CHAPTER FOUR

‘ALL THE YOUNG men in the kingdom wanted to win her elusive heart. The women envied her, and all the young girls wanted to be like her when they grow up.’

Tsa groaned. “This is why I grew up insecure. I can’t be the princess in the play. It’s always the prettiest girl in the room. Fairytales are really exaggerated.” She hissed.

‘But Princess Amethyst wasn’t interested in her suitors, even those who came from other kingdoms who were willing to give up their crown for her. She knew her father, the king, would give her anything or anyone she desired, but she could not decide. She had three men in mind. And they were not just ordinary men. They were the magical knights who have been protecting the people from monsters and dragons that threaten the peace and order of the kingdom.’

“Oh, what long hair she has,” Tsa remarked sarcastically. “Is this really a children’s book? Or did I let the cover and the teaser deceive me?”

Is it Raiden, the knight who possessed the sword of justice, Aidan, the knight who possessed the bow and arrow of righteousness, or Zaiden, the knight who possessed the boomerang of fair judgment? All three good-looking men were kind and had totally won the hearts of the people in their kingdom. But rumors said that these three had never fallen in love before, or do not really know love at all as a result of keeping their duties as protectors.

“Oh.” Tsa put down the book on her lap and stroked her chin.

But love has a significant role in winning every battle. Just like how Lily risked her life for Harry Potter and how Harry saved the wizarding world from Voldemort years later. Harry wouldn’t be in the final battle if not because of Lily’s love and sacrifice.

“That’s right. She’s too beautiful already. Don’t make it easy for her to get the man that she wants,” she murmured as she stared down at the open book.

“Tsa, hey!”

Tsa looked up and saw Jo approaching her. She was sitting in their usual place outside the coffee shop. She was done with her delivery that morning, and she stopped for a while not to read, but also because Dustin asked her to wait for him. They’ll have lunch together just like before.

Jo was grinning as she sat on the empty chair next to her. She was holding her phone.

“So I was stalking your Facebook account and—”

“Why are you stalking me? Are you a spy?” Tsa asked, horrified.

“No, of course not!” Jo countered, waving a hand. “Since we will be working for a long, long time, I feel like I should get to know you. And I stumbled across this photo of yours and Boss Dustin’s.”

Jo showed a collage of her high school and college photos with Dustin. On the left picture, both of them were wearing white togas, with a bouquet on Tsa’s hand. Dustin, who was still chubby back then, had his arm around her. In the right photo, Tsa was the only one wearing a black toga. (They got separated when they went to college, but they were still supportive with each other like before.) Tsa was holding another bouquet while Dustin stood close to her, handsome, lean, and almost unrecognizable, his arm was also wrapped around her shoulder.

“I can’t believe these photos are four years apart. Look how puberty hit him!” Jo zoomed the photo in with her fingers.

“And my awkward smile is still the same,” Tsa said, frowning a little. Their high school graduation photo was probably ten years old by now. “How dare you dig into the things I buried a long time ago?”

Jo giggled.

“Are you gonna ask me how did we remain friends until now?” Tsa asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No.” Jo shook her head. Her smile was replaced by a sad glow in her eyes. “I was just about to say that I wish I had that kind of friendship—yours and Boss Dustin’s friendship. I only had a brother, you know. But he disappeared after betraying me. I used to depend on him all the time. Now I have to live all by myself.”

Tsa sat up straight. She wasn’t expecting to hear that from Jo.

“I-I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s fine.” Jo was back to her usual jolly smile as she waved a hand. “If not because of him, I wouldn’t land on my dream job. I like it here at Coffee Leaf. Why do you think I want to work with you for a long, long time?”

“So you have a sad story, too.”

“All writers have that. Speaking of a sad story, I saw a post this morning about a certain writer who writes for our former publisher’s sister company. I don’t know if she’s aware that her grammar sucks, but I admire her guts for trying hard, but sadly, I did not see any improvement.” Jo propped her chin on her hand, obviously bothered by the fact.

“I think I know who you’re talking about. I think the reason why her book’s not out yet because the editors were having a hard time.” Tsa folded her arms across her chest. “Do you write in a language you’re not comfortable with?”

“What for? To look smart?” Jo stared at her, widening her chinky eyes but failed. “If you want to write about a rich, CEO hero, he’s supposed to speak English at some point, right?”

“Hmm-mmm,” Tsa nodded.

“But it’s not enough that he speaks English. He must have correct grammar, too.”

“Hmm-mmm.” Tsa nodded again.

Jo shrugged. “I don’t know. If I write his dialogue in English knowing that I’m not good at it, won’t I make him a clown?”

“Effortlessly? Yes.”

“But there are grammar nazis everywhere. I don’t feel very confident writing in English knowing they’re just around the corner.” Jo pouted.

“If someone points out the flaws in my story, I would be grateful,” Tsa said matter-of-factly.

“Has it happened to you before?”

“A couple of times, but it’s not about my grammar. I would usually realize my mistake before anyone does. But there was a time when I misrepresented a fact. Though it was easy to fix, I still feel a little disappointed that no one noticed or called me out for that. And I had previous works that I could not bring myself to read because they just suck.” Tsa crinkled her nose.

“I dreaded my old works, too. You’re not alone.” Jo gave her a tap on the arm and sighed afterward. “I wish I know more so that I could understand why writers with the heart and talent were overlooked just because they don’t have a huge number of followers. It’s not how publishing works before when technology was not that advance.”

“I know.” Tsa sighed too and stared at a distance. “I wish I was older. I wish I wrote in a time when talent was all that matters. When readers don’t have any idea how you look, what your gender is, and what kind of life you’re living. Now, if you’re a guy and good-looking, you’re a bestseller. Unlike before, a male writer has to use a woman’s name because the majority of readers are female.”

“Should we use a male pseudonym, too?”

“I prefer a unisex pen name.”

“I think that’s better. Should we write crap instead? It’s the trend nowadays.”

“Forget it.” Tsa heaved a bored sigh. “Trends come and go.” Then she stared at Jo. “How was your writing?”

“Hmm?” Jo pretended to look confused. She scratched the side of her face and smiled awkwardly. “You should not ask rude questions, you know.”