Trapped In Hisstory

Vanessa was taken aback by what the Crown Prince had said. She felt a bit humiliated but it was her fault, "I apologize, I have gotten ahead of myself and assumed wrong." she said.

The moment she heard the knock in her room and the knight announcing that the Crown Prince was going to enter, she was surprised because she was not informed that Charles Howard was visiting.

At the same time she was glad to hear his arrival, thinking that he had come to the Lanstone Household to see her. She thought that she had caught the Crown Prince's interest, even a bit.

When the Crown Prince did not deny that he was interested in her, she became more confident and assumed that he had come all the way to the Lanstones just to meet with her.

But it was a mistake, she was wrong.

'He is interested but he is not here for me?' she thought but did not let her emotions transparent for the Crown Prince.

"But can Your Highness clarify what you mean by 'Albert misunderstood'?" she asked. She pointed at the sofa, "Have a seat while we talk, Your Highness."

Chance sat down, "Albert may have assumed that I visited to see you because the Marquess and Marchioness are not here." he said.

"Albert seems like a great butler but it was quite rude for him to lead the way without even listening to my reason." Chance said.

Vanessa also sat down at the sofa across the Crown Prince and put his hand together. She bit her lower lip as it seemed like Chance's tone makes her feel like it was so hard to talk to him.

"Please forgive our butler, Your Highness. I think anyone would think that you came for that reason. Even I was mistaken." she said.

"I would like to ask, what is the reason you visited the Lanstone Household?" Vanessa asked, she had wanted to ask it earlier but Chance suddenly became intimidating. "Mother and Father, the Marquess and Marchioness of the House are not present. Who is it that you want to see?" 

~~~~~

"From your description, I could only think of one child. I once saw her in the palace, but I do not know if she still visits." 

"I see, so from which family is the child?" Chance asked, eager to know so he could go to them at once.

The maid put his hand on her chin, "I believe I saw that girl with the Lanstones. So I presume that she is a lady in that house." she responded.

It was just yesterday that he met the Lanstone Family and now it is being mentioned again. But it was surprising that the child is a lady in House of Lanstone, he could very much remember that Teri's hair was not silver. 

"I said that the child I am looking for has a black color right? How could she be part of the Lanstones?" Chance asked in confusion. It is not possible for a child born by the Marquess to not have silver hair. Even his wife does not have black hair.

"I do not know, Your Highness. But I am certain that it was a child from the Marquess household."

"A black-haired girl from the Lanstone House..." Chance muttered. He placed his hand on top of the maid's shoulder and patted it, "I am grateful for your help. I will see it myself."

~~~~~

Chance recalled his conversation with the maid, he was sure that the maid said Lanstone. "I am here to meet the young miss of the Lanstone."

Vanessa raised a brow and looked perplexed as she stared at the Crown Prince, 'But is that not me?' she asked herself in confusion.

Chance seemed to know what Vanessa was thinking and immediately spoke, "Oh, I meant the other miss. Your sister."

Chance glanced at Vanessa Lanstone who looked even more confused than before, "My sister?"

Chance suddenly felt anxious because of her reaction. He was worried that he came here all for nothing. 'What if the maid was really wrong and it is not a child of the Marquess and Marchioness?' he thought.

"I was told that there is a child here in the House of Lanstone. Was the information wrong?" Chance asked.

Vanessa shook her head, "...It is true, Your Highness. There is indeed a child within our household." she said.

She glanced at the Crown Prince with narrowed eyes, "But how does Your Highness know that?" she asked.

"The child was in the palace."

"But that was only one time. It was when Father and Mother introduced her to His Majesty." she said, "At that time, you were not present in the palace nor even in the Kingdom of Antares."

"One of the maids in the palace saw her that time. She was the one who told me." Chance answered.

"No one reported to you. You have not yet met the child but how come you asked the maid about the child you don't even know? She has only stepped into the palace once, and you were not there." She said, "How come you are acting as if you saw her before? To the point you came all the way to our household."

"You seem to be asking too many questions."

"It is only natural. How can I let you meet her without knowing anything about your intentions?" she said in return.

Chance smiled, 'I guess even a scheming lady like her is protective of her loved ones.' he thought. 'I guess she is not that bad.'

Vanessa looked away after seeing his smile, she cannot be distracted. "I wish Your Highness would answer me."

"I am looking for a little girl with black hair. I saw her in the palace before, after hearing that a child of the Lanstones fit the description, I immediately came here."

"But I think you are mistaken, since as I said that she only came to the palace just once."

Chance nodded, but he still clings to the hope he has, "You are right. But if possible, I would still like to meet with your sister." He said.

Vanessa let out an inaudible sigh and nodded, "As you wish, Your Highness." She said. She turned her head to the Crown Prince, 'And she is not my sister." she added.

"As I thought. She does not have a silver hair, is she adopted then?" Chance asked.

"My father took her in after seeing her by the streets of Geminga's slums." She responded.

Chance was a bit surprised. He thought that he adopted her but she was actually from the slums. For a noble to take in a child of the lowest, just what was his intention of adopting her to the Lanstones?

"Actually, Sir Albert and most of the servants here are people that my father took in. They have nowhere to go, nothing to eat and so he made them work for him so they could have their own shelter, food and work." 

Chance was speechless, not only that child...but even the servants?

Is it really just pure kindness? He thought.

If it was, then it just made it even more complicated in his mind. Just earlier he was thinking of Marquess Calliwell's rebellion, but can a person who takes in people like that, could possibly be evil and rebel?

But for now he cannot trust anyone or think one-sidedly. 

Sir Albert came again after Vanessa pulled the string that would ring the bell at the servants' main quarters to send a signal that she needed him.

Vanessa explained what the Crown Prince wanted and Sir Albert nodded and went to get the young miss.

"Alec, you can come in now." Chance ordered and the Valorian knight immediately came inside and went behind the Crown Prince's seat.

After a while, Sir Albert knocked and Chance knew that the little girl was with him now.

Alec's grip on the sword tightened and remembered the aura he felt from the little girl in the library.

~~~~~

"How scary, how will the Goddess bless you if you have this kind of personality!" she whined.

Alec stared at her with empty eyes. "I believe in no Goddess."

The two of them stared at each other in silence, right before Teri laughed. She put her hand on her mouth, preventing another chuckle from coming out as she looked at the knight, amused.

"You do not believe in the Goddess yet you all use her to greet your Royalties with the wish of them being blessed," she muttered and the tone of her voice slowly changed. "How cute."

Her voice changed and the thin and little voice of hers vanished, looking at the knight with her amused smile. The Valorian Knight suddenly stepped away, feeling a strong aura. At that point, he knew that there was danger in being near the little girl.

~~~~~

Alwx does not know her for long but he is sure that the Crown Prince would not be safe with her.

The Crown Prince did not take his eyes off the door as it opened and showed a glimpse of the black hair.

"She is finally here."