One week passes, and we’ve arrived in Chan’s homeland: Ailartsua! We head straight to where he lives, the capital city Arrebnac.

As soon as we arrive, Chan immediately enters his ‘work mode’. We drop our luggage at his house then head straight for his office (yes, he has his own office in his house).

For a while, he just ignores me while working on whatever it is he’s working. “You don’t have to wait for me.”, he finally said.

“No, but I like seeing you work.”, I said with a smile. “You seem so passionate, but I know you really don’t want to be here.”

“Then my acting is working.”, he said somewhat proudly. “Come here.”, he commanded.

I approach him, then when I’m near him, he suddenly stabs my neck with a syringe. As soon as he pulls away, my head feels faint already.

“What…”, I tried to ask, but the words are stuck in my throat.

“A new drug.”, I can still hear his voice clearly. “I developed it; not alone of course. They send me the final sample, but I still need to see it works in person.”

Did he really just do that!?

“Don’t worry; it won’t kill you. Just enjoy it and give me a review.”, he said as he leaves me on his office floor.

After who knows how long, I finally regain my consciousness. I try to stand up, but my head is still wobbly, so I end up just sitting on the floor.

I look up, and Chan is already at his desk again as if he never injected me with the drug.

“Tell me how it is.”, he asked nonchalantly.

“What do you think!?”, I snarked.

“You don’t like it?”

“Duh! Do you ever try it?”

“No. I prefer to keep my head to myself.”, he pauses, “That’s too bad then. I just need to test it on someone else.”

“Wait!”, I said, finally conceding. I try to recall and explain what I feel. From what I can sense, it feels like I’m… in a paradise? Like, I can’t put a ‘thing’ to it besides that it feels good. Very good.

“That’s what it supposed to do.”, Chan said.

“Is this supposed to be a new drug of abuse?”

“Perhaps. Who knows what the distributor is planning to do with it.”, he explained. “Remember the giant hole? There’s a particular type of mushroom that only grows there. I experimented with it a little bit, but my interest is only scientific.”

“Isn’t it not a good thing to do something like this?”

“As I said, my interest is only scientific. We have a ball to attend in a few hours. Get prepared.”, he said as he, one more time, leaves me on his office floor.

Seriously… How did I fall for this bad, evil boy?

With some difficulties, I finally managed to dress up for the ball. It’s a masquerade party, so obviously I have to wear a mask.

As soon as we arrived, Chan tells me to entertain myself. He then leaves me to meet some people. So I find a place to sit and observe him. I notice that this time, he actually smiles and acts friendly, just like anybody else, not the super cold person that I met in university. So this is how he looks like when he is building connection. That must be some superb acting; I wonder why he doesn’t do it at university…

In particular, I see him talks quite vigorously to this lady. He even kisses her hand! Oh my! I’m definitely not jealous at all. Definitely not!

After a while, he goes up the stair to the balcony. And I notice that the lady follows him. Then a guy in his mid-fifty, which I assume to be Chan’s dad goes to the middle of the balcony and grabs everyone’s attention. The busy room suddenly goes silent. He is going to give a speech.

Formal welcome, thank you ladies & gentlemen, enjoy yourself, celebrating Chan’s return, nothing important. I totally just tuned out. But before he finishes, he pauses as if he wants to say something important. Then I notice Chan’s eyes go green.

Before his dad can say anything else, Chan interrupts. “I think that’s enough, dad. Let them enjoy the party.”, Chan said. Then he and his dad stare at each other. I can’t see their expression, but I’m sure this isn’t going to be pleasant.

But his dad just gives in. “Yes, of course. Enjoy the party.”

Immediately after the speech finishes, Chan teleports to near the entrance and starts walking outside. I quickly try to catch up with him.

Then, his dad gives a sign and the guards suddenly come closing at Chan, like they want to prevent him from leaving. As the guards stand in front of Chan, he stares at them with the cold eyes that I know so well. “You don’t want to do this.”, Chan said slowly.

The room temperature suddenly drops, and the guards can only look at each other. They finally cower and step aside, letting Chan and I exit.

“What happened?”, I asked.

“Arranged marriage.”, Chan said.

“What!?”

“That lady that stood next to me. She is the princess of Eporue. Dad is trying to make me marry her.”

“What!?” That explanation only makes me even more surprised. But I eventually I calm down. “And are you going to do it?”

“Of course not.”, he then stops and looks at me. “I have you.”

Aww~~ He just won my heart again.

As we walk back to his house, I bring up the topic again. “Are you sure you won’t marry her? You only know me for a year. Why choose me over a freaking princess?”

He doesn’t reply.

“Besides, you two look good together.”

At that, he stops and looks at me. “Jealous?”, he asked.

“You kissed her hand.”, I said.

Hearing that, he rolls his eyes. “Hand.”, he demanded.

So I raise my hand. He then picks it up and kisses it quickly before letting it go. “Happy now?”, he asked as he continues walking.

“No!”, I said.

He turns around and stares at me.

“That’s not even a kiss!”, I said. “It’s like, just a brush of your lips. You don’t even smile! Do it as you do it with her.”, I demanded.

He rolls his eyes again, “So demanding…”. Despite saying that, I know he will do it. “Come here.”, he said.

“You come here.”

So he sighs and walks back again. He takes my hand, smiles, and properly kisses it this time. “Happy now, princess?”, he asked.

I nod and walk past him.

“And I don’t get anything for that?”, he asked.

I turn around to look at him. “You’ll get wet tonight.”, I said with a wink.

The next morning, we are just lying happily on the bed when there is a knock on the door. But there’s no one entering; just a newspaper slipped under the door. Chan gets up to pick it. When I see his expression, I know something is annoying him.

“What’s wrong?”, I asked.

“Dad decided to announce the marriage anyway.”, he said, showing me the front cover of the newspaper.

Hearing that, I can only blink a few times. It seems that he’s waiting for my reaction.

“Then you just got to do what you got to do, right?”

He sighs. “You’re not helping.”, he said.

“I just… I mean, I love you. But you don’t need to sacrifice your career for me.”, I explained.

“You know I don’t even like this career.”, he said as he sits on the bed next to me.

“Why do you love me anyway?”

He freezes. He then turns around to look at me. It takes him forever to answer, but he finally says, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”, I asked.

“I’ve always tried to make sense of this feeling. But it’s just… It just doesn't make sense. I will get an obvious political advantage by marrying a princess, and yet I still can’t betray you.”, he said.

He looks at me, waiting for a response. Getting none, he continues, “Eventually, I just stop trying to make sense of it. It just feels… natural to love you.”

What kind of answer is this… Did he practice this? Sigh…

“Alright, you won.”, I conceded.

“Hmm?”

“You completely and absolutely won my heart, my love, and my entire existence. Now I can’t let you marry her.”

He smiles. “That’s the spirit.”

After doing the morning chores of breakfast, shower, and getting dressed, Chan took me for a ride in his carriage.

“Where are we going?”, I asked.

But Chan doesn’t reply. Instead, he looks out from the window. Other people would think he’s zoning out, but I know he’s not; he never zones out. He’s probably… discreetly casting a spell?

Suddenly, we teleport away into a slum district of some sort. Without the carriage.

“Dad would be tracking my movement.”, Chan explained.

“Wouldn’t the driver notice?”

“I left dummies. Should last us a few hours.”

What can’t this guy do?

“So where are we going?”, I asked again.

But he still doesn’t reply.

He walks to a small building, me following behind him, then he knocks the door. A man comes out, Chan gives him a coin pouch, and he lets us come in.

We go down a stair, and as soon as we’re underground, a strong foul smell comes to us.

“What is this?”, I asked.

“Remember the new drug?”, he asked back. “This is the factory.”

“I thought your interest is only scientific?”

“Yes, but I need to know where it’s going. I’m not involved in the production.”

We keep walking until we reach the manager room. Chan tells me to stay back while he goes in. After a few hours or so, he returns, grabs my hand, and quickly walks out of this place.

“What happened?”

He doesn’t answer. Instead, he teleports us back to the carriage. He then signs to the driver, and the carriage changes direction.

We stop at a big building, but Chan doesn’t go down the carriage. Still looking out at the window, he says, “This is the main police headquarter.”.

Then we see a few police carriages heading out.

“What’s going on?”, Chan asked, slightly shouting, at one of the officers. Noticing Chan, the officer comes to us.

“There’s an incident. Someone died. I can’t reveal any more than that.”

“That’s enough. Just continue your job.”, Chan replied with a smile. Then he signals the driver, and we head back to his house.

“What was that about?”, I asked.

Chan doesn’t reply. Of course he doesn’t.

“Can’t you just answer my question?”

“You’ll figure it out. Just wait.”, he answered.

As soon as we’re back, he heads straight to his office. Since I have nothing else to do, I follow him and just watch him work.

“Don’t you want to go somewhere else?”, Chan asked.

I look at him. “For holiday.”, he added.

“But you’re busy.”, I said.

“You can go alone.”

“I’m not leaving you alone. That’s not how honeymoon is supposed to work.”

He looks up at me at the word ‘honeymoon’.

“Is that how you see this?”, he asked.

“What else is it supposed to be?”

He chuckles. “Then we are should do more honeymoon-y stuff.”, he said while gesturing at me to come closer. When I’m standing right in front of me, he makes me bend down and kisses me straight on the lips.

This kiss is slow and soft, unlike the passionate kisses that we share on the bed. When we part, he gets up and walks outside.

“I’ll show you around.”, he said.

The next day, we are lying on Chan’s bed when the newspaper comes. It seems like a daily thing that he has.

He shows me the newspaper. It’s about yesterday’s casualty. Drug overdose, it said.

“Is this…?”, I asked.

Chan doesn’t reply. Instead, he goes back to bed and hugs me.

“What now?”, I asked.

“Forget about that. We’ll just go around and have fun.”, he said.

‘Have fun’, eh? I don’t buy it, but sure why not.

The next few days, Chan and I go around travelling. The thing is, every morning, the newspaper’s cover page is always about the same thing: someone died from drug overdose. And every time I asked Chan about it, he never replies.

Until today. I realised that all the casualties are located near the places that we visited. But I thought he isn’t involved with the distribution?

So I confront Chan about it.

“I didn’t lie. I’m really not involved with the distribution.”, he explained. “But as I said, I need to know where it’s going.”

“What do you mean by that?”, I asked.

He doesn’t reply.

Chan then takes out a briefcase from under the bed. He explains, “I’m going to go talk to dad. If I don’t return or if his man is going after you, run and bring this briefcase with you.”

“Can I open it?”, I asked.

“Yes.”, he said as he leaves his bedroom.

[Author’s PoV]

Chan goes to his dad office. Without knocking, he enters and takes a seat in front of his dad, who doesn’t even look up from his work.

“I’m not getting married to that princess.”, Chan said matter-of-factly.

His dad finally looks up at Chan. “You have to.”, he said.

For a while, they just stare at each other without saying anything else. Then Chan breaks the silence, “Remember when you tried to make me a politician?”.

His dad doesn’t say anything.

“I agreed, but you promised me two wishes.”, Chan continued. “The first one, I go to university abroad, and you won’t disturb me with political matters while I’m there.”, Chan pauses, “But you broke it when you told me to negotiate that deal.”

“That is economic matter, not political.”, his dad argued.

“Yeah, right.”, Chan said while rolling his eyes. “The second one,”, he continues, “is a wild card.”

“You won’t use it to get out of this marriage. It’s already set. They already agreed.”

Chan sighs. “I know you will break your promise.”

“What will you do now?”, his dad asked.

“I’ve been travelling around.”, Chan explained. He goes on to describe his trip with June, then he produces the newspapers from the past few days and puts them on his dad’s desk. His dad looks at them.

“Coincidence? Maybe. Suspicious? Yes, indeed.”, Chan said.

Hearing this, his dad rises from his seat in anger. “Are you trying to give this family a bad name!?”

“You have two options: cancel the marriage and get a bad reputation for being untrustworthy, or have a drug dealer in the family and get a bad reputation for having a criminal in the blood. Pick your poison.”

“You…!”

Before his dad can do anything else, Chan stands up and heads to the door. But his dad summons his guards. Chan tries to fight back, but since he is outnumbered, he is soon overwhelmed.

“Keep him locked.”, his dad said. Then he tells the guards, “And the man that he brings with him. Kill him.”

[June’s PoV]

I open the briefcase. Inside is a bunch of papers and a bunch of syringes filled with red liquid that I recognise as the new drug. I read the papers carefully.

They detail the distribution of the drugs, complete with the information on dealers, factory, and of course… the creator of the drug!

Chan is trying to turn himself in!

Then I suddenly hear some ruckus downstairs. It sounds like… is there a fight?

That’s my cues!

I quickly wear my clothes and rush outside. Then I think, the briefcase… What should I do with it? Recalling the past few days, Chan didn’t say anything special about this criminal activity except… He pointed out the location of the main police headquarter! Of course! That’s why he specifically gives me that information.

I run and run. I think I still remember where it is. When I step outside, I can hear a bunch of people entering Chan’s room. They’re looking for me!

I quickly grab a taxi carriage and ask to go to the police headquarter. Should be safer this way, isn’t it?

I peek through the window. The guards are not following me. Good.