The Elf King & I [Book #1] [Original Version]

4~ |Tingling Sensation|

"Morning, Sean." James, a middle-aged man in dark hair, oblong face-shaped, thin lips, and narrow eyes set, greeted the young guy who just walked inside.

"Good morning, boss," replied Sean with a polite smile. He headed to the employee's room and got changed before returning to begin his usual duties. He was so deep in thought while setting up the tables that he didn't even notice when his boss came to stand beside him.

"Hey, Sean. Are you feeling okay?" asked James worriedly.

"Oh, I'm okay. Why are you asking?"

"I can clearly see black circles on your eyes. Did you not sleep well last night?"

What do you expect, boss? I couldn't even have a peaceful sleep last night because some elf king came to my house and claimed my bed. I had to sleep on the small sofa even when it was MY OWN house. If that wasn't enough, he even woke me up early to make breakfast for him.

These were what processed inside Sean's head, but he knew better than to say them out loud. First, James would think he was crazy. After all, no one had ever seen an elf nowadays. Never even mind the king. Second, it'd be a long story to explain. He was exhausted to narrate everything.

"I'm fine, boss. Nothing to worry about." Sean plastered his usual cheerful smile upon his face as he replied, hoping it would convince his boss to drop the subject.

"Are you sure?" asked James skeptically.

The older man had known Sean for years, and could easily see through him. His face, while asking, depicted genuine care for the younger man, for he had always considered Sean as his own kin ever since the first year the boy worked for him.

"Yes. Everything is alright." Sean maintained his smile as he answered,

"Okay. If you say so." Though unconvinced, James decided to stop digging. He stepped closer and patted Sean on the shoulder.

"Remember, you can always come to me anytime if you have any problem."

"Thank you, boss," said Sean, bowing his head with full respect.

James smiled before returning to the kitchen to resume his duty. Sean's eyes followed his boss' back and watched until the kitchen wall completely hid the middle-aged man from him before he murmured to himself. "Everything is alright, right?"

*******

Meanwhile, at Sean's house, a tall figure with long, blonde hair was found holding and staring at a slim, eight-inches rectangular object.

"What is this strange thing? Why doesn't the whole Aldous Kingdom have it? Not even my castle." Oswin turned the remote control in his palms and looked at it in bewilderment. Suddenly, his finger pressed the 'on' button unknowingly, making a black tv screen filled with moving pictures.

It was a movie in an ancient theme where ministers were having a meeting with their king.

"Finally, something I'm familiar with," uttered Oswin as he stared at the screen.

The setting in the movie was the interior of an ancient castle. It had a similar style to that of his in Aldous. Oswin didn't even wonder why he saw things from a small box, for he was too engaged in seeing something that didn't look out of place to him.

In a jiffy, a scene from the tv switched from peace to chaos. The actors started shouting at one another, causing the uproar to arise.

"You incompetent king, you deserve to die! I'll be the one to put an end to it," echoed a man's voice from the movie.