"Let's break up,"
"What? W-what do you mean?" Grace stammered. A cold sweat started rolling down her back.
"I want to end this relationship," Victor said.
"B-but we've only been dating for two months. Why do you want to break up? What did I do wrong?" The girl asked, almost crying.
"I realized that I've been feeling uncomfortable with you." The boy with thin lips let out a long sigh. "I don't know about you, but I really want to break up. Please don't bother me anymore. Live well. Goodbye,"
Grace was stunned as she watched Victor walk away, leaving her alone in the cafe near their campus. Victor Sbastian; her first love, whom she had a crush on for six years - since high school.
Tears trickled down Grace's cheeks. Her chest felt tight, as if she were drowning in the deepest sea on earth. She cried alone, like a stupid girl.
Arriving home, Grace was pensive in her room. It was raining heavily outside, just to add more gloom to the atmosphere.
Suddenly, a notification sound came out of her phone. Grace opened it and found a new message in her chat group consisting of her and her two best friends, Bella and Sarah.
'Grace! This is awful! Did you know that the asshole Victor has been fooling you all this time?!' - Bella.
*Bella sent a screenshot of the chat group between Victor and his male friends:
---
'I've just broken up with her.' -Victor.
'Wow, wow... Are you serious? Then, how did she react?' -James.
'Of course she cried; what else? Haha! All my assignments are finished. Why would I waste any more time with her?' -Victor.
'You're so mean, Vic! HAHA! Then, have you slept with her?' -James.
'Nope. She has been playing bitch with me; keeping her stupid prestige or something. On top of that, I don't want to sleep with an ugly like her either. She made me want to puke just by seeing her face.' -Victor.
'Ha ha ha! You are a real jerk, man! I will learn from you more often. HA HA HA!' -James.
---
'Don't mind that bastard, Grace. If you feel unwell, you don't have to come to campus tomorrow. I will take care of your absence.' -Sarah
'I'm fine, girls. Thank you for cheering me up. But I think it's true; I won't come tomorrow. I need some time alone.' -Grace.
'Sure, Grace. Calm yourself. If you need anything, don't hold yourself to calling me,' -Sarah.
'I won't! Thanks, girls!' -Grace.
---
"Ugh!!" Throwing her face on the pillow, Grace cried even more.
"Why am I so stupid...?" She said.
Grace Menken was a twenty-year-old art student at Torbern City's largest university. She was a skilled painter but also the top fool for love.
Since high school, Grace had liked Victor, a popular, good-looking guy in her class. Even though Victor was rumored to be a playboy, she always closed her eyes and ears.
During that time, Grace had always been kind and helped Victor sincerely out of her feelings of love. Victor, who realized from the start that she had a crush on him, deliberately took advantage of her. He often asked her to help him with assignments and other things.
After graduating from high school, many of the students in Grace's school entered the same university, including her two best friends and, of course, Victor.
As time passed, Grace had transformed into being a little good-looking, and Victor realized that. However, both Grace and Victor had a lot of assignments, so Grace began to look away from Victor.
That was when the man got the idea to date Grace so he could use her again. And like a fool, the innocent Grace fell into Victor's trap without hesitancy.
And this is it ... A girl was wailing in her room, accompanied by the roar of lightning striking outside the window. Not only Victor, but she always got the same treatment from other men. They only dated her to take advantage of her kindness, then ended up cheating and dumping her.
Grace's face was swollen and pale. She didn't mean to be this weak and stupid. But she was a lonely girl since she lost both of her parents when she was little. She survived on the savings and insurance they had prepared for her. But two years ago, her grandmother died, so she now had to live alone.
The more Grace pondered, the more she lost herself in her sorrow. This was a situation when the devil would take action. A thought came to Grace's mind.
"There's no point in me living in this world anymore. I'm worthless and all alone," She muttered.
She looked at her pathetic reflection in the mirror. "Maybe in the next life, I will be happier."
***
Morning dawned. The remnants of last night's rainstorm made the roads wet and the air cold. Grace didn't sleep all night. Now she looked like a mummy who had been resurrected by magic.
The throbbing pain was still clearly felt in Grace's chest. Her heart was completely broken, and her pride was tarnished.
"The most uncomfortable thing is when you realize all your stupidity and regret it," Grace muttered to herself.
She opened the wardrobe and took out her favorite sky blue mini dress. Then she went to the bathroom and washed her face before perching in front of the dressing table to dress up.
After that, she went to the warehouse and took a two-meter-long rope.
'I don't have anything left. Maybe I will feel a little pain, but then I will wake up to a different life. Thank you, Sarah and Bella, my best friends. If it wasn't for you both, maybe I would have chosen to leave a long time ago. But now, there is nothing I can fight for anymore. Goodbye, girls. Don't cry over me. - Grace'
The girl put her last message on the refrigerator door. She didn't want to cry because she was afraid of ruining her makeup. She wanted to die beautifully.
It was still early in the morning, and Grace drove her white car to a place quite far from her apartment. Near the beach, there was an abandoned mansion. Previously, the mansion was occupied by an old husband-and-wife couple until they died without heirs. The mansion ended up just sitting there until it was slowly damaged by time.
The rumor said the mansion was haunted and the couple were actually witches. Some said they performed demonic rituals there. Because of that, no one dared to enter the mansion.
However, Grace was not afraid of ghosts because the reality of life was scarier than ghosts. For Grace, her life was the scariest horror show that always made her have trouble sleeping and have nightmares.
All this time, Grace thought the mansion was lovely. Its location close to a quiet beach made it look peaceful. Therefore, she chose it to witness her leaving this mortal world.
Grace parked her car in front of the mansion. Then she stepped in with a rope in her hand and a broken heart.
With a little force, Grace managed to open the mansion's door and go inside. There, she was amazed by the beauty of its architecture. As an artist, Grace could tell how stunning the mansion was and how high the artistic value was.However, the mansion's condition was poor; many roofs collapsed and wooden floors were damaged. The windows were also broken. Dry leaves, dust, and cobwebs were seen everywhere.Suddenly, Grace wanted to explore the mansion out of curiosity. She might find the most beautiful room to be the place where she ended her life. Then, her pair of brown eyes spotted a magnificent staircase in the middle of the grand entrance.'Let's see what the second floor has,' She thought.Then Grace stepped on the wooden stairs slowly, just to hear the creaking sound. However, she paid no attention to it; She didn't care. All she wanted was to reach the second floor, and according to her, the stairs should be strong enough to supporther light body.Grace continued to step into
'Okay. I don't care about this crazy guy. The most important thing now is that I have to get out of this place. I'm afraid he will do something bad to me. His brain must be damaged!' Grace thought."O-okay." She nodded. Then she pointed to the door that the crazy man had used to enter. "This really is the way out, isn’t it?"The man nodded. "Yes. That's the door leading to the forest."Grace smiled wryly. What forest? This mansion was located in the coastal area of the city, where there was no forest at all.Then Grace took a glance at the man before stepping fast and pulling the door open."Hey! Are you insane!?" The man snapped. However, he stopped, and his body froze, just like the impudent girl, who was also stunned as if she had just seen Medusa's eyes.Grace turned her head to look at the man who kept talking nonsense. Her feeble hand pointed at what was behind the open door, trying to confirm to him that he also witnessed the same thing.They couldn't believe what they saw. Beh
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, na
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