Three butlers were furiously working on light lasers and magic marks. The room was in a frenzy of lusters that I thought, as I stepped into the cellar, some troubles were happening. I asked anyway.
"Good morning and excuse me everyone," I started hastily, "how is the gate? Is it open yet?"
"Oh, good morning Kara," said Uncle Derek, "is it okay for you to come out of bed?"
While Jes remained oblivious to me Shaph said, "Good morning Princess. I apologize that I have been meager to my duty lately, I—"
"I understand, totally fine," I stepped closer to them, "how about the gate?"
Shaph gestured with his eyes behind Jes who had his back facing me. I looked over his shoulder and saw a narrow rectangular black trench hanging lopsided in the air. "Is that—?"
"Yes Princess," Shaph said, "we could only make it that far."
Although slightly disheartened, I was glad that there was progress. I had been waiting for ages already. Enduring a few more weeks, months would be totally...f...fi...fineeeee.
"What's the matter?" Uncle Derek took his eyes of the airborne transparent screen.
"Umm, I think I need to go back as soon as possible," I decided to tell Uncle Derek everything. "the Princes they're—"
"I see," Uncle said before I could finish my tale, "I'll see to it." and he pounded away upstairs to see to what I was not sure and not really thought it could help. The only thing that could rescue me now was the gate. The longer I stayed, the worse to me, to Princess Carla, to the Princes, to the stewards, to everyone, to Coronale, to this world.
"Please take a seat Princess, I'll bring some tea and snacks for you." Shaph said cheerily and went off too.
I fell into one of the velvet wingback chairs as Jes finally turned away from his work, sarcastically smirking at me. "If you're so free, why don't you come and help?"
"Can I?"
"I hear you can work magic. If that's true, then why can't?" said Jes, "Better and faster than me alone, unless you want to stay here lounging on other people's properties, making most use of other people's authorities."
"How do I do it?" I walked over to him, a little riled.
"Just try to gather Magic here as much as possible." He said pointing over to the slender black thing.
"Just that?" I asked and started to reach out for the tingling of Magic around me.
"That's the only thing we can do." Jes said irritably, "Didn't that Keon King or Cimon Prince of yours personally educate you about this? Don't you know that because we aren't Magician and even if we are, the spell to open the gate has lost to this world forever? So we can't order Magic to do it. We could only gather Magic here as much as we can and hope some of it would do the job."
I told myself I needed to tolerate this guy. Oh but he's just a talker!
"Why are you here anyway?" he began, "Why not just stay in bed and be pampered by those princes?"
"I want to go home." I said blandly. "Isn't that what you want too?"
"I thought you're having a good time. Being an artificial flower among bees, a porcelain rabbit amid wolves. Luring nobles with that plain look of yours. You won't be able to do it without Princess Carla's status. Really, who could have fallen for you with that face?" There was a smug tone in his voice and I almost blew it off. The Princes alone was giving me a hard enough time. I could pay a million baht for a break right now.
"Seriously what's your problem Jed?" I tried to repress the anger down my throat. What he had just said was really really mean. But I had been putting up until now, it was going to be only a bit more. "I said I want to go back home, to theDry World. Isn't that enough for you? What else could you have wanted from me? Or does saying sardonic things to me make you feel good? Then be my guest!" Oh darn, it's boiling up! "What have I ever done to you anyway?! We've never even met before here!"
Jes dropped his concentration on Magic and flung his arms towards me clenching my shoulders digging his nails into them and threatened me against a wall. "What have you ever done?" He growled through his breath, "You're faking as a Princess, that rotten enough for me to hate you!"
"It's not like I want to do this!" I said after retrieving from the shock of the violent attack.
"Excuse!" he bawled into my face. "You can always reject! You just want to have what's belong to Princess Carla! You just want to be her! You imposter! You try to take everything from Princess Carla!"
It was impossible to get angry at those. Rather, I was taken by surprise. "Jed, by chance..."
"What?"
"—are you in love with Princess Carla?" I finished.
Jes was taken aback and skated rearward releasing me immediately. "N—noo!" he stammered, red splashing on his face.
"That's good then," I said massaging my shoulders, "it's not right."
"Why not?!" Jes went into a fluster.
"Isn't it obvious? Because you're her cousin." I said.
"What's wrong with cousin?!" Jes' voice went half a note higher.
"You're a family!" I said flabbergasted. He was definitely in love with her. "To her!"
"At least, I'm not those phony princes who want nothing but her power!" said Jes, "I had always been by her side until she was sent to that world. I had always looked out for her, looked after her. My care for her is real!" He paused for one breath. "And I'll be the one bringing her back to her rightful home and throne!"
I leaned my head in my hand muttering. "This is just so not right."
Jes swiftly charged at me knocking me down onto the cold hard floor. He looked hostile. "Shut up!" He strangled my neck straddling on me. "Nothing is wrong when it comes to love! Are you disappointed that you can't seduce me? You fox!"
"C—cam—" I tried to tell him to calm down. But I was afraid I would be dead before I could finish those two words.
"Master Jes!"
"Jed!"
I was saved by the arrival of Shaph and Uncle Derek. The old man slapped his grandson hard in the face. Shaph helped me up while I coughed tension out of my throat, shaking.
"Are you out of your mind!" Uncle Derek yelled and Jes, down on one knee, cried his eyes out. What I said seemed to affect him to the heart.
I would not say I was all right. However, I realized it was my fault for meddling with his feeling. "I—I'm sorry." I croaked out to Jes.
There was no sign that he heard it as Uncle Derek kept on lessoning his grandson and Shaph assisting me out of the room gently calling 'Princess' to sooth me and wasting the whole day to personally serve me. I could have cried too, for hurting his feeling, for the fear, for the guilt, for the pressure, for the insecure and anxiety brooding in my heart.