24. The Way Back

"Um... is there something wrong?" Grace asked.

"It's just..." Adro stopped. His eyes were still fixed on the flashlight. "I just remembered that it's inappropriate for a royal to put their head low, and moreover, near the floor."

"What?" Grace muttered with a furrowed brow. Then she realized and pulled the flashlight back before turning it off. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry! I forgot that you're a prince, and I don't know the rules in the kingdom." Then she placed the flashlight back in the drawer. "I'll look for it again when my ankle has healed. It's not so important, anyway."

"I'm sorry, I can't help you with this," Adro said with a slightly lowered face.

Grace shook her head. "No… You're a prince in your kingdom. Of course, I understand that."

"Thank you for being understanding." Adro smiled a little.

Silence enveloped them for a few seconds. They stood there, staring at each other with blinking eyes.

Clearing her throat, Grace finally found something to say, "Well, you said you couldn't sleep, didn't you?"

"I did."

"If I may ask, what kept you from sleeping?"

"Many things filled my mind. Most of it is about how to return to my world, and a small part is me still trying to convince myself that this is not a dream," Adro chuckled, intending to mock the absurdity of it.

"It must be very difficult for you. I'm sorry for what you're going through," Grace said slowly.

Adro's smile turned warm. Then he said, "Grace Menken, you are a very kind woman."

"It's not something grand, believe me." She chuckled. Then she brightened her face. "If you can't sleep, would you like to watch a movie?"

"A movie?" Adro repeated, his brow furrowing. Then he remembered the little boy he met at the hospital. "I think I've heard that,"

"Come here. I'll show you," Grace said as she walked towards the sofa. Then she reached for the remote on the table and turned on the TV.

"Oh, I think you have shown me how it works this afternoon, right?" Adro asked.

"Yep! But it was just how it works. I showed it to you for less than five minutes, and it wasn't even a movie." Grace nodded.

"Then what was it?" Adro asked.

"Well… I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I remember what I showed you. Maybe it was an ad or something?" She ended up mumbling to herself while scratching her head with her finger.

Staring at Grace in silence, Adro could only smile amusedly. He realized that this girl had a habit of talking to herself.

After Grace was done looking for a good movie, an opening appeared on the TV screen along with the typical music of a fantasy kingdom epic. Adro frowned as he watched the view of green valleys with a group of wild horses running across them.

"This is a fantasy movie about wars between kingdoms," Grace said.

Adro turned to her. "Why are you showing this to me?"

Grace's face instantly turned pale. With trembling eyes, she looked back at Adro and asked, "Do-do you dislike it? I'll change it now."

"No, it's not like that," Adro replied quickly. "I thought this was a way to take me back."

"Oh," Grace said, biting her lower lip. "I'm so sorry. I showed this just to give you a movie that might feel familiar to you. I'm also interested in knowing if your world really looks like in the movies."

A thin smile formed on Adro's lips. "I understand. You don't need to apologize. Then, shall we see what this Movie thing has?"

The TV screen began playing a fantasy adventure film with many kingdoms and mythological creatures like ogres, fairies, dwarves, and dragons. It was an exceptionally captivating movie that had won many prestigious awards. The computer-generated image looked realistic, and each actor played their role epically.

"Are you sure everything in this movie is fake? I mean, it doesn't happen in real life, does it?" Adro asked, trying to control his tense face.

Grace chuckled and nodded. "I'll show you some behind-the-scenes videos after we finish."

"But it looks so real. How can you create fake dragons flying in the sky and spitting fire like that?" Adro asked, starting to think that their worlds were indeed similar.

"It's a CGI, computer-generated image. It's a bit hard to explain, but some people in this world have the skill to operate computer software to create moving images synchronized with humans recorded by the camera," Grace explained.

"That's incredible," Adro muttered, staring back at the TV. "I feel like a god watching humans fight under my feet."

Grace chuckled again and asked, "So, does your kingdom look like the kingdoms in this movie?"

"Some of the kingdoms I've visited look similar to them. But my kingdom is more idyllic and scenic compared to those in the movie." Adro answered, lifting his chin.

"Are the dragons in your world as scary as in this movie?"

"They have different colors and head shapes. But their overall shapes are quite similar to the ones in this movie."

"They must be so scary! Do they often attack humans?" Grace widened her eyes.

Adro shook his head. "Dragons only attack human settlements if they don't have enough food. They also attack if they are provoked. Legends say some witches could control dragons in the past. Cunning kingdoms in the past hired them to make dragons guard their treasure castle. After the great war and the collapse of all those greedy kingdoms, only the dragons guarding their legacy castles remain. My allies and I have fought dragons several times to take those treasures."

"You defeated those dangerous dragons? You are awesome!" Grace said with her eyes sparkling.

Smirking, Adro didn't deny that he and the allies he led were indeed great. Not many treasure hunters could come home alive. Most of them were roasted inside the treasure castles.

"We only defeated small-sized dragons. There were much bigger and more deadly dragons that the witches couldn't even control."

Adro's explanation made Grace giggle. "Listening to your story feels like listening to my dad when he read me fairy tales as a child."

Smiling back at Grace, Adro replied, "Is that so?"

"At that time, I thought that the fairyland existed somewhere. I dreamed of going there because it was described as a wonderful place." Grace said, recalling the memories of her happy childhood that lasted only a short while.

"But the truth is, that place is real, isn't it? If it's not real, you wouldn't have met me," Adro said. "I hope I can show you my world, just like you showed me yours."

"It would be amazing. But since you said the magic door can only be used once, it's better to use it only for your return. I might just peek from the door when I accompany you," Grace said with a chuckle. But for some reason, she felt a piercing sensation in her chest.

Adro's smile faded, followed by a sigh. "What a shame,"

* * *

A taxi car stopped in front of an abandoned mansion. A long-legged man with brown hair exited the passenger door with a pair of crutches in his hands. He opened the car door and bent his back, extending his hand forward, waiting for a small hand to place itself on his open palm.

"Be careful," said the taxi driver after helping to close the passenger door.

Grace nodded and smiled. "Thank you, sir,"

After that, the taxi drove away and disappeared at an empty intersection.

"Are you sure you will be fine?" Adro looked at Grace from head to toe.

"Yep! No need to worry," Grace answered.

"I'll keep an eye on you. Let me know if you feel tired," Adro said, extending his hand to the side as an instruction for Grace to start walking.

The strange feeling of coming back to the place that brought Adro and Grace together in an unusual way, tickling their chests, but neither of them voiced it out.

The path to the mansion's door was slightly uphill. Their steps were slow because of Grace's injured foot. However, she kept refusing when Adro offered help because she had to try to be independent. Who knew if they found the way back for Adro today? If so, she had to go back alone, and she had to be ready for that.