Grace jumped a little when she realized the man was looking at her suddenly, along with a burst of questions. It was so embarrassing that he caught her staring at his handsome face, which became much prettier because of the outdoor lighting. However, Grace couldn't even tell whether she was admiring his good looks or being dumbfounded at his strangeness.
"Eum... that..." Grace stammered.
"I don't understand. This place is supposed to be a dense forest. This kingdom is far away from the ocean. The road, the building, and the things are strange here. You are also strange ... Everything is strange. What is happening here?" The man said, Then he looked again at the house he had just left. It was different from the house he had entered before. Now, the house looked damaged, as if it had been abandoned for decades. This must be magic.
"Sir, you have to calm down. But first, can you tell me what your name is and where you come from?" Grace asked slowly.
The man stared at her for a second, narrowing his eyes. "You really don't recognize me, do you?" He asked only to receive an innocent head shake from the girl.
"God, what is happening here? How could I have been hit by magic?" The man clucked.
"I am Prince Adro Aylmer Groendez, the eldest son of King Archer Elex Groendez of Groendez a Lend kingdom. My mother is Nathania Gratinty Groendez." He explained while placing his hand on his lower chest.
"Ow, I see," Grace muttered. It felt like she was watching an actor play his role as an ancient royal prince.
'Okay, he's confirmed crazy,' She thought.
Then, Grace looked for the number of a psychiatric hospital on the internet. She put the cell phone back against her ear and heard the dial tone.
Adro looked confusedly at Grace. He didn't understand why she had to put a shining rectangle object in her ear. However, he didn't want to ask further because this was all magic. Questioning the strangeness caused by magic would only waste his time like a fool.
"What about you, Ms? If you're not a witch, are you also trapped in this magic? I'm sure the door was a witch's door," Adro asked.
Grace narrowed her eyes and raised her brow. “Wha-”. At the same time, her call to the psychiatric hospital was answered.
"Rose Psychiatric Hospital. How can we help you?" Greet a woman from across the line.
Grace blinked but kept staring at the face of the man in front of her. Then she remembered an odd incident that had just happened. Come to think of it, there was no way she was still hallucinating now. So, how did this man get through the intact wall? How could the door be knocked on from outside? Why was this man wearing clothes like a prince's costume in the fictional film?
'Is he turning out to be sane?' Grace thought.
"Hello... Hello, are you there-"
Grace hung up the call. She continued to stare at the man named Adro. "You ... you're not joking, are you?"
"The royal family will not joke with ordinary people. We are from different castes." Adro answered firmly.
"Oh, my..." Grace muttered as she snorted. Should he be that boastful in his situation?
"Wait a minute," Grace raised her gaze. "Can you take me around the mansion? Let's check at the outside of the door you entered."
"That’s a good idea; of course I can. Will you allow me to carry you so we can get there faster?"
"Sure-" Grace stopped and widened her eyes. "W-what? Carry me?"
Adro nodded. "We don't have much time. If we can find out what's behind the wall, at least I can find out what really happened. Will you let me?"
"Well… um, S-sure, if you don't mind." She answered with a low voice and looked away so that Adro wouldn't notice the color change on her face.
"Excuse me," Adro said before carefully holding Grace in front of him like a baby.
"We have to hurry. Maybe the ambulance will come in a moment," Grace said as Adro started walking around the mansion that stood alone on the large plot of land.
Adro's tall, athletic body was not just for show. He could run easily over uneven grassy hills with quite steep descents while carrying Grace as if she were a weightless feather.
Adro slowed down when he arrived at the back of the mansion. He put Grace down slowly while continuing to hold her upper arm when they seemed to have found what they were looking for: the wall.
"This is the wall," Grace said, feeling the uneven brick of the wall with her palm.
Trying to peek into the cracks in the wooden walls around the brick walls, Grace found the exact room where she fell earlier. Then she pulled her head back and muttered. “This is so strange. It’s impossible. And this wall … it's made of brick, while the other walls are wooden. It looks like it was intentionally made different."
"It should be a forest outside this house. And the door is not the back of the house, but the front." Adro added.
Grace turned to face Adro. "You're … a human, aren’t you?"
"Do I look like a ghost to you?" He hissed and narrowed his eyes.
Instead of being terrifying, he was even more charming to Grace by doing that. She felt like slapping her own cheek so that she could regain her sanity and not give a thirsty expression when she saw Adro’s face.
"I’m sorry. You came out of a door that just had an empty wall with no space behind it. Even a puppy wouldn't fit between the door and the wall. Yet you could even knock from behind it. Gosh! I'm going crazy!" Grace said while staring blankly at the bright blue sky.
Faintly, they heard the sound of an ambulance siren getting closer. Grace looked back at Adro. "That's the ambulance! Please take me back to the street."
"But what about the door? I have to go back to my palace," Adro complained, but strangely still agreed to carry her again.
"I'm still figuring out all this. But we should go to the hospital first. After that, we can think about this together with a clearer mind. Please … my leg hurts so much," Grace winced.
'I intend to die here, not become disabled after this. This all didn't go according to my plan.' She said inwardly.
Adro looked at Grace for a moment. He never liked seeing a woman hurt. If this girl became disabled, she would not be able to marry. “Please hold on a little longer. I will take you there,"
“Thank you so much,” Grace said.
In Adro’s arm, Grace was thinking about the absurd things that had happened. This man didn't look like a crazy person. It was just that he kept talking about nonsense. However, his appearance alone made no sense at all from the start.
"What's that?" Adro stopped in his tracks when he saw another iron carriage that had a bright red light like fire on its top.
"That's the ambulance. It will take us to the hospital," Grace pointed to the moving white car. "Please take me there, Mr. Adro. We'll be fine,"
Even though doubt was filling his head, Adro was not afraid of anything, so he approached the strange carriage without hesitation.
Two male paramedics in white clothes came out of the ambulance and took out a stretcher bed.
"Ms. Grace Menken?" Asked one of them.
Grace nodded. "That’s me. I think my ankle is broken,"
"I see,” He answered, then turned to Adro. “Sir, put her on this bed, please."
"What are you going to do to her?" Adro asked firmly.
Grace and the paramedics exchanged glances."We … will take her to the hospital for treatment. Maybe she will need minor surgery," the paramedic answered before glancing at his friend.“They are right. I will be treated," Grace quickly added, giving a stiff smile. She didn't want other people to suspect Adro was crazy.Adro took a deep breath and nodded once. Then he did as he was asked: moving Grace from his arms onto a strange-looking iron bed.Then, the paramedics began to attach various tools and straps to Grace's body and legs so that she wouldn't fall. Once finished, they put her in the car.Behind them, Adro stared in disbelief at the iron carriage, which had no horses pulling it and had strange interiors. This place was insane."Are you coming along? Are you the guardian?" One of the paramedics asked Adro.Looking at Adro, Grace didn't know whether he would come with her or return to the abandoned mansion. In fact, Grace didn't want to bother because he was basically a strange
"Gosh… This sounds crazy, but I don’t have any option but to believe it because I saw for myself that you came out of that door. Then, what will you do?" Grace asked. Adro let out a long sigh while massaging his forehead. "Actually, I don't know. So far, I have never encountered a witch. The type of magic that is familiar to me is sorcerer magic, and they only use their power for weapons in war and protection. Witches are very dangerous because their magic comes from demonic power passed down through the bloodline. They have an evil heart and use their power to harm people." "You said earlier that you were getting married. So … does that mean your bride is waiting?" Grace asked a little hesitantly. Adro nodded briefly. "Joselyn; she is my future wife. It shouldn't be long before our wedding ceremony begins. She must be very confused, waiting for me now. The king and queen ... they must be looking for me too." "I'm sorry for not being able to help,” Grace said slowly. “Just so you
"Can I find my way home using this phone thing?" Adro asked with a wide smile.Grace sighed. "The phone can connect you with people who are far away from you, but it can't take you anywhere. Sorry,"“Oh, I see,” Adro muttered.Grace just looked at him with her lips sealed. That man had a soon-to-be wife waiting for him. Grace could imagine how that woman felt when her future husband suddenly disappeared just a few hours before their wedding ceremony. She must have been panicked and afraid."But … I'll try looking on the internet about where you're from. Maybe it’s in another part of the earth." Grace stretched out her hand, asking for her cell phone back."The name of my kingdom is Groendez a Lend," Adro said as he handed over the cell phone.Grace nodded and typed the name into an internet search. She even spelled it for Adro so she wouldn't write it wrong. But unfortunately, the search brought them nothing."I’m so sorry. I've looked for it, but there is no name Groendez a Lend in t
So, he keeps following me and accompanying me like this because he feels responsible for making me hurt?' Grace thought."Gosh... I think you've been misunderstanding all this time, Adro. It wasn't you who caused me to be injured this badly. You don't need to feel responsible for my condition." Grace hastily said. "If you want to leave, feel free to go – no need to wait for me," she smiled."You're right; I don't need to feel responsible for you anymore. But I don't think I can leave you," Adro replied.Blinking her eyes several times, Grace felt her heart pound. Can't leave her? Did Adro seriously say that? What did he mean? She hoped he knew that the words 'Abandon' and 'Waiting' had a big meaning for her."I don’t know about this world and have no destination. For now, you are the only one who believes in me and probably can help me find a way to return to my kingdom." He continued."Oh, I see..." Grace muttered while rubbing her arm. Her cheeks suddenly felt warm, and she bit her
"It was a very long and complicated family tree," Sarah folded her arms across her chest as she pictured the family tree that Grace had described in her mind."Let me introduce myself. I am Princ- ... I mean, Adro Alymer Groendez." Adro stood up and stretched out his right hand. He remembered that in this world, people get to know each other by shaking hands, even women."I'm Sarah Park. Nice to meet you," Sarah replied, still a little surprised at Adro's rather strange name. However, she remembered that he was from another country."So, the men's clothes you asked for were for him?" Sarah turned back to Grace.“Yep,” Grace answered as she checked the inside of the paper bag from the luxury clothing brand. "Thanks for helping me, Sarah. I'll pay you back in two terms. Will that be okay?"Sarah shook her head. "No need. Those are clothes that I bought for Harry, but I haven't given them to him.""Harry? Oh, I see..." Grace muttered.Harry was Sarah's thirty-fourth ex-boyfriend. However
"Well, I can try to make this case property damage. So, Miss Grace doesn't have to pay any compensation." Said the female nurse who accompanied the plumbers. She glanced at Adro and smiled."Thank you for your kind help, Ms." Adro bowed slightly, placing his hand on his lower chest."It’s nothing. It looks like you're not from here, are you?" The nurse asked before clearing her throat, while everyone in the room looked at her in disgust.Adro nodded. "I come from a faraway land.""I see. No wonder you're so polite," She said with a chuckle."I think you should excuse yourself if you're finished. My friend needs to get enough rest. She is an injured patient." Sarah interrupted the unimportant conversation with an emphasis on words.Glancing at Sarah with narrow eyes, the nurse cleared her throat and said, "Then we'll take our leave.""Th-thank you, everyone," Grace said."Dammit! They're so annoying!" Sarah cursed."Sarah, you don't need to pay anything. If they ask for compensation, I
"ARGH!!" Grace screamed as soon as her sanity returned. She immediately covered his eyes with her hands.Grace's scream shocked Adro. He stopped his movements and looked at the girl with the t-shirt still in his hand. "What's wrong? Are there monsters?" He turned to the wide window behind him."Th-there are no monsters. But why are you taking off your clothes here?!" Grace asked, still closing her eyes. She felt bubbling heat all over her face."Didn't you just say you don't mind if I open my tunic here? Are women not supposed to see shirtless men in your world? Forgive my impudence. I wasn't aware because in my place, many men are shirtless when doing combat sports in public." He said, while putting his t-shirt back on.Grace blinked, then she grimaced. 'Why are you so stupid, Grace? It doesn't matter if men are shirtless here! Why should you be the one to feel embarrassed? That's the same as saying that you are the one who thinks dirty about his sexy body!'In a hurry, Grace touched
Adro smiled gently before continuing to eat. After finishing his meal, he threw the plastic wrapper into the trash."There are lots of things made from strange materials here," Adro said after returning to his seat."Yes?" Grace looked at him. "Can you show me the example, please?""The food containers you said should be thrown away after use, the wrappers, and the cutlery - They're all made from materials I've never seen before.""Oh," Grace nodded in understanding with a chuckle. "That's called plastic,""Plastic?" Adro repeated."Yep. Plastic is the most widely used material in modern times. Many daily items are made from plastic. Even clothes contain plastic, even though it is small and invisible. Plastic is an essential raw material in this world.""That's amazing. Thank you for explaining it to me," Adro said."Is there no plastic in the world you come from?" Grace asked carefully. She was afraid of offending Adro's feelings. He might think that she was indirectly calling him pr