After having Jewel call her out, Olivia stared at the ground in silence. A moment later, she started, “Perhaps the necklace I have has a better quality than the one we stole, but that doesn’t mean it’s the real deal.”
Then, George asked, “Do you think Albert might know you’re the missing princess and is here to take you home?”
To his question, she replied, “No, he just wants to see my necklace. I told him I had lost it, but he probably didn’t believe that, so he came all the way here. I have no idea why he’s looking for the necklace. I don’t want to get into their nation’s affairs. I have no idea how I came to possess this necklace, and if their necklace is indeed missing, he can accuse me of theft, and I will have no defense. We did steal from them, after all.”
He nodded at that. She has a point. “So, how did he find out you had the necklace? Did he recognize you as the thief back then?”
“Nah, Amy ran into him and told him about it.”
“Oh, that stepmom of yours?”
“You mean Anna’s mom,” Olivia retorted. She disliked that woman, to begin with, and now that she knew her dad wasn’t her biological father, she refused to acknowledge that woman as her stepmother. Oh, she’s irked, alright. George smiled. “She’s always been a sore spot of yours.”
To his remark, Olivia chose to remain silent. “In any case, I’ll send Albert on his way. He doesn’t know you have the necklace, but if he finds out, he’s going to hound you. Let’s skip out on meeting him.” Right after saying that, he turned around and was about to leave.
Seeing that, Olivia stopped dawdling around. Quickly, she said, “Wait. I’ll see him.” Confused, he asked, “Why? You don’t want to get involved in his matter, anyway.”
Jewel looked at Olivia before explaining in her stead, “But if Eurosia is in trouble and Olivia is indeed their princess, it’d be treason not to help the nation.”
George froze for a moment. “Don’t tell him you have the necklace until you find out why he’s here. I don’t want him to think you’re a thief.. Eurosia isn’t big, but you shouldn’t underestimate any nation. They can easily destroy a civilian if they want to.”
“I understand,” said Olivia. Then, she looked at Jewel. “Keep an eye on the kids, Jewel. I’ll check things out.”
They came to the clinic. It wasn’t a busy day, but there were a lot of patients anyway. Some were hooked to IV infusions, some were undergoing alternative treatment, and some were buying meds over the counter. Even among the crowd, Olivia could spot Albert easily.
He was on a chair, and even though he was just sitting silently, there was no denying that this man was regal and elegant. Standing behind him was River. The man had his hands tucked behind his back, looking impatient.
Albert saw Olivia the moment she approached him, and he stood up right away. “Hello, Miss Maxwell.” She looked at him. “Here to see me?”
“That is the case, yes.”
She didn’t look surprised at all. “Your sources are fast,” she teased. A dry smile curled his lips. “Nah. I reckon they were a bit slow, or I’d have found you sooner.”
Olivia wasn’t mad that he was searching for her. After all, he wanted to find where that necklace: was. “Not the best place to talk.”
“Lunch is on me,”
“Sure.”
They were about to leave, and a worried George interjected, “Where are you two going? I’ll come with you.” Olivia told him, “It’s alright, George. We’ll be back in a moment.” With that, she left with Albert.
