Chapter 7 – SHELTER  

ADJACENT to the other side of the table, Eleand nervously stood while internally struggling with what to do. A shiver ran to his spine when he met the gaze of the lady that seemed to possess the highest rank among everyone else in the room.

She might be Aserah.

There was something about her, something ancient. A goddess. He just couldn’t find the right words to describe her. Her golden hair was swirling in curls. The crown resting on her head suited her regal beauty. Her eyes were emerald green with a ring of gold!

His throat dried as these legendary creatures surrounded him; their celestial beauties carved perfectly—curved and pointed ears, glowing skin, and their colorful bright eyes were impeccable. But no matter how perfect they may look, he knew they were equally deadly. One wrong move, then he might join his creator instantly.

“T-Thank you for letting me stay,” he tried not to stutter when he heard Aserah. He wouldn’t dare to meet her eyes this time because he was afraid something awful might happen. He averted his focus and looked at the gold chandelier proudly hanging from the ceiling.

He noticed that gold and green were prominent colors in the room. Eleand guessed it was the concept of the Golden Palace, the summer weather, and lush forest.

Every corner of the room flaunted its grandeur. The thick carpet resting on the floor was moss-colored, the huge rectangular table and its chairs positioned in circles were gold. The tapestries were a combination of green and gold as well. Even jade diamonds were just a mere decoration on the wall, along with different ancient symbols similar to Sanskrit.    

“Who is he?” the man wearing the black robe asked, “Human? How the hell did you come here?” he scowled.

“Zanti, enough.” Aserah restrained the menacing figure, and she looked at Winzi, “Bring him to his room.”

Winzi nodded. She instantly pulled his arm forcibly going out. He quietly followed her, and he hesitated again when he saw the towering grand staircase.

“Don’t tell me we’re going to climb these stairs again?” He stared in disbelief. Even though he was athletic and loved to exercise, his energy ran low since he climbed the palace’s entrance stairs.

 “Isn’t it obvious?” Winzi raised one brow.

If she were a human, he would never tolerate her bad habits, especially how she looked down on him. For God’s sake, he was Eleand Altierra, the multi-billionaire business tycoon!

How unfortunate for him that he was a lowly creature in this world. He couldn’t make them follow his will; it was the other way around.

Eleand perfectly understood that Winzi disliked him. All he could do was to behave. The only way to ensure his safety while in their custody.

“I bet you have extra room here on the ground floor, right?” He pushed his luck, but he immediately shut his mouth when Winzi gave her a nasty stare.

“Forget what I said,” he murmured in the air.

He strode, going up the stairs with his full might. Maybe his knees were failing because he was just a mere human. This faerie world was different and affecting his body. Or was it gravity? It might be different in this world, too.

“Tsk.” He heard Winzi clicked her tongue. What was she thinking this time?

“Your knees are failing because you’re hungry.” She rolled her eyes.

“What? How—” He almost forgot that Winzi could read his thoughts.

Damn this witch! He clenched his fist.

“Shut up! I hear you. Try that again, and I will twist your tongue.” She gave him a warning look.

He let out a deep sigh. How could he easily forget about the weird attributes of this faerie behind him? He should just accept that his privacy was gone in this world. Given Winzi, who could read his mind. What else could he hide?

They walked to the huge hallway on the second floor and reached his room at last. Winzi called a female faerie, and he overheard her giving a task to look after him. Especially for food and clothes.

“From now on, this is your room. Lifa will attend to you. Just tell her what you need.” She introduced the female beside her. She was dark-skinned with raven black hair. If he couldn’t see her pointed ears, she could easily pass as a human.

“Thank you,” he was honestly sincere. Lifa looked kind.

“I will prepare your foods.” Lifa excused herself before he could even answer.

“All right, now you’re on your own.” Winzi hardly shook her shoulder. She was about to leave when she paused, “Stay alive as long as you can,” then she wickedly grinned.

His mouth opened to express his dismay, but Winzi vanished before he could utter a word. Winzi appeared as if she rode on a mist so fast as she glided down the stairs.

Now what? He asked himself and exhaled sharply many times. Eleand congratulated himself for staying alive until this moment. Earlier, when they were going through the stairs in front of the palace, he was lost in his thoughts. He might be approaching his demise, and he was on a death march. But now that he was inside this luxurious bedroom, Winzi was right. He needed to strive for his survival.

Eleand surveyed his room. It was massive. He calculated that this might be three times bigger than his master’s bedroom in California. The bed was huge. There was also an enormous dining table near the terrace. The interior of this room was different.

His room has a winter theme. The dominant colors of the posh curtains hanging on the window were white and blue. He noticed the delicate design of gold ice flakes on the tapestries. The chandelier above was also big, and he was more amazed by these blue diamonds resting all over it.

Eleand walked near the window, a few meters away from the bedside, and silently examined the surroundings outside. The sun was at its peak.

Elida. He let out a sigh. He prayed more about his sister’s safety and hoped that they both made it into this world. But what if it didn’t happen the way he thought? What if he was just lucky enough to be here, and Elida was left behind the mortal world?

He stopped reflecting on the worse scenario in his head when Lifa appeared inside his room, holding a medium-sized golden tray with various foods. He suddenly felt the pang of hunger inside his stomach when he smelled the pungent aroma of the foods.

“You should eat first. Then you take a rest. I’ll bring more food and clothing.” Lifa gently put the tray and arranged the food on the dining table, then she left.

He comfortably sat on the chair without hesitation. There were lots of fruits and veggies. His mouth watered when he glanced at the roasted meat.

Eleand was about to consume the food when he held back.

Wait. He should not eat their food. He suddenly remembered his grandmother’s stories about the faeries and other living beings. The number one rule was—people should never eat the foods that a faerie had offered, no matter how delicious, or else they could never go back home.

Eleand heard his stomach rumbled. A few minutes passed, and his mind was still debating whether he should eat the food or not until he heard Winzi’s voice inside his head.

Eat it, stupid!

He put down the cutlery and emphatically closed his eyes. Maybe his imaginations toyed with him. But then, he heard her voice again.

Do you want to starve yourself to death? Don’t worry. That is… a slice of human meat.

Eleand lost his appetite even more. He pushed the roasted meat away and thought about him dying in starvation. The wicked laughter of Winzi echoed around his head.

He nearly got up when Nahil suddenly appeared in front of him. Her wings were nowhere in sight.

“Do not listen to her. That is a roasted lamb. You have to eat to survive. Our foods here are pretty much the same as in your world. Well, ours are more delicious.” Nahil sincerely smiled.

“Are you sure? Can I still go back to my world after eating faerie foods?”

Nahil laughed, “Silly mortal legends. Of course, you can.”

Eleand wavered for a moment until he felt his upset stomach again. While Winzi made another evil laugh in his mind.

“Winzi, stop it!” Nahil scolded her. The annoying laughter stopped.

Nahil slowly walked nearer and cushioned his shoulder, “Come on, Eleand, you need to trust us if you want to survive.”

“Maybe I can trust you, but that Winzi Witch, I don’t think I can,” his jaw flexed.

Nahil twitched her lips to smile. “Go on, eat.”

He nodded and picked the fork and knife. He slowly chewed the food while Nahil watched him in fascination. He was relieved once he finally tasted the roasted lamb.

Nahil was right. The foods here were quite tasty, maybe because they had more herbs compared to the human world.

“Thank you, Nahil.” He sincerely conveyed his gratitude.

“You’re welcome. You need to rest.”

Eleand continued eating until he was full. Then Nahil held his forehead, and he suddenly felt the heaviness of his eyes. At an instant, she disappeared.

He stood from the dining table and went straight to bed. He dozed off even before realizing it.