Amaro hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that red haired Tibur girl on his carriage ride over to their meeting place a few kilometers south of the forests of Punuuk. The Great Ingen tree stood overhead, its twisting trunk piercing the clouds and obscuring the top of its barren branches.

He hadn’t been able to stop staring at the red haired girl the moment he arrived. When they caught each other’s eyes for the first time, he felt his heart soaring. She had grown so beautiful in such a short time. Surely, he’d seen her at her worst and now that she was at her best he couldn’t look away. He saw her look away. Amaro smiled, seeing how shy she was. He noticed the way she tried to steal glances at him. It was meant to be.

Amaro could already see things from her perspective. She had been thinking about him these past few months as well. It would be something they confessed to each other. That love at first sight which had only rekindled the moment they saw each other again at this fateful party.

Amaro was shy, almost paralyzed, but he soon understood what the trial of Absuos was meant for. It made certain he knew when to take the first step forward even when fear tried to hold him in place.

He heard his father converse with her mother. Did they know each other? She looked uncomfortable. Perhaps they were more alike than he initially thought. Both one half Tibur and one half apart of a noble family who cared more for appearances than love.

Her curtsy was so graceful and elegant. Even the way she stuttered. Was it him? Was he making her nervous? He could set her at ease and make sure she knew there was no reason to be nervous. Or maybe he’d take a more playful approach to make her more bashful?

He could hardly hear what anyone was saying.

When their parents left to converse with one another, he took his opportunity. He noticed the way she curled her tail around her leg. Everything she did was so cute and elegant.

Sancta beat him too it, though. She had some rather venom laced words for the young xia. Perhaps Sancta sensed Amaro’s infatuation with her? No, it wasn’t that obvious, right? He thought he’d done a pretty good job at hiding it.

Or did Sancta feel threatened by her beauty? His younger sister always did value her good looks.

But Sancta was beautiful by the standards of nobles. Kaara was beautiful by the standards of nature itself. She did not need makeup to paint an artificial mask of beauty to hide her imperfections. Her imperfections were beautiful.

For even if a work of art might be beautiful, so too was the majesty of an Ingen tree. Yes, Amaro thought that sounded rather nice in his head.

And even with Sancta’s onslaught of insults, she still found a way to smile back. Not even retaliating. Perhaps she didn’t know she was being insulted?

Even that could have been cute in its own way. Amaro didn’t mind being the smarter of the two of them. He could teach her so many things, just as she could teach him.

“Those furs go well with your hair too. Did you keep rats in it to trap them and make your coat? You are a huntress after all, right? Or was it a hunter?” Sancta had said.

Now was Amaro’s chance. He’d swoop in and rescue Kaara from his sister. They’d be sisters too at some point anyways!

“Oh come now, Sancta, I think her hair is rather lovely.” The words leaving his mouth embarrassed him more than he thought they would. His heart was thumping in his chest, but she didn’t seem to mind. Her face was starstruck.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

He had to keep pushing, he wanted to see if he could fluster her, “Do you mind if I touch it?”

She was so flustered! Kaara stuttered in such a darling way. Her blushing face said it all to Amaro. He reached out, seeking to put her at ease and leaned in with a charming whisper in her ear, “Don’t mind my sister, I think she’s jealous of you.”

“Oh my! Amaro was it? Haven’t you learned any manners?” It was The Emperor’s son, Deka. A complete and utter symbol of everything Amaro despised about nobility.

He snatched Amaro’s wrist, “You hardly waited for permission.”

So he was captured by Kaara’s beauty as well?

“I’m only trying to put her at ease. What good are manners going to be when we’re all living the Altix like savages anyways? I think it’d be a welcomed change of pace, myself.”

“If you’d like to roll around in the dirt like a pig, I’ll be happy to show you to the nearest mudhole.” Deka grabbed Kaara’s hair, the fiend.

Amaro could already feel his gut boiling with anger at his hypocrisy. “You hardly even asked,” He could see it in his eyes. Deka didn’t love her like Amaro did. He was merely using her to get to him.

It was working.

“Did you have a problem with it?” Deka said, grabbing Kaara’s horn possessively. Anger erupted in his gut at the sight of it. Amaro could see the look on Kaara’s face. She hated it too.

She was likely too afraid to defend herself due to the power the emperor’s son held. Or perhaps she was too kind.

However, a Xirxus like himself had enough status to do something about it, but before he could act, Raktus interjected.

“Hey! Tibur girl, are you familiar with the warrior Arik?” Raktus was still asking about that dark skinned warrior who’d bested him. Amaro couldn’t help but smile at his younger brother. He really had gotten so much stronger these past few months.

“Oh, yeah, Arik’s my friend actually-”

“Then you can get me a rematch with him?!” He said, leaning in closely.

“Well first off, Arik’s not-”

“I knew it! The cowardly Tibur plans to walk off with a victory and gloat for the rest of his life about it!”

Amaro was thankful for his brother’s antics. It helped him reign in his emotions for a bit. At least until Deka yanked Kaara by her horn away from Raktus.

“So you’re the embarrassment I’ve heard so much about!” He said with a smirk that boiled Amaro’s blood.

“What did you say?” Raktus said, looking as if he might throw a punch.

Deka had a wicked smirk on his face, “You’re the loser Xirxus who was humiliated in a duel by a lowly Tibur. Am I wrong?”

As if losing to a warrior like Arik was an embarrassment? There was only so much disrespect Amaro could take, even if he was the emperor’s son. He was not about to allow Raktus to fight his battles either.

“For one, unhand her.” Amaro said, stepping in valiantly. He smacked Deka’s hand off of Kaara’s horn and stepped in to protect her, “And for another, watch your tongue when speaking to my family!”

“Oh yeah!” Kaara said behind him in a cheery tone that caught him off guard, “Me and Deka are family too! I didn’t know I was related to the Emperor until now.”

So that’s what it was. She viewed him only as family, and that’s why she allowed him to touch her horns so informally. Amaro was relieved.

Deka gave her a wicked grin, “So that’s what the outburst was about. Though our blood ties are rather distant from what I understand,” He turned that vile mask of a smile to Amaro, “I suppose I could always bring her back into my family line. I think it’s the only way her children might have Xirxus blood in them one day.”

Deka had made an eternal enemy out of Amaro with those words. It confirmed everything he had thought about him. Deka wasn’t in love with her. He was only trying to strike at Amaro, and his father by proxy. He was using her.

Amaro wouldn’t forgive that even if someone as kind and compassionate as Kaara might.

The air started to smell like ozone. He’d kill this insolent fool for insulting their love.