54-58

The kid on Aurora's back was getting heavier by the second. And it was getting to a point that Aurora was getting uncomfortable.

The snow's coldness did not help Aurora feel any better as well.

"Weird. What should we do with the kid now? Should we look for her parents? Or take her to a doctor?"

"Maybe we should let her be. We don't know who she is in the first place."

"But it won't feel right to me. Kids should be protected at all costs."

"Hey, if you're both done talking, then help me out here. I don't think I can take her weight any longer."

Aurora got a pair of sheepish smiles as a result of her scolding. But thankfully, Rita and Alexender got to work and picked up the small but heavy body on top of Aurora.

Aurora could feel the pain in her back but nothing seemed to be broken. Thankfully, Aurora's goddess physique saved her from a possible heavy injury.

But the same could not be said for the kid who had landed on top of Aurora.

Even if Aurora had broken her fall, there must be a lot of damage she could have sustained from such a fall.

"Sorry. We were a little distracted. Here, let me help. Wow, she's light."

Rita cradled the elder girl in her arms as she checked her over. There did not seem to be any lasting damage visible at first glance.

"Let's look for a room first. We should see what we need to treat the child for."

Aurora was not a sympathetic person usually. But she did understand the underlying grief that must have plagued this child.

Besides, there was something familiar about this child. So Aurora decided to take this risk.

"Are you sure that is wise? What if it attracted the republic's attention. This lack of reaction from the surroundings doesn't inspire much faith in me."

That was true. No one else seemed to be even looking in their direction. It was just not a normal reaction for people to have when they see someone trying to kill themselves.

"There might be magic involved in this mess. And we are already involved so we might as play along."

Aurora decided to give in to her urges to help the small child. And it helped that her companions did not refute her advice either.

"Fine. Let's look for a hotel and treat you two. Thankfully, we do have some funds we can use for now. We've not gone for a currency conversation yet so we lack funds."

Aurora tried to hide the flush her face must be spotting at her obvious lack of oversight.

Currency conversion was the first thing she should have done when the trio got chipped. But the excitement of exploration had made Aurora forget this fact.

"Let's look for a cheap place for now. Then one of us can go and get money and food. I would like to find out who this girl is as well."

Aurora was thankful when her voice came out normal. But the knowing looks being aimed her way told Aurora that her secret had been exposed.

"Alright. I know a place we can rent for cheap. It's a friend's establishment so we should be alright there."

Aurora decided to take Alexander up on his words. If something did happen, then her system would take care of it.

===========================

As soon as the trio had hit their room with their extra guest, Alexander had left to arrange money for their trip.

Aurora had handed him the conversion card Rex had given her but not without precautions on her part.

"Are you sure we can trust him? I did not ask this before but he is from the tower. What if he is tricking you despite having the system track his moments?"

Aurora considered Rita's words carefully before answering her.

"I feel like we can trust Alexander. I have my reasons for believing in him. So don't you worry."

Rita was pouting. Aurora was sure that the other female's puffed-up cheeks were a sign of unhappiness.

It made Aurora want to tease her. So she crawled toward Rita's lap and borrowed it.

Small hands came to rest up on Rita's face before Aurora moved her head to make Rita face Aurora instead.

"What is it? Are you pouting? Are you feeling jealous of Alexander?"

Aurora was sure that was not the case. Her trust in Alexander was just on a subordinate-employer level. There was nothing romantic there. And there never will be.

But it was funny to see Rita's emotions all over the place.

"Jealous? Yes, I'm jealous and also disappointed in myself. You took so long to trust me to help you out. But you just allowed that man to help you out as soon as you two met. How is that fair?"

"Not to mention, there is too much competition for your attention and I feel like I am losing you. You also refuse to put a label on our relationship. Tell me, how is it all fair?"

Aurora felt shook. She had not realized that Rita felt like that about her.

The red-haired beauty looked disheveled after her outburst. Her eyes held emotions of embarrassment and guilt.

But the elder female did not back away. Rita did not take her words back which indicated how serious she was about this topic and this relationship.

"Rita, it is not about you but me. I told you this before, that I cannot love you like you want me to. I might never be able to return your feelings for me. You should find someone else."

Aurora did not know why her heart felt heavy when she advised Rita to give up.

A small part of her did not want the red-head to give Aurora up. The attention Aurora got from Rita felt rewarding.

But Aurora knew how much one-sided love hurt. She had seen people get hurt over it in the past. And she did not want Rita to experience that feeling.

Not when Rita could do so much better.

"Fine someone else she says. As if it's that easy. Matters of the heart are not a joke. Aurora, I love you and I don't know how to stop. You say you do not like me but your body disagrees. And …"

"…I'm still a kid right now. We can pick up this conversation once I'm back to normal. For now, we should focus on the problem at hand."

"Alright. But just a warning, I'm never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down. I will be there with you till the end."

"Rita, did you just…"

"…No, don't speak. I can feel the embarrassment rolling back. But I did not lie. Please do take me seriously."

Aurora could feel Rita's desire to say more. But the kid in the bed decided that it was the right time to wake up.

Whatever Aurora wanted to say got cut off as soon as the child woke up with a gasp.

"I'm alive. Why am I alive? Did I get saved?"

The girl looked scared but her words sounded cold and devoid of life. It was only her aura that felt expressive to Aurora.

The girl had cold blue eyes that could pierce right through to one's soul. But despite all this, Aurora could not help but feel sorry for the girl.

It was clear that the child had gone through a lot to end up like this. Aurora wanted to help the child.

"I broke your fall. Well, more like, you fell on top of me which broke your fall. But the point is, you are alright now."

The girl looked a little disoriented when Aurora spoke. Her eyes blinked a few times before focusing on Aurora.

"Did you break my fall? And you're alright? What kind of creature are you? My fall should have killed you."

"Why you little.."

Aurora could feel Rita's anger spike at the cold words. But before Rita could make a move, Aurora stopped her. 𝙞𝓷𝙣r𝚎𝓪𝑑.＆nbsp;𝒸𝗼𝒎

Despite the girl's cold words, Aurora could feel the concern and worry in that girl's aura.

It was only the lack of emotional tone in the girl's words that made her words sound cold instead of worried.

It did not feel like an intentional thing the kid was doing.

"Thank you for worrying about me. I guess I got lucky that nothing happened to me. But what about you? Are you alright? Can we check you over to make sure you don't have any injuries?"

Aurora's words must have caused Rita to realize what was going on since Rita calmed down pretty quickly.

The cold-eyed girl looked a little shocked at Aurora's words. This was the real sign of emotion the elder girl had shown all this time and Aurora could not help but count it as a success in her book.

"I…that is to say, I think I am alright. But I guess I won't mind getting a checkup as well."

There was a small flush on the girl's face and Aurora passed her a huge grin.

Aurora didn't take long to check the girl over.

Maybe it was because Aurora was a kid right now, or maybe because the black-haired, blue-eyed girl was a kid as well, but there was nothing sexual about the check-up.

Thankfully, Aurora's inability to do magic had not affected her system's storage feature. It was still working properly and Aurora was able to take out the potion.

It felt awkward to use the potion on someone this young but Aurora knew she had made the right choice when she saw the red back of the child.

The girl was not bleeding from her back the impact had left a huge reminder on her back. Even lying down on one's back would be painful with such a huge injury.

"Don't worry. You will be alright soon"

Aurora spread the diluted golden liquid all over the patient's back. The injuries begin healing visibly.

[A top-grade healing potion was used. The healing effect will begin in 3…2…1…]

Every time Aurora touched the red back, the girl flinched away due to pain. But she endures the agony for the sake of treatment.

Thankfully, the injury did not require immediate advanced treatment and the potion was enough to heal it back up.

"T-Thank you for helping me. I should leave now to save you both some trouble."

The girl looked tired but determined to leave the bed. However, her body was too weak to comply with her demand.

Although a healing potion had healded the child, it could not relieve the mental fatigue.

"I cannot allow you to leave until you are alright. Can you tell us how to contact your parents? I will call them to pick you up."

Rita's words caused the girl to panic a little.

"I don't have parents. And I don't want to go back for now. I escaped because I didn't want to live with my guardian anymore. Please don't make me go back."

Aurora considered the child in front of her with a careful look.

There had been no sign of physical abuse on the girl's back so she ruled that possibility out. But mental abuse seemed like a likely factor the child was facing.

As such, sending the girl back into a toxic environment did not sit well with Aurora.

And Rita seemed to agree with her decision.

"Hey kid, if you don't want to go back then you can join us. I am from the Rocx academy and I'm here to retrieve one of my students. You can join us on the way back and enter the academy as well."

"There will be a lot of kids your age and you can befriend them."

Aurora could see the girl look at them with interest. It was difficult to see but Aurora did spot the hint of interest in the girl's eyes at the mention of 'Rocx Academy.' 𝓲𝗻𝚗𝑟𝑒𝓪𝑑. 𝘤𝚘𝚖

It seemed like this child was no ordinary person.

"I don't want to impose on you so I'll have to decline. Besides, I am waiting for someone here and I want to continue waiting for them. I hope you both are not too disappointed with my decision."

Aurora could see the internal struggle the child was going through.

"Alright. Since you have decided upon this, then I won't force you. But you are free to join us if you change your mind. My name is Aurora and this is Rita. You can join us for now."

"M-My name is Natasha. It is nice to meet you both."

Aurora had known there was something familiar about those cold blue eyes and shiny black hair of the child. And now she knew why the girl felt so familiar to her.

That name confirmed the identity of the little girl for Aurora. She was the Northern Princess and it seemed as if she had run away.

No wonder the guards had been trying to stall Aurora and the others from the Rocx valley. It was because the princess had run away.

===========================

"M-My name is Natasha. It is nice to meet you both."

The Northern Princess could not help but flinch as she introduced herself. It had been so long since she had said her name out loud.

For a long time now, she had simply been the princess of the royal one. The maids were too afraid to take her name and the head maid just called her the princess.

As such, Natasha had almost forgotten her name.

But saying the name out loud brought back memories she did not want to remember.

"Natasha? Got it. So about our offer of joining us for the next few days? How about it? Want to come along with us for sightseeing?"

Aurora offered her hand out to the other girl. Natasha eyes it with suspicion before realizing that there was no utter motive for using her.

Besides, the one offering her the hand was just a child not even ten years old.

Natasha turned her attention toward the elder female in the room. It was normal to think that she was the real authority here.

Even Natasha had to defer to her head maid while deciding for the country and herself. Adults were the ones in charge.

"Are you alright with it, miss? Won't I be a problem at your party?"

Natasha wanted to join the duo. This was the first time someone had not been afraid of her and her cold tongue.

She also could not help but feel like the younger girl understood her emotions even without expression.

This was the first time Natasha had found someone like this. She did not want to make light of this feeling.

"I don't mind. Aurora can make her own decisions. If she decided to trust you then I will defer to her on this matter. Welcome to the gang little miss."

Natasha felt her eyes become wet at the confirmation. She had never felt this accepted before. She could not help but bask in this feeling.

"H-Hey, don't cry now. You are alright. You don't have to come along with us if you don't want to. It is perfectly alright."

"N-No. I want to come along with you. Please allow me to come along with you."

Natasha could not help but feel like something inside her had burst open at the easy acceptance.

Even Lord Karan had not accepted her out of the blue like this. But these people did accept her without even asking her about who she was.

Natasha was sure that the pair had their suspicions about her real identity and rank but they did not ask.

Everyone else that had tried to come close to Natasha had wanted something from her. They had never taken what Natasha wanted to do into account and had forced her to befriend them.

But these people felt different from all the others Natasha had met before.

"Alright, if you are sure then we can go once we freshen ourselves up. Besides, your clothes are not suited for people to wear in this weather. And also, is your back alright now?"

Her back? Weirdly enough, it no longer hurt.

The magic potion the little girl had used had to be of the top quality and expensive to be this effective. And she had used it without hesitation.

Natasha could not help but feel like she was a gullible idiot. And to think that she had used the potion before she had known Natasha's name.

"My back no longer hurts. I will repay your kindness one day."

"Don't worry about it. You just enjoy yourself with us for now."

Natasha felt the first tear leak down her cheek but she did not stop it. A few more followed before her face was fully wet.

"Huh, Why did you start crying? I did not do anything wrong, right? Rita, help me out a little here."

Aurora sounded a little panicked. It was like she was not even aware of what she did to cause this reaction from the Northern Princess.

And that caused the first sob to hit Natasha's frame.

She had never been treated with this much care before. People didn't come close to her to allow her to feel like this.

This slaughter of emotions was new for her. But her cold face did not change despite the tears flowing down her cheek.

"Aurora, don't ever change. Your kindness is a weapon in itself and you don't even realize it. Well, looks like we have a new brat to look over."

Rita's words went unheard by the pair in front of her.

Not that it mattered much right now. Things were just as they were supposed to be. And Rita would make sure nothing wrong happens to their party.

But she could also not help but feel worried about the future.

They were poaching the Northern Republic's princess. Surely not everyone was going to take kindly to the Rocx Valley's action. They will need to be prepared to face some extreme backlash at least.

It had taken a fair amount of time for Natasha to calm down.

Even if Natasha's face said that she was alright, Aurora knew the truth inside the girl's heart. And it was all because of her ability to see the aura.

So she waited for Natasha to come around before she decided to take the party outside.

"Here, have you ever eaten this candy? I've heard that it's sweet at first but turns sour later. Here, you try one."

Aurora handed the newly purchased candy to Natasha. The poor girl seemed to have no idea what she should do with the treat.

The more things Aurora showed Natasha, the less she seemed to know. All these signs pointed to a neglectful childhood.

"Here, give it to me. You need to peel it before putting it into your mouth."

Seeing as how Natasha seemed to have no idea how to eat the candy Aurora hand handed her, Rita decided to interfere.

She peeled the hard-covered candy for the younger female to chew.

Aurora looked on in expectation as Natasha put the candy in her mouth and chewed. The sour taste should be hitting her anytime now.

Aurora was aware the moment Natasha tasted the sourness since the aura around her shifted to discomfort. But as usual, the face did not show anything.

"I-It's weird. Is this candy supposed to taste this sour?"

"It is. Did you like it?"

"It's alright. I don't mind the taste."

Although Natasha complained, Aurora could make out the pleased expression the girl spotted. It was nice to see the younger girl enjoying herself.

"So, where should we go next? National Park, Museum, or the Aquarium? I've heard that the Northern Republic has some of the rarest aquatic animals on display this time of the year."

Aurora tried to keep the conversation going but it was difficult to do so. Rita seemed to not want to cooperate most of the time and Natasha seemed to have no idea how she should react to that offer.

Aurora did not want to pressure the princess into making a decision but it seemed to her as if the elder girl was just going with the flow all this time.

All the major decisions had been made by Aurora. Natasha seemed to be agreeing with whatever Aurora said and that did not sit right with the youngest.

"I am alright with whatever you suggest."

"But I want to know where you want to go. Don't you have any place you want to visit?"

"Not really. Even if you ask me, I don't know what all there is to see in this country. I have never been out of my home before. This is all a new experience for me."

Natasha didn't even sound bitter about her circumstances. Instead, she sounded resigned. It was as if she had accepted her position in life and was content.

But someone content with their life did not try to escape it by suicide.

"Hey kid, how about we give you a choice and you pick where you want to go? Tagging along with us aimlessly won't help you out. Sooner or later, you will need to make your own decisions."

Surprisingly, it was Rita who spoke those words. Aurora had not expected the eldest to get into this matter but it did make sense for Rita to speak up.

Aurora did remember that Rita initially had similar origins to Natasha. She was also someone who was kept in the dark about a lot of things.

It might be possible that Rita was projecting herself on the younger girl and trying to help her out.

How unexpectedly cute of her.

"I…. can try. Alright. Then, let's see the central park first. I've always seen it from home but never dared to ask to visit it."

Aurora shook her head but agreed without delay.

The only place that had a clear view of the central park was the upper district where the ministers and the royal palace were situated.

Natasha had just given away a crucial piece of information that many could take advantage of.

She was lucky that Aurora and Rita were not that kinds of people.

"You heard the girl. Central Park, it is now."

Aurora forced her voice to sound cheerful to change the topic. She did not want to show that she had noticed Natasha's slip-up. It would only serve to make the girl even more nervous.

"So, how much does the ticket to Central Park cost? I have some money left over."

Aurora only remembered the crucial point after she had asked this question – they did not have enough money to cover the ticket cost.

The one in charge of money exchange had not come back when the trio had left and now it was too late to go back.

"Should I make a quick trip back home?"

"No. let's call Alexander over instead. He should be done with the money exchange right now."

Aurora opened the system to send the message but stopped short as she read the message left on it.

[Alexander: Be careful. We are being tailed for some time now. I only noticed the intruders a few minutes ago]

Aurora forced her senses to sharpen and instantly noticed some suspicious moments going on behind her.

How had she not noticed this before? And how had Rita not noticed it before as well?

"Rita, take Natasha to Central Park first. I'll meet up with Alexander and head toward that location. Also, be careful. The Northern Republic is on to us."

Rita seemed surprised but she just nodded and played along.

"Natasha, let's leave first. Aurora's dad is coming to pick her up and will meet us later."

"Alright."

Thankfully, Natasha did not question the decision to leave a nine-year-old alone in the crowded plaza.

And then it was finally time for Aurora to show her true colors. She would make their stalkers vomit the reason they were following the trio.

=========================== 𝙞𝓃𝙣r𝘦а𝘥. Co𝙢

"Tell me, who send you to follow us? And how are you tracking us?"

Alexander bend the man's hand behind his back in a painful hold. It was something every Tower guard was taught.

But he had never expected this hold to ever come in use. It was such an old-fashioned hold that no one used it anymore.

"I-I don't know anything. W-We were not tailing your group but the girl you found. I s-swear we do not mean any harm to you."

Alexander did not believe the man's words.

[System alert: tone conclusion – Lying]

Alexander was thankful for the system at times like these. The man was lying about something for sure and Alexander would drag the truth out of his mouth.

He had already sent a message to Aurora to make her aware of their stalkers.

"You don't know anything or are you unwilling to tell me anything? Don't worry, I have ways to drag the truth out of your mouth."

Alexander pulled his glove off and pushed his hand on top of the man's head.

His magic flowed inside the man's head and pulled out the recent memories he wanted to see.

This skill was one he had inherited a few days after his magic had been sealed for the first time. It was also the first time he had a close brush with death.

But it had all been worth it to get his hands on this skill. It was the closest skill one could have to a divine aura reading skill.

The man didn't know much but Alexander did get the most crucial information out of his head.

"So she was the princess who ran away from home. And you people were ordered to bring her back and kill anyone who came close to finding the truth? And you said that you did not mean us hard."

"Don't you know that lying can get you killed?"

Alexander wasted to know more so he forced his magic deeper. But something unexpected happened.

Before he could push in further, the connection he had with the man got cut off and left Alexander hanging. It was frustrating to know that the man had taken his life already.

"Useless shit. But he might not be the only one who was sent to investigate us. Let's see if there is anyone else left here."

Alexander could not feel anyone on his tail but it did not mean that no one else was tailing him.

He was about to start forcing his way when he got Aurora's message to find her and her general location.

[Aurora: I send Rita and Natasha ahead. Let's take care of these fools first before we conclude.]

There was a change in Alexander's plans as soon as he read that message. He would catch the rats tailing him later.

For now, he had to regroup with Aurora because she sounded like she had a plan. And Alexander knew that he could trust the goddess to not lead him astray.

That was the whole reason he had decided to follow along with her.

The people following Aurora and the others were more than good. They were even able to evade Aurora's divine senses.

But they could not evade her system's biometric scanning feature. That was the only reason Aurora knew where those people were.

But it was a tiring process since Aurora had to take into account the people she could sense with her powers and find out the missing dots in the system map.

It was a next to impossible task for such a crowded place. Aurora would have to bait her stalkers out to follow her for such a task.

Thankfully, she was not alone. She could already sense Alexander approaching her direction with inhuman speed. 𝐢𝘯𝑛𝓻𝚎𝙖𝑑. ᴄ𝗼m

It was time to start her plan and head out. Alexander will find her without much problem.

"Hey kid, are you lost? Do you need help in finding your parents?"

The good thing about being a kid right now was that Aurora would be underestimated. That was what she had been counting on.

And it seemed like it was the right decision on her part. The man who had approached Aurora could not be sensed by her without much effort.

There was some kind of weird tech that was blocking Aurora's powers from working right on him.

But it was also partially thanks to the fact that Aurora's major powers were sealed right now that made it possible for her stalkers to hide.

"Hey kid, are you going to answer me or not? I don't have all day to spend here."

The stalker was getting impatient. Or he was appearing to be impatient and mean to Aurora to get her to agree.

Most children would either agree out of fear or cry in such a situation. Calling an authority would not even cross their mind.

And even if it did, Aurora was well aware that the police and authorities were mixed in with these people.

They would not help Aurora or any kid in such a situation.

"My father told me not to take a stranger's hand if he offers me anything. I don't trust you, mister."

If the man was baiting Aurora out, then she would play right into his hand.

For now.

"Hey, I think we have a misunderstanding here. I'm not a stranger but a policeman. It's my job to make sure that lost kids such as you return to your parents safe and sound."

"Don't worry. You can trust me."

Aurora had to give it to the man, he sounded convincing. He also had the police badge in his hand and showed it to Aurora.

This act was enough to see the stalker's story. Any normal kid would have fallen for it.

But Aurora was neither normal nor a kid.

"Alright. Please take me to my daddy. He asked me to wait for him right here but he's been gone for a while."

Aurora tried to make her voice as pitiful as possible. Her inner self cringed to see her performance but she justified it by convincing herself that it was important.

That was the only way she would be able to get through her act.

"Well, we can wait here but I think going back to the station would be a better choice for you. You can eat something there while you wait for your father."

Aurora agreed without putting up much fuzz. It was better to show her willingness to make the stalker lower his guard.

"Good choice. Now, come this way since my car is parked there. You can even call shotgun if you want to. I'm sure my partner won't mind."

Aurora nodded to show that she understood.

But in reality, she was gathering information from the short information the stalker was letting slip. Aurora was sure it was because he saw her as a kid and not a threat that he was letting everything known.

"Excuse me? Are there more people like you out there? Looking after lost kids like me, I mean?"

"There sure are. There are 11 people in our division but we lost contact with one of our own a little while back. But you don't need to be worried about it."

So eleven people were working on this plan? It was nice to confirm the number.

The missing one must be the one Alexander took down a while back. That meant that Aurora had ten more targets.

"Hey man, you are finally back? And who's that? A lost kid? Who do you think we are? An orphanage?"

Aurora quickly snapped her attention to the other man in the car. He was tall and had dark hair.

Other than that, there was nothing remarkable about him at all. He was as plain and bland as people came.

"Hey, don't be like that. She's an *important* guest we need to take care of."

The stalker emphasizes on certain words did not escape Aurora's notice. And it seemed not to have escaped the other man either.

"Oh, I see. In that case, push her in, and let's go."

The stalker in the car sounded impatient. Aurora could sense the urgency in his voice.

It was also the time when Alexander caught up with her. Aurora could feel him looking ahead to the planned signal but she stopped him short.

If they attacked now then they would alert the other stalkers and lose their chance to capture the others.

Aurora needed to find a way to drag the others out before making her move.

"Here kid, hurry up inside. We don't have much time to spend here."

"Hey, that is my seat. How dare you give it to a kid."

"Shut up man, it's just a kid. Let her have that seat for now. You need to grow up and let go of things."

Aurora took this opportunity to look around the car for clues about these people and instantly spotted a phone.

It seemed to be locked but that was not a problem for Aurora. She quickly snapped the phone before the two stalkers could finish their conversation.

"Sorry for my partner, kid. The man's a giant kid himself but he won't disturb you. Sit tight and buckle your seatbelt."

Aurora nodded and did as she had been instructed. But she already knew she had what she wanted from these people.

With the phone in her hand, Aurora did not need these people anymore. They were disposal to her now.

"E-Excuse me. Can we stop here? I need to go pee."

Aurora asked that only after they were deeper into the deserted area. It was lucky that these people had done exactly as Aurora had wanted them to do.

She did not even have to put extra effort into getting these fools to go to a secluded place.

"Hey kid, hurry up and be done with your shit. I don't want to wait around for you to get finished with your problem."

The one who spoke was the man sitting in the backseat.

Aurora recognized their tactic of good cop, bad cop. But she did not even care to reply to the man.

He was not going to live any longer so Aurora did not want to bother forming any attachment.

"I will be back in a few minutes."

Aurora signaled Alexander as soon as she was outside the audible range.

Then all she had to do was to wait a few seconds for Alexander to be done and head back. It only took a minute for Alexander to be done and join Aurora in the next moment.

"There are eight more people. I got their names and what they look like. They use a phone to communicate. I hope you got the phone."

"Of course I did. So, let's take care of them right now and meet Rita and Natasha later. I want to enjoy the Northern Republic as well."

Aurora opened the phone and handed it to Alexander.

It would be better for Alexander to be the one to speak with these fools than Aurora. He would be much more respected and taken seriously.

"I'm done. Let's go to the meeting spot and bust some heads. I am in a mood for violence."

Aurora just sighed at the violent man but she had nothing to say regarding his new temper.

Aurora had a feeling that this temper of Alexander was a direct result of her system's meddling.

Maybe she should limit her meddling in his affair and let Alexander take care of this mess.

Besides, Aurora was also worried about Rita and Natasha and she wanted to check up on them.

"You go ahead. I can see that you have it all handled here. I will go back for now and keep you posted about the current situation."

Aurora hated to rely on other people. But she knew when she needed to back down from a fight.

Right now, this fight was not one she should get into. So she left everything to the former tower-guard and took her meddlesome self somewhere else.

Rita hurried up as soon as she separated from Aurora.

Now that Aurora had told Rita about her suspicions of being followed, Rita could sense the people following her.

But the barely-there feeling was concerning. Those people were hiding well enough to fool even Rita's senses.

"Hey, are you alright? You seem a little tense. Am I a bother to you?"

"No. It's not about you. There are just some people who decided to tail our group since we are from the Rocx Academy. I'm just trying to lose them."

Rita did think about hiding the situation from the princess but she decided not to hide in the end.

Since Rita and Natasha shared a similar background, Rita knew that the princess would not be impressed with the if they hid such a piece of crucial information.

Rita would not have liked it if someone treated her like a kid either.

"Are you sure they are after you and not me? You don't have to lie to me to spare my feelings. I can go away if you find me to be a bother."

Rita sighed as she heard those words. She was not good at this kind of talk and she hated to get invested in emotional situations.

But she had to remind herself that she was doing this for Aurora and that made this worth it. Aurora was worth it and so much more.

"Natasha, you are going to be a part of our academy. It is our duty to look after you. Besides, Aurora likes you so she'll help you out. I am just helping her out."

"Wait! So you knew who I was all this time?"

"Of course we did. We just don't care about it. You can be whoever you want to be in the academy."

Rita had not expected to speak so much. She had just wanted to console the other female a little and be done with it.

But once she had opened her mouth, words had started pouring out like water.

"You talk like you have experience with this kind of thing."

"Of course I do. My family situation was similar to yours. Locked up and made to practice for a selfish purpose. But I decided I had enough and ran away."

"And then I met Aurora and she accepted me for myself. And then more and more people joined in. I'm sure you will also find people who accept you for yourself in the academy."

"I guess I will have to take your words for it."

Rita's eyes might be playing tricks on her but she was sure that Natasha's face looked a little redder than before. It almost looked like a blush.

But Rita decided not to call attention to it. Natasha was not ready for that kind of teasing yet.

"So, about the people following behind us? What should we do about them?"

"We don't need to do anything. Our companions will take care of it. You should just focus on enjoying our day out."

There was a point in time when Rita would have killed to have someone show this kind of care.

It had been before Rita had met Aurora but she still remembered the feeling of longing and freedom she had carved.

"You are right. I want to enjoy this time I have. So, I also have a request to ask of you. There is this one place I want to visit today. Can you take me there?"

Rita felt somewhat shocked at Natasha's words. She had not expected the younger to trust her enough to ask for a request.

"No. Never mind. Forget that I asked you anything."

"No, it's right. I was just surprised by your request. You don't have to feel shy about asking me for something."

Rita quickly amended her behavior. Her surprised expression must have caught Natasha off guard.

Rita cursed her inability to act right in such situations. She was awkward when emotions were involved. Now if only Aurora was here, things would be so much better for her.

'Speak of the devil and she shall appear.'

Rita breathed a sigh of relief once she felt the familiar aura headed her way. Aurora was finally here and she could take care of things from here on.

"Hey, I'm back. Alexander decided he had some other work to do so he'll join us later."

Aurora's cheerful voice sounded forced. It was a poor attempt on her part to hide the truth.

"So he's dealing with those creeps following behind us? Good."

Aurora's face did not change when Rita spoke those words. Rita had a feeling that Aurora had expected the truth to come out by this point.

Rita hated to be this predictable but it was also nice to see that Aurora knew her this well.

"Hey Aurora, did you know that Natasha had a place she wants to visit? She even went ahead and made a request."

Rita ignored the startling jolt Natasha gave at her words.

"She does? Then let's visit that place. Natasha, where do you want to go?"

See, Aurora was better at this whole comfort thing than Rita. She even knew what questions to ask and what kind of voice to use.

"I..ah, it's nothing important. We can forget about it and enjoy Central Park for now."

It seemed as if the confidence Natasha had displayed before was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she seemed nervous to bring up that place in front of Aurora.

Was it because Rita had bared her heart out in front of Natasha? Or because they were similar that Natasha had decided to trust her?

"Now, don't be shy. You can tell me, Natasha. We are going to be family at the Rocx Academy soon enough."

"Family?"

"Yup."

Rita wanted to shake her head at the unintentional manipulation Aurora was doing. She had no idea the effect of the things she was speaking about.

For people like Rita and Natasha, the family was all but an illusion they had been shown. As such, the feeling of carving for love and acceptance was always burning bright in their heart.

"A-Alright. I'll tell you where I want you to take me. But you have to promise not to make fun of me."

"Sure"

"I want to go to a grave. My mother's grave to be exact. But I do not know where it is situated. Will you help me look for it?"

Rita opened her mouth to agree with the request but it was Aurora's unusually serious face that stopped her.

Aurora was hardly this serious for anything. So, for her to be making this face for Natasha's request was a first for Rita.

"Are you sure this is what you want? To go to your mother's grave? Will you be able to handle the truth about it?"

Rita had a feeling that Aurora knew something about Natasha's mother's death. It would not surprise Rita even a little bit.

Aurora was someone who knew a lot about insignificant things which may never come up in polite company. She was a resourceful lady who held her cards close.

Even Rita had not discovered a lot of her secrets.

"I was afraid up until a few moments ago. But now I'm sure I can face the truth. So please, if you know something then tell me."

Natasha sounded unusually serious. It was nice to see the indecisive girl finally coming out of her shell.

But wasn't it all happening too fast? Natasha had not even known Aurora and Rita for even a day before making this request.

"No. You are too desperate for my help to make me feel alright about you doing this. I cannot allow you to face your past in such a state."

"But, I need to do this. I'm afraid I will not get another opportunity like this."

The more Natasha spoke, the more desperate she sounded. And the more desperate she sounded, the more Rita felt sorry for her. 𝓲𝗻𝚗𝑟𝑒𝓪𝑑. 𝘤𝚘𝚖

"Natasha, I can see what you are thinking. I won't allow you to find out the truth and then end your life. Someone like you needs a purpose to live. So make this your purpose and get stronger."

"But"

"This truth is something you will have to find out for yourself. Her grave is something you are not ready to face in your current condition. Come join us in the academy and get stronger. Only then will I tell you if you want to know."

"Alright."

Rita felt awkward seeing that scene, but she did not interfere.

As for Aurora? She had her reasons for hiding the truth from the Northern Princess.

There had been rumors about Natasha trying to end her life after a certain incident. Aurora was not sure what the incident was that pushed the northern princess to take her life but she had a feeling it was connected to her mother's grave.

And this was a risk Aurora did not want to take right now.

[Alexander: We have a problem. A group of main palace guards is headed your way right now. What should I do now?]