Mona grew up different from her peers. Lots of adults who met her at a young age praised her for her attitude. She was graceful, well-mannered, and smart. Of course, the reason was her father constantly treating her like a princess.
And they said a princess should act like a princess.
A princess should be brave. So, Mona never screamed even when watching horrors, it wasn't because she was not afraid, but because screaming is embarrassing. She learned to swallow her frightened voice and managed to appear braver.
A princess should be compassionate. So, she taught herself to be more accepting and considerate. She always lends a helping hand whenever she can. And this made her selfless, always putting off herself for the sake of her loved ones.
She molded herself into that of a princess, to make her parents proud. So, when her king died and her monarch crumbled, she was at a loss.
She didn't know how to act. It's as if she had forgotten how she was living all those times. She helped to rebuild her unsteady palace, but exhaustion pulled her down. And she became a mere burden.
She felt judged by others. She felt like hearing their insulting voices and pointing fingers at her for being useless. So, she ended up hiding herself.
And it was the darkness that brought her comfort.
She learned to appreciate the dark more.
Inside it, she can't be seen. She can't be judged or nagged at. She was relaxed and no eyes confined her every move.
She was contented in the dark.
Unlike her landlady.
Luna was a princess in her own home, the eldest daughter of a marquess. But unlike Mona, she wasn't loved or even treated right. And most of all, she condemns her own power.
Luna hated the darkness. There are some circumstances she made use of it, but she never wielded it willingly.
She was someone who was ostracized, ridiculed, and persecuted because of darkness. Darkness brought her misery. So, she despised it more than anyone.
She never pushed herself to learn more and explore her magic. Instead, she read books on theologies and sought a way to get rid of them.
She wanted to abandon darkness, but the darkness only wanted a companion. Someone who will keep their existence a blessing, someone who knows their worth.
"Damn it...!"
The Grand Duke grabbed the unconscious lady beside him and carried her.
Mona had regained her senses already. She fell unconscious for a bit because of the impact of her fall but she could hear the voice of the Grand Duke already. The only problem was that no matter how she opened her eyes, all she could see was darkness.
So, instead of feeling frightened about what would happen, she felt at ease instead. It was dark and no light at all.
But Mona felt at home.
"Give her to us!" A voice among the crowd shouted. "That woman has a debt to pay! She killed our loved ones!"
"A life for a life!"
"Off with her head!"
Stuck between the villagers and the pursuers, the Grand Duke has no choice but to fight. He carefully laid down the unmoving woman and unsheathed his sword.
But a woman from the crowd walked up in front and spoke.
"Why....are you protecting her?"
"An order," Kyden replied. He added, "And she's innocent."
A mocking laugh came out from the woman's lips.
"Innocent?" She laughed like a lunatic. "Her hands are bathed in blood, mister. Her soul was stained by the blood of her people. How dare you call her innocent?!"
The woman's face showed disgust towards him and obvious killing intent.
But Kyden did not even flinch. He explained calmly. "The soul you were referring to has already perished. This body carries a different soul. One that belongs to an innocent."
"Don't give us nonsense, young man. If you won't hand her over to us, then prepare to die." One of the old men filled with fury in his voice, answered him.
"It isn't nonsense. You will hear the news in the headlines tomorrow. But tonight, let us through."
"Do you think we will let you just because of that? Even if that woman was no longer the witch, we won't be settled."
"Even if she's innocent?"
"Yes! The body is still hers! If we stop here, then who would receive all of our rages? And even if that is the truth, that is so unfair." The woman's face filled with anger replaced by anguish. "You said, she died and her soul had perished. But her body still remains living, but what of our family? Not even ashes remained! Young man, we do not want to involve you. So, just hand her over."
Kyden can see how sadness and hatred swallowed their reasons. But he also thought that the woman's words were reasonable. All of them seem to have lost a family because of Lady Vandross. Yet why does the revelation involve her, of all people?
Kyden couldn't think of how to convince these people. He cannot disclose any more information about this to anyone yet, so he couldn't tell that this was all the king's order.
"I'm sorry but my orders are absolute." He gripped his sword tightly.
These people are citizens of the empire only driven by fury. He should not kill them, at least.
A sudden attack from behind started the fight. The villagers are only using measly weapons so Kyden can just block all of them while protecting the lady. But two of their pursuers are wielding artificial magic.
Artificial magic is a branch of magic that wields mana through the use of a medium. These types of magic are used by people whose mana is dormant. They rely on the mana the medium holds and wields them.
Fire encircled the two of them. Kyden glanced down at the lady but she was still unresponsive even in the midst of a fight.
Their surroundings are gradually getting smaller and smaller. And the air had become suffocating for him.
Kyden was annoyed.
He hated the fire more than anything else. The burning smell of something on fire disgusts him, as well as the embers and ashes that flutter. The heat made his body itchy.
He swung his sword fiercely, it cut the fire and the ends of the flame that touched the sword turned to ice. The ice started to creep and turned the fire into a frozen masterpiece.
The men were taken aback at the sight.
"Fire is no use on me." The Grand Duke declared.
He then ran towards them and swung his swords one more. The ground they stood upon became frozen and all of them slipped except the wielder.
He looked back and checked on the villagers.
Fortunately, none of them seemed to approach the fallen lady due to shock at witnessing an elemental magic user.
Elemental magic is another branch of magic that wields mana of a specific element, one of the rarest magic and the third strongest mana level.
Not only the villagers were shocked by the power the man possessed, but also by the fact that they knew only one person that wielded the element of ice in their empire. This phenomenon made them realize who this person in front of them was.
The Grand Duke of Adri!
Kyden Iz De Adri!
They heard from the capital that it was the Grand Duke who took the evil lady. But because they did not know the face of the infamous Grand Duke, they didn't think it would still be him accompanying the lady.
The image of the Grand Duke of Adri to commoners is somewhat contrasting. He was cold yet kind to his people. Cruel and a bloodthirsty predator on the battlefield, but gentle and generous to his people. That's why many want to move on to his territory, but because he has an image of an intimidating and quiet man, only a few have the courage to approach and talk to him.
Kyden walked closer to them which made them step back.
"I can understand your grounds. But I still can't give you this lady. Although the body is the same, the person is different. If you insist on taking revenge on her, wouldn't that make you no different from the person you abhor?"
He made sure that no one would be able to attack him by freezing all of them on their spot.
He then approached the lady and knelt.
"After all, this soul right here had probably experienced vulnerability more than you can imagine." He remembered the time on the plaza when the lady cried loudly. "I know you don't believe me right now. But tomorrow, everything will be explained."
He carried the woman in his arms and started to walk towards the frozen horses of their pursuers. He unfreezes one and mounts the lady first before jumping up and grabbing the reins.
That's when he heard a voice sounding like someone who had just woken up from a deep slumber.
"H-How long did I sleep that it's winter already??"
Yes. There's no way he would let them kill this stupid woman. Kyden thought to himself.