Gorgeous Jewel
Chapter I Chapter 25

"How are the tournament preparations this year?" Marianne asked the friend beside her.

"All we've done, we've chosen some qualified candidates." The girl beside him fixed the position of his glasses for a moment "And also we heard the news that the second miss of the Strongfort family will participate in our team." Further.

"Oh, Strongfort family pride huh? I don't think this year we need to worry too much about losing." Reply to the other girl with a faint smile on her face.

As they walked through the park with a fountain. A girl happily fed some wild pigeons.

Under the shadow of the twilight sky, the girl was handing out pieces of her bread and her lips moved like she was talking to them.

"Come.ayo..eat a lot ya.." Said the girl faintly approaching her second ear.

"Who is he?"

"He's.hmm.he's Alicia Lein Strongfort." Answer the glasses girl.

Marianne furrowed her brows as if in disbelief. "Alicia? You mean that Alicia, right?"

"Yes, princess."

Marianne stood looking at Alice with a curious look. "I don't remember him being that way when we first met."

It was still clear when I first met them at a party. The Alice she knew back then was a naive girl who didn't even know anything about this world. She was just a girl with a huge wealth and a high status. At first glance when Marianne saw him, she knew that Alice was not a suitable heir for the Strongfort family. Especially with some bad rumors about him.

If Alice had not taken the opportunity to talk to him, perhaps Marianne would still have had a little sympathy as a fellow student at the same academy, but he saw a smile and a word he said when he came and asked Marianne to exchange words. Marianne was reminded of the old nobles who always look for face in front of the King, his father.

"Lady princess? Princess sir?"

"Oh, where was it?" Marianne awoke from her daydream when the girl beside her waved her hand in front of her face.

"Regarding the training of martial experts. We have three candidates who might be suitable. Two swordsmen and a spearman. What do you think?"

"I'll see them later. I'll test them, if they're suitable for the match."

Marianne and her friend resumed their steps. But Marianne senses there is something familiar about Alice that makes her unable to disinterest her. Out of curiosity Marianne turned her head once more to look at Alice. Their eyes met each other, warm smiles greeted Marianne's gaze and made her flinch.

" So that was..." He seemed to see something, a shadow of someone from his past memories.

"Mr princess...Is there something?" The glasses girl asked when she saw Marianne standing two steps behind her.

Marianne retracted her gaze and walked back. "There's nothing." He answered while shaking his head.

~

The friendly match tournament between several renowned academies between the kingdoms would be held in three days. Marianne as the organizer this time has been thinking carefully about their preparations.

He laid his body on the bed. Staring at the ceiling of his room, he suddenly remembered Alice smiling at him. "I felt something familiar when I saw it but...what is it? My chest was a little tight at that moment" he muttered.

Not finding the answer Marianne then closed her eyes and began to fall asleep.

Time passed and so did when he was asleep. Marianne drowned in her dreams. He doesn't know where he is. When he looked at his hands, he found a sword in his grasp and blood flowing rapidly to wet his elbow. Marianne was surprised by what she saw, her eyes wide open.

Who's the fresh blood?

When he lifted his head, he saw a woman who was no stranger to him. His expression became unkempt. He's afraid. Yes in his heart he was very scared, sad and sick when he saw the person in front of his eyes. The figure was spitting blood out from the corner of his mouth.

"Ti.no! No way! Nah! L'm....I'm.."

Marianne was afraid to see that person's face, but she was even more startled as she lowered her head and faintly saw the reflection of her face on the sword she was holding. He smiled widely.

"NO!!!"

Marianne woke up from her sleep with a sweaty and pale face, even her back was wet with sweat. He fixed his breath.

"After a long time, why did the dream come back again." He muttered as he covered his face with both hands. "I tried to forget it but why did the dream come back as if to haunt me again."

It was a long night for Marianne, she did not dare to fall back asleep. Even the feeling of fear gnawed at the thought as he tried to close his eyes for just a few seconds.

The past with nightmares over the years made him suffer. He tried many ways to get rid of it, but none of them worked. I don't know what it was because and since when her sleep started to sound good, Marianne herself didn't know.

~

In the next day, after finishing her lunch with Tina, Alice had already started to get along with the disciples who had initially felt misgivings towards her.

No wonder some disciples greeted him with gentle greetings and warm smiles as they passed by. Alice with a shady face and smooth language and her voice made people melt.

At first all the disciples were wondering about her beauty. That smooth, soft white skin made the girls envious. Girls often swarm in just to find out the secret of her beauty.

"After the last subject, you have no free time?" Tina Tanya was already used to being casual to Alice.

"Hm...Sure do. Is there something you want to do?"

"What if we go shopping? I want to try a new cake from the pastry shop where I used to eat." Tina said enthusiastically.

"I happen to want to take my order too." Inner Alice. "Can. I'd like to taste it too."

"really?" Tina chuckled feeling happy about getting a mealmate this time.

Alice always brought home the cake she ordered and in the end only Tina herself ate.