CH 7

“Who is it? Stop it!” 

I sat still on the floor, and I covered my face with both hands to protect it. However, my hair was grabbed and pulled back from behind. 

“Kyyya!”

Why? Who? Why are you doing this to me? 

“Please stop! State your name! I’m the princess of the house of Duke Holsten, Alicia Holsten!” 

I somehow managed to stand up by leaning on the sofa after being pushed several times by my attacker then I raised my head up. 

“It’s cowardly not to give your name!” 

I stretched out my hand in the direction where I felt the presence and finally made contact with the unknown person’s hand right away. 

“Who are you?”

I gripped it tightly and used the only magic I could do which was the stamping spell on that person’s wrist. When I did that, that person took my other hand, forcefully pulled it and slammed me against the floor. 

“Someone, please! Karl!!”

At that moment, something gently wrapped around my body, and a small noiseof electric shock was heard not far. 

“AAhhh!!! It hurts!”

The same moment someone’s low voice could be heard, my hair was pulled back again and my shoulders were pushed back strongly.. After making sure I fell down, the unknown person dashed out the room without saying a word. 

My butt stuck on the floor while my head was still processing the previous event. What just happened? I closed my eyelids even though I could see anything. I was assaulted…

Finally understanding, my body began to tremble. 

The door suddenly opened again with Kate’s shout calling me. 

“M, My lady!!”

Hearing Kate’s voice and knowing that she finally returned helped me calm down a little bit and released a bit of my stiffness. 

“Alicia!!”

I could hear Mom’s voice full of grief. Rather than me, the fear that something had happened to her invaded my mind

“Hhm…?”

“Everything is alright now Alicia!”

“M.mother?”

“Yes, It’s me. How do you feel? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Mom’s voice sounded brittle, hearing that made my mind blank for a moment and I remembered what just happened to me. I… I was assaulted… The horrible feelings came back, Mommy embraced the terrified me into her chest and gently gripped my stiff hands. 

“Poor you, you must be scared, I’m sorry dear. Everything is fine now, I’m here!”

I could not hold back any longer when I heard her gentle voice, my body moved by itself to hug her back. The familiar warmth, this gentleness, my body was surrounded by her pleasant scent that always reminded me that I am not alone. My heart crumbled and my voice wobbled.I started crying like a child. ‘When was the last time I cried like this?’ I thought. 

“Mother…”

Mommy kept embracing me and kindly patted my back at the same time to comfort me. 

“Your mother is here. I’m so sorry for what happened.”

Her words were like a magic spell that blew away all my worries and healed my broken heart. 

“Alicia, poor dear… It’s all my fault, if we didn’t come here…”

“Mother, I… Mother…”

Her embrace always gives me courage, even before. Whenever something terrifying happens, she’s just like a light shining over me in the darkness. Mom always gives me a hug and comforts me with her healing words. While still embracing her, I put my ears on her chest. Her heartbeats echoed, magically pulling me out from my deep dark slumber. 

“Thank you mother…I think I’m alright now…”

I said that and pulled away from her with a strange feeling lingering in my heart.

“You know mother, you always hug me whenever I feel scared. And just like that I don’t feel scared anymore. Now my heart is at ease thanks to you.”

“Fu fu fu. Of course, that is my magic only for you.”

Seeing me returned to my collected self, Mommy sighed from relief. She patted my hand lightly to get my attention. 

“Mother, perhaps you can do magic?”

Mommy laughed at my question but she seemed to have some thoughts. After that she changed her tone to be more serious one. 

“I’m glad you calmed down. If you are okay now, would you like to have a conversation with your mother?”

She wanted me to take my time to rest while holding my hands.

“I’m fine. With you by my side, I’ll have the courage to face everything.”

I told her everything that happened to me in the waiting room while Kate was gone.  

“It’s that so… You must be really scared. But I’m glad because Karl’s protection spell activated at the right time.”

“Yes.”

Noticing me lowered my gaze down, Mom kindly stroked my hair. 

“You did your best Alicia. I’m proud of you. You truly are my pride.”

I felt happy at her words, but soon another emotion came over me. It was anger. How could a person do something so horrible like that and get away like a coward? My tears were wasted. I’ve never lost against what people have done to me until now. Once again my eyes became teary. 

“Alicia, what do you want to do now? It’s okay if you want to go back right away, or crush their security system and make the school pay for what happened? Your fiance who left you alone also needs to take responsibility for this.”

Mommy sneered at what she said. Scary! Was mommy like this? Now I fully understood why Daddy could never win against her whenever they had a fight. I swallowed , and decided to be honest with her. 

“Mother, I don’t want to go back! I don’t want to admit that I lost to some coward! However it doesn’t mean that I want Karl or someone else to be held responsible for this.”

“Then what do you want to do?”

“I will surely regret it if I came back home like this. If I can Mother, I would like to find the criminal by myself. Actually I left a mark on that person’s wrist.”

“You did?”

“Yes!”

Mommy seemed to think about what I said so I grabbed her hand with mine. 

“Alicia, you do know that we have to go back the day after tomorrow right?”

“I know, Mother. But I still have 2 days left.”

“Do you know that you just got assaulted?”

“I know, Mother. That happened because I was left alone. But I won’t be alone from now on!”

“But… It’s dangerous…”

Because she was worried about my safety, Mommy could not give me her permission right away. 

“I’m begging you, Mother! Until we go back please give me your permission!”

“ーAlicia!!”

When I raised my voice to beg Mother for her permission, Karl dashed into the room out of breath.

“Karl?”

“Alicia! Alicia! I heard you got assaulted… Are you okay?”

Karl immediately touched my body to check for any injury. After making sure I was fine, he seemed relieved and embraced me, crushing me with all his strength.

“Thank God. I’m glad you are fine. I’m sorry to have left you alone and let you experience something that horrible.”

It has been so long since I heard his voice trembling, my heart felt warm from knowing that. 

I gave a light pat on his shoulder.

“I’m fine. I’m not injured at all. I was saved thanks to your protection spell that you casted on me. You saved me, Karl. Thank you.”

“So my magic protected you..”

I nodded. Karl finally calmed down and tightly embraced me again.

“Rather than that, I’m asking Mother for her permission to catch the criminal. Hey, can you give me a hand, Karl?”

“Hhm? Catch the criminal?”

I nodded. Karl breathed in and gave out a long sigh on my shoulder then he finally released me from his arms. 

“The one who assaulted you must pay for what he/she did. However I cannot let you do something so dangerous. Aren’t you scared?”

I reached out and searched for his hand. Karl then gave me his hand and I held it tightly with both of my hands.

“Of course I was scared. I’m still scared. But I don’t want to be defeated like this. If I do that it will leave a scar that I should wear all my life. And I want to know the reason why that person decided to do something like that to me who could not even see a thing too.”

“Alicia…you made me speechless again. I thought you would be frightened after being assaulted but to think that you want to find out the criminal…”

“Yes! I cannot accept it!”

Seeing me not giving up, Karl turned to where Mommy was sitting and voiced his thoughts.

“Duchess, I don’t think she will give up when she is this determined.”

Until now Mommy didn’t say a word but at Karl’s word she gave out a sigh. 

“Prince Karl..”

“I’ll also support her with everything I have. My friends will also help her. Only until the end of the Open campus days event, please give us your permission.”

“I feel like It will be troublesome to your friends…”

“There is nothing like that. However, rather than keeping quiet and doing it on our own, it’s better to let her do it. Even if we say no, she will eventually go out and look at the criminal by herself either way. Don’t you think so?”

As expected of Karl who understood me the best, what he said was true, if mother didn’t give me her permission it would not stop me from finding the criminal. Mommy was hesitant at first but after hearing what Karl said, she gave out another sigh. 

“……Alright. If your highness agreed to assist her then I am okay with it.”

“Are you saying you are giving me your permission?”

I got excited and surprised at the same time. 

“But Alicia, promise me you will not push yourself. It might be dangerous so you must not leave his highness’ side at any moment. And only until the end of the Open campus day!”

“Thank you, Mother!”

“Your highness… I’m sorry to bother you but I leave her in your care.”

Finally, with Karl’s help, I managed to convince her to give me permission to search for the criminal. 

Mommy gave me her permission to go search for the criminal. 

I was confident because I made a stamp on that person. Last time, when I did it on Karl my magic lasted for a week, so until I return home there is no way the stamp will disappear. The stamp heats up just if I touch it a little, so I assumed Karl and his friend would notice it by its light. 

I felt like a detective. 

“Alicia honey, I must leave for a moment. Even if I gave you my permission, I still need to inform your father about what happened to you today. How about taking a break for now? Until you receive permission from a teacher, be patient my dear.”

Mommy put me to bed, tucked me in and gave me a kiss on my forehead. 

“Yes, mother.”

I pretended to fall asleep. After Mommy left the room, I quickly sat up and called out to Karl who seemed to still be sitting on the sofa inside the room. 

“Karl?”

“I’m here. As expected you are not going to sleep. What am I going to do with you, such a reckless girl.”

“That is because I really wanted to catch the criminal as soon as possible!”

At my words, Karl came closer and sat on the side of the bed. 

“I understand, Alicia. And I made a promise to the Duchess, so you can be at ease because I’ll always be by your side.”

“Thank you, Karl.”

“Then, could you tell me what happened today? I apologise because I’m asking you to remember something horrible, but this is something I must know in order to help you. If you don’t want to then it is alright, I understand.”

Alicia tilted her head to one side at Karl’s seriousness. 

“I don’t really mind. What do you want to know? I will tell you as much as I can.”

“Let’s start at the beginning. What did you do after I left?”

“After you left I took my time and enjoyed the snacks Mikhail brought. As there wasn’t water nor tea I became so thirsty from all the snacks I ate, so I asked Kate a favor. Right after she left I heard the door open again so I thought Kate had returned. However, despite how many times I asked, there was no answer… I thought it was strange and asked for the identity of that person. Even though I was sure to feel the presence, I heard nothing in return.”

I held both of my hands tightly, telling myself not to give in to fear. Then I felt Karl’s warm hand on mine, like he was trying to say ‘it’s fine’ to me without saying it out loud. Touched by his comforting gesture, I lowered my head down to cover my happy smile, then continued where I left off. 

“After that, I was pulled down to the floor from the sofa. We both got tangled for a while. Afraid to be hit I raised both of my hands up to my face to guard myself. Oh, I used my magic at that time too.”

“Magic?”

“Yes! I grabbed that person’s wrist! And stamped it at once!”

“So you made contact.”

“Yes. But my hand got shaken and the next thing I knew was my hair being grabbed and pulled…I was desperate for someone to come and when the fear got to me, I suddenly heard something like an electrical shock and that person ran away.”

I finally let out a sigh of relief after finishing my story. Hearing my sigh, Karl became a little conflicted. 

“Are you feeling alright?” 

“I’m alright. Kate came back right after that. When I heard her voice all of my fears and worries fled away immediately. She helped me a lot this time.” 

“I’m glad. Is there anything else that you realized?” 

“Oh, I heard the criminal’s voice. Even if it was small, I am sure it belonged to a woman!” 

“A woman…” 

Karl held my hands as a gesture to thank me for what I did.

I no longer felt afraid nor was my body trembling. Maybe it was thanks to Mommy that casted a spell on me while embracing me. Just like when I was little and had to face something difficult, it made me feel like she would always be by my side and comfort me, saying that everything will be alright. 

I sat straight and thought about what I must do. In order to find the criminal,… I remembered a scene from a drama when I was in the hospital ( previous life), the detective was asking around to get more clues on the case. 

“Karl? When it all happened, where was everyone?” 

“Everyone? You mean Erick. They were surely at the cafe to check on any suspicious person at that time. It was the most crowded over there anyway.” 

“Can I go there?” 

“It’s still dangerous right now!” 

“Even if I chose to stay here, that would just suit the criminal. In order to find that person, I need clues!”

“How about Erick doing that? He can report everything back later to you.”

“If he agrees then I will really appreciate his help. However, it would be better for a witness who can identify the criminal to go out there to do the job!” 

“Why do you think like that?” 

Karl couldn’t understand why I was being persistent. 

“The stamp only reacts with my touch. Even with Erick going out asking everyone, he can’t point it out.” 

“You are right. And it would be so unnatural for Erick to find the stamp while asking people and touch their wrist.”

“Yes. It would be very rude for a gentleman to suddenly touch a lady’s hand without their consent when they are not even acquaintances.” 

There were thousands of people here in this academy including the parents who participated in this event. How could I find the stamp without faulting anyone… 

“This is complicated…” 

“For now it would be best to make contact with as many people as possible.” 

“The stamp on the wrist… I’ll discuss the issue with them. Maybe they know the best solution for this.” 

“Yes. Moreover, I want the criminal to be upset at me for enjoying the event, the whole campus event. I want to tell her that even if she assaulted me I am still here, stronger than ever.” 

Hearing me raise my voice, a little amazed, Karl gently gave me a little pat on the head. 

“That seems like you, Alicia. Then let’s go to the cafe after telling everyone about it. Shall we?”

“Thank you”

We finally received permission to go back to the event from the head teacher. Before we went back, Karl briefly summarized the situation and updated him some details with the tasks. 

“Princess, do you have any injuries?”

I smiled at Erick who seemed really concerned about my wellbeing. 

“As you can see I have no injuries. The criminal only pushed me and pulled my hair. But thank you for worrying about me.” 

When I told him I stamped the criminal, Erick seemed to be taken aback by my action but replied back “Hunt the criminal down!” with astonishment. 

“I admire your courage, Princess Alicia. There is no lady who can do something as brave as you did.” ( : ౦ ‸ ౦ : )

In a small voice, Karl seemed to reprimand Erick saying that his words were unnecessary but Erick seemed not to be bothered by his words. 

“Lord (*)Erick, how was the investigation?” 

(*) Erick came from a Knighthood household background but has not yet bestowed the Knight’s title , he will be called Lord Erick for the time being. 

“We are not in a favorable situation to be honest. It is impossible to get our hands on every suspect’s information. Not to mention there is no record for visitors from the outside either.” 

“It’s that so…”

“Are you sure you will be alright going to the cafe after this?”

“There is no need for me to cry about what happened anymore. Yes, I’m going.” 

Erick went silent after that. There were knocks on the door.

“Excuse me” 

The door opened and I could sense that someone had entered the waiting room. 

“Lord Aramic?”

“Yes, I came here right away after I heard the news!”

“Thank you. I’m alright now.”

“Aramic, the reason I called you here is because I need to borrow your wisdom for a moment.” 

“What for?” 

“Alicia decided to go look for the criminal. When she was attacked, she left a stamp which was invisible for normal eyes on that person’s wrist. The stamp only reacts to Alicia’s contact. It will light up when she touches it but we cannot do something so reckless. Do you have any idea?”

After Karl’s please, Aramic’s face lit up with excitement. 

“A stamp.. that lightens up with a touch.. How fascinating! Give me a moment…” ( *｀ω´)

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

We gathered and analysed what we had on the stamping spell until now however the doctor arrived and entered the room to check my condition. 

“It seems there is no injury. You can go now.” 

With the doctor’s permission to go, I quickly held out my hand to find Karl’s. Like a normal thing, Karl took my hand, and placed it on his raised arm, in position to escort me. 

“Shall we?” 

“My pleasure.”

~Alicia and the hunt~ 

Mikhail has been waiting near the cafe. 

“Prince Karl! Princess Alicia!”

“Mikhail! How is the situation?”

“I announced the place for the event. Right now we are in the middle of moving guests.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Alicia, can you wait here a little bit?”