Vows and Bullets
Chapter 170 - 4th Week of September (Part 4)

Chapter 170: 4th Week of September (Part 4)

Please DON’T READ this Chapter yet. I will update this 4th week of September!

Good news! My hands have healed now and I’m catching up on writing my missed Chapters. My apologies for all the delays. I will replace this Chapter with the real one soon, don’t worry, and upload a new one for the next day. I really apologize once again.

In the meantime, please enjoy the continuation of the story below titled "The King’s Beloved". This is the revised version I am planning to submit for paperback publication. Hopefully, I get a chance someday.

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(Part 33 - Continuation...)

Me and my big mouth. Haaah. And they just told me earlier that they can’t get out of here. That must have been hard for them. It’s like... they were ostracized by their own race, shunned for whatever reason. They don’t seem bad either, especially the sprites. I wonder what happened. Hmmm...

"Why are you trapped here, though?" she asked carefully, since it could be a sensitive topic. "And who made the barrier? Can’t you just break it?"

"Unfortunately, we can’t," Luna answered with her face looking gloomy. "It’s always been there since I can remember and no one can break it. The king most likely created it."

"But why? What will he get from trapping all of you here?"

They all shook their heads. It seemed that even they could only imagine the reason why.

A brief silence passed by. Everyone looked sad and the atmosphere turned heavy. Who could blame them? The Forbidden Chamber was dangerous—according to what she heard; the Forbidden Forest was the same, with lots of wild creatures in it; and there’s nothing much in the meadow except the lone pavilion located at the side. It must have been hard for them. Somehow, she sympathized with them since she, too, was trapped in the Floating Kingdom, at the mercy of their king who only cared about amusing himself apparently.

When the silence passed, a group of knights suddenly came running and flying all around. Rania flinched when she heard what the commander said.

"The National Treasure is missing! Quick! Look for her! Search everywhere! The king has commanded! Do not rest until you find her!"

At these words, Rania embraced herself and fell down on the couch of the pavilion, trembling. Good thing the barrier was working or else, the knight who passed by the pathway would have seen her and taken her to deliver to the king. Luna and the sprites flew towards her to comfort her.

"It’s okay, Rania, they won’t find you here," Luna assured her and patted her head with her tiny hands. "You’re safe here. Don’t be scared."

"T-Thank you," Rania tried to pull off a smile. But she kept glancing towards the pathway and the group of knights that came one after another. The mere sounds of their footsteps were terrifying for her. To add to that, a loud siren could be heard from the Grand Palace.

Please don’t find me, please don’t find me, she kept repeating in her thoughts.

Seeing her like that, Elliot raised his arm and suddenly, a thick barrier covered the whole pavilion. Unlike the glass barrier from the outside, it was as dark as the night sky. Not only that, the noise and voices from the outside could no longer be heard. A deep silence covered the whole place. He flicked his fingers next and tiny orbs of light circled around the dark barrier, making it look like they were inside a planetarium or outer space since it looked too realistic. Lastly, he conjured a small table in front of Rania and the sprites, ready for tea and snacks. A sweet aroma filled the place, turning the chaos into a peaceful paradise in just a snap. And just like that, Rania’s worries began to disappear as well.

Glancing at Elliot who by then was already comfortably sitting beside her, preparing his tea on a white porcelain cup, she felt her heart calm down. As she stared at him, she was convinced that he really was a nice guy. For the very first time, a warm, comfortable feeling covered her heart... towards a Magi. Along with it, she remembered Azalea’s words.

"Each Magi is their own. Just as each human is different, they are different, too."

That’s right. I should really stop being prejudiced. I’m still doubtful of him even if he is being kind—saving us from the lupus, accompanying me here, and now, he even turned the surrounding quiet for me. Azalea is right. Not all Magi are bad. Those who killed the people I love—they are the bad ones. But this guy, Elliot, he didn’t do any of that and here I am biased towards him. It’s unfair for him when he’s innocent. In fact, he’s trapped here just like me.

Thinking that, Rania decided to treat Elliot the same as she would a human. And so, she smiled at him genuinely for the first time.

"Elliot... Thank you very much."

Elliot’s eyes widened. He didn’t understand why she was suddenly thanking him but seeing her smile so beautifully and warmly, he couldn’t help but stare at her. Until he got sucked into that smile and he, too, smiled on his own despite the mask on his face.

"What the book said is true," Elliot replied. "You look beautiful smiling."

"H-huh? W-what did you—" Rania stuttered, as her face turned pink in an instant.

"Uuuhhh... What’s the meaning of this?" Luna grimaced. "Are you flirting with her, Elliot? You just met, you know. You don’t flirt with a person you just met."

Elliot turned to Luna. "Flirting? What is that?"

Luna and the sprites gasped.

"You don’t know what flirting is? Are you a kid? You just did it a moment ago! Is this a natural skill?" the mischievous Luna pondered with her eyes squinting. "Tis a mystery."

Elliot tilted his head, not understanding what she meant. He then shrugged his shoulders and started munching on a piece of cookie he took from the table. His full face mask suddenly turned into half when he tapped on its side, revealing his perfectly beautiful jaw and rosy lips. Just seeing that sexy redness would render all girls envious of him.