(Ophelia)
***
I fell into a trance and let myself be deceived on the way to the castle, pretending I was on a magical ride to a fantasyland in which I could spend time freely with Koharu when the reality was anything but.
Tiredness created a haze in my mind, and I was so detached from the chatter that I could not keep up with it. Koharu could talk for forever; it seemed Princess Roslynn could as well.
Time passed like a dream until I saw the vibrant lights and legendary fountains surrounding the Terrestrial Castle, illuminating it in a translucent bubble of shifting colors. The structure was much more energetic than either castle in the Galaxy Kingdom, and in a way, I envied its earthy palette and clever shadowing.
*Why can't Inei and Hikaru be half this creative?*
The car drifted to a stop half a mile away from the building, the shade of the trees and night sky enough to conceal the dark gray exterior of the vehicle. The dust around us was disturbed so that it created a temporary fog before a handle in the front shifted, locking the car into place.
"We're here," Roslynn said as she turned to Koharu and me with a grin.
"You've got to show me that songbook you were talking about and that novel for my brother. I bet they're so good," Koharu gushed, shaking her hands in the air.
She always had an affinity for things from the future (if her museum didn't make that painfully obvious), so I was sure she was on cloud nine.
"I'll show you them inside. Or I could give them to you for when you get home."
"That would be awesome!"
Koharu's eyes practically sparkled—doused in glitter and high on joy. That was when she looked the prettiest, and a tender feeling roused my stomach every time she was that excited.
"Totally. I gotta help y'all get home first." Princess Roslynn beamed before she turned serious. "Sorry about parking this so far away, but we're gonna have to go through one of the hidden doors to this place. I doubt the guards will let you two in."
I glanced down, grimacing at my torn clothes.
*I wouldn't let myself in either.*
But grateful for her assistance, I told her, "That's fine. It isn't like we haven't walked for the past week or so. A little more won't hurt."
"Good, good." Roslynn hit a button to open the doors of the car, which swooped up like birds heading towards the sky.
My jaw gaped at them wordlessly as she chuckled.
"Yeah, we have these things now. And electronic keys."
"Elec—"
"Hurry out," she said, cutting off Koharu as she jumped out of the car.
*You're not going to enlighten us…?*
***
"See, what we're going to have to do is walk about forty-five degrees to the right here. There's a little bridge—so tiny that you can't see it behind the only lemon trees in the grove—that leads to a concealed door."
Roslynn twirled her set of keys in her hands. She led us along the tree-covered path that extended from the lot in which she left her car, Koharu and I following shoulder to shoulder behind her. Our hands were intertwined then; we figured Roslynn had to have known already.
Yet when she looked back, I nearly retracted my hand out of instinct, noticing that insecurity rise back in me. Koharu held my hand tightly, though, so that she cradled my heart to nurture it back to health.
Princess Roslynn smiled. She didn't say a word about the short but knowing glances between us.
"Y'all talked that one out?" she joked, sensing something was going on. "The directions ain't too hard—you should know. You just need to stay behind me. Don't get lost."
She peered directly over at me.
*Does she have an issue or something?*
"…Or zone out."
*Perhaps that's it.*
I did a salute. "Easy enough."
The path to the lemon trees had little light—only small tendrils of the moon's rays sneaking through the leaves. They created highlights on our hair and illuminated the road ahead for us.
Though rocks were buried in the dirt, the trail was mostly barren. They dug uncomfortably into my feet, but at least they were smooth and not sharp like glass or needles. (A few nails almost drilled into my soles while I had walked in Hallisville's alleyways.)
When we got to the bridge, it was a shabby wooden thing; however, it did its job well despite the years of obvious wear as it sunk its toes persistently into the cracked sections of dirt. We were able to cross without any problems as the branches thinned above us, giving us room to breathe. In fact, I didn't even realize we passed the off-season lemon trees because they blended in perfectly with the clusters of leaves.
The door we were brought to was not an ornate gate but instead a conventional piece, furnished only with paint and a few inscriptions. The markings appeared to be in another language, but Princess Roslynn ignored them as she placed the key in the hole. Here, we were hidden from view by the odd angle of the entrance. It was like a hidden marvel of architecture.
Following behind us, she gestured for us to go inside.
Koharu went in first since I was hesitant.
*I can't shake the feeling that I might be falling into a ploy.*
"Why does this place look like a saloon?" she asked.
Roslynn shrugged, laughing. "It's the winery. People here like their rowdy bars and yelling 'howdy'. What can I say to that? My dad's not an exception."
"It's nice," I said to stunt the conversation from growing into something like an ugly wart.
Everyone at home had to be worried sick by then, so I didn't want to fool around.
"Can I get something to drink?" Koharu asked almost on top of me.
She still held my hand, waving it wildly, yet I wished she didn't ignore me outright as if we weren't touching! I pouted, begging for attention but refusing to ask for it. (Technically, I had no right to act that way—envy was too strong of a word for it—since she was finally talking to someone akin to a friend for the first time in years.)
Roslynn sighed. "Sure, I guess. I'll grab something quickly for you."
"Thank you," Koharu then said, and Roslynn nodded.
I shifted my weight to my right foot while waiting for the princess to return.
"You," Koharu said as she poked my cheek that unconsciously puffed out, "stop being so grumpy."
*Stop being so ungrateful and asking for more.*
"I'm not grumpy, baby. I just am tired and want to—you know—get out of the future."
*I'm not proving her wrong based on the way I grumbled that.*
Looking me up and down, she folded her arms. "Whatever you want to say. You get a pass for calling me 'baby' today, but tomorrow I'm just going to say you're jealous."
I chuckled darkly. "You're really going to call me that after what happened at the b—"
"Here you go." Princess Roslynn came back with some alcohol, brushing the cold bottle against Koharu's arm to get her attention.
She yelped before grabbing and examining it to see that it was filled with brandy. Clicking her mouth, she nodded in approval.
"Needed something strong."
Princess Roslynn went away for a moment to search for something else in the room, so I whispered, "Not me?"
"Too strong," she quipped. "I'd be blackout drunk on you."
She didn't bother to control her volume, so my eye twitched.
Princess Roslynn turned back to us with an eyebrow raised. "They didn't mention y'all would be like that in the history books."
*Do you want to read about your grandfather fucking a mistress? Didn't think so. It's the same idea.*
"Your history books must be shit then. Ask for your money back," Koharu said in return, and that was the first time Roslynn was affronted by her words.
"Yours are much worse! You don't even have the internet. You don't know what you're missing." She stuck her tongue out as if she won the argument by using some word we hadn't heard before.
I blinked. "Let's not argue over history books, please. Princess, could you please lead us to somewhere we can get help?"
"I was just about to do that, but"—Koharu made a petty face as Roslynn spoke—"this one's being difficult."
"She's always difficult," I said, and thinking it would do something, Koharu pinched my arm.
*I'm right!*
"I can now see that…"
"But she's the sweetest person in her spare time."
I earned Koharu's forgiveness with that correction, so she gently rubbed the reddened patch on my bicep.
"I'll take your word for that," Princess Roslynn replied, looking weirdly to the side. "Anyway, I guess I'll bring you two to one of the bedrooms upstairs and lock it for now. I have to call Aries here before I can do anything."
"Aries?"
*The constellation isn't going to drop out of the sky for you.*
"Oh, right." She shook her head. "You wouldn't know her. She's a young fairy, but she's very helpful and kind. We kind of grew up together—like platonic soulmates or even siblings. You'll meet her soon enough."
I nodded. I thought fairy births were somewhat rare, but perhaps that wasn't the case.
"Is she near?"
Roslynn scratched her neck, pouting. "Ah, she's probably hiding somewhere in the planetarium—this place where you can look at the stars closely with a telescope—or with her parents. It shouldn't take too long."
She sighed and made her way to the periphery of the room. "It's gonna be harder to sneak you two up there, but at least I have some magic if something goes wrong."
To make us somewhat transparent, she cast a short spell. (She was not strong enough like Leo to do it fully.) Peeking outside the door, when she decided the coast was clear, she beckoned us to follow.
We made it up the castle quickly through the use of a magic lift with so many buttons that I couldn't fathom how it was a useful mode of transportation. Most of the guards were already asleep and weren't patrolling the halls as much as they did during the day, so we were able to get to a bedroom without much hassle.
The room was clearly vacant with a layer of dust forming over the blankets that enveloped the fine furniture. Roslynn pulled the covers away as if she was a magician performing her final trick, unveiling luxurious silk and tightly woven cotton in baby pink.
Dark mahogany cabinets were situated in front of a rosy wallpaper with thin green vines on it, while the sand-colored carpet in the room was like heaven against my feet—a gentle, sinking caress after the harsh repulsion of dirt and concrete. I was sure I dragged the contents of the outdoors with me, whether by smell or cocklebur.
*This is almost too good to be true.*
"You two need to go clean up while I get everything ready," Roslynn deadpanned while scrunching her nose. "I can't deal with this now that you're in a closed space. Y'all reek."
*Gee, thanks!*
She opened another room that was covered in magenta tile with a large, rose quartz tub set within it. "There's a bath in here."
I opened my mouth to interject, but she continued talking.
"Before you say anything: Yes, the body wash does what you think it does. Just rub the darned stuff on your body. Shampoo and conditioner go in the hair. The rest shouldn't be hard. Just decide the order and whatnot."
Although she went on a rant, I latched onto her words. The future methods of bathing seemed much more elaborate than I was used to.
"I'm going to go get Aries now. I'll bring some clothes for you two when I get back," Roslynn added, and she exited while pinching her nose, leaving Koharu and me behind in the room.