"Hey Lime, Ginger's leaving!"
Olive's voice snapped me out of my daze. I looked up just in time to see her. Ginger. Walking toward the school gates, her hair catching the afternoon sun like it always did.
Everyone was staring at me. Waiting.
I didn't even think. I grabbed my bag and followed.
"Dude, seriously?" Olive muttered, but I ignored him. This was routine by now. Ginger left, I followed. That's just how it was.
I caught up to her at the intersection near her house. My heart was pounding. Not from the walk, but from being this close to her.
"Umm, Ginger?" I cleared my throat. "Tomorrow's Sunday... so I was thinking..."
She didn't even look back. Just kept walking, her expression unreadable.
I jogged a bit to keep pace, eyes darting to the bag slung over her shoulder. It looked heavy.
"Do you... want me to carry that?" I reached for her bag strap. "It looks kinda..."
She groaned. Loud. The kind of groan that made my stomach drop.
"Are you never tired of this?" She stopped walking and turned to face me, her eyes sharp with frustration. "Everyone makes fun of you, Lime. Even I'm tired of it."
But when I looked into her eyes, those beautiful, perfect eyes, I couldn't help it. The words just slipped out.
"Will you go out with me?"
I'd lost count of how many times I'd asked. She'd lost count too.
For a moment, there was silence. Then her face twisted in anger.
SLAP.
Her hand, small and delicate, connected with my cheek. It didn't hurt much physically. But the sting of emptiness? That burned.
I stood there, frozen, as she stormed off without another word.
And in that moment, my face throbbed and my chest tightened. She always hypnotizes me but today, one thought echoed in my mind:
'I'm tired of this.'
Meanwhile...
Juniper, son of a baron, stood at the canteen entrance like he did every day. Waiting.
Princess Cassia would be here soon. She always came at this time.
He wasn't alone. A dozen other guys clustered nearby, all waiting for the same thing. All of them lackeys. All of them simps.
But Juniper was different. He was the biggest simp.
The doors opened. Guards entered first, and then her. Princess Cassia. Self-obsessed, beautiful, untouchable.
Juniper's heart raced. He fell in step behind her, weaving through the crowd of admirers.
"Princess Cassia!" He hurried to her side, holding out a carefully wrapped dish. "I made this exquisite meal for you! It took hours, but I thought..."
She glanced at it. Her smile was polite. Fake. "Oh. Thank you, Juniper."
She took it with delicate fingers and walked to her usual table. He followed, hope fluttering in his chest.
The Princess sat down, surrounded by her followers. Girls fawning over her dress, guys competing for her attention. Juniper stood nearby, watching.
She set his carefully prepared lunch aside. Didn't even open it.
His heart sank. Hours of work. Just sitting there. Ignored.
But then she smiled at someone across the table, that perfect, dazzling smile, and the disappointment melted away. He was enchanted. Again.
"You're so kind, Princess," he gushed. "Your grace is unmatched. Truly, I..."
She wasn't listening. She never did. Her attention drifted to the chatter around her, the noise blending into meaningless sound.
Then someone pushed through the crowd.
A commoner.
Juniper's blood boiled. The guy walked right up to the princess like he belonged there. No hesitation. No respect.
"Hey!" Juniper stepped forward, blocking his path. "How dare you approach the Princess? You're a commoner!"
The guy didn't even look at him. Just kept walking. Toward her.
And worse? Princess Cassia looked interested. Her eyes lit up. She actually smiled at him.
Juniper's chest tightened. His hands clenched into fists.
"Hey!" He grabbed the commoner's shoulder and shoved him back. "Can't you listen to what I'm saying?!"
The commoner stumbled. Fell.
A chair scraped loudly behind him. Someone stood.
Juniper turned.
Princess Cassia wasn't looking at him anymore. She rushed past him, kneeling beside the commoner, her voice soft with concern. "Are you alright?"
Then she stood. Walked over to Juniper. Her expression cold.
SLAP.
Her hand struck his cheek. Hard. The canteen went silent.
She didn't say a word. Just turned and helped the commoner to his feet, leaving Juniper standing there, feeling empty, in front of everyone.
His face burned. Not from the slap. From everything.
And in that moment, one thought echoed in his mind:
'I'm tired of this.'
At that exact moment...
As the slap connected, Lime felt his body become weightless.
His eyes closed on instinct. When he tried to open them, he wasn't standing anymore. He was... drifting?
Red. Everything was red. A thick, transparent liquid surrounded him, like he was suspended in some kind of cosmic swamp. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond.
Through the haze, he saw another shadow. Drifting past him. Going the opposite direction.
Then everything pulled him down. Deeper. Deeper into the crimson void.
A sharp pain jolted through his cheek.
Someone was shaking him. A guard, thumping his back. "Lord Juniper! Are you alright?!"
Lime blinked. His hand was on his face. His cheek throbbed. But something was wrong.
Everything felt... off.
The guard shook him harder. "Lord Juniper? Can you hear me? Are you losing your mind?!"
Lime's vision cleared. He stared at the man in front of him. Tall. Wearing stylish medieval armor. Wait, medieval?
"Berry!" Another voice. A guy with messy brown hair rushed over, concern written all over his face. "Juniper, what happened? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
Lime's mouth moved on its own. "Where... where are we?"
Berry froze. "What?"
Lime's eyes darted around. The canteen. The stone walls. The banners. The magic orbs floating near the ceiling.
His head spun. This place. He'd seen it before. In manhwa. In fantasy stories he read late at night.
But this was real.
One thought echoed in his mind:
'Huh?'