Chapter 143 We are Family 2 (2/2)

I look at him and then the brooch. I have the feeling I have seen this before. This brooch, I remember it when I was little. My mother has the same kind of brooch. I remember her looking at it with sad eyes.

***

(Memory of little Alicia)

”Mommy, what is that?” I asked my mother who was holding something shiny.

”Oh this little thing.” I see her wipe her tears away. ”This was given to me by my mother. All of us siblings have one of this. See this?”

Mother truned the brooch, and on the back was a carving of her name ”Leticia”.

”All of us siblings have one of each, with our name on the back.” My mother explained.

”This is from grandma?” I asked. ”So this is your treasure, right mommy?”

”Yes.” Mother nodded. ”This is a precious momento of my past life and your grandma that I love so dear.”

(End of memory)

***

I turned the brooch and saw the name carved at the back.

”Leticia”

My hands was shaking with shock. I remebered that this brooch was burried with my mother. My mother's body was burried at the town where we lived in before she died. She had asked my father the king to burry her at a hill overlooking where the sun sets behind the mountains.

”H-How did you get this?” I asked forcefully. My eyes were looking at prince Gladiolus with anger.

'If ever he have deconsecrated my mother's grave, I am sure to skin him alive.' Anger was welling up inside of me.

”Easy Alicia. You would not want to use your magic here now, would you?” Prince Gladiolus calmly said.

He was right, the palace has many eyes watching. I cannot move as I please. But still I stare at him with anger, demanding an explination.

”Don't worry Alicia, we never moved even one rock from your mother's grave. In fact your mother was never burried there in the first place.” Prince Gladiolus said.

”What do you mean?” His words makes no sense at all.

”The body that was burried in that grave was a body double. Another's body, so to speak.” Prince Gladiolus said.

My eyes went wide in shock. ”How can that be?!” I said with a forceful tone.

”My mother was searching for aunt Leticia for a long time. When she found her, she thought it was too late. The news of aunt Leticia dead was what came to her. My mother loved your mother dearly, being the older one and aunt Leticia the younger of the twins. My mother didn't want to let your mother's body be burried at the country of the people that killed her. So she sent someone to steal her body before the burial.” Prince Gladiolus explained.

Now my anger was being intensified. ”All this years, I was visiting a grave of an unknown person?!” I stood up and shouted in anger at him.

”Let me finish first.” Prince Gladiolus smiled. ”When aunt Leticia's body came, there was still a small life force burning inside of her. But it was faint. With our body's magical abilities, your mother's life force was saved. Her heart seemed to stop beating if a regular doctor diagnosed it. But iwith an Atlantian doctor, she was saved from the brink of death.”

”Saved? You mean...” I was in shock with prince Gladiolus words.

”Yes, she was saved. Your mother is alive in Jennova.” Prince Gladiolus smiled.