Unwilling to make a scene, Lara held Max back and addressed Kara in an amicable tone. "I understand your worries, but I can assure you that they are indeed misplaced, so you can set your mind at ease."
Kara narrowed her eyes as she stared at Lara. She couldn't count the number of times she had tried to spite the beautiful rose that still seemed untouched by the world, but one thing was for sure.
Lara was always able to worm her way out of it. It was an annoying trait that Kara was unable to get around.
Seeing how Lara remained unaffected by her taunts, Kara resigned herself to try another time. "Then, I guess I will take my leave. I hope we meet some other time."
Lara nodded. "I will try and make out time from my busy schedule."
"That would be best," Kara said as she made her way past Lara's group.
Just then, Max spoke up. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, Jason was a good guy, unfortunately, he met the wrong opponent. I hope you can do better next time."
Kara stopped in her tracks. A few seconds passed before she turned to flash an alluring smile at Max. If not for the animosity between them, Max would have surely felt his heart skip a bit at her gesture.
"… Don't worry, it was only a test, the real deal will come soon enough," Kara said before walking away, not giving Max a chance to say anything else.
Meanwhile, Lara had a confused expression. "What were you and she referring to?"
Lloyd and Laura stood at the side and didn't interfere since it was a family issue but they were also curious about the last exchange between Max and Kara.
"Don't worry about it. Just some small banter." Max replied as he took a hold of Lara's hand and squeezed it lightly.
"Alright then, let's leave it at that."
Lloyd chipped in. "We should head in now."
"Mn. Let's go."
***
/Two hours later/
"Thank you all for honoring the invitations of the governor of the state. Now, let us all lend our ears as his excellency, Sir Charles Ves of Tudor county as he says a few words." The clown face remarked as he shifted the attention of the fully packed coliseum to the VIP area.
Just then, a burly man with a mustache and an ordinary appearance made himself known to the crowd. He was dressed in noble attire and his aura was… quite lacking for a person in authority.
Max scratched his cheek but said nothing as everyone waited for the governor's speech.
"Hello, ladies and gentle nobles, I am glad to once again preside over yet another Magic tournament. I will not bother with a long speech as I'm sure it would only bore you all and take away time from the main event today.
"But I believe it is necessary to make known the presence of a certain personage that was so kind as to grace her with her presence.
"Thus, without further Ado, let us make welcome the only daughter of his imperial highness, Elena Blake!"
The previously calm crowd quickly went into an uproar as they were shocked at the announcement.
Even as they were nobles, Tudor county was indeed quite far from the capital, with the earliest record of someone traversing the distance between the two places turning out to be a little over two weeks.
This meant that most of them hadn't ever come into contact with the royal family, talk more of the apple of his imperial highness eyes, one touted to have beauty capable of toppling empires, Elena Blake.
A few breaths later and a lady, dressed in a yellow gown, wearing white gloves with slight makeup and a few pieces of jewelry, walked to stand beside Charles with a bright smile on her face.
Most of the men in the arena were unable to stop themselves from admiring the young beauty that had made herself known.
With platinum blonde hair and fair skin, blue eyes, and cheekbones that would put J-Lo to shame. Elena Blake was indeed capable of ending civilizations with her otherworldly beauty.
Of course, Max was not left out as he put up his brows, still shocked by just how beautiful Elena was.
Laura was beautiful as well but in comparison to Elena, she was like the stars trying to wrestle attention from the moon.
Lara noticed the look on Max's face and chuckled. "What do you think?"
Max pursed his lips. "She is indeed beautiful but something about her makes me want to keep my distance from her. It's weird."
Lara teased. "Maybe it's just doubts that you won't have a chance even if you tried because of her status and the kind of family she has. But don't forget that you are also a noble."
"…One that has been disowned." Max corrected.
Lara waved it off. "It doesn't matter. How about you take part in the competition so that after you win, you can get the chance to woo the princess. I can confidently say that you are capable of winning, after all."
Max scratched his cheeks. "I think I'll pass. Not my style to bully the weak."
A cold glare was shot in his direction but Max didn't mind as Lara continued her attempts to tempt Max to join the tournament.
Just then, Elena spoke up, her voice carrying with it an ethereal charm that hooked everyone present. "Thank you all for hosting me, I look forward to the proceedings of the Magic tournament and hope that nothing unbecoming happens.
"Also, as an added incentive to the winners, apart from the Manastone, the strongest participant in the tournament will have the right to accompany me on a quest with great rewards, so please do your best."
As she finished speaking, she allowed her words to settle before heading back into the VIP area.
It was at that moment that the youths present felt their fighting spirit gain an additional boost due to the promise from the princess, especially the male nobles that found it an opportunity to get closer to the most beautiful teen in the Empire.
In one way or another, every single one of them conveyed the same message in their hearts. "I have to win!"