"I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were busy!" The girl who’d opened the door bowed furiously, her face bright red and her eyes pinned on the floor. "I plead your forgiveness!" She cried, before going down on a full bow, her head touching the ground.

Anna pulled back from Kai faster than a lightning flash. Her nose felt hot as she watched the girl repeatedly bowing.

"You can stand up now, I’m not angry."

"I am." Kai said, stepping up to the girl. He towered over her, his eyes sharper than ice daggers as he glared at her. "You should knock before entering people’s rooms."

"I’m so sorry sir. But...I did knock. You didn’t hear."

"What—" Kai sputtered, his eyes widening.

Anna bit back a chuckle. "It’s alright. Yes, what do you want?" She said to the girl.

"Right!" The girl shot to her feet, left the room for two seconds and returned with a trolley. "I’m here to deliver your nutrient pills and water for the night...Miss?"

Anna peered at the contents of the tray. A plate of three dark yellow nutrient pills and a glass of plain water. Her nose wrinkled. "Why aren’t they pale yellow?"

"Because we’re miles away from home and these places get the nastier stuff." Kai huffed.

Oh. Nutrient pills are nasty on their own, I don’t want to imagine what people outside the palace are used to.

Anna looked at the servant girl again and worry bloomed in her heart. The poor girl was all skin and bones, her skin pale and gaunt. Anna was so used to seeing the healthy and robust servants of the palace that she’d forgotten this world didn’t exist only in the palace.

It’s good I came here.

"Do you want it?" The girl asked, her eyes twitching. "If you don’t, I can take it back to the shop."

"You can have it." Anna said.

The girl grinned. "Thank you, Miss! And I’m so sorry! I promise to knock many times before I enter!" She bowed and kept bowing till she left.

Once the door shut, Kai grabbed Anna’s waist and pulled her against him. "See what I said? This world will definitely eat you up."

"She looked starving," Anna said with a pout.

Kai looked at her closely, his charming eyes narrowed. "That’s because this world is starving. Your world, tell me. Did you eat nutrient pills?"

Anna scoffed. "If I had to stomach those horrid pills and listen to Manager Park bitch I might have...wait..."

Anna trailed off.

I haven’t thought about Manager Park in a while.

What happened?

She pictured her aggravating manager, and for whatever reason, she couldn’t get his face right.

Then she tried with her cat, Taco. Same thing. Taco’s face was blurry.

She tried to think of her Aunt Camilla, even as the mere thought of the woman sent shivers of trauma down her spine. Again, she couldn’t picture the face that haunted her nightmares.

"I can’t..."

She pulled away from Kai, as if in a daze and walked over to the small cloudy mirror in the room and peered into her face.

"This...this isn’t.." she touched her face–Princess Orchid’s face– and her touch felt like that of a stranger.

This isn’t my face.

I’m forgetting my old life...how can I go back if I can’t even remember what it used to be like?

She thought about all the things she had been doing in this world. Slapping people. Talking back. Standing up for herself. Making decisions.

Kissing someone she barely knew.

Horror curled in her gut like hot butter.

This isn’t me.

I won’t do any of that!

And yet, she didn’t feel guilty. Some part of her knew it was normal and there was nothing to be afraid of.

A pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind, a soft kiss pressed into her neck. "Anna,"

She jerked back, yanking herself away from him.

And just as it came, all the thoughts about her old life and her face and her strange actions vanished. Like someone took them all, bundled them and smashed them into the back of her mind.

"Is everything okay with you?" Kai asked, raising a dark brow.

Anna forced a smile on her face. "Of course everything is fine! Why wouldn’t it be? That?" She gestured to the mirror. "Oh that was nothing. You were saying something?"

Kai didn’t look convinced. Yet he nodded. "There’s a place I want to show you." He said, extending his hand to her. "Oh, but first get dressed. We don’t need you walking around in that."

Anna nodded vigorously. She turned, ran over to where her clothes from the day laid on the chair, then she paused and turned back to him. "Um, get out? I need to get dressed."

"I won’t peek, I swear." He grinned, folding his arms and rooting himself in position.

"Get out!"

Kai huffed, rolled his eyes, and walked out of the room. Anna knew he didn’t go far, she could hear his grumbling right outside the door.

Smiling to herself, she got changed then met him outside.

"Let’s go." She said.

They’d barely taken two steps down the hall before one of the doors opened and Ray jumped out, like he’d been waiting for them to show up. "Where are you two going?"

"Out." Was all Kai said.

"I’m coming with you."

"Me too." Tristan appeared after Ray, fully dressed, with his sword at his hip.

Ray turned, scanning both of them. "Lose the sword. Weapons aren’t allowed where we’re going."

"That’s absurd! What if the Princess needs protection?"

"She has me to protect her."

"And me."

"You’re a puny little bat. What can you do?"

"Careful now, or I’ll show you what this bat can do."

A crackling sound whooshed through the air, making them turn their heads to where Anna stood. They found her spores a bright red, cracking and whispering in the air like distant thunder.

"Gentlemen, I’m pretty sure I can protect myself fine. Now, will you two prefer to bicker like children or should we get going?"

"Damn, that’s so cute." Kai whispered, a smirk on his lips.

Ray swallowed, unable to put his admiration into words without stumbling all over himself.

Anna looked at the three of them. When she found their behavioris satisfactory, she smiled and let her spores return to their normal pink.

They left the inn, no more fights between them. But that only lasted so long.

Kai led them far from the inn, deep into the town. Their destination was a small restaurant hidden behind dozens of dingy, dark and smelly alleys.

"Wow. Nice to now even a post apocalyptic world still has its awful places."

"What’s post apocalyptic?" Ray asked.

Kai chuckled, leading the group ahead. He barely flinched or reacted to the smells. "You don’t want to know."

Anna pinned her lips shut.

The restaurant itself looked like the kind of place where illegal surgeries and organ trades would be carried out. There was no sign in the front, and the paint was brown and peeling. It might have been red, but it was far too old to tell. There was a single tiny plant with black leaves on the porch. Anna knew that if she touched it, it would turn her fingers black.

Inside however, was a different story.

"Oh my goodness. It’s a fucking tavern !" Anna gasped.

Inside the restaurant was alive. Bustling. Filled with people all eating and drinking and talking at the same time. Old, funky music played from an old phonogram, and the bulbs overhead were pale yellow, whether it was from age or by design, Anna couldn’t tell.

The air smelled of alcohol and sweat.

"What is this place?" Tristan asked, his nose wrinkled and his eyes flashing with disgust.

Kai turned around, his eyes twinkling as he pressed a finger to his lips. "Don’t let the kingdom know about it, General. It’s but a humble restaurant."

A tall deer beastwoman waitress walked up to Anna and shoved a tray of wooden mugs filled with bubbling alcohol in her face. "Darling, you look like you need a drink." She said, her voice low and husky, yet smooth like oil.

"I um...I don’t have..."

"It’s on the house." She nudged the tray closer to Anna’s face.

Gulping, Anna took one mug and sipped just a tiny amount of the liquid. Her eyes widened in surprise as she processed the taste on her tongue.

"It’s like beer...but wine? What is this? It tastes incredible!"

The waitress smiled. "Glad you like it, darling." She said before walking away, not sparing a glance at any of the men.

Anna drank more of it. "Are they always this nice?" She mumbled.

"They are known for their excellent customer service," Kai replied, like he wasn’t seething with anger. "Anyway! Come on, let’s get a table! General, please loosen up. Nothing here is going to bite you. Ray, stop looking like a scared puppy cub."

"Oh shut up. How did you even find this place?"

Kai led them forward. "One time, I ran away from my master. This place kept me sheltered for days while he searched for me. Excellent service."

Anna choked on her drink. "M-master?" She asked, blinking back tears.

Kai turned to her and grinned. "Oh, I never did thank you for the snack yesterday, did I?"