011

Harrison was proven guilty after that commotion. Venji holds powerful evidence in an envelope which contains the hospital records of top and bottom surgery. Their real plan is to convince the policemen and arrest Harrison instead but it turned out to be harder because some of the officers are Harrison's spies. 

Provoking Harrison is also their plan. Imagine if I didn't interfere with their presentation, they could've done it smoothly. Yet they would keep telling me, "That was powerful! You provoked Harrison more than we planned to! Women are so strong with emotions." It's Venji, seated on the couch while gracefully drinking wine.

"Women will be women." And here's Haris beside me, counting their salary.

"I told you, we need a woman in our team! There is this saying 'If you want it done, call a man. If you want it done efficiently, call a woman.'" They share the laughter of victory again. 

The case took another 2 weeks of investigation along with Haris' case. The kidnapping charge was prolonged against him. Confidentiality during the hearing was enforced for his and my safety. Through Ms. Tony's testament regarding the rigid chain, Haris' case was solved. It's a mystery for us who the 'real' prosecutor is. 

Haris believes that someone must've accused him falsely and used Harrison to file a case against him.

I get myself a piece of pizza on the mini table, in fact, they bought 1 box for me and a bouquet I am holding at the moment as we celebrate in their penthouse. "I still can't believe it… I was mesmerized by a woman."

Venji is shaking the ice on his drink. "Trans men are men. Although Harrison's case was different, he's a trans man with a purpose of hiding."

"Now I have a trust issue! What if you're both trans men after all!?"

"What, do you want proof?" Stupid Haris started unzipping his pants. I slapped the bouquet at him. 

"Haris!!"

While his brother laughs, covering the mouth behind the knuckles. "We're both cisman. Don't worry." 

"How did you figure out about Harrison?"

Haris hypothesized, "He's not that hard to read. He knows his target so well. You'll never know there's a spring peeper in your classmate's shoe if you don't wear the same shoe. He made himself an ideal man that women would drool for, he knows what a woman wants to hear from a man, it's all because he has the mind of a woman too."

"He's smart too, I won't deny," Venji commented. "But your greatest enemy is either yourself or someone like you! We read his morse code when he tapped his screen with the pattern G-O."

"He invoked his rights when toasted with evidence. Countered the shame. I would do the same if I were him."

"If you ever question, Haris' educational attainment plays vital roles in assisting me and this is our job." He pinned Harrison's photo on their bulletin board. They marked X on it. There are more photos of people with the same mark except for only one photo of a human silhouette. "We investigate the traces of terrorists to prevent another world war from happening."

Their job is shouldering the weight of the world. They may not be the frontlines but their clients come to them when crimes seem undeterminable. Venji and Haris have excellent backgrounds. They are geniuses, and I'm like a chained potato around them.

"What are you saying? You're the assistant here," Haris argued.

"Suit yourself!"

The results of Harrison's case were made known to my world, and the story behind this chain to my family. It was proven that Harrison's children are not biologically his. I almost spent 14 nights with him using leftover condoms! His impostor mother was greedy for power so they conspired for Harrison to be a prince of Larkspur. 

On the other hand, I have to face my family again. Haris and I spent another week looking for something that can destroy this rigid chain. We went to chainsaw, iron melting, and more but we always call it a day of no progress. Then I spend the nights overthinking what healthy chayote is!

♛♛♛

The time has come to return. The Beaumont, under Prince Almidoron's supervision, opened the top secret chamber where the pathway between two worlds are connected. Whenever this chamber is opened, it is surrounded by royal guards. I'm aware of the prince's presence but I did not lay a sight on him—frankly, the reason why I ran away brought me back to where I escaped from.

"Wow… I was expecting a spaceship or something," Venji dropped the comment.

"Tss, that would be cheap," Haris talked back. 

The pathway between two worlds is in a different level of advancement with technology compared to the level of this world's technology. It's an elevator.

I curtsied for the family of Beaumont before entering the elevator. Inside is 75 square meters and sealed. The door closed then silence reigned. Instead of the number of the floor, the 180 degrees indicator shows percentage and as we reach 70%, the soles of our feet start floating above the surface. While I'm nonchalant, these two men play with it.

The door opens and the royal guards of my family salute. I hopped a little to float forward in consideration for these two ignorants—right now they are losing balance. The moment I stepped out of the elevator, my sister welcomed me with a hug. "Sis!" I felt encouraged, yet as expected, she'll be the first one to reprimand me.

"Don't ever do this again! We spent sleepless nights thinking about your safety! Your fiancé is so worried for you too and this crime happened!" she said authoritatively, then glanced at the two. Venji bows and elegantly greets my sister and Haris mimics after his brother. "It's them?" She greets as well, "Thank you for taking care of my sister. Let's go inside first. The Majesties are waiting."

Cold sweats are resurfacing to my skin again. The butler escorted us to the living room but I couldn't contain the quivering I felt while doing nothing so I preempted my nervousness. We left Venji ang Tikka chatting in the living room and I dragged Haris, stealthily, to my parents' room. As I was about to knock, I found the door slightly open.

I peep through the sheer space and there they are inside. My father, the King, is tying my mother's ribbons behind her gown. They face each other, touches are full of affection but eyes are drowning in pain. I realized I was smiling until my mother silently pushed my father away. The volume of their voices doesn't reach my current spot but their expression tells the words.

I move back, but I hit my head on Haris' chin who's been peeping with me behind all this time. I moved back with him then, and took him to my room so we could be even—knowing each other's room. "So, welcome to my world," I greeted, where in fact they are counted as aliens. I giggled towards my vanity to fix my hair with the veil clip. 

"This isn't gravity…"

"It's a vacuum our engineers built underground."

"Your engineers are unordinary, like us."

"What can you say about Stell?"

"It's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

"Whatever." I let my hair down and float with the veil, smiling in front of the mirror.

"It's like living…" 

"..." I looked at him when he paused his sentence only to find out that he's staring at me. I raise an eyebrow.

"... underwater. I mean… swimming around and playing in space above the ground."

"Really? I've never seen an ocean before. Water is the hardest nature we can control here."

"That's why your sky isn't blue."

"Oh, does it have something to do with the Earth's blue sky?"

"No. It's the sunlight spectrum of colors and the effects of atmospheric gasses on the planet. Rayleigh scattering. Blue light is the shorter wavelength, daytime. Red and yellow lights are the longer wavelength, in the afternoon."

"So why did you bring the ocean up?" 

"Because the old theory is that the color of the ocean refracts to the sky." He chuckles along with his words. 

"I'm not in the mood to argue with you today, so, fine." I made my signature smooth dive on my bed. As he mimics, he bounces slowly instead so I pull him down. He lies down, and I, after him. 

"Using this planet is a wise step a terrorist can do," he hypothesizes. "Your technology can create artificial nature wherein nature is one of humanity's hardest enemies. In an instance, you can pull an asteroid on Earth to destroy a country. It's also phenomenal, I'm confident that Earth tourists will enjoy this world, a great business for your own benefit. The question is, why do you hate this world?"

I was hesitant at first. "I-It's not something you would understand…"

"..." His silence prompted me to glance at him and found him waiting and looking at me, sincerely. My pulse quickened.

"... Well… no matter how much I look at the bright side, there's no… love… in this world. Only responsibilities. Our ancestors built this world to separate their generation from the world war. They said Earth is a cruel and incomplete world, but I find it more colorful than this world. My mother and father… They love each other so much.

"However, they're bound to follow the law. Romantic relationships are a crime. My father has to increase his prosperity, my mother pushes him even if she wants to begrudge him, they want to begrudge each other. Once upon a time, elopement was their solution, they came to Earth and it didn't go well." 

A bitter smile draws in my lips when I recall a horrible incident that time we tarried on Earth. 

"They were so hopeful and happy. We were like a peaceful small family. It was the first and only time I saw them genuinely happy. I wish to see them like that ever since then, yet the only possible thing I can do is to avoid falling into the same situation as them now. And keep thinking if there's something wrong with us being humans or if there's something wrong with the law. It sucks," I vented out.

"It means your father will understand you." He playfully tosses his cane in the air, catching it as it descends. "Be honest with him. That will be the winning move of the queen piece."

He's smiling gently at me. I've never had such a clear mind as this ever since I ran away. He's so good at supplying strength for the weight I carry, not typically at removing the burden. And it came to me that he's done this many times. I was lost in his gaze with my heartbeat vibrating to my ears. We both noticed we've been staring without speaking—waiting who will cut it first, I giggled as a response. 

Of course, it's the psychologist's job to uplift the patient. Be grateful to them, not fall in love with them!

I did as he advised. I told my parents every truth and to my conclusion, "I apologize, father, mother." Then silence in the living room reigned. I avoid their glance as much as I can while anxiously waiting for their answer. 

"You have shaken the peace of mind of everyone here, including your father. Such is not the behavior of a princess. You know your responsibility ever since childhood, and you are departing from it. Don't disappoint us further."

"I know, mother, I'm sorry."

"May I humbly request an audience, Your Majesty?" Haris raised without the slightest sign of aghast.

"... Proceed, you have my permission."

"I understand your protective instincts as parents. But your daughter saved two worlds, and is something worth to be proud of. Her heroism is justifiable to reward her instead of bestowing punishment upon her. You have all the rights, Your Majesties, to be authoritarian but this kind of incident happens when children are not comprehended. Which is why I plead with you to spare her from punishment, and hear her out for whatever reward she deserves."

"Speak it."

"Princess Ashlene would like to stay on Earth, while we look for options to get rid of this chain, Your Majesty."

"Is it true?" Both my parents looked at me to my soul. 

Cold sweats are gone after I heard Haris' plea on my behalf. "Yes. I desire to tarry longer on Earth. Maybe… there's more I can do, and I aspire to be that kind of princess."

My mother refuses to speak, she passes the glance to father who is seated beside her. Everyone in this room is waiting for his answer, there's a gazing competition happening between him and Haris! Then the response we've been waiting is out of the line,

"How long have you been chained to each other?" 

"A month, father."

"Does it mean that you've been sleeping together for one month?"

"No," I said. 

"Yes," Haris said.

We spilled it at the same time, and now we looked dreadfully at each other at the same moment. Tikka has her eyes widened at me. Venji looks away, shaking his head. My mother, with her eyes circled, communicates with father, while father watches my reaction. "W-We've set boundaries. We have rules of limitations and never invaded another's personal space once," I lied at the latter part.

"Indeed, Your Majesties. There is nothing to cause concern."

My father persists, "How can I be sure that there is nothing to be concerned about?"

Haris pulls back his tongue for a second without cutting their gazes. What he said afterward startled our eyes, "I'm… gay, Your Majesty." My jaw embraces terra firma! As I scanned Haris from head-to-toe, I found his pinky finger raised on the handle of his cane and his big toes are close together, and the heels are apart, as if shy. "Ehem, so it's offensive to see me as a dangerous man." 

That miraculously won my father's approval. 

He ordered the maids to pack my things. My mother and sister shared their teary farewell with a tight hug, the same for my father, but I whispered to him, "Please promote the crewman of the station." 

He shook his head with my naughtiness. Once again he hugs me. "We will wait for your return, my princess." That's when tears blurred my vision. My family and the salutation of the royal guards were the last thing I saw for now before the elevator closed its door. We're going back to Earth. 

During the long awkward silence, I exchanged glances with Venji and later on we burst out in laughter except Haris. 

"For real!? You're a girly!?"

"Hell, no," he groaned.

"Wow, I don't know what else you can do for the lady!" Venji puts his arm on Haris' shoulder. "Hi, sis."

"Don't touch me," he groaned once again—ready to devour.

"I saw it! You even act like it!"

"My baby grapes is now a lady~"

Pissed off, Haris stamped his cane and silence followed. Yet Venji's contagious smile broke the silence with our laughter again! I caught Haris looking away, pulling back his laugh. This is what he meant by asking me if I want to stay. He sacrificed his masculinity in front of my family just to make them feel at ease when Haris is with me.

His effort, or perhaps the fact that I can stay on Earth makes me this happy. It's a mixed emotion, and all of it seems colorful, scattering throughout my world like the Rayleigh. The royal guards of Beaumont caught us laughing when the door opened.