Prologue
Don't go out at night. Simple, right? And so, I did. As soon as my Math class finished and before the sun decided to play peek-a-boo with me, I was already inside my dorm and under my covers like it would hide me from the men who wanted to take me and sacrifice me to their King. Whichever he is from the two.
This was my first week here, and I didn't want to die. Not yet, anyway. Not until I uncovered the truth about Majara's death. What a ridiculous game they came up with. Hunting season? Slave to the King? Hah.
But what if those two are just pranking me? I bet they are laughing right now, thinking of how frightened I was. I bet they were laughing inside while telling me those stories.
With that thought, I removed myself from the comfort of my sheets and stood up. Who knows if they are telling the truth? Sure, I already consider them as my friends but how about them? I don't know for sure that they are telling the truth.
I took a peek outside my dorm and gulped when I saw the night. Okay, I can do this. There is the only way to find out. I'm sure they will not kill me even if it's true, right?
I took a deep breath and took my wallet. I need to buy some food, too. I will not starve myself for something so ridiculous. I stepped outside, and silence greeted me. I stayed alert as I walked towards the stairs. My dorm is on the second floor, so it took a little bit of time to reach the nearby convenience store. I looked around discreetly and did not find anything strange. Everything looks normal and silent.
With the University’s ridiculous expense limit, I bought myself some snacks, noodles, bread, fruit, and drinks. Enough to eat for a few days, so I don't have to go out every time. I added a little for everything in case my new friends visit me or stay over. I've never had friends over, so the thought excites me. Maybe not being alone for once is good. I hoped they would not see me as a loser and get bored with me.
I thanked the kind older man who bagged my groceries and dropped a tip in the jar before opening the popsicle I had bought and shoving it inside my mouth. I almost moaned at the sweet taste. I savored it while walking back to the dorm. I was still a little nervous, but the short walk made me feel a little better, and when I was near the dorm, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Too soon.
Because the next thing I knew, my head was inside a bag, and I was carried like a potato sack. I know I look like one, but come on!
"Let go of me!" I pounded at the man's back with all my strength. "Who are you?! What do you want with me?!"
"You should have listened to your friends." A man said with a chuckle, sending shivers down my spine and making my eyes water.
So, it's true, and I get this for not trusting them. I thought and sniffed. I'm sorry, Nico and Olivia. I deserve this. Please send my body to my family. At least they'll have a body to bury if they don't decide to cremate me like Majara. I should have listened to you and stayed home. The world is indeed cruel outside.
I did not know how long they carried me, but I gave up resisting and begging them to let me go when I realized that there were three of them.
"You think we'll get lucky this time?" I heard someone ask.
"I can feel it."
What? Number two?
"What if she's just another one of those we took? It'll be another disappointment for our clan and the King."
"Shut up. I'm sure about this one, and if she isn't the one, we'll just kill her, and no one will know about it."
My eyes widened in fear, and I froze. I did not hear anything they talked about anymore, and my soul came back to me when I smelled a strong smell of roses. I inhaled, and my heart felt momentarily content, completely forgetting whatever situation I was in. That is until the one carrying me dropped me on my ass, not gently but not roughly either.
I suddenly wonder if my twin went through the same thing.
They removed the bag, and I had to blink a few times to regain my eyesight. The first thing that greeted me was a throne painted in gold, and the cushion was red, and I frowned. Who puts a throne inside a campus?!
And as I looked around, I saw pots of roses with different colors. It's a beautiful sight, but it only frightens me more.
"A new addition to your Harem, King."
I blinked up at my captor, who talked, and now that I saw them, I remembered them from earlier. One is paler than normal, one is pale, and one is tanned skin. Their heads are now bowed. Now they are not bad looking, or those who look like they will do bad things, but in my book, kidnapping me makes them bad—good-looking or not.
His words registered in my mind, and I frowned because I didn't remember seeing anyone other than us. My eyes shift from them and back to the throne.
My body froze, I forgot to breathe, and my eyes almost bulged out of my sockets because there was now a man sitting there, and his fiery red eyes and my met.
What. The. Hell?
