"Knight Commander Astel, the Prince of Haybeast, was causing a scene; Vice Captain Theodore was trying to calm him dow--" Astrid didn’t let Marcus, one of her knights, finish his report. She could see Theodore, Vice-Commander Lucius, and even the aloof Vice-Commander of the Third Battalion, Thamuz, at the center of the Minor Arena.
"Is this how the people of the Capital show their hospitality with a Prince like me?" Astrid couldn’t contain her fury with how her people were standing feeling so small in front of the Prince of Magical Beast, who seems to be enjoying tormenting everyone around him every chance that he could get.
"I believed our land and our people were hospitable enough for you ever since you came to our land, Your Highness."
"Knight Commander Astel!" She could see the relief flooding from Theo’s face. Lucius and Thamuz were on guard, much to her relief. If there was a fight between him and the Prince of Haybeast, she knew her father would be furious and upset. But Astrid wouldn’t sit back and watch how the Prince was tormenting her people, even if it meant putting her life on the line.
"Oh, Astel, finally you’ve arrived. I thought I had to mess with your Knights before I could even see your pretty face." The Prince was clearly mocking her, his eyes watching her every move; one moment of fear was all he was waiting for. Beasts like him feed on their prey’s fear and desperation to survive. A sick creature like him was not worthy of her attention at all, but she’s not the Imperial Princess right now; she was standing on the same ground as him, as Knight Commander Astel of the Imperial Knights.
"Forgive me, My Lord, but I would like to remind you that threatening my Knights and everyone in our land could put you in a dire situation. But of course, I humbly apologize if my men did something to offend you."
"We did nothing wrong, Knight Commander Astel!" Astrid has no choice but to ignore their plea and disapproval. Keeping her people safe was her utmost priority.
"Are you threatening me now, Sir Astel?" Prince Leandro was getting more amused with the Knight Commander. The Prince finds him endearing with all his quick and witty remarks and his unwavering bravery. To the point of wanting to break every ounce of that false pretense and show the world how naive a young knight like him was to go against the Prince of Haybeast.
"Forgive my imprudence, My Lord; I do not wish to offend you."
"I see you still like to torment those around you, Prince Leandro." A man covered in a thick cloak stepped out of the crowd, his aura catching Astrid offguard; it was strong, bright, and warm. It was the first time she had seen someone who had such a pure and bright aura that his presence alone calmed everything in her. Realizing her thoughts had gone adrift, Astrid watched shamelessly as the man pulled the hood of his cloak away, revealing the most beautiful face she had ever seen in her entire existence. Golden brown hair that shines as bright as the southern desert; warm emerald green eyes that hide thousands of secrets yet do not reveal a thing. He was a mystery, an abyss that Astrid would be a fool not to fall into. Whether it was a bad thing or not, Astrid cannot deny how his mere presence can change the tide of the Quest.
"Oh my, if this isn’t the Forgotten Crown Prince of Hayes, you’ve been hiding your presence well as per usual, or was it because you don’t hold as much importance as I do?" Prince Leandro's word sinking into her head, the captivating beauty, calm demeanor, and emerald green eyes that were native to the Royal Family of Hayes—how she could not recognize the Crown Prince of the Southern Kingdom was beyond her.
Astrid heard so little about the Kingdom of Hayes, and to think that she would meet the only living member of the Royal family of Hayes in the middle of her feud with Prince Leandro like this was quite unsettling for her. It didn’t even occur to her that the Crown Prince of Hayes was already inside their territory; her Knights had been waiting for his arrival since the first day, but still not a single Knight or servant from the Kingdom of Hayes came.
The Kingdom of Hayes was considered a secluded territory. Ten years ago, an epidemic spread all throughout its land, and the drought that followed took countless lives in the span of three years, killing more than half of its entire population. The Royal Family died one by one, leaving the sole heir, the only living prince, who was just ten years old at the time, took over the throne, closing its gate to everyone, and the Kingdom lived in total silence for the last ten years until they opened the gate again a year ago. No wonder it was considered the forgotten Kingdom. But despite being acknowledged as the King of Hayes, the young Prince refused to take the title of King and decided to be known as the Crown Prince instead.
Rumor has it that the former King of Hayes was still alive and the Crown Prince's refusal to be named King was justified, but ten years had passed and not a single soul had seen the former King again. No one really knew what was going on the Southern Kingdom.
“Your arrogance never seized to amuse me every time; it looks like your wounds healed faster than I expected.” The Crown Prince spoke, his voice sounded like a song in her ears. Astrid was drawn to him the moment that he stepped out of the crowd. Like he was someone that she knew for a long time, an absurb feeling that she did not dare dwell too much into.
“What is going on here? ”She was too preoccupied to notice that her knights were already gathered around her, their trained eyes watching the two princes with both awe and fear.
“I’ve heard about the feud between the Prince of Haybeast and the Crown Prince of Hayes from a mercenary, but to see them like this was quite a spectacle.”
“Feud?”
“Some say that the Prince of Haybeast dares to step into the Kingdom of Hayes to form an alliance with its current ruler, the Crown Prince Drystan Seawright; things didn’t end up well. No one knew what really happened there, so I’m not so sure about the other details,” It didn’t surprise Astrid that Prince Leandro would dare to start an alliance for whatever reason he had in mind, but to be blatantly declined with an unknown ruler as the Crown Prince of Hayes sounded a little too much for her mind to process right now.
“Knight Commander Astel, the Emperor will be here shortly! ”Astrid doesn’t have much time to prepare before the Emperor arrives. Dealing with the two princes was too much for her right now; she needed to be at the Emperor’s side and welcome him along with the King of Aetas, her only uncle, King Landon Von Malthor.
“Vice-Commander Lucius, Thamuz, I believe you two can handle this matter on your own. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Please do so, Knight Commander Astel; we will see you on the battlefield in a while,”
“I hope you won’t disappoint me,” Astrid said, walking out of the arena in no time. Prince Leandro was quite pissed; she could tell that much from his aura alone. But having the Crown Prince of Hayes around him was enough to subdue him a little. It was quite interesting to see someone overpowering the Prince of Haybeast for once.
“Your Royal Highness, Your Grace,” Astrid greeted the Emperor and the King of Aetas with the utmost respect and admiration. She hasn’t seen her uncle, King Landon Von Malthor, in weeks due to her duties at Parriah as the Head of the Imperial Knights.
“It looks like I really have to come to the capital city just to see my Knight Commander Astle; this is really unfair of you, Your Highness.”
"Oh, shut up, Landon; it’s better to keep the Knight Commander here in the capital than back in your domain.”
Astrid was always the center of humor for the two of them. Being the sole heir to the throne and the only blood related niece of the King of Aetas, she was lucky enough to have their affection. But the King and the Emperor seem to be forgetting their positions at the moment, and she was afraid that they might have accidentally spilled her secrets in front of everyone.
“It was truly an honor to be both needed by you, Your Grace, My Lord; let me guide you to your seats.”
The opening ceremony finally began on the last day of the first quest. The crowd was in full spirit, and everyone seemed too eager to see who would come out victorious for the first part of the quest. After bidding her goodbye to the King and the Emperor, Astrid was finally in the same place as the remaining participants.
“Please go easy on us, our beloved Knight Commander Astel,” Astrid can’t help but throw a smug look for the knights who will participate in the quest. Most of them were Knights from the Second and Third Battalions, unlike the First Battalion Knights under her care, these knights dared to challenge their commanders and got approval to participate.
“No, I need to see how much you’ve grown since leaving my side, don’t you think?”The change in their complexion really amused her; she knew just how capable the knights who got their commanders approval, most of them were on par with their commanders in fighting with swords. But Astrid cannot let her guard down, winning against the Knights would be a little easier for her, but outside that criteria could be a lot harder than she expected. After all, she has one goal in mind: to win the quest and protect her throne.
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