25. Disappointed

Adro opened the large door of the mansion. Sunlight streamed through the holes in the roof and its large windows, illuminating the hall inside.

"Be careful," Adro said as he guided Grace inside.

"This is my second time coming here, and I'm increasingly aware of how beautiful this mansion is," Grace murmured, gazing around. Then, she noticed an open door. It was the one she and Adro had opened and left unclosed. "It's the door that leads downstairs, isn't it?"

"You are right. We didn't close it." Adro said.

As they approached the door, the two of them looked down the steep and narrow stairs. Then Adro said, "I don't think you can go down there on your own with your current foot condition."

"I guess you are right," Grace mumbled, still looking down and gulping.

"What if I carry you?" Adro suggested.

"Wh-what?" Grace turned to him, then slowly turned her warm face back to the front. "But that's a bit..." 

"The only way to get you downstairs is by carrying you. If you're uncomfortable with that, you can wait here while I check there alone." Adro said.

After thinking for a moment, Grace shook her head slightly. "Alright. I'll go down."

"That means I have to carry you," Adro reiterated. "Would that be fine?"

"I promised to help you get back to your world. Anyway, I'm more concerned about you having to carry my crutches. That will be troublesome." Grace replied, sighing a little.

"You don't need to worry about that. This is all light for me," Adro said, smiling warmly as he took Grace's crutches. "Get on my back, please,"

Clearing her throat, Grace then took a deep breath to steady her heartbeat. She didn't mean to try to be innocent, but she had never been this close to a man in her life. Perhaps it's because all of her ex-boyfriends only dated her to take advantage of her and ended up cheating on her.

Physically, Grace had experienced hugs and kisses, but no one had ever carried her like this. Upon reconsideration, she had always been the one giving hugs and kisses. But those men never did anything for her or treated her right.

Now, when Adro was willing to carry her, keep her from falling, and always ask for permission for small things, Grace couldn't help but bloom a field of flowers in her heart, even though she knew that Adro did it not because he liked her but simply because of his inherent politeness. Grace also must not forget that Adro already had a bride waiting for him.

Once they got downstairs, Adro lowered his body while holding Grace's arm to guide her dismount of his back. "The floor is uneven, and there are many wooden beams scattered. Please watch your step."

Grace nodded and handed a flashlight to Adro. "I see. Thank you," she said before turning on her flashlight.

Now, they could see the contents of the room more clearly than before. The first thing they headed towards was the dead-end door that Adro had used to enter this world. The door was still closed.

Adro placed his hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. He looked at Grace, who stared at him tensely but gave an encouraging nod. Turning the doorknob, Adro pulled it open. However, his heart throbbed grievously when he found a brick wall. The door was still the same. It was no longer functional. It could not take him back.

Approaching Adro, Grace touched his back. "There must be another way, Adro. I'm sure you can return soon."

Taking a deep breath, Adro smiled at Grace. "No one has ever seen me down like this. But I thank you for understanding me and even encouraging me."

"Being far from family and home feels heavy. But it feels worse when you don't know when you can see them again." Grace said. She believed that she could feel Adro because it was what she felt since losing her entire family; therefore, she wouldn't judge him.

Then Grace shook her head briefly to dispel her sadness. "Can I try something?"

With a furrowed brow, Adro stepped back to give Grace space. "Sure."

"Okay," Grace said, closing the useless door. Then, she knocked on it several times, trying to do the exact knocks Adro did that time, as she remembered. Afterward, she opened the door only to find the same result Adro had found.

A loud laugh escaped Adro's lips, and he hugged his stomach. He knew what this girl had in mind.

"It doesn't work," Grace said, stepping back.

Adro heard Grace's small mutter. He moved to close the creaking door. "It's not the knock that makes the door work. At that time, I knocked not to activate the door, but because I was being chased by wolves."

"Oh, right," Grace chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. "I thought it might work. No harm in trying, right?"

Adro smiled and nodded. "You're right. No harm in trying."

"By the way, since this door seems to be nonfunctional, how about we see if there's something that can be a clue here?" Grace suggested, directing her flashlight into various corners of the humid room.

"It seems we have the same thought," Adro replied.

They began to explore the room, claiming to look for clues but uncertain about what objects were worthy of suspicion. After all, the old mansion had quite a few antique objects, all of which looked like magical artifacts to Grace.

For the past few days, there had been no rain, so they were fortunate that the floor was not damp. After an hour of searching, Grace found a book with a leather cover.

"Adro!"

The man turned to Grace, who was holding a book above her head. He rushed to her at the bottom of the stairs. "What happened?"

"I found this under that stair," Grace said, pointing to the lowest stair. "Isn't a book a suspicious thing? Witches write their magic formulas in books, don't they?"

"I've heard some witches use books," Adro said. Then he led Grace to sit on a chair he had ensured was still strong and safe to sit on. "Let's see what's inside."

Grace's fingers struggled with the leather strap that bound the book. Although this shouldn't be her concern, her heart was beating hard, and she kept hoping that she would find something that could lead Adro back home.

The strap came loose, and Grace immediately opened the first page of the book, revealing only a blank, wrinkled page. She then turned through several pages to see its contents. Grace and Adro read the book, but both clenched their jaws. It was truly a formula. But it was a formula for pot roast, pumpkin pie, and other dishes.

"Disappointing, huh?" Grace muttered, weakly glancing at Adro.

Sighing, Adro replied. "I can't say it's not." Then he straightened his back, shining his flashlight randomly around the room. "It seems there's nothing else we can find here. There's no clue."

"I guess so. I'm sorry about that," Grace said, lowering her face.

Adro shook his head. "It's okay. Are you feeling tired?"

"No. We've only been here for an hour. I also didn't walk much because this room is quite small," Grace answered.

"I want to check other rooms in this mansion. You can wait in the entrance hall to rest. There are chairs there. Will that be fine?" Adro asked.

"Of course! Alright, let's go back upstairs," Grace said, understanding that her injured ankle would only slow them down.

Adro carried Grace on his back again to reach the first floor of the mansion. Following Adro's suggestion, Grace waited in a long, classic wooden chair alone.

For almost two hours, Adro explored every corner of the abandoned mansion and checked every room. However, he returned to Grace with a gloomy color around him. He found nothing, not even an object or a room that seemed suspicious.