Chapter 1

A P H I A G R A Y

Where the hell am I?!

Who are these weird people staring in awe at me?! They are wearing weird costumes. They look like some people in the 18th century of old England. What the heck?

What am I doing here? Is someone pulling a prank on me? Did someone suddenly pull me into a musical theatre show?

Wait a minute, what was I doing before it happened? I worked overtime to finish my proposal for a particular product of our company until I got tired and decided to go home.

I was about to board the subway train when suddenly a blinding light appeared from my feet, and all I could do was shut my eyes closed. The next thing that happened, I found myself sitting on the cold floor while surrounded by weird people.

Did someone kidnap me!? I don't have money for ransom! I am just an ordinary employee with loving parents and a loyal friend. My only enemy in this world is the manager. He hates me even though I never did something wrong. He must have hated the promotion I got last month. He is probably the one who kidnap me!

I look around the room to check for any windows or doors that I could use to escape. The room is big enough to accommodate a hundred people. The walls and floor are made of bricks. Torch sconces are hanging on the walls.

Wait… torch sconce?! They are still using it?! It's an old light fixture that I have only seen in the old movies! It's prehistoric!

I looked up to see the ceiling, and I was shocked to see an old chandelier. It's not a bulb, but candles are on it to light the whole room. Are they serious?! I bet it's older than me! I feel like I time travel to the past.

A huge wooden double door in front of me suddenly opens, and a guy wearing an expensive-looking costume enters. His costume was laced with gold and other design that I could not figure.

I am not into fashion to describe his costume in detail. Oh, he's wearing a cloak that I could only see in fantasy movies. I would like to have one if I get a chance to join their crew.

He walks leisurely towards me as the people around me bow their heads. What now? What's going on? Should I bow my head too? But why? He stops in front of me as I look up to him since I'm sitting comfortably on the cold floor. Yes, comfortably.

My brows knit together as he looks at me from head to toe. It's like he's examining my physique. "Are you sure she's the priestess?" I look at him in confusion. What the heck is this frog saying? Priestess? Who's the priestess?

The guy behind him bows first before speaking. "Yes, your highness." Y-Your highness?! I massage my temple as I feel my brain starts to pound. I am having a hard time processing what is going on.

I am probably in Europe. Yes, that's right. Europe has a lot of kingdoms, and he's one of the princes, or maybe there's another reason behind these weird things that are happening to me.

Perhaps, I am just dreaming. I can't fly to Europe in just a blink of an eye, can I? I should do something to wake myself up.

I slap my face, and the people around me gasp in shock. Gosh! It hurts! I massage my cheek to ease the pain. When I look up, the guy is looking at me in bewilderment. He must have thought that I am crazy, but heck, I will likely be one now that I confirm that I am not dreaming!

The guy in front of me suddenly sits and leans forward as he studies my whole physical appearance. I bend backward to put more distance between our faces. He is insulting me by the way he looks at me! What the hell is his problem with my physical appearance?!

"Are you sure about it? Can you summon someone else?" He said as he stood up to face the guy behind him.

The guy shakes his head. "The summoning spell can be performed once every 100 years only, your highness. It took me all my magic to cast the spell." He explained, and it made me more confused.

Summoning spell?

Magic?

Did I overdose myself with Vitamin C?!

"I am sure that the summoning spell worked well. I am sure the priestess is her, your highness." The guy added while my mind was still figuring out what was happening.

I am clueless! I feel like I am the dumbest person in this room!

The guy, who is insulting me from the moment he sees me, sighs in misery. What the heck is his problem with me? We just met, and he acted like a jerk without knowing me!

"Who the fuck are you?" Huh! I can curse, mind you. I can even recite a sentence of profanity in front of this frog. His eyes widened in surprise as I stood up. I fix my high waist pencil cut skirt and blouse before looking at him. "Who are you?" I repeated as I looked at him from head to toe. I need to get even before escaping from this place.

"Priestess, please don't talk like that to the crown prince." What?! Did he just call me priestess?! And this guy is surprisingly a crown prince?!

I look over my shoulder to see who just talked. He is a middle-aged man wearing a costume of a priest.

"I don't care about his title. He's insulting me, and I can't just ignore it." I divert my gaze back to the frog prince. "You're a crown prince, but you act like a frog!" I yelled at him before running away while the door was still open.

I heard laughter from that room and a few of them calling me to come back, but I ignored them. I run as fast as I can until I reach the outside of the building… what the heck… it's not a building but a castle! A freaking goddamn castle! It's a mystery how I got myself out.

"Priestess, please go back!" A guard-looking guy suddenly appeared in front of me. Another five guys surround me. The heck!? How am I going to escape in this situation?

"We won't hurt you. Our kingdom needs you." The guy, who was talking to the frog prince earlier, said. Did he catch up to me that fast? Wow. "I would like to apologize on behalf of Prince Kalmin for being rude." He said as he bowed his head.

Why did he bow in front of me?

"Please let me escort you back inside. I will explain everything to you." He speaks calmly, and he looks trustworthy than the prince.

I nod in agreement. "I'll cooperate, but first, let me know your name." So, I could write on a death note if he does something terrible. I should know the frog prince's name as well.

"My name is Erskine Wallace. They call me the great mage, and I am the one who summons you in this world." O.M.G. Great mage!?