Chapter 41: The Princess II

"You don't remember!"

It's hard to watch an elegant princess lose her composure. Xiao's eyes widened as Princess Aurelia, one year under her brother, shouted and screamed. Her face is red, both from angry and leftover from her crying.

"Xiao Lan, you don't remember!" Fat packages of tears came down her cheeks once more, but she's angry. "How can you not remember!"

Small slender fingers which held on to the young witch for dear life are now pulling silky platinum blonde hair as the princess paced the room. Xiao could only look in amazement and confusion.

"Remember what, your highness?" The young witch muttered, which only serves to add fuel to the fire.

"Are you joking?" Blue eyes turned towards her, and she froze under the glaze. "Please tell me you're joking, Xiao Lan!"

"Sorry." Xiao closed her eyes and let out a sigh. She doesn't want to see the relief on the princess's face, knowing that she's going to shatter it. "It's not a joke, princess. I really have no idea what you're talking about."

"I..."

Xiao opened her eyes again to see the princess frantically pulled a piece of paper from the Abbot's office, and her fingers reached for the fountain pen. Her small salute meant the princess doesn't have to bow down to write on the desk.

After a moment, Princess Aurelia pulled her handy work up to Xiao's face. The young princess drew a rune of some sort, more like three runes combined together.

"Wait, wait, wait..." The princess put the paper on the table. Then, she pulled out something from a dress.

Xiao didn't even noticed she has a hidden pocket...

Those slender fingers frantically opened the tiny container, and the princess lifted it up to Xiao's face again. There's barely a few drops of liquid in the metal container, and it smells of... Strawberries?

"Drink this!" Princess Aurelia demanded.

"What's that?" The young witch eyed the liquid in the container.

It smells of strawberries, but it's transparent like regular water... For all she knew, it could either be poison or a just strawberry essence, poison flavored with strawberry essence.

"Truth syrup." The younger girl held it closer to her lips, making Xiao reeled back a little. "I need to trust you, Xiao Lan, and I want you to trust me. This isn't a game you can just joke about."

Black eyes only looked back into the crystal blue, and Xiao pressed her lips together. What reason does a princess has to poison her anyways?

Her first murder? Most likely.

"Please, Xiao Lan..." Princess Aurelia's eyes softened as she pushed the tiny container closer.

The young witch can just smack the princess's slender hand away and be done with it, but she gave in with a sigh.

Without another word, Xiao sipped the liquid from the container. Princess Aurelia lifted it up to make sure she got all of it before pulling away.

Then, the young princess skittered across the room to get the paper which she drew on.

"Do you know what this is?" Princess Aurelia showed Xiao the runes again.

"No." The honest answer came out of her lips, making the Princess's face fell. "I don't know what that is."

However, the princess didn't give up.

"Do you recognize it?" She continued asking. "I know you at least know what they're made of."

"I don't recognize the entire thing." Xiao said her mind. She doesn't even know if the truth syrup is truly working or just entertaining the thoughts of it working is enough for it to work. "But I recognize the smaller runes inside of it. It's a silencer spell and a teleportation spell to a place I don't know, but it's definitely in the Monastery of Magic's Academy because of the official seal being drawn in it."

The princess just stood still for a minute, and then she sighed in defeat as she tore the paper. Then, she stuffed the torn up paper into her hidden pocket. The pocket was very well made since the young princess looks like she's wearing a regular gown.

More tears began streaming down her eyes, pulling on Xiao's heart strings again. It's hard watching a young girl cry silently, even when the young girl is a princess who forced Xiao to drink a truth syrup after screaming about nonsense. At the end of the day, she's still twelve.

"You really don't remember..." Princess Aurelia's voice was soft and barely a whisper. "I... I'm so sorry. You won't even understand what I'm apologizing for, but still I'm sorry."

Before the young witch knew it, Xiao was standing in front of the crying princess. This time, it's Xiao who's reaching out to hug the other girl to her chest.

"Please stop apologizing for things that probably wasn't your fault." The words seemed to choose themselves as Xiao held the girl close.

Her words only made the princess cried more. Her silent sobs became more violent as she wrapped her arms around Xiao once more.

For some unknown reason, this seemed very familiar, as if it's not the first time Xiao did this for the Princess.

Yes, Xiao had comforted Yin Hong while she's crying, but Xiao was pretty sure she never met Princess Aurelia until today.

Then, why does the scent of strawberries and platinum blonde hair wetting her shirt with tears is so familiar?

Suddenly, the door was slammed open, revealing a Vardalen Knight who kicked the door and the Abbot standing behind him.

Xiao made eye contact with Abbot Everson, who raised his eyebrows in question. The young witch looked down at the princess in her arms, then back at the Abbot. Words couldn't form in her head, and the Abbot is waiting for answers.

After a few seconds, Xiao felt the girl in her arms moved.

"Get out!" Princess Aurelia snapped at them. "I'm having a moment here!"

"Your highness..." The knight put down his foot into the room. "You've been quiet for a while."

"Do you wanna hear me cry?" The young princess's tone changed completely from when she's talking to Xiao. "Please leave us alone for another minute. Xiao Lan is the only one who understands..."

"Just girly things." Xiao said what she thought would get them away. "Princess Aurelia—"

"I wanna attend the Monastery!" The princess let go of the young witch to face her knights and the Abbot.

Xiao gestured to Abbot Everson, telling him that it's what she wanted to say before the Princess cut her. That's a total lie, Xiao was going to say Princess Aurelia needs some time alone.

"Your highness, Princess Aurelia of Vardalen..." The Abbot stepped into his office towards the two girls. "Think of your father and your people. What would they think about their own princess attending an academy in another country, in another religion nonetheless."

"That's why she turned to me." Xiao stepped into front of the princess, her arms holding the girl back. "She wants to learn magic, but the King of Vardalen doesn't approve of it. After all, the Vardalenians' opinions on women in power aren't very good."

"I asked her for a letter to show my father." Princess Aurelia's voice followed Xiao's lies perfectly. "That not only men can be amazing mana wielders! I came here for this exact reason!"

"Your highness, you were crying..." A knight pointed out, and the princess's head snapped at him.

"Yes, yes, I was." The princess sighed. "I was just so happy. Xiao agreed..."

"Abbot Everson, I still need your official seal to show that I am truly first place in the ranking competition to show authenticity in the letter to the King of Vardalen." Xiao sprouted some words that came to her mind, and she doesn't even know the name of Princess Aurelia's father. "Hopefully, it is enough to convince him to let Princess Aurelia join the Monastery's Academy of Magic. She has passion for this, and I will send more than one letter if I have to."

"Thank you..." The princess whispered only for her to hear.