The Prince of Haybeast, the bastard son of the current King Tigreal Hydragos, was not the most pleasing person in the entire Empire. Leandro Hydragos was an insecure man due to his origin. Born out of a forbidden love between a mage and a magical beast, it was considered one of the biggest scandals in all four kingdoms.
The Kingdom of Haybeast has two sons: Crown Prince Elias, who turned five recently, and the bastard Prince Leandro. The Kingdom of Haybeast was conservative when it came to the hierarchy of command in their land; the Magical Beast refused to bow down to mages and sorcerers. Thus, having a child with the blood of a mage flowing through his veins was one of the reasons for the kingdom's resistance to naming Prince Leandro, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Haybeast.
"How dare you speak to me in that manner? Don't you know who I am?" Astrid was about to retire for the night, her usual path going to the West Wing tower, where the hidden portal that would lead straight to the South Tower, where Princess Astrid resides, was not that far from the main residences of the emperor. But much to her surprise, of all places to cross paths with Prince Leandro himself, it has to be in between the entrances of the West Wing Tower. He was tormenting a servant that she wasn't familiar with, leaving her no choice but to intervene.
"I apologize, My Lord; it was a mistake! I didn't mean to offend you!" The maid looks terrified, compared to Prince Leandro who clearly looks delighted at the sight of someone pleading for their life in front of him.
"Pathetic maid! How dare you defy my order? Are you looking down on me?" The moment that his hand raised in an attempt to strike the maid in front of him, Astrid was already moving fast enough to catch his arm in mid-air.
"Knight Commander Astel!" The maid cried in fear. But it was the least of her concerns; Astrid miscalculated the situation at hand. Leandro was a magical beast that was strong enough to tear her body in pieces, and seeing the fire in his eyes towards her was frightening enough for anyone to bear. The weight of his arms alone was enough to shatter the floor that she was standing in.
If Prince Leandro managed to hit the maid with such force, she would die in an instant. But for her to manage to interfere in between them using her sword and frail body was beyond her; maybe it was her strong desire to save her people that led to her recklessness, but Astrid could care less about it now.
"What do you think you're doing?" Astrid had her fair share of going against a Magical Beast as big as the prince, but none of them could equate to the force that he wields. His ginger mane covering his broad arms could effortlessly pierce anyone that tries to come close to him, and a nasty red aura that his body was emitting was enough to turn her blood run cold. He was strong, stronger than any magical beast that she could think of.
"Forgive my intrusion, My Lord, but I don't think I can just watch as you raised your hands on a lowly maid of this kingdom,"
"And do you think someone will care if a lowly maid dies in my hands?" he taunted; the sound of his voice rang to the now empty corridor. She was well aware that the prince has a nasty personality but seeing it up close, Astrid knew that the rumors about him was not completely baseless.
To think that a beast as rotten and despicable as him would even think of joining the Quest for the Throne to be her future husband was unacceptable. But Astrid must stick to her role both as the Head of the Imperial Knights and as the Princess of the Empire; she must protect her people at all costs. Even if it means killing the Beast in front of him and declaring war against the Kingdom of Haybeast.
"I do think that the emperor would care if one of his people died a meaningless death, My Lord." Her words seem to be sinking into his mind faster than she anticipated, when she knew how unreasonable and temperamental a Magical Beast like him could be. Much to her relief, Leandro retracted his arm slowly, but Astrid would be a fool if she let her guard down in front of him.
"That makes sense. Who are you? You are strong enough to stop my arm; that makes you worthy of being remembered by me." Prince Leandro knew that his father would not be pleased if he did something to anger the emperor; after all, his goal was to secure his seat on the throne of the Kingdom of Haybeast. If the Knight Commander hadn't shown up, he would be in big trouble. His aid, Count Pearson of Haybeast, was strict and didn't tolerate his playful demeanor; being scolded by him after the long, tiring trip to the land of Parriah would be the last thing on his list.
"The Head of the Imperial Knights, Astel Pyrestorm, stands before you, My Lord." Astel, the name sounded so unfamiliar, but Prince Leandro likes the sound of it. Astle, the name of his next prey. Just the thought of his blood on his hand excites him.
"Are you joining the Quest of the Emperor?"
"Yes, My Lord,"
"Then I guess, I'll see you on the battlefield, Astel," it was more of a threat than an invitation, his smile showing his fang in front of her along with that knowing look that Astrid was used to seeing when she fought in the previous war was something that she could never forget, the looks of a predator watching its prey. And that was enough for her knees to give in as she watched his back walk back to his chamber in the Southwest Wing of the Palace.
"My Lady, how did you manage to have such a nasty bruise? I don’t remember you joining the sword fight earlier." Now that Shea mentioned it, the realization that both of her arms were covered in fresh bruises that she didn’t even know was there all along was the only reminder of what happened earlier. To think that Prince Leandro was capable of dealing that much damage with that one action sends a cold shiver down her spine, remembering his menacing look towards her.
"It was probably from our training, Shea. Do not fret about it."
"It upsets me every time that you show up with bruises and cut my lady; please take care of yourself more."
"I don’t mean to upset you, Shea. I’ll be more careful, please don't worry too much." Shea was her nanny ever since she was a child, and when her mother died, Shea became someone who filled the void that the late Empress left. She was someone who would be irreplaceable in Astrid’s life and upsetting her like this makes her heart ache at times.
"Did you watch the Quest earlier, Shea?"
"But of course, My Lady, I need to find someone worthy enough to be your future husband!" The pride and joy in her voice makes it harder for Astrid to say anything about her plan of not letting anyone win the quest; it didn’t occur to her that the Emperor’s Quest would also mean so much to the people around her.
"And? Did you find someone worthy enough?"
"Not at all. They’re not even worthy enough to be your opponent!" Shea has a way of lifting her spirit with her kind words. It was the kind of comfort that she needed after a long and tiring day.
The second elimination day was more chaotic than Astrid anticipated; the appearance of Prince Leandro along with the emperor’s entourage to greet the participants was the talk of the town. Rumors about the Prince of Haybeast winning the emperor's approval spread like wildfire much to her dismay. Surely, His Majesty wouldn't think of letting Prince Leandro to take her hand, right? Astrid could only hope so.
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