34. Not A Stranger Anymore

"Are you done?"

"Y-yes," Grace replied. "You can use the bathroom."

"I'll take a shower later. I've prepared dinner for us. I hope you like it," Adro said, arranging plates on the counter.

Creeping towards the table, Grace felt a dryness in her throat that made it difficult for her to say a word. However, Adro's smile and body gestures were like a flowing stream that allowed her to breathe.

"Thank you for doing so much," Grace said, looking at two servings of mashed potatoes, grilled chicken breast, and boiled fresh broccoli.

"No problem," Adro replied, then sat on a bar stool next to Grace.

Scooping the mashed potato into her mouth, Grace discreetly glanced at Adro, who was enjoying his meal. It seemed like he was genuinely pleased to be more useful here.

"You can say it if you want to," Adro suddenly said, his eyes still focused on his food.

Startled, Grace averted her eyes back to the plate in front of her. She didn't expect Adro to notice that she was quietly observing him. How embarrassing!

"Perhaps because I found too many things today, I became sensitive on the way home. I didn't move much, but strangely, I feel quite tired," Adro said, followed by a chuckle. "I've never been sensitive, even after weeks of fighting with little sleep. I don't understand why I acted like that."

"It's okay, Adro. I've reflected on myself too. What you said was true; I shouldn't have been trying to control you just because you're staying with me," Grace said.

Adro turned to her. "This is the first time I feel dissatisfied with someone admitting their mistake."

"S-sorry?" Grace looked at him with wide eyes.

"I hope I can see you defend yourself, even just once, Grace."

Grace furrowed her brow and said, "I... I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you do." Adro looked deep into her eyes. "I did experience strange emotions earlier, but I'm serious when I say I won't hold back anymore."

Stunned, Grace felt the broccoli she had just swallowed stuck in her throat. What did he mean? Actually, from the beginning, she didn't quite understand what Adro meant by the words Holding Back. She might be insane, but that sounded a bit suspicious if said by a man to a woman. Maybe she shouldn't have read too many romantic novels.

"I will keep looking for a way back, but I don't deny the fact that it's improbable now. The worst case is that I can't go back at all." Adro continued, bringing Grace's focus back to him.

"During that time, I'll probably continue to be around you if you don't push me away. And from now on, I'm thinking of not trying to restrain myself as if I were just a temporary guest in your house and life. Instead of a guest, I hope I can be your friend here, even if it means I'll be a bit impolite and might make you upset." Adro added.

Blinking a few times, Grace lowered her gaze. 'I was completely misunderstanding him. Adro is a prince. He has moral qualities and meets royal etiquette standards. He just felt suffocated because he had to control his behavior towards me too sternly.'

A slow smile spread across Grace's lips. She covered her mouth with the back of her hand as a small laugh escaped. "I'm sorry, but I find this a bit funny. I really apologize."

Frowning, Adro tilted his head slightly. "Actually, I'm curious which part you find funny."

"From your explanation, is it true that your over-polite manners didn't come from your personality?" Grace asked, controlling her laughter.

Adro paused for a moment, and he moved his eyes up. "Well, I can say that I am a polite man who tries to be even more polite and pleasant to someone who has helped me and given me a place to stay."

"Pftt!" Grace shook her head slightly. "Adro, seriously, you don't need to do that. I'm not a stern person who requires anyone staying in my house to behave according to my wishes. From the start, I knew you were a good man. And that's enough. You can always be yourself here."

"God, this is a bit embarrassing! It seems I have to explain more detail to you." Adro scratched the back of his head. "So, in my homeland, it's a cultural thing to be polite and pleasant when you visit someone's house, even if you're just resting there for a while. I try to maintain my attitude as best as I can because you're a woman living alone."

Grace shook her head. "That's not necessary, Adro. You're standing in a free world where everyone is raised in different cultures. I also believe that you're not a bad guy who would harm me, so you can relax your shoulders towards me."

"I understand. Thank you for trusting me," Adro smiled gently. Being kind to strangers is easy for some people. But trusting a stranger took courage and a big heart. He was lucky to meet a woman like Grace in this foreign world.

"Now that it's clear between you and me, I will also find a way to survive and adapt in this world. I don't want to be a burden to you forever," Adro continued before taking a deep breath. "I also don't want to keep relying on you to find my way back to my world while you have little free time."

Although Adro looked like a strong man, his current situation made Grace feel sorry for him. She could understand the feeling of losing hope, even though you've tried to keep that hope alive in your heart. Even the strongest person's flame of enthusiasm would gradually fade if circumstances seemed to close all their doors.

Grace smiled and nodded. "That's a good plan. I'll help you adapt to this world so that you can be independent and do whatever you want without feeling like you're burdening me."

That warm smile seemed to enchant Adro for a moment. Not just Grace's smile, but also her words, made him feel at ease. Until now, he had never depended on anyone or intended to do so. He had never felt the need for anyone in his life. But now, his instincts seemed to command him to rely on her, and he didn't feel like refusing.

Was it because this world was still too strange for him? Or was it simply because of Grace's personality?

***

Gently rolling her ankles, Grace winced slightly at the soreness in her bones. However, a relieved smile quickly replaced the grimace as she realized that she might be able to walk normally again soon.

"I hope after I can walk normally, I won't stand out too much, so they'll ignore me."

Then Grace pulled up her blanket and laid her head on the pillow. "Geez! What a relieving conversation! I didn't know that he was forcing himself to be polite to me. He must have felt stuffy all this time."

Suddenly, the ringtone of Grace's phone echoed. She looked at the shining device on the nightstand and found that Sarah was calling her.

"Sarah! How was your flight?" Grace asked once the call connected. She couldn't hold a wide smile to form on her face.

A long sigh came from across the line. "Yeah... I just finished showering and will go to sleep. I feel like wrecking all my bones. Are you going to sleep?"

Grace nodded slightly. "I just got to bed. I'm glad you finally called me, Sarah! So, are you done settling in today?"

"M'm. The day after tomorrow, I'll start studying at the new university." Sarah replied. "By the way, I actually want to talk to you about something. Do you mind?"

"Now? Of course not," Grace replied.

"I want to discuss our conversation at the airport café earlier. Why did you tell such a ridiculous story about Adro? I know, no matter how depressed or foolish you are, you wouldn't make up a story like that to me, Grace."

Taking a deep breath, Grace replied with a weak voice, "Because that ridiculous and unreasonable thing is what actually happened. I'm not lying, Sarah. At first, I couldn't even believe it. But I saw with my own eyes when Adro came out of that dead-end door."