Chapter 2

Rika's ears rang and her body felt heavy as her consciousness returned.

"Ugh," Rika groaned and rolled onto her back, cringing as she opened her eyes. It took a few blinks before the blurry ceiling above her became clear.

Is that gold? Wait, what was I doing? She remembered going to play her new game, and then going onto the roof when a beam of light landed on her.

Where am I? She forced her tired, aching body to sit up and found gold bars surrounding her. I'm in a cage? Is this a giant birdcage?

Outside the cage, several people in fancy clothes stared at her.

"It worked!" a male in a green cloak cheered. "Ahem, I mean, of course, it did."

"Good work, Ferran," a tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed man said as he approached the birdcage.

Her eyes trailed along his bright dress uniform. Is he in the military or something? They look weirdly familiar.

"Hello, saint. I am Prince Alric of Thornburg. I'm sorry for the rough treatment, but we couldn't be certain who or what we might summon, despite the legends."

Saint? Me? Rika frowned. Am I dreaming? She pinched her arm and grimaced. I guess not.

"Sir, don't stand too close. We still don't know if she's dangerous or not," said a man in knight's armour, holding his arm out to block the prince.

"Don't be silly. Look at her."

"She could be a witch instead of a saint, or worse, a monster in disguise. Let the mage check first."

Alric sighed, shaking his head. "You're being overprotective. She's in a magical cage. Stand down, Wolfe," he whispered to him, gritting his teeth.

"Yes, sir." Wolfe stepped back, stone-faced as he turned his attention to Rika.

Wait, did they say Alric and Ferran? Those names. Those looks. Holy crap. Rika's eyes widened as the intro from Rose Court replayed in her mind. No way. That's not possible. Am I in the game? She looked down at herself, at the red wavy hair hanging over her shoulder and the silky white dress with frills.

That isn't my hair, and I definitely don't have a dress like this.

The large door in the back opened. "I have arrived, so we can move along with the summoning." A man in a long fancy coat walked in, arms in the air.

"Duke Dryden, you're late," Alric said. "And we've already finished summoning the saint. He gestured towards Rika in the birdcage.

The duke approached, his eyes trailing down her, and he whistled. "Doesn't match the look of a saint in my mind, but I'm not complaining."

Ugh. Did he seriously just ogle me like that? Rika frowned, brows furrowed as she glared down at him.

"She seems a bit spicy. I like her." He smiled. "But why do you guys have her trapped like this? A beautiful woman shouldn't be behind bars."

"Because we don't know if she's dangerous, or even really the saint," Alric replied.

What happens if I'm not the saint they're looking for? I certainly don't have any holy magical powers to help them. Can they send me back?

"Ahem," Rika cleared her throat, grabbing everyone's attention. "I think you've got the wrong girl. I'm not a saint, and I'm sorry, but I don't know how to help you. Is there any way you can send me back, please? I have a life and work to get back to." Mostly work. Not sure how I'm supposed to enjoy another otome after this.

Alric stared into her eyes for a moment. "The magic we use shouldn't have summoned a random woman to us, but there is a way to test your powers. Ferran, you know what to do."

A translucent board flickered into existence in front of Rika's face.

What is that? She flinched back. Is this a screen? Is this part of the test?

Rika glanced over at them, but other than Dryden, who winked at her, everyone's attention was now on Ferran.

"Of course! I'll get the orb right away," Ferran said, and checked through his messenger bag.

She looked at the screen again. Does that mean they can't see it?

The screen read: 'Intro Quest: Pass the Saint Test and Get Out of the Birdcage.'

I guess that means this is the game for sure. There is no choice to accept or not? How about a reward? What happens if I can't pass the test? Crap. She turned to look for anything to help her, but nothing sat behind her. In the distance, another door sat closed.

Damn, this room is big, but there's nothing around! Is it a ballroom?

"Aha, here it is. I'm sorry. I should've had this ready beforehand." Ferran pulled a crystal orb out of his bag that fit in the palm of his hand.

Alric nodded to him and stepped aside. "Touch the orb and it will let us know if you're truly the saint."

"And if I'm not?" Rika swallowed hard.

"We'll try to send you back or settle you into our kingdom. Please don't look so worried. We're not a bunch of monsters who would murder an innocent person."

Try to? They summoned me here, and they don't know how to return me? Rika rubbed her temples.

Ferran was about to hold the crystal out for her to touch when Wolfe held his hand out, his other hand secure on the hilt of his sword. "If you try anything suspicious, I will be forced to deal with you accordingly," Wolfe warned her.

As if I can do anything from inside a cage. Geez, if I'm supposed to be a saint, shouldn't they treat me better?

Wolfe narrowed his eyes, glaring at her before stepping aside to let Ferran approach her.

"I'm sorry, Miss Saint, but would you mind—"

"My name's Rika, not saint," she corrected him.

"Right! I'm sorry about that. Miss Rika, would you please touch the orb? It will glow in reaction to your power. The stronger the glow, the more power you have. A saint with divine power should fully illuminate the orb with a golden glow."

"If you're evil masking as the saint, it'll turn black," Wolfe said, and Ferran's hand shook.

"Come on; quit scaring the girl," Dryden complained and stepped up beside Ferran. "I'm sorry about Wolfe here. He knows nothing about dealing with the fairer sex, but he's more bark than bite as long as you're good."

"Don't undermine me, Duke," Wolfe pulled Dryden away by the back of his coat and repositioned himself, ready to attack if need be.

Ferran held the orb up to the birdcage with his gloved hand.

This thing better not turn black, or I'm dead. Rika reached her shaking hand through the bars to touch the cold, crystal orb.

The orb lit up gold in an instant, and an image of a rose appeared in the middle.

"Is that a rose?" Ferran leaned in closer.

The orb cracked. Light erupted from the cracks until the orb exploded, blinding everyone as the shards fell to the ground.

Ferran yelped and stumbled back, dropping the shards that landed in his hand.

What the hell was that? It shattered? Rika stared at the pile of crystal shards from the orb, lying on the ground.

"It broke? That can't be good." Wolfe went to draw his sword, but Alric stopped him right away, his hand over Wolfe's on his sword.

"That just proves how much power she has, right?" Alric glanced at Ferran, who froze for a moment before nodding. "Not only did it glow gold, but it also showed a rose. Considering our Rose Court." He touched the embroidered rose on his jacket. "I'd say she's our saint."