Chapter 213 - Disasters (1)

"Excuse me, have you seen a little girl with dark-colored hair and a butterfly pin on its side? She's about this tall and she's wearing a blue dress, her eyes are also blue," Carlos approached a man who was standing behind the stall, he has a large build. The muscles on his arms were seen and displayed as he was only wearing a sleeveless shirt that was fitted. There was a cloth wrapped around his head. He looked intimidating and scary just because of his build but Carlos approached him with ease as if he was like a small child to him.

"Huuh? What do ya want?" Christopher and Calixander were standing behind Carlos. Out of all of the people that he would approach, why this man?

"We're currently looking for a little girl, she has dark-colored hair and a butterfly pin on the side of her hair. She's about this tall and she's wearing a dress, her eyes are also blue. She looks like a doll from afar, have you seen her? She must be walking around alone in this area earlier, that's what someone who spotted her told us."

"A little girl? I saw her wandering here earlier, I even asked her if she was lost and if she is hungry, I offered her some fruits which I am selling but she just declined and continued walking around. I saw her end up in that alleyway and two people approached her."

The expression on Carlos' face crumpled when he heard what he said. Calixander turned his head around to look at his personal knight who was standing still beside him, he went closer to him as he has something to say. "Go look at that alleyway he pointed at earlier, we might find something in there," He said it in a whisper only the two of them could hear and Christopher just nodded as a response before he turned around and walked away from them. Blending in the crowd easily as Carlos continued to talk with the man.

"Two people?"

"Yeah, they look like a couple and I thought that the little girl who was lost was their daughter so I just minded my own business."

This time, Calixander stepped forward and was the one who started to ask the man some questions. "Can you please describe me in detail what those two people looked like?" His tone of voice was cold and serious, his eyebrows were furrowed and his lips were pursed into a thin line. He narrowed his eyes on the man as if glaring at him. The man, taller and bigger than him, looked down on Harrison and his expression hardened as if he doesn't like the expression Calixander was giving him. However, looking at it more closely, he realized something.

"You looked exactly like that little girl. Wait, don't tell me..?"

"Have you heard about the case going around? Kids have started to disappear and vanish around these parts. That girl is my little sister and if she ends up getting kidnapped, something bad will happen."

Calixander said in a low tone of voice only they could hear. Of course, if she really did end up getting kidnapped, those people would be doomed. They have their identities are hidden that's why nobody knew except for them that she was a princess and her father was the emperor of this land.

The man looked shocked because of what he just heard, "So that was true then. No wonder I see the same couple almost every day walking around always wandering around this place. To think that they were the kidnappers," He said and Calixander saw him clench his fists. He looks angry, really angry, and very much intimidating.

"So are you familiar with their faces?"

"The one who approached the girl, they look new to me."

Carlos just gritted his teeth as Calixander let out a sigh, it can't be helped. We can't force him to remember it, Calixander thought to himself. He was about to open his mouth to speak when the huge man in front of him spoke once again.

"But I can tell you about the people who I always see here, the ones that look suspicious to me. They just appeared out of nowhere around this week and would always walk around then vanish afterward only to show up the next day. This might help you, however, we are still not sure if that girl was already kidnapped or taken away. She might still be around here, maybe that couple was just helping her."

"That's true, but—"

"Sir Ruth," He suddenly heard Christopher's voice beside him as he suddenly appeared. Calixander looked at him in the corner of his eyes before fully turning around to look at him. Calixander has both of his hands held out and there, something was glistening in his hands. When Calixander realized what it was, his eyes widened and he immediately snatched the hairpin from his hands.

It was a butterfly one.

The one that was Alexandra wearing. There was some dust on it and it looked broken.

"I saw this on the ground in the alleyway, near the wall which has a small crack and there was blood on the ground. It looked like a fight happened there earlier. I could sense and feel a trace of mana on that place."

When Calixander heard what he has said, he felt something snap inside him. Blood? Trace of mana? Cracked wall? Hairpin? Calixander couldn't help but imagine what might have happened to his little sister and thinking about it, he couldn't help but get angry. "Prepare the carriage, we're going back to the palace and telling my father about this," Calixander returned to his usual prince and elder brother mode.

"Yes, your majesty," Because of that, Christopher decided to call him 'your majesty'.

"You, you're coming with us," Carlos said as he pointed at the man who looked confused because of what's happening. Of course, who wouldn't? Calixander just said about something returning to the palace and the man beside him just called your majesty. "Wait, wait, just a moment. What do you mean I'm coming with you?"

"You're an important witness and you are familiar with the face of the people who are suspicious and who you have been seen walking around. If we remained here any longer, my little sister is taken. We can't afford her being put in more danger, we must report this to the palace immediately."

"Palace? Not to the officers? We can just report it to them and they would do it."

"This is a much more serious and dangerous situation that you thought, that girl is…" Calixander stopped mid-way, creating suspension. His cold blue eyes stared at the man's grey ones. Somehow, the more that I stare at him, the more he becomes familiar to me, the man thought to himself. Calixander's hand made its way to his hair and he pulled it up, slowly removing the wig on his head that kept his real hair color hidden.

"... Alexandra Alice Elizabeth Everly, the 1st princess of this land and I am her eldest brother, the emperor's first son. Do you understand now?"

That's where realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.

--

Alexandra woke up to the feeling of her body being thrown to the ground.

The pain woke her up and made her jolt her eyes open. The aching pain in her back which was due to the impact that she made with the wall when she engaged in a short battle with the unknown couple who are kidnappers. Gritting her teeth as she tried to endure the pain, she looked up to see the person who threw her. It was an unknown man looking at her with an expressionless look on his face before he closed the door without saying anything. She wasn't tied up as she has expected but she felt something cold wrapped around her neck.

Her hand reached out to her neck and her fingertips grazed against a cold and smooth surface. What's this? A collar?

She knew that she wouldn't be able to remove it with her bare hands. Maybe some magic will do, she thought to herself before she pointed at the collar with her index finger and chanted a few words then a few magic circles appeared. As she was chanting, she heard a voice. It shouted and called out to her.

"No, don't!"

Huh? Alexandra was confused but she already finished casting the spell however, nothing happened. But she felt immense pain in her head, throbbing, and a choking feeling. It was like the collar became colder against her skin as if trying to freeze her and squeezing her neck. She can't breathe and the pain on her back and stomach was still there.

Her knees felt weak and she gave in, collapsing to the ground as she endured the pain. She felt something rise in her throat and she coughed it out, covering her mouth. It was sticky and it tasted like metal in her mouth. Red.

Blood.

The pain died down and faded after a few seconds, leaving her on the ground.

She recalled those two people talking about having a healer and healing her afterward but looking at her body and state, it looked like they didn't. They were probably thinking that this will serve as a lesson for me and would heal me when they are about to sell me or something. Don't they know that I might die because of the loss of blood?

Besides, this collar…

Her hand reached out to touch it again and it made its way to the back part of the collar, on her nape part. There was a small keyhole. That means I can't remove this with magic and only a key, it looks like it will turn into pain and backfire when I used magic. Ah, this is so troublesome, she thought to herself and recalled the voice from earlier. She looked around and she noticed that there were kids around her, most of them were the same age as her. They look terrified, scared, and lost. As if they could only do nothing but just wait for their doom.

All of them are wearing the same collar that she has on her neck. There are around 20 of them. Alexandra's eyes widened as she clenched her fists, why are they doing this?

A girl, slightly older than her, approached her while she was still on the ground. Her knees lost all of its strength to stand up. The aching pain of her body as she endured it. I can't even heal myself, not even my minor and small wounds, thanks to this collar!

"A-Are you okay?"

"Yes, probably."

She felt her wig becoming loose and she fixed it. She didn't feel the butterfly pin, it was gone. No wonder nothing feels heavy on the side of my head, she thought to herself. It must have become loose earlier while I was fighting. This seriously sucks.

I want to escape. To save them. But how?

"You must have been so scared," She heard the girl beside her say. Scared? She's more like angry right now but she just nodded, her throat feels dry and no voice would come out if she tried to speak. "I was taken to this place, a few days ago. There were only a few kids back then and every day, there would be one added in this room. There might be many more of us here."

"W-Where are we?" Alexandra lifted her head to look at her, their gazes met.

"That is also what I would like to know," Alexandra just nodded again as a response. "I'm Amanda from the Hira Bloodline, a noble," She was quite beautiful even though her looks were simple. "I am one of the few female students of the Queenilia Imperial Academy," That's probably why she took her.

"You don't have to tell me your name, I will just call you Ocean—"

"—Because your eyes look like one."

--

It has been like an hour or two and she was still inside the unknown room with Amanda who would have a conversation with her. Every 30 minutes, a person would come and deliver them some water and food in case they are hungry or thirsty. Only a few people moved and Alexandra went straight to the water since her throat was hoarse.

"Do you think someone will come and save us?" Amanda looks like she has lost all of her hope already. After all, she has been here for like days already. She must have been so lonely. Alexandra desperately wants to leave, I wonder if my brother already knows that I was kidnapped.

"Probably."

And as if on cue, the door opened once again. She thought that it was that person who was going to deliver the food and water but it wasn't. Another kid was going to be added to their collection. It was a male who has his head down low so she can't see their faces. Alexandra felt her heart sunk deep to her stomach, another person is going to suffer again.

The door closed and the boy lifted his head.

Huh?

"Why are you here?!" Alexandra blurted out as she suddenly stood up from her seat, her eyes wide as she pointed at the boy. His head turned in her direction and their gazes met, blue eyes meeting with crimson ones.

"There you are, you idiot!"

Harrison was here, inside the room with the kids who were kidnapped, wearing the same collar as her with an angry expression on his face.