Chapter 2

My connection with Alexander began when I was six years old.

At that time, I was living in a small town. Rayne, who had always stayed in Jinlesburg, was convinced to come out to the town to catch grasshoppers, with her loyal companion Alexander tagging along behind her.

Rayne, however, was in poor health, and the trip left her completely drained. As soon as she arrived in the town, she had to lie down in bed to recover.

But Alexander was full of energy. Every day, he was rolling around in the dirt, thoroughly enjoying himself.

The first time I saw him, he was naked from the waist down, his nose runny, and his body covered in dirt, as he tried to catch loaches in a muddy puddle that hadn't dried up yet.

Back then, he was the fourth prince, barely noticed by anyone, and he hadn't been sent to live with the queen yet. Despite that, he managed to attract the assassins.

Their strikes were lethal, and Alexander and I were frantically scrambling, rolling, and crawling to escape. We were seconds away from death when I suddenly remembered my secret stash from the transmigrating.

I threw it with all my strength, and the explosion was so loud that it shook the entire place. The assassins were wiped out instantly. Alexander collapsed, unconscious.

I was fine, though my body ached in ways I couldn't even begin to describe. Deep inside, I regretted it. Having the soul of a twenty-year-old stuck in a five-year-old's body really made things harder.

"Fairy Lady, you saved me," Alexander said as he came to his senses.

Honestly, I started to wonder if this kid was thinking straight.

"Fairy Lady, I was so scared. I'm so glad you were here," he added. "I don't know how to repay you for saving my life. I guess I'll have to pledge myself to you."

Even though my soul was that of a twenty-year-old college student, I had no clue how to handle this. All I could do was scream in my head, saying, "Oh, my God. This little kid really knows how to flirt!"

Before I could react, he planted a soft, squishy kiss on my cheek. Too bad it was all slobbery and sticky.

Just a moment ago, he'd been terrified of the assassins, crying for his mother and father. But now, he was as sweet as could be and cheeky enough to sneak a kiss from a girl.

He looked up at me with a sugary smile. "Fairy Lady, now that you've got my exclusive mark, you're destined to marry me when you grow up."

This was my first time transmigrating, and I'd landed in the body of six-year-old Daniela Garrison.

But with the soul of a twenty-year-old college student, there was no way I'd be interested in a little kid like him. So I dusted myself off and started to walk away.

But Alexander grabbed my sleeve, and when I turned around, he was looking up at me with those big, misty eyes, all pitiful and pleading.

In that instant, my heart melted, and the urge to push him away disappeared.

"Fairy Lady, you'll marry me and protect me, right? You won't let the bad guys kill me, will you?" he asked.

My heart tightened. "Marrying you isn't up to me."

He looked like a little street urchin, his face scrunched up, on the verge of tears.

I quickly added, "But I'll protect and take care of you. I won't let the bad guys hurt you. On top of that, I'll make sure you live to a ripe old age with a big, happy family."

"A ripe old age?" His eyes lit up. "And have a big, happy family? Does that mean you and I will have tons and tons of kids together, Fairy Lady?"

Of course not with me. He would have plenty of children with many women. There was no way I would be one of them.

Even before I was born, I had already been promised to Bradley. I had never met him, but his mother was the king's favorite noble consort, and his grandfather was a renowned general.

"Yeah," I said. Children were always so easy to fool.

Alexander told me his name had been chosen by the queen dowager. "Alexander" meant defender of mankind, but I was sure that he wasn't ready for that role.

He kept asking me to call him Alex. But I stubbornly insisted on calling him Alexander. It made everything between us feel more formal.

He clearly disliked how I called him, yet he still followed me everywhere, like a loyal puppy trailing behind me.

Honestly, it was hard to be patient with a snot-nosed child. Whenever he followed me around, firing questions like a curious little monkey, I would ignore him and stay silent. Still, he kept talking nonstop, never running out of things to say.

My head started to spin. Were the assassins truly targeting Alexander alone, or was someone trying to frame the Garrison family by going after him? Was it the queen, the noble consort, or some low-profile but ambitious prince?

If I could not identify the real enemy, everyone in the Garrison family, hundreds of us, could be wiped out.

Thinking of this, I stopped and looked at the little boy standing in front of me.

He lost his balance and fell straight to the ground. Tears burst out immediately. "Fairy Lady, were you daydreaming about me?" he sniffled. "I'm not hurt. Don't worry about me."

I instantly stiffened. I really was not used to having a boy this close to me, even if he was only a snotty child.

"Fairy Lady, why did you stop?" he asked, confused.

My cheeks burned, and my throat tightened. "I'm... I'm tired. Let's rest for a bit. Then we'll keep going. Well, could you maybe give me a little space?"

"How much space do you want?" Alex suddenly moved in and wrapped his arms around me. "Like this, Fairy Lady? Is this close enough?"

His breath brushed my ear, and my neck flushed red. Why did I always end up giving in to this little troublemaker? "G-Go back to where you were just now."

Just then, the adults arrived, and Alexander and I headed to my home together.