Chapter 29: Seeking for help

I sighed. "It's been a week." I said, sitting on the chair while playing with my food.

"Is it finally your time?" Chris, the female elf, asked, if I am finally going to die.

"Hey." Oril protested as he glared at her.

I'm at the gazebo, taking fresh air. "Guess I really should since I'm a piece of trash – " I said, depressed.

"Your Highness!" Emil protested. "You know you're not - !" he told me, his gaze is pleading.

"I know I am." I said.

"But – " he was about to protest when I stopped him. He sighed. "You're not a piece of trash for us, Your Highness." He told me. His eyes, voice and expression are serious.

I smiled weakly. "Ah. Yes. Thanks." I said. they don't know me in the other world, that's why they say these things. I thought. "Chris." I called. "I really think I should go to Lilia – " I told her.

"Hey, stop!" she protested. "Someone, please stop the princess! She's losing her sanity – back!" she cried when I grabbed her neck. "Fine, fine. I'm just joking." she said. I released her. She blew out air, relieved. "Anyways, please don't go to Lilia. She's a nasty witch – " she told me.

"Yeah. I'm aware of that." I said, tasting the experience of being taken control of by her when she told me she'd bring my memories back. I shivered. "Anyways, I can't go to Rio, too." I said. "I've done something horrible to her – " I said. "And Vice…" I added.

"'Vice'?" she asked.

"That's Princess Yelena's friend." Oril said. "I've met her once when they found me unconscious in the forest." He said. "Rio's forest." She added.

"I've met her the day the Princess came back to the kingdom." Emil said. "And from what the princess said, she saved her life." He explained.

Chris nodded. "She seems like a good woman." she said. "I'd like to meet her… Princess?" she called when she saw me. "What's wrong?" she asked, worried.

I clutched my chest when it suddenly got hurt. "I can't… breathe…" I said, breathing heavily.

"H – Hey!" she cried, panicking. "What to do – " she muttered.

"I'm gonna call the royal doctor - !" Emil said. He and Oril ran to call the royal doctor.

"Princess!" Chris cried, her face full of worry. I'm sweating a lot and breathing heavily. "Damn it. This curse…" she said.

"You - *gasp. Know already what curse - *gasp. This is?" I asked, panting.

She shook her head and put her hand on my chest. Her hand glowed. "I'd heal you with my best." she said. "I'll relieve your breathing." She told me.

I nodded. True, my breathing got easier suddenly after feeling a warm sensation in my chest. I took a deep breath. Ah… what a comfortable feeling… I thought. "Thanks, Chris." I muttered, closing my eyes. I suddenly feel sleepy.

"Hey. Don't close your eyes." She said. "Or the curse will – Princess? Princess?" she called, tapping my cheeks. "Hey. Wake up – !" she called.

I opened my eyes slowly. I frowned. "I'm sleepy – " I said.

"That's why I said don't sleep." she said. "Or you'll be sleeping for eternity – " she told me.

My senses all woke up from what she said. "A – ah… is… is that so?" I asked, laughing awkwardly.

She rolled her eyes and finished healing me. "I'm not leaving you for now, but… if this happens again, I don't know what to do next." She told me.

"Huh? Why? Can't you do this again- ?" I asked.

She looked at me in the eyes. "I can. But – " she said, then sighed.

"'but'?" I asked.

"The next time you'll be having an attack – " she said. "It'd be the last. You'll die." She told me.

"… huh?" I felt all the blood in my body had gone away.

Emil's POV

"Hey. You really sure there'd be no bears here?" I asked him.

Oril sighed. "I told you already. This is under the fairy's barrier." He said.

"Ah. But won't the princess won't get mad at us?" I asked. "She said she's done something bad to the fairy – " I said, feeling worried.

"She had. We hadn't." he said. "So she has no right to be angry – ah. Well, I mean she has, since we're under him, but – " he said, referring to the princess. Then, he pushed something.

"Uhm? Oril? Why are you pushing the empty air?" I asked.

"Barrier." He said, then suddenly went away.

"Huh?" I said, surprised. "Oril? Where did you – waaah!" I screamed when someone grabbed me suddenly. "Oww!" I cried when my butt hit the ground. "What was that – "

"Oril." I heard somebody called. "Why are you here?" she asked.

"I'm sorry." Oril said. "I had to." He answered.

"Oril?" I called. "Who are you talking to – woah!" I exclaimed when I saw a girl with pointed ears and golden hair. She's glowing. "A fairy?" I said.

"Emil." Rio spoke.

"Huh? You know me?" I asked and pointed to myself.

She nodded, then turned to Oril. Her face was serious. "Why did you come here?" she asked. "I thought I told you not to come – " she said.

"You just told me. I don't remember telling you I agreed." Oril said. Rio shut up. Oril sighed. "Anyway. I didn't come here for leisure." He said.

"Then what?" Rio asked.

"It was the Princess. She's cursed." Oril answered. But Rio's face didn't change. "You… don't seem surprised." He said.

"Curses are common these days – " she said as she avoided his gaze.

"Even for the princess?" Oril asked.

"Even for the princess." Rio said.

I looked at them. What's… going on here? Why does the air feel tense? I thought.

Rio sighed. "I give up. You won." she said. "I knew Yelena's been cursed – ah. Scratch that. I didn't. I realized it after she left my lair." she explained, then her face turned sad. Her glow turned blue. "I wish I had noticed it earlier." she said.

"Can you lift the curse?" Oril asked.

Rio looked at him. "It depends." She answered. "Why? Has something happened to Yelena?" she asked.

Oril sighed and told her about the ring and about what happened to the princess just a while ago.

Rio's reaction was shocking. "Curses!" she cried. Her glow turned red. "Why didn't you tell me she has a maiden's curse?!" she asked, angry.