That same night, she cast her normal spells on herself to go out as usual, but she was disappointed she didn't see him. She walked around the whole market, looking for him, until the shops in the market were almost closed, but still she didn't see the person she had fallen for.
She was almost past the normal time. She always went back home, but she was hesitant. When she couldn't take it again, she went back home feeling so sad and down. She didn't even say anything to Mrs. Maria, who was already waiting for her at the entrance.
She just went straight to bed, even though she wasn't sleepy. She rolled on the bed several times until it was finally dawn.
The next morning, in the big dining room, Different chattering could be heard as the twins talked and giggled among themselves. "Where is Marina?" Rosabelle asked, looking at Mrs. Maria, who also bowed her head before replying. "She'll come down soon, your highness.
Rosabelle forced a smile before looking at Kelvin, who was sitting far away from the table with Ethan beside him. "I'm sorry. She's not always like this." She said to Kelvin, to which he also smiled back.
Ethan was about to say something when the door of the room opened, and Marina walked in with a moody face, but what shocked the people on the table was her face. The dark circles under her eyes were as if she had been deprived of sleep for a long time. "What the hell happened to her?" Alice whispered, while the others hadn't recovered from the shock.
"What the hell is this, Marina? Why are you looking so miserable?" Rosabelle stood up and asked with anger, forgetting that a visitor was sitting with them.
"There's nothing wrong, mom." Marina said before pulling out a chair for herself. "Please serve my food." She said, to which the maids also quickly took a plate for her.
She looked up and saw Kelvin opposite her, who was also looking at her. "Hey." She waved, to which he also smiled back, but before he could reply, she heard her annoying stepbrother. "Is there something you're hiding? Didn't you get any sleep?" He asked, looking at her, but Marina knew she must be smart with the answer to give.
I... Well... Before she could think of anything, she heard. "Princess Marina told me she was suffering from a terrible nightmare."
"Is that true? What type of nightmare? How can you have nightmares, and you won't talk about them?" Her mother walked up to her and asked, holding her chin, to look at her.
"Um... it started recently." She replied before looking back at Kelvin, who was also playing along with the lie he just said. "I guess she was scared to tell you about it. Thank you for opening up to me." He said, looking at her with a smile, to which she also blinked several times, wondering what was wrong with him.
"Come on. We need to perform some ritual," Rosabelle said before dragging her away.
"Did she really tell you that?" Ethan asked, looking at Kelvin with doubt, but he knew he had no reason to doubt him.
"Yeah." Kelvin also answered before he heard another question from the twins. "Have you guys become closer? Should we start seeing you as a brother?"
"That's enough." Ethan said, to which they also kept quiet.
***
By the time Marina finished the rituals her mom forced her to do, she was already so tired. She looked for Kelvin in the whole house to thank him, but she did not find him. She went back to bed to get some sleep before preparing for the night again to search for her crush.
She was having different thoughts that she might not see him, but she still decided to try her luck. She lied to Mrs. Maria that she was not going out, but as soon as Mrs. Maria left for her room that night, she cast a spell and disappeared, but not before she took the drawing of him she drew.
She walked on the busy road as some people were still selling things, while others were already packing their goods to go home. She took out the paper and showed it to people as she walked. "Please, have you seen this guy?" She asked a man who was selling cinnamon rolls.
"No." The man also replied, but Marina asked him again. "Do you perhaps know him?" Making the man growl in anger. "If you don't have anything to buy, Please just leave." He said, to which Marina also left his presence.
"How can I see him this night when it's already getting late?" She asked herself before she remembered something. "What if I go to the same alley where I saw him? Maybe I might see him." She thought happily, not wasting too much time. She walked towards the same place she met him the last time.
She got to that same spot and waited for some time, but it was just dark and quiet with nobody passing and just a low flickering light from one of the houses. But what she did not know was that someone was already hiding in a dark corner to attack her.
She checked her small clock and saw that it was almost midnight. Giving up, she stood up to leave, but before she could take two steps, she felt a bad energy in the air. Before she could comprehend, someone suddenly dashed towards her and aimed for her small purse tied to her clothes. She was also smart. It was as if she already knew that it was a thief. Her hand went to her small purse, and she quickly turned around, dodging the thief's hand from touching her.
The thief was surprised by her skill, but he still didn't care. "Give me that purse, girl." He said, but Marina just smirked. "I'll give it to you as long as your hand can touch it."
The thief got even more angry and dashed towards her again, but he was surprised at how fast the girl was dodging his attacks. He felt like a fool. He suddenly took a small knife from his back pocket. "I was hoping to spare your life before." He said, dashing towards Marina, who was just smiling, but before he could get to her, he was suddenly kicked to the floor with a loud sound.
Marina was surprised. She looked at the thief as he groaned in pain before looking back to check who it was that kicked him, but she was left speechless. It was none other than the man she had been looking for. The man of her dreams.