentioned earlier, I did notice a strange book ced at the far end of my shelf. I can¡¯t help but wonder, when has there been a book like this on the farthest part of my shelf? As far as I can remember, I always clean it to keep my books clean because I am allergic to dust. But why does a book suddenly appear here? And when has this ever happened? My curiosity couldn¡¯t take it all so I took the book. I was even surprised because there were only a few pages but it was heavy. Its cover is hard-bound but it¡¯s not enough for it to be this heavy. If I weigh it, maybe it will weigh three to four kilos. It is so heavy that I have to sit on my bed to lift the book properly. I ran my index finger over it and I was even surprised because the cover is so smooth, it¡¯s not like when you just look at it you think it¡¯s rough. His cover is strange because it seems to have a symbol in the middle. The color of the book cover is wooden brown and there are tree designs on the sides. In the very center is engraved a circr design that lights up like a portal, you think it¡¯s a button that can be pressed but it¡¯s just a design. This book has such a weird design. It is well designed but heavy. In the middle of the designed portal, the writing is like Latin so I can¡¯t read it. Maybe the back cover of this book has the trantion on what is written on the front cover. I was about to look behind it but someone knocked on the door. In my panic I threw it under my bed. I don¡¯t know but someone seems to be telling me that only I can see this book. I looked at the door again when someone knocked on it again. ¡°Sazha? Your Mom¡¯s calling you, we¡¯re about to eat.¡± I heard Tray say from outside. ¡°Coming!¡± I answered and fixed myself for a moment. When I opened the door, I saw Tray hanging on the railings of the second floor. His arms were still crossed while looking at me. He smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I smiled back. I was surprised when he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. I tried to struggle but his grip on my waist was too tight. ¡°Careful.¡± My breath hitched when I heard his husky voice whispering in my ear. We were going down the stairs and I was struggling in his grip. ¡°Then let me go,¡± I hissed. He just stared at me and smirked. I was about to answer him again when Mommy looked at us and smiled widely. ¡°Wow, so sweet, honey!¡± Mom gave me a wicked grin then wiggled her brows. I just got tired because he was teasing again. ¡°Let¡¯s just eat, Mom,¡± I said dismissively. I removed Tray¡¯s arm from my waist and fortunately he didn¡¯t stop me. ¡°We cooked three dishes, honey. First, your favorite Adobo, then Menudo, and Beef Steak!¡± Mom happily gestured at the food she and Tray cooked. I even wondered why Mommy cooked Adobo when I didn¡¯t request it. But my question was answered when Mommy spoke again, making my chest thump. ¡°Tray asked me earlier what your favorite food is, so I told him Adobo is your favorite. Then after that, he asked me to teach him how to cook it, so that¡¯s it, even if you didn¡¯t request it, there is Adobo in front of you.¡± My cheeks flushed when I looked at Tray who¡¯s also looking at me intently. It¡¯s like he¡¯s watching my reaction. Well, it made my heart flutter and I can feel something on my stomach. I smiled at him and I mouthed a ¡®thank you¡¯ before Mom got my attention again. She invited us to eat while we talked. I have also jokingly tormented Mommy a few times because she was telling Tray about the embarrassing events of my childhood. Tray was justughing so I red at him. Looks like he has a new prank to do to me. ¡°So¡­ How did you two meet?¡± I looked at Tray when I felt that he was stunned by Mommy¡¯s question. Meanwhile, I only felt surprise because it just dawned on me that they didn¡¯t know each other. But didn¡¯t Mom invite him on my 19th birthday? It was impossible for her to forget immediately when just over a week had passed. ¡°Mom, don¡¯t you remember?¡± I kept asking Mom who was just waiting for our answer. It was time for her to knot her brows. ¡°Which?¡± ¡°Tray said you invited-¡± I couldn¡¯t finish what I was going to say when Tray cut me off. ¡°I-I w-was invited on her 19th birthday, Tita¡­¡± He looked away after saying that. ¡°Invited? Were you with some of our guests before? Whose child are you?¡± Mom asked Tray one question after another who now didn¡¯t know what to answer first. ¡°Y-you invited me alone, Aunt.¡± I just frowned as they talked. I don¡¯t get it. Why didn¡¯t Mom recognize him right away? It is impossible for Mom to forget immediately because even though she is in her mid-30¡¯s her memory is still very sharp. He remembers everything even the smallest details that¡¯s why it¡¯s hard for me to lie to him. Mom, like me, also frowned but slowly nodded. ¡°Oh¡­ It looks like I invited a man then,¡± Mom replied, making Tray breathe a sigh of relief. After a few moments, everything was back to normal. Mommy even took us to her garden to get some fresh air. My Mom¡¯s garden has been my safe ce since I was young. I have an allergy and every time that it attacks, Ie here to breathe fresh air. There are also times when I even build my own tent here and sleep inside until morning. Mommy doesn¡¯t stop me because our fence is high and it¡¯s really hard to climb, so sleeping here is somehow safe. Grandma just got angry when she found out I was sleeping outside. I don¡¯t know, Grandma has always been really protective of me since I was a child. That even mosquitoes don¡¯t want to touch my skin because my skin is said to be sensitive. But no matter how strict L is, I still miss her. It¡¯s been two years since Ist saw him. Grandma is in Switzend now with Tita Ind. Aunt Ind was my real father¡¯s sister. Even Tita does not know the location of my real father. None of us know where he lives now, even L always says ¡®I have no idea where he lives¡¯ whenever I ask where my real father is. Don¡¯t get me wrong, I love my Daddy Uncle but the protection I¡¯m looking for is still different from my real father. Daddy Uncle was the father I recognized since I was born into this world. He is my father because my real father does not exist. That¡¯s why I call him Daddy Uncle because I¡¯m like his daughter but the truth is that I¡¯m just his nephew. He is Mommy¡¯s older brother and when he found out that I don¡¯t recognize my father, he himself said that he will be my father. Daddy Uncle is single and has no children so he is very happy that he has child. He is in 40¡¯s now and yet, he didn¡¯t even have a wife or a child because of being a workaholic. He owns a multi-billion clothingpany, which he says I will inherit when I turn 25 years old so that I can somehow enjoy my single life before I am immersed in work when he passes hispany to me. Now he is in Dubai for a business trip and he will be there for two months. He has been there for a month so maybe this month he will go home. Going back, Tray was very happy while observing Mom¡¯s various nts and flowers in the garden. ¡°This is so much better than to our world¡­¡± I heard Tray say as he ran his hand over the flowers. Mommy was out because she said she was going to bury Tray with food because she had already told Mommy that she was going home. ¡°What world, Tray?¡± I asked him. He jumped in shock and held his chest while looking at me pale. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder because of what he reacted. ¡°W-were you s-still t-there?¡± He stammered his question. ¡°Hmm, not long enough to hear what you said,¡± I answered. ¡°So, what world?¡± ¡°Uh.. ¡± ¡°Tray! Here¡¯s your foodie!¡± We turned to Mom who happily walked towards us while holding tworge tupperware with only food. Tray immediately epted it and thanked him. Mom just talked to him for a while and told him toe back here before we said goodbye. ¡°Thank you for this, Sazha. I¡¯ll go now, bye!¡± I was surprised when he kissed me on the cheek so I didn¡¯t move immediately. I just blinked and was surprised to see that he was no longer in front of me. Damn, how fast. I just shook my head and went back to my room. And he¡¯s weird, too. CHAPTER 10 SAZHARINA¡¯S POV I IMMEDIATELY went to my room after Tray left. Mommy was just reading magazines in the living room but she said she woulde to talk to meter. I don¡¯t even know what we¡¯re talking about. It could be about the uing school year, my status, my health, or¡­ maybe about¡­ him. After I got to the room, I immediately peeked under my bed to get the book from earlier. But to my horror, it was no longer there. Not even a trace of a book under my bed. How did this happen? I only found out about that earlier when Tray knocked to pick me up because we were about to eat, weren¡¯t we? I didn¡¯t put anything else in it. I peeked under my bed again and felt it because the book might have just gone to the farthest part of the bottom of my bed. But still nothing. I tried to illuminate the under part of my bed using my cellphone¡¯s shlight, but to my dismay there was nothing there. I tried to find it in the other corner of my room because I might have misced it. I peeked into the bathroom and opened the cabs there even though I knew what I was looking for wasn¡¯t there. I have also opened the other cab here in my room but the book is not there. ¡°Where is that now?¡± I whispered softly to myself as I scratched my head because of the frustration I was feeling. ¡°Fuck it!¡± I just kicked the cab next to me because I was so annoyed. I¡¯m tired of looking for that book but there really isn¡¯t any! It¡¯s impossible to just disappear there suddenly, isn¡¯t it?! I just gasped andy down on my bed staring at the ceiling. I know it¡¯s just here. It can¡¯t just disappear all of a sudden, can it? Unless someone takes it. But it¡¯s impossible that someone stole it! It can¡¯t suddenly return to the bookshelf on its own? Or¡­ I got up and looked at the bookshelf. This is the only thing I can¡¯t look at because I¡¯ve ransacked everything in the room. Even though I knew it was impossible that the book was there, I looked anyway. I slowly opened the books until I found the book I was looking for. I was immediately terrified because of the sudden blowing of the wind. Still, I¡¯m happy to see the book again-even if I¡¯m scared because I don¡¯t know how it got there. I was about to get it when there was a knock on the door. I closed my eyes in annoyance before deciding to open it. One of our maids turned to me. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Ma¡¯am, your Mommy is calling you. She said you should go to her room,¡± said our maid. I just nodded at him and smiled. ¡°Tell her I¡¯ming.¡± The maid also nodded before leaving. I returned the book. ¡°I¡¯ll check you out,ter,¡± I whispered to the book even though it couldn¡¯t hear. I turned around and was about to turn the lock on the door when the book suddenly lit up. I don¡¯t know if I was just squinting or if it really lit up. I checked the book and there was no sign that anything had changed in the book. The cover is still the same and the weight is still the same since I lifted it earlier. ¡°I must be hallucinating again.¡± I just shook my head and left the room. ¡°You want to talk to me, Mom?¡± I asked Mommy as soon as I entered her room. Unlike my room, Mommy¡¯s room is quiterge. The wall color of her room is wooden brown and its balcony is wider than the balcony of my room. She also has more things here unlike my room. And there, I found Mom sitting on the couch while reading a book. In front of her was a small table, and it had a drawer underneath full of pocketbooks. I inherited my bookworm from my mommy so she supported me when I wanted to buy books. ¡°Yes.¡± She ced the book on the table before looking up. ¡°Have a seat, honey.¡± I sat next to him before facing him in surprise. ¡°What now, Mom?¡± I asked immediately. I want this conversation to end. She frowned. ¡°You seem to be in a hurry, are you busy?¡± Mommy must have noticed that I was in a hurry. ¡°Uh, no, Mom. I¡¯m fixing something in my room.¡± I lied. Because Mom can¡¯t know about the book. Maybe the next thing she says will make me go crazy. She nodded and adjusted her reading sses. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± I sat up when I heard his serious voice. ¡°W-what is it, Mom?¡± ¡°About Tray.¡± She smiled. I arched a brow, urging her to continue. And so she did. ¡°Well, I think he¡¯s a perfect man for you. Kind, handsome, helpful, respectful, and a gentleman.¡± She paused and heaved a sigh. ¡°So, if you would make him your boyfriend next time, I¡¯ll support you right now.¡± My eyes widened at what Mom said. I couldn¡¯t process that she immediately agreed to me having a rtionship with Tray when she had just met him. Whereas with Kale, she was not like that. She was even angry when she found out that Kale had been cheating on me for a long time and even made me a mistress. But why did she allow Tray so easily? Mommy is not like that with men. She¡¯s the one who prevents anyone from flirting with me because she says I¡¯m too young. ¡°W-why all of the sudden, Mom?¡± I asked confused. ¡°Well¡­¡± Mom heaved a sigh. ¡°I think you¡¯re already old enough for a romantic and serious rtionship.¡± ¡°Mom! It¡¯s not because I¡¯m neen that I¡¯m going to have a rtionship again!¡± I protested. ¡°Perhaps you are forgetting that what you caused me during my past rtionship still hurts?¡± Mom stared at me intently before heaving a sigh again. She just nodded because she knew he couldn¡¯t force me to have a rtionship again because he witnessed how hurt I was when Kale hurt me. She saw how I would cry every night and ask myself if there was something wrong with me that he managed to fool me. I know I was too young then but my love for him was pure. He was the first man I loved but I was hurt in the end. I¡¯ll just choose my past fling Blue over him. With Blue there is no intimacy between us. We only have flirting and no serious feelings. ¡°Alright. I won¡¯t force you. But make time for yourself to heal, hmm? I feel good about Tray. I know he can take care of you unlike your bastard ex.¡± I chuckled. ¡°Yes, Mom. Who knows, if we continue going out, I might develop feelings for him,¡± I promised with a shrug. That is not really impossible, especially since I can quickly be attached to a man. Especially like Tray. Mom sighed in relief. ¡°Okay, go back to your room. I¡¯ll call you after dinner, hm?¡± I just nodded to Mom and kissed her cheek. I immediately left his room because I was itching to hold the book again and know its contents. But I was surprised by what I found. I couldn¡¯t believe what I saw that if I had just had a heart attack I might have passed out. Damn¡­ ~~~ ANTRICUS¡¯ POV I WAS very scared while riding Sazharina¡¯s motorcycle. She was running so fast that I could hardly see anyone on the road because the motorcycle we were riding was really fast. I told him several times to slow down because we could have an ident but she justughed at me. She said it was fun. Geez, she¡¯s even scarier than Josh when he drives a motorcycle. ¡°WE MAY RUN OVER!¡± I yelled at Sazha as she sped up the operation even more. Fortunately, she has slowed down the running but the speed is still there. Because of her fast motor operation, we reached their house in just a few minutes. Sheughed when he saw my paleness. I didn¡¯t realize that I was turning pale from fear. She¡¯s really scary to run with because she¡¯s so fast. To estimate, we were over 40km/h. She is faster than Josh. ¡°You looked like you saw a ghost,¡± she teased while holding her stomach because ofughing earlier. ¡°W-what the fvck was that, Sazha?¡± I turned to her with my eyes widening slightly. That ride was hell. Sheughed. ¡°A joyride.¡± ¡°You called that ¡®joyride¡¯?!¡± I scoffed. Joyride that we almost ran over. Fortunately, there weren¡¯t many people on our way so she was free to ¡®joyride¡¯. Sheughed again. ¡°Yes, it was fun, wasn¡¯t it?¡± I¡¯m just bbergasted and frowned. ¡°I will never ride your motorcycle again!¡± I shouted. She stared at me stupidly as if something was going on in her brain. ¡°You don¡¯t want to ride on my motorcycle anymore?¡± she snorted and pouted like a child. I immediately shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to! I want to live for a long time, no!¡± A devilish grin stered on her mouth. ¡°Then ride me instead,¡± she seductively said and winked at me. My eyes widened and I felt like I was being set on fire because of the heat on my cheeks. But all of these, I can feel this burning sensation inside my body. I¡¯m not innocent because I know this thing. I¡¯m not young enough not to feel this way. And I also know how it feels because Josh has told me this. I feel aroused. ¡°W-what¡­¡± I pointed at her while looking unbelievably at her. ¡°Y-you¡¯re k-kidding, a-aren¡¯t you?¡± She gotta be kidding. Damn, her mouth is so-damn, I can¡¯t describe it. I was shocked. She smiled innocently and shook my head at me. ¡°Of course not! I¡¯m serious.¡± Oh, boy¡­ I blushed even more so she couldn¡¯t stopughing. She even held onto his motorbike because ofughter. And it felt like a lightning struck into me. ¡°It wasn¡¯t funny!¡± I whined when I realized that she was just teasing me. ¡°Yes, it was!¡± she answered back.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. I was about to answer when the middle-aged woman wearing a shirt and leggings appeared. I recognized her because she was the woman I put magic on her stomach when Sazharina and I first met. ¡°Oh, what are you doing here outside? Get in.¡± Her mom said. She must not have seen me yet so Sazharina turned to me and her Mommy automatically looked at me. Her eyes widened slightly before turning to Sazharina. ¡°Uh¡­ Mom, this is Antricus, he¡¯s my friend.¡± Sazharina introduced me while gesturing her hand. Her Mom formed an ¡®o¡¯ in her mouth before looking at her. I didn¡¯t know what to say then but I saw Sazharina frowning at her. Her Mommy took us to the living room and she went to the kitchen to prepare us a snack. I looked around their house again as if I had never been here before. Nothing has changed and their house still screams luxury. I waited a few more minutes before I turned to Sazharina who was dumbfounded and seemed to be deep in thought. I poked him on the cheek with my index finger and he was surprised. ¡°You¡¯re spacing out. Are you okay?¡± I asked. I couldn¡¯t help but worry because I knew something was bothering him. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t read it. She odded with a smile. ¡°Yeah, just remembered something.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± We looked at her Mommy when she came with a cake and orange juice. I helped her and she thanked me. ¡°Like old things.¡± Sazharina answered before taking a juice and drinking it. ¡°Do you mean your past flings are ¡®old things¡¯?¡± His mom suddenly asked, making Sazharina¡¯s eyes widen. My forehead was wrinkled because I couldn¡¯t understand what her Mommy said. But I know he¡¯s referring to ¡®flings¡¯ as men, so I can¡¯t help but darken my eyes. My jaw also clenched a little because of the jealousy I feel. Heck, yeah! I¡¯m jealous! I can¡¯t help but be jealous that Sazharina has had previous men in her life. ¡°Mom! What are you saying? So embarrassing!¡± she hissed. She looked at me but immediately looked away. She must have noticed my dark mood. ¡°What? That¡¯s the truth, honey.¡± Her Mom said. She just shrugged it and ignored my heavy gaze. I looked at his Mommy when he suddenly mentioned me. ¡°And oh, Antricus, don¡¯t you have nicknames? Your name¡¯s too long.¡± She pouted like a child so I couldn¡¯t help but smile secretly. ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t have one, Aunt¡­¡± I answered gently. ¡°Aww,¡± Her Mom turned to Sazharina. ¡°Sazha, give him a nickname!¡± Oh.. A nickname, huh? What nickname is that? ¡°I-I don¡¯t think Antricus like one¡­¡± Sazharina looked at me and frowned when she saw me panicking. No! I want you to give me a nickname! And I want you to be the only one to call me. I faked a cough so they looked at me. ¡°I-It¡¯s fine with me, I agree with Ma¡¯am somehow about my name.¡± Oh, shoot. I should¡¯ve called her Aunt not Ma¡¯am. Her Mom giggled. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t call me Ma¡¯am, call me Aunt instead,¡± Aunt. like that. But that¡¯s only temporary because next time, I¡¯ll call you Mom. And I can¡¯t wait for that to happen. I smiled. ¡°Okay, Aunt. ¡°So, what are you two gonna do here, Tray and Sazha?¡± I was surprised when Tita suddenly called me Tray. ¡°What?¡± Aunt whimpered when she saw us frowning at her. ¡°You don¡¯t want to give him a nickname, so I did instead,¡± she said to Sazharina. ¡°Tray¡¯s sounds good, Aunt,¡± I truly praised. I didn¡¯t lie though. Tray really sounds good. ¡°OMG! I knew it!¡± I giggled when Tita pped in joy. She¡¯s cute. She looks like a kid. ¡°What food do you want to eat, Tray?¡± Tita asked me when she saw that it was about to have lunch. ¡°Uhm, anything, Aunt.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Really? Don¡¯t you have favorites?¡± I justughed. ¡°Seriously, whatever, Aunt. I¡¯m not picky about food.¡± ¡°Hmm, alright. I¡¯m gonna cook three meals, then tell me which of them do you like the most.¡± She then winked at me. I smiled and nodded at her. ¡°Yes, Aunt. And can I help you out? I want to learn to cook new meals.¡± I know how to cook. The food we eat in our world is different than here. ¡°Oh, really? Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± ¡°Of course not, Aunt. I¡¯m fine.¡± She shrugged her shoulders. ¡°Okay, if you insist.¡± I smiled. ¡°Thanks, Aunt.¡± She just smiled back before turning to Sazharina who was quietly beside us and seemed to be thinking something again. ¡°Honey, you wannae with us?¡± Aunt asked Sazharina. She turned to us and shook his head. ¡°Actually, I can¡¯t, Mom. I¡¯ll just get something from my room but this will be quick. Have fun!¡± She went up to his room so I just went with Tita to prepare the things to cook. ¡°Aunt?¡± I called her. She turned to me while putting on her apron. ¡°W-what is Sazharina¡¯s f-favorite food?¡± I looked away when I saw Aunt¡¯s teasing look at me. I can also feel my cheeks heating up. ¡°Why?¡± She asked me teasingly. I licked my lower lip before answering, ¡°Well, I want to cook her favorite food.¡± Aunt gave me a triumphant smile because of my honest answer. ¡°Sure! I¡¯d love to teach you, too.¡± And so, Aunt taught me to cook three dishes. She also taught me how to get the right vor by measuring the ingredients. While cooking beef steak, one of the dishes we will serve, she taught me how long to cook it. ¡°Because it depends on the food, whether she wants medium-rare cook or whatever way she wants it cooked. We have different tastes so we will depend on the food. But in Sazharina¡¯s case, she really likes it the fully cooked one,¡± Aunt exined at length while we were cooking the beef steak. Aunt also cooked Menudo and I just watched while she cooked it. I was also the one who tasted if the taste was right or what was missing or too much. Andstly, she taught me how to cook Sazharina¡¯s favorite dish Adobo. ¡°Add more sugar, Tray,¡± Tita ordered when she tasted the not yet cooked Adobo. I added just the right amount of sugar and mixed it again. She tasted it again and gave a ¡®thumbs-up¡¯ when the taste was perfect. ¡°Very good! This is very delicious!¡± Aunt was still pping and was very happy with what I did. My heart was embraced with warmth with Aunt¡¯spliment. When I am in our world, I am barelyplimented by anyone. It¡¯s not that I want to be praised all the time, but I just want them to pay attention to my efforts. I want to be praised not because of my work, but because of my effort. And Aunt nailed it. Sheplimented my effort. Sheplimented my work. ¡°Thank you, Aunt,¡± I sincerely replied. ¡°Aww, you don¡¯t have to thank me. Thank yourself! Thank yourself because you have achieved another achievement!¡± ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t have achieved this if you didn¡¯t help me.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Alright. You are very wee.¡± She then tapped my shoulders. ¡°Please call Sazha upstairs, hmm. I¡¯ll take care of setting the table here.¡± I nodded and went up to Sazharina¡¯s room. I saw it right away because there was a name engraved on the door. I knocked and she immediately opened the door for me. I smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± We just walked in the hallway and when we were near the stairs, I immediately grabbed her waist. I felt that she was surprised so I tightened my grip on her waist even more. ¡°Careful.¡± I whispered in her ear as we were going down the stairs and she was struggling in my arms. ¡°Then let me go,¡± she hissed. I just stared at her and smirked. Well, that¡¯s my payback for teasing me earlier. ¡°Wow, so sweet, honey!¡± Aunt teased Sazharina. But she seems tired because of Aunt¡¯s teasing her so she just ignored it. ¡°Let¡¯s just eat, Mom,¡± she said dismissively. She removed my grip from her waist and I just let her go. ¡°We cooked three dishes, honey. First, your favorite Adobo, then Menudo, and Beef Steak!¡± Tita happily gestured at the food she and I cooked. ¡°Tray asked me earlier what your favorite food is, so I told him Adobo is your favorite. Then after that, he asked me to teach him how to cook it, so that¡¯s it, even if you didn¡¯t request it, there is Adobo in front of you,¡± Aunt added. I saw how her cheeks flushed when she looked at me. I smiled in my mind because he was happy that someone cooked his favorite. She smiled at me and mouthed a ¡®thank you¡¯ before Aunt got her attention again. She invited us to eat while we talked. I justughed because Sazharina was already annoyed with Auntie because she told the story of the embarrassing things Sazharina did when she was a child. She looked at me so badly that I stoppedughing. Time flies so fast, and now I¡¯m here in their garden. I was about to leave but Tita stopped me because she said she was going to wrap food for me earlier so I could take it to my parents. We finished our meal quickly earlier and we didn¡¯t realize the time. But I was really nervous when he asked how Sazharina and I met. While the other one is confused about us and his Mommy. Because he doesn¡¯t know what I did to his Mommy on her birthday. But luckily, I convinced Aunt that she invited a boy for her daughter¡¯s birthday and it looks like she believed. And now, I¡¯m just here in the garden while waiting for her. Her garden is very beautiful and there are really many flowers. The flowers here are even better than ours. ¡°This is so much better than to our world¡­¡± I unconsciously whispered. But damn! I didn¡¯t know that Sazharina was there behind me! ¡°What world, Tray?¡± she asked me. ¡°W-were you s-still t-there?¡± I stammered my question. ¡°Hmm, not long enough to hear what you said,¡± she answered. ¡°So, what world?¡± ¡°Uh.. ¡± ¡°Tray! Here¡¯s your foodie!¡± Thank you, Aunt! You saved me! She brought two tupperwares and some food. I immediately epted it and thanked her. Aunt talked to me for a while and told me toe back here before we said goodbye. I just said goodbye to Sazharina before leaving in a hurry. I know she was confused by my actions but I just let it go. Damn, that was close. CHAPTER 11 ANTRICUS¡¯ POV AFTER I left Sazharina¡¯s house, I immediately went straight to Josh. I have to learn new words in the world of people again. If I want to stay here, I must know some human words and behaviors first. And Josh is the one I need. Josh is my human friend. He was the man who saw me using my power the first time I came here to the human world. I had to visit here to ask for a girl¡¯s birthday wish. Unfortunately, someone saw me using my power. And that was Josh. But I just thanked him that he wasn¡¯t afraid of me or that he didn¡¯t spread the word to other people that there was a fairy wandering around in their world. What he said was that their family believed in creatures like me and that it was normal for them to see fairies, ghosts, or even goblins. In fact, he even talked to me and I myself was scared of him instead of him being scared of me. Since then, we became friends. He always teaches me people¡¯s words when I visit here. It was like he became his teacher and I was his student. Years of learning, I learned to adapt to people¡¯s environment. I learned the habits that I must cultivate if I don¡¯t want to get hurt. And most of all, I learned to behave as a person. Because of my powers, I got to Josh¡¯s room. And as expected, he wasn¡¯t even surprised that I suddenly appeared in his room. Because he always tells me that he feels the presence of people like me. And he said that I was his only fairy friend so he got used to me. ¡°Oh, pre, what is your mission here? It looks like you made a wish again,¡± he said to me when I appeared in front of him. One more thing about him, he also likes me to tease like Gabriel and Isaac. ¡°I just visited a friend.¡± He turned to me because of my answer. ¡°A friend?¡± I nodded before sitting on his bed. ¡°I just came from their house.¡± He looked at me in shock as if he couldn¡¯t believe what I said. I can¡¯t me him though, I just told him that I visited a ¡®friend¡¯ because he knows that I onlye here to their world when I need to grant a wish. His eyes narrowed as if examining what I said. After a while, he grinned so stupidly that I couldn¡¯t help but roll my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think, Josh,¡± I quickly shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± He was still grinning so I looked at him evilly. He didn¡¯t care about that because he justughed at me. This guy is getting on my nerves. He was worse than Gabriel and Isaac. If these three will be together, I swear it would be a damn riot. Maybe even if I¡¯m a fairy, I¡¯ll die early. Fortunately, I need something from him now. Speaking of¡­ ¡°Anyway, I have a favor,¡± I said after a while. ¡°Spill.¡± ¡°I want you to teach me some human words again,¡± I requested. His forehead creased, confused. ¡°Why?¡± I averted my gaze on him. ¡°J-just teach me, p-please?¡± He was still looking at me full of wonder until he seemed to realize something. ¡°Hmm, something¡¯s up¡­¡± He said with a grin. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not in love!¡± I was quick to defend myself but I realized what I said toote because he was teasingly looking at me now while still grinning like a dog. Damn it. ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything, you¡¯re too defensive,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°Tch! Just teach me, please?¡± He smiled but the teasing was still there in his eyes. ¡°Alright, your highness.¡± ¡°JOSH WHAT THE HECK FUCKING SLOW DOWN!!!¡± I was panicking because he was driving his motorcycle so fast that we almost ran into each other earlier. It didn¡¯t matter to him because he didn¡¯t say a word but I knew he was smiling even though I couldn¡¯t see it because of what was in our heads that I don¡¯t know what it was, but he said we could use it so no one would recognize us on the road . Fortunately, no car was chasing us with red and blue lights. What do they call that thing again? Oh, a police¡­ But I almost cried because he sped up running even more that he almost surpassed Sazharina¡¯s running speed earlier. God, I almost took my life twice just because of riding a motorcycle. After a few moments, the speed of our motorcycle gradually slowed down until it finally stopped in front of a building that waspletely destroyed. There were also cracks in the walls as if something bad had happened. Even though its roof is still in good condition, it cannot be denied that it is really old. As far as I remember, this is the abandoned building that Josh once told me about. But what are we doing here? ¡°Come on, bud.¡± I looked at Josh when he tapped my shoulder and invited me in. I looked back at the building and hesitated whether to enter or not. It¡¯s not that I am scared to enter this abandoned building. Heck, I¡¯m a fairy, so why would I be afraid to enter this? My concern was that it is almost evening. In a few minutes it will be dark and I have to go back to our world because otherwise, I will be dead to my father. After all, what I said was that I was here quickly and would return to our world immediately but it took me a few hours. I was brought back to reality when I felt a tap on my shoulder again. ¡°Hey,e on,¡± Josh said but I didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± He asked me calmly. He must have noticed my bickering to went inside. I just shook my head. I looked back and forth between him and the building before sighing. Maybe we will stay inside for a while. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go,¡± I said. He just smiled before we continued, but first we broke a yellow thing on the way. I even read the writing ¡®Do not enter. Private property¡¯. I don¡¯t know what it was for but I just followed Josh. When we reached the entrance of the building, I was shocked when Josh turned something and in a sh I saw the inside of this building. I just stared in shock because there were so many people working around. I can still hear something clicking. ¡°W-what is t-this, Josh?¡± I shockinly asked him.N?velDrama.Org holds this content. He just grinned. ¡°Surprised much?¡± I quickly nodded at him while still gaping in shock so he couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°This is mypany, Cus. This is where I work everyday.¡± He looked around the entire ce so I couldn¡¯t help but look around too. This ce is really big and there are many people working around. ¡°B-but why does this look like an abandoned building on the outside?¡± I asked. ¡°That was the exterior design of this building. I customized the design to look like that. I myself made the cracks around it, the other cracks to make it look old. And the door? That was also included in the costumed so it¡¯s not obvious that there¡¯s a door.¡± I would nod even if I didn¡¯t understand much of what he said because what he said was unfamiliar to me. However, I looked around in amazement. It was mind-blowing. I¡¯ve never thought of such an idea. ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°Well, to tell you a secret, mypany is a multi-billion building. It makes billions of money. And many people feast on mypany, that¡¯s why I made a disguise. I dressed thispany to look like an abandoned building. I onlye here every afternoon so no one sees me,¡± he exined. Damn, this information was too much to absorb. Josh and I have been friends for a long time but he doesn¡¯t even mention anything like this to me. And I¡¯ve never thought that he was a multi-billionaire man because they only lived in a small house with his family. I almost thought they were poor. I frowned at that thought. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about this?¡± He grimaced when he heard the hum in my voice. ¡°Sorry, bud. We don¡¯t have time toe here every time you¡¯re here with us, eh.¡± I just rolled my eyes at him yfully so heughed. ¡°Do you want me to tour you around?¡± he offered. I was about to agree but I remembered what I told my father that I would go home soon. Shoot, I¡¯m dead now! ¡°Damn, I can¡¯t, Josh. I am definitely dead to my father now!¡± I said in hurry. ¡°Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll take you to your tunnel.¡± Josh and I quickly left the building and got on his motorcycle. I just thanked him for running quickly because we arrived at Sazharina¡¯s house where my tunnel is. ¡°Wait.. Is this your ¡®friend¡¯s¡¯ house you mentioned earlier?¡± Josh asked as we looked at Sazharina¡¯s house. We parked far away from their house because someone might see us. ¡°Uh¡­ yeah.¡± I looked away because I could feel him teasing me again. ¡°The next time you go here, visit me immediately, okay? You have a lot to tell me.¡± I smiled. ¡°Sure thing, bud. I gotta go now! Bye!¡± I just tapped him before hepletely disappeared. Josh is used to such scenarios so he is not surprised anymore. In the blink of an eye, I was here in front of Sazharina¡¯s tunnel. I quickly looked at his room but immediately left. ¡°Let¡¯s meet on the next day, Queen. Be careful always.¡± And I entered the tunnel. I just hope myself for the best when I get home. CHAPTER 12 SAZHARINA¡¯S POV I ALMOST passed out in shock because of what I witnessed. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m seeing this event with my own two eyes. How was this even possible? Is this really true or just my hallucination? What the heck is this? AND WHY IS THE BOOK FLOATING IN THE AIR?!!! YES! THE BOOK WAS FLOATING IN THE AIR! I just stared at the book floating until it went up and up. I ran up to it and grabbed it but I was pulled back violently when I was burned. I just turned away weakly while looking at the book that went up and up. My eyes suddenly widened when it suddenly disappeared like the wind. ¡°Where is that? Where did it go?!¡± I asked myself frustratedly. I just pulled out my hair in so much shocked. My brain couldn¡¯t process what happened. First of all, why was the book floating in the air? Second, where did it go? Why did it vanish in nowhere like an air?! I have so many questions running in my mind. I feel like I¡¯m going crazy. I can¡¯t even imagine how that was possible. Why does the book float? Is our house haunted? But ghosts can¡¯t hold things because it will only prate their skin. ¡°Sweetie?¡± I jumped in shock when I suddenly heard Mom¡¯s voice. I saw her looking at me in disbelief. ¡°Hey, are you okay? Why are you pale? D-did something happen?¡± Mom asked one question after another, concern evident in her voice. I slowly shook my head, still not processing what just happened earlier. Mom caressed my cheeks while looking intently. She knows I¡¯m lying. ¡°You can tell me, sweetie,¡± she said softly. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, Mom. I¡¯m j-just tired¡­¡± I uttered lowly. ¡°Are you sure? I know something¡¯s bothering you.¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, Mom, I¡¯m absolutely fine.¡± Mommy stared at me intently before sighing. She knows she can¡¯t force me to tell her especially since I don¡¯t always open up to Mom when ites to small things. But this thing is not just petty! I can¡¯t just ignore it. Who knows maybe that was a sign that danger is after me or even us. I don¡¯t want my Mommy to get worried about me-though I badly want to tell her about these things. I just sighed when Mommy left the room and said she was going to prepare dinner. It¡¯s almost five o¡¯clock. I stared at the ceiling as Iy on my bed. I wonder what is the cause of these events. Where did it start? And why do these events appear to me? I¡¯m not even done with the underground yet. My eyes widened at the thought. Right! Why didn¡¯t I think of that? I¡¯m sure it has something to do with everything going on right now. I quickly went down to the living room but first I hid in the big vase when I saw Mommying out of the kitchen. The helpers are also scattered so I can¡¯t make a step that they don¡¯t see. Mommy called them all exactly and in an instant the five helpers gathered. ¡°Do your work properly, okay? I don¡¯t want to see you scattered around here. I will cook dinner for Sazha and me. Go to your respective stations,¡± I heard Mommy tell them with her serious voice. Now Mommy made them move because they can¡¯t be scattered outside earlier, especially since we have visitors. They were all in their room and Mommy was the one who acted here earlier. They immediately obeyed Mommy¡¯s order and after a while I didn¡¯t see any helpers around. Thank heaven because everyone agreed with my actions. When I made sure there was no one around, I immediately came out from hiding in the vase and quickly went down. I smiled triumphantly because I made it to the bottom without anyone seeing me. Now, I can do what I have to do. If I want to find answers to my questions, I must go back to the ce where these events started. The Underground. When I reached the underground, I slowly opened its door. The cold feeling of the Underground dawned on me even though I was just here at the entrance. I also felt a strange feeling but I just ignored it because I really wanted to get an answer to the questions that were bothering my mind. I just slowly went down the stairs until I reached the inside. I immediately looked up and nothing changed. The Underground still looks like thest time Tray and I saw it. When I saw the high bookshelf, I immediately approached it. I only saw it up close now because they forbid children toe near it. Especially me when I was only 9 years old. I don¡¯t know but they really don¡¯t want us, with my cousins to be ??here. And now, I¡¯m close to the bookshelf. It¡¯s very tall and I look like an elf because of my short height when I get close to the bookshelf. The bookshelf was full of thick books. The color of the cover varies but it is mostly ck and brown. I took a book that was closest to me. I even winced because I could feel the weight immediately after just one pull. Finally, I got it and ced it in my palm. It was heavy but I was able to lift it. 1233222511334434 ?? ???????? My forehead creased at the written title of the book. It¡¯s just numbers. I can¡¯t even read its author. It¡¯s like it¡¯s written in a different font or tranted into another word. The only thing I read was the word ¡®by¡¯, where it refers to the author of this book. I also just noticed its simple book cover. Its color is in mahogany brown and there are no decorations on the cover at all. It¡¯s just in and then the title is written. ¡°Who wrote this book? Some,¡± I whispered to myself and put the book back on the shelf. I don¡¯t feel like opening it, especially since the title alone is hard for me to read. I don¡¯t even know what kind of word that is-if it can even be called a word. Also include the author¡¯s name which I can¡¯t read. I might see something else there that is not pleasant for me. Pftt. I looked at the shelf in surprise when I heard a strange sounding from it. I looked around but I couldn¡¯t see anything that could make a noise. ¡°I must be hallucinating again,¡± I convinced myself. I continued to search for things that could help me to find answers to my questions. But what help can books do here? The others make almost no sense! Even if I wanted to look at the other books, I couldn¡¯t reach the upper part of it because I would need adder to climb up. Duh, I can¡¯t even find adder here. Even if it¡¯s small so I can climb a little. I tried to find something else. I also entered the rooms here but I also left immediately because I was afraid to be alone. I also read books to get clues. But nothing really. I weakly leaned against the bookshelf and sighed. I feel so hopeless. I feel like I still have a long way to go to get the answers I want. I feel like there¡¯s more toe before I get to the end-that I don¡¯t even know where to start. But did everything really start here in the Underground? What if this is really destined to happen to me exactly when I turn 19 years old? Come to think of it, the wonders that happened to me started since Tray and I visited here at Underground over a week ago. And on my birthday! Tray¡­ Could he have something to do with all of this? I shook my head at the thought. It is impossible that Tray has anything to do with this. He doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s happening to me. ¡°This is too much,¡± I uttered while massaging my temple. It gives me a headache. I decided to just leave the Underground. I don¡¯t think I have anything to gain from this. What does the Underground have to do with what¡¯s happening to me, right? Especially this innocent bookshelf. I looked at it. Its height and size are too much. The book is out of reach. It¡¯s even scary to look up so high because you think you¡¯re going to fall off the bookshelf. I was going up the stairs when I heard the sound I heard earlier. It sounded like a door being opened. I looked around and my eyes widened when I looked in that direction. ¡°T-this can¡¯t b-be h-happening¡­¡± Damn! I ran here and stared into nothingness. It is true. THE BOOKSHELF IS OPEN AGAIN. AND I CAN SEE IT NOW! It is very wide and only the size of a bookshelf. It¡¯s so dark inside and I can¡¯t seem to see anything. My fucking curiosity is killing me! I want to go inside and take a closer look but I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able toe back. It might not be bad if I try to go inside, right? Besides, it¡¯s just like a room, eh. I slowly stepped my feet inside. I felt nervous, scared, and excited as I got closer and closer inside. I¡¯m nervous because I don¡¯t know what could happen to me here. Scared because I wasn¡¯t sure what was going to happen next by the time I got inside. And excited because my questions will finally be answered. I was amazed when I got inside. It felt strange. It¡¯s like I¡¯m floating in time even though I can feel the surface below. It¡¯s like someone is digging in my stomach as if I want to throw up even though I don¡¯t. It¡¯s also very dark inside even though it¡¯s bright outside the bookshelf. And most of all, I feel many eyes staring at me. Hair-raising. I just keep walking in the void but I look behind me because the bookshelf might close suddenly. ¡°H-hello?¡± I said but I was surprised that even my voice was low in my hearing. My voice must be echoing. ¡°AHHH!¡± I shouted when the bookshelf closedpletely. Suddenly it rattled loudly and in an instant I was trapped inside. I ran to open it but I couldn¡¯t move my legs and I felt like I was stuck where I was. ¡°HELP!¡± I screamed but I couldn¡¯t hear my voice. I feel like I¡¯m getting further and further away from the bookshelf. I can¡¯t even run. ¡°HELP ME! MOM!¡± I¡¯m already crying. I can¡¯t move here. I feel strange and like my body is stretching. I¡¯m like jelly because I¡¯m softening but I can¡¯t move. ¡°PLEASE! SOMEBODY HELP ME!¡± I sobbed. ¡°Sazharina¡­¡± I turned around when I heard a voice. All I see is darkness, I feel like I¡¯m in a void. ¡°Sazharina¡­¡± I heard the voice calling my name again. ¡°W-who a-are you?¡± I asked, stuttering because of fear and my sob. ¡°Sazharina¡­¡± He said my name again. ¡°I SAID WHO ARE YOU?!¡± My voice rumbled inside and even I winced because of the power. It¡¯s like a while ago I couldn¡¯t hear my voice but now it¡¯s deafening. I shuddered in fear when he suddenlyughed like a demon, terrifying. ¡°Poor Sazharina¡­ This is your fate, ept it.¡± ¡°WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!¡± Heughed again like a demon until his voice gradually disappeared. There has been no trace since he came here. I am alone again in this emptiness. Again, I feel so hopeless! I wish I didn¡¯t go in here. I¡¯ve exercised my curiosity again so here I am in the void. I don¡¯t even know if I am safe here or if there is danger waiting for me. ¡°H-help me¡­¡± I whispered while crying. ¡°P-please¡­¡± I just cried when I was stopped because of the light that hit my face. Even though it¡¯s very bright, it doesn¡¯t dazzle me. I was rmed when it approached me. ¡°My daughter¡­¡± I burst into tears when I heard a man¡¯s voice. Is this him? Is this my Dad?! He called me ¡®my daughter¡¯, then it must be him! ¡°D-dad?¡± ¡°My child¡­¡± My tears started to flow when I felt him touch my cheek. His palm was cold but I ignored it. What is important to me now is that my father is with me. I¡¯m with my father who I¡¯ve been looking for since I was born here! ¡°Dad¡­¡± I cried out loud. Dad just held my cheek even though I couldn¡¯t see him because he was wrapped in intense light. I don¡¯t know where he came from but the important thing is that he is here. ¡°Do you want to go with me, hm?¡± Dad asked. I sniffed before eagerly nodded. ¡°Yes, Dad. Please.¡± ¡°How about your mommy?¡± he asked again, making me stop. Right. How about Mom? I want to take her with us so we can be together again but what if I¡¯m locked up here inside? I can¡¯t go out anymore. ¡°Dad, I can¡¯t go out here. I was locked in here.¡± ¡°Go with me instead. I will take you to the pce and we will live luxuriously there,¡± he said calmly, inviting me to join him. If earlier I wanted to go, now I¡¯m having second thoughts. What if I can¡¯te back here? What if I never see Mommy again? ¡°Mommy?¡± I asked, a bit crying. ¡°We¡¯ll fetch her, hmm. Just go with me this time,¡± he answered. I nodded happily. ¡°Okay, Dad. I¡¯ll go with you.¡± Even though I can¡¯t see it, I know he smiles. He held me by my shoulder and I followed his light. We were about to leave this bookshelf when we suddenly stopped. ¡°Dad-AHHHHHH!¡± HE¡¯S NOT DAD! HE¡¯S JUST PRETENDING! HE WAS THE VOICE EARLIER WITH THE DEMON-LIKE LAUGHTER! AND HE WAS PULLING ME AWAY. ¡°LET ME GO!¡± I struggle.N?velDrama.Org holds this content. ¡°Do you think you can get away with it?!¡± He screamed so terribly that I kept quiet, even though I was still struggling. ¡°Help me¡­ please have mercy¡­ help me¡­¡± And the darknesspletely engulfed me. CHAPTER 13 ¡°SWEETIE¡­ Hey, wake up¡­¡± I woke up because of a soft pat on my cheek. I slowly opened my eyes but all I could see was white. Am I in heaven? ¡°Sweetie¡­¡± I felt a soft pat on my cheek again. I finally opened my eyes and Mommy¡¯s worried face was revealed to me. Wait¡­ mommy? Am I with her? I looked around and was suddenly thrown back when I realized I was in the room. Right in my room. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on? I caught you panting earlier,¡± Mommy said worriedly and caressed my cheek. ¡°M-mom? W-where am I? How did I get here?¡± I asked hysterically. Mommy was suddenly confused.¡±What do you mean, Sazha?¡± ¡°How did I get here? I-I was in the Underground earlier, Mom¡­¡± ¡°Underground? You¡¯ve been here for a while, Sazharina. I¡¯ll wake you up for dinner.¡± What¡­?!! Howe?!! ¡°A-are you s-serious, Mom?¡± Mom looked at me in confusion, her eyebrows crossed even more. ¡°Yes, why?¡± I stopped suddenly. I can not breathe. I feel like someone is choking me and I can¡¯t move my mouth to speak. It was as if something suddenly blocked my throat. ¡°M-mom¡­¡± I uttered as my breathing began to hitch. ¡°S-sazha? A-are you o-okay? Why? What¡¯s happening?¡± Mom asked one after the other out of panic. ¡°M-mom¡­¡± ¡°SAZHA!¡± ¡°SWEETIE¡­ please wake up¡­ please¡­¡± I was distracted by the faint sobbing I heard. I also feel wetness in my hands and a slight sniffle. ¡°My daughter¡­ Mommy¡¯s here¡­ wake up¡­¡± I finally opened my eyes but all I could see was darkness. I couldn¡¯t see anything but I could hear my mother¡¯s voice saying it over and over again. ¡°Please¡­ wake up, my daughter¡­¡± ¡°M-mom?¡± I called him but my voice only echoed. ¡°Wake up¡­¡± ¡°Mom! I-I¡¯m h-here!¡± ¡°Sweetie¡­ wake up¡­¡± The next thing I heard was Mommy¡¯s whining. ¡°Mom! I¡¯m here! Wake me up!¡± I screamed and screamed but it felt like I was in a void because my voice only echoed. I still can¡¯t see anything around. ¡°Help! Help me! Mom! Wake me up!¡± I screamed from the top of my lungs. I continued screaming until I felt the pain in my throat. I feel thirsty because my throat is dry. ¡°Sazharina¡­¡± I looked up and looked around when I heard Antricus¡¯ baritone voice. It¡¯s been days since west met each other. Just now again. ¡°Aunt? What happened?¡± I heard Tray ask Mommy. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ She¡¯s been acting strangetely. I-I often see her out of her mind and anxious. T-then this afternoon¡­ I was about to wake her up for dinner, then she woke up anxious . S-she even says he¡¯s from the Underground,¡± Mommy answered. I can feel his concern and wonder. I didn¡¯t know that Mommy was just feeling my actions. I didn¡¯t hear Tray¡¯s answer so I thought he had left. I looked upwards because that¡¯s where I heard the voice. I thought he had left but my eyes widened when not far off I saw falling steel. And it¡¯s heading in my direction! ¡°AHHHH! HELP ME! MOM! TRAY! HELP!¡± I shouted as I ran into the void just to avoid the falling iron bars. But I screamed in pain when I suddenly tripped over the metal that fell down. I injured my knee and had a big cut causing it to bleed. ¡°Help me!¡± I yelled before dodging because I was about to be hit by a piece of steel. But it turned out to be a wrong move because I didn¡¯t see the iron falling straight at me. ¡°AHHHH!!¡± I woke up panting and sweating. I stood up from my bed because I couldn¡¯t breathe because I was panting so much. I was drenched as if I had bathed in my own sweat. I looked around and saw nothing but myself and the round, bright moon peering at me through the window from the dark sky. I also see twinkling stars and illuminated buildings. I was alone here at my hospital room, and only the moons and stars could illuminate the room. The light was off but it wasn¡¯t that dark because thempshade next to me was open. I turned to the door as it slowly opened. From my ce, I could see two human figures and it was like someone was groping in the dark. After a while, the surroundings started to light up and I could clearly see Mommy crying while going inside and Tray was caressing her. ¡°M-mom¡­¡± I softly uttered. They both turned to me and I almost fell when they hugged me tightly. ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t make mommy worried again¡­¡± Mommy said while hugging me, still crying. ¡°Sazha¡­ you made me worried¡­¡± Tray added. I¡¯m just in tears because even I don¡¯t know what happened to me. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true what Mommy says that I¡¯m always anxious or out of my mind because for me, those are normal. And I¡¯m not crazy. I just don¡¯t really know where these eventse from that suddenlye into my life. There are many questions in my mind but every time I get close to the answer, I am further away because of the mysteries that happen to me. So instead of getting the answers I wanted to my questions, it just adds up to more questions. ¡°What did really happen to you, daughter, hmm?¡± Mom caressed my cheeks softly. I sniffed. ¡°I-I a-actually have no idea, Mom¡­¡± I looked at Tray who was staring at me. It¡¯s like he¡¯s digging something in me the way he¡¯s looking at me. Strange. However, I could still see concern in his eyes. I just avoid looking at him because I¡¯m notfortable with the way he stares. ¡°Are you sure?¡± I turned to Tray who was looking at me seriously. His eyes are emotionless and his arms are crossed. His voice was very serious, a far from his normal voice the few times we¡¯d been together. ¡°W-what d-do you m-mean?¡± I asked nervously. ¡°Nothing.¡± He shook his head and smiled a little. But I knew it was a fake smile. ¡°How are you feeling, my child? Is something hurting you? What food do you want? Do you want me to cook?¡± Mom asked one after the other. There are still traces of tears in his eyes and she is still slightly sniffling. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Mom. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± ¡°A-are you sure? Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not, Mom. I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± I smiled as an assurance. I know she was hesitating but she just nodded at me. ¡°Sazha? Can we talk?¡± My attention turned to Tray when he suddenly interrupted our talk. ¡°Uh¡­¡± I hesitantly looked at Mom but she just nodded and smiled a little. She signaled to us that she would leave us first before she finally left the room. ¡°How are you? What are you feeling?¡± Tray asked, starting our conversation. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Tray. Thanks for your concern,¡± I answered, smiling. ¡°You sound too formal.¡± He sat on a nearby chair and faced me seriously. ¡°H-huh?¡± My forehead creased. ¡°Am I?¡± He didn¡¯t answer so I sighed. Silence reigned throughout the room and only the sound of the air conditioner could be heard. ¡°W-what are you-¡± I didn¡¯t finish what I was about to say when he cut me off. ¡°I missed you.¡± I was taken back. I stopped and my heart beat faster, its strength was palpable. He just stared at me seriously as if it didn¡¯t affect me. My cheeks are also getting hot and I know I¡¯m crimson now. Gosh, get yourself together, Sazharina. You don¡¯t like this! ¡°I¡­¡± I faked a cough and looked away. ¡°I-I missed you, too¡­¡± I can feel the intense heat on my cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m d that you missed me too.¡± From my peripheral vision, I can see his small smile stered on his lips. He was slightly biting his lower lip as if he was stifling his big smile. His ears are also slightly red. ¡°Uh¡­ h-have you eaten? W-what do you want to eat? I¡¯ll just have mommy buy it,¡± I said after a long awkward silence. ¡°None. I¡¯m full, thanks.¡± He shifted his weight. ¡°I just want to talk to you and at the same time rify some things.¡± What does he mean? Does he know anything about what¡¯s going on with me? ¡°Some things about?¡± I tilted my head and gave him a confused look. ¡°About you. About your mysteries.¡± I froze. I feel like he knows something about what¡¯s going on with me. I want to know what things he knows because it can help me in researching answers. But I don¡¯t want to harm him. If I told him about the ¡®mysteries¡¯ that were happening to me, it would only mean that I was implicating him. I don¡¯t want him to be involved in my own mess. I can do this. I can manage myself. ¡°What do you mean by mysteries?¡± I asked again, telling myself not to show my nervousness. I also knew my hands were sweating so I secretly hid them. I also stopped myself from stuttering because he might notice me. ¡°Mysteries. Mysteries of why these things happen to you.¡± He leaned closer to me, his two elbows resting on his knees and his hands together. My knees were shaking from nervousness so I simply squeezed them while he looked at me. ¡°Tell me, Sazharina. Do you have any idea why these things are happening here?¡± Damn. I¡¯m doomed. I didn¡¯t answer right away. My heart was beating so fast because of the nervousness. My throat is also dry and I feel like my tongue is tied so I can¡¯t find the words to say. ¡°A-ah¡­¡± I bit my lower lip to stop it from trembling. It¡¯s like I¡¯m in an exam and I¡¯m facing the dreaded teacher to be so nervous. I¡¯ve never been nervous in my entire life. And I¡¯m still facing Antricus. Antricus who is a normal but mysterious man. To this day, I still have no idea of ??his true personality. ¡°Tell me, Sazharina. Tell me. Do you have any idea about fairies?¡± My forehead knotted at the sudden change in his question. The nervousness I felt also decreased a little because of his sudden departure from the topic. But it still doesn¡¯t go away every time I see his eyes. ¡°F-fairies? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like a fool, Sazharina. I know you knew something about them,¡± he insisted. ¡°Nothing! I don¡¯t know anything about them!¡± I shouted at him. ¡°Really, Sazharina? Are you telling the truth right now?¡± His eyes are squinting. It¡¯s like he¡¯s really catching me if I¡¯m telling the truth. ¡°N-no¡­¡± I looked away from him. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about them,¡± I answered weakly. I was telling the half-lie. I really don¡¯t know anything about fairies but it is possible that they are also the cause of the mysteries that happen to me. If they are, and my suspicions are correct, I don¡¯t know what to do. I don¡¯t see them because they are mythical creatures. They have powers. I have nothing against them. And that thought raised another batch of questions. What do I have to do with fairies? Why are they ying with me? Will they be dangerous to me? Why did I suddenly have a rtionship with fairies? ¡°Tsk. This is bad.¡± He clicked his tongue, showing his disappointment. ¡°W-why? A-am I being yed with fairies?¡± I nervously asked, hoping he would say no. Because if the fairies are really ying with me, my life could be in danger. And Mommy¡¯s life. He just sighed, making me more nervous. ¡°Answer me!¡± I shouted. I grabbed his cor tightly so he could look at me. ¡°Answer me, Antricus! Am I being yed with fairies?! Is my life in danger?!¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know! I¡¯m not sure!¡± he also shouted back. I sobbed. I did not notice that I was crying already. I weakened and let go of my grip on his cor. I just covered my face to cover the tears that wanted to fall again. I frustrated ruffled my hair against my back and looked at him with bloodshot eyes. ¡°The fuck, Antricus¡­¡± I sobbed. ¡°W-when? W-when did you h-have an i-idea about w-what¡¯s h-happening to me, huh?¡± ¡°J-just now¡­ w-when Tita t-told me about what h-happened to you¡­¡± he stammered. His eyes were also a little red as if he was trying to stop himself from crying. Anyway, I was satisfied with his answer and I stopped crying. ¡°What do you mean? Do fairies really have anything to do with what¡¯s happening to me right now? H-how?¡± ¡°I actually have no idea, Sazharina. I just thought of that thing.¡± He shrugged. ¡°C-clues? D-don¡¯t you have any?¡± I insisted. ¡°Nothing, Sazharina. Not even one.¡± I sighed violently. I am really frustrated. I¡¯m driving crazy! I don¡¯t know what to prioritize. Whether to look for proof that Antricus is right or to save my mother¡¯s life? I don¡¯t even know why I suddenly had a connection with fairies. And worse, my mother will be in danger. ¡°W-why did I suddenly have a rtionship with them? W-what do they need from me?¡± I asked confused. Antricus came to me and caressed my back to calm me down. ¡°Calm down, Sazharina. I¡¯ll help you, okay? I¡¯ll help you find a way to¡­ s-so we can find the fairies¡­¡± he said while still rubbing my back. He rubbed it strangely as if he was looking for something. His hand was also a bit heavy on my back. ¡°W-what do you mean we can find the fairies? Is it really possible? Are there really such things?¡± I asked. I felt that he was stunned and after a while, he frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t believe in fairies?¡± He stopped caressing my back and looked at me in confusion. ¡°N-no¡­ but do mythical creatures like that really exist?¡± After a while heughed at me. He sat on my bed so I got a little better. ¡°Yes, Sazharina. Mythical creatures such as fairies, goblins, and even mermaids, they do exist. Not only do we see them but they see us. Who knows, maybe you can talk to him now, right?¡± he said while looking directly at my eyes. It was like he was hinting at something but I immediately dismissed that idea. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s creepy. I don¡¯t know what will happen to me if I get a chance to talk to those fairies.¡± I stared at him and from my vision, I saw his eyes with unexinable emotion. His facial expression also changed so I panicked and immediately thought of a segway. ¡°I might die,¡± Iughed at him but his face didn¡¯t change. ¡°Don¡¯t ever say that again, Sazharina,¡± he seriously said that sent chills to my spine. ¡°O-okay¡­ Calm down, I-I was just kidding¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, too. But don¡¯t say that again.¡± I nodded and gave him a tight smile. We both looked at the door when it opened. Mommy appeared there with a small smile and a doctor. ¡°Sweetie.¡± Mom caressed my cheeks once she went to me. ¡°Are you okay? Don¡¯t you feel anything?¡± she asked softly.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°I don¡¯t, Mom. I¡¯m fine.¡± I smiled and turned to Antricus who was talking to the doctor. He would nod while talking to the doctor. And if you look at the two of them, it¡¯s like they¡¯ve known each other for a long time. Antricus and I locked eyes and smiled at me before turning back to the doctor. ¡°He was really concerned about you, son.¡± I turned to Mommy when she suddenly spoke. ¡°Earlier, while you were unconscious, I could see the worry in his eyes. He was really worried. We had to talk to the doctor so we went out first. He didn¡¯t even want to be left here because he said no one would watch over you. but we have to leave because the nurse will perform a procedure on you,¡± Mommy narrated at length. But something caught my attention. ¡°Procedure? Nurse? What do you mean, Mom?¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°Nurse conducted a procedure earlier while you were unconscious. That¡¯s why we left because other people couldn¡¯t be inside,¡± Mom exined. ¡°Really, Mom? H-how? I didn¡¯t see any nurse here when I woke up. I was alone in the dark, luckily thempshade was open.¡± Mom knotted her forehead. ¡°What do you mean? Antricus and I left you earlier because the nurse who will perform the procedure has already entered.¡± ¡°N-no, Mom¡­ I didn¡¯t see any person here in my room aside from myself. Wasn¡¯t the room dark when you entered here?¡± Mom nodded. ¡°Because the doctor said, the light must be turned off for the procedure that the nurse will do.¡± These things aren¡¯t making sense. Mommy¡¯s story is full of holes. ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t I see a nurse here when I woke up?¡± I asked. Mommy was about to answer when the doctor came to us with an injection. ¡°Mommy, we need to inject Sazharina with a sleeping pill, hmm? We¡¯ll wake her up again tomorrow,¡± said the doctor, making me panic. ¡°W-wait, Doc! I-I¡¯m still talking to my Mom!¡± I shouted as I waved my hand in front of him. ¡°You need to sleep, Sazharina. We¡¯ll see you tomorrow,¡± Antricus added. ¡°I¡¯m still talking to my Mom! Why do I have to sleep?!¡± I turned to Mom. ¡°Mom! Stop them!¡± ¡°S-sweetie¡­¡± Mommy hugged me so I cried. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to sleep yet, M-mom¡­¡± ¡°We will talk tomorrow, okay?¡± Mom said while hugging me. ¡°P-please¡­¡± I sobbed. ¡°I love you, my daughter. Sleep well, okay? When you wake up tomorrow, we¡¯re going home.¡± Mommy separated from me so I held her hand tightly to stop her. I don¡¯t want to sleep. I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m afraid I might end up somewhere else when I sleep. Maybe what will happen to me while I¡¯m sleeping and I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t wake up. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± I cried. ¡°Sleep now, hmm? We¡¯ll talk tomorrow morning. I love you.¡± Mommy hugged me for thest time before injecting me with sleeping medicine. And things started to get blurry. My eyelids were getting heavy and before I could fall, an arm caught me and straightened me up. ¡°Sleep well, my Queen. I love you.¡± Then the darknesspletely embraced me. CHAPTER 14 A/N: Hello! Starting today, I¡¯m gonna divide my chapters into two parts (chapter and chapter . 5), because my editor told me to write shorter chapters rather than chapters with 3k+ words. Thank you. Hope you understand! ANTRICUS¡¯ POV DUE TO fear that my father would scold me, I quickly reached the kingdom. Luckily, there are no fairies wandering around and the surroundings are quiet. Nor did I see father seated on his throne-which surprised me. Most of the time, Dad always sits on the throne and takes care of this kingdom. At times like this, the fairies are rarely around here and are in their own ces. ¡°Dad?¡± I called. I walked and looked around but everything was quiet. I could even hear my footsteps because of the silence. ¡°Dad, where are you?!¡± I went to his room, but unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t there either. I¡¯m starting to get worried because this is totally not normal. Dad has nowhere else to go at this time. ¡°Antricus Porlliander.¡± I turned my back because of the deep voice I heard. But I saw nothing but me. I¡¯m the only one here and I don¡¯t have anyone else with me. I¡¯m starting to panic because it seems like at any moment someone will rush at me suddenly. ¡°Who are you?¡± I dare to ask. ¡°Antricus. I need your help.¡± I didn¡¯t expect this to be answered. ¡°Introduce yourself to me first! Who are you?!¡± I shouted. I know he¡¯s just around, he just doesn¡¯t want to introduce himself to me. It¡¯s hard because I can¡¯t see him. I don¡¯t know him yet. Maybe this is my father¡¯s enemy and I am his target. ¡°I am Thundur. Help me. I need your help.¡± ¡°Thunder?¡± My forehead knitted. Sounds familiar to me. ¡°Yes, I am. Based on your appearance, you seem to know me. Am I right?¡± I was surprised. ¡°Y-you see me?¡± ¡°Yes. I see you, but I¡¯m not in your presence.¡± I was only more confused. Various thingse to my mind. He sees me but he is not in front of me. How did that happen? ¡°I entered your mind, Antricus. That¡¯s why it happened,¡± he added as if he answered the question in my mind. ¡°W-what do you mean? Why don¡¯t you just straighten me out?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°Are you ready to help me when I tell you my purpose?¡± he asked. I seem to be challenged. ¡°W-why? W-what¡¯s your problem?¡± ¡°Antricus¡­ aren¡¯t you getting everything? Are you just going to ask what¡¯s going to happen here? I¡¯m running out of time.¡± ¡°W-wait!¡± I waved my two hands even though he wasn¡¯t in front of me. ¡°A-alright¡­ go on with what you¡¯re going to say.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ As the prince and future king of your kingdom, leader of the Fantasixers, I chose you to help me with this problem. I need your help Antricus, I really need it.¡± He paused. I thought he was gone because of his long silence. I¡¯m starting to wonder about his problem. ¡°If you think about the things you¡¯ll get from helping me, well, you¡¯ll get a lot,¡± he added, reviving my interest in my body. ¡°A-and what are those things?¡± I asked. He got my full attention. I am interested in whatever I can possibly do. ¡°First, I will protect your queen to the best of my ability,¡± he replied, making me stop. How did he know that thing? Does he really know me? ¡°Secondly, I will give you protection and renewed strength to fight against those you currently face.¡± ¡°Third, I¡¯ll make sure you have the queen no matter what. A prophecy is a prophecy. Even if there are obstacles, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll still be there in the end. What? Will you help me?¡± I was silent. I¡¯m thinking carefully about whether my decision is worth it. I don¡¯t know him. Maybe he is my father¡¯s enemy and is just deceiving me. Also, I don¡¯t really see him. What if he¡¯s just ying with my mind? There are a lot of what-if¡¯s running inside my mind. I¡¯m overthinking. I also hesitated. There was a part of me that didn¡¯t want to ept his offer because I might get hurt, but when I heard the word ¡®queen¡¯, it was like all my mental doubts disappeared. I suddenly became determined. I know I shouldn¡¯t trust him easily, but his offer was tempting. Even though I don¡¯t know his problem yet, I want to help him immediately. My safety and that of my queen will be linked to what I will do to help him if at all. He said, he will protect my queen as much as he can. I know I don¡¯t have time to stay in the world of people all the time and I can¡¯t tell the situation when Sazharina will need help. I am not always with my loved one. ¡°Antricus.¡± I came back to my thoughts when I heard his deep voice again. ¡°Have you made up your mind? Are you willing to help me in exchange for your protection?¡± he asked again which just confused my mind. ¡°W-wait¡­¡± I appealed. ¡°How can I be sure you can save my queen? How did you know her?¡± I also asked one after the other. I can¡¯t keep quiet and I can¡¯t help him if he doesn¡¯t tell me what he wants. ¡°You will understand everything when the timees, Antricus. I just need your help,¡± he answered. ¡°I can¡¯t help you if you don¡¯t tell me the truth!¡± I shouted. He was silent and I never heard his answer again. Something strange also happened to my body and in an instant it was as if I was brought back to reality. ¡°W-what happened?¡± I murmured. ¡°Antricus.¡± I turned around when I heard Dad¡¯s voice. He walks towards me with a confused look. ¡°What¡¯s happening to you? You¡¯ve been screaming for a while,¡± Dad said with knotted forehead. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°Why were you shouting? Did something happen?¡± Dad came to me and looked me in the eye. ¡°N-no, D-dad¡­ I-I¡¯ve been looking for you for a while¡­¡± I made an excuse. It was true, though. I was really shouting so Dad could hear me. ¡°Oh¡­¡± He nodded before smiling at me. ¡°I was just wandering here in my kingdom.¡± I nodded. ¡°Okay, Dad. I¡¯ll just go to my room.¡± ¡°Why? It¡¯s still early.¡± I was shocked and looked at Dad in surprise. It¡¯s just surprising that he¡¯s a little weird now. ¡°What? You always put me to bed early. What is wrong with you?¡± Dad seemed to suddenlye to his senses because he was shy to look at me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Antricus. Maybe it¡¯s just because I¡¯m tired. Go ahead, rest if you want.¡± He hugged me which confused my thoughts even more. He pulled away from me and smiled meaningfully. I was forced to nod to him to leave. Dad is really different tonight. He did so much to me that he had never done to me before. Earlier he seemed normal. I was about to enter the room when the screen suddenly opened showing Sazharina in the hospital. Her mother was beside her, crying and trying to wake her up. I was rmed and felt like I wanted to lose my anger at whoever did this to her. She seems unconscious and Tita seems really worried about her. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± I whispered. I went to the human world without hesitation. I reached Sazharina¡¯s house faster than light. I don¡¯t even remember how I got here because my brain is nk since I saw Sazharina lying in the hospital bed and unconscious.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°D-damn¡­¡± I whispered again when I reached the hospital and saw Sazharina up close. At that moment, I wanted to talk to that man again. CHAPTER 14.5 ANTRICUS¡¯ POV ¡°T-tray?¡± Aunt looked at me in shock because I was here. ¡°A-aunt-¡± I was shocked when Tita hugged me. I could hardly breathe because of the tightness of her hug. ¡°Tray¡­¡± She was crying. ¡°S-sazharina¡­ w-what happened t-to h-her¡­?¡± I also hugged her and caressed her back so that somehow she calmed down. She couldn¡¯t speak because she was crying so much. ¡°C-calm down, Aunt.¡± ¡°Tray!¡± She violently pulled away from me and grabbed my arm tightly. ¡°How can I calm down knowing that my daughter¡¯s life is in danger?!¡± Her eyes were bloodshot. ¡°O-okay¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± I hugged her again and tapped her back. ¡°Tray¡­¡± She cried again. I can¡¯t me her. Even I was worried. I just don¡¯t know why it¡¯s so sudden. We went to Sazharina and I watched her face. Her lips are pale. Her skin is also quite pale and weakness can be seen on his face. Her forehead was slightly wrinkled and she was sweating a bit even though the air conditioner was strong inside. I tried to enter her mind again but to my surprise, the strength of the power inside her brain. I couldn¡¯t handle it and his mind rejected me. One thing about us, Fantasixers, is that we can get into someone¡¯s brain. In such a situation, we will know if that person likes the birthday gift we will give. But we shouldn¡¯t always use it because we will be weak. In this case, I tried to enter her mind but the power in her mind was too strong and it just rejected me. I don¡¯t know who it is but I have an idea. ¡°Sazharina¡­¡± I mumbled. Her forehead knotted as if she heard the sound of my voice. ¡°Aunt? What happened?¡± I asked Aunt. She was still crying but he was calmer than before. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­ She¡¯s been acting strangetely. I-I often see her out of her mind and anxious. T-then this afternoon¡­ I was about to wake her up for dinner, then she woke up anxious. S-she even says he¡¯s from the Underground,¡± Aunt answered. I waspletely shocked. I felt like something hit my mind and I suddenly connected the events. My suspicion was correct. I looked at Sazharina and saw that she was being lightly stroked. Her chest was rising and falling and it was as if someone was chasing her. I was about to wake her up because I was afraid that what might happen to her but a nurse came in. The nurse¡¯s eyes were a bit familiar but I just don¡¯t know where I saw them. ¡°Ms. Versalles? Can you and Sir go out first because we are going to do a procedure on Ms. Sazharina?¡± the nurse asked. He looked at me and there was a strange sparkle in his eyes. They are meaningful. I just couldn¡¯t recognize him properly because half of his face was covered by a facemask and I could only see his eyes. However, I knew that I had really met him. ¡°W-what p-procedure?¡± Aunt asked. I can feel the nervousness and wonder in his voice. Maybe I¡¯m also wondering what procedure will be done on her. She might even get hurt. ¡°It¡¯s a private procedure, Ms. Versalles. No one should know except the assigned doctor and nurse.¡± The nurse¡¯s voice was sharp. ¡°You can¡¯t just perform a procedure on her body without us knowing. She might be harmed.¡± The nurse looked at me when I suddenly inserted myself into the conversation. ¡°Sir. I told you it is a private procedure. The patient is experiencing a stress that causes her to hallucinate. What she sees is just what it is.¡± ¡°But-¡± My words were cut off when the doctor peeked at us. It is also a man but he is no longer familiar to me. ¡°Sir, Ms. Versalles, let my nurse perform a procedure in your daughter. This will help speed up Ms. Sazharina¡¯s recovery,¡± said the doctor. I was going to appeal but Tita herself agreed. I couldn¡¯t do anything when he pulled me out and left the doctor and nurse inside. I¡¯m afraid I have a strange feeling about the nurse. I feel that he will only destroy Sazharina. But maybe I¡¯m just too nervous. It was impossible for him to harm Sazharina. And then another, the doctor himself said about her condition. Well¡­ I just hope for the best. Because I will never forgive myself if something bad happens to my queen. ¡°M-MOM¡­¡± We were both surprised to suddenly look at Sazharina when we saw her sitting in the hospital bed. We quickly went to her and she almost fell because of our sudden hug. ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t make mommy worried again¡­¡± Aunt said while hugging Sazharina, she was crying again. ¡°Sazha¡­ you made me worried¡­¡± I added. I just feel her skin on my body while hugging her. We haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time, but this is what I can catch up with. Seeing her lying unconscious on the bed while her mommy was crying made my heart ache. I don¡¯t want to see that again. ¡°What did really happen to you, daughter, hmm?¡± Aunt caressed my cheeks softly. I just kept quiet on the side while watching them. I also want to know what really happened to Sazharina. I need her answers. She sniffed. ¡°I-I a-actually have no idea, Mom¡­¡± she replied. She looked at me while I stared at her seriously. I looked to see what answers I could get from her eyes. She also avoided me because maybe she was notfortable with my gaze. ¡°Are you sure?¡± I asked. I hate to admit it but she looks lying. I know she knows something about what is happening to him.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°W-what d-do you m-mean?¡± she asked back, there was a hint of nervousness in her voice. ¡°Nothing.¡± I shook my head and gave her a fake smile. I know she will notice that my smile is fake but I meant it. ¡°How are you feeling, my child? Is something hurting you? What food do you want? Do you want me to cook?¡± Aunt asked Sazharina. To this day, she is still a bit confused. There were also traces of tears on the sides of his eyes. Even I will not rest until I know the reason why this is happening to my queen. ¡°Sazha? Can we talk?¡± I interrupted. I¡¯m really restless and I want answers. ¡°Uh¡­¡± She hesitantly looked at Aunt but she just nodded and smiled a little. She signaled to us that she would leave us first before she finally left the room. ¡°How are you? What are you feeling?¡± I asked, starting our conversation. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Tray. Thanks for your concern,¡± she answered, smiling. ¡°You sound too formal.¡± I sat on a nearby chair and faced her seriously. I need to start my investigation. ¡°Huh?¡± Her forehead creased. ¡°Am I?¡± I didn¡¯t answer so he sighed. I was just staring at her while she was looking everywhere. I just love the view. She really makes my dayplete. ¡°W-what are you-¡± I cut her off. ¡°I missed you.¡± I wanted to smile when she stopped. I just stared at her seriously as I watched her blush. ¡°I¡­¡± She faked a cough and looked away. ¡°I-I missed you, too¡­¡± I can feel the intense heat on my cheeks. Damn. That was unexpected. ¡°I¡¯m d that you missed me too,¡± I replied, biting my lower lip to stifle a smile. I know like her, I¡¯m blushing too. Damn it. This is really bad. But I love this feeling. ¡°Uh¡­ h-have you eaten? W-what do you want to eat? I¡¯ll just have mommy buy it.¡± She must have noticed the awkward silence so she decided to break it. ¡°None. I¡¯m full, thanks,¡± I answered and shifted my weight. ¡°I just want to talk to you and at the same time rify some things.¡± ¡°Some things about?¡± She tilted her head and gave me a confused look. ¡°About you. About your mysteries.¡± She froze. And that¡¯s when I knew she knew something. She just really didn¡¯t want to say. But I have to convince her to tell me what she knows because I can really help her. I just wonder why she doesn¡¯t want to tell me. Is she hiding something from me? Does it have anything to do with the Underground? I¡¯m starting to connect the dots right now. As I remember, it started when Sazharina took me to the Underground when I first went to their house. What is really going on? ¡°What do you mean by mysteries?¡± she asked again. She even hid her sweaty hands from being nervous. ¡°Mysteries. Mysteries of why these things happen to you.¡± I leaned closer to her, my two elbows resting on my knees, and my hands together. ¡°Tell me, Sazharina. Do you have any idea why these things are happening here?¡± I seriously asked. She didn¡¯t answer immediately and seemed to hesitate. It was as if her tongue was tied and she couldn¡¯t find the right answer to tell me. ¡°A-ah¡­¡± She stammered. She can¡¯t answer my first question. I should move on to my second one, then. ¡°Tell me, Sazharina. Tell me. Do you have any idea about fairies?¡± It was as if a thorn had been pulled out of her throat and her forehead was wrinkled. However, her nervousness was still obvious. ¡°F-fairies? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act like a fool, Sazharina. I know you knew something about them,¡± I insisted. ¡°Nothing! I don¡¯t know anything about them!¡± she shouted. I secretly stopped but I didn¡¯t reveal it to her. ¡°Really, Sazharina? Are you telling the truth right now?¡± I squinted my eyes at her, catching her if she¡¯s really telling the truth. It¡¯s a shame that I can¡¯t read his mind. I wish I knew the answers now. ¡°N-no¡­¡± she looked away from me. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about them,¡± she answered using her low voice. ¡°Tsk. This is bad.¡± I clicked my tongue. I just don¡¯t know but from what I can see now, it looks like she is really telling the truth. But I can¡¯t send it like that. I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t trust my queen but I just really need answers. I want to stop these phenomena while it is still early. ¡°W-why? A-am I being yed with fairies?¡± she nervously asked. I just sighed. I can¡¯t answer her right now because I don¡¯t have enough proof yet. I also suspect that my fellow fairies have something to do with what is happening now. ¡°Answer me!¡± she shouted. I was surprised when she grabbed my cor tightly so I could look at her. ¡°Answer me, Antricus! Am I being yed with fairies?! Is my life in danger?!¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know! I¡¯m not sure!¡± Because of the shock and confusion, I also screamed. I looked at her and saw that she was in tears. She sobbed. She got weak so she let go of me too. She covered her face to cover the tears that wanted to fall again. She frustratedly ruffled her hair against her back and looked at me with bloodshot eyes. It hurts. It hurts seeing her hurting and crying in front of me. It¡¯s like I¡¯m being destroyed. ¡°The fuck, Antricus¡­¡± she sobbed. ¡°W-when? W-when did you h-have an i-idea about w-what¡¯s h-happening to me, huh?¡± ¡°J-just now¡­ w-when Tita t-told me about what h-happened to you¡­¡± I stammered. I know my eyes are red from holding back the tears. She seems to be convinced of what I said, so she stopped crying a bit. ¡°What do you mean? Do fairies really have anything to do with what¡¯s happening to me right now? H-how?¡± ¡°I actually have no idea, Sazharina. I just thought of that thing,¡± I honestly answered. ¡°C-clues? D-don¡¯t you have any?¡± She really didn¡¯t want to stop. ¡°Nothing, Sazharina. Not even one.¡± ¡°W-why did I suddenly have a rtionship with them? W-what do they need from me?¡± she asked in confusion. I approached her and rubbed her back to calm her down. And find him a clue. Weird but I know I will find something. I lifted my hand a little to grab something but there was nothing. The shape of his back is strange. ¡°Calm down, Sazharina. I¡¯ll help you, okay? I¡¯ll help you find a way to¡­¡± To find the fairies and know the rtionship between you and other fairies.¡±s-so we can find the fairies ¡­¡± I said while still rubbing her back. ¡°W-what do you mean we can find the fairies? Is it really possible? Are there really such things?¡± she suddenly asked. I stopped and soon, frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t believe in fairies?¡± I stopped rubbing her back because I couldn¡¯t find anything but the strange shape of her back. I also looked at her in wonder. ¡°N-no¡­ but do mythical creatures like that really exist?¡± she asked again. She looks so innocent. Even though I was surprised, I justughed. I sat on the bed so she moved a little. ¡°Yes, Sazharina. Mythical creatures such as fairies, goblins, and even mermaids, they do exist. Not only do we see them but they see us. Who knows, maybe you can talk to him now, right?¡± I exined while looking directly at her eyes, hoping she would get the idea I wanted to exin. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s creepy. I don¡¯t know what will happen to me if I get a chance to talk to those fairies.¡± Oh¡­ I don¡¯t know but my mood got mixed up and I felt like frowning. It¡¯s like she doesn¡¯t want to talk to fairies like me. What if she finds out I¡¯m like those fairies? What if she walks away from me? ¡°I might die,¡± she joked but my emotion didn¡¯t change. ¡°Don¡¯t ever say that again, Sazharina.¡± ¡°O-okay¡­ Calm down, I-I was just kidding¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, too. But don¡¯t say that again,¡± I said. She just gave me a tight smile. We both looked at the door when it opened. Aunt appeared there with a small smile and a doctor-whom I really know well. Aunt went to Sazharina while I talked to the doctor. ¡°Doctor Jilledh.¡± I smiled at him and nodded. ¡°Antricus. What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Serving my queen.¡± I smiled. He just looked at me stupidly before making a joke. I looked at Sazharina who was looking at me and smiled at her before looking back at the doctor. ¡°Is my queen okay?¡± I asked. He smiled at me first. ¡°She¡¯s fine, Antricus. But it looks like I know why she¡¯s acting like this.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°She is being yed by fairies, Antricus. Save her. Save your queen.¡± Damn it! I knew it! ¡°What?!¡± I screamed in a whisper. ¡°W-w-who are they?¡± I¡¯m confused. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Antricus. ck magic was used. They can control Sazharina¡¯s mind. That¡¯s probably the reason why her mind rejected your attempt to enter.¡± I was depressed. All my suspicions were correct. ¡°But why can¡¯t I even read her mind?¡± I asked. That¡¯s what I wonder too. ¡°That¡¯s what I didn¡¯t know. Sazharina was really different when I secretly ran the test earlier,¡± he continued. Then something struck me. ¡°You were the nurse earlier?¡± I asked in shock. He just grinned at me. ¡°At your service.¡± I looked at him in shock. The nurse is already familiar with me! Then I saw him too. And that also exins why he looks at me strangely. ¡°What should we do now?¡± I asked. The doctor gave an injection. ¡°We will make her sleep first. We need to rest her mind. It also has medicine so they can¡¯t control Sazharina¡¯s mind. We approached them and I noticed that my queen¡¯s face was full of confusion. ¡°Mommy, we need to inject Sazharina with a sleeping pill, hmm? We¡¯ll wake her up again tomorrow,¡± said the doctor, ¡°W-wait, Doc! I-I¡¯m still talking to my Mom!¡± Sazharina shouted as she waved her hand in front of the doctor. ¡°You need to sleep, Sazharina. We¡¯ll see you tomorrow,¡± I added. ¡°I¡¯m still talking to my Mom! Why do I have to sleep?!¡± she turned to Aunt. ¡°Mom! Stop them!¡± ¡°S-sweetie¡­¡± Aunt hugged her so she cried. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to sleep yet, M-mom¡­¡± ¡°We will talk tomorrow, okay?¡± Aunt softly said while hugging her daughter. ¡°P-please¡­¡± ¡°I love you, my daughter. Sleep well, okay? When you wake up tomorrow, we¡¯re going home.¡± ¡°Mommy¡­¡± she cried. ¡°Sleep now, hmm? We¡¯ll talk tomorrow morning. I love you.¡± Aunt hugged me for thest time before injecting her with sleeping medicine. And her eyes slowly closed. Before she fell, I caught her and made her lie on the bed. ¡°Sleep well, my Queen. I love you.¡± CHAPTER 15 SAZHARINA¡¯S POV ¡°ARE YOUR things ready, sweetie?¡± Mommy asked me. Now we are going home because I only have to stay here in the hospital for a few hours. ¡°Yes, Mom. I¡¯m good to go.¡± I smiled. We looked at the door when it opened. Antricus appeared to us smiling and carrying arge paper bag. ¡°Breakfast,¡± he said. ¡°Oh¡­ you¡¯re so sweet, Tray. Come in!¡± Mom said. Antricus entered and ced the paper bag on the table. He prepared it quickly and from there, I could smell the aroma of coffee. My stomach immediately growled and I felt hungry. ¡°Smells so good, Tray!¡± Mom praised. Tray giggled. ¡°I bought some coffee for you, Aunt. I just ordered a typical breakfast set and bought some fruits for Sazharina.¡± Tray turned to me and smiled. I couldn¡¯t help but smile because of his simple act. He really doesn¡¯t forget me as well as my situation. ¡°Thank you,¡± I said with a sweet smile. He suddenly avoided me with a look that surprised me. He just continued the preparation until he finally got the food out. There are pancakes, bacon, spam, sunny side-up eggs, hotdogs, and french toast bread. Even fried rice is there too. There are also jams ced in small jars. For drinks, there are three coffees ced in the cup. And also fruits like apples and oranges. We even have names there so we don¡¯t get confused as to what we have there. ¡°That¡¯s a lot, Tray! It¡¯s fun!¡± Mommy was pping with excitement so Iughed. ¡°I¡¯ll get the utensils,¡± I said so that I could help them. But before I could take a step, Tray immediately stopped me. ¡°Let me. Just take a seat and wait for me to serve your food.¡± He even pushed me like a robot and made me sit down. Mommy just smiled while watching me. He went to the kitchen and soon he had three tes with a spoon and fork. Mommy just helped him transfer the food, while I just looked at them while sittingfortably on the soft chair like a queen. One of the good things about this huge hospital is that the rooms here have a kitchen. Especially when it¡¯s private. Here it isplete-with a bathroom, a kitchen, a mini fridge, a small bedroom that can sleep one person, and two sets of sofas. There is also a small table here. With the size of this room, it looks like a small apartment because everything is fully equipped. There is even a small cab for storing the patient¡¯s clothes depending on how long he will be staying here. Mommy put me here because in her panic, she didn¡¯t notice that I was put in her private room instead of the simple room. The private rooms here are luxurious yet expensive. ¡°Hey, Sazha. Eat. So that you can regain your strength,¡± said Antricus and I followed. From the first bite of these foods, I immediately tasted the unique taste. The food was very tasty and not just the simple taste that I used to taste in these foods. Maybe it¡¯s an effect of the medicine injected into my body? ¡°Weird¡­¡± I whispered softly to myself. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Antricus asked softly. I looked at him and smiled. ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Are you sure, sweetie? Don¡¯t you want foods?¡± Mom also asked. I immediately shook my head. ¡°No, Mom. These foods taste great,¡± I said and smiled. I don¡¯t really have a problem with foods. I just really found myself weird right now. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just me but these dishes taste really weird. Very different from what I have tasted before. They went back to eating while I was eating less and less. The taste is really weird. I bit into the French toast that I had topped with strawberry jam, and just like the food before, it also tasted different. Where did Antricus get it? ¡°Tray?¡± I said and they both turned to me, waiting for what I was going to say. ¡°Is it just me or you too, but the taste is weird.¡± Antricus¡¯ eyes widened slightly and he was stunned. I can also see the paleness of his face as if he has seen a ghost. Mom just knotted her forehead. ¡°What do you mean ¡®weird¡¯, sweetie? It¡¯s good, ah,¡± Mommented, still forehead creased. I looked at Antricus and his appearance still didn¡¯t change. He was staring at me and he looked like a stone because he wasn¡¯t even moving. ¡°Tray?¡± I touched him and it was as if his soul escaped him because he even jumped in shock. ¡°Y-y-yes?¡± ¡°What happened? Are you okay?¡± I asked. He just nodded at me and looked back at the food that surprised me. ¡°Even so, the food is delicious. Maybe it¡¯s just the medicine,¡± I added. It was as if the blood returned to Antricus¡¯s face because he had calmed down. ¡°Y-yeah¡­ m-maybe that¡¯s because of the medicine injected i-into your body¡­¡± he agreed, his voice was shaking. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, sweetie. Maybe your body just isn¡¯t used to the medicine,¡± Mommy said. I just smiled and nodded before continuing to eat. ¡°ARE WE good to go now?¡± Mommy asked again. We are leaving the room and our things are ready. Nothing is left and everything is cleared. After we ate earlier, Mommy gave me a bath to make me feel better. It¡¯s true because after I took a shower, I felt better, not like this morning when I felt like something heavy was attached to my back, making it difficult for me to move. Mom instructed me to only wearfortable clothes so I wore a blue sweater that I paired with jeans and white sneakers. Meanwhile, I just powder and apply lip gloss so that I don¡¯t look pale. Antricus left for a while to get our car home. It¡¯s a shame because I wanted to go for a walk at least a little but they didn¡¯t want to tire my body even though I said I was fine. Their reason is that I should avoid stress. Maybe next time. ¡°Yes, Mom. I already packed my things earlier,¡± I answered. After a few moments, Antricus arrived, looking normal again. Because he seemed strange earlier.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Aunt and Sazha. The car is already there.¡± He carried two gym bags with only our clothes. Mommy is also staying here and she hasn¡¯te home since she brought me here yesterday. After getting in the car, I immediately felt better. I really hate the hospital because I feel like I¡¯m just suffocating inside. He started the car slowly. He said he didn¡¯t want to surprise me. Mommy justughed because of what Antricus was saying. ¡°Tray, I¡¯m not pregnant. Why are you driving so slowly?¡± I asked irritated. He sighed. ¡°Okay, fine. I¡¯ll tell you the truth now,¡± he surrendered. ¡°What truth?¡± ¡°I already passed many car idents back then. One time, I almost hit a pole because of the speed I was driving,¡± he said. Mom and I were surprised and our mouths dropped. We couldn¡¯t believe what we heard. ¡°See? That¡¯s why I drive slowly. I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s in my hands and I¡¯m like this when I drive a car,¡± he added. ¡°W-what the hell, Tray?!¡± I eximed. He just burst outughing. Mommy couldn¡¯t move on and still looked shocked. ¡°My goodness, Tray¡­¡± Mommy said, her voice was full of surprise. Tray smiled shyly and slightly scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry hehe¡­¡± ¡°W-well, i-it¡¯s okay¡­ at least you know what you¡¯re doing driving now,¡± said Mommy and winced. Tray and I justughed while still traveling at a moderate speed in the car. I think it took us about an hour, including the traffic, before we got home. The helpers met us and helped Tray carry Mom and I¡¯s things to the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the kitchen, sweetie. I¡¯ll get you something to drink first,¡± said Mom and we happily followed her. Mom made orange juice for us and ordered cupcakes. It only took a few moments for the order to arrive so we ate first. ¡°What are you supposed to do now, Tray?¡± Mom asked and bit into the strawberry cupcake. Tray swallowed the cupcake he was eating first. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll try to visit my father. But if possible, I want to stay here first.¡± Mommy was pping for joy. ¡°Of course! You can stay here!¡± Tray and I just looked at each other and both smiled. I also want him to stay here because if you ask me, I feelfortable with him. I¡¯mfortable even though I don¡¯t know him well and we met less than a month ago. I feel safe around him. I felt that no danger woulde as long as he was around. He became myfort zone and savior in a short span of time. And I will always be grateful for that. ¡°Your room looks better, Sazha,¡± Traymented when we entered my room. After we ate cupcakes earlier and talked, Mom sent us up here because she said she was going to cook lunch. Tray and I wanted to help but Mom objected because she wanted to make something special as a thank you to Tray. She said, let¡¯s just stay here in the room and watch a movie while waiting for the food to be cooked. I¡¯m sure it will take more than an hour for her to cook because she will prepare no less than three dishes as long as Tray is here. ¡°Yup,¡± I agreed, popping the ¡®p¡¯ letter. ¡°Mom fixed it so it wouldn¡¯t lookzy. Tranquil is nice if it¡¯s just in.¡± I sat on the edge of the bed and sighed from exhaustion. ¡°You¡¯re tired?¡± he asked. ¡°Nah, just a little bit. But I feel better now. ¡°Wanna watch a movie? My friend said it will relieve fatigue,¡± he suggested. I immediately agreed and turned on the TV to watch a movie on Netflix. ¡°Pick one.¡± I continued scrolling until Tray chose a movie. ¡°Where is it?¡± I asked confused because there were three movies in the selection. ¡°The one in the middle,¡± he answered. ¡°It looks interesting.¡± ¡°That one is a fantasy. You wanna watch it?¡± I looked at him and saw that he was amazed. ¡°Yes, please.¡± I just shrugged and pressed that movie. ¡°The mysterious fairy prince and his queen,¡± I read the title. Wow, the title itself already looks interesting. The movie started and various beautiful ces were shown. The man was in another dimension and it was a fairy. It¡¯s powerful and really useful. He is a prince in the fairy pce. Their pce is about to be overrun by fairy darkness, and they need a queen to save their kingdom. This is what their enemy ordered them to do. Eventually, the male protagonist ends up in the human world. Tray and I were stillughing because of the funny things that happened to the man when he went to the human world. Until he met the girl, Sne. The girl, Sne, is simple. Their life is difficult and she really needs to scrape by so that they have money to support their daily needs. Her life was so hard that she reached the point where she wanted to give up. But she thinks about her family. Her parents and siblings will be neglected because no one is taking care of their family but her. Her father is ill, while her mother is unable to work due to old age. ¡°Hey, why are you crying?¡± I looked at Tray who suddenly came to me and leaned me against his chest. ¡°T-that movie made me cry¡­¡± I sobbed. The movie came to the scene where her father died because they couldn¡¯t buy medicine for Sne¡¯s father. As a teenager who grew up without a recognized father, that really hurts. Especially if you have been with your father for a long time and then he suddenly disappears in an instant. Maybe I¡¯m lucky that even though my real father is not there, there is a father standing by me. I¡¯m lucky right there. He giggled softly. ¡°Chill. We¡¯re not even halfway through the movie yet.¡± ¡°It hurts¡­¡± I sobbed more. Tray hushed me and caressed my hair. He hugged me tightly and leaned my face even more against his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t cry¡­ Do you want me to change the movie? So you won¡¯t cry anymore?¡± Tray was about to reach the remote but I stopped him. ¡°No. Let¡¯s finish the movie. I really love to know what will be the ending.¡± We continued watching until the movie became exciting because the two heroes almost met several times but were always interrupted until the scene where they meet. The man saved Sne from the thief and that was their first meeting. As a thank you, Sne invited him to their house. That¡¯s also where the scene happened where Sne found out that the man was a fairy. Shock and fear prevailed in his system but the man exined to him. And because she is indebted to the man for the rescue he did, the woman agrees to help the man find a queen. ¡°Sweetie, Tray, let¡¯s eat! Lunch is ready!¡± We heard Mom say from outside. ¡°Let¡¯s continue thister. The movie is getting exciting and interesting now,¡± Tray said and I agreed. We went down together and enjoyed lunch. Even though I was hospitalized, it was a good thing that happened because Tray is with us now. He really is myfort zone and my savior. CHAPTER 15.5 SAZHARINA¡¯S POV AFTER LUNCH, we immediately went straight to the room to continue watching the movie. We are in the middle of the show where the two protagonists will start searching for a queen for the man¡¯s pce. ¡°Hey, Aunt brought us some popcorn.¡± Tray ced the two buckets of popcorn on the coffee table beforeying down on the bed. Our ce is with our head at the foot and down. ¡°Huh? When?¡± ¡°Just a minute ago. You were so focused on what you were watching, you didn¡¯t even notice Tita.¡± He then giggled. I just winced before grabbing some popcorn. It¡¯s cheese vor and Mommy¡¯s seasoning is really tasty. We also have orange juice and some chips if we want to continue watching movies. As for now, Tray and I haven¡¯t talked about the next movie we¡¯re going to watch because we¡¯re still in the middle of it. ¡°Eat slowly, Sazha. You will choke.¡± Tray said out of nowhere. Only then did I notice that I was eating popcorn one after the other. I took the orange juice and got up to drink it. Tray was just looking at me and stopped the movie to wait for me. ¡°Hurry. I¡¯ll y the movie now.¡± Then he yed it again. The movie continued and the emotions we felt were mixed. They have begun their search for the possible queen of the male kingdom but nothing has passed them by. We evenughed in some scenes because the guy looks so loose. ¡°He looks like a loser,¡± Traymented with augh to which I justughed in agreement. There was a time when we both got angry because the man yelled at Sne for being slow to find a queen. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be angry. He¡¯s just asking for a favor!¡± I angrilymented. My blood suddenly boils at the man¡¯s behavior. ¡°Hey. Calm down. It¡¯s just a movie, okay?¡± Tray caressed my back as he calmed me down. It¡¯s effective. Another scene and another emotion. Now we feel excitement and joy because of the scene. In the earlier scenes, we learn that Sne already has feelings for the man. She is happy when Kyde is happy, while she is sad when the man is also sad. She even cried once when she saw that Kyde was with another woman. ¡°I pity her.¡± I frowned. ¡°Kyde is so numb! Doesn¡¯t he feel that Sne likes him?!¡± Imented frustratedly. The one next to me was quiet. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re making so much noise that Kyde doesn¡¯t know about Sne¡¯s feelings,¡± said Tray. I just gave him a bad look but he just shrugged. I feel excitement and thrill now because I feel that Kyde also likes Sne. He yelled at the woman so the woman moved away from him. That¡¯s when he realized his true feelings. His mind shed back to everything Sne had done for him. How he helped her, and didn¡¯t even give up on her. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Sne. I shouldn¡¯t have yelled at you. I¡¯m such a bastard. I¡¯m the one asking you for a favor¡­¡± the man said to Sne. We can clearly see the remorse on his face. ¡°That¡¯s fine, Kyde. I know you¡¯re just under pressure.¡± Sne smiled. It¡¯s just funny because even though he was yelled at earlier, he didn¡¯t show his emotions. However, he still understood Kyde¡¯s situation. ¡°Sne¡­¡± Kyde gradually came closer to Sne and the woman stepped back. I could almost squeeze Tray¡¯s arm with suppressed excitement. He justughs and lets me go as if he doesn¡¯t feel pain. ¡°K-kyde¡­ w-what are you doing¡­?¡± Sne gradually retreated until Kyde pulled her closer. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I made a fool of myself. I had to yell at you to realize how I really feel.¡± He sighed heavily. Sne had a look of surprise on his face. ¡°You sacrificed a lot for me. You apanied me. Youforted me when I almost lost hope for my mission. You weren¡¯t even afraid of me when you found out I was a fairy. You didn¡¯t drive me away when I need help.¡± He held Sne¡¯s face and looked into her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for a queen for me and my kingdom for a long time, which after all is right in front of me.¡± The shock on Sne¡¯s face was obvious. As for me, I was biting the pillow to stop the scream. Tray justughed next to me. ¡°W-what do you mean, K-kyde?¡± ¡°I love you, Sne. Be mine. Be my queen, and I¡¯ll serve you until the end of my time.¡± I screamed from the top of my lungs and even jumped on the bed when Kyde kissed Sne. Sne was shocked and her eyes widened but eventually she closed her eyes and kissed Kyde back as well. ¡°AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!¡± I pped Tray¡¯s arm because I felt so excited. I feel like I¡¯m going to explode. Tray, on the other hand, wasughing so hard and didn¡¯t even feel pain even though I hit him so hard. ¡°H-hey! Calm down!¡± Heughed defiantly. ¡°Sazha! You might fall!¡± He warned me. But I didn¡¯t listen to him. When I jumped again, I didn¡¯t step on the bed and went straight to the floor. I fell there and hit my head. ¡°SAZHARINA!¡± I¡¯m dizzy. The impact of my fall was strong. My vision is blurry and I¡¯m really dizzy. I don¡¯t know if my eyes are ying tricks on me but I see Antricus¡¯s strange appearance. His two ears grew long and his court became piercing. His chest lights up and his body shines strangely. He¡¯s like a different person. ¡°SAZHARINA! WAKE UP! AUNT! HELP!¡± I felt someone tap my face and the weight of that hand was different. It was like I was back in a trance. My vision returned to normal and Antricus faced me with a nervous look on his face. Nothing has changed in him unlike what I saw earlier. ¡°T-tray¡­¡± I whispered. ¡°S-sazha¡­ w-wait, I¡¯ll carry you.¡± I just felt like I was floating off the floor and soon I was lying on my soft bed. We turned to the door when it suddenly opened and there appeared Mommy rushing towards us. ¡°W-what? W-what happened?!¡± He said confused. He was still panting. ¡°Sazharina¡¯s head fell on the floor, Aunt. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Tray said bowing. Guilt was evident in his voice. ¡°H-huh? How did that happen?¡± Mommy came to me and touched my forehead. ¡°I-I¡¯m s-sorry, Mom¡­ I-It was my fault¡­ I didn¡¯t listen to Tray¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, sweetie. I¡¯m not ming you nor Tray.¡± Mom smiled sweetly. Tray was still bowing. I feel bad. If only I had listened to him¡­ ¡°Tray¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I should have listened to you¡­¡± He looked up at me with a shocked expression. ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad at me¡­¡± He hurriedly walked towards me. But I was surprised when he hugged me. ¡°I will never be mad at you, Sazharina,¡± he softly whispered. In joy, I hugged him back. I was happy to know that he was not angry with me. I don¡¯t know but I really don¡¯t want him to be angry with me. My chest is heavy. After all, I don¡¯t care if someone hates me. But when he is, my chest is heavy. Just thinking about him being mad at me makes me want to cry. Overreacting if you want to say, but that¡¯s the truth. ¡°Thank you, Antricus. Thank you so much.¡± ¡°WHAT DO you want to do now, Sazha?¡± Tray asked and sat next to me. I pouted. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m bored.¡± Mommy didn¡¯t let us finish the movie because of what happened. He was afraid of what might happen to me if we continued watching the show. Even Tray agreed with Mommy so I couldn¡¯t do anything but agree. That¡¯s right, we¡¯re bored here. It¡¯s almost 4 o¡¯clock. What can we do now? ¡°I already know!¡± I clicked my fingers as I smiled widely. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to the park?¡± I asked excitedly. ¡°Park? What are we going to do there?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just hanging out. Just a few hours, it¡¯s almost sunset. I want to stay there first.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ sounds great to me.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Yay!¡± I pped my hands because of excitement. It¡¯s been months since Ist went there. That park was still being renovated when Ist visited. Maybe it¡¯s fine and better now. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Tray!¡± I pulled him out of the room and he just pulled away. I¡¯m like a child who is excited to go for a walk with her father. ¡°Oh, where are you going?¡± Mommy asked when she saw us leaving. She was just there in the kitchen taking care of something. ¡°We¡¯re going to the park, Mom.¡± ¡°Huh? Are you okay now? Do you have any pain anymore?¡± Mommy came closer to me and looked at my head again. She has been doing that to me for a while but I just let it go. It¡¯s also surprising that even though my head hit the floor hard, I didn¡¯t even feel any pain. And what¡¯s more, I didn¡¯t even have a lump on my head. ¡°Yes, Mom. I told you I¡¯m okay now.¡± ¡°But sweetie-¡± Tray cut her off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Tita. I¡¯ll take good care of him now. We¡¯re only going to the park.¡± He knows as well that Mommy will never stop me. Mom sighed in defeat. ¡°Fine. Just be here before 7PM, alright?¡± ¡°Copy, Mom.¡± I smiled and hugged her. ¡°I¡¯ll bring Sazharina here, Aunt.¡± Tray smiled, too. We left and walked to the park. The sunlight doesn¡¯t hurt anymore so it¡¯s nice to walk now. The park isn¡¯t far and we can¡¯t get out of the subdivision. ¡°Thank you for being with me today, Tray. You are very kind,¡± I said out of nowhere while walking. I saw him turn to me from my peripheral vision. ¡°Why are you thanking me?¡± ¡°Hmm, there are many reasons why I want to thank you, Tray.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± I looked at him and nodded, smiling. ¡°Yes. So if the timees when you need my help, you can count on me. I will help you as you help me in times when I need help.¡± He was stunned for a moment and then smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it,¡± he said. Iughed. ¡°Sure thing.¡± ¡°WE¡¯RE HERE!¡± I shouted when we got to the park. My guess was true and it¡¯s so beautiful now. More children y because the space has grown. There are also many food vendors because they have a bigger ce. ¡°Wow¡­ it¡¯s beautiful here,¡± Traymented. I could clearly see his amazement at the ce. ¡°See? It¡¯s beautiful here! Let¡¯s go!¡± I dragged him to the ice cream shop. The ice creams here are delicious and cheap. ¡°Two ice creams! The one in the cup.¡± I offered twenty pesos for both. ¡°The cookies and cream.¡± Kuya handed us two cups of ice cream. I tasted it and still closed my eyes because of the delicious taste. They have never really disappointed me with the taste of ice cream. ¡°Taste it, Tray! It¡¯s so delicious!¡± He tasted it and like me he was also blinded by the taste. ¡°Wow. I have never tasted ice cream this delicious. It is indeed delicious,¡± he praised. I was pping for joy. ¡°Come! Let¡¯s go to my favorite spot.¡± I pulled him to a big park bench where I always hang out. It¡¯s a rocking chair. It¡¯s alone so whoever gets there first is lucky. I¡¯ve always been here especially when I was young. I even paid five thousand just to sit in this seat. Because of that, some people recognized me here in the park and they don¡¯t really sit here until now. They also keep it clean because I pay them. ¡°This bench is cool. It¡¯s still windy,¡± hemented after sitting here. ¡°Yup. I paid for this.¡± His forehead creased. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s a long story. But I¡¯m the only one who can sit here.¡± I shrugged. He just nodded and didn¡¯t ask any more questions. We quietly ate ice cream and enjoyed the delicious and fresh air. ¡°I really love this ce. Apart from my room, it has also be my safe ce somehow. I¡¯ve been staying here since L didn¡¯t allow me to go to the Underground. I even paid thousands just to sit here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fresh here and the view is beautiful. Not bad for your safe ce.¡± I just sighed. We were both silent and you could only hear the sounds of the park. It¡¯s like we don¡¯t feel each other¡¯s presence. We are like people who are tired of life enjoying the moment of refreshment. It¡¯s a peaceful silence between us. We just stayed in this ce until the sun gradually set. ¡°Look, the sun is setting.¡± I pointed to the setting sun. One of the reasons why I like it here is because I can see the sunset clearly. What a beautiful view. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful.¡± He smiled. ¡°And peaceful.¡± We waited until the sunpletely set and then we got up to sit. ¡°Let¡¯s go home, Sazha.¡± He put his arm around me. ¡°Yeah.¡± I leaned on his shoulder and started walking home. Today is quite tiring day. But in the end, we still walked home together after sunset. This moment is worth to treasure.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. CHAPTER 16 AFTER SAZHARINA fell asleep, the Doctor immediately invited me to his office. He said he had something to say to me. ¡°Auntie, I¡¯m just going to see the Doctor,¡± I informed. ¡°Okay, Tray. I¡¯ll take care of Sazha,¡± she replied and smiled. I immediately went out and joined the Doctor in his office. ¡°Why do I have toe with you?¡± I asked as we walked towards the office. ¡°There is something you need to know, Antricus.¡± His serious voice suddenly made my skin hair stand. ¡°Dangers are beginning in your kingdom.¡± My eyes widened. ¡°W-what? W-what do you mean?¡± I asked in surprise. He didn¡¯t answer my question because we entered his office. I was surprised because it was so big, it was like a mini apartment because everything wasplete. ¡°Wow, your office is huge,¡± Imented, amused. ¡°Of course, Antricus. I personally customized this.¡± He sat on his swivel chair. He made me sit in another seat. ¡°You must have a high position in this hospital so you were allowed to customize this office.¡± I frowned when he suddenlyughed. ¡°Seriously, Antricus?¡± Heughed again. ¡°By the way, you just came here to the hospital. You should ask Josh.¡± My forehead wrinkles only deepened. ¡°Why should I ask Josh? And why do you have tough? Am I not updated?¡± ¡°Definitely you are not updated.¡± He stood up and took hisptop. He opened it and the screens opened to us at different angles. ¡°Wait¡­ Why do you have that?¡± I pointed to the screen. ¡°Don¡¯t you still get it? My, my, Antricus.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I guess I should order Josh to speed up teaching you.¡± He sighed. ¡°What now, Doctor Jilledh?! I don¡¯t get it! Just go straight to the point!¡± I shouted, frustrated. He chuckled lowly before staring at me with serious eyes. ¡°I am the owner of this hospital, Antricus. I have the highest, not just high nor higher. Highest position. So you see? I am the boss, I call the shots.¡± My jaw dropped in so much shock. ¡°W-what¡­?¡± I looked at him in shock. ¡°Y-you¡¯re kidding, aren¡¯t you?¡± He tilted his head. ¡°Why would I? This thing is something that I should be proud of. Why would I lie to you?¡± he replied and grinned. I remained shocked until my mind calmed down. To this day I still can¡¯t believe it. It seems like just then we were ying together with our cousin Ellye, also a fairy. ¡°It seems like a long time¡­¡± I mumbled. True. It seems like only yesterday those things happened. To this day I still can¡¯t forget. I will never forget how I burst into tears when I found out they were going home to the human world. His mother was not a pure-blodded fairy. But his mother knows about us. They only had toe here to the human world because their lives were in danger here, especially since other fairies had warm blood towards her mother. Because they don¡¯t want half-blodded fairy girls. They want it just pure-blodded. However, my father was not against having half-bloddeds in our world. That is their freedom. As long as they don¡¯t disobey my father. It wasn¡¯t long before the pure-blodded fairies also epted the half-blodded ones and the others had their own families as well. ¡°It¡¯s been a long year, Antricus. It¡¯s only now that we meet again,¡± he said happily after a while.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°J-jilledh¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ming back, Antricus¡­¡± He smiled sweetly. ¡°How are you?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m fine¡­ we haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time¡­¡± I answered weakly. Everything still hasn¡¯t sunk into my brain. I can¡¯t absorb that my former friend in our world is now a good doctor in the human world. His intelligence is truly unique. ¡°I¡¯m sorry and we just met. I was never able to return to your world.¡± I nodded and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. My life has been good. But the pressure is still on me.¡± I sighed heavily. ¡°It must be really hard to be a prince on a kingdom, isn¡¯t it?¡± I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s very difficult. I have to learn now. My father is getting weaker and weaker these days. I fear for his health,¡± I exined. I noticed the change in his appearance when I mentioned my father. ¡°Do you know your father?¡± He suddenly asked. I looked at him stupidly beforeughing. ¡°What kind of question is that, Jilledh? Of course, I know my father!¡± Then Iughed hard. His expression remained so serious that I stoppedughing. He looks strange. He seemed to know something. ¡°Is there a problem, Jilledh?¡± I asked. He squinted my eyes on me and stared at me closely. His gaze was strange but I stared at him too. Nobody beats us. I tried to read his mind but he must have known my tactic because he automatically blocked it. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare read my mind, Antricus. You won¡¯t want to know the contents of my mind now,¡± he said in a stern voice. His voice sent chills down my spine. ¡°W-what¡¯s really the problem?¡± I will ask. I¡¯m starting to get nervous. ¡°Your father is-¡± He couldn¡¯t finish what he was going to say when suddenly we heard a quick knock on the door. ¡°Doctor Jill! Doctor Jill! It¡¯s the patient in room 334!¡± A female voice kept knocking from outside. Jilledh quickly opened it and faced the nurse who was panting and looking panicked. ¡°Why? What¡¯s happening?¡± Jilledh also said confused. ¡°The patient in room 334 is passing out! We can¡¯t inject sleeping pills so we¡¯re having a hard time!¡± said the nurse. ¡°Damn it!¡± Jilledh cussed. He quickly took his coat that was resting on his swivel chair and hurried out. He didn¡¯t even say goodbye to me. Typical life of a doctor. I sighed. I decided to just leave his office because I have nothing else to do here. I don¡¯t want anything important to be touched here, especially since this is a doctor¡¯s office. ¡°I¡¯ll go back to Sazharina first,¡± I said to myself and left the office. I just went straight to the room where Sazha was and found Tita sleeping on the sofa. I smiled at myself. She really is a caring Mom. She didn¡¯t even leave Sazharina here at the hospital. I took the nket I found on a sofa and put it on Aunt. She woke up and smiled when she saw me. ¡°W-what did the doctor say, Tray? Is my daughter okay?¡± she asked and slowly got up. I support her. ¡°She¡¯s fine, Aunt. Doctor Jilledh and I just discussed something personal,¡± I answered. She nodded. ¡°Do you know each other?¡± I sat on the sofa first and faced her. ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve been friends since we were kids. We just met again after a long time.¡± She smiled. ¡°You must have missed him, right?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Yes, Aunt. I was also surprised when I met him. She just smiled and didn¡¯t answer. We just looked at Sazharina who was now sleeping peacefully. ¡°Sazharina has been strong since then,¡± Aunt said suddenly, making me turn to her. ¡°That girl is independent. She¡¯s always curious, then an adventurer. That¡¯s why she¡¯s always doomed,¡± she added and shook her head. ¡°But I am impressed by her courage. That girl is very brave. Even though she grew up with my Kuya as her father, she learned to love him right away. She was spoiled by her Daddy Uncle because Kuya has no children.¡± Aunt smiled. ¡°The only thing I don¡¯t like about her is that she doesn¡¯t talk about her problems. She¡¯s too secretive when ites to things. Back then, if I hadn¡¯t seen her crying in her room, I wouldn¡¯t have known that her first boyfriend cheated on her. Her boyfriend cheated on her.¡± Aunt sighed. ¡°But she stayed strong. After a long time, she has moved on¡­ living her single yet happy life.¡± I smiled sweetly. I¡¯m so proud of her. She could handle all of that. 19 years of existence but she didn¡¯t even give up. I hope she can handle the next things that will happen in her life, especially since she is with me. I¡¯m sure our trip will be more than an adventure. ¡°She¡¯s so brave, Aunt. I¡¯m so proud of her,¡± I softly said. Aunt smiled at me. ¡°I know you do, Tray.¡± I was shocked when he held my hand. ¡°If the dayes when you will like my daughter¡­ and love her so much¡­ please do not hurt my daughter¡­ She is fragile¡­ I can¡¯t afford, as a mother, to see my daughter crying and hurting again¡­ please, Tray¡­¡± Her eyes welled in tears. I am not feeling well. I feel like something bad is going to happen. But please, I hope I¡¯m just thinking about this thing. ¡°A-aunt¡­ why are you saying these things to me? A-are you okay?¡± I asked concernedly. Seriously, I don¡¯t get the point why he is telling me such a thing. ¡°Nothing, Tray.¡± She smiled and wiped her tears. ¡°I just want to make my daughter happy. Please¡­ make my daughter happy, Tray.¡± I was too stunned to speak. Is this really true? It was like we were going to get married, and she gave us her blessing. But I know that everything will end there. I want Sazharina to be my queen. I want her to be my wife. I want her to stay by my side always¡­ until we grow old. ¡°Aunt¡­ I know this is too fast¡­ but I love your daughter,¡± I confessed. She looked at me in surprise. ¡°R-really?¡± she asked in surprise. I nodded, full of conviction. ¡°I do, Aunt. I do really love your daughter. I know things are happening too fast but I like your daughter and I already love her. We only just met but I can already see my future with her. Her getting married to me, bearing my child, and growing old with her¡­ with our own family. Funny, isn¡¯t it, Aunt? We just met but my thinking is too advanced. I can¡¯t afford to lose her ¡­ especially now¡­¡± Aunt was stunned. She couldn¡¯t speak and what I said didn¡¯t seem to sink in. ¡°T-tray¡­¡± she said lowly. ¡°If you don¡¯t agree, Aunt¡­. it¡¯s okay. I can wait. I will wait for him no matter how long¡­¡± ¡°C-can you do these things? How you apany Sazharina¡­ how you protect her¡­ how much you make her happy¡­ is it because you love my daughter?¡± I smiled as I nodded. ¡°Yes, Tita. I love her so much. And I¡¯m willing to do these things all over again¡­ just for her¡­ I want to serve her, I want her to be my queen.¡± I was surprised when Tita hugged me and cried. ¡°I¡¯m so happy, Tray¡­ Finally! Please love my daughter. Don¡¯t hurt her, hmm?¡± she said while still hugging me. ¡°Never, Tita. I can¡¯t hurt the one I love.¡± She broke away from the hug and touched my cheek. ¡°Wee to the family, Tray,¡± she sweetly said. I smiled sweetly. ¡°Thank you, Aunt.¡± ¡°Just call me ¡®Mom¡¯, okay?¡± ¡°But Aunt¡­ I want to keep this as a secret first. I will wait for Sazharina. I don¡¯t want to put pressure on her. I¡¯ll let my love for her to flow like an endless river. So that when she is ready, I will love her so much. I am willing to wait as long as she will be with me until the end¡­ because I know that no matter how long I wait for her, it will all be worth it¡­¡± Aunt hugged me again and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll keep this as a secret, then. I¡¯m always here to support you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Aunt. I owe you this one.¡± ¡°No need.¡± She patted my back. ¡°Just love my daughter. That¡¯s fine with me.¡± I smiled. ¡°I will, Aunt. I will.¡± I WAKE UP to the rays of the sun hitting my face. I was distracted and saw that Sazharina was still fast asleep with Auntie. The two of them were next to each other on the bed while I was here on the small bed that Aunt had slept onst night. I got up and stretched a bit. I have to act. They are about to wake up and I have to prepare their breakfast. ¡°Tray? Where are you going? It¡¯s too early, go back to sleep,¡± Aunt said sleepily. ¡°I¡¯ll go home first to change my clothes,¡± I said. ¡°But it¡¯s too early. Is that okay with you?¡± ¡°Yes, Aunt. It¡¯s not that far from us.¡± I stood up and put on my shoes. Sazharina will soon wake up. ¡°Alright, be careful on the road,¡± she finally said and went back to sleep. I just smiled before going to Sazharina and kissing her on the forehead. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, my love,¡± I whispered to her before leaving. I have already boarded a car to go home to Sazharina¡¯s house. My tunnel is there. Soon I reached their house. I saw that they were busy cleaning the house because now Sazharina was going home. Aunt probably told them. I secretly went to the backyard and the tunnel opened automatically. I entered there and traveled home. And as expected, I went straight to my room. ¡°Finally¡­¡± I said and went into the bathroom to take a shower. I just quickened my movements because I knew that they would both wake up soon. I just smiled when I remembered our conversation with Titast night. She was really supportive and promised to keep my confession a secret from Sazharina. She wants me to tell her myself when the timees. ¡°I know it¡¯s all worth it in the end, my love. Just wait.¡± I finished showering and made breakfast. Besides my role as a Fantasixer, I can also do things that people do. Because I got used to their world, there are things there that I can do too. Just like cooking. I cooked pancakes, bacon, spam, sunny side-up eggs, hotdogs, and french toast bread. I added fried rice to it if they wanted to eat it. And because I want them to like the food, I got special jams made right here in our world. For drinks, I made coffee and orange juice that I put in a special cup and put names on it. ¡°Okay, for the final touch¡­¡± I waved my hand at the food and sprinkled it with magic food powder. This will make the food more delicious. If you are a fairy, you can only taste its unique taste because only we have the ability to make and taste the different vors of these foods. This will be my final card, too. If Sazharina can taste its unique taste, it is confirmed that she is like us. But if not, I should talk to my father about him. ¡°This should be good.¡± I tasted a pancake and just smiled at its deliciousness. Magic food powder has never really disappointed me. I wrapped it in a big paper bag and set it up. They are definitely awake. I rearranged the food and went out. I caught up with Dad on his throne who was silent. ¡°Hey, Dad. I¡¯m leaving again,¡± I informed. ¡°Where are you going?¡± he asked. ¡°Sazharina¡¯s. I¡¯ll go first.¡± I smiled and turned back. ¡°Be careful, Antricus¡­¡± he said softly but I continued walking. I don¡¯t talk and spend time with Dad much anymore. When Sazharina gets out of the hospital, I¡¯ll make sure Dad and I have time to n our next move. I¡¯m ready for our next move. ¡°Long time no see, Antricus¡­¡± I was stunned by that voice. Not allowed. I¡¯m not mistaken. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Antricus¡­¡± CHAPTER 16.5 ¡°LONG TIME no see, Antricus¡­¡± I was stunned by that voice. Not allowed. I¡¯m not mistaken. ¡°Y-you¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Antricus¡­¡± The voice said. ¡°T-thundur?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, dear.¡± Even if I can¡¯t see him, I know he¡¯s right next to me or in front of me right now. ¡°W-what are you doing here? W-what else do you need?¡± I asked him, my voice was stammering. ¡°Have you made up your mind, Antricus? Have you thought about what I told youst time?¡± The wind blew behind me, an indication that he was there. ¡°N-not yet¡­ give me some time to think¡­¡± I answered. ¡°But it¡¯s been a long time since west met,¡± he reasoned out. ¡°Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about what you said. I¡¯m still thinking about it,¡± I insisted. ¡°Don¡¯t you believe me? Don¡¯t you believe my words?¡± His voice gradually rose. ¡°I don¡¯t even know you! How can I believe you?¡± ¡°I am Thundur. And that is enough for you to believe me.¡± ¡°Who are you really? I don¡¯t know you. Are you a powerful being?¡± I said I¡¯m really confused by him. I couldn¡¯t get his point why I needed to help him. ¡°Yes¡­ then. But my twin kept me. He cheated on the person I love, and locked me in this cave. I can¡¯t get out because of the ck magic he used to lock me here,¡± he narrated. I could feel the sadness and anger in his voice. Meanwhile, I felt shocked. ¡°W-what? Your twin did that to you¡­?¡± I heard him sigh. ¡°Yes. Unfortunately, he wants to sow evil. And he wants to involve your kingdom,¡± he added, making my chest thump. I was suddenly rmed. But I realized something. ¡°D-dark Ridges are the only ones who want to fight in our kingdom. They are also the only ones who sow terror here in the quiet world of fairies,¡± I said. ¡°What if I say that Dark and my twin who locked me in this cave are one and the same?¡± he suddenly asked which shocked my system. ¡°W-what?! Y-you¡¯re a twin with Dark?!¡± I asked him in shock, unable to believe what I found out. ¡°Yes¡­ unfortunately¡­¡± He sighed. I was shocked. He and Dark¡¯s behavior is very different. Even though I can¡¯t see what this Thundur looks like, I know for myself that there is a big difference between the two of them. What I don¡¯t know is why he did that to Thundur. ¡°W-what did you do to Dark and why is he treating you like that?¡± I asked curiously. ¡°I don¡¯t even know¡­ since we were kids, he¡¯s been like that to me¡­¡± he said softly, sadness evident in his voice. I thought about whether I should help him or not. I must admit that I was saddened by what he said, happy that he was concerned about our kingdom, but I could not hide the doubt. As a fairy who wants to protect a kingdom, it¡¯s only natural for me to be critical of our surroundings. It¡¯s normal for me that it¡¯s hard to trust the people we meet because in this world of ours with the threat of danger, we don¡¯t know who we can trust anymore. We don¡¯t know if he is our kind or a spy from the kingdom of darkness. So we better be careful. ¡°So if possible, Antricus¡­ help me¡­ help me finish my mission¡­ and I will also help you when the dayes when the Dark Ridges invade you¡­¡± he pleaded, obviously convincing me. For the sake of my kingdom¡­ for the sake of the safety of my father¡¯s subjects and my future subjects¡­ and for my queen. For Sazharina¡­ ¡°Alright. I¡¯m ready to help you.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s make this a deal.¡± Suddenly, a strong wind blew around. ¡°Thank you very much, Antricus. You can count on me to always be there when you need help,¡± he said, I could feel the pleasure in his voice. But suddenly I felt cold in my chest and when I looked, there was a ne attached to it. It is a circle and inside the circle is like a diamond. It is so bright that staring at it for a long time hurts the eyes. ¡°What is this thing?¡± I asked and held up the ne to get a good look. ¡°I just saw a ne like this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a powerful ne, Antricus. That¡¯s what I did during the few years I was imprisoned here in the cave. It¡¯s very powerful and only creatures like you can handle it,¡± he exined, making me amused. I nodded understandingly. ¡°But what is it for? And why are you giving it to me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s for your protection, Antricus. You can¡¯t be moved by darkness if you¡¯re wearing that. But my only advice to you is¡­¡± He suddenly paused. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m running out of time. Thank you very much for your help, Antricus. I¡¯ll get back to you next time,¡± he said hurriedly and soon everything was back to normal. The second time I talked to him, I could tell he was really powerful. The environment changes when he¡¯s there and it¡¯s just amazing that I¡¯m the only one who has the ability to feel him. Apart from that, his arrival was also at a time where no one or other creatures like me could see me talking to a cold and heavy wind. His presence is really powerful¡­ There are so many questions in my mind. I was thinking about what happened to both of them when they were children¡­ Why did Dark hate her so much and was able to lock her inside the cave for many years. Whatever it is, it¡¯s sure to be a serious problem especially when Dark learns that Thundur-who is his twin he locked in the cave, has the ability tomunicate with me, through the air. Only then did I realize that I still had to visit my queen in the hospital.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024. ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m gonna bete for breakfast!¡± I hurriedly boarded the taxi I saw and went to the hospital owned by Jilledh. Sazharina was there. Luckily the timing was on my side and we got to the hospital really quickly. ¡°Thank you, Big Brother.¡± I immediately got out of the car and walked directly to Sazharina¡¯s room. I reached it quickly. I was about to turn the door lock when I remembered something. I removed it from my neck and put it in the pocket of the pants I was wearing now. ¡°Sazharina can¡¯t see this¡­ she is too curious,¡± I whispered to myself before turning the doorknob. Tita and Sazharina appeared to me with a bag ced in front of them. I think they have put away their things. They saw me so I smiled and held up the big paper bag I was carrying. ¡°Breakfast,¡± I said, smiling. ¡°Oh¡­ you¡¯re so sweet, Tray. Come in!¡± Aunt said. I went inside and put the paper bag on the table. Sazharina just stood by my side and looked at me while I brought out the food. ¡°Smells so good, Tray!¡± Aunt praised. I giggled. ¡°I bought some coffee for you, Aunt. I just ordered a typical breakfast set and bought some fruits for Sazharina.¡± I turned to Sazharina and smiled. She looks so pretty even though she just woke up. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said with a sweet smile. My heart suddenly thumped because of her sweet smile. I immediately averted my eyes from her because of my feelings. ¡°That¡¯s a lot, Tray! It¡¯s fun!¡± Tita was still pping because of the excitement. I can¡¯t help but think about what we talked aboutst night. ¡°I¡¯ll get the utensils,¡± Sazharina suddenly said but I stopped her immediately. ¡°Let me. Just take a seat and wait for me to serve your food.¡± I pushed her to sit on the chair. Tita just smiled while watching us. I went to the kitchen to get three dishes and a spoon and fork. Tita helped me again with the arrangement. It wasn¡¯t long before we finished fixing the food so we started eating. ¡°Hey, Sazha. Eat. So that you can regain your strength,¡± I said to Sazharina and she followed. Aunt and I continued to eat while I noticed Sazharina was quite quiet and didn¡¯t move her food much. ¡°Weird¡­¡± I heard her whisper to himself. I looked at her. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± I asked softly. She looked at me and smiled. ¡°Nothing.¡± But I¡¯m not satisfied with her answer. I know something is bothering her. I just can¡¯t figure out what it is. ¡°Are you sure, sweetie? Don¡¯t you want foods?¡± Aunt also asked. But she immediately shook her head. ¡°No, Mom. These foods taste great,¡± she said and smiled. We just went back to eating even though I noticed that Sazharina was eating slowly and that she was eating very little. I¡¯m starting to get conscious. I wonder if she doesn¡¯t like the food I cook. ¡°Tray?¡± she called me and Aunt and I both turned to her, waiting for what she was going to say. ¡°Is it just me or you too, but the taste is weird.¡± Damn¡­ My eyes widened slightly and my body froze. I felt like I saw something scary and I was really scared. I can feel my paleness now. This can¡¯t be¡­ it¡¯s true¡­ SAZHARINA IS REALLY A FAIRY. ¡°Tray?¡± She held me and it was as if my fairy soul that suddenly came out of my body suddenly returned to my body. ¡°Y-y-yes?¡± ¡°What happened? Are you okay?¡± she asked concernedly. I was so shocked, I just nodded at her and went back to eating as if nothing had happened. I should tell this to Dad right now. It¡¯s up to him if he gets angry because I used magic on Sazharina again, but it¡¯s really necessary. I need to know the identity of my queen so I can make my next n. I¡¯m done with Aunt because she agreed and left her daughter to me. I must to move on to my next n now. ¡°Even so, the food is delicious. Maybe it¡¯s just the medicine,¡± she suddenly added that made me calmed down. It¡¯s like the blood has returned to my body. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, sweetie. Maybe your body just isn¡¯t used to the medicine,¡± Aunt said. Sazharina just smiled and nodded before going back to eating. We finished eating breakfast in peace, while I couldn¡¯t escape from my mind thinking about Sazharina¡¯s personality. If her personality was a mystery to me then, now I just want it to remain a mystery and not find out more. There¡¯s a part of me that¡¯s d that she¡¯s my kind and that our lives won¡¯t be that difficult if we end up together forever. But I wonder what our fate would be like now if she wasn¡¯t a fairy like me. My father might not ept her. My mind was floating while cleaning our food. ¡°I¡¯ll just get the car, Aunt. You guys get ready,¡± I informed them. Aunt just thanked me because Sazharina was already in the bathroom taking a bath. Earlier, I quickly talked to Josh that I would borrow a car from him. I said he should just take her to this hospital. And now I will look at it and fix it so that Aunt and Sazha will befortable when riding it. ¡°Oh damn, I hope I can drive it well,¡± I whispered into the air as I eased the seats. I also tested it to see if it was smooth to drive and it was good. After a short inspection, I went up to Sazharina and saw that they were doing well. You can leave the room now because Aunt cleaned it earlier. Sazharina looks good and her beauty reallyes out even though her outfit is simple. She even wanted to go for a walk today but Aunt and I forbade her. Jilledh said that she should avoid stress. Also, she just got out of the hospital and we don¡¯t want her to get tired. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Aunt and Sazha. The car is already there.¡± I picked up the two gym bags and carried them to the car. I fixed it for a while and turned on the engine. I just drive slowly because I don¡¯t want to suddenly shock Sazharina¡¯s body. ¡°Are you really slow to drive, Tray?¡± Sazharina asked. ¡°I just don¡¯t want your body to be shocked,¡± I replied, making Titaugh. I just continued driving slowly so I could see Sazharina clearly looking irritated. ¡°Tray, I¡¯m not pregnant. Why are you driving so slowly?¡± she asked irritated. Damn, she¡¯s really impatient. I¡¯m not good at driving a car! We might have an ident. I need to act now. I sighed. ¡°Okay, fine. I¡¯ll tell you the truth now,¡± I surrendered, obviously faking it. ¡°What truth?¡± ¡°I already passed many car idents back then. One time, I almost hit a pole because of the speed I was driving,¡± I dered, that¡¯s a lie of course. I know I should tell them the truth but I don¡¯t want them to ask more questions. I don¡¯t want to deepen the conversation because it might lead to nowhere. Meanwhile, they both stared in shock. ¡°See? That¡¯s why I drive slowly. I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s in my hands and I¡¯m like this when I drive a car,¡± I added. ¡°W-what the hell, Tray?!¡± Sazharina eximed. I burst outughing because of her reaction. Aunt was obviously shocked and could not move. ¡°My goodness, Tray¡­¡± Aunt said, her voice was full of surprise. I smiled shyly and slightly scratched my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry hehe¡­¡± ¡°W-well, i-it¡¯s okay¡­ at least you know what you¡¯re doing driving now,¡± Aunt added and winced. Sazharina and I justughed at Aunt¡¯s reaction. Since they were bored, I sped up the car a bit. It wasn¡¯t long before we finally arrived at their house. We were immediately greeted by the maids I saw this morning. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the kitchen, sweetie. I¡¯ll get you something to drink first,¡± said Aunt and we happily followed her. She made orange juice for us and ordered cupcakes. It only took a few moments for the order to arrive so we ate first. ¡°What are you supposed to do now, Tray?¡± Aunt asked and bit into the strawberry cupcake. I swallowed the cupcake I was eating first. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll try to visit my father. But if possible, I want to stay here first.¡± Aunt was pping for joy. She¡¯s so cute. ¡°Of course! You can stay here!¡± Sazha and I just looked at each other and both smiled. I also want to stay here for a while because I want to be with my queen. I also make sure that they are fine here when I leave them. We talked for a while until we finished the cupcakes. The juice has also run out. ¡°Go upstairs first, sweetie. I¡¯m going to cook our lunch,¡± Aunt ordered to which Sazha nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Tray.¡± She pulled me up until we reached her room. The beautiful color of Sazha¡¯s room dawned on me. Its color is pleasing to the eye and her room looks peaceful. Very clean. ¡°Your room looks better, Sazha,¡± Imented when we entered my room. ¡°Yup,¡± she agreed, popping the ¡®p¡¯ letter. ¡°Mom fixed it so it wouldn¡¯t lookzy. Tranquil is nice if it¡¯s just in.¡± She sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. ¡°You¡¯re tired?¡± I asked. ¡°Nah, just a little bit. But I feel better now. ¡°Wanna watch a movie? My friend said it will relieve fatigue,¡± I suggested. She immediately agreed and turned on the TV to watch. ¡°Pick one.¡± She just scrolled until I could choose a movie. The title and thumbnail of the movie are interesting. ¡°Where is it?¡± she asked confused because there were three movies in the selection. ¡°The one in the middle,¡± I answered. ¡°It looks interesting.¡± ¡°That one is a fantasy. You wanna watch it?¡± She looked at me. ¡°Yes, please,¡± I said. I really want to watch that movie. I feel like it rtes to me. She just shrugged and pressed that movie. ¡°The mysterious fairy prince and his queen,¡± she read the title. Hmm¡­ a fairy, huh? I see¡­ The movie started and various beautiful ces were shown. The man was in another dimension and it was a fairy. It¡¯s powerful and really useful. He is a prince in the fairy pce. Their pce is about to be overrun by fairy darkness, and they need a queen to save their kingdom. This is what their enemy ordered them to do. He is really rted to me. The story and my life are almost exactly the same. Eventually, the male protagonist ends up in the human world. Sazha and I are stillughing because of what he experienced in the search for a queen. Until he met the girl, Sne. The girl, Sne, is simple. Their life is difficult and she really needs to scrape by so that they have money to support their daily needs. Her life was so hard that she reached the point where she wanted to give up. But she thinks about her family. Her parents and siblings will be neglected because no one is taking care of their family but her. Her father is ill, while her mother is unable to work due to old age. I was just happily watching until I heard a sob. I turned around and saw Sazharina crying. I immediately panicked and approached her. ¡°Hey, why are you crying?¡± I leaned her against my chest. ¡°T-that movie made me cry¡­¡± She sobbed. I can¡¯t me her though. It hase to the scene of the movie where Sne¡¯s father died because he was not treated due tock of money. Sne and I are the same. My mother died because of the disease she experienced. It has no cure. I was just a child when my mother died. Sazharina, on the other hand, only recognizes her uncle as her father. Even I, hurt for him. Her mom was right¡­ she is so fragile¡­ I justughed softly. ¡°Chill. We¡¯re not even halfway through the movie yet.¡± ¡°It hurts¡­¡± She sobbed more. I hushed her and caressed her hair. I hugged her tightly and leaned her face even more against my chest. ¡°Don¡¯t cry¡­ Do you want me to change the movie? So you won¡¯t cry anymore?¡± I was about to reach for the remote but she immediately stopped me. ¡°No. Let¡¯s finish the movie. I really love to know what will be the ending,¡± she said. I just nodded. We continued watching until the movie became exciting because the two heroes almost met several times but were always interrupted until the scene where they met. The man saved Sne from the thief and that was their first meeting. As a thank you, Sne invited him to their house. That¡¯s also where the scene happened where Sne found out that the man was a fairy. Shock and fear prevailed in his system but the man exined to him. And because she is indebted to the man for the rescue he did, the woman agrees to help the man find a queen. ¡°Sweetie, Tray, let¡¯s eat! Lunch is ready!¡± We heard Aunt say from outside. ¡°Let¡¯s continue thister. The movie is getting exciting and interesting now,¡± I said and he agreed. I want this movie to end. The show is really interesting. We went down and ate lunch. Even though today is a bit heavy, I can say that I am still happy because I am with the girl I love. And the mother of the girl I love who did nothing but support me. Now, I have to act. I don¡¯t want to get to the point where this opportunity won¡¯t happen again just because of a risk that I can¡¯t take care of right away. Help me, Thundur. Save us. Save my queen. CHAPTER 17 ANTRICUS¡¯ POV AFTER WE ate, we went upstairs again to continue watching the movie. We are in the middle of the show where the two protagonists will start looking for a queen for the kingdom of man. ¡°Hurry, Sazharina. y it now,¡± Imanded. She followed it. The scenes continued when suddenly someone knocked on the door. Sazharina didn¡¯t even hear it because she was so focused on watching. Her eyes were fixed on the TV. I opened it and saw Aunt with two buckets of popcorn. ¡°How¡¯s my sweetie?¡± She asked while handing me the two buckets of popcorn. ¡°She was too focused on the show, Aunt. Zhe didn¡¯t notice you,¡± I answered, chuckling. Auntughed. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ming down. Just call me when you need something, huh?¡± I smiled. ¡°Yes, Aunt. Thanks for this.¡± She closed the door because I was holding two buckets of popcorn. I went back to our ce and Sazharina still looked the same; staring at the TV and like a statue because she didn¡¯t even move. ¡°Hey, Aunt brought us some popcorn.¡± I ced the two buckets of popcorn on the coffee table beforeying down on the bed. ¡°Huh? When?¡± she curiously asked. ¡°Just a minute ago. You were so focused on what you were watching, you didn¡¯t even notice Aunt,¡± I answered then giggled. She just grimaced and took some popcorn. Like before, she was focused on the show again so she didn¡¯t notice that she was eating popcorn one after the other. ¡°Eat slowly, Sazha. You will choke.¡± I warned her. I couldn¡¯t focus on what I was watching because I was watching her while eating. She might choke. She took the juice and drank it. I didn¡¯t want her to miss a scene so I stopped it. ¡°Hurry. I¡¯ll y the movie now.¡± Then I quickly yed it. The show continued and different scenes wereing out. Our emotions are also mixed. There are tears, funny, and pitiful. But most of the time weugh out loud because of the scenes where the man is shown almost running out of patience to find a queen. We justugh at his facial expressions because he looks like a loser. ¡°He looks like a loser,¡± Imented,ughing. Sazharina alsoughed in agreement. There were also times when we were annoyed and angry at the scenes. We both feel almost the same. And Sazharina was really brought into the scene because she was even angry when Kyde yelled at Sne because of her slowness in finding the queen. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be angry. He¡¯s just asking for a favor!¡± Sazharina angrilymented. I¡¯m secretlyughing at her reaction even though the truth is that I¡¯m also disgusted with Kyde¡¯s. He was a fool to be angry with Sne who did nothing but help him. ¡°Hey. Calm down. It¡¯s just a movie, okay?¡± I just caressed her back to calm her back. It seems to be effective because she has be silent. Another scene went by and we felt nothing but joy and excitement when we found out that Sne had a crush on Kyde. We¡¯ve seen it in just a few scenes until he confesses. Unfortunately, the man seems numb because he doesn¡¯t even care about Sne¡¯s feelings. ¡°I pity her,¡± Sazharinamented again, frowning. ¡°Kyde is so numb! Doesn¡¯t he feel that Sne likes him?!¡± she added frustratedly. I just listened to her quietly.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re making so much noise that Kyde doesn¡¯t know about Sne¡¯s feelings,¡± I teased her. She just gave me a bad look that I just shrugged. And now is what we both have been waiting for the most. The scene came when Kyde would have yelled at Sne. He is angry because Sne can¡¯t find a queen. But only then did he realize that he loved Sne. He was annoyed because he was so numb. He was annoyed because he was thest to feel it. He is upset because he hurt the girl he loves. In his thoughts, he decided to confess to Sne as well. He should not waste time for his love for the girl. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Sne. I shouldn¡¯t have yelled at you. I¡¯m such a bastard. I¡¯m the one asking you for a favor¡­¡± the man said to Sne. We can clearly see the remorse on his face. ¡°That¡¯s fine, Kyde. I know you¡¯re just under pressure.¡± Sne smiled. ¡°Sne¡­¡± Kyde gradually came closer to Sne and the woman stepped back. The show is exciting and the girl next to me almost broke my arm when she squeezed. I justughed at her because I almost didn¡¯t feel her squeezing me. ¡°K-kyde¡­ w-what are you doing¡­?¡± Sne gradually retreated until Kyde pulled her closer. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I made a fool of myself. I had to yell at you to realize how I really feel.¡± He sighed heavily. Sne had a look of surprise on his face. ¡°You sacrificed a lot for me. You apanied me. Youforted me when I almost lost hope for my mission. You weren¡¯t even afraid of me when you found out I was a fairy. You didn¡¯t drive me away when I need help.¡± He held Sne¡¯s face and looked into her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for a queen for me and my kingdom for a long time, which after all is right in front of me.¡± The shock on Sne¡¯s face was obvious. The person next to me was biting the pillow to stop screaming. I justughed at her. ¡°W-what do you mean, K-kyde?¡± ¡°I love you, Sne. Be mine. Be my queen, and I¡¯ll serve you until the end of my time.¡± Suddenly, Sazharina screamed from the top of her lungs and even jumped on the bed when Kyde kissed Sne. Sne was shocked and her eyes widened but eventually she closed her eyes and kissed Kyde back as well. ¡°AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!¡± She pped my arm hard while squealing with excitement. I justughed at her and let her scream. ¡°H-hey! Calm down!¡± Iughed defiantly while scolding her. ¡°Sazha! You might fall!¡± I warned her. But unexpectedly, she was out of bnce on the bed and fell to the floor, hitting her head. My eyes almost went dark with so much nervousness and I attended her immediately. ¡°SAZHARINA!¡± I lifted her head andid it on my arm while gently patting her cheek. ¡°SAZHARINA! WAKE UP! AUNT! HELP!¡± I screamed. I don¡¯t know what to do and I¡¯m panicking. Her eyes are slightly closed and you can tell from her that he is dizzy. But there is still one way. I closed my eyes and tapped her cheek harder. I also lifted my hand and whispered a magic. And in an instant, her trance returned. ¡°T-tray¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°S-sazha¡­ w-wait, I¡¯ll carry you.¡± I picked her up and slowlyid her on the bed. I don¡¯t know if this work is possible but I treated her with my magic so I can say that she is safe. I also used that to prevent her from getting a bump on her head and to keep her away from the pain that her falling on the floor could cause. I was fixing her bed when suddenly someone hurriedly opened the door. It was Aunt who was panting. ¡°W-what? W-what happened?!¡± she asked, worried. She was still panting. ¡°Sazharina¡¯s head fell on the floor, Aunt. I¡¯m sorry,¡± I apologized, still bowing. I don¡¯t know but I felt like it was my fault. I should¡¯ve taken care of her. I shouldn¡¯t have let her jump up and down on the bed. I should have just not watched this show. I¡¯m worried. I¡¯m worried as hell. Maybe what will happen to her when it takes a long time. Yes, she waspletely cured because of my magic but I¡¯m not powerful. ¡°H-huh? How did that happen?¡± Aunt came to her and touched her forehead. ¡°I-I¡¯m s-sorry, Mom¡­ I-It was my fault¡­ I didn¡¯t listen to Tray¡­¡± Sazharina said, her voice was full of guilt. ¡°It¡¯s okay, sweetie. I¡¯m not ming you nor Tray.¡± Aunt said. I¡¯m still bowing. But I was taken aback when she suddenly said those words. ¡°Tray¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I should have listened to you¡­¡± I looked at her with a shocked expression on my face. ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad at me¡­¡± she even added. My heart thumped. I hurriedly walked towards her and gave her a tight hug. I could tell she was surprised. ¡°I will never be mad at you, Sazharina,¡± I softly whispered. ¡°Thank you, Antricus. Thank you so much,¡± she then replied, hugging me back. After that, Aunt just rested Sazharina and put ice on her head. Maybe it was to get rid of whatever pain Sazha was in there. ¡°What do you want to do now, Sazha?¡± I asked and sat next to her She pouted. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m bored.¡± Aunt didn¡¯t let us finish the show because what might happen next. I agreed because I was afraid of what might happen next. That¡¯s why we are both so bored. ¡°I already know!¡± I was shocked when she suddenly clicked her finger as if she had an idea. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go to the park?¡± she asked excitedly. ¡°Park? What are we going to do there?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just hanging out. Just a few hours, it¡¯s almost sunset. I want to stay there first.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ sounds great to me.¡± I shrugged. Not bad, though. I also like to travel around. ¡°Yay!¡± She pped my hands because of excitement. I just smiled because of her cuteness. She is like a child. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Tray!¡± She pulled me out of the room and I just let her. I¡¯m just thinking now of her soft hand holding me. I feel like I¡¯m in the air, flying around with butterflies. ¡°Oh, where are you going?¡± Aunt suddenly asked when she saw us leaving. ¡°We¡¯re going to the park, Mom,¡± Sazharina replied. ¡°Huh? Are you okay now? Do you have any pain anymore?¡± I just smiled secretly when Aunt approached her daughter and looked at her head. Maybe she was still worried about Sazha¡¯s head hitting the floor. ¡°Yes, Mom. I told you I¡¯m okay now,¡± Sazharina reasoned. ¡°But sweetie-¡± Then I cut her off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aunt. I¡¯ll take good care of her now. We¡¯re only going to the park.¡± Aunt sighed in defeat. ¡°Fine. Just be here before 7PM, alright?¡± ¡°Copy, Mom.¡± She smiled and hugged her. ¡°I¡¯ll bring Sazharina here, Aunt.¡± I smiled, too. We were walking quietly and I was observing the surroundings. It¡¯s beautiful here and just peaceful. The air is also fresh because there are many trees here. I just got around here. And with Sazharina. ¡°Thank you for being with me today, Tray. You are very kind,¡± she suddenly said out of nowhere, making me surprised. I looked at her. She was just looking ahead. ¡°Why are you thanking me?¡± ¡°Hmm, there are many reasons why I want to thank you, Tray.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± She looked at me and nodded, smiling. ¡°Yes. So if the timees when you need my help, you can count on me. I will help you as you help me in times when I need help.¡± I was stunned, thinking about what she said. After all, I can tell her my n because she can help me. But if I tell her right away, our time will be over. These moments will be gone. Maybe the time wille when I will really need her help. I smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it,¡± I said. She justughed. ¡°Sure thing.¡± ¡°WE¡¯RE HERE!¡± She shouted when we got to the park. It is very beautiful here and there are many children ying. The area is full of shops and the view is beautiful, especially as the sun is setting. ¡°Wow¡­ it¡¯s beautiful here,¡± Imented, amazed. ¡°See? It¡¯s beautiful here! Let¡¯s go!¡± She dragged me to the ice cream shop. She said the ice cream here is cheap. ¡°Two ice creams! The one in the cup.¡± She gave twenty pesos for both. ¡°The cookies and cream.¡± Kuya handed us two cups of ice cream. She gave it to me and she immediately tasted hers. She even closed her eyes because of its taste. I keptughing. ¡°Taste it, Tray! It¡¯s so delicious!¡± She convinced me. I tasted it and like her, I also closed my eyes because of the delicious taste. I just tasted this delicious ice cream. Josh usually only feeds me five ice creams each. ¡°Wow. I have never tasted ice cream this delicious. It is indeed delicious,¡± I praised. She was pping for joy. ¡°Come! Let¡¯s go to my favorite spot.¡± She pulled me into a big bench. It¡¯s breezy here and it¡¯s really nice to hang out. I just eat ice cream because it¡¯s really good. ¡°This bench is cool. It¡¯s still windy,¡± Imented. ¡°Yup. I paid for this.¡± My forehead creased in confusion. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s a long story. But I¡¯m the only one who can sit here.¡± She shrugged. I just nodded and kept quiet. We just ate ice cream while feeling the fresh air. ¡°I really love this ce. Apart from my room, it has also be my safe ce somehow. I¡¯ve been staying here since L didn¡¯t allow me to go to the Underground. I even paid thousands just to sit here,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s fresh here and the view is beautiful. Not bad for your safe ce,¡± I agreed. It¡¯s really beautiful here and peaceful. You can think clearly. She just sighed. We just sat quietly. I, on the other hand, watched the children chasing each other with their friends. They just look cute and look free. No problems and fun. It is indeed good to be a child. I wish I could turn back the time. ¡°I want one soon¡­¡± I whispered while looking at the kids ying. ¡°Look, the sun is setting.¡± Sazharina pointed to the setting sun. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful.¡± I smiled, mesmerized by the beauty of sunset. ¡°And peaceful,¡± she added. We waited until the sunpletely set and then we got up to go home. ¡°Let¡¯s go home, Sazha.¡± I put my arm around her. ¡°Yeah.¡± Then she leaned on my shoulder and we started walking home. It¡¯s a beautiful day. It was only a short time but so much happened. I will look forward to this every day. Every second. Every minute¡­ with her. CHAPTER 17.5 SAZHARINA¡¯S POV IT¡¯S BEEN a few weeks since Tray moved into our house. He has been here since nine in the morning. Mommy doesn¡¯t have a problem with that, she even prefers Tray to live here with us. But I also wonder why his parents seem to be okay withing here with us. I don¡¯t even know if his parents know me and that¡¯s how they allowed Tray to stay here with us. Since then we have always been together. We becamefortable with each other and became friends. He is very protective of me and doesn¡¯t want me to get hurt. Even mosquitoes don¡¯t want tond on my skin. It was as if I had an older brother, or known as Kuya. He also cares for me and is really attentive. Mommy trusts him so much that she leaves me with Tray when she goes somewhere. In that case, Tray will act in the house. He doesn¡¯t move the helpers and he just lets them rest. The housemates are happy with him and sometimesugh at Tray. Sometimes they even ask me when he will visit here. In just a short period of time, Antricus became remarkable among them. They¡¯re already looking for him, bonding with him, and growing close to him. Tray became a part of our family. But sometimes because he is so protective of me, there are times when I just get annoyed with him. He forbids me so much, he even beat Mommy. Just like the scene here at home today¡­ ¡°Mom! Tray, oh! He doesn¡¯t want to let me roam outside!¡± I reported to Mommy while going down the stairs. I wanted to go out because Blue, my old fling, texted me saying he wanted to hang out with me. I agreed because I knew we were just friends. We had a happy closure. He said that somehow, he got to experience his sweet side. ¡°Hey, slow down, sweetie,¡± Mommy warned me, still holding thedle while wearing an apron. ¡°Mom! Tray doesn¡¯t want to let me out!¡± I stomped my foot like a child. ¡°Auntie, he¡¯s going to meet the Blue he¡¯s talking about,¡± Tray interjected, looking calm but teasing evident on his face. I sharply rolled my eyes at him. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± He just grinned at me. ¡°Your daughter, Aunt, oh.¡± ¡°Stop it!¡± Mommy shouted at both of us. She then turned to me. ¡°You can¡¯t go out, Sazharina. We will have lunch soon.¡± I was stunned. ¡°But Mom! It¡¯s just quick! I¡¯ll be home right away,¡± I reasoned. She shook her head. ¡°No, Sazha. A no is a no. You¡¯ll be staying here,¡± she dered. I couldn¡¯t do anything but frown. Mommy went to the kitchen to continue cooking so I didn¡¯t talk to her again. I looked at Antricus who was next to me and folded his arms. ¡°Are you happy now?¡± I asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. He just stared at me coldly. ¡°Happier.¡± I was just stunned when he passed me and went straight outside as if he owned this house. ¡°Hey! This isn¡¯t your house!¡± I shouted at him even though I knew he wouldn¡¯t hear me. ¡°So annoying!¡± ¡°WHAT ARE you doing here?¡± Antricus asked as he saw me walking towards his direction.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°Hello, this is my house. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes. ¡°Oh yeah, I remember now. Pardon me.¡± He smirked. This man is starting to get on my nerves. I just rolled my eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Tss¡­ you should care. I¡¯m your future husband, you know?¡± I looked at him, grimacing. ¡°What the fuck? You¡¯re kidding, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Nah-uh, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m serious as hell,¡± he really seriously replied. He wasn¡¯t looking at me and was looking straight ahead but I could see his cold eyes. ¡°Psh, keep dreaming on.¡± He then finally looked at me. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t dream anymore. I¡¯m your future husband. Try asking your mom¡­¡± He trailed off. ¡°Or should I say¡­ our mom?¡± I gritted my teeth in annoyance. ¡°You arrogant jerk! Never! Just dream!¡± He slowly approached me, I backed away. I just went backwards until I hit the big wall. I have nothing to lose from him. He blocked one of his arms around my side, caging me. ¡°M-move away¡­¡± I tried to push him away but my hands only softened when he brought his face closer to mine. ¡°Push me, then,¡± he huskily whispered. I tried to push him again but to no avail, my hands just weakened again when he brought his face closer to me. We were so close to each other that I almost squinted. I could almost smell his fresh mint breath. ¡°Why not push me if you want me to move away, my sweet?¡± I gulped. ¡°H-how can I push you i-if y-youe closer to me¡­?¡± I asked, stammering. My heart started pounding. My heart was beating so fast and his gaze was dizzying. I feel weak. Damn, what is this feeling? Why am I feeling this? ¡°Hmmm?¡± He moved an inch closer to me again. ¡°S-stop¡­ m-move¡­ a-away¡­¡± He shrugged, a smirk was stered on his face. ¡°If you say so¡­¡± But then, he was about to move away from me when a ball suddenly hit him and pushed me closer, causing our lips to touch. My eyes widened in shock, same with him. I was stunned. I couldn¡¯t move and my whole body felt like it was frozen. All I know now is that our lips are touching. When I got hooked, I immediately let go and pushed him away. Maybe because of weakness, he got away from me and fell down. I don¡¯t know if my eyes were just ying tricks on me but I saw the pain on his face. I unconsciously wiped my lips, causing him to look more pained. ¡°I-I t-told you t-to s-stay away f-from me!¡± I shouted, stammering. I¡¯m still surprised. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± He stood up from the floor and approached me in a panic. He tried to touch me but I quickly moved my hand away from him. I¡¯m sure now, my eyes are no longer ying with me, I can clearly see the pain that passed through his eyes. ¡°S-sazha¡­ I-I¡¯m s-sorry¡­ i-it was the ball¡­¡± He tried exining but I just shook my head. ¡°No! It wasn¡¯t the ball! If you had just stayed away from me, it wouldn¡¯t have happened!¡± He bit his lower lip. His eyes were red. I could see that he was preventing his tears from falling. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ p-please¡­ please don¡¯t be mad at me¡­¡± His tears then fell. It drips one after the other. I was surprised and stunned by him. I didn¡¯t think he would cry about this. He looked pitiful and his face was really wet from tears. I felt guilty. Why did I me him? The ball is really the reason why that happened! Why did I suddenly shout at him? Damn it! I slowly approached him and touched his face. He closed his eyes. ¡°S-stop¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ I won¡¯t do it again¡­¡± I said calmly while wiping his face. He sniffed. ¡°A-are you mad?¡± he asked, still sobbing. Damn¡­ he is like a baby. That¡¯s so fucking cute. I smiled a little. ¡°No¡­ I was just carried away by my emotions. I¡¯m not mad, okay? I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, too. I-I won¡¯t do that again¡­¡± I was surprised when he suddenly hugged me, but I just smiled and hugged him too. ¡°Tray! Sazharina! Lunch is ready!¡± We broke away from the hug when we heard Mommy¡¯s scream. He smiled at me and we went inside together. We caught up with Mommy in the kitchen preparing the tes. ¡°Let me help you, Aunt,¡± Tray said and hurriedly approached Mom. My mother smiled at him and thanked him. I was the one who got us to drink and put down the food as well. After that we sat down. ¡°Where did you twoe from? I¡¯ve been looking for you for a while,¡± said Mommy and took a spoonful of rice. ¡°We were in the garden, Mom. We just talked about something,¡± I answered, smiling a little. I turned to Tray and saw him looking at me. He then averted his gaze. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mom nodded. We continued to eat in a quiet manner. No one spoke to us and only the clinking of spoons and forks could be heard. ¡°Uhm, Aunt?¡± Tray called. Mommy turned to him. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Can I go home after this? M-my mom c-called me a while ago¡­¡± Tray looked at me but he immediately averted his eyes from me. I bent down and bit my lip. I feel guilty. I know it has something to do with me why he should go home with them. Maybe he feels ufortable about what happened¡­ ¡°Of course, you can! Go ahead, juste back whenever you want, hmm? You¡¯re wee to us,¡± Mommy answered happily. Tray smiled a little. ¡°Thanks, Aunt. I¡¯ll be back.¡± Mommy just smiled back at him before continuing to eat. As for me, I have lost my appetite. ¡°M-mom? Can I go to my room now? I¡¯m already full, and I¡¯m feeling dizzy¡­¡± I said. Mom concernedly looked at me. ¡°Why, sweetie? Do you feel any pain?¡± I smiled weakly. ¡°Nothing, Mom. I just feel dizzy. I¡¯m tired.¡± Mom sighed. ¡°Alright, sweetie. We¡¯ll take care of this. Get some rest, hmm?¡± I nodded. ¡°Yes, Mom. Thanks.¡± I got up and just washed my hands. After that I left the kitchen, not minding the intense stare Antricus was giving me. I quickly went up to my room andy down on my bed. I sighed violently. ¡°Damn it.¡± I just sank down on my pillow while thinking about what happened earlier. I can¡¯t get that out of my mind¡­ and his lips¡­ ¡°Argh!¡± Why can¡¯t I get that out of my mind?! Why do I have to think about that?! What¡¯s done is done! I let out a few more sighs before I heard footstepsing to my room. I felt it first and the door of my room opened. It was Antricus. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I didn¡¯t expect what he would do that shocked my system. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I have to leave, my queen. My family needs me¡­¡± he uttered softly. He softly caressed my hair. ¡°About the kiss¡­ I know I apologized to you for what happened¡­ but If you may ask me, that was sweet.¡± He then softly kissed my forehead. ¡°Get well soon, my love¡­¡± And then he said the words that shook my entire system and my heart. ¡°I love you.¡± CHAPTER 18 IT¡¯S BEEN a few days since I heard those three words. I didn¡¯t fall asleep right away and all I could hear was his voice whispering those words to me. Antricus, on the other hand, continues to visit here. Sometimes he brought food. I apanied him properly as if I didn¡¯t hear what he said. And every time he came home, I would just lock myself in my room. I will think again about what I heard that night. I will think again about the reasons why I am. Out of many women, I was the one he chose to love. Over and over again. It¡¯s like music on a loop. But I admit¡­ that music is good to the ears. I couldn¡¯t sleep that night and stayed awake until morning. Literally until morning. I stayed up all night thinking about him. How he cares for me, how he protects me¡­ is that because he loves me? I think that he only thinks of me as a sister and that¡¯s why he behaves like that when ites to me. Then¡­ I¡¯ll just know that he loves me. I don¡¯t know why but there is a part of me that doubts about what he said. I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, who can fall in love in a short amount of time? It¡¯s only been a few months since we met. Two or three months? Maybe it¡¯s just infatuation. But another part of me was hoping that all his words were true. That his love for me cannot be measured by how long we have known each other. I¡¯m messed up. My mind and heart are in turmoil. I want to tell this to Mom because I wonder how she will react. Will she get mad? Surprise? Confused? ¡°Damn it! I¡¯m in messed right now!¡± I frustratedly ruffled my hair and heaved a deep sigh. After a while someone knocked on the door and it opened immediately. It was Mom, smiling widely at me. ¡°Hey, sweetheart,¡± she greeted. She looked at my appearance and immediately her smile disappeared. It was reced by surprise. ¡°What happened to you? Did someone pull out your hair?¡± she asked ridiculously, but at the same time, confused. I sighed heavily. ¡°No, Mom. I¡¯m just in a total mess right now.¡± She approached me worriedly. ¡°Why, sweetheart? Is something bothering you? Tell me, please.¡± I looked at Mom. Her eyes were pleading. Her face was full of worry. ¡°Uhm¡­¡± I trailed off, weighing my decision whether to tell her or not. ¡°Hmm? Mommy is listening,e on, tell me.¡± ¡°W-what if s-someone confessed t-to you all of a sudden?¡± I asked carefully. Her eyebrows furrowed. Her head tilted in confusion. ¡°Confess? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I-It¡¯s just what if, Mom,¡± I added. ¡°Well¡­ it depends, sweetie. You can¡¯t stop someone¡¯s feelings. Didn¡¯t your Daddy Uncle say, if you love someone, say it. Don¡¯t stop your feelings. Let it flow like an endless river,¡± she advised at length. I bit my lower lip, thinking about something. ¡°Why, sweetie? Did someone confess to you? Who is he? When?¡± Mom asked one after the other. I don¡¯t know but I could see that he was nervous for a moment. ¡°Wait, Mom, calm down.¡± I chuckled. Mommy seemed to realize what she had done so she coughed. ¡°So¡­ did someone confess to you?¡± she then carefully asked. ¡°Well¡­¡± I licked my lower lip. ¡°It¡¯s not literally a confess but¡­ h-he said¡­ i love you¡­¡± I trailed off. I can¡¯t guess the right words to say. It¡¯s just as embarrassing to tell Mom something like this. But she doesn¡¯t want to repeat what happened to me before so she is really focusing on me. She only noticed a few things about me. She became more keen and observant, eyeing me every time. I have no problem with that. Because there are things that I feel awkward to say to Mom. I know most of use to the point where we no longer share things with our parents. We learned to stand on our own feet. We learned to make our own decisions, and we learned to keep secrets from our parents. There are things that we keep to ourselves and feel awkward whenever we share them with our parents. It¡¯s not like when we were kids, no matter how big or small it is, we tell them about it. I was back in my sense when I heard Mommy asked. ¡°Oh, really? W-who is he, then?¡± ¡°M-mom¡­ I don¡¯t want to tell it¡­¡± Mom smiled. ¡°How can I examine your lover if you won¡¯t introduce him to me?¡± My eyes widened at his question. I waved my hand in front of her as if I could get it out of her mind. ¡°M-mom! H-he¡¯s not courting me! He just said ¡®i love you¡¯.¡± Mom grinned teasingly. ¡°Well, not yet?¡± My cheeks reddened at the sudden thought. I thought of Antricusing here every day with something while the outfit was formal and revealing itself to me every morning. I also think about how he will court. But all of these thoughts suddenly erased in my mind because of one question. WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT HIM COURTING ME?!! ¡°You¡¯re blushing, Sazha!¡± Mom said whileughing. My cheeks flushed even more. ¡°Mom! Stop that!¡± Mom giggled. ¡°OMG, you¡¯re so cute, sweetie!¡± Mom held my cheek like a baby. ¡°Stop treating me like a baby, Mom!¡± I said, irritated, but my cheeks are still flushed. Mom rolled her eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t want me to baby you because someone said ¡®i love you¡¯ to you, ah!¡± Mom ranted. I suddenlyughed hard. ¡°You¡¯re so cute, Mom! I¡¯m really your heir!¡± Mom also smiled at what I said her. We stayed silent until Mom broke the peace in one question that made me choke even when I¡¯m not eating. ¡°Is it Antricus?¡± I gulped. ¡°W-what¡­?¡± ¡°Antricus. Is it him? The one who said ¡®I love you¡¯ to you?¡± she seriously asked. Her eyes are dead serious. Scary. Mom looks scary. She was staring at me as if she already knew the answer and was just waiting to see if I would tell her the truth. I didn¡¯t know what Mom was thinking so I couldn¡¯t do anything but just nodded. ¡°Y-yes, Mom¡­ i-it¡¯s him.¡± I bowed down. Mom was speechless and I was bowing so I didn¡¯t know what her reaction was. I decided to look up, only to see her smiling widely. ¡°Mom?¡± I called her. I was surprised when she suddenly screamed and jumped up and down. She looks like a teenager who is in love with her crush or something. She moved very aggressive. ¡°OMG!! I KNEW IT! AHHHH!¡± she squealed. She came to me and shook my shoulder. ¡°Great! You¡¯re really beautiful!¡± She stopped me before jumping up and down again. ¡°Mommy!¡± I scolded er but she didn¡¯t seem to hear me. ¡°Mom! Stop!¡± She still didn¡¯t listen. ¡°MOMMY SOLIST VERSALES!¡± I shouted that I added her full name. She stopped and looked at me like an innocent child, snorting. ¡°Why?¡± she asked, pouting. ¡°Mom? Really? Are you that thrilled?¡± I asked mockingly, joking. She red at me. ¡°You have a bad attitude, you witch!¡± she shouted. Iughed out loud. ¡°Like mother like daughter, mom. Remember,¡± I teased her and winked. She rolled her eyes at me before sitting on the couch, facing me. I could clearly see the shine in her eyes, she was obviously very happy with what she found out. ¡°So, how did you hear? I mean, did he say it to you directly?¡± Mom crossed her arms over her chest and listened to me attentively. ¡°Well¡­ remember the time I went into my room because I was feeling a little bad? Antricus was here that time and I said that we came from the garden?¡± I said, recalling what happened that day. Mom¡¯s mouth formed an ¡®o¡¯. ¡°Yes! I remember that! And then?¡± ¡°Then he came inside my room¡­ whispering some things to me. And after that, he whispered ¡®I love you¡¯ to me¡­ m-maybe he thought I was really asleep¡­¡± I continued to narrate. I saw how Mom bit her lower lip to stifle a smile. I just rolled my eyes in the air. ¡°Mom, stop the tease. There is no confirmation,¡± I reasoned. I know as well that she will not stop teasing me again. ¡°Psh!¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°What do you mean ¡®no confirmation¡¯? You were already whispered ¡®I love you¡¯! Are you stupid?¡±Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org. ¡°You¡¯re so harsh, Mom! Of course¡­ I was asleep that time!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not asleep, are you?! You did hear what he said, didn¡¯t you?¡± She argued. ¡°Even so, Mom! It¡¯s still different when it¡¯s face-to-face,¡± I said. But I finally realized what I said when Mom suddenly smiled mischievously. I rolled my eyes again. ¡°So, you want a face-to-face meeting. Alright, do you want me to call him?¡± Mom said calmly, obviously making fun of me. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a phone, Mom.¡± ¡°Aww, it¡¯s a pity, hmm,¡± she said pretending to be sad. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he wille here.¡± And as if on cue, suddenly someone knocked on the door. ¡°Who is that?¡± Mom asked and opened the door. One of the helpers appeared. ¡°Ma¡¯am Solist, Sir Tray is in the living room.¡± The helper smiled. My eyes widened. Meanwhile, Mom turned to me and grinned at me. I just palmed my forehead. It¡¯s gone. I¡¯m dead now. ¡°Alright, please tell him we¡¯reing down. Thank you.¡± Mom smiled sweetly. The helper left and Mom closed the door. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go down.¡± Mom giggled. I jokingly looked at her badly. ¡°Stop that, Mom.¡± ¡°Will definitely do that, madam.¡± Momughed hard. I just stomped my foot in annoyance. Mom put her arms around me and led me downstairs. We immediately saw Tray carrying arge paper bag. I don¡¯t know what kind of food he brought. ¡°Tray!¡± Mom happily called after we got off. Tray turned to us and immediately smiled widely. He looked at me and nodded. I also nodded to him. Meanwhile, I secretly pinched Mom because of her uncontrobleughter. She also secretly hit me on the hand. ¡°Ce on, Tray, Mom¡­ let¡¯s go to the kitchen,¡± I invited. Tray creased his forehead and looked at me with concern. ¡°Are you okay, Sazha?¡± I was about to answer but Mommy cut me off. ¡°She¡¯s fine, Tray,¡± Mom said, smiling. ¡°Because you¡¯re here,¡± she yfully added. I squeezed Mom¡¯s hand because of the shock. Tray was still creasing his forehead at us. ¡°What do you mean, Aunt?¡± he asked in pure confusion. ¡°A-ah¡­ n-no¡­ it¡¯s just nothing.¡± I was the one who answered. Mom is supporting us in the kitchen. Tray immediately opened the paper bag and took out tupperware. We immediately saw the food and my eyebrows furrowed because of its unfamiliar appearance. ¡°What are these foods, Tray? They don¡¯t look familiar to me,¡± Imented while pointing at the foods. ¡°Uhm¡­ this is made by my Dad. H-he was a chef before, and t-these are his delicacies,¡± he replied. My mouth gaped in awe. He just mentioned about his father. Mom was the same with admiration in her eyes, maybe she was also surprised by what she found out. ¡°Wow. I didn¡¯t know that.¡± Mom shrugged. ¡°But these foods look delicious!¡± Tray smiled sweetly. ¡°They are indeed delicious, Aunt. I swear, you will not regret trying these.¡± Mom chuckled. ¡°Really, huh? Come on, let¡¯s taste it.¡± We have prepared tes and utensils before serving the food. He opened the tupperware and Mom and I closed our eyes when we smelled the delicious smell of food. ¡°Wow! It just smells so good!¡± Mom excitedlymented. I smiled and looked at the food. It has pork and vegetables soaked in brown sauce. I swear, I could see the sauce shining and glittering. It looks like it¡¯s covered in glitter because it really shines. ¡°Oh, the sauce looks delicious, too,¡± Mom added. ¡°Let¡¯s dig in?¡± Tray asked happily when everything was ready. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Mom and I answered in unison. I¡¯ve been drooling here for a while because of hunger. I temporarily forgot all my thoughts because of this delicious food. The food is appetizing and really makes you hungry. It was really delicious because I didn¡¯t think I could eat three spoonfuls. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s the first time you¡¯ve eaten that much, sweetie,¡± Mommented happily. ¡°It¡¯s so delicious, Mom. I can¡¯t resist the taste,¡± I reasoned before taking another bite of food. Tray just smiled while watching us. He ate slowly, as if he was really dedicating this moment to us. Damn, these foods deserve to be put on spotlight. They are game-changers. We just keep eating until we eat it all. Scrape the tupperware and look clean. I took a deep breath because of the fullness. I just ate this much food today. Those foods were fantastic! ¡°You ate too much, Sazha. You might not be able to handle the dessert,¡± said Mom while cleaning the table. Tray is in charge of the sink. ¡°What¡¯s for dessert, Mom?¡± I asked then burped. Trayughed out loud. ¡°That was a nice burp, girl.¡± Mom and Iughed at what he said. We just kept talking andughing. It¡¯s really different when Tray is here with us, I get to have fun without worrying about problems. I lose my concern about our safety. I feel safe around whenever he is here. And as if lightning was struck into me. I just found myself smiling like crazy. ¡°I love you.¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!