'A prince came out of a dead-end door? A fairytale prince, who had to return to his kingdom because his bride was waiting? Even kids these days know that such a story doesn't make sense—it's all just a lie. Did all the problems in my life make my subconscious mind try to escape from reality?' Grace wondered, holding her head with both hands.
But suddenly, a sound from the door caught her attention and made her turn her head. A man with glass blue eyes walked in and stared directly at her.
"Oh, you are done?" Adro asked, closing the door and approaching Grace. "I'm sorry, I went out without telling you. I was getting bored in this room alone, so I thought of taking a short walk. Then, how are you now?"
The brown-eyed girl just stared blankly at Adro. Her body looked frozen, leaving Adro puzzled.
"Well... Is there something wrong? Are you okay?" Adro sat on the corner of the bed.
Grace swallowed hard before turning her face away. Her eyes were still trembling, and she had to regulate her breathing to get oxygen to her brain, which was trying to digest the situation.
"Grace? What's going on?" Adro asked again, leaning forward to peek at the shaken girl's face. It was clear that something had happened earlier.
Taking deep breaths, Grace closed her eyes tightly to hold back the tears that were starting to well up in her eye sockets. The soreness in her throat and nose prevented her from speaking, as speaking might cause her to break down in tears.
Adro didn't ask Grace any more questions. He just remained silent, furrowing his brow with a big question mark above his head.
After regaining control over her feelings and emotions, Grace turned to look at Adro. She forced a thin smile on her lips, although she wanted to make it wider.
"I'm so sorry. I... I think I got a little emotional," Grace said in a small voice.
"Did I do something wrong that made you … perhaps, feel unconvertable?" Adro asked. He noticed Grace's teary eyes, but he didn't dare mention it since they didn't know each other well yet.
Still with a thin, forceful smile, Grace shook her head and touched her eyes to check if they were dry or wet. It would be embarrassing to cry in front of someone she had just met.
"No. Of course you didn't! It's just… Well, it might sound silly, but earlier, I thought you had left me. I mean, you left and wouldn't come back. I even thought our meeting was just my hallucination because it was preposterous." Grace explained with an awkward chuckle.
"My mind was a bit messed up after undergoing surgery for a few hours. They half-drugged me, but it seems like they intentionally made me fall asleep," she continued.
Adro pinned his gaze on Grace and shook his head once. "I promised you I would wait here, so that's what I should do."
Grace just gave a fleeting smile and nodded slightly. "That sounds reassuring."
"I understand. It seems like my arrival was too unbelievable." Adro mumbled with a wistful smile.
"No... I'm sorry, Adro. It's just a while ago that I was disoriented—even until now, a little. So, please don't take my words too seriously," Grace hurriedly explained.
Adro shook his head. "In my walk out there, I met a boy. He said that magic isn't real in this world. Do you know a door called the elevator? Although I have said that I believed you, honestly, I thought you were lying. A small part of me thought that you and everyone here were witches and that the elevator was a magical door that could take me anywhere. But I was wrong to suspect you, and I apologize for that."
"You don't need to apologize, Adro. Based on what you've been through, it's understandable if you find it hard to trust others." Grace replied, giving a gentle smile. "But does that mean you went out to try to use the elevator?"
"I don't know how the door works, but the child I met earlier explained that the door only takes its passengers up and down this tall building," Adro explained before making an ashamed smile. "I feel like a fool in this world."
Adro's explanation almost made Grace smile. Her sadness disappeared in an instant as she imagined how Adro must have been bewildered by the elevator. It didn't come to her mind that the elevator would seem magical to Adro.
"You're not foolish, Adro. It's completely normal because you come from a very different place than this." Grace said. Then she continued, "You can ask me anything about this world. I'll try my best to explain it to you."
Adro smiled. "Thank you, Grace. I'm lucky you're the first person I met in this world."
Clearing her throat, Grace shrugged her shoulders. "It's a normal thing, you know. Helping others isn't that difficult."
"So, is your doing normal in this world?" Adro asked.
Grace nodded, her gaze shifting to the side. "Y-yeah… Kind of…"
"Do you realize that you seem unsure about your words?" Adro asked, chuckling a little. "But still, I thank you for intending to help me. I might be a lot of trouble for you in the future."
***
Grace's hospital stay took two days before she was allowed to go home. During that time, she stayed with Adro, who was accompanying her.
"So, when are you going back to the university?" Sarah asked after helping Grace with hospital paperwork.
"Maybe the day after tomorrow," Grace replied.
"The day after tomorrow?" Sarah turned to her friend. "Isn't that too soon?"
"I've been absent from classes for quite a while, so I need to catch up. Besides, it's just my ankle that's injured, so I'm sure it won't interfere with my studying." Grace explained.
"Alright, if you think so. Then..." Sarah raised her gaze to the tall man pushing Grace's wheelchair. She narrowed her eyes. "Is Adro coming to your house?"
A wry smile formed on Grace's lips. She discreetly glanced up to find Adro also looking at her with a face that seemed to question what she would answer.
"Um... well… Adro doesn't have a place to stay or money in his hand right now. So, as a relative, I have to accommodate him because I can't just let him be homeless, right?" Grace looked at Sarah with both eyebrows raised high and a slightly awkward smile.
Sarah raised one eyebrow. Then she rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay. It's your house, and you're an independent adult. You can do whatever you want about your life."
Grace's smile turned more awkward. She knew Sarah was very concerned about her but was trying not to show it. If it weren't for Sarah, Grace probably wouldn't have survived in this harsh world. She had a weak personality, and Sarah was like a shield that had protected her all along. That's why Grace had special respect for Sarah.
Grace had lived in an apartment building since she was fourteen. Her car, which had been left in front of the abandoned mansion, had been delivered to her apartment's parking lot yesterday. And it was Sarah who helped her with all of the matters.
Stopping her car in the parking lot of the twenty-story brick-red apartment building, Sarah turned off the car engine and was about to open the door. However, something bothered her, so she turned to Adro, who sat next to her.
"Can you show me how to unfasten this thing, please?" Adro asked, trying to pull the seatbelt stretched across his body.