"Yes, the entire royal family trains there," Prince Sam replied with calm certainty.
"Seriously? That master must be very experienced then," I asked, raising a brow.
"Oh, he trains well. No doubt about that. Although… he hits children. Only those who hold responsibility are even allowed to go to him," Sam added.
My eyes slowly shifted toward Prince Phils. "Prince Phils… you have been hiding things from me. I mean, who gives such facilities to a common girl like me? And this special training under a legendary master? You are hiding something big. Tell me what it is," I said, suddenly serious.
A heavy silence fell over the place. The only sound was water striking against the stone nearby. Phils turned away without saying a word and walked off.
I looked straight into Prince Sam's eyes. "Hey! I seriously don't know what's going on here. What are they hiding?" he said, clearly as clueless as me.
"It's okay, leave that for now. Tell me more about this master, so I can be alert for the future," I insisted.
Sam nodded. "The master is extremely strict. He hates lies. Secrets are not allowed in his presence. Only then does he consider a student loyal. His punishments are terrifying… torture."
"Torture?" I gasped. "What kind of torture?"
Sam swallowed. "He enjoys pulling out nails. Though he only does that with students who misbehave. Parents hand their children over to him completely, and he can do whatever he wants."
My heart jumped to my throat. "Have you ever… had a nail pulled?"
"Yes," Sam said quietly. "Once… I broke his precious item while fighting Phils. He ripped my entire nail out from my thumb. The pain… I still remember it."
"How can someone be that cruel?" I whispered. "A monster wearing a master's uniform…"
Sam quickly changed the topic. "Alright, forget that. Let me tell you about me instead. All the girls there adore me. They fall in love at first sight. Whenever I take off my shirt, girls freeze like statues staring only at me."
"I also like six packs," I grinned. "Looks cool and strong!"
"Oh, I know every girl falls for me," he smirked proudly.
"I wasn't talking about you. I meant I want to build six packs too!" I said, rolling my eyes. "Tell me more about the master!"
"There's nothing great about him besides punishing students. I still don't understand how he became the master of such an important place," I said with a sigh.
Sam glanced around. "By the way… where is Phils?"
Before either of us could react, someone grabbed our heads from behind and shoved us into the water. We thrashed, unable to breathe, our lungs burning for air. Our hands failed to reach the grip holding us down. We tried to scream, but the water silenced everything.
Then the hold suddenly loosened.
We shot up, gasping desperately, coughing hard. Anger shot through us like lightning. We turned to see who dared do that.
Phils stood there, fury blazing in his eyes.
Sam and I exchanged a look, then yelled together, "We almost died!"
Phils didn't blink. He simply raised both hands and slapped us. Hard.
"You two must learn respect," he said coldly. "Sam, he is your master. Wellness, he is your master too."
We made annoyed little faces but muttered a reluctant, "Sorry…"
Phils sighed. "Wellness, about the day I beat you up… sorry for that."
Sam suddenly asked, "By the way, whose dress is Wellness wearing? Do you have girl's clothes too?"
I teased, "Wow Prince, do you also store dresses for girls? Hidden fashion designer?"
Phils hesitated for a while, breathing deeply. "When I first met Allen, she was shy. So I had this dress tailored for her… a gift."
"Ooohh for wife!" Sam and I teased together.
Sam flicked his hair dramatically. "I would never marry a shy girl. Being shy everywhere? That's madness. They can't enjoy life at all."
I crossed my arms. "Do you think girls can't live without boys? That's nonsense. Some love their work, some love their family, and some love… someone else."
Sam smirked. "So Wellness, what type of boys do you like?"
"No boys. I like girls," I said casually. "Juicy lips, big shiny eyes, gorgeous sexy body. I even imagine it sometimes…" I chuckled playfully.
Sam nodded approvingly. "Your taste is good, about girls."
Phils suddenly joined, a mischievous smirk on his lips. "Sam, you don't have any qualities of a prince. And Wellness, you don't have the qualities of a typical girl."
I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, who is Miss Amy?"
Phils's expression softened. "There was a day I was wounded badly. She saved my life. I visit her sometimes to thank her… also because… the peace here." His eyes lifted toward the sky. "This place feels different. Just peaceful."
A gentle silence floated between us.
I clasped my hands together. "Such a unique day deserves something memorable. Let's do something crazy so none of us forget this day!"