This is hard, every floor looks the same! Wherever we reach a certain floor I see the same decor, the number of classes, the positioning of flower pots and so is the portrait near the stairs that creeps me out every time I see it. I have no clue where we are and what's worse is that I can find the person I am searching for. Mireya is also running out of patience and so am I.
"Raeliana why are we still wandering around the fifth floor? Shouldn't we go up and look for his highness at seventh? I am tired of this place already!"
I don't understand why she wants to go up that badly, in the end she is not going to come with me to meet Alastair. She wasn't supposed to from the beginning, but perhaps this is also a good opportunity to expand the plan a little more.
"I am going to look around a little more, but you can go up if you want!"
"Really, you don't mind?"
"No don't worry, I won't!"
At least someone is in a good spirit again, but I hope that she doesn't find Alastair before I get there, because I can't imagine how uncomfortable that would probably be.
'Now where should I start looking? All the classes on this floor are closed so I don't know in which one he is.'
Since both of them, Alastair and Jonathan are in the academy, and Nasya with her friends or even enemies are not here, Mireya should be able to meet with Jonathan. If I can actually find him and introduce Mireya to him, maybe... just maybe they can experience that magic sparkle between each other or so I think it was.
'The second prince was walking with his escort through a dense forest, when suddenly out of nowhere a young girl appeared screaming for help. She crashed into the horse and fell to the ground, and before the prince could process what happened or help the girl, a group of soldiers in foreign uniforms rushed after her. They stopped when they saw the prince and his escort, and after thinking twice before speaking, they explained themselves and the reason for chasing the girl. The prince spoke to them and they told him how important it was for the kingdom to catch the girl and bring her to justice, but he saw that hopeless girl trembling with fear near his horse, and couldn't bring himself to be part of them. He tried to draw her attention and talk to her face to face, but the girl raised her head with tearful eyes and said in a lower voice "Please, help me! Don't let them take me!" after hearing that his mind went blank and he fell deep into her pink innocent eyes. He got off the horse and helped the girl to get up. Amazed by how tiny she was compared to his tall and formed body, he felt the urge to squeeze her with just one hand and see if she could still be fine. Prince Jonathan told the soldiers to leave and never come back for her, and that he would take care of her and choose her punishment himself. Even after they tried to oppose him, they had no right to take her as long as a member of royalty had seen them cross from a foreign kingdom illegally. So even if they were right all along, the kingdom of Raeon had full entitlement to declare was against Nirvana for trespassing and attempt of kidnapping someone.'
[So, this is what humans call love? I don't remember the time, but I am sure that I didn't feel this way. It sounds a little bit too…aggressive for someone you want to spend the rest of your life with!]
'It is. But leaving your romantic life and all the other things aside, all of that was Nasya's words and thoughts when she tried to process the story and it could not all be true, since I am relying on a non-reliable source for understanding more about Mireya's side of the story. Even I can't remember everything she did when she reincarnated here, so I can't expect her to tell the absolute truth for someone else's life.'
But the thing that got my attention the first time I read it and with a little bit of help from Nasya who pointed it out, was that he was the only one to experience that "sparkle" out of the two and in that particular moment his character came a little off. Of course, nowhere in the story did Jonathan become like that or have some kind of sadistic thoughts when it came to Mireya, but he still was kind of an overprotective lover.
"Let's move to the next floor. Here each classroom door is closed and a little farther on the rooms without numbers on the door, which I suppose might be those used by professors during lunch break or maybe recess is off limit."
So back to the story that I read myself and seeing how I am more confident about remembering the current events rather than the past from Mireya's story. When Nasya had the spotlight, he didn't care about Mireya, but he still saved her and gave her a safe job that paid her well. However now except for the job part, the same thing might happen again if he sees her. And even though this might lead me and her to a dead end, and Jonathan's heart has started to beat only for Nasya as it did before, it is still worth a try. After all, that will no longer affect Mireya's position or her future.
'Is it a little too ironic how I am trying to set someone up with someone else when I can't even get together my own life? Or I am just egoist?'
[Child don't bother thinking about it too much and just do what you have set up for yourself. If nothing bad is gonna come out of it then give it a try and stop questioning the motive. The only thing it would do is probably discourage you.]
I am amazed at how far has he come, from someone who whispered in my ear and made me mad about imagining how similar a sunset and a pool of blood will look, to someone who actually understands me and gives me hope to keep going. Despite how useless he is with information and making my thoughts a total mess, I can't stop saying how big of a help he actually is when it comes to moral support!
'I don't know what to think anymore Raphael. If you really are a blessing or a misfortune in my life. Either way, I am glad to have you here with me when I need someone to talk to!'
[…Likewise, child! I just try to match your energy, and since you are down, it would be foolish of me to make things more difficult for the person, in whose body I also live.]
'That explains a lot! And seeing how we both agreed with each other and I also saved a boring time climbing up the stairs by talking to you, I gladly declare that we have arrived on the seventh floor and I can't see Mireya anywhere.'
I have seen that portrait so many times now, I think I am starting to like it and it is kind of concerning! Looks like I didn't have any luck finding the second prince since most of the doors were closed on both the sixth and fifth floor, but since Mireya had climbed up to Alastair's floor, it would have been difficult or rather inappropriate of me to get up and than go down again to introduce them. This is tiring as it is and I want to save my energy for when I need it! Then again, I guess this is going to be the perfect day to test my limits after a night without sleep and I have to pay the full price that comes after a long and enthusiastic journey from a fantasy world to another fantasy world, that for so many years has been my reality. Sad but true reality!
'Sigh… I am shaking! I don't want to do this…can I… rethink my decisions and come back later? I think that this is too soon and so sudden for me to comprehend things. What if I mess this up or I do something to regret it later?'
[Let me give you some options, leave it or take it. One, you let me take over and save you some time to take a deep breath and relax before the catastrophe? Or two, you stop whining, get yourself together and move! No pressure at all though, take your time!]
So, this is what he meant by matching my energy and trying to not make things more difficult for the owner of his "house". Great, this is wonderful, I feel inside myself the great and unattainable desire, which is appearing like a ray of hope in front of me, only to grab it and then destroy myself with so many regrets but no more pain.
'I choose the second one! I guess it is not worth going back now since I came all this way, and maybe I can ask one of the girls that are out in the hallway for directions, if they are going to give me any.'
"Excuse me? Can you tell me where to find the…first…prince?"
They didn't even turn when I said "excuse me", I suppose they are more into their conversation than listening to me. I feel so out of place and right now I might as well have some social anxiety from the interaction with people I don't even know.
Why do I imagen them coming back at me and I said "Who are you to talk to? You are not even a side character and Nasya didn't mention you at all, and I don't know where you came from, but what's your purpose in this story again?", they would probably think that I am crazy, but I don't regrate anything after it gave me a good laugh in my head. Oh, I really needed this!
"Excuse me young lady, but I am his highness aide. I am here to escort you to the meeting room where his highness is waiting for you."
"Who were you again?"
"?! P-pardon me, I am sorry to say this, but I don't understand your question. I am his highness aide, my lady!"
Strange…! I thought that he was older and had glasses, or am I not remembering it correctly? What was his name again?
"I would appreciate it if you can clarify something for me! Are you Alphred?"
"No my lady, I can gladly say that I am not his secretary!"
It looks like I was right, but it is weird that he showed up now out of the blue when I was trying to find the way out myself. I suppose I have nothing to lose from this and he surely knows Alphred, which no one knows Alastrair's secretary's name except from the ones that work in the palace, so one way or another I don't have a choice.
"Then please show me the way!"
I don't know if I am stressed out or just nervous that I'll have that person in front of me the whole time, but I have a bad feeling about this!