Ian has a crush and when he realizes that he will be spending the summer with said crush, he takes it as a sign to confess...will love blossom between the two?

Ian has a crush and when he finds out he'll be spending the summer with said crush he's determined to confess his feelings....will a relationship blossom between the two?

After her inevitable death against cancer, Evelyn, makes a contract with system 002. A highly irritating system who makes her travel to different books in order to save random characters.

Jackson and Nicholas was a best friend. Both of them always be together. One day, Jackson family moved from their city. Nicholas was to sad because that. After, 20 years Jackson was back to his city. At that time, Nicholas didn't recognise him and she will get married with Louis in 3 months.

Jackson was not a normal person anymore after the incident about the hunted house. He still at the world because he had a wish and wanted to make that became true. 

Jackson was fallen in love with Nicholas since they are kid. He used any method to make Nicholas recall about him. But all of that just wasted his time. Nicholas was in love with Louis she only think about Louis.

Jackson try to get close with Nicholas but had something that stopped him to do so. That made him became more difficult to make Nicholas remember about him.

Until the last will Nicholas recalled about Jackson? Or she still didn't remember who is Jackson?

*Jackson actually died when he enter to the hunted house. So who is with Nicholas? How that person know Nicholas?

Amber:


On Sunday Cami suggested we go shopping, though it was more like she forcing us and we got ready after breakfast and decided to have lunch outside. It had been days three of us went out together.
I got busy with busy, Beth was busy managing the household and Cami held Xander and Xavier in their business. Beth drove as I took the passenger's seat and Cami sat in the backseat since she needed more space like that's what she said.


Once we reached the mall and Beth parked the car we hopped out and ended up in an H&M store, Cami pulled us to the maternity section cause according to her, "Guys I'm growing bigger as days pass and I am scared I won't fit into my clothes any longer very soon"


So we send more than an hour there looking for pretty maternity dresses and stretchable leggings. After she bought a floral dress, two basic coloured maternity shirts and two pairs of leggings did we move into Forever 21's showroom.


Beth took two hours there to decide what all she needed and ended up buying a whole lot of shorts and crop tops and till then I didn't want to buy anything. I am not a person inclined to much of showing but then the girls decided to go into Zara, the one brand I couldn't restrain myself from.


Cami again went to the maternity section and ended up buying two more dresses, whereas Beth both a ruffled shirt and a pair of jeans. I got myself a black jumpsuit and a summer dress.Though I wanted to pay Beth insisted that she was the guardian and she should be the one paying.


After Zara Cami stated she was hungry and craved cheeseburgers, we walked onto a diner opposite the mall.


"Hey, a table for three right?", a bubbly waitress came asking


"Ye- ", and I was cut by Cami, "No. Four can't you see the bump here", Cami said rather frustrated pointing at her tummy.


"Oh! I am sorry. Please follow.", she said.


Cami's pregnancy made her grumpy when she is hungry.


As then the waitress showed us the table and said, "I will be back in 5mins to take your order", she said smiling.


As she walked to the counter I followed her, "Hey", I called out to here


"Oh yes, ma'am. How can I help you?"


I looked at her label, it stated her name was Annie, "Annie, I am sorry for my friend's behaviour when we entered. Her pregnancy causes her to get into this mood sometimes.", I said with an apologetic smile.


"It's ok. I understand", I said shrugging her shoulders.


I went back to the table, "Where did you wander off?", asked Cami looking at the menu


"I went to apologies for your mood swing"


"Oh sorry," she said with a pout"Its ok Cami, we understand", Beth replied with an assuring smile," now what are you having?"


"I will have a double cheeseburger with cheesy fries", replied Cami


"I will have a Mac and Cheese and a coke", I said.


And soon Annie came by, "May I have your order?"


"Yes, one double cheeseburger, two cheesy fries, One Mac and Cheese, one Hamburger with cheese, two coke and one lime juice for the pregnant lady", Beth gave the order


"Ok, your order might take unto 15minutes."


"Annie", Cami called out, "I am sorry for my behaviour earlier


"I understand ma'am and your friend already apologised and I didn't mind. I am also a mother I totally get it", she replied turning and walking back to the counter.


Soon the food arrived and we chawed on random topics like Annie looked too young to be a mother. To this Beth stated she might have been a case of teenage pregnancy and then Cami talked about how Xavier wouldn't give her ice-cream at 2 am in the night.


And how he would message her legs after he came back from work and she thought she looks fat and ugly to which we had most of our further conversation.


We convinced her that she was pregnant and beautiful but her hormones wouldn't let her get happy and yes as usual she was all over the place.


After lunch we went shoe shopping where Cami brought almost four pairs of flats and a pair of sneakers, Beth bought two pairs of pencil heels and a wedge, and I was just eager to leave the place.


Across the store, I could see a book store as soon as we exited the shoe store I started walking in that direction. I didn't want to tell cause there was a possible chance of Cami not agreeing and once there I saw a frown on Cami's face.


"5 minutes I promise", is what I said beaming at them


"It's ok Amy go on", Cami replied


I walked through the bookshelves look at the possible books I could buy. I picked up Dan Brown's Origin, though it came out a couple of years back I didn't find the time to actually buy or read it and I treated myself with a Nicholas Sparks novel as well.


Once I paid I saw Beth and Cami sitting at an ice-cream store and Cami having her daily dose of ice-cream.


After a few strolls and common street food, we made our way back to the apartment, and Cami and Beth headed back to their house.


Once back I took a hot shower and I called up Zach, he said he was free so we almost talked for an hour. When I say we I mean I as I told him all about what happened today and what I bought and what not.


And then someone called him and he had to go.


Then I read a little before Beth called me to remind me of dinner.The thought of me cooking dinner for myself caused an immediate frown on my face but I didn't want twenty people shouting over my head therefore I went to the kitchen and took a pack of instant noodles and put them to boil.


Once done I didn't spare time in bowling it out, I just took a fork and ate from the pan itself.Then I took my medicine and walked over to my bed with my book, and after days I slept reading. It made me feel happy.


Zach:


It was two at night when I woke up from sleep it felt like someone was pulling my heart.


"Mate mate mate", is all Ray chanted.I got up and dialled her number.


The first call went unanswered, I called again.


"Hey", she said picking up the call


"Hi, why does your voice seem like you came back from a run"


"Umm nothing, it was the nightmare again"


"You ok now"


"Yes yes, why are you calling at this time?"


"I don't know I just had this creepy feeling"


"Oh, I am fine Zach. Don't worry. Enjoy your time with family"


"Yes yes", I replied though I actually wanted to say that I enjoy my time more with her but I have my obligations towards the pack.


"Sleep now"


"Hmm. Do you want to be over the call?"


"I will be fine Zach. Go off to sleep"


"Ok, ma'am. Good night"


"Good night Zach"


And with that, she cut the call.I realised I missed her a lot more than I would have.

As soon as I started pulling his arms to take him to my favourite place along the coastline it electricity seemed to pass through my skin.
"Shit I'm sorry I am again being over-friendly", I muttered out in a voice was laced with guilt
"Hey it's ok, See we are not in the office and even if we are we can always be friends right?", he said thrusting out his hand for a handshake
"Friends right that sounds good", I shook his hand with a grin on my face and the electricity was back as soon as our hands touched
"Ok now come along I'll show you the best place around here", I said taking my hand back and thus bring him out of his dream.

Zachery Mathew Collins is not only the owner of a multinational business empire but is also the Alpha King of the werewolves. Over the 24 years of his life, all he has known is to strive every day to get a step forward from where he was. But what happens when he is put into a whirlpool of feelings and emotions towards his mate. What happens when she becomes his top priority? But most importantly what happens when he learns about secrets she has been hiding all these years?

Amber a 20-year-old independent friendly woman, but there is a lot hidden behind the smile on the face. Will she ever accept an outsider as her family? Will she be able to accept her true identity when the time comes?

It was then that Miles saw Sarah Andrews for the first time.

In that instant, no shivers pricked the hairs on the back of his neck, no premonitions burst forth like exploding fireworks; he felt no sense of foreboding at all, and looking back-considering all that was to come—he was always amazed by that.

Paano nga ba nagsisimula ang isang istorya—ang isang love story? 

Marahil, marami ang magsasabi na nagsisimula ang lahat sa unang pagkikita. 'Yung tipong sa unang pagkikita pa lang may sparks na. Parang may fireworks sa background o kaya naman, tulad sa pelikula, 'yung nag-i-slow motion ang paligid habang nagkakatitigan at nagngingitian ang mga bida.

Ang cliché. 

Bakit nga kaya gano'n, hindi tayo nagsasawa sa kung ano ang cliché? Parehong mga pelikula ang pinapanood natin. Parehong uri ng mga libro ang binabasa natin. Parehong mga bagay ang nagpapangiti sa atin, nagpapa-kilig . . . at nagpapa-ibig.

Pero paano kung sa unang pagkikita walang sparks, walang fireworks, walang slow motion, walang nakakatunaw na pagtitinginan o ngitian? Paano kung ang unang pagkikita e tulad ng kay Miles Ryan at Sarah Andrews? Baka nga 'yung pinakahihintay na chance encounter e 'di pa mapansin dahil parang ordinaryo lang ang lahat. Hindi pampelikula o pang-libro ang eksena.

Gan'yan naman ang totoong buhay 'di ba?

Alam ko kanina pa ko tinitingnan at siguro pinag-uusapan ng dalawang babae sa kabilang table. 

Iba ka talaga, Gordon Jimenez. Ang gwapo. Nyay, walang gano'n!

Siguro, napansin nila ang binabasa kong libro dito sa coffee shop—A Bend in the Road by Nicholas Sparks.

Napangiti na lang ako. 

Hindi ko maiwasang ma-curious sa kung ano nga ba ang iniisip ng mga babae kapag nakakakita sila ng lalaking nagbabasa ng romance fiction, chicklit novel, o iba pang libro na karaniwang binabasa ng mga babae.

Iniisip kaya nilang bading ako? 

Hindi naman siguro. Wala naman talaga kasing pinipilang gender ang romance fictions at kung ano pang genre ng isang akda 'di ba?

Kinikilig kaya sila?

May nabasa kasi ako minsan sa isang blog:

Seeing someone read a book you love is seeing a book recommend a person.

Isa kaya sa kanila e nabasa na ang librong hawak ko? Isa kaya sa kanila e nag-iisip na baka ako na ang the one para sa kaniya?

Natawa ako sa mga pumasok sa isipan ko. 

Ipinagpatuloy ko na lang ang pagbabasa ng libro. Kailangan e.

Marami kasing nahirapan sa malupit na exam ni Ms. Rodrin sa Literature. 'Di kapani-paniwala. Pero totoo . . . isa na ko sa mga bumagsak. Para makabawi, gumawa na lang daw kami ng book review. 

Pinapili ni Ms. Rodrin ang klase kung sinong author ang gusto namin. Ang mga kaklase ko gusto pa atang utakan si Ms. Rodrin, si Nicholas Sparks daw ang paborito nila; rinig na rinig naman ang bulungan nila na kaya si Sparks ang gusto nila e kasi may movies na yung mga book niya. Panonoorin na lang daw nila. Natawa na lang ako nang pumayag si Ms. Rodrin kasi ang pinili niyang book e yung wala pang movie version.

Ang totoo, pwede ko namang i-google na lang ang review ng book na 'to pero no'ng napadaan ako kanina sa bookstore, ewan ko ba, bigla lang ako na-curious basahin.

Tiningnan ko ulit ang dalawang babae sa kabilang table. Ngumiti ako sa kanila (Landi!) Walang sparks, pero parang kinilig sila. Narinig ko pa nga sabi ng isa na ang gwapo ko. Nyay, walang gano'n!

Hinigop ko na ang natitirang kape sa tasa, tumayo at lumabas na ng coffee shop. 

Wooo, ang  lamig ng gabi.

Pagdating ko sa tawiran, naabutan ako ng stop ng traffic lights. Ninety seconds. Ang tagal. 

Nakatitig lang ako sa traffic lights at sinasabayan ang bilang ng electronic counter nang mula sa likod ay may yumakap sa akin. 

"Mahal kita. Nakakainis ka," bulong niya. 

Babae siya, tingin ko base sa boses niya. Tingin ko lasing 'to. Boses lasing e.

Nang tatanggalin ko na sana ang pagkakayakap niya, siya na mismo ang unti-unting humiwalay sa'kin.

"Nakakainis ka," muli niyang sabi.

Humarap ako sa kanya na kaagad kong pinagsisihan. Bigla niya kong sinuntok. 'Di naman masyadong malakas kasi lasing nga siya, pero masakit pa rin.

Napahawak ako sa pisngi ko. First time kong masapak ng lasing.

Nagkatitigan kami. Siyempre kumunot ang noo ko sa kanya para ipakitang inis ako sa ginawa niya, kaya lang bigla niyang inalis ang kaniyang tingin. 

Nagsimula siyang maglakad. Nakatawid siya sa unang lane ng kalsada kahit pagewang-gewang, wala namang gaanong sasakyan sa lane na 'yun. Huminto siya sa gitna. Mas malapad na ang kalsada sa kabilang lane. Mas marami na rin ang mga sasakyang mabilis na dumaraan. Nagsimula siyang humakbang . . . 

Ano! Loko 'to, tatawid e naka-go pa rin yung mga sasakyan. 

Tatlong segundo rin akong napanganga habang nakatanaw sa kaniya—tatlong segundong nabawas sa counter ng traffic signal lights. 

Thirty seconds pa ang natitira bago magpalit sa green. Sa bilis ng mga sasakyan, malabong hindi siya mapuruhan kong masagasaan man siya. 

Ramdam ko ang pagbilis ng tibok ng puso ko. Tumakbo ako tungo sa kaniya at dali-dali kong hinatak ang braso niya palapit sa akin.

Tumama ang mukha niya sa dibdib ko. For the second time, nayakap niya ulit ako. Nakaka-ilan na sa'kin 'to ha.

Bahagya niya akong naitulak nang bumusina ang isang kotseng dumaan sa gilid namin. Na-weirdo-han siguro sa'min ang driver. Baka first time niyang makakita nang nagyayakapan sa gitna ng kalsada. Tumawa ako nang mahina. Parang pampelikula ang eksena namin ngayon.

"Bitawan mo ko, manyak ka!" sigaw niya.

Ibinaba ko ang tingin sa braso niya at kaagad na tinanggal ang pagkakahawak ko.

"Miss, hindi ako manyak. Ayan, stop na ang mga sasakyan. Makakatawid ka na."

"Ayaw ko." 

E may saltik naman pala talaga 'to e.

"O, sige ma-una na ko sa'yong tumawid." Tinalikuran ko siya at nagsimula nang maglakad. Sumunod naman siya sa likuran ko.

Pagkatawid, kumaliwa ako habang sa kabilang direksiyon naman siya pumunta. Lumnigon ako para  tanawin siya. Gano'n pa rin siya maglakad—parang tutumba. Muntik pa ngang siyang tumumba, nagawa niya lang na makahawak sa isang poste. 

Haist. Parang 'di ko siya kayang iwan na lang. 

Naglakad ako palapit sa kaniya. Hinawakan ko ang kamay niya at hinila ko siya pabalik sa coffee shop.

Pina-upo ko siya sa parehong pwesto ko kanina. Um-order ako ng cafe americano para sa kanya.

"O kape nang mahimasmasan ka naman kahit na konti."

Tinanggap niya naman ito. Umupo na rin ako. Magkaharap kami. Napangiti ako habang pinagmamasdan siya na dahan-dahang hinihigop ang kape. 

Walang nagsasalita sa amin. Tahimik. Naisipan kong kuhain sa bag ko ang binabasa kong libro kanina.


He would, however, always remember his surprise at the fact that Charlie had been right: She was attractive. Not glamorous in a high-maintenance way, but definitely a woman whose passing would cause men to turn their heads. Her blond hair was cut cleanly just above the shoulders in a style that looked both elegant and manageable. She wore a long skirt and a yellow blouse, and though her face was flushed from heat, her blue eyes seemed to radiate a freshness, as if she'd just spent the day relaxing at the beach.


Nang unang makita ni Miles si Sarah, no shivers pricked the hairs on the back of his neck, no premonitions burst forth like exploding fireworks; he felt no sense of foreboding at all. 

Sa madaling salita, walang kilig. Walang sparks. 

Katulad ito nang unang pagkikita namin ng babaeng nasa harapan ko. Walang slow motion. Walang titigan at ngitian. Sapak lang ang na-feel ko. Saklap.

Pero tulad ni Sarah Andrews, chicks din naman siya. Maputi. Yung mga mata niya, dark brown, pero halata mong iyon talaga ang kulay ng mga ito. Medyo magulo lang ang buhok niya pero maganda siya. Maganda siya . . . may saltik nga lang.

Napatingin ako sa orasan sa may dingding—8:47. Kailangan ko na talagang umuwi dahil may exam pa ko bukas.

"Wala bang pwedeng sumundo sa'yo rito? Kailangan ko na kasing umuwi e," tanong ko, tumayo ako.

Tumingala siya sa'kin. "Sige, okay lang. Ite-text ko na lang 'yung kaibigan ko."

Tingin ko medyo okay na siya. Ume-epekto na rin ang kape, nahimas-masan na siya kahit papaano.

"Sige, una na ko," pagpapaalam ko, pagkatapos, naglakad na ko palabas ng pinto.

Sa labas nakita ko siya mula sa glass panels ng coffee shop na kumakaway. Nakatingin siya sa'kin. Nabasa ko ang binibigkas ng bibig niya—Thank you—sabay ngiti.

Kumaway rin ako pabalik at tinanguan siya.

Dumiretso na ko sa paglakad at muling tumawid ng kalsada. Napadaan ako sa isang convenience store kung saan naaninagan ko ang sarili mula sa salaming pader . . . kanina pa pala ako nakangiti.

May sparks.

A boy who have moved on.
A girl with a broken heart. 
One crazy chance encounter. 
An unexpected romance.

After taking a nice hot bath, Shad went to relax in the living room.  However, Before he could even lay down on one of the sofas, Mark brought him one small book as well as a map.

Mark was one of the Imperial Knights that was assigned to him on his journey. He was very well built and was the strongest of the four imperial knights with a cultivation of a peak 6th rank warrior. Not only that, his battle qi had already been transformed into fire battle qi.

" Did the crown prince bring these things," Asked Shad as he was flipping through the book.

" No, your highness, one of his servant brought them. Apparently, the crown prince is busy preparing for the welcoming banquet."  Answered Mark in a respectful tone.

"Hmm." Shad nodded slightly without looking at  Mark, he was engrossed in the information in the small book. It seemed like the crown prince really wanted to get close to him. Shad did not mind, as long as he was useful to him.

Roman had told him that he would bring him a detailed book containing all the information about the powerful nobles' family within the kingdom as well as an updated map, However, he did not expect that he was going to be that fast.

" Did Monalisa leave already," Asked Shad. Ever since Shad had told her to bring a letter to Lisa, the young lady of the Bennett family, Monalisa seemed to be distant. It was as though she was jealous or felt threatened by Lisa's background as well as beauty. Shad was not a fool and could clearly sense a hint of jealousy in her eyes as well as insecurity when he mentioned Lisa, but he did not bother to clear things out.


" Yes, your highness."  Mark had no idea where the young lady went, she just said that she went to take a stroll within the Royal Capital and will be back before the late afternoon. If only he knew where she was truly going, he would have been freaked out, especially to see how much time it would take her to come back.

While Shad was taking his sweet time reading the information about the major influences within the royal capital in his living room, the royal capital was upside down. 

In every restaurants, inns, and corner of the royal capital, the people were talking about one thing. Before, the hot topic was the Emissary of the Djage Empire coming to the Mulan Kingdom who was none other than the legendary eccentric 4th prince. But now, the 4th prince had long been forgotten.  The new hot topic was none other than Richard, the second son of Marquis Lance, from the Tulip family.

The Tulip family was a powerful noble family that presides over a good portion of the southern region of the Mulan kingdom.  The prestige of the Tulip family came from a man named George, the great-grandfather of the Current marquis Lance.

George was a general of the Mulan Kingdom. Because of George's repeated and outstanding military exploits, He was given a territory to rule over. The land was very large and fertile. Almost no Lord in the Kingdom had such a large fiefdom, but the problem was that the land was very close to the Nicholas Empire. 

This land was given to him long before the Mulan Kingdom became an affiliated kingdom of the Dhjage Empire. Everything was going fine until the previous king had decided to make the Mulan Kingdom an affiliated kingdom of the Djage Empire.

Ever since then, his territory had been infested with bandits and all sorts new tribes. Not only that, they were in a constant state of war, not with the Nicholas Empire but with a group of bandits. Even though they knew deep down that those people weren't real bandits but they had no proof. As such, the Tulip family was in decline.

Richard was the second son of marquis Lance. Unlike his older brother, he was stupid and easy to manipulate. In order to get out the shadow of his older brother, Richard had decided to ally with the 3rd prince of the Nicholas Empire and opposed his older brother as well his father in secret.

In order to prove himself to the 3rd prince, he had easily accepted the mission to ambush and kill the 4th prince before he could even make it the Mulan kingdom by borrowing some his father's troops that had some animosity towards the Djage Empire or was brought by the 3rd prince.

All of this information was unknown to the public, they only knew that Richard was a friend of the 3rd prince and was always hang out with him. But today, he did something unexpected. 

A few minutes after the 4th prince of the Djage empire had come to the Mulan Kingdom, Richard had sneaked attack the 3rd prince in public who was in the royal capital. The 3rd prince did not die but he was badly injured. Because of that the 3rd prince had killed Richard on the spot and left the royal capital at the same time. 

One of the witnesses mentioned that as Richard was about to stab the 3rd prince, tears were running down his face and his body was emitting slight electric sparks. His eyes were void of any emotions as though he was possessed. 

This sudden turn of event had rocked the royal capital. As for the real culprit of that accident, he was sitting quietly in his house reading a book while sipping his glass of wine.

After reading the book as well looking out the map that the Roman has given to him, Shad put them down on the small table and prepared to take a nap. He was completely unaware of the huge waves he had caused in the royal capital.

However, Before he could even fall asleep, he saw a huge black hole appeared inside the living room.

Monalisa walked out from it as it closed by itself automatically.

" That was fast," Shad said as he was looking at Monalisa with a huge smile on his face.

" Miss Lisa had given me this book and said that she wasn't able to acquire the rest from his father. Also, she said that she can only let you read one of them at a time." She said with a seductive smile on his face as she gave Shad one small book that was identical to the one he had bought from the auction house.

Seeing this book, Shad couldn't help but grabbed it from Monalisa's hand as he went to his room.

" No one is allowed to disturb me for the next hour," He said as he ran up the stairs.

This is a story about Shad, a young orphan who was struck by lightning. Instead of dying, he was reborn into another world known as Eidrin. The ambient mana on Eidrin is extremely dense and abundant, allowing mages to reign supreme over the rest of the populace. Follow Shad as he develops the strength to survive in this new world and reaches heights thought to be unattainable for mortals, all in a quest to learn the truth behind his reincarnation and the purple lightning that resides in his soul.

"Sir Nicholas, why did you not ring the bell if you have finished with your meal?" Monnette asked, her lips pressed into a straight line, forming neither a smile nor a frown; one could not discern any type of emotions from her expression.

Nicholas scratched his head. "Mm, I kind of forgotten about the bell. Sorry." 

It had been two hours since he had ate all of the food. Of course, he did not forget about bell's function; he just wanted to see how long  it would take for Monnette to come here to clean up the dishes if he did not call her. Perhaps she would not come at all. Alas, the maid was self-initiated and came by her own accord seeing that he did not call her to pick up the empty plates. 

He had hoped that she was the type to not come unless needed. 

In any case, Nicholas did it so that he could assess Monnette's character. Well, he could not really figure out the maid, what with her never changing expression.

He plopped himself down on his comfortable bed. He stared at the top of the canopy bed and rested his chin on his palm. He looked towards Monnette who was putting the dirty plates and cutlery onto the food cart before turning to stare at the clock in the room.

Although the numbers written on the clock were foreign to him, he knew what they meant. Then again, it did not take a genius to guess which number was which when it came  to numbers in the clock. However, if he did not pay attention from the beginning, he would have not noticed that he was able to understand, speak, and read a whole different language. That's just how natural it felt for him. 

He guessed every summoned Hero was capable of Language Comprehension. It was a classic ability anyways, and it was not surprising. It was just weird if he paid attention to how he spoke every now and then. 

He called out to Monnette, "Miss Monnette, is it five in the evening?"

"Yes," she answered, still continuing with her job. She placed a new vase onto the table, replacing the vase broken by Nicholas. 

"Mm, are you not going to ask why I asked?" Nicholas yawned. 

"It is indeed five in the evening." Monnette put the last of the empty dishes onto the food cart and turned to look at Nicholas. "...Is something of the matter, Sir Nicholas?"

He smiled. "Nothing."

"I see." Monnette bowed at the waist. "Then, if I may excuse myself." She then took the food cart with her and exited the room.

Nicholas stared at the bell on the table. "Mm..."

Half an hour later, Monnette came knocking at the door. Nicholas let her in and went back to his bed to lay down on his stomach. 

The maid gave her customary bow, prim and perfect. "Is there anything you need, Sir Nicholas?"

Could he just say that he was bored, and that he just wanted to pester Monnette? Well, why not? 

"I was bored," he said, his gaze languid. 

"...Is that the reason why you have called me here?" Neither Monnette's polite tone nor the volume of her voice had changed. 

Nicholas hummed. "Mm, well, yes and no." 

"Then, Sir Nicholas, what is the 'no'?" The maid gave no reactions towards Nicholas' nonchalant attitude. 

Seeing that, Nicholas felt somewhat unsatisfied. Well, with time, he'll get under her skin anyways. "Say, do you know what the other Heroes are up to?" he asked, his chin propped up by his palm, and his legs were swinging up and down. 

"My apologies, but I am not aware of what the other Heroes are occupied with. Monnette's only task is to serve you, Sir Nicholas."

"Mm, is that so?" He gave a nod. "Alright, can you bring me some books to read, Miss Monnette? Also some writing utensils."

"What kind of books do Sir Nicholas wish to read, if I may inquire?"

"History books, books about the basics of magic, and things like that." He hummed a merry little tune. 

"I understood. I'll be back soon with a collection of suitable books." Monnette bowed and once again went out from the room. 

Some time later, Monnette returned with a cart full of books and writing utensils. "These are the books recommended by our Royal Librarian. Please do take care when using them as they need a considerable amount of time to reproduce if damaged."

"They are handwritten, I assume?" Seeing Monnnette nod, Nicholas asked, "Can you help me put these books onto the table?"

"Yes, it is my pleasure." 

After putting all of the books and writing utensils, Monnette asked, "Is there anything else, Sir Nicholas?"

Nicholas looked at the pile of papers laying on top of the table. "Are papers a scarcity or are they easily available?"

"It used to be  a luxury item only nobles could afford until a few years ago. An unknown magician had revolutionized the paper-making industry with his magic, and taught it to others." 

"Huh, that person did that kind of amazing thing, yet they are unknown?" Nicholas hummed in thought; the magician must have used some kind of magic. 

"It is suspected that the magician used a concealing spell on themselves or a forgetful spell on others, therefore not allowing people to know of their identity," Monnette replied.

That piece of information was suspicious. Was the person perhaps summoned to this world from Earth as well? And were they also a Hero? From the fact that they helped to mass-produce paper, it did not sound like they were an enemy. 

...However, one could not be too careful. Who knew if the mysterious person with unknown abilities decided to side with the Demon Lord?  That would be troublesome to say the least. 

Nicholas said, "Mm, you are quite knowledgeable, Miss Monnette. Are you perhaps a noble or something?"

Monnette did not reply for a few moments. When Nicholas' attention was back towards the books, she answered, "Only daughters and sons from a noble family that have received strict training are able to serve as servants in the royal castle. That being said, Monnette and the others are only from a lower-class noble family."

"Mm..." Nicholas nodded. "Thank you for the information, Miss Monnette. Bye~" He waved his hand. 

"...Bye?" Then, as if realizing something, Monnette bowed. "Then, I'll excuse myself."

With the maid gone, Nicholas focused on the books about the basics of magic. Looking at the thick books, he sighed. "I still need to study even if it's another world, huh?" He then looked at the history books. "Yuck, those are even thicker." He shuddered and began his reading. 

Every once in a while, he would jot down notes onto the papers. His speed of writing was slow as he had to get used to scribbling with a quill. The use of ink also did not help his messy writing either; his fingers were smudged with black ink, and so was the paper. 

With great patience and an hour of practicing writing with the quill, Nicholas managed to note down and compress the dizzying amount of passages into several important points. 

Despite the book being in the language that this country–or this world for that matter–used, as expected, Nicholas had no trouble reading them. However, the notes he had written down was in English, instead of the foreign language. From now on, he would use English for his notes as a safeguard to prevent the people from this world from reading them. 

The fact that it gave him a sense of familiarity and comfort was also a reason why he decided to use the language.

He looked at the clock. The time was a quarter and a half past six. Shouldn't dinner be served around this time? Or did the people of this world eat a bit later? After all, Nicholas could not see whether the sky had darken or not. Time might work differently here. Perhaps night only came when the clock strikes eight or something. 

Just when he was about to ring the bell, three knocks on his door were heard. He opened the door with his clean right hand. 

"Is the dinner ready, Miss Monnette?" As soon as he saw Monnette,  Nicholas lifted up his left hand and opened his palm to show it to her. He then pointed at it with his other hand. "Look at my hand, Miss Monnette! I worked hard in studying, and I need my nutrients to continue on with life!"

The maid blinked. 

"Mm, is it not prepared yet?" Nicholas put down his hand. "Well, whatever, I should wash my hands." He turned back into the room and went straight into the bathroom.

Nicholas soon came back and went back to the door as Monnette was still standing there. "Miss Monnette, did you come here to return the books? It has only been one hour though, and any of the books would take up days to finish reading." He rambled on endlessly. 

Of course, he knew that Monnette was not here for that; he just wanted to get on her nerves and stave off his boredom by saying shit that was not relevant. By acting foolish, he could get others to let down their guards as well. Most importantly, it was fun. 

"Sir Nicholas, please calm down," Monnette finally spoke. "I am here to inform you that a banquet had been set up per your request that was made in the throne room earlier in the day."

"Did I request such a thing?" Nicholas hummed.

"Yes, you did make the request, Sir Nicholas," the maid replied. 

Nicholas ignored her and continued, "Mm, maybe I did, maybe I did not. Anyways, did the other Heroes' personal maids already tell them about this? Why is it that I do not see them standing outside the rooms like you do, Miss Monnette?"

"They are already in the hall where the banquet is held, Sir Nicholas."

Nicholas gave a small smile. "Oh? Why did you fill me in so late, Miss Monnette?"

"I apologize, Sir Nicholas. It was a case of miscommunication, and therefore I received the message a bit late." Monnette bowed. 

"But I'm the one who requested the banquet to begin with? That is odd... Mm, well, whatever." He shrugged.  "Then, Monnette, please guide the way."

Monnette bowed. She gestured to her right and began walking. "This way, Sir Nicholas."

They walked along corridor by corridor in silence. When some time had passed and they still had not arrived at the banquet hall, Nicholas asked, "Miss Monnette, are you sure you know where the banquet is?"

Monnette continued walking in front of him and replied, "Monnette has served in this castle for a few years. The route we are currently taking, Sir Nicholas, is the fastest way to arrive at the hall."

"Mm, is that so?" Nicholas smiled. He looked at the painting of foreign fruits that never existed on Earth; they had passed by that painting four times already. 

"That is so, Sir Nicholas," Monnette replied. 

After a few more minutes and passing the fruit painting two more times, Nicholas' feet started to ache from all the walking. Just when he was about to expose the pointless looping that Monnette was doing, the maid took a turn. 

He followed her and they stopped in front of a large and tall double door. Two bulky guards in intimidating armor stood guarding at each side of the door, with their large frames barring the entry to the room.

Seeing the approaching Nicholas and Monnette, they stepped aside to give way to them.

Monnette turned to look at Nicholas and bowed. "We have arrived, Sir Nicholas."

"Thank you for the guide, Miss Monnette." Nicholas hummed. "Mm, but I prefer if we did not do such a strenuous exercise; I went from hungry to starving."

The guards gave Monnette a weird look. The maid explained with a calm face. "The Hero was jesting. We just went for a short walk around the castle as Sir Nicholas said that he was bored. Is Monnette wrong, Sir Nicholas?" She gave Nicholas a small smile. 

Nicholas returned Monnette's insincere smile with a genuine one. "No, you are right, Miss Monnette." He looked towards the guards. "Yep, yep, we were having a nice, little stroll. I even saw some exquisite paintings along the way. Regrettably, I do not have much sense when it comes to art, to the point that I thought I saw the same painting for the sixth time."

"...It is time I excuse myself, Sir Nicholas." Monnette did not give a reply to Nicholas' comment. She bowed and retreated. 

The guards nodded at Nicholas and opened the door. He walked through the door and a servant inside the hall announced his arrival, "The Hero, Sir Nicholas has arrived!"

Nicholas saw the people inside turned their heads towards his direction. He put his right hand onto his left chest, and bowed towards the king. It was the best mimicry that he had in mind for a noble salute. 

He then walked towards the table where Gareth, Lilith, and Wendy were seated. 

Before he even had the chance to be seated, Gareth directed a finger at him and shouted, "Why are you so late?! We couldn't start the damn banquet and eat, all because you weren't here!"

Wendy sighed. "As much as I dislike it, I actually shared the same sentiment as this hooligan here."

All of the people in the room turned their attention towards Nicholas because of Gareth's loud mouth; they too was tired of waiting for this one Hero. 

Wendy whispered in a soft voice, "Gareth, please don't start a fight here..." She then turned towards Nicholas. "Why did you come so late, Nicholas? It has been more than half an hour since intended time for the banquet to start."

"My sincerest apologies. You see,  I took a little stroll around the castle, and saw this one painting of fruits. It captivated me so much so that I kept looking at it. Somehow, I lost track of time and was late for the banquet."

King Roland stood up. "No need to apologize, Hero Nicholas. It is rather flattering that you found the paintings in our castle fascinating. Please, take a sit."  Seeing Nicholas seated, he nodded his head and said, "Now, let us enjoy the banquet!"

As Nicholas took a sip of fruit juice to wet his parched throat, he thought back on the fruit painting that he passed by six times, and Monnette. 

Although he had made it to the feast late, and lied through his teeth about the reason why, he at least now knew what the always calm maid was like.

"What a funny person." Nicholas chuckled. 

"Pardon? Are you talking about me?" Lilith who sat across Nicholas raised up an eyebrow. 

"Mm, I am quite sure you do not even have a single funny bone in you, Miss Lilith," Nicholas replied, swirling the juice in his glass. 

Lilith rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Nicholas shrugged, and enjoyed his belated dinner. 





Somewhere in the castle, a certain maid was feeling a little bit salty.

If not because of his good looks, Nicholas would seriously be just one of the average people on the street. 

He had no motivations; he studied because he needed to keep up certain grades in order to stay in school and be generally accepted in society. His actions were almost always guided by his parents or someone else, and he was fine with it with the exception of when he spent time on his hobbies.

He was your average Joe that you could find anywhere in the world.

If there was a need to ask what was the most interesting that happened to him lately, there was only one answer that he could provide:

"Well, it seems like another world really exists after all."

This is a classic story about the three (unwillingly) summoned Heroes, the fourth Hero who already knew the template, and their quest to defeat the Demon Lord.

"Tea or coffee?" her voice is sharp and impatient. Pinaparamdam din ni Cass na ayaw siya nitong kausapin. 


He turns to see Cass seated beside him, her hair now cut into a short, chic bob. Gone are the loose brown curls and the sunburned cheeks. 


In her stead is a polished, sophisticated woman who could now easily pass for a magazine model. Flawless makeup, a dark green wrap around dress, and impeccable heels. 


She is worlds away from the wide-eyed gurl he had met only a few minutes... years? Dreams? Timelines ago? 


Hindi ko alam. 


Ibang iba na ito ngayon. Muntik na niyang akalain na ibang tao ang nasa tabi niya. She looks like a stranger to him now. 


"Uhhm... tea siguro," he replies, still trying to conceal his surprise at her new look. 


Tumango si Cass at hinarap ang flight attendant na nakatingin sa kanila. "Tea for him. None for me." she curtly said. 


He stares at her as she hands him a steaming cup of tea, still trying to understand her icy demeanor. 


Bago na itsura niya pero bakit hanggang ngayon galit pa rin siya? 


Diba kapag bagong gupit start of something new na? 


Napailing siya sa naiisip. Namomroblema ka na kung ano-ano pa naiisip mo. 


Napaisip siya kung bakit ito nagalit. Hindi niya alam kung dahil pa rin ba sa napag-usapan nila nung nakaraang eksena sa 'panaginip' niya. O mayroon siyang bagay na ginawang mali... ulit. 


Habang nag-iisip ay tumingin siya sa tanawin sa himpapawid. Madilim. 


"I should've known. Note to self. Never sir anywhere near 1F." she mutters as she crosses her legs and smoothes down her dress. 


"1F?" tanong niya sa dalaga. 


"1F." she gestures his seat. "The first window seat is reserved for THE Mr. Villaroel... ALWAYS!" she reminds him sarcastically. "God, why do they still seat us together? Hindi ba alam ng crew na break na tayo?" 


His heart stops. So it did end. He mumbles an uncertain apology. "Baka nakasanayan lang." 


Nakita niya ang pag-ikot ng mata ng dalaga. Tumingin ito sa gilid at bumuntong hininga. "Well, I'm just finishing off all my leaves and then I'll go." 


Inayos ni Cass ang suot na neck pillow at tsaka kinuha ang libro na nasa pocket ng upuan sa harapan niya. 


The Notebook. 


That's one of her favorite books. Mahilig siya sa mga romantic novels lalo na mga isinulat ni Nicholas Sparks. 


"Bakit? Saan ka pupunta?" tanong niya rito. 


"It doesn't matter now." she replies sharply. 


Heion, it's better than 'none of your business' 


May biglang naalala si Heion na naitanong na niya sa kay Cassandra. 


"Cass... ang snowflake?" 

"France. First time to see snow." 

"And when was that?" 

"When I left you." 

Napatingin siya sa dalaga. "Are you going to France?"

"There shouldn't be an us in the first place"

Please read the book 'Valerian Empire' and 'Heidi and the Lord' before you read this one. As they are the first books that come in the series. 'Bambi and the Duke' is a prequel where the information of other characters are provided in the other two books. Not reading them will make you miss a lot of things.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Leonard's carriage rode from the Carmichael's mansion, now heading towards the heart of the Bonelake where Lord Nicholas' mansion resided. With the coachman riding the carriage, Leonard and Vivian sat inside the carriage next to each other on the same side of the seat facing the opposite direction they were heading in.

At the hour of eleven, Vivian had dressed in the clothes which were given to her in the box. The simple dress was pale green in colour, it's hand sleeves short that didn't go too far from her shoulders which were paired with a ribbon of the same colour of the dress which was tied around her waist.

Standing near the carriage, Leonard had sent her in first due to which she had picked the opposite seat thinking he would prefer to sit facing the coachman's back. An owner sitting next to a low servant was never accepted in the society and she had come to realize this when Leonard's family or his cousins took any of the servants out. Though Charlotte had been a dear friend of hers, always taking Vivian along with her during her visits to the Carmichael's mansion, Vivian always sat on the opposite side. It was an untold action which was supposed to be known and followed by the servants.

But who knew that Leonard would sit next to her instead of sitting where he was supposed to. The journey wasn't too long nor was it short. In less than an hour, they arrived at the tall mansion standing alone midst the barren ground that stretched until it touched the forest that surrounded it. 

Seeing few carriages already stationed not far from the mansion, Vivian wondered if they were late. She followed Leonard inside while keeping a good distance between them as she trailed behind him like a nonexistent string that was tied to him.  

Like she had guessed, the room they were directed to already had most of the guests seated, some standing and talking to each other.

Vivian didn't miss Lady Shirley who had taken a seat in front of a male guest who was talking to her. With her expensive white gown and her hair tied fancily, she couldn't deny the fact that Lady Shirley was one of the most beautiful women in the room. As if sensing her eyes or sensing Leonard's arrival, Lady Shirley's eyes moved from the man to them and the smile on her face faltered catching Vivian standing behind Leonard. But the young girl made no effort to go greet Leonard. Things that could be easily obtained was not something men went after. Her mother had taught her well that men liked a good chase.

"...surely it would be good to retreat the plan."

"Hmm, maybe but Rueben doesn't want to change the order right now," said Leonard to the man whom he was talking to, "You will have to wait for a few months before proposing it as there will be a re-election in the council team."

The man nodded his head, "I will do that."

Lord Nicholas walked towards them, "Did you receive the documents I sent you Mr Verne?"

"Yes, milord," Mr Verne bowed his head, "Thank you for sanctioning the statements early from Lord Herbert. I am extremely grateful for your generosity."

"That's the least I could do for you," Vivian heard the Lord respond back with a smile on his face. 

In the beginning, when Leonard had asked her to accompany him to the Lord's mansion, it had made her wonder why he had picked her and she still wondered why. She had never once accompanied any of the pureblood outside the mansion as Paul never recommended her to any of the Carmichael's members in the past. Vivian was the art of clumsiness and there was no telling when she would bump into a pureblood by mistake or break something around her. 

"Vivian," hearing her name from the Lord's mouth, she stood straighter than before, "What a surprise. I wasn't expecting you here," he looked at Leonard as he spoke the last line.

"Shawn has been sent to pick the scroll from the council. Mathias doesn't trust birds and wanted someone to come to collect it," Leonard then turned towards Vivian, "Why don't you go get the Lord and me a drink," Vivian bowed her head before exchanging a small smile with the Lord.

Seeing her leave, the Lord offered the young Duke with a sly smile to which Leonard didn't bother with a reaction but the Lord didn't let it go, he said,

"I didn't expect you to bring her here."

"She's a maid. I don't think there's anything more to think about it," Leonard answered before turning to his left to make sure the girl was still in sight. 

"I think it is when you bring her here. She looks pretty as a peach," Lord Nicholas commented.


"How is Timothy?" Leonard shifted the conversation. Timothy was Leonard's mentor Malcolm Rufus' son. With him growing up in the Rufus' household, Leonard had come to be friends with Timothy who was Lord Nicholas' age. 

"Same as last week and before that. It will take some time," Leonard pursed his lips.

After Leonard had left the main house of the Rufus household to go back to live with his parents, he hadn't heard much from Timothy. It was only after a few weeks didn't he come to hear from the Lord that the man had lost his human lover due to the transformation. 

Though humans came with huge ambitions and dreams which couldn't be fully fulfilled in their time span, they were as fragile as they came by.

There was a reason why their high society didn't acknowledge love between a human and a pureblooded vampire. Humans, when transformed by the vampires, were called half-vampires. Then came the vampires who were lower compared to the pureblooded vampires but it wasn't the issue of hierarchy. 

It was about the scale of success when it came to turning a human to a half vampire which was most of the times low but that didn't stop a vampire from turning a human to close to their kind. Trouble was caused when the change didn't take place which would create a vampire without any sanity or mind, destroying everything and anything who were considered to be a threat in both the society. Unfortunately, for Timothy, the process of transformation hadn't gone well and he had lost her forever. 

"It is a tragedy. To fall in love with a human. I wonder how many have succumbed to it and how many turned a blond eye to avoid the misfortune that is caused," Lord Nicholas murmured quietly by his side, his gentle eyes intelligently looking through the room, "By the way, I did ask one of the members to look into the matter but they found nothing there. The answer remains the same."

"I see. When will he be executed with the rest?" asked Leonard, "The sooner the better."

"Lionel informed me that it would be less than a week. So it should be soon. Would you want to have a last word with the man?" 

"That won't be necessary," Leonard had been hurt and angry, he still was angry at the thought of why his family hadn't been careful like the other pureblooded families. Given the time, he would have tortured and strangled the man for robbing his family from him. If he said the word, he knew Lord Nicholas would help him but the betrayal was too deep. To think someone he knew and his family trusted could do something so cruel was hard to digest.

"Looks like you will have to be careful, Leo," Lord Nicholas said looking past him. Furrowing his brows, Leonard turned to see what the Lord was talking about before his jaw ticked.

Vivian who had gone to bring the drinks had stopped by to talk to a certain vampire he had asked her to stay away from.

Year 1766

Disowned for being a human, Vivian was taken in as a maid at the age of seven by the Carmichael household. Serving one of the most respected and elite pureblood families in Bonelake, there were rules. 

Rules that must be followed by all servants and maids.

Like everyone else, Vivian was repeatedly reminded not to disobey the rules. But before she could learn to blend into the background like the other servants, the Duke's young son calls to her, 

“Bambi.” 

And all hell breaks loose.

-----

"What? Never seen a bruise before?" Leonard scoffed at the girl.

"Does it hurt?" Vivian asked, gently kneeling beside him and examining the several bruises covering his face.

"Not that much." 

Remembering what her mother used to do when she got a bruise, Vivian brought her sleeve to her mouth and blew warm air on it before placing it on the boy's cheek, taking him by surprise.

Leonard swatted her hand away, a hint of pink appearing on his cheeks embarrassed, "W-what are you doing?"

"Mama told me this will make the pain go away," the girl held her hand close to her chest as she shared her past memory.

"I’m not a child!” Leonard huffed at her.

“I don’t think you’re a child,” she stared at him with a crystal-clear gaze.

Taken aback, Leonard locked eyes with her for two seconds before shaking his head.

“Don’t worry about it. They’ll heal in a day or two anyways," he reassured her before getting up and taking a seat at the table where his books were placed.

"Odd girl," he muttered to himself as he pulled the top book from the stack and lost himself in it.

nicholas sparks books in order

SPARKS

SPARKS

System, stop bullying me.

Forgive me

The Abandoned Alpha

Till We Meet Again

Purple Lightning Emperor

In Regards to a Certain Bystander

On Loop

Bambi and the Duke

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