Chapter 176 - For the past years (2)

Arthur sat down on the ground and leaned against the tree. The shadow of the tree casting over them and giving them shade as if it was telling them to take a break and rest before they continue their practice. Since Ferdinand took the day off and her father canceled their tea party for today, she got nothing to do for the rest of the afternoon so she just decided to practice or train with him. Christian wasn't here so she got nobody to talk with books about.

Due to Arthur and Alexandra always spending most of their time together during the afternoon and sometimes in the morning, they became quite close. Arthur was gradually getting used to her presence and having physical contact with her and being near with each other (I didn't mean it in a romantic kind of way. It was just like those small skin contact like grabbing the wrist and such.)

But Arthur wasn't used when that person was her. If an unknown girl that he barely knows would grab his wrist or get close to him, he would get shy and say, 'Please don't get too close to me'. Alexandra witnessed it before when one of the palace wizards under training who is a girl a few years older than Arthur suddenly became too close to him. Arthur was 3 years older than Alexandra which means he is already 13.

He had such a shy expression but he looked uncomfortable, it was completely different from the shy expression that he would give her when she accidentally gets too close. However, the girl was acting innocent and naïve as if she didn't notice how uncomfortable the boy felt so Alexandra decided to step in and save Arthur. It looked like he was a damsel in distress while she was the knight who was going to save him. Wasn't that from one of those scenes some movies or shows that she has watched? Like the one where the female gets trapped in a dark alley and there was a creepy guy who wants to take him and the male protagonist would save her?

Alexandra let out a sigh before she turned her head towards Arthur's direction, he was staring at her without saying anything. His lips pursed into a thin line, his eyes narrowed, and his eyebrows furrowed. What is he thinking? Alexandra wondered why he had that kind of expression on his face. Alexandra only showed him an awkward smile before she opened her mouth and asked him, "What is it? Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something weird on my face?"

"No, nothing. I just noticed that you improved a lot although you still have some trouble controlling your mana. It was only a tier 1 spell, near Tier 2, to be exact but why are you having a hard time controlling it?" He responded and Alexandra hummed before she responded, scratching her cheek with her index finger.

"Honestly, I don't even know myself, it was just so hard trying to compress it into a small ball, you know? I know that I only have a low amount of mana because I am a girl but we aren't sure with that because I came from a powerful bloodline who is powerful when it comes to those sorts of things. There is a slim chance that I have inherited that trait or ability," Alexandra replied and she decided to take a seat near him, on the ground. As if she doesn't care that if her dress would get dirty or not. I can clean it anyways since I already learned how to do it just like how Brother Chandler did when before, she thought to herself and leaned back while her palms were pressed against the ground. She could feel the tiny bits of rocks against the pam of her hand and how moist the soil is yet she didn't mind.

She looked up to the blue sky decorated with clouds that looked soft. It wasn't hot nor was it cold, it was windy. Nice and cool weather, Alexandra loves this kind of weather. It was comfortable and you can easily relax unlike when it is shining so brightly, it feels like she was a vampire coming out of her coffin and hit by direct sunlight. It burns.

"That is true. But something is different," He said, his features gradually soften and become a calm one.

"Different? What do you mean by that?" Alexandra's eyebrows furrowed and she looked at him in the corner of her eyes. He saw him looking ahead of him and let out a sigh before he spoke.

"Like your mana. It feels like something or someone was blocking you from using it."

"Blocking it? Like restricting me from using my mana and I only allow me to use a small amount?"

"Yes, just like that. It's probably just my intuition or something, I can sense it and can't help but notice it, you know? You probably still haven't realized it."

It's not the mark, right? Alexandra asked herself and she looked down on her wrist where a tattoo-like mark that is a flower was seen. Was it one of the effects? But Harrison would immediately tell me that, did he forget about it? There were multiple questions inside her head which she knows that she can't answer alone. Maybe I should ask Harrison about it later.

"I'm going back to my room, I want to take a rest," Alexandra said and she stood up, brushing off the dirt that clung onto her dress with her hands. She turned her head to look back at him before she gave him a wide smile. Arthur just hummed as a response and gave her a faint smile.

--

Carlos opened the door of her room for her when they arrived in front of it. Alexandra went inside without saying anything and let out a sigh, hearing the door close behind her. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she witnessed the scene in front of her.

"I was about to call you but it seems like you already arrived, eating all of the cookies that Diana prepared for me," Alexandra said as she stared at the person laying down the carpet of her floor with their arms sprawled and the plate of cookies placed on top of his stomach, he was holding one cookie on his hand while a book on his other hand. He lifted his head and looked at her, his crimson red orbs staring at her while he was munching something inside his mouth, it was probably the cookie. His bangs that framed his head were now parted and showing the center of his forehead, it was because he was laying down.

"Oh, you're finally here," He said after he swallowed what he was eating. Why is he on the floor anyways instead of the couch?

"I know that you have many other cookies with you, why are you eating mine, Harrison?" Alexandra let out a sigh once again and walked towards his body. Even though the floor was sparkling clean, his clothes would still get crumpled and he was eating cookies while laying down and reading. Isn't that hard and sort of impossible? But for Harrison, nothing is impossible and hard for him. This was normal.

"I left mine in the dorm."

"Then please don't just lay down on the carpet, as you can see, there are multiple couches and chairs. There's also a bed there, why are you on the carpet? Aside from that, what if somebody saw you? You know that we aren't in the Wistalia Palace anymore. What would they say or think when they saw you, a total stranger and an unknown person, inside my room, the daughter of the emperor and younger sister of the princes of this empire?"

"Don't worry, nobody did. I could sense other people's presence approaching this room and if I didn't notice them and they saw me, I could use some spell to make them forget what happened," He said in a nonchalant tone of voice as if it was something normal and natural for him. He's hopeless, he won't even listen and do what I say, she thought to herself and bent down to grab one cookie but Harrison slapped her hand away and covered the plate of cookies as if it was his.

Ah, he has done it now.

Alexandra glared at him and kicked his side, "Those cookies are mine, to begin with! Why are you taking it away from me? You won't even let me take one!" Alexandra said as she kicked him, an irk mark appearing on her forehead.

"Ow, ow, stop, that hurts! You're way too violent for a 10-year-old girl!"

5 kicks later, Alexandra stopped and she let out a sigh before she rolled her eyes. Giving up, she walked towards one of the couches and decided to sit there. Harrison was still on the carpet, curled into a ball as he held the part where Alexandra kicked him the most. The cookies were unaffected as he was protecting it. Really, this guy, she thought to herself and crossed her legs.

She closed her eyes and leaned back on her seat. Harrison stood up from the ground and held the plate of cookies in his hands, still protecting it from her. He walked towards the couch in front of her and sat on it. Even though Harrison wasn't the type of person who likes baked sweets, he likes cookies that were made by Diana but that doesn't mean that he likes the other cookies that were given to him in the academy. The taste would always be either bland or too much. Diana's had the right taste, it wasn't too much, it wasn't bland, it was tasty. Alexandra knew that that's why he would always eat the cookies that were supposedly made by Diana and for Alexandra.

Right, I still have something to ask this guy, Alexandra thought to herself and she fluttered her eyes open, she found Harrison staring at her while eating the cookies. Somehow, seeing him all of that makes my blood boil in anger and frustration.

Alexandra let out a sigh before she spoke. "Let me ask you something and you need to answer me truthfully," She said, a serious expression plastered on her face. Her eyes narrowed down on him and her lips pursed into a thin line after she spoke. She leaned forward.

"Sounds something serious, what is it?"

"The mark that you gave me, what does it do to my mana? Does it seal it or block me from using it?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Arthur, the one who teaches me magic and is the disciple of Sir Friyedor, said that my mana was being sealed. It was like something or someone was blocking me from using most of it and only let me use a low amount which is equal to the amount ordinary girls would have. He wasn't sure of it but his intuitions were telling him. He just sensed and noticed it."

Harrison hummed before he responded to her. "The mark doesn't seal your mana and blocks you from using it," Alexandra just stared at him without saying anything. Before she closed her eyes and let out a sigh, leaning back against her seat. Her features softened and the serious expression on her face was replaced with a gentle one.

"It's true," Harrison suddenly said.

"What do you mean?"

"Something was blocking your mana as if it was sealed. I already noticed it before and sensed it while you were showing me this one spell. Someone probably sealed it," It was like long chains were surrounding Alexandra, encircling her, as she used her mana, the chains were connected to the metal rings that were placed on her wrists. She probably still hasn't noticed it.

"Then why? Do you know who might that person be? The one that sealed my mana and preventing me from using all of it?"

"Would you like to know?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Give me all the cookies that your maid would make for you for one whole week," Alexandra, hearing what he said, threw the nearby pillow towards him and since he has fast reflexes, he immediately dodged it.

"You already ate all of my cookies for today! You didn't even give me one!"

"I was just joking," Harrison said as he showed her a grin, that annoying grin of his. I really want to wipe that off his face whether by its force or not, she thought to herself and calmed herself down. She combed her hair back with her fingers, showing her forehead for a moment.

"Honestly, I don't even know. I'm just a talented and amazing wizard."

"Praising yourself again?"

"It's true, you know!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Mr. Talented and Amazing Wizard."

Alexandra closed her eyes and crossed her eyes as her back was leaned against the couch. Then who sealed it? What was their reason and why did they do it?