Extra story: Ryle 3

“You really came!” Roselyn exclaims.

“Yeah. Sad to tell you, Regina can’t come today.”

“Hmm. What a pity. Anyway, let's go.”

“? I thought your home was here.”

“Nope, it’s in the Northern region. Good news for you, it’s near the Northern gate.”

She says that, but getting to the north of the capital is already far enough, let alone getting to the Northern gate.

“Refreshing air isn’t it?” she asks, as we reach the small house.

“Yeah. You live here alone?” I look around the Northern region. Just many steps further north and you reach a green river.

“Yup. My parents live in the kingdom of Hope.”

“The kingdom of Hope…” I mumble the name.

“Have you ever been there?”

“Never,” I shake my head. “My parents didn’t allow me to go outside much anyway.”

“Wow, that’s tough. I can’t ever imagine myself being stuck in a room all day. Although I do know a girl who seems to like that.”

“Who is she?”

“Why do you care about my female friend? You have just heard me mention her anyway,” she grins.

“Sorry.”

“I guess Regina is the type who answers every single prying question from you?” As Roselyn says, I follow her into the house. “Sit here.”

“Now come to think of which…”

I can’t think of a single question Regina has ever refused to answer me.

But then again, there have also been questions that make her stretch her voice a lot. “Ryyyyle, that’s not how it is,” is her typical way of saying when I got something wrong.

“Let’s play a game,” she says. “You ask questions, if the questions happen to be inappropriate, you will have to truthfully say something about yourself.”

I nod.

“Erm… how old are you?”

“Same age as yours. Doesn’t really seem to be a meaningful question.”

“Still a question, how many questions do I have left?”

“You do realize the game shall last until you leave my house, right?”

Time passes, she begins telling stories about how she went on a search for haunted houses in the kingdom of Hope.

“Come to think of which, why is that kingdom called ‘the kingdom of Hope’?” I wonder.

“Maybe the people who named them had some secret symbolism they wanted to embed,” she munches the biscuits, “the kingdom of Tranquility is called that because… rumors have it that the girl who lives there wanted to lie to herself about her own father’s death. ‘If this kingdom was still this tranquil, then how come my father has passed away at all?’”

“What about the kingdom of Maskiev?”

“Nice way to say you don’t care about the names of the kingdoms,” she pouts her lips.

The sky looks orange enough now.

Roselyn returns to the dining room, from her bedroom, “How do I look?”

“Very beautiful.”

“…” she stares at me blankly for 3 seconds.

“I mean the clothes? It’s not rare to see anybody wearing some old Maskiev fashion at all.”

“True, this used to be the princess’ clothes 300 years ago.”

“Do you happen to love wearing feminine clothes?”

“…you just asked an inappropriate question. So now,” she asks, ”close your eyes.”

I do as she says. Not sure if I should say anything, I can feel her breathe moving nearer to my face.

“Roselyn! Are you home?!”

“! Alina?”

“I just brought you some lip gloss you asked me some days ago,” the other girl says from outside.

“Please just leave it before my door.”

Then the other girl leaves.

“Your friend?”

“Yeah…”

The sun is setting.

“How do I look?”

This time she didn’t change her clothes, but applied something shiny on her lips instead.

I gaze at it, then gulp.

That very pair of lips turns into a grin.

“Maybe what you want to say resembles what you already said previously? So that’s why it’s hard to find a non-repetitive word now?”

“Not that I can really assess it. Asking a guy is your biggest mistake.”

“Hmm.”

I guess I have to go home now. Before I leave, I take out the red gem. Which I meant to gift her.

“Here you are.”

I have to wait until the end of the birthday party, out of the fear she would make some snarky comments. She receives the red gem from my hands.

But her fingers seem to be holding on it a little bit long, hovering it up, it’s hard to know what she’s trying to view with her gasping mouth.

“Thank you…”

She flashes a smile… that seems… very feminine…

Weird of me to say… even though this is just a friendly smile, right?

Yeah, just friendly…

“Place your hands on this table,” she says.

I do so, then she presses both hands on both of mine. And her pair of lips, pressed on mine too.

“…”

“I mean,” she reluctantly says, with her bright red face, “this is my birthday party, what do you expect?”

She lands another kiss on my lips.

“I won’t tell this to Regina.”

I press my lips back upon her. We exchanged a lot of kisses endlessly, not sure when did the sky fell dark…

But when I woke up, I found myself sleeping on the bed, at my own home.

“What is it?” Regina asks.

“…nothing,” I yawn, “I think I just got tired from the lengthy back and forth trip to Roselyn’s house.

Regina returns to lie upside down on the bed and read books. I gaze at her beautiful lips which seem to be moistened.

I shake my head, “Really say a lot about myself.”

The next day, I see Roselyn in class.

“Sleepy?”

“Yeah,” I respond.

“Just so you know, my parents don’t actually live in the kingdom of Hope, but right at the address I showed you. I just wanted to make you exert some more energy. Maybe try to do something other than sitting in class all day, will ya?”

I groan and lie my head on the table. She suppresses her giggles. Although I seem to catch a glimpse of her holding the gem in her palm, hovering it.