Chapter 10: Time Anomaly
Princess Sora turned to run away in sheer embarrassment, her cheeks still burning as the weight of the ridiculous situation caught up with her.
She had just accepted the "love declaration" of a complete stranger... who was only slightly cool.
But her escape was instantly thwarted as the path ahead was completely blocked.
Dozens of Royal Guards thundered into the hallway in synchronized formation, armor clanking and boots slamming against polished stone. They had arrived at full force, faces grim and weapons drawn, reacting to the butler’s earlier panicked scream.
And then, cutting through the tension like a blade through fog, General Raikuro made his entrance once more.
He halted mid-step, eyes scanning the chaos. He stared at Princess Sora, then at Akira, then back at Sora, and again at Akira, repeating the cycle several times as if he needed to check, double check, triple check, quadruple check whether the two were indeed standing there and whether the absurd series of events had truly unfolded the way his ears had just reported.
A long sigh escaped his lips. He slowly rubbed his eyes with one gloved hand, then brought his fingers to his temples, massaging them in small, tired circles as though trying to erase the headache beginning to bloom behind his eyes.
Without a word, he began walking toward Princess Sora.
She had frozen in place, her body stiff but her fingers twitching nervously, eyes darting everywhere except where General Raikuro was coming from, as if staring into the air itself might make her invisible.
"Esteemed Princess Sora." General Raikuro bowed deeply in sincere reverence.
"Huh? Ah! Ge-General Raikuro. Fancy seeing you here! Ha ha ha ha! What a coincidence! Wha-what are you doing here? Ha ha ha ha!" Princess Sora replied and laughed awkwardly.