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Chapter 3 - That Jarez Boy

Robert looked around the store for the princess, "Princess Henriethasia?" he called, but no one responded. 'Where is that princess? King Dulcan will kill me if I don't find her this instant. So he thinks and asks Helaine, the Jewellery shop owner.

"Madam Helaine, have you seen the princess?" he asked in distress. Helaine glanced at him and was about to point in the direction where the princess was standing earlier but found out she was no longer there; she looked at Robert.

"She was right there a minute ago," Helaine said, and then it hit her; if Robert is finding her, then she swore he lost sight of the princess, "The princess is gone missing?"

"I'm afraid so, I can't find her in the shop." Robert said and was about to walk away to begin the search for the princess when he stopped by Helaine and asked where he was going, "I'm going to find the princess."

"If that so, when I see the princess, I'll inform you," Helaine said; Robert nodded and went off. 'I hope the princess will be okay.'

...

Meanwhile, Henriethasia is still chasing after the snatcher who got her necklace for her mother, "Hey, you! I said give me back that necklace!" she shouted, making the people she passed by look at her.

The snatcher glimpse at her and is shocked that she chases after him, 'This girl is something.' then he thinks of an excellent idea to get rid of this pest. So he turned around the corner into an alley, and Henriethasia followed him too.

'Good.' he smirked, then stopped at the dead end. The alleyway is dark, but you can see clearly because of the midday sun. There was garbage in each corner. There was a tall wall on the dead-end but not as tall as the building on each side of the alleyway.

Henriethasia stops midway away from him and catches her breath, "Now, you have nowhere to go," she said and looked at the snatcher, "Give me back the necklace or else."

Chasing after a snatcher in a dark alley is never a good thing, but Henriethasia needs to get the necklace back, it was given by Helaine, and she has to offer it to her mother as well.

"Oh, is that so?" The snatcher said, smirking and gazing at the necklace he's holding, "Or else what, Miss Beautiful?"

"Or else I'll make it the hard way," Henriethasia threateningly said and looked at the snatcher.

"Oh, is the miss trying to scare me?" The snatcher laughed, "Well, too bad, you will be the one who's going to get frightened now." the snatcher suddenly jumped and was now at the top of the wall in the dead end.

"What?" then suddenly, a two ugly muscle man surrounded her and grasped her by her arms, "What? let go of your filthy hands!" she blurted.

"Brother, she smells like her family got money," one of the ugly muscle men said to his brother, smelling at Henriethasia, who glared at them in disgust, "We can sell her."

"I know that, but would you look at her," the other ugly muscle man clutched Henriethasia's chin making her face him, "She is pretty as a doll. What do you say, we use her and then sell her." the man grinned.

Henriethasia, no doubt is frightened, but she keeps her stern look then she heard the snatcher laughter and glanced at him, who was smirking at her, she glared, "Well now, miss. Don't give me that look, I won't help you either way." he laughed then smirked once more,

"Bye-bye now, miss, have a great time with them," Then the snatcher jumped down the other side, leaving Henriethasia with the two ugly muscle men, who shoved her harshly on the wall making her groan in pain, then she glared at them.

"Hmm..." the ugly man stared at her carefully, "You have unusual eyes; this is a great prize."

Henriethasia scowled and then spoke at them, "Do you know who you are talking to?" she felt a tingle inside her; she was waking up her power within. 'Dad said I shouldn't, but this is an emergency.'

"It's not a matter who you are," the other one said and caught the strings of her hair, stroking it by his hands, "You're at our hands now." then he laughed and suddenly an electric touch the finger of the ugly man making it sizzled, "Ouch! that sting!"

"What did you do?" His brother asked as he stared at the ugly man's finger, now red and burning.

"Touch me once again, and you'll be burned into ashes," Henriethasia gave them a warning, but they don't seem to listen; they just laugh.

"Cute you are saying those things," the man can't stop laughing. Henriethasia raised an eyebrow at him; the man stared at her, "Are you being serious? HAHAHA!" he burst out laughing again.

"Do you not believe me? Touch me then, I dare you," She said, giving a severe tone. But, even though her expression is that she is terrified as hell, her trembling legs will give up any time now.

The man remained laughing, and the other was about to reach his hands to touch her, but his brother stopped him, "Stop playing games already. Let's get this over with," He said and gave a snickering smile that sent down a shiver on Henriethasia's spine.

"You want us to touch you?" The ugly man said and smirked, "Well, be honored then." the man was about to touch her waist, but a big smack was heard, in that instant, the other man was now on the ground, looking surprised at what just happened.

Henriethasia looked at the guy in front of her; she was sure it was a guy as his figures show, she was facing the back of a tall boy with a black hood holding a sword.

"Tsk. This is annoying." The boy complains, glancing a bit at Henriethasia. Henriethasia was startled the moment the boy looked at her; she saw for a minute there, his deep red eyes sparkle, then he turned his gaze to the two ugly muscle men.

One is now lying on the ground with the pain while the other is standing looking furious at the boy in front of them, "Mind your own business, kid." He said.

"What?" the boy asked in a relaxed tone, "I am minding my own business." This makes the two-man irritated about the boy's reaction. He is just standing there calmly, looking at the two-man annoyed.

"What are you?" the other man asked while laughing, "Are you some kind of a knight and shining armor for this missy here," he said and glanced at Henriethasia, who was a bit surprised at the time.

"Stop blabbering nonsense and get on your way already," the boy said with an annoyed tone; he was annoyed about this, though if he is annoyed, why won't he leave but something caught his interest to stay, "I'm not in the mood for fighting today."

The man scoffed, "You're so full of yourself, boy." and was about to strike him with a punch, but the boy quickly avoided it, making the force hit the wall behind him. Henriethasia screamed at the sudden point beside her.

"What the!" Exclaimed the man and looked at the boy with anger in his eyes, "Brother, get him." he ordered the other man, who quickly approached the boy and gave punches, but the boy easily dodged his attacks and smirked.

"You annoyed me that much," The boy said and grip on his sword, he swift it fast and suddenly the check of the man has blood runs down from a slice that it looks like it was cut on something sharp, "Don't make me go mad." he puts back his sword on his right hip where the holder belt is.

The man was shocked at the moment, "Now would you excuse us," the boy suddenly appeared beside Henriethasia and grabbed her by the waist; she was flustered a bit, "Will be going now," he carries Henriethasia in a bridal way, making her startled.

He carries Henriethasia like it was just nothing. Then, before the two ugly men could say something, the boy jumped up at the wall, where the snatcher disappeared last time, and jumped off the other side, making his hood down. At that moment, Henriethasia stares at him.

This boy is undoubtedly attractive from his messy jet-black hair that shines because of the sun behind him and the deep red eyes like the color of blood making him look mysterious; Henriethasia's heart skips a beat when the boy glances at her for a second; she flustered.

The boy landed on the ground safely, putting down Henriethasia. She carefully stands straight, but suddenly, she has an ache in her head, making her feel dizzy and lose balance; thankfully, the boy holds her to prevent falling from the ground.

She was still shaken by what happened, and she had a headache due to using her powers. She still can't properly control her powers that much. Well, she can use it in a minor, but a headache is a consequence.

Henriethasia looked at the boy properly, who was insanely staring at her making her a bit uncomfortable, "You are interesting; you have that eyes too, ha," he said, looking through the sapphire blue eyes of Henriethasia. His long bangs almost touch the tip of her nose.

"W-what does that mean?" She spoke out of curiosity, still a bit timid on the sudden stare of the boy. The boy didn't answer; instead, he let go of her as she was able to stand on her own now. She stared at the boy once more and examined him.

The boy standing there is wearing a black turtleneck paired with black pants. A sword holder belt was placed around his hip, the sword on his right was hanging carefully. His outfit is accompanied by an overcoat with a hood and then a pair of boats.

Suddenly a realization hit her. The snatcher. Her necklace. "That snatcher has my necklace!" She suddenly shouted, making the boy look at her. Henriethasia was so mad about the snatcher that he couldn't catch him and is now gone where she doesn't know.

A noise of clanging sound makes Henriethasia's attention to the boy next to her, and there it was the necklace she's looking for, in the hands of the boy, hanging by his fingers. "Is this what you're looking for?" he asked and glanced at her.

The baby blue heart-shaped necklace is now at the hands of this guy. Henriethasia was surprised that the boy had it; this boy isn't the snatcher, though. She remembers the snatcher's face, and the snatcher is not handsome as this boy is.

"How did you-" she stopped mid-way through her sentence as the boy looked at her and smirked.

"Oh, I just snatched it from that kid earlier," He said with a bored tone like it was just nothing, and then he scanned the necklace, "So this is why you chased after that kid, ha?"

Henriethasia looked at him and the necklace. "To think you go after a snatcher for this thing, how important is this even that man is looking for this," he mumbled the last sentence under his breath, making Henriethasia curious.

Then he glances at Henriethasia from head to toe, "A dangerous situation isn't for a girl like you to go after for such things. Such bravery you have."

'I don't know if it's a compliment, or is he humiliating me from the way he speaks?' Henriethasia thought. The boy grabbed the necklace and put it in his pocket, making Henriethasia's eyes wide.

"Hey! That is mine!" He yells at the boy, who just smirks at her.

"Sorry, it's mine now. Finders keepers." He said just about the boy walked away; Henriethasia grasped his clothes, making him stop.

"You can't do that," She said, "It was given to me, so it's mine."

"Yes, I can," The boy said and tried to let Henriethasia's hand free from his coat.

But she won't let go; she can't. The necklace is hers. Though she can force this guy by giving it to her using her powers, that would be too many risks. She has to deal with headaches if she does so, and besides, this boy saved her from those ugly men. She still shivers in that. So she decided.

"Please give me back the necklace," Henriethasia pleaded; she was not yelling anymore. She tries to calm and settle things this way. Yelling won't do this. This made the boy glance at her, and he was a bit startled by the eyes that meet his, "Please."

The boy avoided her eye contact then smirked, "Then what is for me to give you this?" he pulled out the necklace from his pocket, somehow he got interested in this girl, "I can't just give you for free even if you pleaded like that."

A can't-believe look was placed on Henriethasia's face and thought, 'Even though it's mine, what a nerve he has. Well then,' She sighed before speaking, "What do you want then?" she asked and looked at him.

The boy smiled, making Henriethasia shiver for once; she got a bad feeling about this. The boy slowly approached her and grasped her by the waist, "Well, how about you?" he said, emphasizing the last word. Henriethasia blushes on that statement and the closeness of their faces.

'M-Me? Is he crazy?' She thought then looked at the boy's deep red eyes that drowned her. She realizes that the boy is taller than her by foot, and suddenly the boy lets go of her and says, "...accompany me today?" and innocently smiles. 'Huuuuuhhhhh?'

Henriethasia thought she was gonna die of embarrassment. The redness of her cheek is visible in her dairy-white skin. 'My goodness! What am I thinking.' Then she heard the laughter of the boy, she glanced and saw him smirk. 'Is he making fun of me? And why is he close? We're not even friends.'

"Now, what do you say?" He said and twirled the necklace on his fingers, "I was not in the mood earlier, but now," he looked at Henriethasia's blushing face and smiled.

Henriethasia thinks for a moment; she was still blushing, 'Should I?'. If she wouldn't, she wouldn't have her necklace back, and besides. Henriethasia glanced around; she didn't know where to go from here; she was sure that Robert had recognized she was gone and started searching for her.

'And I won't like it if I stay here or I'll end up in that situation again,' she then faced the boy and sighed 'best way is to come with him and said, "Okay then, but first, what's your name?" She was curious about this boy's named and asked.

It was okay to trust him since he saved her from those two ugly men. "Well, does it matter?" He asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yes, it does, if you want to be accompanied by me, say your name," She answered casually; she was most comfortable in this informal tone, "Besides, I can't just call you by names that I can think of, you won't like it either."

"You got the point there," He said, then smirked, "Jarez. That's my name."

'Jarez?' She thought, 'Where have I heard that name before, hmm?' "So?" Jarez spoke again, "Is that all I get for giving you my name?" Henriethasia looked at him and tilted her head a bit, a habit of hers if she was confused or asking a question.

It took seconds before Henriethasia realized what he meant. "Oh, my name's Rietha." She said she decided to create a nickname as she can't be sure of this boy. Through his action, Henriethasia notices that this boy, Jarez, doesn't know her identity, so she keeps in mind the nickname as he can't be fully trusted yet.

To be continued...

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