"No, we can't do that." Ryan said, his tone making it seem like the most obvious thing in the world. "We in the slums aren't favored by the gods; we lost our powers. If they discover we went outside, they will immediately kill us." He made a gesture with his hand, miming that they would chop off their heads.
"I heard from Alistair that it's because your ancestors chose to be against the Great War, but if that was so long ago, you shouldn't have to bear their sins... right?" Isn't that obvious? They have nothing to do with it.
Jane and Ryan looked at each other and came to the same conclusion. Since Amadeus had told them his story, they should trust him more and tell him things that only the people of the slums knew. "That might be true, but there is a legend that has been circulating for a long time, something predicted by a saint, that another Great War is coming once again, and those who sinned shall be punished. So, our people, who lost their power, were prohibited by the Lords of the underground from going outside since it is safer here. But we don't know when it will happen."
Jane explained their true motivation. Even if they lacked wealth and medicine, it was better staying here since they knew that what the people above did was far beyond salvation; they would all be punished for their sins.
Amadeus leaned back on the couch and touched his chin. "Do the people up there know about this revelation?"
"We don't know. It was written somewhere, and the people of the slums blindly believe it." Jane walked behind Amadeus and started to play with his long hair, enjoying how soft it was; her own hair was crispy and ruined. "How does it feel to be a woman?" She asked, chuckling lightly as she started to make some braids, enjoying the moment alone. When they were in the game together, they had no time to get along with Amadeus, and anyway, they thought he was an NPC.
"Mhh, I don't know. At first, I was disgusted, but I came to like it since I'm well served by the maids. Being beautiful is truly a sin. My body is so soft, too." Amadeus started to touch his chest, but his hand was slapped away by Jane.
"Don't do such an indecent thing in front of other people." Jane knew how free-spirited Amadeus was from being with him for those two days in the game.
"So, what was your planet like? You told us it was like this place." Ryan sat beside Amadeus; he had always been curious about other planets, but the slums had no way to know anything about them.
That question lightened Amadeus's mood, and he began to tell them all about Earth and the other planets, too. They talked for five hours, lost in the stories Amadeus shared, but it soon ended when they heard someone knocking on the door.
"My lady, it's time to go."
Amadeus hugged his two new friends happily. "I'll come back tomorrow with some supplies for the people here." He had nothing else to do; he should probably find some information, but he shouldn't rush things. He had all the time in the world; it seemed that each time he died and traveled from world to world, he discovered something new. His power was not bound by space and time, it seemed.
When he opened the door, he saw the Grand Duke, who was looking at him with tender eyes.
"..."
Should he tell him the truth, too? He looked trustworthy... and he seemed willing to help with whatever Amadeus wanted to do. But maybe he still needed some time.
Alistair was helping because he had fallen for the female version of him; surely, he would hate him if he discovered he was actually male. He placed his hand on Alistair's arm, as he usually did. He wasn't wearing any high heels, but Amadeus seemed to crave physical contact after years of being alone.
"Don't you think being friends is better than being lovers? What is love, anyway?" He asked as they walked, which left Alistair looking quite confused. Alistair displayed his love so strongly that everyone in the mansion already knew about it. He thought about it for a second; his kind of love didn't seem normal, indeed, but what he felt for her was real and burned like the sun. He had never felt such a thing for anyone, and he was not the type to fall for someone just because they were beautiful. The moment he saw her, something had scratched at his heart.
It wasn't the way the light touched her skin, making it glow like a shining pearl.
It wasn't her voice, which sounded like heaven itself.
It wasn't her eyes, which sparkled like rubies.
It wasn't her way of doing things, or her way of speaking.
It was that the moment his eyes saw a figure sitting on a bench from afar, he hadn't even seen her clearly his heart had started to beat madly. When he rushed toward the bench, he saw the maiden looking carefully at her hair, nails, dress, and surroundings with curious eyes.
He had fallen for her the first second his eyes landed on her figure. It was strange, of course, so he had observed her, and he had come to love everything about her.
He was blinded by love, yet not so stupid that he didn't know the difference between right and wrong. But... did he care? Not really. At first, maybe... but after spending time with her, he had changed his mind.
"Love is when you want to stay near a person, knowing that she might be dangerous to the very planet you've dedicated your whole life to protecting, yet deciding to blindly follow what she wants to do." Alistair explained. His words were heavy, meant to show the extent of his devotion, causing Amadeus, who had been listening carefully, to widen his eyes. He knew he was a suspicious person but admitting that Alistair's love for him could lead him to betray his own planet sounded so exaggerated that it was hard to know if it were true.
They had only met yesterday!
No sane person could declare such an extent of love after only one day. He shook his head and sighed, desperate. "Your love for me sounds suspicious; we only met yesterday."
Alistair thought about it for a moment and laughed, realizing they both suspected the other for the same reason. Him because he had fallen for her so quickly that he wondered if it were some kind of potion; Amadeus doubted him because he found it suspicious that the Duke had fallen for him and was willingly doing things for him without anything to gain. He, too, would doubt that kind of love if he were in her position. "Let's find the truth together." He whispered to Medea's ear.
Amadeus tilted his head to the side, not getting why he was laughing, but he didn't sense any negativity in his tone, so he let it pass.
After not concluding anything with Alistair and only worsening his situation, Amadeus had a hard time sleeping. Should he tell the truth before things get worse? But wasn't it already worse?
He had already decided not to tell anything; if Alistair found out he was actually a male, things could go really bad. But somehow, he saw Alistair as a good person and a friend, and he didn't want to make him an enemy.
However, he didn't intend to stay in this world for a long time, either.
Amadeus had a lot to think about, but he ended up without any conclusion. He only cursed his power, wondering why he had to end up in the body of a woman.
The next day, Alistair saw the dark circles under her eyes and grew worried, but somehow Medea was colder than ever, so he didn't press the matter. He showed her the food and water he had ordered to be taken to the slums, but unluckily, he couldn't go with her this time since he had been called to the palace. He had to stay there until the end of the grand festival to oversee the trials for the nobles. He had already instructed some skilled knights to protect her, and if anything went wrong, he would immediately rush over by jet.
"This is for you, my dear lady." After explaining the reason for his departure, he took out a small box containing a bracelet. It had a yellow stone carved into a five-petaled flower; it was pretty, but the moment Amadeus touched it, he felt strange. "What is this?"
"I'm sorry for my rudeness, my lady." He took the bracelet from the box and fastened it onto the maiden's wrist. "This is a bracelet to prevent you from emanating any kind of magic so that no one will be able to detect your presence. I don't feel any power coming from you, but this is to prevent any unwanted outcome. You can take it off easily at any time."
Amadeus was surprised; he took Alistair's face in his hands and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Wow, thank you! This is useful."
Alistair was taken aback and blushed madly. "S-since I didn't receive the reward my lady promised me yesterday, could I change the reward to another kiss on the other cheek?" He asked boldly, and Amadeus did so, as it was just a peck on the cheek.
After accompanying her to the entrance to head down into the slums, Alistair made his way to the palace. He felt a little dejected by the separation, but as a Marshal, he had duties to attend to regarding the planet's future soldiers. He sighed, already missing Medea.
Instead, Amadeus filled his days helping the slums. Everyone was kind, and he didn't even encounter a single rude person or gang. Since he could use the endless money of the Duke, every day he came and offered new things to the people with the help of Jane and Ryan for distribution. The knights assigned to him stayed in hiding, as the people from the slums hated the people from above. That was why Amadeus's alibi was that he was someone who had won in the Engine Games, and his wish had been to help his people.
Slowly, everyone started to call him the Holy Maiden or the New Saint, but he didn't care. He loved helping those in need.
Five days later, it was the day Alistair was going to pick him up for the last night of the grand festival to celebrate the return of the Crown Prince from his trial in Mythara. Every maid did their best to forcefully dress Medea up.
They dressed her in a white gown made of the empire's most delicate silk. It was styled after the deities of Earth's Greek mythology, with red gems adorning her shoulders and neck, tracing all the way to her bare back. They decorated her curly hair with golden butterflies enchanted with magic; they occasionally fluttered their wings, creating the illusion that they were real.
She truly looked like a Greek goddess.
When Alistair saw her, he couldn't restrain himself and embraced her. It was not something allowed by etiquette, but since the lady was not following it either, why should he?
"You took my breath away, my lady. You're as beautiful as the night sky." He took a step back, held her hand, and leaned in to kiss the back of her palm.
Alistair was dressed to match her outfit; their primary colors were white and red.
As they reached the palace, everyone looked at them. Breaths momentarily stopped as they beheld Medea, making all the men fall for her beauty and everyone else feel a pang of jealousy.
Amadeus didn't like all the attention. Luckily, he had brought a fan, so he covered half his face with it while whispering his disgust to Alistair about the unwanted gazes of "some old farts."
They didn't dare to come near the couple, as Alistair's glare made anyone attempt to approach them to change their mind and go elsewhere. Not long after, a trumpet sounded, interrupting whatever everyone was doing. All eyes turned toward the golden doors where the royals were about to make their entrance.
"Now entering the royal family, the lights of the empire, accompanied by the Holy Saint Vanessa."
As the doors opened, the first figures to emerge were the King and the Queen. Behind them were two princes and three princesses; they were all good-looking, and it seemed that the traits of the royal family were red eyes and golden eyes. Then, behind them, there was a thin figure with a veil on her head. She had pink hair and blue eyes; she looked like a fairy.
Everyone bowed their heads and began to approach to greet them.
Since Alistair was a high-ranking noble, he was expected to greet the royals as well. He dragged the maiden along, knowing she was hesitant, though he reassured her that everything would be fine.
"Greetings to the Sun, Moon, and Stars of the Empire, and to the Holy Saint blessed by the gods." Alistair and Medea bowed down, but only Alistair offered the blessing; he didn't waste a minute in explaining the situation. "May I present Medea De Havein. She is the daughter of one of my late comrades who wished for me to take care of his child since she is alone. Unfortunately, she suffers from a trauma that prevents her from speaking freely to others. Now that she has lost her father, her fear has only deepened. I humbly ask to not give her any fault for her outcoming."
When they heard her story, the King nodded and smiled, amused that this was the first time the Grand Duke had brought a woman. "You may raise your head. I wish to see the face of the first lady you have ever brought to such an event."
When Medea raised her gaze, everyone was amazed by her beauty, especially the Crown Prince, Helios Caspian Sinclair. But the longer he looked, the more his eyes stung as he saw two images overlapping. In one, he saw the beautiful maiden, but in the other, he saw a handsome man with those same features.
Feeling a burning gaze, Amadeus's eyes met Helios's. He felt a strange tug in his heart, and his eyes remained fixated on Helios for a long time.
Alistair sensed the strange exchange and was about to speak to break the awkward silence as jealousy burning him alive, when he heard a shout. The Prince had fallen to the ground, surrounded by a strange mist.
Everyone became alarmed, thinking someone had attacked the Crown Prince, but when the mist dissipated, what they saw was a beautiful woman with long red hair and golden eyes. It was undoubtedly the Crown Prince who had just transformed into a woman; his clothes were now loose on her frame.
"What the-" she stammered, looking at herself, then looking once again at Amadeus. She was uncertain about what had just happened, but for some reason, she knew exactly what needed to be done.