The Princess That Was Promised

The six of them took a photo together using a tripod. All their faces were adorned with smiles, including Emma's. She was the happiest she had ever been. Her memories of her parents' have returned; she could also remember their faces and even had their portraits made. She also had a good friend in Haoran who was always kind to her and wanted to help her find her parents. Truly, Emma was grateful.

Alex was delighted to see their photo and immediately showed it off to his friends. The Eiffel Tower in the background looked magnificent and wondrous.

"Hey, someone is secretly taking our picture," Haoran whispered while glancing to the left. Emma followed the Haoran's gaze and saw a student from class F taking a photo sneakily with her cellphone.

Haoran and his friends were quite famous in school. Although they had a bad reputation as troublemakers, a lot of girls actually liked them. Haoran, Alex, and Eric especially had a lot of female fans.

Emma snorted softly. She could guess how that girl would upload the photo on their group chat on the account of how close Emma was with the five troublemakers from class F. With a subtle wave of her hand, Emma threw the girl's phone with a sweep of strong wind.

"Aaaahhh! My phoooone!" The girl squeaked in surprise as the strong wind carried her phone and slammed it to the ground.

The girl hysterically picked up the phone from the ground. And she immediately cried when she saw the screen had cracks all over it and couldn't be turned on. Her friends gathered in surprise. The strong wind didn't hit them. It only accidentally swept the cellphone from her hand.

Accidentally? Emma smiled faintly at their words. She glanced at Haoran and acted as if nothing had happened. Haoran stared at her without blinking for a few seconds.

"Woah..." That's all he said. "You're so cool."

Emma pretended not to hear Haoran's words and sat on the grass with her eyes closed. She had impulsively used her power to break the girl's phone because Emma didn't like to be photographed, much less secretly.

Ah, per usual, after Emma had used her power, a flash of memory would show up before her, and she'd be able to see her parents again.

"Do you remember the radio tower at the academy, General Stardust?" asked Arreya, smiling at Kaoshin. "When I ran away from the academy, you were the only one who thought of looking for me there. Doesn't this tower remind you of that one?"

Kaoshin looked at the Eiffel Tower in front of them and nodded. "They do look quite similar."

"I love that tower, because that's where I first learned that you loved me." Arreya's eyes wandered far away as she was overcome by nostalgia for a moment. "That's the only memory I have from Akkadia that always makes me happy."

"That's when I let you read my mind." Kaoshin gave a faint smile, and his eyes wandered far away too.

"You're the only person who knows that I'm a telemancer," Arreya said quietly. "I can't imagine how many more people would hate me at the academy if they knew it. I already have too many powers."

"It's partly your fault, you didn't want to reveal your identity as a Royal in the academy and let them think you're an ordinary person," commented Kaoshin. He squeezed his wife's shoulder gently. "They didn't dare to hate you after the Crown Prince came to visit at that time."

"Hmm..." Arreya looked away. "I didn't like it after my identity was announced. There were so many sycophants and hypocrites who tried to be kind to me just because I was the future wife of the Crown Prince."

"It's not just because of that. They all learned you were The Princess That Was Promised. Of course, it's only natural for you to have so many powers," Kaoshin added.

"I'm not The Princess That Was Promised," Arreya closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened her eyes again, she and Kaoshin simultaneously glanced at little Emma who was sitting on the grass while playing with an apple in her hand. Arreya's voice cracked as she continued her words. "W-What if the prophecy came true?"

"Then we'll leave Emma to fate," said Kaoshin in a soft but firm voice. "We can only try."

"But she looked so devastated," said Arreya. "Every time I remember her sad expression, I cry. I don't understand why she was so sad to see us."

Arreya suddenly fell silent. She approached little Emma, who was now watching them with her beautiful topaz eyes.

"It's going to be okay, sweetheart," said Arreya in a soft voice. She stroked little Emma's hair lovingly. "We're fine. You have to live well for us."

Kaoshin approached little Emma and pulled the little girl into his lap. "Your mother's right. We're going to be okay. There's nothing else we want in this life except to see you grow up and be happy."

Emma opened her eyes as she felt the sun ray was blocked by something. She saw Haoran standing next to her, blocking the sun behind him.

"I've asked Madame Delaval's permission not to come back to the hotel with the group. We can stay here and talk. You said you wanted to come here to confirm something, right?" said Haoran, sitting beside Emma. He was taller than the girl, and his position was still blocking the sun ray from falling on Emma's face.

"Thank you," Emma nodded. "I really still want to be here."

She watched as her school friends boarded the bus that would take them back to the hotel. Emma also noticed how Nadya repeatedly glanced at her and Haoran, looking astonished.

"I've got a reply from Goose. She'll look for your parents. It's free. We don't need to pay," Haoran said after making sure everyone they knew had left. There were only foreign tourists around them who were still having a picnic on the grassy field, enjoying the sunny weather and the romantic atmosphere.

"She's very kind." Emma felt touched. She didn't expect to meet good people in this world. Considering how expensive Goose's rate was, she felt greatly indebted to the hacker. "Tell Goose, if there is anything I can help her with, I'll do anything to repay her kindness."

"Don't worry. I've said that too," Haoran said with a shrug. "I insisted on paying her services after I inherited Lee Industries in six years and giving her anything she'll ever want in life, but she still said no. Finally though, Goose told me she had also lost her parents when she was little, so she understood how we felt. She said she would be angry if I still force her to accept payment. "

"Is that true?" Emma was stunned by Haoran's explanation. "She's very strange to refuse money."

"Maybe she is already very rich," Haoran said. "You know how much she charges."

Emma finally could only nod. "All right. I trust her."

"After Goose gets the information about your parents, I'll ask her to investigate the capsule they left behind on the moon. We'll tell her your parents were researchers investigating the capsule before they had disappeared," Haoran said again. "I think that's the best way, so we don't need to tell Goose about your true identity."

"Oh, Haoran! That's a great idea!" exclaimed Emma happily. Her face was beaming. "You're so smart."

"Ahh, you only realize now that I'm very smart?" Haoran teased Emma with a small laugh. "I feel offended."

"Ishh... you!" Emma grumbled. She changed her position, so she could observe the Eiffel Tower more clearly. "I now know why my mother liked this tower so much."

"Why is that?" Haoran asked attentively.

"Because..." Emma smiled faintly as she continued. "My father confessed to her on a tower that looked like this."

"Ahh..." Haoran followed her eyes and looked at the Eiffel Tower with a smiling face. "That's very romantic."

"They harbored forbidden love for a very long time. My mother was a Princess who was arranged to marry the Crown Prince. From what I heard, my mother had hidden her identity when she had entered the academy where she had met my father. She said, many people had hated her because she had too many powers. They had only found out whom she really was when the crown prince had come to the academy to see her. But by then, my mother had already fallen in love with my father." Emma explained to Haoran based on the conclusions she had inferred after listening to her parents' conversations.

"Wow..." Haoran's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't think the story about Emma's parents was that interesting. "Then what about your father?"

"They had kept their love a secret by keeping a formal attitude toward each other for a very long time. But finally, they eloped and came here." Emma's voice then filled with sorrow. "They talked several times about how the Crown Prince wouldn't spare me. That's why they left me and locked my memories."

"Do you think the crown prince had chased your parents all the way here?" Haoran asked cautiously.

It wasn't hard for anyone to guess if that's indeed the case. That could be the most likely reason why Emma had been left at the orphanage. Maybe Emma's parents had hoped that their daughter would be hidden forever and grow up as an ordinary child on Earth.

"That's what I'm afraid of..." Emma sighed softly. She was terrified at the thought her parents were captured and brought back to Akkadia.