40 Secret Garden

"Queen?" Devon's shoulder stiffened as she hurriedly slammed her palms against the ground. "Forgive my insolence, Your Majesty." 

"Aish, what are you doing?" Kween clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Don't be like that. We're friends, aren't we?" 

Devon slowly raised her head as her brows furrowed. "I'm friends with your majesty…?"

"Mhm! I'm your only friend!" Kween asserted while patting her chest. She gazed at Devon from head to toe before she clicked her tongue once again.

"You're acting weird. Did you hit your head or what?" 

"Uh, yes," Devon answered, pursing her lips as she nodded.

However, Kween only stared at her in silence, fluttering her eyelashes before she sighed. Devon wondered why Kween was staring at her in a strange manner, as if she knew something Devon doesn't.

"You're hopeless," Kween muttered as she shook her head lightly. "If you hit your head and magically had some amnesia, why don't you read your personal notes to remember?"

"Personal notes…?" Devon tilted her head to the side, baffled at Kween's wisdom.

"We're friends, aren't we? That's why I'm helping you remember your old habits. You always say you write notes whenever you have too many things to think about. I mean, maybe, it'll help you fix some loose screws," Kween advised in a knowing tone, raising her finger in front of her ear and did a circular motion.

"Oh." Devon nodded in understanding, wondering where she could find the old Devon's notes.

"Tsk." Kween let out a series of clicking sounds of her tongue as she observed Devon. After a while, she cleared her throat as she pushed herself up, dusting off the speck of dirt on her lap.

"Alright. Give me the offerings when you remember me." Kween gazed down, meeting Devon's eyes brimming with genuine wonder. She shook her head and turned around, marching away from her.

  Kween turned her head back after taking five steps away from Devon. "It's not really nice to forget Devon, you know?" She murmured to herself before she continued to walk away.

Devon tilted her head to the side. "What did she say? I barely heard her."

"Miss Lin!" Devon flinched upon hearing Lewis' voice from behind. She slowly turned and smiled when she laid her eyes on him.

"My friend," she greeted as she carefully stood up, but stepped back, seeing Lewis stomped his way towards her.

"Goodness. What are you doing here?" Lewis asked in distress as he heaved a sigh of relief. "I told you, stay where I can see you!"

Devon raised her hand closer to her chest, looking up to him in sincere bafflement. "Are you angry?"

"Ahh…" He raised his finger as he scratched his temple. It was the adrenaline rush that he seemed aggressive. 

"I'm not. I'm just…" Lewis trailed off, as he couldn't articulate the utter worry that surged in his heart moments ago. It felt as if she would disappear from him without a word and would never return.

Hence, he got… scared.

"I was worried," He admitted under his breath as he took deep breaths. "You don't know the area yet, and you can get lost. Did you even consider what I will feel if something happened to you under my watch?"

"I promised, didn't I? I won't stray too far." Devon smiled, moved by his genuine concern. "Her Majesty called for me. I didn't know I'm friends with a person of such status."

"Who?"

"Her Majesty! I was talking to her." Devon turned around to see if Kween was there. But she's gone. 

Lewis sighed as he shook his head. "Don't get involved with the wrong crowd again."

"Is her majesty not a good person?" She asked, gazing up at him while Lewis stepped forward.

He slowly raised the head cap he brought and placed it on her head, adjusting it to fit her.

"I don't know, but she sounds like a weird person if you address her that way," Lewis murmured, moving his eyes down once he secured the head cap. "Raise your arms and let me put this on. It's getting colder."

Lewis raised the jacket he brought with him as the wind started to cool down as sunset approached. As instructed, Devon spread her arms to her side, watching Lewis carefully slid the sleeves on her hand.

"Did you have fun, though?" Lewis asked while putting the other sleeve from her other hand.

She smiled brightly, almost grinning. "Yes! Alas, I do not understand that one." Devon pointed at the see-saw, as she didn't have a partner.

"Oh… that one requires two people." Lewis glanced at the see-saw she pointed at, nodding in understanding before he arched his brow.

"Do you want to try it together?" He asked as he set his eyes back to her. Devon bit her lower lip, her eyes sparkling upon hearing his offer.

"Really," Lewis murmured helplessly. He's too old for this, but he just couldn't say no to her.

  "Let's do it then."

As Lewis guided Devon to the other end of the see-saw before walking to the other, Derek, who was watching from a distance, narrowed his eyes suspiciously. In his eyes, there was something with his boss' head.

"I'll just pretend I saw nothing," Derek murmured as he looked away from the scene; away from the sight that could potentially break Lewis' image in his head.

***

Meanwhile…

Kween gazed up at the signage of the bar called Secret Garden. She let out a heavy sigh before she entered the establishment. 

As soon as she stepped her foot inside the premises, everything and everyone stopped — even time itself. The only one who wasn't affected by this phenomenon was the man standing behind the bar counter.

She strode in, sliding her arm on the bar counter as she perched on a stool. Her eyes raised to the bartender, smiling faintly at her. 

"Marl," Kween called out and Marl already offered her a drink. 

"On the house," Marl uttered with a wink. "Free things alleviate stress."

"And I'm the only one who never gets free drinks." Suddenly, a complaint came from the hollow figure seated next to Kween.

Marl and Kween slowly shifted their eyes on the stool next to Kween. There, Devon, or rather, the spirit of the real Devon, cupped her jaw nonchalantly.

"Treat the ghost kindly, Marl," Devon added in the same tone. "I'm already unfortunate to have my body stolen."