Chapter 81 - Troubled (1)

"D-Diana, I have a request, actually, 2 requests," Alexandra said, playing with her fingers, fidgeting. She was nervous, she doesn't know how would Diana react at what will she say next. Hopefully, she agrees and just let me be without asking for reasons and such. "What is it, young miss? I would be happy to grant your request, so just tell me," Diana said, showing her a sweet smile and Alexandra could see it by the mirror she was now facing. Diana was currently combing her hair after Alexandra took a bath and changed. Alexandra gulped.

"The first one is, can you make me some sweets or desserts like cookies or macaroons for the next 3 days?" Alexandra asked, praying that Diana would accept her request without asking why but god wasn't on her side as well as luck. "It's a pleasure, young miss, but to whom are you giving it? Is it just for yourself or are you going to share it with someone?" Carlos and Alexandra still haven't told Diana about what happened yesterday, just like the unexpected encounter with the prince of the Luminaria Kingdom, they have to find the right timing to tell it to her or else, she would get angry and scold Alexandra as well as Carlos for just letting the miss be.

It seems like I'm going to tell everything to her later, Alexandra thought to herself and suddenly became pale for a moment before she responded to Diana's question. "Well, I'll just answer that after I tell you my second request," Alexandra said and laughed awkwardly.

"I see, then what is your second request?" Diana asked and started to style Alexandra's hair, trying to make a ponytail with her long hair.

"About the Rubinalia Red necklace," Alexandra started and almost stuttered. Crap, why am I getting nervous? Diana told me before that I could give it to anyone who is worthy and needs it the most since it belongs to the Wistalia Palace, and the Wistalia Palace is already mine, so the necklace is already mine, she thought to herself and let out a sigh. "What about it, young miss? Have you found someone you can give it to?" Diana asked and stopped combing Alexandra's hair for a moment while she spoke before she continued. Alexandra hummed, "Yes," She said and she saw the sparkle of curiosity in Diana's eyes.

"Who is it, young miss? Is it someone we know? Is it for Harrison? Is it for your father? Is it someone popular?" Diana started to bombard the miss with questions as she was getting more and more curious. Yes, he's someone popular, almost everyone knows him and he is my wonderful older brother who hates me very much because of the words planted inside his head which was what they describe me and he believed it, it is the oh-so-wonder Prince Chandler Arthur Marcus Everly of the Queenilia Empire, she wished she could say that out loud while beaming with confidence and joy to Diana but she can't.

"It's actually Prince Chandler," Alexandra said and tried to aver her gaze as much as possible.

--

"Alexandra," Just by a simple call of her name, she snapped out of her thoughts and was pulled back to reality. Right, she was having her afternoon tea with her father when she recalled what happened earlier morning. She turned her head at her father's direction, still in a daze while she blinked multiple times while staring at her father who was also staring back at her. Did I doze off for too long that they thought I was sleeping or something? Alexandra asked herself as she waited for his father's response.

"Are you okay? You were just staring at the cake and didn't eat it, are you sick?" This time, it was Christian who spoke in a worried voice and Alexandra turned her head in his direction, smiling at him. "No, No, I'm totally fine, I'm just thinking about something," Alexandra said and reassured him before she began to eat the cake while talking with Christian.

"By the way about the books that you have borrowed," Christian started and picked up his glass of juice, bringing it to his lips and drank it. Alexandra turned her head in his direction while she placed down her fork after she finished eating almost everything, "Oh those, I already finished one book and I'm mid-way through the second book. Don't worry, I would be able to return in the next few days," Alexandra said, smiling at him before she drank her glass of juice, feeling slightly refreshed because of what it tastes like. Christian smiled back at her as he nodded multiple times, "I see, it's okay. There is no rush, I was just asking," Christian said while smiling at her.

--

Alexandra and Christian walked around the palace together after they had their afternoon tea party with their father. Since they don't have anything to do at this moment and the only thing that they did earlier was just read, they decided to stroll or walk around. Alexandra and Christian remained quiet as they can't think about what to talk about. The sound of their footsteps was the only thing heard throughout the place as they walked and it was the only sound piercing through the silence.

Alexandra held onto the small box inside her arms, hugging it against her chest keeping it safe and away from harm as they walked.

Alexandra recalled her conversation with Diana earlier after she told her that she was going to give the necklace to Prince Chandler.

--~--

"It's actually Prince Chandler," Alexandra said and tried to avoid her gaze as much as possible. Diana stopped combing Alexandra's hair as she stiffened while her brain was processing the information she just recently heard. She was struck shock and confused, she can't find the right words to say.

Alexandra noticed Diana not speaking for almost a whole minute. It felt like it was the longest minute in her life as every second felt like an hour. Alexandra lifted her gaze and looked at Diana with the use of the mirror in front of her. Diana was in a daze, she blinked multiple times as if she can't believe what she just heard. The young miss is going to give the necklace to her older brother who isn't totally close to her and they still haven't met yet, Diana thought to herself. Or did they?

"Diana?" Alexandra called out to her and Diana snapped out of her thoughts. "W-Why Prince Chandler, young miss? It's not like you already met or talked with each other, right?" Was what Diana said, recovering from the shock and confusion she just received earlier. Ah, crap, it seems like I'm going to tell her everything about yesterday and probably the other days too, Alexandra thought to herself and let out a sigh.

"Actually, I met Prince Chandler and Prince Calixander yesterday with the help of Brother Chrisitan," Alexandra started and she told Diana everything while she listened carefully, not missing out a single detail as Alexandra talked. Diana continued to comb her hair and styled it while Alexandra spoke and by the time that she finished, Alexandra was also done telling Diana everything. Diana fell into silence, processing the information she got from Alexandra while she was in deep thought.

I think Carlos will be scolded later, Alexandra thought to herself and let out a sigh, waiting for Diana's reply. "I see. Prince Chandler likes to collect things especially those type of things like the Rubinalia Red necklace," Diana heard that information from other people and when Alexandra heard her say that, she heaved a sigh knowing that she already had an excuse to tell to Prince Chandler about how did she know that he liked to collect things. "But, young miss, why did you think of giving him that necklace instead of just making some sweets for him or giving him books like the other princes?"

"Prince Calixander actually told me that Prince Chandler doesn't like sweets when he noticed that I was about to give Prince Chandler the macaroons that you've made me, Christian also said that Prince Chandler doesn't like to read books. So I thought of giving him a treasure or something, thinking that he might like it," Alexandra thought to herself, her reason sounds acceptable but at the same time not. She just hoped that Diana would believe her because if she told her that it was Harrison who told her that, problems would arise. They would know that Harrison would enter my room by the use of magic without them knowing.

"I see, then what about your first request? Are you sharing the food with Prince Christian and Prince Gilbert?" Diana asked and Alexandra laughed awkwardly. "It's actually for Prince Calixander," Alexandra said, laughing nervously while scratching her cheek while she avoided Diana's gaze. "Eh? Diana said and silence surrounded them as a few seconds passed by. Diana suddenly recalled something which made her smile, but it was a sad yet gentle one.

"I see. If it's to have a better relationship with your brothers, I wouldn't interfere with your plans, young miss. I'm glad that you are trying to get along with them," Diana said in a gentle voice and Alexandra nodded as she smiled at her before she stood up from her seat and walked, heading towards the door of her room to leave. Diana followed the miss from behind, "Are you going to ask Carlos to give it to them, young miss?" Diana said and Alexandra stopped from her tracks which caused Diana to stop too and look at Alexandra while blinking repeatedly, wondering why the miss stopped walking after she asked that question. "Probably," Alexandra said before she continued walking.

--

"Alexandra, we're here," Christian called out to Alexandra who was deep in thought while staring at somewhere while they were walking earlier. Thankfully, she didn't trip or bump into something while she was deep in thought. Alexandra was pulled back to reality and she turned her head at Christian's direction giving him a sweet and gentle smile while she nodded. Alexandra roamed her eyes around and saw the familiar scenery, this was the place yesterday were Christian and Alexandra played and walked around with just the two of them. This place was just near the training grounds of the two older princes.

The cold and winter breeze caressed her bare skin as they stood still at their position. Since they just ate, they aren't going to run around or play. Maybe the prince is training at that place again like yesterday and probably Prince Calixander would also be there, Alexandra thought to herself and remembered that Carlos might get angry and scold her once again if she ran off like yesterday without telling him. "By the way, Alexandra, it seems like you are troubled over something since earlier while we were having our tea party with father, what are you thinking? Also, what is inside that box? You were just holding onto that since earlier," Christian said as they began to walk around while their personal knights quietly followed behind them. Christian's really good at observing people, Alexandra thought to herself and let out a sigh.

"Actually, I have learned that Prince Chandler likes to collect things and I have decided to give him this," Alexandra said and showed him the box she was holding. She opened it and what greeted Prince Chandler's sight was a necklace with a gem pendant which is probably ruby because of its color. It looked enchanting and alluring, Christian couldn't take his eyes off the necklace not until Alexandra called out to his name and grabbed his attention. "Brother Christian?"

Christian lifted his gaze and looked at Alexandra who was closing the box and hugged it near her chest. "That was the Rubinalia Red, right? The necklace with an alluring, attractive, and enchanting gem pendant with memories of people who wore that trapped inside?" Christian said while his eyes were sparkling after seeing the content of the box. Alexandra smiled at him as she nodded, "Yes, I'm going to give it to Prince Chandler,"

"Right, I completely forgot to tell you that Prince Chandler actually likes to collect things and I heard him talking about that necklace as if he really wants to obtain that. How did you get that? You can't find that in a market nor is a merchant going to sell that to you, it wasn't even in the museum. It was said that after the last member of the Rubinalia Bloodline died, the necklace was given to someone but it never said who it was and what happened to the necklace right after," Christian said in an excited tone of voice but there was a hint of curiosity. So they don't know that the necklace was just inside the Wistalia Palace, locked inside a room inside the library?

It seems like only Diana and I only know about the whereabouts of the necklace since she told me to never mention it to the maids about the room inside the library. Alexandra smiled at him, "It's a secret," Alexandra said and she looked ahead, picking up her pace while they walked. Christian just pouted and continued walking.

It was all silent and fine when they suddenly happened to bump into someone Alexandra last wanted to see but at the same time, she also wanted to see because she needed to.

"…" Nobody spoke and just stared at each other as if they were waiting for a miracle to happen.

Standing in front of us was Prince Calixander and Prince Chandler.