Secret Admirer; In The Land Of Fairies
01. Fairy Land

Get lost.

That was what was imprinted in the mind of the princess as her bare, wounded foot began to enter the shadows of the trees that were getting closer and closer. There was only a small amount of sunlight entering through the small cracks of the leafy grass that was becoming a canopy far above his head. Surprisingly, now the land he stepped on felt soft, the tree trunk he touched felt smooth, even the atmosphere of the forest felt warm, not creepy and not gripping like a moment ago.

"Prince, where are you?"

The princess's reddish lips chanted a question. His voice sounds sad. Highlight the princess's eyes stared at the dimness around me. In the end he was no longer able to withstand being tired and exhausted, so his body lost control of both legs.

The princess fell between the soft grass with tiny flowers around her.

"Prince…"

There is no lawfulness. The person he was looking for was not in this strange forest. Right, weird. What if in the darkness of the forest like this suddenly appear small lights with different colors that are increasing in number?

Even one of them, along with the bigger the founder, a golden-colored light inching closer to the princess.

From the light that had stopped before him was then a voice that he so longed for.

"Mr Princess, it's me. Your prince."

A beautiful male figure with pointy ears and beautiful golden wings then looks as soon as the light in front of him fades. The man moved down to his knees and faced the princess who was still sitting down there.

However, when the princess tried to grab the man, inexplicably, his fingers could only scoop up empty air. Even when he wanted to say a word to the prince, his voice was unable to come out. What was left was only tears on the red cheeks of the princess who then tried to be pushed gently by the hand of the prince. However, just like him, the prince could not touch him.

"I promise I'll pick you up, and we'll be back together" said the prince with a sad look. "Do you want to wait for me, Princess?"

The princess nodded, making the prince's smile created.

As the bell rang out with the cold wind that blew, the golden light around the prince slowly sank to the blackish smoke that suddenly burst from the ground. The plants under their feet withered and died. The air around feels stifling. The princess coughed and her eyes hurt. Then when the princess reopened her closed eyes, she was so shocked that the prince's body that was still in front of her turned out to have turned into a jet black stone.

...***...

I jerked up. My shoulders were up and down, inside my chest there was something stuck and tightness left. Unknowingly as I touched the fingers on my face, I found my tears that were somehow already there.

What the hell just happened? I dreamed of becoming a princess who was looking for her prince, but when they met it ended tragically?

Why did I dream like that?

Is it because of a letter I found in my closet last night?

Welcome back, Princess. I knew you'd be back.

As soon as the letter.

The paper had turned yellow and the writing was not sharp because it was eaten by time. That letter should have been a long time, right? Why are you in my room?

I tried to look at him. However, what was imagined was precisely the incident in the dream that I had just experienced.

Really am.

It was just a dream, but it felt so real. The rest of the feelings of the princess that I had felt in the dream was still left in my mind until now.

I feel like this story is so familiar. Have I heard this story before?

Uh. My head suddenly dizzy. However I tried, I couldn't remember.

Then suddenly my phone rings. When I checked, there was a video call notification from my childhood friend named Zoe.

Immediately I raised the video call without caring about my messy appearance while still in my pajamas.

"Hello, Zoe."

As I rolled back on the bed and pulled the blanket, I stared at the screen. My phone speaker then gave a loud laughter typical of Zoe that would usually be contagious.

"God our Princess Kim this one hasn't gotten out of bed yet apparently. Good morning, Princess."

"Stop that, Zoe. It's only 9 in the morning. I'm still jet lag anyway."

"Jet lag? You only spent about 200 kilometers traveling, it was using a train. Not moving country."

"Isn't that your own will? Why not just use a plane? Like your family before?"

"Hello? A plane? It had to get off at Brownston and had to take the bus for five hours to get to Fairille. Too much trouble."

Fairille. The city that was once where my childhood grew up is now back to my place of residence at my sixteenth age. No matter what Mom and Dad think, they are willing to leave their good jobs in the metropolis of McReych to return to this city.

Fairille itself is actually not too small, nor as quiet as my friends at McReych thought. I don't remember the memories of this city at all, but listen to this city has developed with quite complete facilities, even has a pretty good school that will become my new school later.

Become a transfer child in the middle of a new teaching. I don't know what's gonna happen. There was at least one person I really knew at that school. That's Zoe Borsche. The only friend I know in this town and also the only one I remember. I don't really understand why I only remember Zoe. Maybe because only Zoe has visited me several times in the city where I live before.

"Yes, Princess. I understand that."

Between my and Zoe's conversation, someone suddenly interrupted.

"It's not usually that you get excited like this, Zoe. Who are you calling with? Your new boyfriend, huh?"

Instantly both my eyebrows bend. Zoe was no longer staring at the phone and seemed busy defending her phone from interference.

"Hey, don't bother us, Max. We're not just calling, we're doing video–"

Looking at the figure that was no longer Zoe on my phone screen, I could not help but scream. Both of my hands immediately shut their mouths. Unknowingly I turned out to have thrown the phone because surprised because on the screen of my phone there is a figure of a man who does not wear a top shirt so that it shows a sweaty muscular body.

Lothawat! What am I thinking?!

"Max! Look what you're doing! You surprised Kim!"

They heard their conversation from my phone which I was still reluctant to take.

"Kim's? You mean Kimberly Schulz?"

My forehead is now frowning in amazement.

How does that guy know my name? Do I know him?

Curious, I grabbed my phone and squinted. Looks like Zoe's phone is still being held by that guy. Therefore, one of my other hands was trying to cover the portrait of the man's body. Of course I did it so that my heart would not get harder.

"Do I know you?" I tried to get the guy to talk. His face is similar to Zoe's, but Zoe never told him she had a brother. "Why don't you get dressed..., Max?"

"You remember me, Kim?" ask the guy enthusiastically. I was astonished to see it.

"I'm just repeating the name Zoe mentioned earlier."

"Oh.” Max's cheerful tone now sounded disappointed. “I'm just exercising, Kim. Then I will continue my activities. By the way, welcome back to Fairille."

I'm speechless. The last words Max spoke were almost the same as the letter I found in my wardrobe.

Is that a letter from Max?

The screenshot then re-enacts Zoe's figure sticking her tongue out in another direction.

"She, shoo. There go you, Max!” Zoe then turned her gaze back to me. “I'm really sorry, Kim. Because Max was presumptuous, and must have damaged your eyes with that stupid muscle sight!"

Then I heard Max. I heard clearly that the guy said that many girls like his shape. Hearing Zoe and Max's argument afterwards, I held back my laughter. Zoe then turned her eyes and shook her head before speaking to me again.

“Good. Where was it, Mr. Putri.”

"Zoe? I think I need to hear your explanation.”

About Zoe who apparently has a brother, whereas before Zoe never told a story.

"I'll explain later, okay? You have to take care of your transfer documents to school, right? I'll pick you up in about an hour. Is that enough, Princess?"

"I thought school was off. Uhm. All right, but what if...in two hours?"

My initial grin turned into laughter at the sight of how Zoe seemed to give up on having a friend like me.

...****************...