The next morning, I woke up to absolute silence.

For a moment, I thought maybe everything had been a dream-maybe the mirror never glowed, maybe I never time-traveled, and maybe I never met Rudraksha Veeraditya.

But then, I heard a deep thud followed by a muffled "What sorcery is this?!"

I groaned, rubbing my eyes before turning my head to see him standing in the middle of my room, looking utterly confused and fascinated at the same time.

His hair was a little messy from sleep, and his dark royal robes were slightly wrinkled. He stood in front of my wardrobe, pulling the sliding doors back and forth with a deep frown. His golden eyes darted around the room, taking in every single object as if they were treasures of the gods.

And then, he touched my lamp.

I watched as he flicked the switch, and the lamp turned on.

He froze.

His eyes widened in absolute shock before he yanked his hand away like he had been burned.

"...It glows without fire?" he muttered, stepping back cautiously.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

Just then, he noticed me watching.

His eyes snapped to mine, and instead of looking embarrassed, he simply straightened his back, folded his arms, and said, "Your world is strange."

I snorted. "Good morning to you too, Maharaja."

As I got up, he continued to inspect my room with an overly serious expression.

He walked up to my laptop, poked it once, then narrowed his eyes at me.

"What is this metal book?"

I chuckled. "That's a laptop."

"A lap-top?" he repeated slowly. "Does it sit on one's lap?"

I smirked. "Yes, actually."

He stared at it suspiciously before moving on.

Then, he walked over to my charging phone, picked it up, and turned it in his hands like a precious artifact.

"This is the tiny magical box you were always talking about? The one that captures people inside it?"

I laughed. "No, it doesn't capture people. It takes pictures."

"Hmph. Sounds like the same thing."

I rolled my eyes, walking over to grab my phone. Just as I did, he pressed the side button, and the screen lit up.

He jumped back.

"WHAT IN THE GODS' NAME-"

I lost it. I doubled over, laughing so hard my stomach hurt.

Rudraksha scowled at me. "You find this funny?"

"Very."

"Your world is cursed."

I grinned, wiping away a tear. "You'll get used to it, Maharaja."

He muttered something about "witchcraft" before plopping down on my bed, still looking around in utter fascination.

Can He Go Back?

Once I finally calmed down, I sat beside him. "So, now that you're here, do you still think it was a dream?"

He exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "No. I understand now. This is real."

I smiled. "Good. Because we have a problem."

His head tilted slightly. "What problem?"

I glanced at the mirror. "If the mirror is whole from this side, that means you should be able to go back."

His expression didn't change. "But?"

I sighed. "But I don't think you should. You're still weak from the crossing. If you go back too soon, it might drain you completely."

He studied me for a long moment before nodding. "Then I will stay."

I blinked. "...That's it? No argument?"

He leaned back against the bed. "I will not be foolish. If I am weak, I will recover. Besides..." He smirked. "Your world is amusing."

I rolled my eyes. "I thought you said my world was cursed."

"It can be both."

I shook my head, smiling. He enjoyed this. Even though he pretended to be unaffected, I could tell-he was having fun.

I crossed my arms. "Well, we arranged a place for you to stay. We can't have my parents seeing you and freaking out."

His smirk widened. "Why? You stayed in my chamber in my palace."

Before I could snap back, a throat cleared from the doorway.

Sandhya.

She was leaning against the door, arms crossed, eyebrows raised, and a full smirk on her face.

And then she pointed.

"Oh. My. God."

I blinked. "What?"

"You two slept together?!"

I choked. "IT'S NOT WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE!"

Sandhya wiggled her eyebrows. "Sure. It never is."

"NOTHING HAPPENED."

She turned to Rudraksha, who was completely unfazed and still lounging on my bed like he owned the place. "And you are?"

Rudraksha nodded regally. "I am Rudraksha Veeraditya."

Sandhya whistled, looking him up and down. "Damn. Ancient royalty. Aranya, you outdid yourself."

I groaned. "Sandhya."

She ignored me. "Okay, so we have a king in the modern world. First things first-we need to get you out of those clothes."

Rudraksha frowned. "Excuse me?"

She grinned. "Relax. You're dressed like you're about to go to war. You're gonna attract attention. We need to get you something normal."

His frown deepened. "You want to strip me of my royal attire?"

I snorted. "Pretty much."

He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "I feel insulted."

Sandhya patted his arm. "Get used to it, Maharaja."

Once we had a plan, it was time to sneak Rudraksha out.

Which was easier said than done.

We had to dodge my parents, slip past my nosy neighbors, and somehow get him into Sandhya's car without anyone noticing.

At one point, Rudraksha nearly knocked over a vase, and I almost had a heart attack.

"By the gods, why do you have so many breakable objects?!" he whispered.

"Because it's a NORMAL HOUSE, YOU MENACE."

Somehow, we made it to the car.

The moment Rudraksha saw it, he froze. "So... you really weren't lying about the metal box with wheels?"

I smirked. "Nope. It's called a car."

He stared at it like it was a beast ready to attack. "And it moves without horses?"

"Yup."

He exhaled. "Your world is absurd."

I laughed. "Get in, your highness."

He narrowed his eyes at the car but, reluctantly, slid inside.

The moment the engine started, he tensed, gripping the seat.

"What is happening? Is this-sorcery?"

Sandhya snorted. "No, it's called technology."

As I started driving, he kept looking at everything-the roads, the people, the buildings, the lights.

Finally, he muttered, "Your world is... fascinating."

And for the first time since he arrived, I saw something in his golden eyes.

Wonder.