Cold sweats ran through my forehead because it took me five seconds to stare in the void of darkness before my feet landed on a foreign land. I was afraid of what might happened to me while I was in that abyss.
The portal immediately sealed off upon exiting. I raised my hand and put a spell to hide it even though no human can see it. I still could not take a risk to expose our world, lots of strange things are happening already.
"Greetings, my lady."
I flinched when someone talked behind me. When I turned around, it was Hugo. My eyes wandered and I found myself in a huge room where piles of old boxes was scattered on the floor and dust fills the air. What a strange place for a duchess like me to enter.
He bowed. "Please forgive me for my sudden appearance. I was actually waiting for your arrival but I guess you didn't see me."
"It's fine." I said. Maybe I didn't really saw him because the hood in my cloak almost covered my whole face.
Looking at Hugo I can already see his old age, white hair, eye wrinkles and frown lines. Nonetheless his butler attire still shows his perfect figure. He was one of the five greatest fae along with my parents as well as Martha in our history. It was said that he chose to live here to be a gatekeeper between the two worlds.
"May I escort you to your room, my lady?"
I nodded. "That would be great."
"I'm very sorry for this place I chose. This is the most safest place I know for keeping the portal." He said.
I just nodded even though my nose is getting itchy because of the dust. I ignited my hand and instantly burned the paper that has the address of my meeting place with Hugo. I don't want to leave any evidences of my absence in LaRue.
He turned his back on me, raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A huge brown baroque wooden door with a golden knob suddenly appeared in front of us. After Hugo twisted the knob, he gently swings his hand, telling me to go inside of that door.
Just a few steps, I'm already inside of another room. I took off my hood and a glass window with an overview of thousand lights surprised me. Outside, there's lot of tall buildings that almost reach the skyline. I looked down and there were cars of different colors. I am in awe while looking at those tiny vehicles, it was as if toy cars are racing. The book of Human Realm really helped me in this journey because we were taught how humans lived since we are young. Before I got lost to the view, I saw Hugo's reflection on the glass as he made the door disappear.
I turned around and put my bag on the couch that doesn't have wooden linings, it was just pile of pillows. The room was filled with lots of furniture that wasn't even big like the ones in my castle. Somehow, the bed is pretty decent, as big as the one in my room. Maybe Martha told him some details because I don't like small beds. The curtains have floral designs and the space of this room is horrible. I grimaced secretly seeing my dresses, shoes, and dishes in one place. A sight that I wasn't used to see.
'Shall I serve you a tea, my lady?" Hugo asked.
I nodded before sitting down. I almost exclaimed when my butt touched the bouncy couch. How could someone sit to a thing like this? It feels like my body sank and my back hurts already.
I watched Hugo as he was preparing the tea on a concrete counter. He put a fair amount of water onto a kettle that has a wire and he plugged it to the wall. He opened the cabinet and reached for the two teacups. The kettle had a red light when Hugo plugged it but it disappeared after a few moments. Wow, what a strange device. He reached for a box and opened two yellow packs and placed the two teabags in their respective cups. When he finished pouring water to the teacups and put it on a tray, he turned around and smiled to me.
"Welcome to Hotel De Rosier of Cornelia Street, my lady. Here's your tea."
He placed the teacup in front of me and I smelled the familiar lemon scent to it.
"Wait, is this tea from our world?" I assumed.
He nodded before he sits few meters away from me. "Yes, my lady. Martha sent it yesterday because she said this the only tea that you like."
I sighed. 'Martha, I hope you're not crying this time'.
I immediately wrapped my index and middle fingers on the teacup's handle and took a quick sip. "I'm going straight to the point, Hugo I need your help. The portal in the dukedom is on glitch. Wilhelm saw a dead human body near to it when he was hunting in the forest. And some of my knights are missing since the portal appeared."
I've been lying to the families of my missing knights, telling them that I sent them on a mission but the truth is I don't really know where there are. The last faeries who saw them told me that they were hunting in the forest and that's how I assumed that the portal has something to do with them. If they're dead, their bodies would be found but there's no report about them. Did they illegally crossed? That would be impossible because they need a spell from me that they could pass the portal. A fae who doesn't have a noble blood and enough powers like the greatest faes can't cross the portal, their bodies would bounced back when they try to enter. My head hurts, I've been sleepless because of this problem. If words will spread into the kingdom that they're missing, it could cause a ruckus.
"A glitch?" His eyes widened. "But my lady, that's impossible, I would be the first one to know if there's a glitch."
He's right. If there's a one, Hugo can fix it since he's the keeper of the portals. And that's strange.
"I also wonder why." I put down the teacup. "I want to investigate it myself."
"What?!" He almost shouted but he reclaimed his posture. "I-I mean, that would be dangerous for you. Did you tell the palace about what happened?"
I shook my head. "If I told them, both Wilhelm's life and mine would be put in danger since he was the one who saw the human's body and I would be suspected of illegal migrations of humans in our world."
"You may right, your grace but what you are doing now is treason. What about your absence in the dukedom? I thought you're just here for a vacation." He uttered hysterically.
A noble fae has the privilege to take a vacation in the human realm but they can only stay at Hugo's hotel for one week. I may lied to him but I badly need his help.
"I instructed Martha to make a dummy and make me look sick." I took a sip of my tea again.
He slightly pinched his chin. "What about the emperor? He might soon find out that you're lying."
"That's why you need to help me." I put down the teacup abruptly, making a clanking sound. I looked at Hugo's eyes with full of authority and he bowed down. Hearing the word 'emperor' makes me sick. I don't plan on dying before killing him.
"I'm sorry for my rudeness, your grace. I'm going to help you with all my strength." His lips twitched.
I stood in front of him. "Do you swear on your faery's name?"
"I swear on my faery's name."
"Good. Now that's clear." I walked over to the window to calm myself. I may be young and Hugo's old but the hierarchy must be followed. He was a close friend of my father, the late duke before he died on the war that the current emperor initiated 20 years ago. It would be a great embarrassment to my father's name if he doesn't help me. How dare he ran to this world without helping them in the battle during that war? My father and his men would stand a chance if he showed up. I actually despised him for being a coward.
"Your Grace, how long do you plan on staying here?"
I shrugged. "Depends on how soon I will find my knights."
"But if you're staying for a while you need to surrender your powers."
"I am aware of that."
The basic rule is that if a fae visits this world they need to surrender their powers to Hugo and that's what Martha's been worrying about and she even suggested to go here in my stead but I couldn't do that especially it's my responsibility as the duchess to solve the problems in the dukedom. This world needs to be balance without any form of magic and we shouldn't meddle with human problems.
"We also need to alter the color of your hair, my lady. You might stand out if you join the crowd."
He's right since I'm going on a disguise.
"I don't have objections." I hated my ginger-red hair anyway. It always reminds me that I am born during the red moon.
"Then I'll make a pentagram now."
"What?!" I turned around. "Why is it so sudden?"
"It is the rule, your grace. I should have put the seal on you earlier but I made some considerations."
I pressed my lips. "Can you just leave my healing powers to me, then?"
"I'm afraid I can't, my lady. If you're going to be injured or wounded, you need to call me as soon as possible"
"How should I call you?" My brows furrowed.
"I'll buy you a smartphone tomorrow. It is a communication device in this world."
I heave a sigh. "Fine!"
He pulled the curtain's tassel and the windows are now covered. Hugo swings his arm and the couch that made the room smaller disappeared. I took 5 steps away from him before the ritual starts. A cylinder appears from his hand and he made it float between us.
He closed his eyes and a orange pentagram appeared underneath us. As expected from a great fae, he can make an incantation without saying anything. I took a deep breath, shut my eyes and focuses on gathering my mana to my core. Within a few seconds, a strong flow of force is swirling around me, pulling every bits of my mana. How can I solve this problem if I don't have any powers left in me? Will Hugo really help me? What should I do now that Wilhelm is not here to protect me? My body is not trained for combat and all I could do is doing spells. I need to get hurry on this mission. If the palace finds out that I sneak into this world, they would send some imperial knights to kill me and I would be dead before I come back.
When I've felt that the force is separated from my body, my legs wobbled and kneeled. I feel like my soul is also taken away. When pentagram is gone, he help me stand and letting me see the bottle that has filled with my mana that turned into red liquid. He hide it inside his coat and snapped his fingers again, the couch appeared.
"You're now a human, my lady." He snatched a small mirror from the vanity table and placed it in front of me.
I was in awe, i never expected that I would look great in black hair.
I sat down on the edge of the bed after Hugo gave me a glass of water. I feel so exhausted and took off my cloak.
"You may now rest, my lady. I'll be here in the morning. I'm taking my leave now."
I slightly lifted my head to give him a signal and laid on the bed. An orange puff of light appeared after he dispersed. I curled my body because my stomach is burning like hell. Is this how it feels when your mana is taken away from you? I hope I would not die from this.
I slowly closed my eyes but I caught a familiar silhouette before I submitted to deep slumber.
I should have brought Wilhelm with me.