492: You're a real princess, are you?

You're a real princess, are you?

"Hey." Gray lay flat on his back, eyes on the ceiling. "Tell me. Did I have a dream?"1

Princess slowly turned her head to the couch on the corner left. Her lips were drawn in a thin line. 

"I wish," she whispered as she peeled her eyes from him. "Or maybe, I don't."

Heaven didn't stay long to give the two some time and space to process everything. It wasn't something one would easily accept without the slightest doubt. If she were in their shoes, she would be just as baffled and lost, torn between relief and dread, just like them. 

"That's… crazy." Gray let out a scoff, running his tongue across his inner cheek. "No, there must be something that science can explain."

Gray mustered his energy to sit upright. When his feet touched the floor and his eyes landed on Princess, he huffed. 

"I don't believe her," he said. "Boss… is dead."

"What if she's telling the truth?" Princess returned solemnly. "Bernard believed her and Fig as well."

She took a deliberate pause, peeling her gaze from him. "Now that I think about it, I've always known there's something off about her."

"Like?"

"It's like… I already knew her the first time I met her."

That feeling was faint in the beginning, which eventually disappeared due to a lack of interaction with Heaven Liu. But now that this matter was up on the table, all those little details resurfaced in her mind unannounced. 

"Remember why we are in here in the first place," she added, casting Gray a look. "It's because that damn Moose kept running his mouth about this woman who reminded him of someone."

And that someone was a very important person to them. 

It was not like they weren't interested in the person they were talking about in the first place. It was the reason they unhesitatingly agreed with Bear when the latter told them about this job. They might've forgotten about it because they'd been preoccupied, but that was the truth. 

"Damn…" Gray hissed as he lowered his gaze. "Just how is this possible?"

"I don't know." Princess pressed her lips into a thin line, lowering her partially closed eyes. "But that is not the question. The real question was… would we believe her? Or not? Is this good news? Or is it bad?"

Gray closed his eyes and sighed. "And why would it be bad?"

"Because if she turned out to be an impostor…" Princess trailed off as she drew a deep breath, casting the door a solemn look. "The entire Zhu family just gained another formidable enemy."

Them. 

Gray slowly raised his eyes at Princess, only to see the latter staring at the shut door. He didn't say anything and quietly agreed with it. If Heaven Liu was simply lying to them, then there was no amount of begging that she could do to stop them from settling scores with her. 

"Should we tell that guy about it?" asked Gray out of plain curiosity. "You know him. He seemed to enjoy his importance on the team right now."

He slowly leaned back, resting his foot over his thigh. "If he hears about this bullshit, I don't think he will take it well."

"He might duel her again."

"Again?" Gray arched a brow. "Princess, don't tell me… you're starting to believe her? Without even a solid proof?"

"Is my name not a solid proof, Gray?" This time, Princess locked gaze with him. "How old were you when you knew my real name?"

"..." He was today's years old. 

That was right. 

They had been working side by side for years and yet, Gray never knew Princess's real name. All they knew was the name Hera had called her. A name that many of them laughed at, as it was the total opposite of Princess's masculine facial and body structure. She had a more muscular physique than Gray, after all. 

"That's right." Princess took another deep breath, leaning her back against the headboard. "Even Bernard didn't know my name. At least, that was what he claimed."

If Bear was telling the truth that he didn't know Princess's name, then the other part of her might just believe Heaven's claims. After all, there was no way Heaven would know her name if she weren't Hera. 

Thinking about it, Princess couldn't help but remember the past. The past that changed her life forever.

*****

[Many years ago…]

"I'm scared… where are they taking us?" 

"Shhh. Be quiet."

"Huhuhu… I want to see my mama and papa."

Princess looked around, only to see nothing but darkness. However, she wasn't alone in this pitch-black darkness, hearing the voices of children around her age or younger. Some of them were crying, expressing how they wanted to go home. Others were just unresponsive, traumatized by the situation they were in. 

But Princess was different. 

Unlike the children with her, she knew exactly where they were at. In a large container, being shipped to a place like commodities for whatever illegal transaction. She wasn't abducted like the rest of them, after all. Her drug-addicted aunt sold her to her client in exchange for a few grams of illegal substances. 

"I want to go home…" 

"Don't wish to go home." This time, the young Princess broke her silence. "Instead of doing that, wish that you don't feel any pain when they open your stomach and replace your organs with kilos of drugs."

"..."

Silence immediately followed her remarks, as none of them knew the girl who spoke such outrageous statement. Many of them got scared, though. What the girl said was the truth none of them wanted to accept just yet. Most of them were holding on to the little hope someone would rescue them. 

"I'm sorry," Princess pressed her lips into a thin line, hugging her knees as she rested her chin on them. "Just stop crying and pray quietly. Your prayers might be heard."

She let out a deep exhale as she closed her eyes. However, after a second, she felt movements on her feet. When she opened her eyes, all she could see was darkness. But… she could feel a person's presence in front of her and a pair of eyes looking at her as if this person could see her clearly in the dark. 

DUN!

Just then, the container they were in shook, warranting squeals from the children. Princess, on the other hand, waved along the tremor. However, she didn't look away from what or who was in front of her.

"The goods are inside…" was the voice that penetrated the closed space from the outside, which was followed by more voices of men. In a second, the container suddenly opened from the outside, making everyone squint their eyes at the light crawling inside the small space. 

Princess partially closed her eyes, but not fully. Therefore, when the light came in, she immediately realized she was right. Someone was indeed squatting in front of her; a girl whom she had never met before.

"You're a real princess, are you?" asked the girl as she lowered the small binoculars from her eyes. "How did you know they plan to replace everyone's organs with drugs, if not?"

Huh?

"Hera!" Everyone flinched when they heard a man's voice thundered from the outside. "This girl… do you really want me to get killed?! Just how many times am I going to tell you not to run off?!"

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