Epilogue

“Wake up.” A familiar voice said. “You are home now.”

Eliza rolled over. The bed… it’s hard. She thought. Where is my pillow? She extended her hand to find her pillow.

“What are you reaching for?” The voice said.

Eliza opened her eyes. The one she saw made her stood up immediately.

“G-Gretzel?!” She said. And then she noticed Gretzel’s appearance.

She was still the same as before. Small body, white hair, grey eyes. Nothing has changed. Except for the crown on top of her small head and the chair that she was sitting.

“Why… why are you dressed like that?” Eliza asked. She looked at her surroundings. It was still the same as before. The carpets and the curtains were red. Shelves filled with books, a huge table with the map of the whole Thear in the middle of the room, a fire place. Memories started to come back to her as she stare at the whole place. “Why am I here?”

Gretzel drank the dark red liquid from her glass and gave a long sigh. “I’m not ‘Gretzel’. Well, you could say that a part of me is Gretzel. But I’m not Gretzel. Not now.” She laughed and gestured the slave girl beside her to fill her cup. The slave did so. She had no expression. Eliza felt like she was just a mannequin made of flesh.

“Anyways.” Gretzel sniffed the red liquid from its glass and smiled. “Didn’t you want to go home? Well, you’re here now.”

“If you’re not Gretzel, then who are you?” Eliza asked. “Are you the one who asked the bandits to attack Osniton?”

“I’ll answer your question one at a time. Want to drink with me?”

“I don’t want to.”

“It’s just grape juice. Isn’t it your favorite?” Gretzel smiled with her red lips.

“Just answer me!”

If I only have my sword or my knife behind my back...

“Bring me a sword.” Gretzel said to the slave girl. “And a dagger to go with it.” Gretzel winked at Eliza.

The slave bowed her head and ran towards the door to get what her master needs.

“Did you read my mind?”

“Nope.”

“Liar.”

“Why would I lie? The look on your face suggests that you want to kill me. I’m being kind as to give you the opportunity of doing so.” She took a sip from her glass.

“You filthy being.”

“My, is that what a Princess should say to her Queen?”

“Queen?”

“I now rule Osniton. As you remembered, the bandits named ‘Dragon Slayers’ took Osniton on that fateful day. Gretzel hurried to take you to that other world. But the one who gave you that ring was me.” She grinned. “Then I waited for the right moment to attack. And that is the moment that I and your beloved ‘Gretzel’ become one. Also, I finally caught Haldren. He’s in the dungeon now. Oh, you should also thank me. I renovated the whole castle for you. Those Dragon Slayer men were, as you say, filthy. It didn’t look like this a few months ago.”

“How long was I gone from Thear?” Eliza said.

“Oh...? You don’t know?” Gretzel said. “A year and half, my dear. Perhaps time moves differently from here to the world that you were.”

Eliza looked at the green ring on her left hand. “Does this have the ability to warp me here?”

“It made you speak and understand and read other languages. But it also has a hidden spell in it.” She drank her grape juice. “And you’re right, it can also bring you back here.”

“Answer my question. Who are you?”

Gretzel stood up and took the bottle from the table beside the Throne and filled her glass. “Do you really want to know?” Her grey eyes widened as she made an evil smirk.

Then the door was opened and the slave girl ran towards Eliza and knelt in front of her.

Gretzel smiled. “I’ll answer that after you defeated me.”

Eliza took the broadsword and put the knife on her left hip. She swung the sword around. Not heavy and not that light. “Okay then.” She smiled.

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