Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Atasha who lived in a beautiful white castle made in limestones, surrounded by huge gardens. She is the epitome of beauty; soft skin, long black hair, and stunning blue eyes.
Princes from neighboring kingdoms are competing for her attention, sending expensive gifts, inviting her to balls, and treating her like a goddess. They will do anything just to express their love for the Princess.
But for her, money can't buy love. Love comes naturally and is more significant than material things... It is a bond between two individuals. How they understand, care for, and support each other when times are tough. True love has no status or boundaries, as she realized when she fell in love with a simple farmer.
Luan, her childhood friend and the son of her personal handmaiden, has won the Princess' heart. They had known each other since they were five years old, had grown up together, and had eventually fallen in love.
She doesn't care about wealth or status. What she really wants is to marry the person she truly loves and start a family together. It's a simple wish, but hard to reach.
The king is not pleased with their relationship. "You are a disgrace to our family," he exclaimed. Marrying a commoner is considered disgraceful by the royal family because a royal should be married to a fellow royal, but the Princess is not as weak as they believe. She is determined to fight for her love with all her might.
She disobeyed her father's wishes and announced that she would step down as the Princess of their kingdom, wishing to live a simple life away from her family's wealth and glamour..
The king was enraged. He ordered his men to arrest Luan and...
"And? Angel... And?"
"And the King... uhm— the King has forgiven them, and they lived happily ever after, The End."
"Eh?! Is that really what happened?" you exclaimed, your gaze fixed on the Angel devil's eyes.
The young devil averted his eyes and cleared his throat. "Yeah."
"You're not good at lying, Angel." You said and pointed at a word. "De—de—ah—thee... death. That's death, right? How can they live happily ever after if there's death in the last chapter?"
"You're too close. It's dangerous," Angel said, diverting the conversation. You quickly scoot to the side, giving him space.
"Is here okay?"
"Yeah."
"Angel, look at me. Tell me that's really the ending," you said, putting your hand on your waist. Angel shook his head slowly as he looked at you.
"Then what's the ending?"
"You're excited to read this, and the ending is not what you expect."
"Is it sad?" You asked. Angel remained silent and just nodded his head.
"I want to know, Angel."
"Don't say I didn't warn you." The angel devil sighed and looked at the last page of the book.
The King was enraged. He ordered his men to arrest Luan and sentenced him to death. On the day of his execution, the soldiers were lined up, readying their arrows. "Would you like to say your final words, commoner?" The chief soldier asked.
"I never once regretted falling in love with the Princess, and if I could go back in time, I would do it again in a heartbeat... She is the most amazing girl that I've ever met, and I am very honored that she accepted a commoner like me in her heart. Princess Atasha, I, Luan, son of Aldineo, a farmer, and Therese, a handmaiden, will forever love you. Even in our next life, I will always choose you."
There was a brief silence before the King gestured to start the execution. The chief soldier shouted, and the soldiers pulled their bows in unison.
"Fire!" And they all released the arrow. Luan didn't close his eyes and just stared at the King. Suddenly, one of the soldiers ran towards Luan and spread their arms wide. The said soldier shielded the poor man from the arrows.
Everything happened so quickly, "ATASHA!" Luan yelled as he saw the Princess fell to the ground, arrows piercing her delicate body. Frantic, he approached the dying princess on his knees.
The King stood up from his seat with his eyes widened as he saw the only daughter that he has, bathing in her own blood.
"Why do you have to go this far? I am just a commoner," Luan asked as his voice cracked.
Atasha, with her last strength, lifted her hand and wiped the tears from the young lad's eye. "It's because I love you, Luan." She smiled, the same selfless smiles Luan used to see growing up. "Please don't cry, my love. I don't want to see you—" She didn't finish her sentence as she slowly dropped her hand. The black-haired male watched his love die right in front of his eyes.
Luan, with tears in his eyes, pulled his hands apart, ripping the rope. He bent over and kissed the lips of the girl he love before standing up. "You killed her! You killed your own daughter!" Eyes filled with rage, he took a slow step, then quickened his pace and charged towards the King.
Soldiers blocked his path right away, but he easily avoided them. He was able to grab one of the soldier's swords and swing it in every direction he could think of. He is not a skilled swordsman, but his anger allowed him to draw soldiers away from the King, who did not move an inch from his throne.
All he could think about at the time was the Princess's smiles and how he would never see them again.
Panting, He stood in front of the King, holding the sword. All of the soldiers are now on the ground as he knocked all of them using his own strength.
As he was about to step forward, the chief soldier stabbed him from behind. Luan attempted to advance, but the chief soldier pushed the sword deeper into his chest, causing him to cough up blood.
With his gaze fixed on the King, he muttered. "You murderer, look me in the eyes."
The King's jaw clenched as he watched the young lad knelt on the ground. Luan slowly let go of the sword, looked up, and watched the blue sky slowly turn grey. He's asking the gods why they allowed this to happen. All they had done was fall in love... Why does it have to end this way?
As his breathing became rapid and shallow, He returned his gaze to the Princess. "Atasha," he muttered as he forced himself to stand.
The chief soldier was about to finish him off when the King motioned for him to stop. They all watched as he dragged his feet toward the dead body of the Princess. Shortly after, rain began to fall as if the sky is mourning for them.
He reached for the Princess' face, caressing her cold skin with his thumb. "I can't see my future without you, my love. I will forever dwell in sorrow if I choose to continue this life. That's why wait for me, I'm coming with you, Atasha." Those were his last words before he lowered his head and took his last breath. He died on his knees, holding the hand of the girl he loves. The End.
Angel finished the book and looked at you slowly, curious about your reaction. When he saw you crying in silence, his eyes widened. "y/n?"
"Why is it so difficult to love when it's supposed to be happy?"
"I told you, it's not the ending you expected it to be."
"Yeah, but I can't help but feel sad for them."
"Well, at least their suffering is over. Prolonging their lives would only bring them more grief."
"You have a point." You sighed deeply. "What a beautiful yet tragic story," you said as you wiped your tears and turned to face your friend. Angel lightly jolted in his seat, unable to read your expression.
"What? Why are you staring at me?"
You shook your head. "Thank you. I said that we'll read it together, but in the end, I made you read the entire book for me."
Angel let out a sigh of relief. He thought that you were mad at him because of the ending. "It's fine. I can teach you some other time but are you sure that you're okay?"
"Yeah." You sniffed and looked above, thinking about the tragic story, and how they managed to find each other only to be separated by fate. Angel, on the other hand, grabbed some curry buns and eat them, He just let you stay watch the sky,
"Hey, Angel..."
"Hmm," he replied, biting his buns. He cast a sidelong glance at you, waiting for you to speak again.
"Do you believe in the afterlife? If it does exist, Do you think we'll meet there?"
Angel took a bite of the buns before answering, "No. When a devil dies, they simply reincarnate in hell. As for humans... I have no idea."
"I see... but I think it's better to have an afterlife, right? I mean, if it exists, Princess Atasha and Luan might meet again... You too, Angel. If something happen in the future and we become separated in this timeline, I'd like to see you again even if it's in the afterlife." You lowered your head and returned your gaze to the Angel devil, this time with a smile.
Seeing your innocent smile, Angel suddenly felt something. A weird sensation in his chest. His heart is racing so fast that he is unable to control it, and his face is burning up. What is this feeling? Is she the one causing it?
"I—I should go." He said and quickly handed you the book before standing up.
"Ah, yeah..." Puzzled, you stood up too and bowed at him. "Thank you again for reading me this book. We'll see each other again, next week?"
"Yeah. I'll be here."
"Okay. Bye, Angel."
Angel averted his gaze and nodded before flying away. You looked up to watch him, but he was too fast.
❀
Biting the nail of his thumb, Angel was reading an article. He's been searching: What is the meaning when a girl looks at you, your heart starts pounding, and your cheeks burn on his phone, hoping to find an answer to this weird feeling?
"Huh, what's that? Heart starts pounding fast—" Aki asked. Angel flinched from his seat and quickly hid his phone before Aki could finish reading the sentence.
"You're nosy, aren't you, Aki?"
"You looked confused, so I came here to help. Why are you searching for that? Is there something wrong?"
"No. Nothing." Angel jumped from his seat and started to walk away.
"All right, suit yourself," Aki said, shrugging his shoulders. He may act dumb, but Aki already has an idea as to why Angel is uneasy. He can't help but smile, seeing his friend flustered about something, or should he say... about someone. He is used to seeing Angel as stoic, reserved, and silent all of the time.
Just a few steps into his walk, the angel devil's curiosity got the best of him, and he came to a halt. He clenched his fist and pursed his lips tightly before turning around to face his colleague.
"I have a question, but don't laugh."
"Yeah, shoot."
"A girl looked at me, and I felt something weird. My cheeks began to burn, and my heart won't stop pounding. Is that a curse? Does she have power? Is she really a human?"
"Oh. I see what it is... You're in love, Angel."
"Psh! Me? In love? You're kidding, right?"
"Well, do you want to see her every day?"
"N—no? Why would I want to see her?"
"Did you try to protect her in any way you can?"
"No?" Angel said, turning his head away. Aki lightly chuckled at his friend. His answers were obviously a lie, and he was trying so hard to hide it. Angel, you're not very good at lying.
"Well, let's say that you're not in love for the sake of the argument... but you care for her, am I right?"
"I think so..."
"That causes the burning sensation in your cheeks and the heart pounding. You're attracted—err connected to her, Angel."
"I am connected to her?"
"Yup."
"But how? I am a devil, and she's a human."
"You're a devil who meant no harm to any human, and I see nothing wrong with liking one, Treasure what you have now, Angel, because we never know when they'll be taken away from us," Aki said, lowering his gaze. His eyes suddenly became sad as the flashback of that day replayed in his mind.
"Yeah."