Alathil could only heave a sigh as he watched Risa rush toward the Master Mage's house after she said goodbye to him. He saw her approach the worried Jehan who looked like he was about to scold her. He would have laughed at that, especially when he saw her put her hands together as if apologizing to Jehan.
"Now that's cute," he couldn't help commenting almost in a whisper.
Soon after, a gentle smile curved his lips as a warm feeling bubbled up in his chest. It was unlike the warmth he had ever felt in his life.
Who would've thought that a strange woman like her could do that to him?
"It seems you're satisfied with what you did, Your Highness."
The Second Prince didn't have to turn to see who it was as he was aware that the person followed him all this way. He was his bodyguard, after all.
"I only wanted to observe her from a distance, that's all. But it didn't happen that way. You know I can't just stay in the distance and let them harass her like that."
At the thought of what happened a while back, Alathil found himself clenching his right fist tight.
"Those scoundrel knights kept getting more arrogant than how we knew them. They should be glad I didn't kill them."
Shuren approached the Second Prince and stood beside him on the left.
"This wasn't the first time that some knights had harassed Miss Risa. According to Prince Elross's investigation, the knights given the task to find the witch here who attempted to kill the Crown Prince suddenly barged into the Master Mage's house and tried to drag her with them. They must have thought that Miss Risa was the witch they were after that day. Thankfully, the Master Mage and even Lord Jehan came in time to stop it."
"I doubt that Father was even aware of that."
"The knights in question were punished for that, by the way. From what I knew, it was the Crown Prince who gave the order to do that. So perhaps you could ask your older brother about it."
Though surprised when Alathil learned that Crown Prince Aladron was aware of that incident, he was thankful that his brother took action. Shuren was right; he could ask the Crown Prince about it. Of course, he had to risk being teased about his interest in the case.
Or should he say, his interest in the woman involved?
"Did she truly cast that tornado, just as Elross told me?" Alathil asked soon after.
"I didn't clearly see any indication that she cast it. But the tornado was indeed protecting her at the time. Prince Elross stated that she did it, only unconsciously. Miss Risa might still be unaware of her magical abilities at this point."
Alathil sighed as he continued watching the interaction between Jehan and Risa. Even at the sight of that, it was strange that he had the urge to pull Risa away from Jehan. Yes, he might be interested in her. But did he truly have to think that way?
"What do you want to do from here on, Your Highness?" Shuren asked later on, breaking the silence between them.
As much as the Second Prince wanted to answer that, he couldn't seem to find the right words to say. Since when did he feel so unsure on what he wanted to do?
"I might have to make use of your teleportation magic every now and then just to go here."
"Let's say I've been expecting that answer from you, Your Highness."
Alathil smiled at his bodyguard's joking retort.
"We do need to watch over her, though. Just as Prince Elross wanted you to do," Shuren continued solemnly.
He didn't know why Elross would make such a suggestion. But rarely did his younger brother say something that would not benefit them. In this case, Elross wanted him to do something to benefit Risa in a way. He didn't know how, but he knew he had to do it.
xxxxxx
"What in the world is wrong with those knights and they kept on harassing people here in the forest, anyway? That's the second time already."
As much as Risa wanted to calm Lady Enlari down, all she could do was to listen to her rant like that. True, it was unlady-like. But even the most calm individual had the right to burst out like that once in a while.
And it seemed that something happened in the capital that made the lady mage like this.
"But I'm glad you made it out in one piece. I don't think the Master Mage would take it lightly if something bad happened to you again."
Risa smiled and bowed her head, possibly out of habit. She didn't mention how she made it out of that situation. But questions still lingered in her mind even at the moment that she was listening to Lady Enlari continue talking.
"But it's still early for you to head here and make your usual visit, Lady Enlari. May I ask what made you decide to come back?" Risa asked before those lingering questions took her mind off somewhere again.
"I finished my job earlier than expected. And with all that had happened here while the Master Mage and I were gone, I don't believe I should be putting off your training on hold any longer."
Her eyes widened at that. 'Does that mean...?'
"I did hear from Jehan that you cast a tornado when the Brathos attacked here, although you did so without your knowledge."
Risa nodded, her face solemn. "The man who called himself Elross said that, as well, after the dragons said it to me. Only when I mentioned to Jehan about the events that I learned that he was the Third Prince of this kingdom."
"That kid doesn't want you to be scared of him, that's for sure. He traveled a lot because of the missions he was assigned to, that's why most people only knew him by name. Only a few people knew what he looked like. Can you describe his appearance to me when you met him?"
Risa did as such, including the cloak that he was wearing and the horse he was riding that day. Lady Enlari nodded, as if satisfied with her answer.
"That's Prince Elross, alright. Who would've thought that he'd be the first among the royal family to see your magic working like that."
"Do you think he already said something to the king about... what he had observed here?"
To Risa's confusion, however, Lady Enlari shook her head. "At this point, I doubt it. None of them even mentioned about the knights that harassed you that time. But I learned that it was the Crown Prince who gave the punishment to those knights."
"The Crown Prince?"
"The Master Mage told me. He said that he mentioned the incident to the Crown Prince, but he didn't mention anything about you coming from another world."
"I don't even think he would believe that story, anyway. Then again, the royal children sure like to do things on their own, huh?"
"I think they're doing that to not cause any trouble to their father. As long as it's still within their power as members of the royal family, they would do their jobs to take care of the people," Jehan replied instead. Lady Enlari nodded.
Risa didn't say anything after that. But even so, she couldn't help but admire the royal children for their sense of duty to the kingdom.
"By the way, Risa, how were you able to get out of that mess? Did your magic help you in some way?"
But Risa shook her head and faced Lady Enlari. "Someone helped me. A young swordsman. He only said his name was Azi. I don't think he intended to let me know his full name. He dealt with the knights using his swordsmanship. He even referred to the knights' sword skills as meager. But I'm not sure if he was just bluffing or his skill was for real."
"Hmm... I don't recall anyone with that name around here. Could it be a nickname?"
Risa shrugged and didn't elaborate any further. "In any case, I don't think he's a bad guy or has any ill intention for helping me out that day. At least, I was able to sense that from him."
'Then again, I do think he's a bit of a flirt. That's one reason to be cautious of him when we meet again, right?'
Her eyes widened at the thought. Wait a minute! Was she really thinking that they'd meet again? What was wrong with her at the moment?
Around that time, she recalled something from the event that day that made her frown.
'How did he know I was the Master Mage's ward, by the way?' Could Azi be someone who was aware of the affairs of the royal children?
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