Elizabeth.

Azhrael pushed his exhausted body upright, as he breathed heavily sitting on the grass. His gaze was drawn towards the training grounds on his right, where several individuals were practicing their swordsmanship.

Looking at them, his silvery-grey eyes sharpened, as he observed their every movement with an intense focus. He analyzed their stance, the way they positioned their feet, their footwork, the subtle shift in their weight, and the precision of their strikes.

Every detail was etched into his mind as if he was a sponge that was soaking up the intricacies of their swordsmanship.

In that fleeting moment, he fell into a trance. His mind calculating their every movements, as he even predicted the trajectory of their strikes. It felt as if his body and mind were instinctively learning the art of combat.

But soon the trance was shattered as his senses flared up, alerting him as something fast approached in his direction.

Whoosh!

Azhrael swiftly tilted his head towards the right, as he narrowly avoided, the small ball of water that was aimed for him. Thinking the attack was over he let out a breath, but soon he was proven wrong as his reflexes weren't quick enough this time.

Splat!

A different water ball struck him lightly on the face, drenching him completely. As the cold water dripped down his pale skin, he sat there frozen for a moment, his hair sticking to his forehead.

He blinked, as he wiped the water from his face, and turned into the direction from where the water ball had came.

"Heehee..."

A soft and melodic laughter echoed in his ears, one that was quite familiar. A small smile formed at his lips as he shook his head.

"Was that funny?" he asked, his was voice calmas it carried a hint of amusement in it, as his gaze landed on the person responsible for it.

Standing there was an insanely striking beauty, as her bluish-white locks gracefully cascaded down her back. Her crystalline blue eyes sparkled mischievously, as she looked at him, high cheekbones accentuated her delicate face. Her skin porcelain devoid of even a single blemish.

She was a stunninly gorgeous woman.

"Hehe, you were so focused, I just couldn't control the urge to mess with you, you know?" Elizabeth said, with a playful grin that lighted up her beautiful features.

Azhrael sighed, once again shaking his head, though a faint smile formed on his lips. "You really can't leave me in peace, can you?"

"Of course not!" she replied, as she tilted her head with a mock-serious expression on her face. "If I did, who'd keep you from turning into some boring statue?"

"So, is that what you call helping?" he said, sarcastically as he raised an eye brow.

Elizabeth shrugged with a grin. "It's my special service. You should feel honored!."

Azhrael chuckled softly, quite a rare sound coming from him. "Yeah right, honored. Next time, try not to honor me with a icy water ball on my face."

"No promises," Elizabeth replied with a wink, as her laughter rang out.

"Heh, you know," Azhrael said, as he leaned back on his palms, a faint smile lingering in his lips. "If anyone sees you laughing like that, they'd be shocked to their core, right?."

Elizabeth tilted her head, as she gave him a mock glare. "Oh?....why is that?"

" Anyone would be because," Azhriel continued with a slightly teasing tone, " seeing you, the perfect noble lady of the academy, granddaughter of the headmaster himself, who was famous to be stoic, composed, and cold as ice like this." He gestured toward her playful demeanor.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, as a smirk played on her lips. "Well, who cares about what they think anyway?" she said, crossing her arms and looking off to the side, as her voice turned cold "most of them, are greedy bastards anyway."

Azhrael raised an eyebrow, at her chnge of tone. "Greedy bastards?" He asked.

"Yeah," she replied, as her crystalline blue eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of irritation crossing her face. "Most of them only care about power, status, or how to curry favor with me because of my family. It's really exhausting."

"Fair point, i guess." Azhrael said, as his tone softened. "Though, that doesn't mean that everyone is like them."

Elizabeth glanced at him, as her expression relaxed into a smile. "I know it, after all. You're different. You don't care about my title, power or my family. That's why it's fun, messing and talking with you."

"Ah, lucky me," Azhrael deadpanned, earning a soft laugh from her.

"You're welcome," she said with a playful wink, as she tossed another small water ball in his direction. Though this time, Azhrael leaned back just in time.

"Ugh, you know," he muttered, "you're definitely the most troublesome person I know."

"Hey, it rude to say things like this to a beautiful girl, though I am proud of it, i guess." Elizabeth shot back, as her grin widened.

"However seriously Azh, you looked like you were about to challenge the whole training ground!" Elizabeth asked, her arms crossed as she studied his drenched form.

"Oh that, actually i was learning swordsmanship," Azhrael replied nonchalantly, his gaze turning towards the still-training students.

"Hmm, learning swordsmanship by just watching?" she asked, as tilted her head in curiosity, her blue locks falling on her shoulder like silk.

Azhrael glanced at her, as he resisted the faint urge to pull her adorably tilted cheeks. With a soft sigh, he replied, "Yes. By simply, focusing you can see how they position themselves, their stance, how they shifts their weight, and even the trajectory of their swings. There's a lot to learn just by observing."

Elizabeth blinked, as she was genuinely surprised. "Huh. For real? That's... actually impressive. I don't think most people could pick up on all of that by just watching."

"Hm, it's not that hard," Azhrael replied with a small shrug. "You just need to pay attention to the details."

"Well," she said as a grin formed on her face, "I'm starting to think you're secretly a genius."

He smirked faintly, brushing off her comment. "Not some genius. Just...the one paying attention."

Elizabeth studied him for a moment, as her playful demeanor softened. "You're different, you know Azh. Most people would never even think to learn it that way. They'd just charge in blindly or ask someone to teach them."

"Then i guess, I'm not like most of the people," he replied simply, as his gaze never leaved the training ground.

Elizabeth's grandfather words echoed in her mind as she stepped closer to him, closing the gap between them. Without hesitation, she pulled out her handkerchief and gently started wiping the water from his face, her touch light and deliberate.

"No," she murmured, her voice soft. As though she was only speaking to herself. "You're not."

Azhrael raised an eyebrow at her, as a faint smirk played on his lips. "You know," he said playfully, "if the boys saw this, they'd probably kill me."

At those words, she met his gaze, unwavering, as her calm voice rang out with conviction. "You don't have to worry about that," she said, her tone almost carrying a protective edge. "I'll protect you."

For a moment, his smirk faltered, as words were caught in his throat. For the first time in the conversation, Azhriel found himself at a loss.

Elizabeth had uttered the words with such sincerity, and unwavering conviction, that it left him truly speechless.

"Okay" he answered simply.

"Oh, it seems grandfather is calling me." She said as the smartband in her arm ringed.

"See you next time, Bye Azh."

"Goodbye."