I tried to squeeze my way out of the crowd and ended up in front of a dark, narrow passageway on the side of the street. I stood there, scanning the crowd to see if Leah or Sebastian were nearby, but I couldn’t spot them.

I waited for a couple of minutes for the crowd to disperse, but the number of people only seemed to increase. So, I decided to walk down the dark alley, hoping it would lead me to another street.

The ambiance grew dreary as I moved away from the lively market. The sides of the alley were lined with people lying on the ground. Fear started to creep in, and I hesitated to continue. I was about to turn back when suddenly, two armed men appeared in front of me, demanding for my pouch.

“Give us all your money!”

I quickly handed over the pouch that contained all my allowance.

“We probably can sell her dress too; I bet it costs a lot of money.” the other man said.

“What?! I already gave you my money!”

I was ready to run, but they grabbed me and tried to drag me to a corner of the alley. I struggled, but they were too strong. My only option was to scream for help, hoping someone would come to my rescue.

I took a deep breath and screamed as loud as I could. The man was furious and slapped me to silence me. I fell to the ground and clutched my face because of the shock and pain that I felt.

At this point, my dress was already torn on the side, and I couldn’t struggle anymore. Just as they were about to grab me again, someone suddenly came flying down from above and landed right on the men who were robbing me. All I could see was his cloak swirling as he attacked them.

The fight ended in an instant, with both robbers lying lifeless on the ground.

He turned to look at me, and I instantly recognized him as the person I had spoken to in the garden at the banquet.

I was still sitting on the ground with my hand on my cheeks. He knelt in front of me to check if I was okay. He held my hand and gently took it away from my face. His expression darkened when he saw my bruised cheek.

“I’m fine, so don’t make that face.” I said, smiling to assure him, but I winced as the pain flared when I stretched my cheek to smile. He smiled back at me and asked if I could stand. He helped me up, and I quickly regained my footing.

“Thank you for rescuing me.”

He picked up my pouch and handed it to me. “How did you end up here?” he asked.

I told him what had happened and how I ended up in that situation. Like during our first meeting, he listened intently.

“I heard that the goddess of Csilla was roaming around the market today. The people must have been excited to see her, hence the sudden crowd.”

“Is that so? I guess the number of people won’t decrease as soon as I thought. Well, that’s too bad. I was hoping to explore the market today and buy some books, but I guess that will have to wait.”

He paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

“I know a place where you can buy books, and it’s not crowded on that side of the market.” he suggested.

“Really? Can you accompany me there?” I asked cheerfully, still holding my bruised cheek.

“Of course. But let me treat your injury first.”

“Okay.”

I flinched as he carefully tucked my hair behind my ear and placed his hand on my cheeks. His hand started to glow as he healed my bruised face with magic.

I found myself staring at him again, and he at my injured face.

‘This man in front of me gives off the vibe of someone intimidating, yet I feel safe around him. He’s gentle and incredibly good-looking. … Aside from his silky ebony hair, he has long dark lashes, ruby-like eyes, and a mole under his right eyebrow.’ I thought as I continued to gaze at him.

“You’re all treated now.” he said, removing his warm hand from my face.

“Thank you.”

He then took off his cloak and draped it over me. Underneath the simple black cloak, he wore expensive-looking clothes.

“So, are you a mage?” I asked while he was securing the cloak around me.

“Yes, I am.”

“How long have you been doing this?”

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“Long enough.”

He finished tying the cloak and, while extending his hand to me, asked, “Are you ready to go?”

I didn’t hesitate and placed my hand in his, nodding.

He snapped his fingers, and in an instant, we were standing in front of a small bookstore. The street resembled the market I had visited earlier, and I was still amazed by how beautiful everything was.

I turned to check on the person I was with, but to my surprise, he wasn’t there anymore.

I was about to panic, thinking I had gotten lost again, but when I looked towards the bookstore, there he was, already holding the door open, waiting for me to enter. I sighed in relief and quickly walked towards him.

“You scared me; I thought you left me.”

“Why would I do that?” he asked with a confused expression.

“Well, you did last time, … at the banquet.”

“Do not worry, I won’t leave you all alone; I’ll make sure you’re with someone before I go.”

I was relieved to hear him say that. I smiled and thanked him for his reassurance.

We entered the bookstore, and I was surprised by how much larger the inside was compared to its exterior.

The old lady at the counter greeted us and asked if she could help us find the book we were looking for. I politely replied that I wanted to browse by myself since I didn’t have a specific book in mind.

The man who accompanied me stayed on the ground floor while I explored upstairs.

I had no idea what kind of book I was looking for; I just aimlessly scanned the shelves, hoping to find something that could answer my questions about the world I had fallen into.

As I checked the last row of bookshelves on the second floor, a light beamed into my eyes, prompting me to search its source. I looked up and saw a golden book reflecting the sunlight through the window. Intrigued, I noticed it was different from the other books on that shelf.

I dragged the rolling ladder over, climbed up, and retrieved the book. I examined it and read the cover page, but I quickly realized I couldn’t understand it since it was written in a language I wasn’t familiar with. Nonetheless, I decided to take it downstairs.

“Hello, I would like to purchase this book, please.”

The old lady had a strange expression when she saw the book. “Where did you find this young lady?” she asked.

“It was upstairs, on the last row. … I’m sorry, is this not for sale?”

“Do you know how to read that language?” The man with red eyes asked.

I hesitantly answered, “-no. But I think I can learn it.”

“You can have it, young lady, … free of charge.”

“Oh no, I can’t do that. I have money to pay for it; please tell me how mu-.“ I started to respond, but the old lady cut me off, insisting that I take it.

“It found you, so it’s only right to give it to you.”

I didn’t fully understand what she meant, but I gladly accepted the book as she smiled and handed it to me. I thanked her, and we left the bookstore afterward.

Realizing it was still too early to head back, I insisted on treating him to some dessert as a thank you for accompanying me.

We then went to the nearest dessert shop in the area to eat. All the food in that restaurant looked delicious, and I nearly ordered everything on the menu. After that, we did some window shopping at other stores nearby.

I dragged him along with me wherever I wanted to go, thoroughly enjoying myself, forgetting for a moment that I was supposed to be with Sebastian and Leah.

“The sun is setting. Do you want me to accompany you home?”

“How I wish you could take me home.” I whispered.

“Huh- I didn’t catch that well.”

“It’s nothing.” I grinned. Then I added, “Can you come with me one last time?”

…

“Everything in this world leaves me in awe. Everything feels so unreal; it makes me think that maybe this is all just a dream, and any minute I’ll wake up and return to my old routine. … I don’t want to go home, yet I do. The way I’m feeling doesn’t make sense- I know- and I’m sure you don’t even know what I am talking about.” I said as we watched the sunset while sitting by the ocean.

“I think what you’re feeling is valid. Sometimes, we are given choices in life so we can decide what we truly want or need. I believe that one day you’ll figure it out and be able to choose what you really want: to stay… or to go home.”

My eyebrows furrowed. It seemed like he understood what I was talking about, but I didn’t press further. I just stared at him as the golden light of the sun illuminated his face.

“Thank you for spending the day with me. I really appreciate you helping me in that alley, taking me to the bookstore, and coming along with me to watch the sunset.”

Our eyes met as he looked at me too. His eyes were mesmerizing- red with a hint of orange from the sunset. He looked so gorgeous that I couldn’t tear my eyes away. My heart started pounding loudly as we gazed at each other.

I looked away before it became awkward. “Oh right! I haven’t asked your name yet. I seem to have a habit of not asking someone's name before talking to them.” I laughed awkwardly.

“I am Astrid; how about you?” I added, extending my hand for a handshake.

“I’m- “

He was about to tell me his name when suddenly I heard Leah calling me. I turned around, and there she was, running towards me with Sebastian.

“Leah, Sebastian!” I stood up and hurried over to them.

“My Lady! Are you okay?! Are you hurt? We were worried sick-.” She said, holding my shoulders and scanning my body for any injuries.

“I am deeply sorry, Astrid; I failed to protect you. I promise this won’t happen again.” Sebastian said, looking dejected.

“It’s okay Sebastian, Leah. None of us could have predicted what happened earlier. Don’t be too hard on yourselves. I am well.” I smiled at them and patted Sebastian on the shoulder.

I was about to tell them about the man I was with, but when I looked back to where he had been sitting, he was gone.

To be continued.