The Princess and the Human

Third day of my

Second day after my arrival

Dear Diary

I think I'm I feel like I'm going insane. I have barely sleeping slept in the last few nights. I don't know what to do. Whenever I sleep I see them in my dreams. Not just see, I can FEEL them as they

I thought about setting an alarm every few hours. Maybe I can skip the dream phase if I do that. Would that even help? Even if I'm awake, I can still see them whenever I close my eyes. And that's not all. I've been to the baths three times by now. There can't possibly be anything left, but I can still smell their blood clinging to my body. Is it really there or am I going crazy?

Why

Why is

I'm tired. Why can't I just close my eyes wake up on Should I talk to somebody? Would that even help? And even if, who? The princess seems to be an amazing person, be she feels so far aw out of reach. Not to mention she always seems so stressed out. The Doc is surely not a bad person either, and I am sure her intentions are earnest. But I always have the lingering feeling that she subconsciously sees me more like a study subject. I know she means it well, but still...

The Baron is also nice, but I don't fel feel like I can connect with him. He teaches well, but it is simply a duty for him. I still liked That is at least how it felt to me. I still liked his lesson though. As long as I have to concentrate, I don't need to think about

I believe

I think that

"I know you are hiding in the closet, would you mind coming out, please?"

Startled from suddenly being called out, Kiyrtin instinctively flinched backward. However, he was in a narrow wardrobe, and "backward" didn't exist. Bouncing off the rear panel he lost his foothold, stumbled through the door, and fell to the ground. Raising his head, he could see that the weird alien had turned in her chair and was now looking at him. Now that he was close to her, he noticed that her eyes looked just as fascinating as the rest of her. They weren't just one color like his, they instead seemed to be small, white orbs with a blue ring in the middle that reminded him of a beautiful gemstone.

Then there were the other things he had so far only seen from afar. Like a strangely isolated patch of long fur on top of her head. The way it fell down her shoulders reminded him a bit of the capes his sister and parents were always wearing. And this color... not golden, not white... what was this color called? The rest of her body was covered in something that looked more like a blanket than actual clothes. Who would want that much fabric on them?

Realizing he was staring, he frantically stood up.

"The palace is big, I'm sure there are better places to hide from your sister," she spoke before he got the chance. Her voice was soft, and it was strangely soothing to listen to it. He hadn't actually been hiding from his sister, but he couldn't exactly say he had been watching her out of curiosity.

"Ah, n-no, I, uh, I wasn't... how did you even know I was there?" He had often hidden away from all sorts of people: the servants, teachers, his sister, both at the Sun Palace and also here in the Star Palace. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a master of hiding. Yet she had noticed him, seemingly without even looking at him?

She smiled.

"I didn't know it was you specifically, but I could hear you breathing."

Breathing?!, he thought. No, that can't be. She is just messing with me. Breathing doesn't make a sound loud enough... right?

She hopped down from her chair and came closer. She was just the tiniest bit shorter than him, and he still had a considerable amount of growth ahead of him. Her kind was really small.

"I assume you are Prince Kiyrtin then?"

"And you are that wei- err, I mean... uh..."

"Nadine."

Right, Nadine, that was the name.

The weird alien then took on a strange pose. The way she crossed her arms in front of her chest looked a bit like half of the Vanaery's military salute, except instead of simply laying them on top of each other, it almost seemed like she was trying to tie a knot in them.

"Then, can I help you with something, Your Highness? I doubt your sister would be very happy to hear you've snuck in here."

"Meh, so what, Sis isn't here."

"Well, I would also be happier if my visitors announced their presence to me. And regarding Her Highness not being here: tell me, if a tree falls over in the forest, but no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound?"

The prince cocked his head.

"Huh? Of course, it does! Are you stupid?"

"No, I am aware of that as well. But since you consider the answer to that so obvious, maybe you should take a moment to think about it."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Could it be that you are not good with metaphors, Your Highness?"

"...you're weird!"

Nadine didn't answer, she simply chuckled. Without saying any more, Kiyrtin opened the window. The room was on ground level, so he could simply climb out.

Huh, I'm in the garden. That is actually way easier than sneaking past the servants, gotta remember that!

As he left Nadine behind, he could hear her give off a quick laugh, followed by a murmured "Okay, where was I?"

I think that

Fortunately, things are not as bad as they could be. No one is giving me the feeling that I am not welcome, not to mention that I literally am a royal guest! Even if it still feels a bit weird to have servants tend to me 24/7. Actually, on this planet and with their time units, it would be 62, not 24. Now that I think about it, how long are their weeks? Do they even have weeks? Not to mention months. I think I saw two moons, so that would be difficult. I should ask about that.

Also, there is progress regarding food. There is a huge list that we only started with, but I already found a few things I should be able to eat. Among them is a delicious fruit that is like a lemon, but not sour. Does that make sense? That's how it tastes. Meat seems hard to come by for now, so I'll need to find another protein source. Grain also appears to not be a thing here, but, more by chance, I found something they call "tikro". They look like tiny celery roots and are used as cattle feed. Their faces when I asked to try some of those were hilarious. Speaking of, I think I'm starting to figure out their facial expressions. Their faces themselves don't move much, obviously, exoskeleton and all, so most happens with their eyes, mouth, and head movements.

I also wonder how the folks back home are doing. My Mother is probably still taking care of Grandpa. I wonder if he pulled some new shenanigans. I still remember the time he was out of coffee filters and tried to use a plastic bag instead. The kitchen was a mess afterward, Mama was PISSED. In hindsight, that might've actually worked had he poked holes into it.

When it comes to my father I don't dare to hope he is alive. Not because I don't want to, but because I don't think I could bear seeing that hope shattered.