“Y-YOU A-ARE A P-PRINCESS?!”

Kia crossed her arms in pride.

“Not just any princess, but THE princess of Elysium. You would do well to remember that fact.”

She raised her head and triumphantly puffed her nose. So, this entire time I spent walking alongside someone of royalty. And even worse, I made her look after me like she was my babysitter. The urge to crawl into a hole and disappear was never greater.

“I-If I had known, I… ”

I wanted to say that I would’ve been more helpful, but I knew that’d be a lie. She had shown me several times that she’d be fine without my help. Especially after she defeated that Heldebeast, I became awfully aware of that fact. That and I didn’t know the first thing about this world. How can someone as useless as me be helpful to her?

“Is everything alright, Shako? You look a bit sad.”

With no idea how to respond, I shrugged my shoulders in fatigue.

“I simply can’t help but feel so useless. Not only have I died once, but twice. And both times, there was nothing I could do to prevent it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very thankful that you found and decided to help me, but once we encountered that Heldebeast, I couldn’t even move my feet. I—I… ”

I didn’t know what to say. Maybe because there was nothing else to say. A small sigh escaped Kia’s lips.

“Shako, please look at me.”

My face was aimed at the ground. I was too scared to look her in the eyes. For what? To see the disappointment in her eyes, or anger, or perhaps both. I felt sorry for her that she had to waste her time looking after a guy like me. If only this had never happened in the first place. Out of nowhere, I felt two slender hands take a hold of my face.

“Shako, I do not know all the things you experienced before we met, neither will I try to let you tell me, but what I do know is this: you are not useless. In fact, I quite enjoyed our time so far.”

“You mean that?”

She placed her hand on her heart.

“On my title as Princess of Elysium. You simply need to be more confident of yourself. Thankfully, that is something we can work on.”

After that, Kia insisted that we should go inside. I followed her lead, through the gate and into the gardens. All sorts of colourful flowers and plants decorated the patches of grass, while butterflies and other insects fluttered through the air. A bit further up ahead stood a fountain that spewed out Ignis. I was still a bit freaked out by the fact that it looked like lava, so I didn’t get too close to it. We made our way towards the main entrance, where two guards were stationed. Once they noticed Kia approaching, the guards turned around and opened the door for us.

“Welcome back, Lady Kia!” they shouted in unison.

We entered the building and walked through a very long hallway. Red carpet covered the floor, the walls were ornamented with beautiful paintings, and from the ceiling hung a series of small chandeliers giving light to the rest of the room. Besides that, marble statues were placed in set intervals at each side of the hallway.

“Y-Your family has a unique taste. Ah, I didn’t mean to be rude, I just—”

Kia let out a faint chuckle.

“Do not worry. Most people tend to say something similar the first time they arrive here.”

A minute later, we arrived at the main hall. Maids and butlers, dressed in Victorian-style clothing, were hard at work carrying out all sorts of tasks. Dusting off paintings, sweeping the floor, watering the plants, just to name a few. One maid in particular, who stood at the center of the room, was giving out orders to all the other workers. Kia walked up to her and when the maid noticed her she made an elegant bow.

“Lady Kia. I am relieved to see you have returned home safely. My heart can finally be at ease now that I know you are unharmed.”

The maid didn’t look much older than me. She was a little taller, with a slim figure and short black hair. Her bright violet eyes immediately caught my attention, especially with the purple eyeshadow around them. She also had a light blush on her cheeks that made her pale skin seem a little less… ghostly.

“Thank you, Astress. It seems you and the others have been hard at work during my absence.”

Her eyes shifted to me.

“I see you brought someone with you? May I ask who he is?”

Before I had a chance to answer myself, Kia answered for me.

“His name is Shako, and he is a guest of mine. I found him laying unconscious inside Sharp Peak.”

The maid squinted her eyes, looking somewhat confused towards Kia.

“I see. That is unfortunate indeed. However, what possessed you to bring him here?”

“Well, I kind of… promised he could stay here for the night. Apparently, he has nowhere else to go to.”

If Kia’s goal was to make me look like some kind of freak, she was doing a very good job. The words and pauses she used made her story sound as believable as telling someone that the Earth was flat. I wanted to jump in and explain things from my perspective, but Kia threw me a glare as if to say not to. Meanwhile Astress was scanning me from top to bottom, her scary eyes crawling all over my body.

“*Sigh* You really do look after your mother at times. Fine, I refrain from questioning the boy’s presence here any further. As my only request, promise me that he will not be a nuisance.”

A nuisance? Me?! You realize I’m standing right here, right? Though my anger only lasted a few seconds, as the awkward scene was interrupted by a messenger:

“Lady Kia, I am here to relay the wish of His Majesty to speak to you. He will be expecting you at the throne room.”

The joy on Kia’s face quickly disappeared as she let out a heavy sigh.

“Kia?”

I wanted to ask her what was going on but hesitated.

“Shako, would you mind coming along with me?”

“Not at all, but where are we going?”

“To see my father, the king of Elysium.”

She took me to the other side of the room, where another long hallway waited for us. As we went, I couldn’t help but think back on Kia’s conversation with Astress. Something about it bugged me.

“Why didn’t you tell her that I’m not from this world? Wouldn’t that have made things easier?”

For a moment she stayed silent.

“That is… quite the heavy topic between these walls. Some things happened here that most people wish to forget. Therefore, I would like to ask you not to disclose that information with anyone else.”

“Hold on! Does that mean that I’m not the first other-worlder to have come here?”

Kia let out a happy chuckle.

“Other-worlder? What a peculiar phrase. But indeed, you are not the first Wanderer that has come to Fira.”

“Wanderer? Is that what you guys call people like me?”

Kia nodded firmly. I took a few seconds to let everything sink in.

“Is that also why you believed me so quickly back at Sharp Peak, when I told you that I wasn’t from here?”

“Mostly, yes. Although, most people can fabricate a lie like that and make it sound somewhat believable. I am not that gullible, I will let you know.”

“Then what else made you believe me?”

She looked teasingly my way.

“That you have to find out for yourself.”

We arrived at a pair of enormous doors. They were coloured gold and were ornate with gemstones and silver leaf motifs.

“For now, if you could act as if you lost your memories instead, that would probably be the best solution.”

Despite their size, Kia walked up to the doors and pushed them open with ease. A deafening screeching sound echoed through the hallway. My heart was beating furiously in my chest when we entered the room.