12 The Storm Arrived

"…And yeah, I enrolled at an academy. What was its name again? Queenilia Imperial Academy, was it?" Unbelievable.

"Have a sweet dream and a good night. May the glory and blessings of the Queenilia's sun shine down upon you, young miss Alexandra."

That was the first time he properly bid goodbye. The way he mentioned her name was gentle and smooth, it tugged a string of her heart. He looked like an adult when he spoke, his mocking tone was replaced with a gentle and calm one. He even bowed at her while he spoke. A gentle and sincere smile plastered on his face for the first time.

--

A month has passed ever since Harrison left.

It was another cloudy afternoon and the air was cold, probably because winter was coming. Although she wore thick clothing, she can feel that it was cold.

Still no visit from him, Alexandra thought to herself. She sighed while she plucked out another flower, she was bored today and the flowers at the vases of her room that was replaced by Yulli already withered or died. She needs to find another replacement flowers and it was the usual ones, roses, carnations, daisies, and wildflowers.

If only she has the ability to not let the cut flowers wither, she had done it long ago, she heaved another sigh once again. Carrying the basket of wildflowers and daisies, she continued to pluck out another wildflower while going in different directions not minding her surroundings. Alexandra who didn't have a friend for 5 years, not until Harrison came, eventually got used to the quiet and peaceful days she would go through when he went away to the academy.

She wasn't angry nor frustrated anymore and she kept the golden pocket watch close to her or inside her pocket. Alexandra plucked another wildflower whose stem was long and placed it inside the basket.

The basket was already full and she turned around to go back to the garden where the other baskets were when she only saw nothing but trees and grass.

She was confused, "Huh..? W-Where am I?"

She muttered to herself and she looked around, the place was very different and the trees were tall unlike the trees at the palace and at the lake which was short. She didn't notice that she wandered off while she was picking flowers and she doesn't know what path to take because she was going in different directions.

Crisis! Crisis! Child and Adult Alexandra is in crisis and doesn't know what to do. She can't see the palace's wall because of the trees and she probably wandered really far because she was picking flowers for like 30 minutes.

She walked around in circles thinking of what to do, Diana and the maids are probably inside the palace cleaning, it will be useless if she shouts but this—

A sound of a thud was heard. Alexandra's body fell forward after she tripped on a rock which she didn't see. It seems like I'm not lucky today, Alexandra told herself and lifted her upper body with the use of her arms and she sat up. A stinging pain was felt on one of her knees and she felt something flowed down her right knee. Great, just great, she groaned and tried to move her knee and it hurts. In the midst of her trying to stand up, she suddenly heard something which made her stop.

"Eh? W-Why is a person inside this forest?" She heard a low voice at her left. Her eyes widened and her body stiffened. C-Crap. And suddenly she heard voices inside her head:

-- 'Who are you?!'

-- 'I'll slash your neck.'

This is just like the same as before when she was 5 years old. She got lost in a forest while picking flowers and she met 2 strangers, the other was scary and frightening like a lion who got out a cage. Wow, picking flowers is dangerous for me, I should stop that hobby, she thought to herself. Her experience from before somewhat made her less afraid and nervous.

"M-Miss? Why are you sitting on the ground? Are you hurt?" She thought that she would hear a frightening voice but she heard a gentle and calm one. She was sure that he was nervous or afraid because he stuttered. Alexandra, with a heart that was beating rapidly, slowly turned her head to the direction of the voice.

She met a pair of gem-like eyes.

Ah… those eyes. That color, I've already seen it before. She thought to herself and stared more. It was blue, a beautiful color of blue. His eyes held warmth and hope not cold and frightening. She can clearly see what he looks like because the sun which passed through the small gaps between the leaves shined directly at him, he was wearing expensive casual royal clothes. He is a child, he looked like an 8 or 9-year-old kid. His silver hair sparkled and swayed with the wind. He looked very familiar to Alexandra's eyes, it felt like she saw his face somewhere. He examined her and he panicked.

"Y-You're hurt!" He ran towards her and kneeled in front of her bleeding knee. He took out his handkerchief, "Please pardon me for what I will do." He said and tied the handkerchief around her knee where the wound is. He stood up and pulled her arm, trying to help her stand up.

He's helping me, isn't he? Alexandra's heartbeat slowly calmed as she let herself be carried upwards. He placed her arm around his shoulders. She wasn't able to resist or struggle, the impact she made with the ground was strong that her small arms felt like they broke and he was trying to help her.

"Don't worry, you can trust me! I'm a harmless person! I'm taking you to our place, your knee is bleeding. Someone will treat you there." He said and helped Alexandra walked to a place where she doesn't know.

She just prayed that this boy isn't really dangerous like what he said and she'll come back to Diana safe and unharmed. She completely ignored the uncomfortable feeling she felt when they walked thinking that he was just a stranger which she can't fully trust yet that's why she was having an uncomfortable feeling.

However, little does she know, he was the one who brought danger to her.

--

It was a mansion-- no, a huge palace where he's taking her to. They entered through the door at the open hall near the courtyard where they just came from. To think that this exists in this place. Alexandra's home or palace was surrounded by a carpet of trees and forests. How far did I wander off?

They went inside, her arm still around his small shoulders. This person is kind, very, very kind, to be honest. He immediately helped a stranger when he or she was injured without knowing that he or she might be a dangerous person, well, Alexandra wasn't dangerous, so it's fine.

"I'm sorry but it will take us minutes to arrive in that room." Even though Alexandra doesn't know what room he is talking about, she nodded and roamed her eyes around. Is this person a noble? A royalty? A son of a duke? She kept asking herself, the place was huge, grand and it was even shining, however, it was quiet and their footsteps were the only she heard.

After a few minutes of walking or probably dragging her wounded right leg to that place. He opened the door and they went to bed. She let Alexandra sit down on the white bed, "Wait here, I'm calling someone who can heal your wound." He said and ran off.

Alexandra was left alone, she realized that she's inside an unknown territory, it was the first time that she went somewhere outside the palace's range aside from the lake. Her arms didn't hurt anymore like earlier.

"She's inside that room, please treat her wound, it seems like she tripped while wandering around." She heard the voice of the unknown boy who helped her. Alexandra remained still at her seat while she waited for them.

The boy with another man who looked like he was in his 20s came and he walked towards her with a worried yet sleepy look. He didn't stare at her face or analyzed her just like what she expected him to do, he was probably too sleepy to even care.

"Please lift your leg with the wounded knee, so I can see it." He spoke in a gentle tone and Alexandra followed what he said. The man removed the handkerchief tied around her knee and she felt a sting when he was removing it. "It seems like you scraped it, nothing serious. I can easily heal it." He said after examining the wound closely and he held out his hands.

He placed it on top of the wound and Alexandra wondered what this man was going to do, she doubted him and she became nervous but then she suddenly felt a cool and relaxing feeling on her knee where his hand was placed and soon after, he removed his hand that was placed on top of her wound which was now gone and healed.

Alexandra's eyes widened for a moment and stared at her knee looking for the wound earlier and she raised her head, to see the man talking with the boy who helped her before he walked away and left. That was the second person who used magic in front of her own eyes, the first person was Harrison. The unknown boy looked at her and showed a warm smile.

"Let's go, I'm taking you back." His words confused her, does he know her? Where is he taking her back?

She was pulled up by the boy and was dragged by the boy.

"E-Eh? W-Wait—" She was interrupted by the boy, "They must be worried for you, let's go!" He fastened his pace and they were already running to god knows where and they arrived in front of a wooden door, a huge wooden door with a gold handle. He swung the door open and removed the grip on Alexandra's wrist as he entered.

"Father, pardon me but their daughter was wandering around and wounded herself but don't worry I asked someone to heal it." His voice sounded polite as he talked, he also bowed. She heard another male voice, probably his father, but she didn't understand what he said and the unknown boy responded with words she didn't hear properly.

She was suddenly pulled inside and dragged forcing her to walk and she almost stumbled. "Her, father."

She lifted her head as she stood properly and saw two people a few feet away from her and the stairs that lead to a man who was sitting at a gold throne which was decorated with shining gems, her confused gaze met the cold and piercing gaze of the person sitting on the throne. Her confused gaze immediately turned into a shocked and frightened one. Her face paled, her sweat was cold, she stood still even though her knees are getting weak, it feels like her wound came back.

She only saw his face once at the book Diana brought with her when she was 3. But how could she forget the face of the person who held an expressionless face with a piercing gaze who she also resembles?

She would never forget the face of the current emperor of this land.

She would never forget the person who placed her at that palace.

She would never forget the face of the person who was the reason she was born.

She would never forget the face of her father.

Alexander Claudiel Xavier Everly, the current emperor, and her father.