The cold crimson red blood drips from the water nymph's hand. It's only just a couple of centimeters away from the chalice but she managed to gather her strength in time and was able to move her tied-up feet. She kicked the chalice, causing it to tumble down and the wine spills on the wooden floor. This disconnected some of the lines of the array on the floor that the prince drew himself using a mica. Then the drop of the nymph's blood fell on the floor as well, away from the spilled grape wine. A split-second delay would have sent them to be judged by the Reverend Master.
"Oh no."
By instinct, Yang hurried to the spilled wine to clean up the mess. Of course, that's his response for he's been serving the palace for more than ten years.
Since the array that's been holding them back got interrupted, their elemental powers came back to them in an instant. The nymph took this chance and frees herself from the ropes that bind her.
She was about to run away but the prince saw through her plans.
Prince Ling raised his hand, and out of nowhere, vines came to his command. The vines are quick to hold her ankle which made her lose her balance and fall on the floor with a loud thud. The vine itself is just a normal vine, easy to cut one by one. However, each vine entangles to each other like a rope which makes its durability increase.
"Tsk." The water nymph clicks her tongue out of annoyance. But it's all thanks to this, she realized where she is and what are the elemental roots of these shapeshifters. She whispers in a low voice which only she could hear, "These strangers are earth elemental shapeshifters. And this place is probably within the Earth Kingdom."
From what she had learned from the Tower of Knowledge and Wisdom back in the Water Kingdom, the shapeshifters of the Earth Kingdom are the less likely to go against another kingdom for they love the life itself. Meaning, they love their fellow shapeshifters too disregarding the root element. They are even less likely to go to war against the other kingdoms compared to the free-spirited Air Kingdom.
So why, all of a sudden, these people held her captive and even attempted to do such a serious ritual? She wonders, are they only working for their personal reasons or the monarchy of the Earth Kingdom is behind all this?
"You're not going anywhere." Said Ling.
While the prince is occupied with holding her, he still managed to scold his poor attendant. "Yang! What are you doing? You only have one task, and that is to hold her down yet you still failed to do so?"
"Oh no-" Only by then did Yang realize that he moved in accord with his own impulse which almost gave way to the water nymph to runaway. He is quick to grovel towards his master saying, "I'm so sorry, your highness!"
"No matter. Now that her powers are back, you can't hold her down with your weak body anymore."
"Don't try to get away. This is my turf and I won't let you go that easily."
The nymph's eyes shifted from the vine on her foot towards Prince Ling and gave him a disgusted look. She's clearly disgusted with how he settles things. She thinks this is not how a man fights. Or is this the way of the Earth Elemental Shapeshifters? But the knowledge she got from the tower couldn't be wrong.
"You're not the one to decide." She coldly replies. "Why are you trying to do the ritual of praying for the Reverend Master's blessings? We do not know each other..." She paused for a bit as she squinted her eyes. "Or at least, I do not know you personally. Since when are you keeping an eye on me?"
She hides her hand on her back. Slowly, a dagger made up of solid ice forms with the help of her regained power.
Strange as it seems, this water elemental shapeshifter can't control the waters but she can make ice as long as there is at least a mist around. Although she was born and has always been living in the Water Kingdom, she never learned it even though she tried so hard. This made her feel different and isolated from other fellow water elementals. Nevertheless, it never made her weak either.
"Err... it doesn't have to be necessarily you, though." The prince scratches his head with his free hand as he gives her a mischievous smile. "It just happened that you're the first one we saw."
"You mean, anyone could have been fine?!" She exclaimed.
Prince Ling smirks seeing this irritated expression on her face. "Are you upset that I didn't choose you personally?"
"That is not my point and I am not upset because of that." Disbelief is written all over her face as she speaks. "Are you saying you're fine with marrying a person who you do not know thoroughly?"
"What is it to you if I don't know my wife for hundreds of years?" Ling replied to her question with a sarcastic question.
"I see, you do not know my identity." The water nymph dissolves her ice dagger in the thin air but still didn't let her guard down. In the whole Water Kingdom, she's the only one who uses ice magic instead of water. If this lad learns her powers, her identity will be revealed easily. "Then I see no valid reason for you to force me in complying with praying for the blessing ritual."
"We can get to know each other, can't we?" With the signature mischievous smile drawn on his face, the prince winks at the alluring beauty. "After we completed the ritual that is."
The water nymph is now at the point where she's torn between whether she should laugh at this ridiculous idea or get annoyed for how this man in front of her wastes her time. Either way, she should not be minding what nonsense is he blabbering around. The top priority is to come up with an escape plan without giving them a clue of who she really is and what is her status in the Water Kingdom.
She heard him blabbering again, "What if the great Reverend Master won't give his blessings on us? We will be wasting my time then."
His last statement made her sneer. This man... just who does he think he is? He doesn't even realize how he's already wasting her time. "Marriage is a sacred custom and not just some kind of a game. You are taking it too lightly."
"Are you an old woman?" Prince Ling raised his eyebrows. "I am the crown prince of this kingdom. If you marry me, you'll be the next queen. Are you still going to firmly stick with your old-fashioned mindset?"
The water nymph silently thought through things, "The crown prince of the Earth Kingdom, I see." Now that he mentioned it, he really wears a finely woven fabric that looks quite expensive. However, this is rather disappointing to this beauty. Back in the Water Kingdom, she heard that the Earth Kingdom has only one successor to the throne. However... this crown prince has to die. She doesn't know the reason behind it and never dared to ask the elders... not again. The last time she did, she got scolded.
"You can call me old-fashioned all you like but I am not interested to be your queen, your highness." She maintained eye contact with his highness as she lowkey tested how durable the vines on her ankle are. She found out that these vines can't be cut with just average brute force and will be needing a sharp edge... or elemental powers will do.
"Are you sure? A charming prince like me is rare to find. If you'll give me enough time to let you see what I am capable of, I'm sure you wouldn't say no to me."
While Prince Ling is busily praising himself, the water nymph is slowly forming ice with sharp edges underneath the vines that hold her, cutting the vines gradually. Fiber by fiber, vine by vine. Fortunately for her, the prince doesn't seem to have noticed it.
"Aren't you the confident one? I like that." She tried to buy some more time by getting along with whatever he was talking about.
"Yeah? So you're good with marrying me?"
A faint sound similar to that of a string that got broken entered the water nymph's sense of hearing. And at the same time, the tight hold on her ankle loosened. Indications that she managed to break free without Ling noticing it.
"No, but I like teaching guys like you a lesson. So long, your highness!" Then the nymph hopped and escaped through the huge circular windows behind her.
"Waaah! She's getting away!" Yang was about to go after her but Prince Ling stopped him.
"I don't think we can catch up to her." The prince watched her getting away from the huge window. He just stared at her hopping from one roof eve to another until he can't see her anymore."
"She's mocking me, right?" Ling asked while still looking on the outside.
Yang is hesitant to answer. Should he respond with the truth or sugarcoat it a bit? Or should he even answer or remain silent. The poor attendant sighs. He eventually decided to just say whatever there is to say.
"Yes. Yes, she is, your highness."
"Yang, I want you to prepare." At last, the prince finally glanced at his subordinate's way.
"Your dinner?" Instead of giving him a rational response, the prince just gives him a grin. Forcing a smile, Yang asks once again, "Your dinner, right? Your highness?"
But his highness' grin got even wider as he say, "We're going to catch that fish again."