"Asesnilp, madna an kna nuagkap." One of the maid-like girls I saw passing by the hallways earlier told Kleis.
"Tamaras, Elta," Kleis replied.
We were both seated in a huge dining room, with a ceiling as high as an average shopping mall, probably. Similar to the room I was resting in, the walls were covered with more paintings, but this time they were portraits of important people, I assume.
"Um, Kleis. What are you saying?" I asked curious, realizing that she was speaking in a different language.
"It's the language of this country, Ayasib. Are you interested? I could have a tutor teach you someday if you'd like." Kleis offered enthusiastically, to which I softly smiled and declined the idea.
I don't think I'll be staying here for long anyway.
Soon after, more maids entered the room, carrying trays and pushing carts full of dishes. They placed the food on the table and poured out drinks for us.
Suddenly, everything clicked in my head.
"Kleis, are you—"
Once again, I got interrupted by the sound of a loud bang as the dining room doors opened wide. An old man in his mid 50's wearing a formal-looking maroon uniform entered the room, with a huge beige fur coat hanging by his shoulder. Medals and pins were stashed on his chest, and his aura was emitting that of a ruler.
No doubt, these people are what I think they are.
"Knuyaam katnob, Kleis." The man greeted Kleis first and walked over to the end of the table. He took a seat, then turned to face me.
"Good morning, son." The man smiled, forcibly if I must say.
He must be Kleis' dad, calling me 'son' like that.
"Ap, kalom ta'kob doj kna utgepe as aradkap in Haruo ilid. Edewp dunos anames knaran kna rasag?" Kleis said, getting the man's attention.
"Knog um latsisni doj ag." The man sighed and started to dine on his food, to which Kleis followed. Still feeling doubtful about everything that was going on, most especially with how I even ended up in this situation, I simply stared at the meal in front of me.
I wasn't going to lie, the food did not look appetizing at all, but the smell was more than enough to make my stomach growl.
"It's okay, Haruo. It's not poison." Kleis told me, gesturing me to start eating already. I hesitantly grabbed the spoon and sniffed it first.
As if all poisons can be detected through scent, idiot.
Giving up on the idea of whether or not it was harmful, I gobbled away and in no less than a few minutes, my plate was already empty.
"Thank you for the meal," I mumbled, suddenly feeling shy that I was the first one to finish the food.
The rest of the time was spent with Kleis and her dad, I believe, talking about things in a language I didn't know. Then, before I knew it, their conversation became more and more intense, with their voices noticeably growing louder and louder. Their faces also became more and more serious and their brows started scrunching up already.
Are they arguing?
I was not the type to butt in on family talk, but it felt so awkward to just sit there in that huge room without saying anything.
"Excuse me. I think I deserve to know…" I started. "Who are you guys? And did you save me?"
Kleis looked at me and her expression calmed down a bit. The old man sighed and said something gibberish again before Kleis answered my question.
"Haruo, you see, we brought you here," Kleis said, looking a little sad.
"What do you mean?" I asked in a stern voice, concerned that these rich people kidnapped me.
"I– uh, we just followed the grimoire, alright? But we didn't know that the backlash of the summoning was that intense…" Kleis rambled on.
"Woah, what? Summoning?" I whispered to myself, slightly panicking at how serious her face was when she said it.
"...so that's what happened, but you're more than healthy now! We apologize, we should not have underestimated the curse." Kleis continued.
I sat in silence, getting confused at what was happening. I couldn't believe that these things were real. Summoning, curses, and another world? These are fiction, they're not things that can happen in real life!
"Haruo?" Kleis asked in concern.
"This is too much for me right now." I stood up from my seat and slowly backed away, heading for the door. Kleis tried to stop me from leaving but the old man said something in their language which caused Kleis to just sit back down.
I exited the room and made my way back into the hallway. This time, I did not even bother to walk far or escape for that matter. I leaned against the wall and slowly sat down on the floor. I was too deep in shock to even think of anything else but this.
What did it mean? Did I get summoned from my world to this world? What did Kleis mean by 'curse'? Am I cursed? Can I not go back to my world anymore? How's my mom? How's my sister? Are they looking for me? Do they think I'm gone?
Before I realized it, tears rolled down my face as I started to get frustrated at myself. Despite suddenly remembering that I had a family back then, I could not seem to recall their names, let alone what they looked like. Everything was blurry to me already. Hell, I don't even know who I was.
I guess my name is the only thing I have left of me.
I spent the next few minutes sitting there with dried-up tears on my cheeks. Only then did I get off the floor the moment the old man went out of the dining room and looked over at me? He approached me with a stern look on his face, before leaving and then ignoring me completely.
Kleis soon left the room as well and ran toward me. She probably noticed that I was crying since she started to touch my cheek with her fingers.
"I'm fine," I told her, backing away. Kleis grabbed my hands and started humming softly.
Well, this is awkward…
Right after she finished her little tune, I suddenly felt better and more energized than ever. I looked at her in confusion again, with a hint of fear and anxiousness.
What did she do to me?
"Melody of healing," Kleis said as if she answered the question in my head. "I can cure people as long as I touch them and sing a song. Well, not necessarily a song, but any tune would do."
"You have powers?" I asked her.
Kleis chuckled at me. "What are you saying, silly, we all do. Especially you, Haruo. That's why we were able to summon you! That's why we wanted you."
I looked at my hands and felt a drop in my stomach. I wasn't so sure anymore if I was overjoyed, frustrated, infuriated, or even curious about what was happening to me right now.
"I'm not sure I want to be here, Kleis." I honestly said. I could see the disappointed look on her face, but no, she tried to hold it back.
"I-I'm sorry, Haruo. The ritual was done. You're my betrothed one now. We're bound by each other just as the sun and sky are connected as one." Kleis told me.
Right. Kidnapping and illegal marriage. What else could be next?