The hands that hugs the waist, is slowly stroking the back the side of Pam.  She knew this is coming regardless of the situation.  In all honesty she missed him a lot.  She tried so hard to keep herself busy for the past 6 months. The thought of waiting caused her to tear up few days ago, now that they are together, she can only give in to Tim and accept the mutual physical longing

Tim lifted her tank top exposing her upper body.  Pam did not resist, she looked away to lessen the embarrassment.  

"I like what I see."  Tim looked at her face fascinated with the faint section created in her abdomen.  She is probably working on her abs.  She looked toned no longer skinny. 

Pam gave out a smile but covered her face, she felt proud and happy with what Tim said but at the same time still feeling embarrassed of her exposure.  Her boobs were never big like Lissy's but it stand proud despite its cute size.  

Tim cannot help but admire what she has done to her body.  What other way to enjoy but to give those abs little kisses?  This got Pam to curl inwards as she became ticklish with the subtle kisses.  It then escalated to the twins.  Tim sucked hard on both igniting goosebumps all over Pam's body.  Pam helplessly encircled her arms around his neck to support her weakening upper body due to the burning sensation. 

Pam thought that the long-haul flight will slow down Tim however he was like a beast that has never hunted for years.  The first assault was too sudden and rough.  He forcefully got in with one push.  Tim would normally tease he, let her adjust to his size and rhythm before going all out.  Pam gasp for breath, it hurts almost just like the first time, but it got better in succeeding assault.  In the end she was the prey that got slaughtered till the last drop.   

Pam never expected to wake up with feverish feeling down south.  She was too tired last night.  Even the daily exercises she had did not help regain her strength in every round they had.  It only allowed her to stay 'alive' as Tim bullied her all night.  Her body clock tells her that it still early in the morning.   Half awake, she tried to open her eyes to check on the time from the wall clock in front of the bed.   Before she could even confirm the time, she let out a loud moan.  She realized that her legs are raised and spread wide open, the raging bull appears to be cleaning up in between.

"Tim~" 

She was too weak to resist and say another word and just let out a long moan. 

Tim responded with, 'hmmm' acknowledging her call out.  It created a vibration to that sensitive part causing Pam to moan more.  Such reaction from Pam got Tim's mouth and tongue working double time.  Early in the morning, she is literally dripping.  Her sanity is about to escape her, trembling as she reached orgasm.  Tim knew it was coming and so he ascended.  

This action caused Pam to use his last ounce of breath to tell him, "no more please…" tapping his waist. 

The bull who is in position let out an evil smile but retreated.  Tim hugged Pam spooning her.  She was almost lifeless from releasing fluid in her body.  He was still teasing her butt with his thing but Pam pleaded.  

"Tim, you are not leaving tomorrow right?"

"Hmmm...why?"  he was sniffing her neck as he answered.

"We have time to do this again, I am drained."

Tim chuckled and continued with the tease, stroking her body sensually.  In a few minutes, Pam has drifted back to sleep.  It was indeed early, at 6am she woke up from the endless nibbling in the area in between her thighs.  Tim hugged her and for few more minutes stared at her face peacefully sleeping.   He then stood up to go to the bathroom and relieve the heat that is still prevalent in his body. 

While Pam is asleep, Tim roamed around the unit, checking each area.  He took note of the place where she would normally take or do video call with him.  The mini calendar at living room got his attention.  There were stickers on some dates.  He assumed that it represents her emotion for the day.  He looked back from the months since the first sticker has been pasted.  It was a crying emoji.  There were also stickers with sweat, heart and surprise.  Noticeably few days before he arrived in Sydney there were stickers depicting, she cried.  It was a good thing that he decided to cut the US trip to spend time with her. 

It was almost lunch time and he only had coffee in the morning, he started to feel hungry.  He saw bacon and eggs on the fridge.  There was also garlic, olive oil and pasta.  He started preparing to cook for traditional carbonara.   

The table is set with the simple pasta.  Tim checked on Pam.  She was still sleeping soundly, he suddenly felt sorry for her.  He was indeed too demanding of her to satisfy his needs.  He sat on one side of the bed and stoked her hair calling her soft, "Pam… Pam."

Pam responded only after several attempts from Tim to wake her up.  But what got her to open her eyes is when his hot breath fell on her ears and said, "wake up My Queen, otherwise we can do it again."

"Tim…stop joking.  I am drained."

"I am not joking!"  Pam is still naked under the quilt.  Tim was stroking her thigh.  

Pam tried to sit not even minding the quilt falling on her lap exposing her upper body full of love bites.  She is still on daze and confused state. What surprised Tim is when she hugged him. 

"Let me rest." She said pleading once more.

"I will let you rest, freshen up for now and let's have our lunch."

At the mentioned of lunch, Pam reacted 180 degrees.  She retracted from hugging Tim.  Stood up not minding her nakedness and proceed to the bathroom.  No matter how tired she is Tim has missed proper dinner and breakfast, she needs to get something prepared for lunch.

Tim just observed her movements, seeing her walk uninhibited got him smiling.  This is how he wants her to be uninhibited even if he is around.  Looking at her body, it is to die for.

Pam had to run away before its too late.  She has always dreamed of becoming successful in IT career.  Love came unexpectedly from an unexpected man.  She was willing to take the journey towards success with him.  She was ready to dive in a romantic relationship.  Suddenly he is part of her dream, her life, all her first was with him.  It was beautiful until she was apparently just an ego game. 

Tim…he still exudes the confidence.  He still got the appeal physically and mentally.  Everyone thinks he has everything!  After Pim left him, he felt abandoned, he felt empty. Thanks to Lissy he felt complete, ‘she is the one’.   Lissy is all that I need.   

What is the truth behind Tim?  He used to be Pim’s. His girl was once called Pim.  Asking both themselves in silence…why do we have to cross path once more when each has moved on. 

“What are you doing?” has been an interesting line for Tim. Read on to find out. There are some mature content.

"Uwahhh!!!!"
"Hey, little darling, why are you crying? Are you lost? Where are your parents??" The woman who found the lost, frightened boy asked sweetly.
"Ahhhh… Uwwaaaahhh!!!!! Hu… Hu… Hu…" The little boy wailed as he covered his eyes with his forearms. His mouth gaped and revealed some of his milk teeth, pink little tongue, and his actively exercised tonsils.
"Mommy!" He uttered in between wails. "Uwahhh!!!!"
A lady in her early twenties rushed to the crying little boy. "Where have you been, Chen Lingtian?! We looked for you everywhere! That's what you get for not following instructions. I bet you saw something that piqued your interest yet again!" The young lady sighed. "You always do that! You shouldn't leave our group! See what happens when you do!" She hugged and rubbed the boy's back soothingly.
The young lady in her twenties bowed in gratitude and simultaneously apologized to the woman who found and surrendered the boy to the paging system of the mall.
That's the place where they were at the moment – at the office of the paging system.
The boy clutched the lady's skirt but wailed even harder. He knew he did something wrong and that he made his family worry about him.
"Kang Sola. You're being too harsh on the kid." Xue Guangxi followed behind, carrying a tiny girl the same age as the boy. The little girl giggled when she saw the crying boy. "Hihihi! There you are! Boo! Boo! Peekaboo!!" She giggled again. 
"Chen Lihua, you shouldn't laugh at your brother's crying face. This isn't a game of peekaboo!" Twenty-three-year old Xue Guangxi scolded the giggling girl in his arms. Soon enough, the girl felt bad at being scolded at and started crying, too.
"Uwaaahhh!!!!"
"Oh great, Guangxi! Just great! Both of them are crying now!"
"Hey, can you please exit the paging booth? I can't resume my work here with wailing kids around me!" The grumpy man in his mid-thirties shooed all the people around him.
The woman who found the boy commented curiously. "You must have had them young! Life must be hard, huh? You're both young to have kids!"
Kang Sola and Xue Guangxi exchanged timid looks and blushed. They always got that comment a lot. 
A. lot.
And every single time, every damn time, Xue Guangxi would play along, much to Kang Sola's dismay who would always attempt to correct the nosy bystanders. Before she could, Guangxi would already have played along.
"Ahh yes, it's the consequence of our tender love and impulsiveness. But kids are gifts from the heavens and we were gifted with two, so it's fine even if life's hard sometimes." He even tried to deliver his lines more dramatically as necessary.
"You're enjoying yourself quite tremendously, I see." Kang Sola would always comment when they were out of other people's earshot, always accompanied by such a defining furrow on her forehead.
Xue Guangxi would laugh hard. "HAHAHAHA!!!! Yes, tremendously! I get to play parenting with you! A silver lining in raising these kids!"
Kang Sola would sigh helplessly and let it go. "Enjoy it while it lasts, then."
"How long will you be staying in Beijing this time?" The lady in her early twenties asked the lanky, cheerful, young man.
"Two months tops. After that, when I return here, probably, for good, if I choose to settle here. I can choose wherever I would want to settle, you know."
"Good for you, then." The lady sighed again. "Then after two months, I would have to raise them all by myself! You'll get away from your responsibilities!" Towards the end of her statement, Kang Sola playfully increased the volume of her voice and acted like a suffering wife.
"Hey!" Xue Guangxi protested as onlookers threw disapproving looks at his direction. They could easily be misunderstood when they come in this group – a group of four with a pair of a good-looking young lady, a dazzling young man, and two toddlers who somewhat resemble them.
At twenty-three, Kang Sola had lost her pixie-cut pinkish purplish hair. Instead and in its place was a wavy waist-long hair on a half-top bun, and dyed balayage. She usually paired it with a choker accent regardless of what she wore. It looked more like a tattoo than a choker necklace. 
At twenty-three, Xue Guangxi had become quite fashionable with very neat suits paired with colorful tones and brave accents and tailored cuts, which one would not find too intimidating or intense but would make people draw their attention to him. His spiky hair was still there though.
It had been five years since the Chen twins were born. 
Originally, everyone was made to believe that the twins were both boys. However, when they finally came out, all were bewildered that it was a set of fraternal twins – a girl and a boy!
They named the boy Chen Lingtian and the girl Chen Lihua. Both were healthy and both showed advanced learning and development curves.
At two, both started to learn how to read and count. At three, both could understand the mechanics of games and play on their own. At four, both memorized the multiplication table, some poems, and smaller pieces of literature and recited it in front of the crowd composed of doting grandfathers, grandmothers, aunties, and uncles. 
At five, they were mesmerized by the universe, the formation of stars, and they've also memorized until the fourth row of the periodic table, with the understanding of its relation to stars. They also had the understanding of the initial formation of the earth, and its timeline, starting from way way back and touching the era of dinosaurs. 
That's why at five, their shared bedroom was decorated with myriads of glow-in-the-dark star wall stickers and lamps which showed constellations and nebulas at night before they sleep, and their toys were mostly dinosaurs whose names they knew by heart. They had wax figures of animals and they knew which kingdom they belong, and they had picture books of insects and sea creatures, and they also knew which phylum they belong. Learning became part of their play, and those two were the best playmates. 


-----
 “Alright.”
“I better go now. I’ll be fine on my own now.” She grinned again while fixing her hair, tucking it neatly under the cap and turning up the hood to cover half of her face. Her guise was complete. She knew that she would pass as a boy with her current look. So she uncaringly opened the door. With one last smile she thanked him again and left.
Just like that.
Chen Linyun’s peace and quiet has been perturbed.
‘Take responsibility, somehow.’ He said in his mind, to the girl who just left, eyes glimmering.
He gazed darkly at her fading silhouette but did not do anything anyway.
-----

Chen Linyun had spend the night together in a dorm room with a drunken girl he had mistaken for a boy when he was still eighteen years old during his sophomore year in the university. Little did he know this short encounter will leave a mark in him, unable to let go of this woman who disappeared after that night. He was head-over-heels and had vowed to search for her in every part of the earth.

Five years later, they met again, but the woman he once knew wasn't the same as she was before. Just after a few years, she became a domineering leader of her own empire.

With his own charm, his adventure to chase the girl and convince her of his love starts in this story. 

It's a reverse role that the MC is a bit soft and domesticated but smart, while the FC is the strong-willed one - playful and teasing.


Excerpt 2:
-----
“Deal.”
Chen Linyun stood up. “One more thing.” He grabbed her hand that was resting on the table. He gently guided it for her to stand up. She followed her lead and stood up, confused.
The next thing she knew, she was enveloped in his warm embrace. “I missed you.”
She blushed. She tried to push him away. 
His left hand was cradling the back of her head while his right hand secured her lower back. She was held tightly in his embrace.
“Just a little longer.”
She was helpless. “I’ll sue you for harassment.”
“You wouldn’t do that.” He finally released her and stared at her blushing face.
 “This time I won’t leave your side.”
------

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Tuesday, 27th September 1442
Both Heather and I had spent a solid three hours in the realm last night and Heather had managed to prepare the stickers for all of the products, including the blushers, eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick and makeup basic foundation powder as well.

Instead of 15 images per sheet of sticker paper, Heather had managed to squeeze 18 images. The image was a tad smaller but this does not stop Heather from producing rather eye-catching labels that were filled with vivid and live colours too.

The images were simple and all this could be searched through thousand of selection just through a simple keyword search and all Heather need to do was to get a single image and then add another text heading or maybe an image of fruit to indicate its scent or flavour.

Once she had done a series of 18 images on a single sticker paper, she showed it to me once she had printed a sample copy. Once I told her that it's fine, she hit a 50 printouts for all the types and varieties of all known scents and flavours she could think of based on the notes she had recorded in my journal.

For every sticker page that she had done on the project, she saved it so she would be able to bring it up again to continue printing them once the stickers ran out.

She then collected all the printouts that she had made from the printer and places it next to her as she waited for me to wake up from my nap in my seat. When I heard the notification for some of the porcelain wares, I was a bit startled from my nap and I looked up and saw Heather staring right at me.

"Are you done, darling? If you are, then we should be returning back. Leave the porcelain ware where it should be at this moment. I would be heading back here in 2 days time. Huuaarrgghh... My mind seems to be a little bit heavy right now. Come on dear, let's hold hands and return back to the real world."

That's the last thing I knew and I woke up sprawled on the floor of the study while Heather was preparing breakfast at the settee area with the twins sitting down at the area. I slowly rose up and was feeling stiff after falling asleep on the cold hard ground.

"Hey dear, I thought you would wake up somewhere in the afternoon. You are feeling alright now? You were babbling in your sleep so I dare not awake you but placed some pillow and a blanket instead. Come, join us for breakfast after you wash up."

Heather greeted me as I kissed my twins good morning and gave a kiss to Heather as well and a pinch to her ample buttocks. Heh, could never get too frisky enough in the mornings, don't you think so?

I had never felt so mentally tired before...! I yawned as I washed myself up, I yawned some more at the settee area and I yawned again when Heather had sorted all the stickers according to their categories. 

Damn... I was literally yawning myself in front of everyone and there's a presentation before 7 in the evening at the Macleod Coliseum later on. 

I checked the time and found that it was already after 7 in the morning and another 12 hours later I would be addressing the whole community of the achievements that the adventurers had performed towards the betterment of this town. 

"Just hope that there won't be any interference later today, dear. Could I rest some more after this and wake up again before lunchtime? My mental is soooo tired that it seemed to sap the energy off my body as well. Phew...! Going to the realm sure is tiring."

I lamented to Heather since I was doing double efforts since I was piggybacking Heather with me, everyone, we enter the realm. 

If I enter alone, it would be considered as a single trip, then piggybacking someone would be considered as two trips instead of one. So the other night we had entered the realm exactly 6 times...! 

"It's alright dear, you can have your rest after this. Last night I had given Michelle and Gwen the medals to be given to the Adventurers so they would be preparing the podium now as we speak."

"Take as much rest as possible and you enter the realm alone if possible, tomorrow, to clear all the crates of porcelain ware in the realm, would that be alright?"

" I will enter the realm with you if I find that there's a need. Other than that you can do the prints yourself, right?"

Heather knew that piggybacking her into my realm the other night was rather a taxing as I could feel some sort of strain or pressure every time.

 Right now the porcelain wares are ready, the stickers are ready and all it needs to do was to let Molly and her team paste the sticker labels and store them in the necessary open crates in the holding area.

 Once the products are ready to be produced, the crates would be taken out and be placed in the respective factories and production lines. 

In this way, Molly and her team of workers could be redeployed elsewhere to gain more experience. 

Once they had gained the necessary experience, Molly and her team would be line leaders while Molly would be around to supervise and at the same time assist Alicia to make those fine wares for distillation et cetera.

I walked over and kissed my twins and told them to be good since Daddy was feeling under the weather today and wanted to have some rest to recover back some rest today.

The twins looked rather worried and Heather asked what I would like to have for lunch and dinner and I replied that it had been some time since I've tasted the sweet and sour deep-fried pork chops with cucumber, tomatoes, pineapples with shallots and garlic as garnishing.

"Alright dear, I will make the one-dish meal today consisting of deep-fried breaded pork chops made into sweet and sour today, all right? I will get the domain helpers to mind the children and head to the grocery store to get the things we need. Rest well, my dear. Hope you would be able to recover after your second round of sleep."

Heather pushed me away from the settee and towards the bedroom where the domain helpers had already cleared away the pillows and sheets from the study room back to the bedroom.

The domain helpers can't help noticing the stack of sticker labels and from a single glance, they knew that somehow we had spent the night burning the midnight oil. I was seriously knocked out before dinner time and had slept through the whole night till the following day.

"Alright dear, I would be off to meditate and practise my breathing exercises to regain my strength for the mind. Love you, dear... Muah Muah Muah...!!"

I literally crawled to the bedroom and plopped down on the soft mattress and was soon snoring once again as my mind drifted off to a dreamless state. We would not want me to enter my meditative state by mistake and enter the realm, would we?

Heather had the twins minded by the domain helpers as she went to the grocery market to purchase some pork chops and some breading mix with all the necessary ingredients to make the sweet and sour gravy.

She also bought a few lemons that would be squeezed to give the extra sourness to the gravy. Red, green and yellow bell peppers were added to it to add colour and flavour to the rest of the vegetables. 

Soon, with the groceries, she went to the outdoor kitchen area to prepare the pork chops while the kitchen helpers helped to chop up all the vegetables after washing them. The chops, after being washed, breaded and deep-fried were set aside before she made the heavy gravy ready.

The heavy gravy was ready in 15 minutes and then it was poured over the deep-fried breaded pork chops and served on a fairly large serving platter.

The children were hungry since they had not given any kinds of morning snack so Heather decided to push the timing for lunch earlier than usual. She went over to the bedroom and found me still sprawled on the bed like a beached starfish.

"Hey dear, you feel much better now? Hope you had your power nap while I was busy preparing lunch. It is already half past 10 and close to eleven."

"Lunch is ready and served, do you want to eat together since our children are all waiting to have lunch together today."

I fluttered my eyelids open slightly and groaned because of the weariness I felt that coursed through my brain that controls all my motor skills. 

"Help me up dear, and get me out of these clothes. I'm going to conjure up my Psi Energy orbs and put them inside the vat in the bathroom. My goodness me, I had never felt so exhausted before in my whole life. The strain on my mind really knocks me out...! "

I requested as Heather helped to pull my clothes up as I staggered to the bathroom in my knickers. I hovered near the vat that had been imbued with heating pebbles by Priestess Farah to keep the water at a constant temperature as I rubbed my hands and closed my eyes. 

I could feel myself swaying and I knew that even conjuring the Psi Energy orbs also could spell trouble for myself.

Nevertheless, I forced myself to conjure up a set of 4 Psi Energy orbs and dropped them into the water. It was bright bluish in colour and when it hits the water, it disintegrated and seemed to slightly sizzle. 

There was a small stool inside the bathroom where I sat and I began to scoop the water from the vat. The moment the water hit my head and face, it throbbed and I could almost feel the heat that was coming off from the top of my head. The water hit the rest of my body and I quickly scooped the water and splash it all over to thoroughly wet it. 

I took a little bit of hair shampoo and lather it on my hair as I took my body soap and slowly lather it around my body as well. The moment the water had hit my body earlier, I could felt tingling sensations all over the body and its a bit prickly at the same time, yet soothing and felt like many tiny hands were massaging my body. 

My body felt slightly rejuvenated as I remembered how Ceres had mentioned to me to drop these Psi energy orbs into the distillers so that the healing and rejuvenating feeling could be shared with everyone who purchases our product. 

I also remembered the wild young man who was screaming and singing in the shower while my former self was sitting at the porch of the house. The young man told my former self how he felt when he used the body soap that was imbued with Psi energy during the shower even...! 

I thought to myself and concluded that the only products that would be used to imbue these Psi energy orbs would be the Hair shampoo, body soap and the facial and body scrub. It would be great to share this wonderful little nifty miracles to the rest of the consumers, don't you think so? 

I added more hair shampoo because we all had long hair and it would be nice to have it covered with this fine bubbles. Before this, we seldom wash our hair because we have to use lye and hot water to wash the sebum off the hair. 

The ritual of hair washing was like a huge process just to get it wet and clean...! 

Now with these fine hair shampoos, we could wash our hair nearly every day except when it's wintertime...! 

"Wooooo....! I feel much better already. Goodness me, luckily I remembered how to use the Psi Energy orbs or else I would feel dreadful for the entire whole day...!" I called out from the bathroom and Heather peeked inside after she opened the bathroom door slightly. 

"That's good to hear, darling. You do have some colour on your face. Besides, don't you feel cold to wet your whole hair like this in mid-autumn?" 

"Not really dear, in fact, if not for Farah I think we only shower during summertime. Hahaha. Let me rinse my hair off and then towel it down and we can have our lunch together." 

I replied but Heather held the scoop in her hand and she was the one who poured water over my body to wash off the bubbles and on my hair to wash away the suds as well. 

It didn't take long for me to complete my shower even though it is like a buffalo taking a dip in the river without much scrubbing at all...! 

Heather got me a towel and after I had done, I removed my knickers and wrapped the towel around my waist as I tiptoed to the bathroom where a set of fresh clothes were ready including my armour that was placed at the corner of the bed as well. 

"Hmm, shall I wear my armour today? But wait, there's an award ceremony later on and I think I would be best wearing this normal clothes first before we change to our best clothes to do the presentation of the medals to the adventurers." I thought to myself as I was about to reach for my set of armour. 

So instead, I towelled down myself properly so my wet hair would not be dripping water everywhere as I changed onto my day clothes, wore a few of the accessories on me and then went down to the dining area of the conference hall where our twins were waiting for me. 

The moment they saw me walking down the stairwell, they squealed in delight and waved at me to come over and gave them a big hug since they had held their arms out to me. 

I laughed as I hugged my children and kissed them on the foreheads and cheek as they all squirmed about in their highchairs since they could feel how cold my hands were.

I saw the sweet and sour gravy that had several huge pieces of deep-fried breaded pork chops and I can't help smack my lips together. "My dear children, you must be hungry, yes? Come, let's eat now. Mummy would feed Daddy while I will feed the both of you right?"

The children clapped their hands eagerly as I took a plate, scooped some rice, placed a whole piece of deep-fried breaded pork chop on it and then scooped some of the diced carrots, cucumber, pineapple, red, green and yellow ball peppers and I slowly tore off bits of the pork chop and handed the children to hold and eat themselves.

Of course, I made sure the bits of pork chop would be easily bitten and chewed by the children as I saw them nibbled on the pieces of meat while they hold them in a pincer kind of manner. 

Heather does not have the knack of feeding an adult like me with her fingers so she used a spoon instead to scoop the rice with some of the vegetables and tore off some meat before she stuffed them into my mouth. She may end up with bitten fingers if she used her fingers to feed me instead. 

My appetite was piqued when I was spoon-fed by Heather and the children watched me as I was having too much food in my mouth that I almost looked like a hamster...! 

The children laughed as they patted my face with their dainty hands as they too followed the way I 'stored' my food inside the mouth. The lunch today was good and I had more than enough rice and dishes today. 

The children too had their fill and had washed down their lunch with some warm banana flavoured milk before they nodded off in sleepiness. The domain helpers helped to bring the children to their beds after their faces and hands were cleaned up. 

"You feel much better now, dear? You can only enter the realm tomorrow evening okay? You really need your rest and recover as soon as possible." 

Heather pressed her hands into me as she leaned across my chest as she was quite worried but she doesn't really verbally say it. 

Through her actions only was she able to show how she really felt. I looked across the mantlepiece where our crowns were and saw that all the stickers that she had done were stacked and segregated nicely so each stack would be seen as a single product and not jumbled up as a single stack. 

I smiled as I praised her for being so systematic in her work as the domain helpers also can't help but admire the printouts and touch the lifelike vivid images that had been printed on the sticker papers.

During the period of 1337-1453, a terrible war broke in Medieval England and that period was called (Hundred Year's War) and a huge turmoil ensued between the England and France with the involvement of rebels as well as opportunists. 

Prince Audemars Macleod, a descendent of King Richard Macleod of Darlington had barely managed to escape with his life when the Manor he was living in was besieged by rebels in 1440, when he was just barely 18 years old.

Let us travel through time and relive the experiences of this young Prince as he was forced to 'banished' and survive with some followers they entrusted their lives with him.

Little did he realise that he was actually living in the past of his future and had no recollection of anything except when he was narrated by a Seer that had been inducted as a permanent resident of the town he founded later.

*This is a fictional world. Most plants, vegetables, fruits and certain animals didn't exist in England that time.

*Almost all novels start off with a system. This does not reveal any hint of a system until you get to almost halfway through the novel. 

* Mobsters are included in the later chapters of this novel too. 

*This is a slow grind so bear with it as the storyline develops. Thank you and happy reading...

"That's just perfect," I heard Toby say. I paused, feeling my face warm up as I stared at my painting in front of me. We were in the park together. Toby had invited me to 'hang out' like he'd put it in his text message. I had been taken aback when I'd received it, but I'd tumbled out of my bed regardless of how early in the day it was and got dressed before leaving to meet up with him. It was like Toby could tell I was still grieving and was trying to cheer me up.

"Thanks," I mumbled, turning towards him to find him smiling — it was soft and seemed kind of relieved. I let my eyes move from him to his painting, observing the composition of a fairy playing a pipe on a tree branch. Toby was doing his work in poster color while I worked with the acrylic paint I had brought with me.

"You're smiling, that's a relief," he said as his smile widened. I blinked before I touched the edge of my mouth to see that I'd indeed been doing that. I felt my face warm up again, realizing how moody and depressed I'd been for the past week.

"Yeah..." I trailed, not really knowing how to reply to his statement. We continued to paint, and Toby's dog busied itself with sniffing at our tubes of paints and the flowers by the nearby bushes. It also laid on the grass to take breaks. Soft music from Toby's music player filled the void, and since it was quite early in the day — just nearing noon, not a lot of kids were in the park yet.

"You said something about stickers a week ago," Toby said, making me frown a bit as I wondered when that was until it came to me. The memory made me a bit sad since it had been the day Toby had told me why exactly he's rejected me and was still going to reject me. To be honest, the stickers were a very small bit of the memory that was now dancing in my mind.

"Yeah," I muttered, hoping my voice didn't sound choked. Toby was trying to cheer me up, I should save the waterworks for later. "I like them," I added, biting my bottom lip as I continued to touch the background of my painting with bright red.

"Would you like me to give you some? I have a handful in my apartment that I've gotten from things like cereal promotions and gift packs. I didn't think much of them until I came across a few while cleaning up my apartment yesterday," he said, making me turn to him. He had his eyes on his painting, and the hand that held his brush moved in swift motions to distribute equal amounts of paint across the piece's background. 

"Oh, okay," I said, looking back at my work. "You'll bring them to school with you?"

I turned to find him frowning a bit. He'd paused painting, and was now running a few fingers through his brown locks. "You should come and get them from my apartment. It's right next to the LRT station so you could go home straight away afterward, how about that? Or do you prefer getting them in school?"

I let myself think about his offer, trying to keep away thoughts that didn't have much to do with convenience, but my personal interest. I wanted to go to his place to get them because that meant I wouldn't have to wait — okay, maybe it was because I wanted to see what his place looked like.

"I'll come pick them up then," I muttered, watching as he smiled before nodding. We continued painting, engaging in small talk as the sun came up from behind the clouds it had been hiding behind. It soon became warmer as it shifted from early to late noon, and the park became noisier as kids began to fill the playground with their caregivers.

"I think we should leave now," Toby said as he took his painting down from its stand. He put it aside, before picking up his stand and dismantling it. "The kids sometimes come over and ask me to paint their faces..." he trailed with a laugh. "I don't want to deal with their parents."

"Oh," I said, not knowing how to reply to that. I watched him put the pieces of his stand into its carrier bag before I decided to pack up too. When we were both done Toby whistled for Duke. The dog came running out of the bushes covered in blades of grass. Toby laughed at the sight, bending over to pick them out of the dog's dark fur.

I followed Toby and his dog to the parking lot, getting into the front passenger seat of his car as he started it. Soft music started to play on the radio as he adjusted the gear and drove out into the main road. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as he drove. I tried to concentrate on keeping my eyes on the road so that I wouldn't freak out from my anxiousness.

Toby's laugh filled the car when I jumped away from the window at the feeling of something touch my neck. I blinked, turning to find his dog sticking its tongue through the space between the headrest and the seat.

"Did he lick your neck? Aww," Toby said in a series of chuckles as I ran a hand against the back of my neck. I didn't answer him, I just turned away as my face got warmer. The ride continued, and Toby soon slowed down when we got to a row of red brick apartment buildings that was just a street crossing away from the LRT station like he'd said. He drove into the parking lot of one, pulling the gear on break when he'd gotten his car into a free spot.

"Come on," Toby said as the radio went off with the car engine. I watched him get out of the car, before walking over to help his dog out of the back seat. I got down from the car as well, helping him carry his stand's bag as he held on to his bag of supplies. I followed him into the building, and up the stairs to the fourth floor where his apartment was. Standing awkwardly, I let myself look around as he went about getting his front door open. The walls around were painted in a pale cream color, and the condition of the floor and roof above made me know the place was old enough to be my great grandparent.

When I was done looking around I turned to find him smiling at me. The door clicked open as he turned his key in the lock. He then walked into the apartment with his dog on his tail, and I followed him inside as well, closing the door behind me.

It was a small place. The kitchen and the living room were in the same area and were just divided by a different flooring. The kitchen area was tiled, and the living room area was carpeted. I stood in the living room area, not knowing what to do as I watched Toby disappear through the door that led to a small hallway to drop his bag.

Restless, I let my gaze follow the dog when it let out a yawn while walking past me. It walked towards the sofa at the corner, climbing onto it before settling down. I smiled a bit, turning away and allowing myself to walk around the room. It was then I noticed the hoard of canvas' laying against the walls that were decorated with Aztec patterned wallpaper. The canvas' were turned to their backs, so I couldn't see the artwork on them.

That's a lot. I thought, wondering if it would be okay for me to turn them around to look at the artworks.

"Hey, here they are." I turned to see Toby walking out the hallway with a small carton box in his hand. I muttered a small 'thanks' before walking towards him to take it. There was an odd silence as I opened the box to look through the stickers he'd put inside. They were old — most of them being promotional stickers that you'd probably get in gift packs or product promos — like a special edition toy or something you had to find in cereal boxes.

"Thank you," I repeated, looking up to find him smiling at me. He ran a hand through his dark brown hair, looking over at the section of the room that served as a kitchen.

"I'm glad you like them. Do you want to have something to eat before you leave? I have mac and cheese I could warm up if you're interested." I thought about his offer for a while, turning my gaze back to the stickers in the box I was holding. Yes, I wanted to stay for a little more time. 

"Sure," I soon found myself saying in response. I looked up again to find him nodding with a smile before he walked away towards the kitchen area and then to his fridge.

Should I help him? I wondered as I watched him dish out the mac and cheese into two separate plates. He then picked them up before heading over to his microwave and putting them in. I looked away when the opportunity to implement my thoughts passed. 

"You can sit down you know," he laughed when he turned to still find me standing at the center of the room. I found myself flushing at the attention he was directing at me. I looked away, shaking my head a bit at that. I heard footsteps, and soon his laughter was much closer — right by my ear. I soon felt the touch of his hand on my shoulder, which made me look up to his laughing face. 

"You're very odd." He's been saying that a lot lately now, but I really couldn't pinpoint what he meant by it — but he always smiled when he said it, and I loved his smile too much to think about anything else. 

"It's a good odd, don't worry," he said with a small chuckle, his dimples on full display. He then let go of my shoulder before walking past me to the sofa that his dog was still laying on. I watched him cradle the dog on his lap, and I only made to join him when he motioned to the empty space beside them that he'd created.

I sat there, shaking a bit as I tried to calm my nerves. I attempted to do that by watching the show that was playing on the TV in front of us, but my mind my completely clouded by his mere presence — nearness. His laugh, his smile, the warmth that filled my body whenever he'd mistakenly bump his hand or thigh against me. My mind was stuck between the abyss of feeling guilty for my feelings that had already been dismissed and rejected, and another part was relieved and touched that he was allowing me to be this close to him after everything.

How can I not love him?

We ate the mac and cheese when it was done warming up, and we watched the auditions for some talent show. I left his apartment and headed home when I was done eating and washing the dish I'd used. Though, I didn't stop thinking of his place even after I'd gotten back home. It had been everything I'd expected it to be. Small, cozy, artsy — typical Toby.

The Prodigy Series is a collection of 10 books that follow 10 gay couples over 10 years. Each book/Volume features a different couple. 

[Book 1/Volume 1 - The Genius]

Wyatt Wilson has always been at the top of his grade. He's winning every quiz, debate and academic Olympic under the sun. His teachers adore him, his mates envy him and everyone generally thinks his parents are genuinely proud of him. But that's not the Wilson household for you. Meet the Wilsons, a family of seemingly generational artists. Wyatt's parents aren't interested in grades and scholarships; they're interested in art contests, exhibitions and art style. Every Wilson can create art - except for Wyatt. 
  
 As Wyatt struggles with being accepted at home, a new threat in form of a foreign exchange student threatens to take his place at the top of the class. Can Wyatt cope with losing the one thing that makes him relevant?

[Book 2/Volume 2 - The Tech Wiz]

Benjamin Maxwell is a Tech Wiz. He brings crashed computers back to life, gives gadgets whole new operating systems, recovers long lost data, and hacks into secure networks without even breaking a sweat.

Benjamin Already knows he has a secure place in his dad's tech repair shop after he graduates from high school. But what happens when Felix, a senior Ben has been crushing on since he got into high school asks him to join a young inventors contest as his partner?

Will Benjamin realize his talent is worth much more than he's been giving it credit for?

[Book 3/Volume 3 - The Artist]

Caleb is an artist, he's a master in every possible medium, and nothing less was expected from him as a Wilson, an extended family of high aspiring artists. Caleb enjoys creating art, but he doesn't enjoy the pressure that comes with it, and the expectations his parents weigh on him. 

Creating art slowly became a chore, and Caleb lost the spark that made his work shine, but things change when he meets Toby, a new teacher fresh out of college in his high school's art department. Toby helps him rediscover his love for art, and Caleb comes to a realization that his feelings for Toby were starting to head towards an irreversible direction.

The teacher knew that Chu Xiang just attended kindergarten, thus walked over, and patted her head, "Xiang Xiang just came to school so there's no need for homework."
It made Chu Xiang pleased, for the fact that she didn't have to do homework made others even more envious of her.
"Rainy's words are getting better and better; who taught you?" Teachers loved well-behaved kids like Rainy the most. Not only was she cute, but her handwriting was also better than other children. The others wrote squiggly and crookedly, but Rainy wrote properly.
This child seemed to be developing earlier compared to other children. If properly taught and nurtured, she could become something. 
"Rainy wrote really well. Here's a red flower today."
The teacher took out a red flower sticker and pasted it next to Rainy's name. Other children only had one or two stickers, but Rainy had five, showing how well-liked this child was. She emerged first in every competition so the number of stickers continuously increased.
Chu Xiang was not satisfied, for she knew that she had to be outstanding so that Granny would like her and would not send her back to the orphanage. She took out her own sweets from her bag to distribute it to all the children in the kindergarten.
There weren't many kids in the kindergarten, with about ten or so in her class. The sweets that Chu Xiang had were all imported and unavailable within the country. The children's curiosity was invoked by the new product, and they all took the sweet as if they were bribed.
Rainy placed her hands at the back while Chu Xiang gave out the sweets one by one. It was her turn soon, and although she didn't want the sweet, the wrapper was very pretty. If she brought it home for her mother, Mommy would be very happy. Moreover, Mommy knew magic, too. One sweet could become three: one for Mommy, one for Daddy, and one for Rainy.
Yup, she should not eat it to give it to her Mommy.
Chu Xiang gave it out one by one. At her young age, she knew the wonders that money could do. She was relatively popular in the kindergarten. Since she gave out sweets and chocolates regularly—when she arrived, all the children that were doing their own things would swarm around her.
Indeed, within the child's mind appeared the concept of networking, too. Networking with intentions in mind would always lead to negative outcomes.
Chu Xiang walked towards Rainy. Growing taller recently, she was almost half a head taller than Rainy. Rainy's hands were still at the back and did not reach out to want anything from Chu Xiang.
Chu Xiang snorted before leaving, giving out a sweet to the child behind Rainy.
Rainy breathed deeply, feeling grievance. She turned and walked towards a small stool before sitting down, placing her pair of hands onto her lap. 
A small chubby boy took his uneaten sweet and ran towards Rainy, stretching out his meaty hands. "Rainy Gao, sweet for you."
"Thank you." Rainy accepted the sweet and placed it into her pocket.
"Rainy Gao, why are you not eating it?" The small chubby boy sat on the floor and played with the dolls with Rainy.
"Giving it to Mommy." Rainy patted her pocket, her smiling eyes curving up. With her round face attracting people, she was really pretty and cute—filling the boy's eyes with stars.
"Rainy Gao, I want to go and pee. Shall we go together?" The boy pulled Rainy's hands.
Rainy blinked her eyes before shaking her head, "You're a boy, and I'm a girl. We cannot pee together."
"Why not?" The boy's face fell.
"Hmm…" Rainy tapped her chin. "Mommy said there was a difference between boys and girls. When girls sit down, we have to flatten our skirt; but not for boys."
"Is that so?" The boy pondered over it before standing up, straightening his clothes. "Then I'll go ahead." As he spoke, he jumped about finding a teacher to go to the toilet; but he didn't really understand. Wasn't the teacher female? Then, why was it okay for the teacher but not for Rainy? Was it because the teacher was too old?
Chu Xiang saw that there was no one and walked over, standing in front of Rainy. Her face was full of displeasure and stretched out her hand. "Rainy Gao, return my sweet to me."
Rainy chewed on her own lips, with her hands gripping tightly onto that sweet. Her eyelashes quivered before she stretched out her hands from her pocket, the sweet in her palm.
Chu Xiang immediately snatched it over, with her fingernails scratching Rainy's soft hands.
Rainy pouted her lips, with tears pooling at her eyes and placing her hands at the back. Chu Xiang arrogantly raised her chin before heading off to play with other kids.
By afternoon, all the parents came to pick up their child. Xia Ruoxin had to knock off slightly later while Gao Yi had to work overtime so she personally called the teacher to inform her that she could only come in later to pick up Rainy.
"Rainy, your Mommy called to say that she'll come slightly later." The teacher tugged on Rainy's hands, tidying her school uniform while speaking.
"Okay, teacher, Rainy got it." Rainy powerfully emphatically, biting her fingers as her pair of clear eyes occasionally looked out. Mommy said she would be late so she would wait in the kindergarten for Mommy. When Mommy brings her home, there would be yummy fish. Mommy said she would make sweet fish for her and Daddy.
The children outside were continuously picked up by their parents. Then, a black sedan stopped outside the school entrance. When the door opened, a tall suited man walked out. He briskly walked towards the kindergarten's entrance.
Chu Xiang's small face was filled with a smile and a feeling of smugness.
Her Daddy—Daddy came to fetch her.
Her Daddy's car was the best; her Daddy was the best, too, being so handsome. Other children's fathers couldn't compare to hers.
"Daddy…" Chu Xiang ran over and hugged Chu Lui's legs.
Chu Lui hugged the child with a stoic expression. The child in his embrace had a small and soft stature. Maybe it was only this childlike innocence and lack of evil that could soften his heart.
Forget it, the procedures were already completed. They'd just raise her as if she was his own. Anyway, he wouldn't have any more biological children in the future so he might as well treat her like one.
"Let's go." Chu Lui used a hand to hug the child. His arms were strong. Even if there were two kids instead of just one, he probably could still carry them without feeling tired.


Her step-sister just died three months ago. Now, she insists on marrying Chu Lui, who is supposed to be her future brother-in-law, the mind behind the Chu Enterprise. The world is sure that she, the new bride-to-be, haa caused her step-sister's death in order to seduce him.

Even her own mother says to her cruelly, "Don't call me 'Mom'. I don't have a daughter as vicious as you."

During their wedding ceremony, her husband-to-be tells her, "I won't kiss you; you disgust me."

All her embarrassment is captured by the numerous cameras present.

He shames her. 'Xia Ruoxin, you went so far just to marry me? I will make your life a living hell.'

And her life indeed becomes a living hell. For his business, he sends her to another man. To right the reputation of his beloved woman, he sends her to company a bunch of men. Later, he marries again, and on his wedding night, she remains in an ice-cold warehouse, giving birth to a girl.

Many years ago, the boy promised, "I'll come back for you when we're older. I'll marry you and make you my little bride."



Alexandra remained seated on the ground, a serious look on her face. Her lips were forming into a frown and her eyebrows were furrowed, she was also emitting this dark and menacing aura. It was kind of scary that even Amana was having a hard time to approach her. Honestly, she was just thinking. Thinking really hard about her plan with Harrison, the one that they discussed a few hours ago. About escaping this unknown place along with the kids.
 
 
Thus, she named this, Operation: Run and Escape.
 
 
It wasn't a simple plan nor was it that hard either. Harrison was able to come up with a plan with having only a little information with him though that information was valuable and what she really needed. They didn't inform the others about this except for Amanda who was quite reluctant and worried that it might not succeed and they would just be risking their lives.
 
 
To think that a 12-year-old girl like her would do all of those just for them. But it's not like she's actually a 12-year-old kid, the same goes with Harrison.
 
 
Well, she won't do all it alone because Harrison was there to help her. He even (somehow) declared or told her that she's going to be the hero and he'll be her sidekick which is quite an unusual thing for him to say. Does that mean he does want to help everybody but was reluctant because he doesn't want to do it alone or probably, doesn't want to be in the spotlight but still wants to escape and save the kids? How kind of him, she thought to herself.
 
 
However, Harrison's reason wasn't like that at all. It was entirely different as he was doing it for Alexandra, to protect and help her at the same time because no matter what he does or no matter how many times he tells her that it's dangerous she would still do it. Though he already guesses that Alexandra would do it.
 
 
Alexandra turned her head at Harrison's direction who was also looking at her in the corner of his eyes, he gave her a small nod indicating that the plan must now begin. Alexandra was reluctant but she just sighed before doing it.
 
 
"Ah! My stomach hurts! I want to puke, the food tastes like crap!" Alexandra said as she bent over the ground and held her stomach, shouting and grabbing everyone's attention. She kept on shouting and complaining that her stomach really hurts and so one of the kids rang the bell that signals the guard outside that somebody needs to go to the bathroom.
 
 
A man entered, he looked flimsy and thin, he was also short and he looked weak. Nice. "Ah, Mr. Guard! My stomach hurts, the food tastes like crap and I want to puke it out. I don't want to puke here. Please, Mr. Guard." Alexandra said whimpering and whining, acting like she was in pain but in the inside of her mind, she was screaming and telling herself that she must do this for the plan. Harrison and Amanda just watched her do it, Harrison was trying his best not to laugh because of Alexandra's acting.
 
 
"A-Ah, then. Bathroom, where's the bathroom? Oh, right, it's outside. B-Blindfold, I must blindfold you first. S-Should I tie your hands? T-That wouldn't get in the way, right? But what if you also want to pee. God, w-why am I even doing this job?" The guard rather became a mess and it seems like he wasn't used to this kind of thing, the way that he tied her hands was even loose but the blindfold on her eyes was rather tight.
 
 
"Mr. Guard, the blindfold is hurting my eyes so much," Alexandra complained as they were walking. The man was holding onto her collar as they walked and he was treating her with the utmost care while trying to act tough, he must not be used with this kind of thing then. Probably was forced to do this.
 
 
"J-Just deal with it."
 
 
"Mr. Guard, I want to puke now."
 
 
"W-Wait, we're near there already."
 
 
The guard was quite a nervous person and it seems like she would be able to handle him easily. It doesn't seem like he can put up a fight either and she could be stronger than him.
 
 
She was acting and this was a part of their plan, to lure one guard out so she could head to the bathroom. He said that there were two guards. Harrison would be the one who will take care of the other guard, I don't know how he will do it though, she thought to herself. He said that there are only a few guards patrolling around the place and some were on stand-by, it would be better if they did it around the afternoon as most of them are out, looking around for kids.
 
 
Harrison knows that it was already afternoon and was counting time which is quite amazing, did he not sleep then?
 
 
Then she felt herself being pulled back by the collar of her shirt and she heard the sound of a door opening before she was pushed inside and was taken off her blindfold.
 
 
"We're here. You can handle it alone, right?" Alexandra didn't say anything and just went to the sink. How do you pretend to puke? Cough multiple times then scream?
 
 
So she did but she didn't scream, she just coughed and made some wheezing sounds (Author: God, I'm bad at this.). Turning on the sink to add more effects and such. She decided to look around the place to find something that she can use to knock the guard out. If she found nothing, just bang his head against the wall hard. That is what Harrison told her to do when she goes to the bathroom, she needs to knock the guard out before she goes to the office.
 
 
 
--"With your brutality and strength even as a girl, I know that you can do it."
 
 
Was what he said next and Alexandra gave him a smack on the back of the head.
 
 
Quite brutal but that's the only thing they can do as they can't use magic at all, the amount of pain that she would feel depends on the amount of mana that she would use and they think that a spell that will cause another person to faint costs a high amount of mana as you're infiltrating the brain and controlling his consciousness.
 
 
Then as she was looking around, she spotted something in the corner. It was a mop with the handle or stick made out of plastic. I guess that would be enough to knock him out, she thought to herself and took it. She then walked back to the door, standing in front of it as she put prepared herself before sucking in a breath and shouted.
 
 
"Mr. Guard, I need help!" She said and the man immediately rushed in.
 
 
"W-W-What's the ma—Gah!" When the door swung open and the man was revealed, Alexandra relied on her instincts and strength to knock the man out. Hitting the top of his head pretty hard with the handle of the mop. A sound of a loud thud was heard soon after and Alexandra let out a sigh before she pulled the man in the bathroom using his leg as his body was sprawled outside the door. I hope that didn't kill him, she thought to herself and apologized to the unconscious man.
 
 
Maybe he won't wake up after an hour but I still have to hurry.
 
 
--"After you knock the guard out and pull him in the bathroom to hide him, you should get out and you would see yourself in a hallway. There are no guards around that area and go straight down the hallway and you will pass by multiple doors but don't mind those. Be careful though as there would be guards patrolling around. Turn left then you have to go straight to this one room at the end of that hallway you turned at and look for the keys for these collars in our neck. I'm sure that it's there because I saw it when they were putting the collar on me, they hid it inside one of the desk's drawers inside that room."
 
 
Harrison's words echoed inside her head as she took a step outside the bathroom and walked down the empty hallway and passed by multiple doors, true to what he said. The room would be found at the end of the hallway when you turn left. Isn't this quite a hard task for me? But Harrison has to deal with the kids and the guard there so I guess he also has it worse. Well, he has done well memorizing everything even though he just went here once.
 
 
The walls, the floor, everything was made out of wood, there were even a few potted plants and boxes, and the hallways were quite dim but that isn't a problem. When she would hear the sound of footsteps approaching, she would hide with the help of either the plants or the boxes, that isn't a problem either as the guards would only past by her. They were only walking around and not patrolling the area at all, they didn't check their surroundings and such.
 
 
The only problem was—
 
 
Alexandra hid behind the wall as she peeked her head out to see the room found on the other end of the hallway, the one that Harrison was talking about.
 
 
--The guards standing on each side of the door. Though they weren't armed, it looked like they were dangerous people. They don't have a huge body or build but I could tell that they can put up a fight, they are probably good when it comes to using magic. At least she has to lure them away from their posts but how?
 
 
--
 
 
Currently, on Harrison's side.
 
 
 
"Are you sure Alice is going to be fine?"
 
 
"Yes, I am sure about it."
 
 
"But what if she was caught? What if she stumbled into some sort of danger and can't get out?"
 
 
"She might be a reckless person but she isn't that careless. Besides, she's already in one and she's trying to escape along with us all with the help of me, of course."
 
 
"But what if she got stuck in a situation that she doesn't know what to do?"
 
 
"I'm sure that she can find a way to solve it. I know her long enough."
 
 
"But—"
 
 
"Just have faith with her, she can do this."
 
 
Amanda was worried about Alexandra and her current state as she knows what they are planning to do. She was fidgeting and playing with her hands, one habit that she learned from Alexandra when she would become nervous or feel some overwhelming emotions inside her. Harrison looked pretty laidback though as he was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed as if he was going to sleep.
 
 
"Why is she the one doing the dangerous task? Shouldn't it be you?"
 
 
"It suits her more than me, heroes are always the one giving the hard tasks while the sidekick would help her out and do the small yet troublesome ones."
 
 
Amanda just let out a sigh and remained silent afterward. Talking with Harrison doesn't do anything at all, his answer was always laidback or nonchalant and he put too much faith in her. Well, that's because he knew that she's going to succeed. Harrison opened his eyes and he leaned forward.
 
 
"I think it's time."
 
 
"Time for what?"
 
 
"To cause havoc and do the second part of the plan."
 
 
 
"You mean the one where we do what happened before? The shouting and crying one?" She was referring to what happened a day ago with the boy who suddenly started screaming and shouting that he wants to go out and come back to his parents then the other children would cry and join him too.
 
 
"You're bad at describing but yeah. We just need someone to do that screaming part," Harrison said, turning his head to look at her direction slowly. She already knew what he was trying to say and she could only let out a sigh.
 
 
"Fine."
 

When Alexandra opened her eyes, she suddenly became a princess?!


She was hit by a truck and born once again as a baby, aside from that, she can remember her previous life.


But she wasn't like the other princess who gets to be with their family. She was a princess yet to be announced and being observed. She was born in a supposedly all-males only bloodline and they think she was a curse or bad luck. Her brothers and father hated her.


Out of all things in her life, she never expected this to happen.


Watch Alexandra as she conquers the heart of her brothers and softens the stone heart of the emperor with her charm and go through the journey of her new life as she slowly uncovered and revealed everything.

--


"What did I ever do wrong in my past life?!"


"Everything." He answered.


"..."


--


This is a slow-paced story and I will update once every day. I hope you will enjoy and love the story. Have fun reading!

Support me on patreon (if you want): https://www.patreon.com/moonvaleriee
Join my discord server: https://discord.gg/3MGe32c

--

Author is currently on a break and will return on July 13.

A knock resounded outside his room, waking him up from his reverie. Most probably, a guest knocked on the bamboo hut's wall, just beside the cloth flap 'door'.

"Hello, I am Doctor Chang. May I come in?"

A lightly tanned man in his early 40s with benevolent eyes entered Arash's haya once he acquiesced the doctor's request. Arash could immediately detect that this man was of Chinese descent. Most probably, due to prolonged exposure to sunlight, his skin tone was slightly darker than Arash. The man was wearing a standard white doctor's coat with a stethoscope hung around his neck. He walked with a light gait while holding a large briefcase-like black bag on his left hand, where he brought along all standard medical necessities. He seemed very robust and fit, with a gentle smile plastered on his face. His black hair was a little long, but neat, as it was combed to the side. 

Arash immediately walked towards the doctor and raised his right hand to give him a firm handshake. He smiled apologetically.

"Apologies for taking your precious time, Doctor. I've actually planned to visit you before coming here but was ushered here immediately. So sorry for letting you come here all the way." Arash smiled guiltily while looking around to find a place for the doctor to sit and a cup of water to quench his thirst. However, there was none around, and he was embarrassed not to be able to entertain such an important guest after imposing on him to come to his hut.

The doctor nonchalantly sat down on the hut's bamboo floor and crossed his legs with a smile. "Don't bother. There's no chair here." He chuckled lightly. Obviously, he was quite amused by this person's uneasiness for not being able to accommodate him adequately as a guest. He was indeed fresh from the city, which had given him a nostalgic feeling. He hadn't returned to his hometown for at least two years. "Can I start examining you now, Mr. Arash? I'm a little tight on schedule."

"Sure, sure. Anyway Doctor, I would like to know how fit I am at the moment and whether I could immediately travel back to town after this? My kids are waiting for me. You see, at the moment, I'm a single parent. They need me. It's the first time we had been separated this long after their mom was gone." Arash explained restlessly while sitting cross-legged in front of the doctor, waiting to be examined.

Doctor Chang sighed lightly with sympathy while taking out a typical sphygmomanometer and started to check Arash's blood pressure. "Mr. Arash, I understand your haste. But, even if you're fit enough, the forest is a dangerous place to be in the middle of the night. The danger is real as wild animals roam around at this time. Calm yourself and contact the person you trust to handle your kids. I'm sure you can get through. The signal around here is quite good as long as you use the standard service provider. Or do you need my phone? I could lend you after this." While he spoke, he quickly scribbled down Arash's data on a notepad. He then checked Arash's temperature and gave him a quick once-overall look.

"Did you feel pain anywhere? I heard you fall down pretty badly?" 

"Before, my right knee got hurt pretty bad to the point of not being able to walk. It was even swelling like a melon with a purplish color. I've injured the medial menisci on my right knee before and had gone through surgery a few years back. It might be due to overuse and several falls during hiking this morning. However, the elder's medicinal poultice had reduced it a lot. I've never felt so light on my knees like this for ages. Can you please have a look and see if there's any problem? Additionally, the fall was quite bad. Before, I can't move at all when I gained consciousness." 

"As serious as that?" Doctor Chang was speechless! He thought this guy tripped over a tree only! Arash was immediately asked to remove his clothing and lie down on the mat so he could perform a thorough check-up on his whole body. He did take an extra second glance on the pink polkadots but pretended not to see anything. He was surprised to find this fellow's blood pressure was great, heart rate, excellent, and his temperature, all normal. Besides faint traces of bruise on his knee, he couldn't see anything wrong at all! He double-checked a few times just to make sure. Nonetheless, he could only come to the conclusion that his new patient was absolutely fine!

Doctor Chang kept all of the medical equipment carefully with a ponderous look attached to his brow. 

"What medicinal poultice did the Elder use on you? Did you keep some samples? Can I have some?" The doctor spoke to him with a serious look.

"Err..."
..

After bidding the sad Chinese doctor goodbye with mixed feelings, Arash could only sigh. Tok Silihan had asked him not to share any of the poultices as it was a trade secret. Arash shook his head wearily and entered his haya to lie down on the mengkuang mat with a heavy heart. 

He knew knowledge should be shared. 

More people knowing meant a higher chance of saving lives during an emergency. He wasn't keen on this side of Tok Silihan, but he had to respect Tok Silihan's decision as he was the owner of the poultice recipe. He himself wasn't aware of what kind of herbs were used in the poultice, but he did keep a bit of it inside a ziplock plastic bag. The moss-green mesh was placed deep within Arash's backpack. Tok Silihan asked him to paste it on his knee again once he could rest when they reached the village. The Elder told him that there was still some efficacy left within the poultice, but was not much. It would be just enough to heal his knee thoroughly by tomorrow if he stayed put quietly through the night.

Arash was just a mere mortal and didn't know that the concoction of the poultice was the most basic kind to treat external injuries and bruises, which was known far and wide in the aborigine community. What was different was the infusion of Tok Silihan's precious wood-attributed spiritual energy within which had a high regenerative effect on him. Tok Silihan asked him to keep it a secret because he didn't want extra trouble. The spiritual energy couldn't be outsourced unless one became a Spiritual Healer with a relatively high attainment in the healing arts. That needed resonance with the Spirit of the Forest beside a spirit root. Without both, one could only be a herbalist. In the village, all of the seniors were herbalists, while the majority of the adults had 50 to 80% knowledge about herbs, as it directly affected one's ability to survive in the wilderness.

Arash's internal injuries and fractures were mended at a high price, as these injuries needed a higher level of attainment from a Spiritual Healer. Tok Silihan had never expended this level of energy on more than three counts all his life. That was the extend of his favor over this lucky uncle. If the villagers knew, they would've come to Arash in droves for favors to make him persuade the capricious Elder to help them in various matters.

Nonetheless, Arash had missed the flash of light within Doctor Chang's narrow phoenix eyes. With it, determination brewed within, as he planned to use all of his power to become Tok Batin Silihan's apprentice. As he had only became a resident doctor in the aborigine community for around two years, he had not seen or heard about Tok Batin Silihan. He had volunteered to be posted in the aborigine community after the emergence of the measles outbreaks around three years back to dispense compulsory vaccination with the subsequent boosters besides conventional Western medicines to the ones in need; a compassionate and kind soul. However, a repetitive life had made him lose some of his vigorous light.

As someone who had lived and interact well with the villagers for quite some time, he could see how the new Elder was extraordinarily respected by the masses and understood that he must be someone important or special. Even Mr. Arash, who was lightly associated with the Elder, got the preferential treatment! His traditional medical prowess must be top-notched!  His passion for medical knowledge was rekindled! 
...

Arash&Hana: Mdm Lisa, I've got a complication at the moment. I couldn't make it by tonight. Please take good care of my two girls. I will fetch them at the latest by tomorrow afternoon. Please let them know that their papa is settling an important matter. Apologies for the trouble, Mdm.

Lisa_RCC: Noted with thanks for the info. I've told you many times just to call me Lisa. I've beginning to get worried in case something happened to you. The kids were already asleep at about nine. Do take care, alright.

Arash&Hana: Thank you! 

Arash immediately changed the chat interface to a private one, which he only uses with his beloved wife due to the abundance of cute animal stickers. He genuinely wanted to know how she was doing. It had been too long, and his sense of longing had been deep, intermingled with a myriad of negative feelings. Four days felt like years for him and made him felt ill-at eased all the time. If only he interacted with the aborigines before he got a message from Hana, his reaction would be vastly different, an embodiment of an unapproachable, quiet man with a shallow halfhearted smile and a cold stare.

At first, he read a few messages delivered around noon today. 

Mama: Ayang, you there?
Mama: Sorry, I was away for a while. Got  a little problem. Forgive me please? (starry eyes)
Mama: Ayang? Don't be angry, okay? (Cute face) (Cat face) (strings of hearts)
Mama: Ayang manis.. please don't sulk... I'm very sorry... I did something that you didn't approve of. We've managed to take over the termite nest! The time to draw the map Bro Hadi wanted is not far! (happy blushing face) (strings of ants stickers)

Arash's body developed goosebumps all over! She did what?! She must've injured herself severely to be away for so long! He remembered she told him that the termites were as huge as motorbikes! He quickly read the next few messages with worry.

Mama: Ayang, I need to let you know the truth. I was away for three days because I was in deep cultivation due to a little internal injury. As I said before, we've conquered the nest! As of now, we got thousands of helpers to chart out the map you guys wanted. We just need a little time to train them to understand our instructions. I'm sure it won't be long.
Mama: Ayang, I'm sending over the cultivation chant. I had a breakthrough and was finally able to chant by myself. This is the truth of me not lying to you. Please stop being skeptical and just try to listen to it, please? At least for one night? See if you could follow what I chant? Who knows if you could gain something from it. This chant is good for the soul, Ku-chan told me. It could indirectly improve the constitution of our soul. You might not get stronger physically, but your heart will be durable to any tribulations ahead. Humor me and please just listen to this little gift from me, okay? I love you and I miss you. Just treat it as me singing for you...

[Voice message 1]
[Voice message 2]

[Seriously?!]

[Training termites to heed instruction?!]

[Even asking them to perform a complicated task like drawing a map?! Are termites intelligent enough to be trained?]

Arash got a severe headache from his wife's random actions. He had no qualms letting her experiment on random things before, but it was different now. The level of danger his wife encountered each time she attempted something new was very high! He sighed heavily as he closed his eyes to reminisce about his wife's facial feature to ease the deep yearning he felt in his heart. He felt like he could lose her any moment now. It was truly upsetting.

However, he still tapped on the voice messages. It had been so long since the last time he heard his wife's melodious voice. He wondered how many times his beloved had tried to send the recording over. She must have put a lot of effort for his sake. 

If it was before he met Tok Silihan, he will still listen to the recording to humor her, but will just take it as a grain of salt and brush it off. At most, he will just treat it as what she said, a wife singing to her husband to ease his longing. However, it was different now. Tok Silihan mythical abilities truly opened his eyes, and he started to treat whatever thrown to him seriously. To the current him, nothing was impossible.

A soft and beautiful voice resounded around him. It sounded like a mashup between a Gregorian hymn, a snake's hiss, and an aria. It was beautiful, profound, and complicated.

[Ahh... What a beautiful song.] Arash closed his eyes to savor his wife's lovely yet strange new-age song. He knew she had the weirdest taste in music but had been resigned to it. He knew she made efforts to learn to sing his favorite songs too for his sake.

[Is this truly a soul cultivation chant from her pet snake?]

Arash pondered while he kept on listening towards the end. He finally tapped the second voice message only to find that the song's speed was reduced by multiple times. He could read Hana like a book. Obviously, the second recording was for him to slowly follow and practiced singing with her!

He took a deep breath and tried the first syllable after the song had finished from the previous cycle. 

"Sraaaaahhhh...yaaa.. ahhhhhhhhhaa shhhh...mmmmm..mmm.." 

The sound coming out from his mouth hurt his own ears. Even the first pitch was wrong!

Hana, you're asking too much! Arash felt like crying. The song was super tough to follow! His wife should've known that he was tone-deaf. He could never achieve such an impossible feat!

[Forget it. I'll just loop the first recording and treat it like a calming sleeping music.]

Arash laid down on the mengkuang mat and placed his smartphone just beside his head after he pasted some of the leftover poultices over his right knee. The looped recording was adjusted to the lowest volume so that it won't disturb others. His eyelids quickly became heavy after he texted his darling wife with a smile plastered on his face. When two hearts came from the same whole, nothing could ever fill in that empty gap when the other half was not around. To the current Arash who had a deep longing for his other half, just a few short messages with two familiar voice messages from his beloved had thoroughly soothed his heart.

Before anything else, he had fallen into a deep sleep peacefully.

Papa: I believe you, Ayang. So sorry to doubt you all this while. Love you to the moon and back.

...

Meet Hana, a not-so young clumsy housewife, who got lost in a different world when she stepped out for a short grocery shopping session. How can this aunty survive without skills or even a 'golden finger'? What actually can a housewife do besides cooking and cleaning? There's nobody around at all, so she can't even scheme. Is she destined to die in a foreign place full of trees as a side character? Or will she step up and find her own 'edge' in order to survive? Follow her colorful journey and her struggles to carve up a humble abode (sojourn) which she could call her own while awaiting for the beloved of her life to rescue her from her nightmarish predicament.

Will her beloved even be able to rescue her?

Will she obtain benefits and unimaginable wonders as she struggles day to day to survive?

Will she one day obtain super powers as a transmigrator should?

Let us wait and see while rooting for this bumbling yet lovable housewife

Note: golden finger refers to special powers/systems provided as a rule of thumb to all transcenders to other worlds in webnovels

ASTHW map:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/asthw-asthw-map-23601459

ASTHW cover by Rolandthe4th

Release rate: 1 chapter/week. Monday 0900 GMT +8
===================
Hi! Mr and Mrs MoonCat here :) We would like to introduce a new world for you guys to explore. This story is based on Malaysian style, a small country in southeast Asia, of course, since its our hometown. It has a lot of local slangs, but won't affect the main story as a whole. It'll be lighthearted, funny and simple, with a splash of reality mixed with fantasy. Come and enjoy the ride with us! Give a try for at least 10 chapters before you judge :)

There are three routes to increase the number of chapters;

Route 1 - 1 free chapter the following week when achieving top 100

Route 2 - sponsored chapters. 10 cumulative cups for each additional chapter

Route 3 - become our patrons
Cumulative goals:
10 patrons - +1 permanent increase in 1 month
30 patrons - +2 permanent increase in 1 month
50 patrons - +4 or 5 permanent increase in 1 month

Route 4 (one time only) - rate and write review until a formal rating is established for ASTHW. We will post extra 1 chapter the following week.

Anyway, Mrs Mooncat could only write around 1-3 chapters in a week depending on how our kids behave. Mr Mooncat was so busy, he could only proofread and edit/suggest a certain chapter 1-2 times in the middle of the night in a week. Hence, we're actually quite low on the stockpile. So, there you have it..our reality :) Please bear with us *kowtows*

Please vote ASTHW if you like the novel so that it can reach more audience (and made both of us happy) (^_^)~ It will really motivate us to continue writing.

Do reach out to us through our email to send fanarts, questions, suggestions, requests etcs. We will come back to as soon as we can (wink!) 

Mr n Mrs Mooncat
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========================
ANNOUNCEMENT (31 MAY 2020):

Something is wrong with webnovel. Mrs Mooncat can't paste the chapter. If it is not resolved, just go to scrib blehub to read. Type ASTHW and you'd see the update (Chapter 125). Am getting quite frustrated with this inkstone platform hmmm..

Once the issue is resolved, we'd place the proper chapter within

Take care.

Mr and Mrs Mooncat.

"So, where are you headed off to so early in the morning?" Ryder and Blake pointed at themselves because they thought Lorenzo was asking them but the eldest in the household shook his head. "I know you are going to that library thirty minutes away from here. Why would you do that when there is one two blocks away? And you, you always leave for the studio at this time. Vivian here is dressed very elegantly, could that be her power?"

"I need to find a larger library to do more research. Of course, a jock like you would not remember how to find information that is not on the internet." Blake grinned and ducked after Lorenzo chucked an apple core at the youngest. They both knew Blake was being sarcastic but Lorenzo loves showing off his biceps. Blake dusted his precious lab coat and pushed his glassed up the bridge of his nose. "You can pick that up. Cinderella, make sure you wipe that spot well!"

As the twins put their shoes on, Ryder asked his brother who he was in the story of Lorenzella. Blake showed his fun side by saying Ryder would be the other stepsister. Ryder looked shocked, as if he had forgotten Cinderella had two sisters and I find it funny how Ryder wanted to be the crueler sister. "There is a cruel sister, right? I mean, they are both mean but I want to be evil!"

The doors closed and after they locked the door Ryder's loud voice fades as they walk away from the unit. Lorenzo waits for me by the coat hanger with a random pair of knee high combat boots hanging around his neck. We have a tradition of picking each other's shoes that started ever since we were kids. Others tease us for acting like a couple but I do not know if other friends in platonic relationships have their own weird traditions.

I looked at my outfit which consisted of a white turtleneck, a black bomber jacket, leather pants and a tote bag that holds my work and superpowers. I had to say that his styling has improved during the year because there was one time when he gave me running shoes that are comfortable but I was wearing a sundress. 

"I will find your superpower," Lorenzo whispers in my ear as I bend to slip the shoes on. I looked up to see his glistening teeth that could blind the eye and all I can think of if they were pure white or a slight shade darker. My friend saw my bewildered expression but slaps my back as if to ease the rising tension. "And when I do, it will be awesome!" 

"Yeah, I believe in you Lorenzo but I have a customer I need to meet." I checked my pockets for my phone, keys and a sharpened pencil. I'm ready to meet the first customer ever since I finished my last project but I know I will get cold feet when I actually meet the customer. He said he wanted to meet at his company but if I rode my bike it would take about forty minutes if traffic isn't bad. I would take public transportation but there are still a lot of people going to work at six. 

"You are riding your bike again?" I nod and Lorenzo looked reluctant to let me go. After moments of silence and Brett's background noise, Lorenzo opened the door to the balcony where we stored our bikes. He checked the bell which sent a row of pigeons flying from the railings. "Be careful, you hear me? I was riding the other day and almost got ran over by some fancy guy. Do you have the can of Fabreeze, pepper spray and dog repellent?" 

I nod and pull out the three cans of protection. Brett calls them the Guardians and sometimes I wonder if he is addicted to games or not. He is a game tester which makes his lifestyle slightly understandable. It is a wonder how he does not need glasses or contact lenses. "I hope I do not have to use the Fearsome Fabreeze." 

Brett whoops in the background like he always does when someone uses the names he gives to everyday objects. Fearsome Fabreeze can act as air fresheners after a long battle with constipation or it could be trickery according to Brett. He spent a week painting and perfecting the outer layer of the purple can until it looks like metal. 

"I have been trained to recognize poisonous fumes but I would be terrified to see an unmarked metal can I would sprint. Do you remember how to hold it?" He nods in satisfaction when I exaggerate a pose that we always see in superhero movies. "Also, you better not leak your superpower to anyone else. Who knows if you can make diamonds. Greedy people would surely love that." 

"But that isn't my power," I secured the tote bag in the basket hanging from my bike. Lorenzo opened the door for me and helped me to the elevator. He wanted to drop me off at the lobby but I told him to go back up and rest. "I will be fine." 

"I know but there are some crazy things happening out there. You are also a female, of course I would worry." He tapped the pocket holding my phone and reminded me to call him when I arrive at my customer's company building. "If anything seems suspicious do not eat, drink or breathe in the building. Which number am I on your speed dial?" 

"I think you are number two. 911 is always number one." I laugh when Lorenzo pretends to imitate one of his students who always throw temper tantrums. He smiles and waved me away as he spun on his feet. I waved at his retreating back, "Rest well! I will be back before you know it. I might get you your favorite cupcake from Hao's Bakery on the way back." 

I slowly brought my bicycle down the short flight of concrete stairs while trying to dodge seagulls scattered on different steps. Once I reach the sidewalk I took a whiff of the crisp morning air. Living right beside a Great Lake  is the best place for inspiration. Living with four guys in a busy city beside a lake was surely not what I wrote in elementary school for the 'When I grow up I want to be...' boxes. 

I rechecked my inventory and when I am sure I have everything I need, I hopped onto the bike. I zipped up my jacket pockets as I recalled the time I learned the hard way that riding with open pockets could be dangerous for my phone and keys. I have lost my previous phone and Brett had to buy me another one because he was worried whenever I went out without one of the boys. 

I stepped on the pedals and rode onto the lane for bicycles, keeping to the curb as closely as possible. As I rode through the urban streets I counted Uber cars as they went by, wondering what the story of the individual drivers were and where they were going. If they are on the road at six, they must have started very early but customers would be needing them later in the day so I do not know why so many are out at this time. 

I made a sharp turn to the right and looked at the smartwatch on my wrist to read the time. I still have more than enough time to stop by my favorite flower shop for inspiration. I rode into the bars for bicycles and dismounted while retrieving my tote bag from the basket. I slung the bag over my shoulders and tried to fix my hair using the windows. 

"Viv! How many times have I told you not to stick your face into the window? You are scaring my babies." The door of the shop opened which made a set of windchimes sing. I slowly turn my head to the side, straightening myself quickly. The best florist I know had a pot of different succulents in her hands. 

"Ah, I forgot the roses are pricks." We both grin at the pun I made and without invitation I walk past her to look around the cozy shop. Soft music that seems fit for mediation plays in the background. "I just wanted to get a flower for inspiration. What is the flower of the day, Melina?" 

"Daffodils! Symbolizes rebirth, fresh starts and all that jazz." Melina brought a small pot from the wooden counter. In the cute container decorated with stickers is a single stem with the bright flowering top. "This one is free since you created the stickers. The kids love them! I think you should try using social media to gain more exposure though." 

"I hear it's a good idea for artists but I don't think I am dedicated nor confident enough. I just finished a small project that paid really well and I'm also on my way to meet a customer." I gratefully take the daffodil from her outstretched hands. I give her a wink as I backed out of her shop, "Thanks Melina. I will be sure to make another set of stickers for your store." 

"Alright, take your time. If you do not think you can manage a social media account yourself I can help. The shop is not so busy around this time of year until some holiday comes along." Melina watched as I reorganized my stuff. She adjusted the flower pot and shook the handbars, satisfied when the pot seems secure. "Good luck! Whoever you are meeting would be shocked to see your skill." 

"Oh," I chuckled as I mounted my metal steed. I should be leaving the block any minute now if I want to be fifteen minutes early to the meeting.  "I like working at my own pace. I think being a freelancing artist has its difficulties but that's the same with every job. You say caring for plants makes you feel magical and I feel magical when I draw. I'll be seeing you soon. Maybe for setting up social media accounts just for fun. We can post about flowers and art!" 

"You mean me as in we? Alright, I might quickly make an Instagram account and I'll post the daily flowers until you come around again. Bye Vivian!" We wave at each other and said our byes. Melina walked back into her store and I continued on my way, watching buildings and cars as I fly past them. After the great start of the day I am full of ideas for my customer. Let's meet him first before I get too excited.

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