Rings

The meeting kept going and I couldn't focus on what Celest was saying. I could only stare at the lonely girl trying her best to stand away from her mother. Is there no way I can help her? I'd like to talk to her alone for a moment if I can. How should I go about doing that though? A fight? Would it work if I asked Celest?

"Celest, can I spar with Darlene?" I don't understand why she's so weak. Celest and the king are both ridiculously powerful, so what happened to her?

Even though I interrupted her, she simply smiled at me and waved at Stark.

"Sure. Stark, take them outside. We'll continue the meeting while you go have fun." I guess since Cera is here, she doesn't care if I leave.

Stark led us into the palace's backyard which looks the same as the front minus the golden statues.

"Why do you want to fight me?" Darlene looks dangerously hostile.

"I'm not trying to hurt you before the competition, I just want to know why you're so weak." I don't want to provoke her, but this is probably the only way to make her attack me seriously.

As I thought, that really did.

She rushed at me and tried to stab me with a fist full of yellow flames. I intercepted her fist by grabbing it with my bare hand and freezing her entire arm to the ground with a massive ice pillar to prevent her from moving.

"You'll die if you join the competition. Why do you want to participate?" Why is she throwing her life away?

She attacked the ice pillar with her other hand, and I stepped back to prevent my clothes from getting singed.

"You're not strong enough to melt it." I tried to convince her to stop struggling, but she desperately kept attacking the ice.

Blood started spurting from her knuckles and her angry face was dripping with sweat. I grabbed her other hand and froze it in place as well.

"Why are you trying to get yourself killed?" I don't understand her.

She made eye contact with me and I could feel her overwhelming self-hatred.

"You're lucky you were born with power and talent. My mother talks about you like you're her daughter and sends you presents all the time. She's never done that for me. Not once. She treats me like an outsider and hits me daily. I can't do it anymore. I don't want to live being treated worse than a slave. I can't even kill myself because she put a curse on me. Someone like you, could never understand how terrible it is to be weak." Her eyes are filled with hatred, but she's not looking at me.

"You're right. I don't remember how it feels to be weak. I'm not a good person and I don't wish to help you. I came out here thinking maybe I could participate in your place. However, If you want, I can kill you right here. I'm not a merciful person, so it'll be painful. If you really want to die, attack me with all you got and suffer until your last moment." I broke the ice and she fell to her knees with trembling arms.

If she wants to die, I'll help her. I'm not so nice that I'll simply kill her because she wants to die, but I won't stop her from acting on her own if she really wants to die. Maybe I would also want to die if I lived her life, and I have no other way to intervene in her life. This is the most I can do without being personally involved and putting Cera in danger.

Stark hasn't said anything, so I wonder if the queen is okay with this. I'm sure she is able to at least feel the flow of Alm from here.

"I don't like you." Darlene smiled and rushed me with her fiery, trembling arms.

Every time she swung and missed, I punched or kicked her stomach. I kept knocking her down and she would get up every time. Blood started flowing out of her smiling lips with every jab and her blood was making the grass look ominous; Green grass with red tips, like small bloody spikes. I knocked her down one last time and pierced all her limbs into the ground with four ice spikes. I made sure to freeze where I stabbed her so she wouldn't bleed out or feel a lot of pain. I slowly walked up to her and saw her groaning smile and eyes filled with sad conviction.

"Thank you." I disintegrated her entire body by blowing up my ice after her words of gratitude. Giving her a lonely, chilling funeral.

"Lady Zara, I will make sure her highness rewards you properly for your good deeds." Stark walked up to me with a happy smile on his face and got on one knee.

I really hate every single person here. This corrupted system is sickening. I'm going to get rewarded for killing her daughter? If this kingdom ever gets attacked, I'm going to watch it burn to the ground. I know not everyone is like Celest, but the ruler shapes the minds of the kingdom's people. Their lives are misguided by her brutal antics. The girls I killed last time prove just how corrupted this kingdom has become. Their parents simply sent someone else, their siblings didn't care, and worse than that, I never heard about their funeral.

I'll end up taking more lives, ruining families and becoming more of a demon as time passes. This is the future I chose, I won't turn from it, but I won't protect this kingdom. If I need to kill every single person in this kingdom to protect Cera, I'll flood the streets with blood. This kingdom deserves to fall.

"Let's go back." Stark stood up and guided me back to the party.

When I came in, only Cera and Celest were left inside the room.

"The meeting ended already?" I sat down next to Cera and took another cookie from the table.

"Yeah, I sent them away so Cera could give me the new oath. We're going to make a lot of money out of this deal. Why don't you guys move? Get a new house near the palace. It would be easier to keep in touch that way." Celest took out a small box and placed it in front of Cera.

"I got you two engagement rings. It is a bit late, but it took a while to find the gems." It's hard to hate her when she does so much for us. Even though she is such a terrible person, she treats us really well.

Cera opened the small box and there were two rose gold rings with a beautiful pink gem on them. It had diamond engravings around the ring and a slight glint was coming from the stone.

"It is made of a pink sapphire that is found near dragon nests." A dragon nest?

"Where was the dragon nest?" I need to find out where the nest is.

"North of the vile, Puscular Empire somewhere. I had them ordered but I have no clue where they were found, just the general direction." These must've been really expensive. She's smiling but I'm sure it was a hard decision to spend so much money on us.

"Thanks a lot, Celest." Cera and I both stood up at the same time and bowed respectfully.

"It was my pleasure." Celest gently clapped her hands together and smiled at us.

How are we supposed to repay this? She's making it harder and harder to leave. Is this her way of trapping us in and involving us in the kingdom's problems? There's no way we can refuse the rings, and it is impossible to give her money in exchange because it was a gift. How can we try to even out the favors?

"When is the competition?" If I win the competition and show that we support her, wouldn't that boost her influence with the other nobles?

"I'll let Cera fill you in with the details, I have a few things to do, and thank you for your help, Zara." Is she talking about her daughter?

"Stark, make sure to prepare a few bags filled with snacks before they leave." Celest stood up and left us before we could refuse the rings or say anything else.

"Give me your hand." I moved my left hand to Cera's voice.

"It's an adjustable ring, add a bit of Alm into it and it'll fit your finger perfectly." Cera smoothly inserted the ring into my finger. Gently massaging my hands with her small, soft fingers at the same time.

"Your turn." She handed me the other ring and I took her left hand as well.

"It's a bit early, I wanted to wait until we got home, but happy birthday, Cera." I put the ring in her ring finger and leaned in for a kiss.

She placed her hand over my lips and hugged me instead.

"Not here. You shameful girl." She whispered in my ear and I couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

I can't believe I forgot we weren't at home. I wrapped my hands around Cera and hid my face in her shoulder.

"Upsy-daisy." Cera put me in a bridal carry so I could keep hiding my cherry-colored face.

She's always so considered about my feelings, my silly requests, and my childish behavior. She's so perfect. After I felt that we walked out the palace and we were close to our carriage, I kissed Cera's ear.

"I love you so much." I heard Cera giggle as we entered the carriage.

Cera sat down and kissed my cheek while still holding me.

"I love you too."

Even after being held throughout the carriage ride back home, I didn't want to let go of Cera. I kept clinging to her, we went inside the house and into the living room, where we usually spend our time pretending to study. Even though I prepared a lot for her party, I didn't want to move away.

I had Noire prepare a large strawberry cake for Cera, some over the top, expensive decorations, a lot of different clothes, jewelry to going along with her clothes, and a new silver pen with our names engraved on it so she can write all her notes with.

"I prepared a lot of stuff for today." I quietly spoke, just enough for her to hear me.

"I know. Thank you." Cera passed her hand through my hair, placing it behind my ear and tickling my cheek along the way.

She lovingly looked at me and I leaned in to steal the kiss I couldn't get earlier.