Me and Aradon went to town to buy something. It is a rare time for us to be out here anyway. Most of the time we stay in the barrack without seeing the civilians. Aradon is paying because I'm broke.
However, while we were walking, the atmosphere is strange.
I was walking with a bruised face, my selling point while Aradon was walking a bit farther than normal from me.
"Let's not talk about this." I said
"I agree." Aradon said
Us boys went into an antique shop and point at random things.
Then, we went to buy fruit, ignoring the antique owner's wrath.
It is not my fault that he sells counterfeit that can be discerned with one look.
We bought some oranges, a fruit imported from the human land to bring back to the barrack for the boy.
Near the market, there was a chess shop. It used to be a gambling den when certain organized criminal organization moved here, however, all of those organizations mysteriously disappear. Funny that. I don't intend to play chess, but since the table and tea are free, I shamelessly brought Aradon there to rest.
In the chess shop, there was a commotion as we went in.
"There is a girl beating 10 people at the same time in chess." A passerby says
"Well, it is not related to us right."
Me and Aradon were drinking tea while watching the commotion. Wherever we go, the noises die down.
"Do you frequent this place a lot?" Aradon asks
"Well, on my day off, I do play chess. So people know me. Why do you ask?"
"...What do you even do in your off time?"
Well, Aradon is probably talking about the strange atmosphere surrounding us. Well, Aradon is a naive boy, as long as nothing happens, it would be fine. When we were about to leave, however, something indeed happen.
Two female elves were leaving the crowd. I recognize them. Both of them.
Aradon does too, however, he probably only recognizes one of them.
After all, she is his crush, the imperial princess of this entire kingdom, the person that just hand him his medal previously, the person that he weirded out.
And the person next to her is the princess's maid and friend, Hisu.
So that is what it was about, all I know is that Hisu was supposed to be some kind of prodigy and genius. When she was 3, she can read and write. She is also supposed to be a prodigy at chess too, of the elven kingdom. She is also a half-elf, a half-elf that occupies an important occupation in the Royal Elven Court, and so may just favor human, and so is on my shit list before I regain my memories. That was just before I regained my memories mind, I'm a cool man now, I have some time to change my perspective on thing.
However, when Hisu was 12, she hits a ceiling. That girl was not that much of a genius, she only grew up faster than other kids, so she was low on my priority list.
This is a problem.
The princess and her maid are in disguise. However, we recognize them. And they recognize us.
"Oh."
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Princess Aelene pressures Aradon to go out with her for a small 'talk'. Intimidation to keep her secret I'm sure. This is the first time I have heard of Aelene Lunarii sneaking out of the palace, but considering her personality, it is to be expected.
Me on the other hand, I perform a small trick.
I showed off 5% of my power!
I'm just joking. However, you see, the princess's maid, who also acts as her body guard I'm sure (since Hisu is a 'prodigy'. Also, it is very unlikely that the king and the queen would leave their daughter alone while going out like this) reacts negatively to 5% of my power, or my bad aura. She doesn't want me to spend anytime alone with the princess, while at the same time, she can probably feel the innocence radiating off Aradon. And so, with a little of fuckery, I split the pair.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
While Aradon was going out, I give him a secret signal. 'Go out and get lucky buddy.'
Aradon, seeing my signal, instead of mistaking it like last time, starts becoming beet red, the red spreads to his ear. 'There is an embarrassed elf in the building everyone!' I would like to say that, however, most of the people here would react negatively to the fact. Also, my opponent too
"It is considered rude to look away from your opponent while playing chess you know?" The princess's maid told me.
My left eye glances back at the maid. I dislike people acting smart without knowing anything at all. All in all, I prefer the princess and Aradon more, they are innocent.
"As agreed, if you lose, you and your friend will never mention this again to anyone else."
"I didn't agree to nothing lady." I told her while smiling at a secret that only I know.
The maid for her part, acts taken back. Well, that shows that. She is not a good chess player.
"But anyway, let's play a small game of chess with my promise on the line. Anyway, since you are so good, mind if I go first?"
The maid looks at me, with some disdained in her eyes. She doesn't like me. Little does she knows, me either.
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"E4"
"C5"
"F3"
It is very boring really.
"E6"
"..."
"I heard that your mother is a human miss Hisu."
The maid looks at me as the pieces move. She acts surprised as if she didn't expect me to know about her name and history. Oh no, but if you don't know everything about your opponent and their mother, how can you win a simple game of chess?
"How did you know that?"
"D4. Well, there aren't that many half-elves working with the royal family, I have heard everything about you my lady."
I lent the princess's maid a pawn since her eyes are pretty and let her take it.
The princess's maid looks at the state of the board and decides that I have made a mistake. She takes the piece before glancing triumphantly at me.
"Knight captures on D4. This year, you are 45 right? And your mother is 70. I'm curious as I have never known that feeling, how does it feels seeing a human that you know grow old and decrepit in front of your eyes. It is so ephemeral is it not? I don't understand why Mayfly-December romance between human and Elf still happen."
I keep on talking while looking at the princess's maid and not the board.
It is so predictable. She is effected. As I said, the princess's maid is not a good chess player. Well, in a real chess match, I will probably be silenced though.
"...I don't think I like you very much."
Me neither. Me neither.
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I left the room with a girl crying on the chess board, then I went to look for Aradon.
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Hisu looks at the chess board feeling absolutely humiliated. The man attacks her, not just on the chess board, but mentally. He didn't just aim to annihilate her, he aimed to humiliate, even though Hisu doesn't know what she did to him.
He sacrificed half his pieces, playing randomly in the first 10 moves, then afterward, with that disgusting structure, he hangs his bishops, and forced her to resign in 19 moves, all the while taunting her, not with words, but on the board. He left space for her to think that she could win and then dash that hope. It was as if she was dancing on the palm of his hand. He taunted her inability, as if he told her she did not know how to play. He continues to prolong the game until he finally decides it was enough
Her eyes keep looking at the board. She thought she was good at chess. However, after that humiliation, she doesn't think she can pick up a chess piece ever again.
Hisu continues to cry looking at the board.