*???*
[Earlier]
"I'll be heading home in a day or two," I said into the phone.
"Did you attend the after party, Big Bro?" Alli asked.
I sighed. "You know I don't like parties."
"Ya so boring, Saf! Ya could've met a noble lady or a princess!"
I snickered slightly. "This isn't some fairy tale, silly. Plus, I've already met plenty of noble ladies. They aren't exactly people whom I'll like to meet again."
"Really?"
I nodded as I walked through the downpour with a bag of croissants I'd just gotten from a local bakery. I planned on eating them with some hot chocolate as soon as I returned to the inn I was staying at.
"Not even one?" my little sister asked.
I tried to think. There was one girl who wasn't like the other nobles. But perhaps, that's because she wasn't treated like one.
My eyes widened as I saw an orange haired young lady in a pink dress fall into the river with a smile on her face. That girl...
I dropped my bread, umbrella, and blocky cellphone and rushed forward.
"Brother? Brother?" my sister yelled.
I spread out my large purple angelic wings and dove into the frigid river. It was hard to see the woman amongst the rushing waters and heavy the rain. She had to be nearby.
If she wanted to die, she would be going in the direction of the current, so I allowed the current to carry me.
"Sis? Sis, where are you?" a voice called out from the now distant bridge. It must've belonged to the crown prince. He must've been looking for his foolish sister.
A hand surfaced above the water.
I flew toward it and grabbed it, lifting its owner out of the waters and into my arms. The girl coughed out water as she looked me in the eyes before passing out.
I gasped and landed at the bank of the river. Leaning my ear toward her nose, I picked up on some weak breathing. I pressed both hands against her chest to get the water out like my father taught me to do when I first learned to swim.
This was taking too long! She wasn't going to make it. Her pulse was growing weaker by the moment. I pressed my mouth against hers, giving her two breaths before returning to compressions. After thirty more, I gave her another two rounds of breaths until her breathing regained some of its strength.
I raised my head as the rain stopped. My brow furrowed. This girl, why did she want to kill herself? Regardless, I had to get her back to the palace. Her brother was worried sick.
Lifting her off the ground once more, I returned to the skies, this time to search for her brother. Luckily, for me, he wasn't too far from where I had stopped to get the water out of her lungs. In fact, he had been walking toward us.
"Rose!" Prince Orlin said as I descended in front of him.
"Here, take her," I said, handing the girl over to him. "Make sure you look after her. Get her some psychological help while you're at it."
He gulped. "So Sis did try to end her life. Artemia said she would join us, but neither of us saw her, I began to worry. More so after Father said he saw her and to not worry about her. If not for Matsuko telling me she ran off crying and the opened castle door, I would've suspected she just chickened out."
I stopped. Why had her own father acted so nonchalant? Were the rumors of their strained relationship true?
"Say, do you have any idea why she might've tried taking her own life?" I asked, crossing my arms.
He looked away. "Yeah, but I rather not say."
I sighed. "I understand, it's none of my business anyways."
"Hey, who are you?" he asked as I started walking away.
I waved. "Just a passerby."
"Wait, since you saved her life, I'll give you a reward."
I scoffed as I waved. "Don't need one. I am not in the business of saving people to get something in return."
"Thanks!" Orlin shouted. He smiled at me.
I slid my hands into the pockets of my black pants. "Don't mention it." Saving that girl's life was reward enough. I closed my eyes and saw her smiling face as she chatted with children. Was that smile fake? Or was her time with those kids one of the few times she experienced joy?
I shook my head. It was her life. Only she knew why she did what she did.
Yet, it still bothered me. The life the princess had mustn't have been easy, despite her position. Or perhaps, it was her status which put a heavy burden on her shoulders. That girl didn't weigh much. Did she not eat well? Or was her health not good? Even when I saw her interact with the kids at the orphanage, she would sometimes go and cough where they wouldn't hear nor see. Just what did she hid behind that smile?
Sighing, I continued on my way until I returned to the bridge. My phone and bag of croissants were all that remained where I'd dropped them. The wind must've carried off the umbrella at some point. Sadly, the bread had gotten too damp and my phone had to have been wrecked by the rain. It wasn't cheap either.
"So much for a nice afternoon snack," I said, picking up the soggy bread and phone off the ground. But it was worth the sacrifice. "Now, to find a payphone so that Mom and my siblings can get some peace of mind."
I held both my dead phone and soggy bread in my left arm and looked to see if I had any coins on me. My eyes narrowed at the card I had pulled out instead. It had the phone number of the king's secretary. I'd been promised a reward for my success on the battlefield.
Despite my refusal, the secretary still gave me this should I ever change my mind. He said it would be dumb to refuse. According to the guy, I could pick to between becoming a duke, getting a fortune, lands, cars, or even women. With the latter even extending to possible engagement to a noblewoman. But I wasn't interested in most of them. While I could have used the money, I feared if I became instantly rich, it would cause more harm than good. Although...
I smirked as I put the card away and took out two bronze coins. It appeared I had two phone calls to make.