A door stands between me and my room, the sun is about to set and after 8 hours of school and 2 hours of finishing the project, I can finally rest my worn-out body.

I opened the door and was greeted with a pitch-black room, I stretched my left hand through the darkness and tried to find the switch in the wall.

Click…

After switching on the lights, my room was finally brightened by the bulb that is hanging in the ceiling. I can see in front of me the dusty bookshelf that I still haven’t gotten around to clean, it was filled with books and novels with varying degrees of genres, like fantasies, mysteries, even full blown essays, philosophical, and even historical books that I collected over the years.

Going to the left of my bookshelf is my single bed, messy and cluttered is what I can describe. But that comfy and fluffy bed complemented with the dream-inducing pillow and a thick cover that just warms you up in the cold misty night.

God… I really want to go to bed right now…

But first things first, I got to make a copy of the project’s file and save it on my computer. So… I went to my computer station, where my convenient chair was positioned perfectly for landing my butt, I sat down and booted up my computer, waited until the sign-in menu popped up, and entered.

As my computer is showing the desktop, I stick my USB drive to my PC and went to my file folders and made a copy of that project’s file, put it in my document files, and waited until it was complete. It was kind of long, about 2 gigabytes long, so I went straight to my bed, crashing my body with that tender and fluffy surface.

While waiting, I played with my phone and spent about two hours surfing there, forgetting the finished copied project’s file. But suddenly I heard the front door open.

It was 8 P.M., I forgot that she should have been home about 2 or 3 hours earlier.

While I was enjoying myself, my guts suddenly went bad after I realized why she was late, she was out drinking and is totally hammered now. I hoped full heartedly that she would just go straight to bed, but… my room’s door opened where she showed herself, all red in the face, with the smell of booze oozing out from her mouth and an empty beer bottle in her right hand.

I was preparing for the worst but when I saw her in that state, I was not only speechless, my body went catatonic. I couldn’t move, my breath began to shorten, and my mind raced on only thinking if she was going to throw that bottle right to me.

And as she walked to me like any other drunken person, looking at me straight at my face with a disgusted face, the bottle in her hand went straight to my head, confirming my prediction. The bottle shattered into a million pieces when it clashed with my head, scaring and even leaving a big wound.

“You even looked like him with the blood!” She mumbled.

I was in pain but couldn’t let my voice out because I know what would happen if she heard my pained voice, but keeping my silence somehow vexed her more. She then reached for my hair, grabbed it, and pulled it up. My head was already hurt and her pulling my hair only doubled the pain in my head, she then went straight to my face and said.

“Remember this… everything you love will be gone! And you don’t deserve to be loved…”

* * *

I woke up with terror and fear in my head, but I soon realize that it was a dream, that… dream again involving her with that same goddamn line.

“Hmm… hehehe, Martyn look… hehehe…” Arthur, who was beside me, talked in joy while sleeping.

“Jeez… the fuck you even dreaming about?” I said to myself quietly.

After scrubbing my eyes and seeing more clearly on my surroundings, I realized that the four of us now are staying in the royal guest room. The king said that his room will be repurposed to be our personal room, which is why there are some types of furniture that are going to be placed here for our use.

The room itself was nice and befitting for a royal guest room, a nice scenery painting on the ceiling, as well as a shiny expensive silver chandelier hanging under it, and also one of the best beds I have ever slept in. Weirdly the room wasn’t split for men and women, but thankfully there is a large bathroom on the right that is connected to this room if the girls want to change.

Speaking of this king-sized bed, it was surprising how soft, comfy, and just relaxing it is for the body and all of this was stuffed with duck feathers Kristof said, which is really expensive if you think about it. But I digress, it is a royal family, after all, their royalness should be shown to all their subjects and guests.

Looking around the room, I noticed how dark it was, but not too dark because the massive see-through windows to the left of the room are letting the moonlight into this room. Due to that I can still see the others, like Arthur, he was enjoying his sleep too well… while Eleanna is sleeping calmly in the other bed next to me, while miss Marie should be there too but…

She wasn’t there when I looked, but I found her of course in a matter of seconds. Through the massive window, there is a balcony where she is sitting in the chair that was set up.

She was wearing her nightgown that was prepared by one of the maids here, with her long red maroon hair let loose while seeing the star-filled dark skies in the night.

I got up from the bed and walked to her, on the way I noticed her lips were touching something and realized from the smoke and how she holds it, it was a cigarette.

So… I made a detour to the shelf near the door and opened the drawer, inside were our stuff that got brought here, four of our phones that are shut down, two books that I recently just finished, The Prince and Discourse on Livy, my hip flask, my watch, and my earbuds. Then there’s Eleanna’s earphones and her two dark purple hair ties. And lastly Arthur’s earbuds and swiss knife.

I took my hip flask and closed back the drawer, when I opened the glass door, I could smell that pungent and smoky cigarette odor. I then quickly closed back the door, so that smell won’t get inside the room, miss Marie of course immediately heard and looked back to see who had just opened the glass door.

“Ohh you’re awake...” She said unceremoniously.

I kept quiet until sitting in one of the chairs that were set up here, then putting my hip flask on top of the glass end table, that was separating my chair and miss Marie’s chair. I let out a sigh after that before saying.

“Yeah… couldn’t really sleep…” I said wearily.

“That Nightmare again?” She asked.

“That Nightmare again…” I replied.

She kept it to herself and didn’t press further.

The last time I had this nightmare was back in 11th grade, the whole class was having an outing and we slept in a hotel for the first night, the first night where she was introduced to that nightmare.

miss Marie initially was pushy about why I had this nightmare which I was really reluctant to tell, but… that pushiness was stronger than my tolerance, I broke and told her about the nightmare.

She was shocked and appalled obviously, hell she was even about to go straight to the police after the outing, but I stopped her. It was useless really, she wasn’t the hitting type anymore after I defended myself and the scars, as well as the wounds, couldn’t even be seen anymore, well except for the one in my chest, but again it’s useless now.

And she still supported me, which I still need that support to live. Besides, two more years and I was about to be out of that house, Arthur too already prepared an apartment with two bedrooms for me and him when we go to college. Well until… this happened…

I took a sip from my hip flask and drank that sweet bitter wine.

“So… You’re gonna drink yourself to sleep?” She asked sarcastically.

“I was actually just going to enjoy the view while drinking and went to bed after that but… drinking myself to sleep doesn’t sound that bad!” I said in realization.

“Ohh bite me…!” she angrily said.

“Hehe… but luckily for you, this hip flask won’t get me hammered,” I said.

“Hmm…” she quietly mumbled in relief.

Knock… knock…

Who could that be?

I stood up and was about to walk to the glass door which was abruptly stopped when she appeared in front of me.

“Princess…” I calmly said.

“Jesus fuckin Christ… you almost give me a heart attack there princess!” MissMarie cried in shocked.

“Sorry… sorry…” The Princess regretfully said.

“So… why have you come or… rather teleported here Princess?” I asked.

“Ahh, Yes! I was notified by sapphire that you were in danger!” She vigilantly said.

“Danger?” Miss Marie asked.

After the Princess said that, Sapphire teleported on top of the glass table end in her cat form.

“AGHH!!!” Miss Marie screamed.

“Shooshh…” I shushed her because her scream was about to wake up the two of them.

“Sorry….” Miss Marie quietly said in realization.

“You stupid girl… I told her that I only sensed something was wrong with him, not something dangerous was about to befall on him!!!” Sapphire quietly said in anger to Eleanna.

“Whaa…? But you said…” she said in confusion

“Did I say something wrong!?” Sapphire doubled down. “By Lux… you’ve been too paranoid Princess, try to relax will you?”

The Princess went cold, she didn’t try to bash Sapphire’s statement, but she stood there quietly, contemplating from the looks of that questioning and tired face.

While the princess was having her mini stress, I was thinking about how to defuse the situation and the only thing that came up to my head was a nice cold drink… so, I suggested.

“Well… I am not in any danger… and from the looks of it, the Princess does indeed need to relax a bit!” I stated.

“What are you suggesting?” Miss Marie asked in a suspicious tone.

“It’s still about what? 8? And I planned to drink myself to sleep! So… why not go to the local Ale House or Tavern?” I stated

“Ohh no you don’t! I am not gonna let you get hammered!!” Miss Marie opposingly said.

“Ohh c’mon… miss Marie please… for once just let me drink my nightmare away, I can’t go back to sleep, and you know it!” I said.

“Hmm…” Miss Marie defiantly mumbled

“Well either way I am still gonna go to the local tavern here! Lady Sapphire mind teleporting me to the local tavern here with the Princess?” I said.

“The Princess does indeed need to be relaxed, ehh… why not!” Sapphire said in agreement.

“Wait!” Miss Marie said. “Fine, you win Martyn, but I am going with you to make sure you won’t go on a fight or go on puking on someone’s walls!”

“Nice… both of us are going to change clothes and you girls can wait outside the room!” I said.

“Very well Lord Protector” Sapphire humbly acknowledged.

* * *

“The Winking Rat… why does that sound familiar?” The Lord Protector said.

“What is familiar Lor- Martyn…?” I curiously asked.

“Ohh… it’s nothing ‘Amelia’!” He answered while he said my proper alias.

After that fortunate false call, the Lord Protector suggested to go to the local Tavern or Alehouse in Londini, the biggest one and the most famous one that I know was near the garrison, The Winking Rat.

We used a more proper attire, the Lord Protector was still wearing his green tunic and brown hose which made him look like a merchant, well if not, some low highborn.

While Me, Lady Marie, and Sapphire wore more fitting clothes, a simple plain dress tightens with a thin belt around our hips, color-wise was different, mine was baby blue, Lady Marie’s was light orange in the body and light brown in the limbs, while Sapphire’s was white, due to that Sapphire wore an overdress it was a sunny yellow cotte.

We walked into the Tavern, where the room was filled with people drinking with each other, trying to compete themselves for who was the better drinker. Then there were wenches serving them drinks where even some joined the men and debauch themselves, there were also dice players playing a game, that was more or less just based on luck.

It was lively and I can feel it when someone suddenly sings ‘Ol’ Wyatt the Swindler’, the song was about a man who swindled the count of Beurreville, where he stole all of his wealth and gave it to the poor and the weak, it was quite a nice intention, for a criminal.

We luckily found a table with four sits where after sitting ourselves, The Lord Protector called for one of the tavern wenches and ordered.

“What can I get you, m’lord?” She playfully asked.

“What’s the strongest you got here cutie?” The Lord Protector said in confidence while making the tavern wench blushed.

“Martyn…” Lady Marie said in concern.

“Fine…, four cold ale and a bread!” The Lord Protector playfully ordered.

“hehe, commin right up m’lord!” she blushingly answered.

“By the way, there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you ‘Amelia’! How come you’re still wearing that piece of cloth around your eyes? Shy that the men in the taverns would woo you?” The Lord Protector said sarcastically.

“Wait… you can still see that?” I asked in confusion

“Ehh…. yeah? I mean that white cloth is sticking out like a sore thumb!”

“What the hell are you talking about Martyn? There’s no white cloth there! It’s just her blue dazzling eyes!” Lady Marie complementingly said.

“Not that you are wrong La- Marie, but that is just a simple glamour! Martyn is right, I am still covering my eyes with that white cloth!” I explained.

“Ahhh… weird…”

“Yes, indeed…”

“So, why not let those puppies out Amelia?” The Lord Protector said.

“I can’t… my eyes were cursed since birth… and if someone saw my true eyes… they will be cursed…” I said in concern and shame

“Ohh…” The Lord Protector unsettlingly said

“M’lord, m’ladies, your cold ales!” The previous wench came back and brought our order.

After the tavern wench put our drinks on the table, we cheered together in the name of relaxing Sapphire said. The Lord Protector who was ‘thirsty’ finished the ale under an hour like the ‘thirsty’ man he is, due to that he ordered another round for him where he again finished it under an hour.

Lady Marie was at that point horrified seeing her own student hammering herself, it got worse or maybe better for him? because the men who were competing themselves on the fastest and heaviest drinker, came to him and asked if he wants to join their little competition.

The Lord Protector who saw an opportunity to drink more, accepted the challenge and went to the band of drunkards, where they drank themselves with a prize of getting the nastiest hangover tomorrow morning, delivered right to their head.

I laughed myself because of how idiotic these fools were, but The Lord Protector weirdly gave a weird charm. A happy charm to those already foolish drunkards, they were singing and laughing in a whole new other way when The Lord Protector arrived on their tiny group.

“Ahhh… welp I am done…!” Lady Marie let out a sigh after finishing her ale.

“Me too!” Sapphire burped a little before saying that.

“So… is he like this back in your world?” I curiously asked.

“Take out the drunkenness, then you have yourself my usual Martyn,” Lady Marie confirmed.

“Huh… it’s weird seeing him this open, I mean for enfer sake, he hasn’t even told us his last name!” I complainingly said

“It’s Wulf, meaning wolf” Marie said out of the blue

“Wait… is that really wise to tell?” I asked.

“Ehh… he was already planning to tell his last name at the noblelization ceremony! And don’t hold it too much against him, Martyn is just cautious for mine, Eleanna’s, and Arthur’s sake.”

Four hours had passed, which weirdly felt like an hour, the tavern was closing, and The Lord Protector was heavily drunk. Sapphire paid our tabs while Lady Marie and I were trying our damn hardest to make sure he doesn’t puke or wander off into the city alone.

“Girls, girls… let’s go to the beach!” The Lord Protector spouted out one of his drunken deliriums.

“It’s the middle of the night Mar! let’s just get you to bed…” Marie said.

“Mmm…. No, Lady Sapphire!! I command you to teleport us to the nearest beach!” he said.

“As you wish, Lord Protector!”

Near the blanc harbor.

Our feet touched the soft white sand which I found out that Sapphire teleported us four to the beach near the blanc harbor.

The Lord Protector was ecstatic when he could feel the soft sand of the beach and the sound of crashing waves in front him, Lady Marie on the other hand was furiously livid towards Sapphire at that point and both were arguing with each other like two angry spouses.

I lay down and tried to relax more, the cold ale did help me with soothing my stress but that loud and cheery crowd wasn’t helping. But this place, the crashing waves, and the calm winds, this is the place I belong.

The Lord Protector after playing like a little kid near the water came back to me and sat down next to me in the sand where I was laying down.

“How was the water, Lord Protector?” I asked.

“Mmm… cold and a bit salty!” He disappointingly said.

“You tasted the water? Hahaha…” I laughed heartily.

“Eyy… I was thirsty... haha…” he laughed with me too.

“Well, it’s late Lord Protector and Father still have more lessons to teach you about the other notable houses here in Albion!”

“Yeah… you’re right, but can you do one thing for me?”

“If it’s for a favor and in the bound of reason… then sure, what is it?”

“Show me your real eyes.” He asked with a serious tone.

“I… I already told you that-” I tried to deny his request but was interrupted.

“‘That the person who sees it will be cursed’ yeah, yeah, yeah… my life has already been cursed since birth, one more curse won’t hurt!” he stated.

“Cursed?” I concernedly asked.

“Metaphorically, Princess!” he straightened it out.

“Hmm… fine then…” I reluctantly agreed.

I pull out the white cloth and let out my eyes to the world.

The Lord Protector’s drunken face suddenly was overwhelmed into a fascinated face, hypnotized maybe. I was scared at that point thinking that his mind was lost when he saw my eyes, I can’t forgive myself if that were true, but… he then said.

“Such beautiful colors you have princess…” he said in amazement.

Colors?

I was more confused than afraid at this point, it’s to the point of curiosity now.

“What colors do you see in my eyes Lord Protector?” I asked.

“It’s a sky-blue color on the left and an emerald green on the right!” The Lord Protector then suddenly grabbed my shoulders. “Who the hell said that these magnificent eyes are cursed!?!?” he passionately said as his beer-smelling red face was very close to me.

“Ehh… my father... and the previous Magus of the West…” I answered, though with a slight blush because this is the first time that my face was very close to a man.

He then let go of my shoulders and stood up in a not-so-valorous stand and said.

“Well… I am gonna have a word with your fath-”

And then he proceeded to throw up in the sand.

There… I was, sitting near a passed out drunk fool near his puke. It was really awkward after that spectacle, but hearing him describing my eyes was actually very beautiful, it somehow melted my heart, even though it came out of a drunk fool.

But still… it was nice to know that my eyes are beautiful.