Pictures were hanged on a line, and there's a few stuck on a whiteboard, alongside many different scribbles. A lot of them more are on the table.

The lip-ring man, while holding a red mug, walks to the table and sit.

There's a red hoodie hanged on the coat hanger in a corner.

He then reaches for the Bluetooth speaker nearby, and cranks up its volume a bit.

..

The world..

May think I'm foolish

They can't see you

Like I can

Irma Thomas, Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand). 1964.

The young man, Jay, sips his drink, then sets the mug down. Looking at the pictures, he touches a few here and there, finally he picked up one. The almost clearest image of that mysterious man in a dark blazer, a hat, and a beige sling bag, looking away.

Jay studied the chosen picture intently.

Out of sudden there's a flapping sound, then a silhouette of a bird appeared behind the yellow lace curtain. It peeks, and knocks the glass a few times. The young guard, intrigued, puts the picture back down then stands up, reaching the window, opening it.

The bluish grey pigeon with a love shaped black spot on its back raised its head, bobbing while looking at him. There's a white, flimsy paper it's holding on its beak. Jay stared back at it with a wrinkled forehead.

"What do you want?"

Krr! The pigeon makes a sound.

Wait. A memory jogged up in his brain. I've seen this bird before. He turns back, rushed to the whiteboard and scanned it all over. A picture is grabbed. There you are. The picture of the room at that inn. That's the bird. The ones who was eating corn when he took the picture.

The pigeon make some noises again.

He hurried back to the window, and luckily, the pigeon seems to be still waiting for him. I don't have any corns, but does this bird wants to give something to me? Jay just holds his hand out slowly.

Instantly the docile pigeon dropped the paper on his hand, then flies away. The young man quickly grasp the gift before it flew too, then his gaze went back to the departing pigeon.

"Do you want some corns?" He half shouts.

Definitely there would be no answer for that, for now. But puzzled, he went back in, inspecting the paper. Turning it to him, he stunned, his eyes went wide. His body weakens, he grabs the corner of his table and it shakes, making his mug still filled with drink went down.

**

Shhrrr~ the glistening stir fried vegetables in the pan now is surrounded by a thick batter that just being poured in.

The Princess appears at the kitchen door. She smiles, then went in to the big, burly man who is cooking.

"I've been looking for you, Papa! Need some help?"

The King smiles back. "What is it, dear?" He gestured to small batch of pancake done. "It's alright. It almost finished. Have some."

"Thank you~"

She washes her hand on a sink behind her, then took a piece from the cakes. Nibbling, her eyes wanders away, looking around the white, private kitchen. The King is still silently tending to the pancake.

"How does it tastes?"

She snapped back her view to her father, grinning. "So good, as always."

The King turns back to his cooking, flipping the pancake, but unbeknownst, his tender smile earlier had slowly faded into a sad looking ones. He then rests both of his hands; the one who was holding the spatula and another one that holding the handle of the pan, and stare at his only daughter.

The Princess looked at her father with a genuine concern."What's the matter, Papa?"

"I love you."

His daughter chuckles. Gosh, how he treasures the sparkles in her eyes. "So do I!"

"And I need.. to ask you something."

"Okay.. what is it?"

The King exhales, glance at the sizzling pancake in the pan, and look back at his dearest girl. "I would like to ask, if you can stay in the Palace compound for.. say, an upcoming few weeks," He flips the pancake. "While some business are being taken care of."

She tilted her head a bit, appearing sceptical."What is it now, Father?" Her tone turned serious.

Switch off the stove. He evade her eyes. The finished pancake is being slid on top the piled others on a plate. "Another threat."

"Anything else I can do?"

"For now, it is you that are one of my utmost concern. And the biggest, this country."

The Princess tighten the remaining pancake in her grisp until it is smushed, then rise up. "Excuse me, Papa." She begin to leave. But she stopped in the mid, turning toward his father.

"Can I ask you for something.. before that?"

The King's bright eyes gaze upon her. "What it is, my dear?"

The Princess goes quiet for a moment, then raised back her head. "I want to have a trip around the town for a week. Starting today. Then I'll stay."

"Shorten?"

She shook her head slightly. "A week, at my best. I'll need it."

The King nods understandably. "I'll send you with the finest men."

"I'll be appearing simple. Don't want to had to dip on where it shouldn't."

His father smirked. "As usual, wise."

His daughter turns to leave again, not before faking sigh, sarcastically. "Well, I just wished I had freedom.. but hey, I've heard about a saying that goes- Whatever girls are, they just belong to the kitchen."

This time The King shook his head. His mood seems lightened. "That's wrong. Everyone belongs to the kitchen. Kitchen has food."

**

BAM!!

The orange door slammed open, The Princess rushes in. "JAYY WHERE YOU AT?!"

Jay who've been lying on his room's floor scrambles up, panicking when seeing the unexpected entrance, "What are you doing barging in here??"

"You're the one has to answer! You left me a voicemail, then went uncontactable, you weren't where you supposed to be, and what are you doing hiding here?!"

"What do you mean I'm hiding?"

"This section's guard has gathered on the practise site. They're going to have a drill. Now you're the ONLY ONE here."

The young man was astonished. Gosh. It's getting serious.

"I forgot. And how do you get in here?"

"Are you asking? I partially own the Palace."

Eye rolls. "You really disregard your reputation as a Princess, huh?"

She proceed to pierce him with a sharp look. "We have more important matter here."

He makes faces, again.

"And since you sold me the letters, I've considered you as a brother,"

Hearing that, the young man looks away, mumbles while pouting. "So give me your throne then."

But The Princess caught the mock, so she stepped forward then whispers icily.

"..in crime."

They stares at each other for a while in silence.

"Okay. Back to the point why I'm looking for you. Why did you say there's something going to happen?"

He showed something to her face. It's a paper of bubblegum tattoo sticker. The tattoo, consists of a black outline of Old English alphabet 'C', coloured half with light blue, its background is a minimalist fingerprint made of lines.

The Princess looks at the sticker, and look at him back.

"It's a sticker.." His voice trembles a little. "..for an entrance to a performance hall on a cruise ship."

"And?"

"Wherever this ship appears, something really bad is bound to be."

"It's here?"

"Yes. And another thing is.. the morse code in this sticker."

The Princess takes a closer look at the paper. The fingerprint. It is made of lines.. and dots. Repeated. She gasped.

"You recognized what it says?"

"Sort of. Still struggling with it."

"Very well." Jay fiddles with the sticker uneasily. "It says, '.' I don't know yet what phase two is. But Rose Princess, to me, is you. You're the Princess of this country, and Balgia's symbol is a rose. And I couldn't get what 'Kite' means in this."

The Princess's face had appeared very shocked, realising something. "..Kite?"

"You know what it is?"

"He knows."

"Who?"

She took out her phone, unlocked, scrolls and show something to him. He looks at what is it with an ultimate horror.

The Letters.

"Shi-" Jay quickly looks at The Princess. "Pardon, Your Highness. But I did not send this."

"I found it a bit odd too. But I just thought it's a part of you."

He lets out a short laugh.

"So do you have any plans of yours?"

"..Not yet.."

"Okay. You know, because of your impending doom-like voicemail, I almost flies to seek you, but you were nowhere. Then I heard that your section is having a sudden drill; one of things my father will do if he prepares for something, and you weren't there too, I went to find him only to have MYSELF NEED TO BE DETAINED IN A NEXT FEW WEEKS. But I also have a week left, and I'm going to snoop around with you."

The young man looks at her, doubtful. "Are you sure?"

"It's my playground, Jay." The Princess replies with a wicked smile, already leaving. At the door, she adds, "And if you're worried about the gate guard who might sees me, he's already not there. Lucky me. And the cameras are all done." She winks.

**

The train arrived at a stop. I was resting my head against the window, pays no heed to it as it's not my station yet, but a guy in black puffer jacket appeared and approaches me.

"The florist wants to meet."

Looking at him, my phone then vibrates. Fished it out to a new message.

Follow him.

I picked up my sling bag, stands up and follows him, abandoning the train.

Oh, right. Did I tell you that I leave Balgia?

Haha, I lied.

Out of the train station, we headed straight to a bus stop. We're waiting for a bus? I looked around, there's a tangerine stall, its pale, petite seller in black jacket and grey beanie is yawning, waiting for customers.

Arrives the bus.

The door opened. The bus driver's face brightens up upon seeing us, I felt weird but actually he's glad to see the man who leads me.

"Heyy~ what's up man?"

"Hey, Jackson. You drive the bus today?"

"Yeah, Hopi got a day off. He has found his mum."

"Huh?" I and this man, I think, both are dumbfounded.

"I'm just kidding, that's his character. His theatre is today. Hop in!"

This man just shook his head, grinning, and climb into the bus, while occasionally glance back to see if I'm still following him. That bus driver Jackson looked at us with smiles plastered on his face.

I went to a seat, and this lead man sit next to me, securing. There's only one passenger in this bus formerly, sitting upfront, wearing a red checkered shirt and a dark cap, looking intently out of the window.

I hope he can cherish the view.

We get off at a dock, in front of a white cruise ship that I am instantly amazed at its gloriness. Big, fancy, and it's freshly painted striking blue streaks. A very luxurious looking ship.

EGO.

"Quick." The man urges me, kept me walking again. We entered the ship, its interiors are very well magnificent. It's like walking into an expensive mansion. There's a few clads in black lounging around, who's looking at us passing through with suspicious eyes. I and that man then arrived outside of a closed door, he held his thumb on a slot and it lets out a soft ding. That man grab the door knob and opened the door for me.

"Get in."

Okay. In I walked. To a wide space, with high curtains, and a man with his back at me, arms link at his back. There's a big, carved mahogany table on my right side, with its big chair. I just stare back at him. Awaiting for what it is.

"So.." He turns, finally. "How's the flower?"

"Blooming, it seems."

"Have a seat." He walked to the table, and joyfully sit. I lazily walked to the opposite, smaller chair, and threw myself in.

"I'm not wrong that you're the right man for it."

Yeah, yeah. "When did you arrive?"

"A short time ago. I quickly sent for you."

He tapped the table. "Heard that she couldn't sleep for a while. Haha.." Snickers.

I couldn't be bothered by this man's annoying happiness. Can we proceed with the business? "Jeremy, do you have anything more to say?"

"I'm half-celebrating here, Mr. Kite. You can move to Phase Two. I've told you on the tattoo sticker."

Uh?

I breathed in, and blinked.

"What tattoo sticker?"

Hi there, readers! Nice to meet you (in between these writings :'] ) What do you think yet about this story? Or any of the chapters? Come, spill! Even leaving an emoji is cool 👍👍 (I also like that too). I'm intrigued to know how this work has made you feel. ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

But hope you've enjoyed it so far.

Okay..that's for now. ❤️ Hearty bye,bye~ 👋

💜

*On another note: English is one of my languages, so I expects there'll be of crash on its rules [and words] in this story. Nevertheless, pardon, I'm trying my best T^T