65 Hunch

The apprehension that he felt earlier was replaced with relief when he finally caught her and secured her in his arms.                                           

Unfortunately, due to the after effects of the battle earlier, he lost his balance. 

"Ooof!" he breathed out when his back hit the cold surface. 

"That did not go as planned." He thought to himself as he winced at the dull pain. 

Her weight, though not that much, had added a little bit of pressure on him. 

"I am sorry, your highness!" Atropa panicked as she noticed that she had landed on top of him. 

She would have shifted away and helped him up but Briar held unto her in a tight embrace…not allowing her to move. 

"I am so happy that you are safe." He muttered near her ears. He reveled in the fact that he could feel her warmth. Relief flooded in his heart knowing that no harm had befallen her.

"I am quite glad that you have saved me, your highness… but, you really need to let go." The girl said as she tried to break free from his embrace. 

Briar never wanted to let her go, but he had no choice. Aside from Atropa trying to break free, he also felt Attie squirm from his pocket. 

Remembering the little one, he allowed Atropa to reposition herself for a bit. However, he held her hand so that she would be able to sit near him.

"I forgot… I am sorry…" he apologized to the little one who crawled out of his pocket. 

Attie huffed at him as she dusted her skirt. She looked really displeased. 

"Did you get hurt?" he asked at the little one who has a prominent frown on her cute face.

The doll glared at him before leaping towards Atropa. Attie did not even reply and simply ignored him. 

"Looks like you made her mad." Atropa commented as she fixed Attie's clothes. 

"Come on, Attie, it was unintentional." He tried to appease her, but the doll averted her gaze in response. She then decided to hide inside her mistress's pocket. 

"Just let her be." Atropa said. "She is a bit moody at times. I was a bit surprised that she had been with you. Normally, she would only follow what I had ordered and would not stray away and get close to other people." 

He sighed in resignation. "She fell on me when I was in a battle earlier. She had even saved my life." The prince shared how Attie had given him ideas on how to defeat his enemies. 

"Well done!" Atropa had patted Attie's head. The doll puffed out her chest and smiled at her mistress's praise. 

"How are you?" Briar changed the topic to get the girl's attention. 

"Did you get hurt?" he then gave her a once over. 

The prince noted that she had acquired some scratches on her arms and face. It had seemed that she had also gotten a few bruises but there was no serious or life threatening injuries. 

"I am quite alright, your highness. Although I took quite a fall from several floors." She grimaced. 

"I hope you could also fall for me instead of falling from several heights." He mumbled. 

Atropa deadpanned. "Is that supposed to be a joke or something?" 

"It is just a joke." He played it off, although he felt a pang on his chest. 

Even though a bit lame, it was supposed a pick up line that one of the knights taught him. It made sense that such things will never work on Atropa. 

"How did things go with your end, your highness?" she asked to change the awkward silence. 

"I hope you did not get hurt." She seemed to be looking for any injury that Briar had acquired.

"I am all right as you can see." He said as he showed the girl that he had not sustained any major damage. 

Physically he only acquired just a few bruise and a couple of cuts and scrapes. Not really minding the fatigue that comes with exhausting a portion of his mana reserves, Briar was fairly fine. What he found that hurts the most is his heart. 

He knew that Atropa would not warm up to him. He had hoped that she would fawn over him or get attached to him like Attie did. But the real one seemed to be a bit frigid than her miniature copy.

But wait… now that he had remembered… The marionette clone spell uses both mana and a portion of the consciousness of the caster. 

Is it possible that subconsciously, Atropa is attracted to him? Attie would not be that affectionate with him unless the caster, Atropa, also has some feelings for him. 

He just wished that his hunch is true. 

"Your highness…" Atropa called which snapped him out of his reverie. 

"Yes?" 

"You said, you were not injured. But I think you may have taken a blow or something earlier." She said. 

"You were not responding. I've been calling you for quite some time." Her brows were scrunched up with worry. She even placed her hand on his forehead to check his temperature. 

"I am sorry… I was thinking about what the fae had said earlier." He breathed out an excuse. 

"You had also talked to a fae of light?" Atropa asked. 

"Yes. And she had given me a blessing. Although, I did not know what it was for." 

"Ohhh. I also talked to a fae. And she gave me this." She touched her bracelet and it turned into a dagger. 

Briar was taken aback at the weapon. It was laden with jewels and seemed to be pulsing with life. In that instant, he knew that it was not an ordinary weapon. 

"This must be a relic." He mused. 

"This is the sacrificial blade, Lumina." Atropa said while brandishing the weapon. 

��May I?" Briar tried to take it but he felt shocks when he held it. So he had to return it to Atropa. 

"Did you feel the current when you hold it?" He asked while eyeing the item. For some reason he felt that Lumina doesn't want anyone to hold her except for Atropa. 

"What current?" Atropa asked in return. 

"It seemed that it recognized you as its master. It did not release any current when you held it." He speculated. "Atropa, you have to keep it safe… no matter what,"

"Yes, your highness." She replied before she allowed Lumina to return to her bracelet form. 

"Did the fae say anything else?" he asked in curiosity. 

"She said something about a pact that will be fulfill. But I don't have any clue on what she was talking about." She imparted. 

"Sylvia, the fae who was with me, had also said something similar." The prince shared after Atropa told him what had happened on her end. 

"What do you think does that meant?" Atropa asked. 

Briar did not answer. But he had an inkling that it had something to do with the legends from the olden times. The signos and now the faes had spoken. 

It seemed that he is coming back. The problem is when and where. The prince thought for a bit. 

"Your highness!" Atropa's voice snapped him out of his musings. 

When he turned towards the girl, the bracelet was glowing. 

"What's wrong?" he asked as he drew near her. 

"I think she is telling me that I need to find the treasure." She said as she stood to follow the light that the dagger had emitted. 

"Persia had prepared something for me to stabilize my magic. She had said that Lumina will show me the way." The girl explained. 

"Then, we better follow her." The prince gave his affirmation.