Back to Hadrian and Emilia, who is still at the top of the tower in the garden, at this very moment, they are presently confronted with strange incidences or, put another way, witnessing strange incidences.
Emilia Pov
"what exactly is that?"
I said it in a low voice while standing in front of Hadrian and adopting a wary expression.
"I can't believe that fairy tales actually happened..."
Hadrian responded while looking surprised and paying no attention to my question.
Even though I have no idea what Hadrian is talking about, I can't take my eyes off that mysterious light.
And as Hadrian and I continued to stare at the innocuous-looking speck of light, it suddenly became very bright and slowly transformed into a figure.
I could see the light transforming into the shape of a cute little girl around the same age as Alice. She had black hair and wore a white dress that looked shabby and dirty. She did not appear to be wearing any footwear, which made her feet look dirty and like they had been playing in the mud.
But she did nothing but stand there and stare at Hadrian with a chilling expression on her face and a sinister grin.
Even I, who was there to witness it, got a shiver down my spine. Then, finally, I tried to work up the nerve to utter a sound by asking Hadrian who was behind me.
"What are we going to do now?"
However, the only response I got was a loud laugh from the little girl. She was the only one who responded.
"hahahahaha... hihihi... hwahahahahahaha."
The little girl kept laughing... and laughing, which caused me to gradually back away from her a little bit more.
I turned around to look at Hadrian, who was behind me, but I didn't see anyone there when I did so.
"Where is he going?"" I spoke very quietly for fear that the young girl would be able to pick up on the tone of my voice.
After the appearance of sweat on my forehead, which was followed by the intensification of the little girl's laughter behind me, my already-rapidly-beating heart became increasingly disorganized and erratic.
"hahahahaha... hahahahaha."
I immediately went into a state of panic and began searching both to my left and right in the vain hope of finding Hadrian's figure, but when I couldn't find him, I could only feel hopelessness.
I twisted my body to look at the little girl once more, and this time she gave me a chilly stare as she did so, her sweet face transforming into a sinister one in the process.
As the hysterical laughter of the little girl grew louder and more menacing, and as the strange atmosphere in this place continued to intensify throughout the next few moments, I frantically attempted to remove the sword from its scabbard, which was fastened around my waist.
However, before I could even take out my sword, the young girl was already running toward me with a terrifying expression on her face, and her arms stretched out as if to embrace me.
"Are you still there?"
Said the little girl in a sinister tone while maintaining a broad smile on her face as she spoke. Her smiling face grew wider to the point where it appeared as though it was going to tear...
Her dirty little feet were seen running while leaving stain marks, but even though she was dashing and I was able to dodge her, for some reason, my legs wouldn't move, and neither would the rest of my body. It was as if I were frozen in place.
When the little girl was only a few steps away from me, I could only give up hope and close my eyes in despair.
Because everything that is taking place right now, including the sudden appearance of that creepy little girl and the fact that Hadrian has disappeared somewhere, is very strange.
Because I knew the little girl wasn't a human or any other living being, that was the only thing I could think of while I waited with my eyes closed. I didn't feel a thing, not even the slightest touch. It was as if the little girl had stopped moving or, even worse, pierced through me.
After making sure I was fine, I tried to slowly open my eyes, and the first thing I saw wasn't the frightful face of the little girl... But Hadrian's face, which was currently showing a slight smile and appeared amused by my current frightened expression.
I turned to the left and the right to ascertain the young girl's position, but I was unable to find her.
"You don't need to worry about the little girl anymore because she has already left."
Hadrian spoke to me gently as if he were trying to reassure me because I was still restless and appeared confused.
"Let's go back, we can continue our date tomorrow."
Hadrian immediately turned his body and started walking toward the stairs without waiting for my response.
"What happened just now?"
I asked, maintaining a look of bewilderment even though I was experiencing a significant amount of mental clarity at this point.
"Oh, it's nothing more than a spirit interested in getting to know you. She's just curious."
Hadrian responded with a chuckle and then appeared to quicken his pace as he descended the stairs after making his statement.
"If you get left behind, the spirit will come back to haunt you."
I yelled after Hadrian, who was now quite a distance ahead of me, "Wait for me, Hadrian!" as I dashed after him in a hurry to catch up with him.
I have no idea whether Hadrian was joking or being serious when he explained it, but whenever I think about that little girl, I get goosebumps and am unable to think of anything else.
After that, I came out from the tower, still gasping for air, with my chest expanding and contracting and sweat pouring down my body.
It's weird, huh, That kind of distance wouldn't make me feel tired or even make me sweat, but maybe it's because of that creepy girl... well, there's no mistaking it.
I looked over to where Hadrian was standing and saw him leaning casually against the wall while looking at me with a smirk on his face.
"Where are you looking at?"
I said it in a harsh voice because the earlier incident and Hadrian's slightly odd behaviour annoyed me. It seemed as though he was hiding something from me.
"Did that little girl put a curse on me or bring me bad luck? Because for some reason, I have the urge to punch you in the face right now!"
Hadrian looked at me with a kind smile on his face and apologized, saying, "I'm sorry ok, I didn't mean to scare you." He did this while maintaining eye contact with me.
"Are you keeping something from me that I shouldn't know?" I inquired while maintaining a suspicious demeanour.
"Nothing, but after seeing yet another adorable side of you today, I can say that I'm quite satisfied."
After finishing his sentence, Hadrian walked out of the building while firmly gripping my hand once more.
"You think I will fall for your sweet words again, don't expect..."
I said it in a low voice as I lowered my head and walked alongside Hadrian.
I warned myself that I would one day repay Hadrian in a worse way than he had done.
"We're going back to the hotel, where I'm sure Alice has been waiting for a very long time," said Hadrian.
"Why are we going to stay in a hotel? We can go home if we want..."
However, before I could finish my word, Hadrian interrupted me by saying.
"Alice came up with that idea, and I'm also puzzled as to why she wants to be outside instead of at home."
"I don't believe you, but if I had to guess, I'd say this was all your idea, right?"
I said to Hadrian while glaring at him with a scornful expression on my face.
"Perhaps, but the idea for our date is definitely mine."
Said Hadrian in a soft voice as he looked at me with a gentle smile on his face.
I wanted to continue to object to every word he said, but I found that I could not do so. Instead, I could only force myself to swallow the sharp words that were building up inside of me.
All I can do is grunt while turning my head away from Hadrian because, for some reason, my heart has started beating extremely fast, and I don't want him to notice the expression I'm currently wearing.
_________________
Seen a man and a woman dressed in cloaks holding hands and making fun of each other.
When they look at each other like this, it gives the impression that they are on a romantic date, and at first glance, this appears to be a moment of warmth.
All of that was made even more apparent by the fact that the woman wearing the black cloak turned her face in the opposite direction. It was clear that she was trying to conceal something, as evidenced by the fact that her face was flushed, and she wore a slight sweet smile that displayed an embarrassed expression.
But in reality, the two of them are brother and sister and are also significant figures in this Zeitgeist empire. Namely, Prince Hadrian Von Kaiser, who is dressed in a white cloak, and Princess Emilia Von Kaiser, standing next to him.