When Alex saw Princess Eva in tears, he froze, uncertain. Desperate to comfort her, he rushed to her side, his words tumbling out, "Princess Eva, please don't cry. Look, here's the dragon egg you wanted to see!"
Alex rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a vibrant, multicolored dragon wing tattoo. He closed his eyes, focusing his mind until the small multicolored dragon's wing tattoo shimmered and broke apart into swirling colored particles. With both hands outstretched, he watched as the particles gathered and solidified into a dragon egg, settling gently in his palms.
Princess Eva blinked away her tears and gasped at the sight of the dragon egg in Alex's hands. Her sorrow vanished, replaced by a radiant smile that caught Alex off guard with its suddenness.
Princess Eva asked with her right hand slowly lifting the hair to the back of her right ear that had fallen forward,"Can I take the dragon egg in my hand?"
Alex couldn't bear the thought of her tears returning. He nodded and gently placed the dragon egg into Princess Eva's waiting hands.
Princess Eva, after receiving the dragon egg, her eyes started to twinkle as she felt the hard scale of the egg; she could feel the weight of life inside. It was her first time seeing a real dragon egg, and it felt magical to her.
Princess Eva lifted her head to look at Alex, who was carefully watching the egg. She started laughing and giggling, "Alex, I didn't know you were such a softy. I only pretended to cry, and you immediately gave in. Hehehe, but I am happy that you let me see the egg. For this, I'll owe you one. Ask for anything in the future, and I'll give it to you."
Alex felt himself tearing apart, feeling used and manipulated; he could barely stop himself. He immediately latched onto the egg and put it back; the egg slowly dissolved into particles, forming a small multicolored dragon wing tattoo on his left hand. He turned and started walking forward, not wanting to listen to Princess Eva's antics anymore.
Princess Eva stood there and saw how Alex put the egg back, but didn't stop, knowing well that it belonged to him. She wanted to see it and even got to touch it. So, she was happy and smiling. She tried to take a step to follow Alex and decided to apologize for real this time for troubling him. This wasn't how she behaved with others, but Alex got so close to her and didn't seem to see her as any special person; she felt a sense of comfort in it, and, knowingly or unknowingly, she started teasing him.
Suddenly, a white gate materialized behind Princess Eva and pulled her in before she could utter a word. Alex, still striding ahead, wondered why she hadn't caught up. When he glanced back, he saw the gate swallowing her, her outstretched hand vanishing as she reached for help, but it was too late for rescue.
A guard who was secretly protecting them immediately appeared and tried to reach his hand to hold Princess Eva's, but Eva disappeared so quickly that he was dumbfounded at being unable to catch her despite being a level 200 Master rank powerhouse.
Alex ran quickly to the gate, but the guard stepped in front of him, blocking his way. Alex turned to face the guard, who wore a black suit and had his face fully covered, revealing only his black pupils.
The guard stopped Alex by holding his hand, preventing him from moving. He said, "Young master, you can't go inside the gate. I will go and bring her highness."
Alex knew gates were dangerous. Even though he wanted to enter, he stopped himself, realizing it was safer for someone stronger to go inside and bring her out.
The guard, noticing Alex was quiet, assumed he would stay outside. The guard reached his hand into the gate to enter, but the gate stopped him abruptly. A notification appeared in his status window.
—————————————
[STATUS WINDOW]
Gate Classification: White Gate
Danger Level: Minimal
Entry Restriction: Only individuals under Level 10 may enter.
—————————————
The guard felt anxious when he saw that only those below level 10 could enter, since he was way past level 10. Noticing the guard's hesitation at the gate, Alex couldn't stop himself and asked, "Enter! Princess Eva is in danger. Why are you still standing there?"
The guard realized the situation was out of control. He turned to Alex and said, "Young master, only those below level 10 can enter, and I am a level 200 master rank. I need to inform the grand duchess and the empress. Please stay outside the gate and do not enter." Then, the guard disappeared immediately to report the incident.
Before Alex could inquire more, the Guard had vanished. Alex could feel the tension in the guard's voice and knew the situation might get serious, so the guard must have hurried to inform the Grand Duchess and the Empress.
Alex looked at the white gate. White mist curled around the gate, giving it an ethereal, ominous vibe. He remembered every conversation and moment he had shared with Princess Eva since meeting today—the laughter, the teasing, the anger. His chest tightened. He couldn't let her leave him alone, not when he hadn't taken his revenge on her for all the teasing she had done to him.
Alex stepped forward and vanished through the gate, leaving the street behind him empty. "Wait, Princess Eva, you can't die yet. You're my first friend, and I never abandon those close to me."