n

n

nOne year passed by real quick from that day, the same blue vast sky which they saw together was still the same except...

n'He smiles a lot now.' Anette always took a look at Jellal's face every time he was out of thought looking at the blue sky.

n

"Anette...emm...I will be out of the basement soon.

"

n

"Really?!!! Is it really true??

" she jumped and hugged him tightly as she was very happy, Jellal was blushing red being hugged by her. He cleared his throat and looked all serious before he said the next word to her.

n

"I'll be going to the academy...so we...

"

n

"Oh...

" she dropped her smile for a second and when she noticed Jellal was staring at her. To ensure him she was alright, she gave him a bright smile.

n

"But...when I'm back...pl-please wait for me. Anette, I lov--

"

n

"Young master, his grace is asking for you.

" the butler came cutting Jellal off, Anette nodded telling him to go. Jellal was looking back at Anette who sat on the swing they built together hanging on the cherry blossom tree.

nJellal was disappointed somehow that he wasn't able to say goodbye to her, so he did...

nDeath Roses Magic: Red Rose

nA rose appeared on Anette's dress, she was surprised to see Jellal use his magic spell to do something like that because the whole year they spent their time training together, he only used the attack magic.

nShe giggled and smiled at him waving him goodbye.

n

"This guy...seriously...

" her face became hot as her heart inside her chest was gonna jump out.

nShe swing so hard as she was embarrassed and the tree branch broke again because of her. The poor tree branch that was always snapped by her superhuman strength.

nShe picked up the big branch of a tree and tied it again with the magical string.

n

"What're you doing here??

" a blonde-haired guy walked to her as soon as Jellal was out of sight, Anette click her tongue when she saw that guy's face as she was annoyed by his presence.

nHis blue eyes were also annoyed talking to her too.

n

"Since when are you going to keep pretending you're a commoner??

"

n

"It's none of your business, your royal highness. Piss off and go play with your little brother.

" she tied her hair in a ponytail talking to him and then ruffled her hair to get the little flower off her hair.

n

"Go back to your empire, my father is having a hard time because of you.

"

n

"Just a few more years...I will go back. Just till Jellal graduate from the academy.

"

n

"So what're you going to do during that time...southern princess??

"

n

"Christopher, I told you to call me Anette.

"

n

"Your real name is Athena. Life isn't a child play, princess.

"

n

"I don't want to be some warrior...I just want a...normal life just like--

"

n

"Stop reading those novels, what am I going to do with you??

" the crown prince Christopher, the heir to the throne vanished in front of Anette after he warned her for the last time,

"Love is useless.

"

n

"...

" the rose in Anette's hand almost crumbled because of her anger, her fate was already sealed ever since she was born. The life of a princess, the warrior, everything was in her mother's hand.

n

n

/

/Flashback

n

"Princess Athena, she's just as strong as her majesty.

" Anette rolled her eyes and dropped the big rock back on the ground.

nEvery day was the same for the princess of the southern empire, courtesy, training, princess's affair. She was tired of all of it.

n

"Your highness, this is the novel.

"

n

"Novel?? Wasn't I supposed to be studying about history war today??? About the demon king or something?

"

n

"The demon king made a promise with the empress of the center empire, the end. Now, why don't you read this novel??

" Anette frowned looking at the enthusiastic lady in waiting for her to give her the book. Since she already knew about history, so she chose to slack off that day but little did she know, reading novels will become her hobby ever since that night.

n

"Kyaa!!! What're they doing?!?!!!

" she screamed in the middle of the night as she was reading the hot passionate part of the novel.

n

"Oh my god!!! My eyes!!! I shouldn't read this...how can they do it in the living room?? What...what if...

" she picked up the novel she threw to the floor and continued reading.

n

"Ahhhh!!! No, no, no!!!! That bastard, how can he treat her so rough?? She told him to stop, why did he keep thrusting it...in??

" her face was blushing red, she took a deep breath closing the book and then keep reading it till the end.

nThe morning after, she scold her lady in waiting for giving that book to her. So the next novel was just a simple romance.

n

"Aww...

"

n

"Ah...my heart, they're so cute...

"

n

"Come on, kiss!!! Kiss, come on, damn it!!!

" she was mad because of the story again, keeping her all night, she sacrificed her sleep even if she was tired all day from studying to read the novel but they really disappointed her because the main characters haven't kissed yet.

nBang!!!!

nShe accidentally hit the window, with her strength the window was destroyed and fell into pieces to the ground.

nIt was because of the cuteness of the male lead in the novel she read, she looked out to the moonlight and to the tower on the other side of the big river across from her palace.

nAll the novel was written by the people from the center empire, she was curious if she ever gonna meet someone like the fictional man, her true love at that empire.

nShe spent many nights deciding what she really wanted, compared to living in the palace, there was a big new adventure out there.

n

"Athena...you really want to leave your mother??

" the empress was surprised hearing the words asking for permission to leave the empire from her perfect daughter.

n

"Yes, mother. I have decided!! I will persuade my true love!

"

n

"Huh??

" all of the maids dropped what they were doing and tried to confirm what they heard was true. Even all of her older brothers were shocked hearing that.

n

"Athena...are you serious??

" her oldest brother asked her and covered his mouth with his hand, little tears coming out of his eyes.

n

"Athena...

"

n

"Yes, I will find my true love out there. The man in this empire was all strong and not romantic at all!!! I love sweet and adorable man.

"

n

"But daughter, I can find a man like that for you--

"

n

"No, I already made up my mind!!

"

n

"Pfft!!! Hahahaha, Melissa...how nostalagic, huh??

"

n

"Darling, stop it!!

"

n

"You're just like your mother, I remember your mother proposed to me saying I was her true love too back in the day.

" the man who was Anette's father let out a laugh, and all of her brothers started laughing loudly while the empress was blushing and covered her face in her lover's arm.

n

"...really??

"

n

"Go on, but you shouldn't reveal your real identity to anyone. And...you must come back after three years.

"

nThe princess of the southern empire went on her journey to the center empire, she spent a whole year there...doing nothing except eating, sleeping, and enjoying traveling to all the places of the empire. She completely forgot about her goal until she met that guy who made her remember her true goal.

n

"Ack!!!

"

n

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to--

" he handed out his handkerchief to her and reached out his hand to get her up from the ground.

n

"Young master...it's time to go back. You can't come out for too long, his grace will be mad. I forgive you this time since it is your first time coming out.

"

n

"Emm...thank you, young lord.

" he was so skinny in her eyes, he looked a little bit gloomy but when their eyes met each other a moment ago...it was love at first sight for her.

n

"...young master, hurry...you need to go back to your basement.

" the butler pulled his hand roughly even though he tried to say something back to Anette.

n

"...basement??

" at first it was just a simple curiosity for her when she went to the backyard of the duchy. She did some research.

n

"Psss...

" she leaned down to the iron bar of the basement trying to look for the guy she met at the festival.

n

"Ack!!!

" the magic energy of the death roses magic Jellal used at that time was messed up and the side effect was everywhere reaching to Anette. She gasped for air as her hands touched her chest tightly because of the pain she never felt before.

nCough cough

n

"You were that girl...Ahh!!! Are you okay??

" Jellal rushed to the iron bar grabbing the rod and climbed up to get a better view of her to make sure she was okay.

n

"I'm...sorry...I hurt you again.

"

n

"No...no...it doesn't hurt...at all.

" she smiled even though she was almost dead inside.

n

"I have a chocolate bar...will that help??

" he handed it out to her from the gap between the iron bar, she never liked chocolate but she tried to eat it.

nShe smiled through the bitterness of chocolate,

"It's...really...yummy...

"

n

"It's my favorite!!! Hehe~

" he was so sweet the first time they met but the next day, Anette came...the side effect cause pain to her again.

nHe was like a thorn on the beautiful rose, Anette knew she won't be able to get to him, even he too kept pushing her away. She kept coming and coming till it was a habit and a time routine for both of them.

nJellal was getting used to her appearance and always waited for her. When she came, he never used his magic for her not to get hurt because, in his eyes, she was a light, and a gleam of hope...in a blink of an eye, she might never come again.

nHe got to know the world because of her, he could only get out of the basement when his birthday arrived. He was thankful for his fate, of his decision back then when he made a different decision to come out of the basement instead not like every year that he ignored his birthday.

nIf he didn't meet her, he might never know what the beautiful blue sky she showed to him was and the pretty smile on her face, and the feeling of his heart beating every time he saw her.

nLittle by little, the missing piece started to be completed because she was always there with him.

nBut now, he had to be apart from her to the academy. He got on the carriage, he kept asking the coachman to wait for Anette if she might appear to say goodbye to him. But in the end, she didn't. She never showed up.

nIt will take years to come back to meet her again, he was afraid of losing her. Just for one more time, he wanted to meet her and hugged her if he could.

n

"Anette...wait for me.

"

nHe arrived at the academy, the place where the noble came together to study and earned as many things as they could in that place. Even the first and second princes were also there. And also his older brothers who got to study before him also appeared to greet him.

nAnd that one woman who wore the uniform of the academy came to greet him at the gate to welcome him.

n

"Welcome to the academy, Jellal.

"

n

"Anette??!!!

" Jellal was surprised to see Anette in glass and her braid hair standing across from him at the same academy.

n

"Teehee~

"

nTo be continued....!

n