The crowd began throwing their trash into the arena, truly showing their distaste for the lady. She didn’t seem bothered, not even a little bit. A smile curled on her face while a laugh managed to escape. She then raised her arms and extended them while shutting her eyelids. Their hate was her glory, and basking in it was her only option.

Avina watched, just being speechless. It was truly an incredible sight to see. This woman didn’t even flinch at the fact that she was receiving all of this negative feedback, all because of her gender. She completely defied societal norms by doing what others believed she could not do… and that’s what made Avina believe this woman was powerful. She tugged on her father’s hair to grab his attention. His eye twitched as she did so.

“What happened?” He calmly asked,

“You used to be a Knight right? How about you go next?” Avina tilted her head.

Aermith chuckled to himself while glancing at the woman standing in the middle of the arena, “Yes, used to be one. Sure I didn’t forget how to fight but I’d lose to her, simple as that.”

“Well then I just think you aren’t quite confident in yourself, hmph.” She pouted.

His chuckling died down before answering his daughter, “There’s a clear difference between confidence and delusion. Even if I were to fight her back then… I’d still lose. There’s a terrifying gap in strength, and I’ll never be afraid to admit that. The Knights from back then are nothing compared to today. Odic essence was damn near non-existent back then and it’s still quite rare today. But that woman right there possesses it, we’re just lucky that she didn’t display it.”

Avina’s eyes opened wide, “Woah… that makes her so much cooler! Wait, do you know her name? I’d love to meet her.”

“Well, like her hair, she goes by Scarlet. Not much is known about her besides the fact that it seems like no man can match up against her. I think the less the general public knows about her, the better. And she seems like a busy woman, Avina. We can meet her another time okay-”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Blowing from the rooftops of houses were several horns that were followed by fireworks. Everyone’s attention was caught, even Scarlet’s. They played the kingdom’s anthem, which usually meant the King himself would make an appearance. Approaching from the brick road ahead was a group of people. Both Aermith and Avina looked in that direction. It looked to be men covered head to toe in armor. All eight of them carried spears while also having a broadsword attached to their belt. They were in a formation around another group of people that seemed to be servants as opposed to Knights. All four of the servants held up a palanquin that the King resided in. Avina looked in awe, even patting her Father’s head to signal him to get a better view. A low groan came from Aermith before he made his way through the crowd. As the King got closer, cheers erupted from the people of the kingdom. Seeing the King himself wasn't very common, even on his birthday. Though a celebration as important as Nadall’s birthday allowed him to leave the castle walls. The palanquin was held up high so that King Xerxes was able to see his people. From behind the see-through curtains, he was seen smiling and waving at everybody.

With his free hand, he had formed his hand into a fist and lightly punched the thigh of the person laying next to him. The punch alone was all the male needed to sit up and do exactly what he was instructed to do. ‘Just smile and wave’ is what Xerxes said, so that’s what he did. More cheering was heard when they realized who else was accompanying the King. It was none other than Prince Gurhen Renfry, the Son of Xerxes. Gurhen was a carbon copy of his Father, yet his eyes were more of a hazel color compared to the black his Father has.

The King was good at faking what he was feeling, and even doing. The light gestures, smiles, and kind eyes were all fake. Gurhen on the other hand already wasn’t good with expressing his emotions, let alone faking what wasn’t even there. The smile plastered on his face began fleeting, it was exhausting to keep something like this up. In an attempt to make actions seem more genuine, Gurhen began making eye contact with the people in the crowd. Every single one of them smiled, seemed joyful, whether or not it was authentic. It was only until he met a face that didn’t light up like the others. His movements froze, unsure of how to react.

‘Why isn’t she smiling?’ He questioned himself, ‘Did I do something wrong?’ Gurhen continued.

The two locked eyes with each other, for just a moment. Time around the two slowed before coming to a complete stop. Everything else blurred while the two became each other’s focus. Neither of them uttered a word and yet Gurhen knew not to ever dare forget those pair of walnut brown eyes. Unbeknownst to them both, it wouldn’t be the last time they saw each other.