Crow continued to fight with Ceaser who fought with equal intensity. When they became tired the crowd was getting more impatient about the match. The winner ended up being Ceaser and the crowd cheered for him.
"Very good sire. You managed to beat me." Crow said to Ceaser.
"You look famished. I'm sure lady Elizabeth will want to kill me if she sees your wounds." Ceaser answered.
Crow's eyes wondered to look for Elizabeth and he found her clapping gleefully and to him her smile was brighter than the sun. She was wholly occupied with clapping that she missed the glare her mother gave her.
"Stop what you are doing!" her mother whisper screamed.
"No one is watching me. Everyone is concentrated on the prince and Sir Raphael." Elizabeth answered.
"Are you interested in sir Raphael? I've noticed how you constantly complement him."
"Ohhh mother! You think too much." Elizabeth said shyly and she looked at Crow who was looking at her too,"He is handsome, isn't he?"
"Ayyy...I thought you said I was overthinking just now." her mother said also staring at Crow.
"Elizabeth!" Veldet called his daughter while walking towards her,"I want to ask you something?"
Elizabeth looked at her father and frowned when she saw him limping. She got up with her mother and they helped him take a seat. Their Butler who had initially escorted Veldet went to stand by a wall as he waited for them to finish talking.
"Veldet, you are supposed to be resting."
"Don't worry Noelle. I am fine. Sir Raphael complemented my energy earlier and I bragged about being fit so play along." Veldet said to his wife.
"You talked?" Elizabeth asked and Veldet nodded,"He didn't make a rude remark and complemented you?"
Veldet nodded again with narrowed eyes at his daughter.
"How did you get hurt?"
The three looked up to see Crow standing there. Elizabeth blushed even though he wasn't speaking to her and she turned bright red when he looked at her.
"Twisted my ankle. That was some trick you and prince Ceaser did."
"It was nothing. Shouldn't you be resting?" Crow asked with a raised brow then he looked at Noelle and gave a slight bow and she did the same,"I don't think we've been introduced yet."
"No we haven't. Noelle Veldet." she introduced herself.
"Raphael." he said.
"No last name?" Veldet asked.
"No proper origin therefore no last name." Crow said truthfully.
Elizabeth understood the full depth of his words and felt sympathetic towards him. He looked at her without uttering a word and her parents didn't fail to notice this little action.
"She isn't doing anything here so you can take her if you like." Noelle said laughing.
"Shall we Lady Elizabeth?" Crow asked extending his hand for her to take.
She blushed before placing her small hand in his large palm and left with him. Crow said nothing to her as he was busy accepting compliments from the other royals and nobles. Elizabeth was quiet and only spoke when spoken to.
"I see you have a lady on your hands sir Raphael. Is she the one you've chosen?" said Briceaus who was still hurt by the fact that he had lost.
Elizabeth smiled shyly and looked down while waiting for Crow to answer.
"Yes she is." Crow answered.
Crow heard Elizabeth's breathing became uneven and he smiled.
"When do you plan on having the engagement?" Nervanna asked jumping into the conversation.
"As soon as the prince announces his own." Crow answered making the three look at him with narrowed eyes,"We had taken an oath years ago to marry only after he does."
"Oath?" they all asked at once.
"Yes. An oath."
"So sir Reginald and sir Benjamin are also under this oath?" Nervanna asked for the sake of her daughters.
"Yes. Pardon me did you say Reginald?" Crow asked a little baffled.
"Yes of course. Is....there a problem?" Nervanna responded a bit worried.
"I'm just surprised that Luca....sir Reginald showed interest in a maiden. Which one if your daughters?"
Elizabeth noticed how Crow nearly exposed the identities of his comrades and smiled.
"Virginia. Have you met her before?" Briceaus answered in behalf of his wife,"Beautiful isn't she?"
"I don't know if I have. And besides beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder." Crow answered sarcastically with an innocent smile on his face.
Briceaus and Nervanna frowned at Crow's rude words. Nervanna's face lit up when she saw Lucan walking towards them and she nudged Briceaus so he would notice him. Briceaus also smiled making Elizabeth turn around to see what was amusing the old couple.
"Raphael!" Lucan called from afar not wanting to interact with Virginia's parents.
Crow pretended like he hadn't heard Lucan and started talking to Elizabeth in a whisper. Lucan frowned knowing what Crow was doing so he walked closer to the group. He bowed to Briceaus and Nervanna and glared at Crow who was still acting like he hadn't noticed Lucan. Elizabeth looked at Lucan and smiled at him.
"Let's go and see your friend." Crow said before dragging Elizabeth without sparing a glance at Lucan.
"Raphael!" Lucan called slightly angry.
Lucan was about to follow when Briceaus stopped him.
"They seem quite busy. He must still be trying to get her attention." Briceaus said to disuade Lucan to follow Crow.
"I guess so." Lucan answered,"You should be resting."
"I'm alright." Briceaus answered pointing Lucan to a chair behind him,"Why don't you help keep me busy."
"I must decline the invitation with a heavy heart milord. I have been sent by king Julius to gather the others in one place as he has some important message for us." Lucan said in an apologetic tone.
"I see. Maybe after dinner tonight you could come to the South wing balcony. Virginia wanted to say goodbye as we will be leaving in the morning." Nervanna tried to coax him.
"I will personally bid her farewell in the morning by her carriage door."
"What's wrong with tonight?" Briceaus frowned.
"We won't be here for dinner. We are going somewhere." Lucan answered.
"Where?" they asked.
"I can't tell you that." he answered seriously,"I must leave now."
Lucan bowed and left to look for Crow. His face became stiff as he tried to keep his anger at bay. When he spotted Crow he walked quickly to him and turned him around. Crow was smiling when Lucan turned him around and he remained smiling even when Lucan punched him in the face. Elizabeth jolted away from there in fear then when she realized that no one was around she wrapped Lucan with a thorny vine. He groaned in pain and Crow looked at Elizabeth in amusement.
"Release him. He's right to have hit me." Crow said chuckling.
Elizabeth's feelings fluctuated from what Crow had said as she had attacked an innocent man. The vines unwound from Lucan and one of them went to grab Crow's leg and yanked him to the ground. Lucan laughed at Crow and Elizabeth panicked making the vines tighter on Crow's leg. Grow cut the vines with his feather and glared at Elizabeth who stood looking at him with wide eyes. Lucan continued laughing at Crow and when Crow got up from the ground he quietened down.
"Who's looking for me?" Crow asked dusting himself.
Elizabeth run to Crow and dusted his shoulders to receive a glare from Crow. She dropped her hands and looked at him from the corner of her eyes.
"Julius. In the old courtroom." Lucan said.
"Julius? Shouldn't you address him as 'His majesty' or 'Sire'?" Elizabeth asked with a frown.
"Julius is a child to us." Crow answered rolling his eyes.
"He is still your superior." Elizabeth argued.
"Let me elaborate my first statement lady Elizabeth, I simply don't care who he is to me." Crow said.
Elizabeth nodded her head and was about to leave when she remembered that Crow mentioned that he was under an oath.
"Sir Reginald? Is it true that you made an oath not to marry before the prince?"
Crow glared at her and hoped Lucan would support him this one time otherwise he would have to deal with her and Veldet.
"Depends on who gave you the information." Lucan answered.
"It was Crow."
"Then it's a lie. And my name is Lucan."
"Thank you Lucan." Elizabeth smiled impatiently while looking at Crow,"So when will you speak with father?"
"Not now. I simply will not marry before the sire."
Crow protested folding his hands on his chest like a child.
"I don't mind." Ceaser said making the three turn to face him,"You've been a bachelor for a whole century."
Crow frowned and his eyes fell on Eve who was behind Ceaser.
"Are you shy?" Ceaser teased him.
"No I'm not." Crow responded,"You're just too much of a coward to ask the princess to marry you."
Ceaser frowned deeply while Eve and Elizabeth exchanged knowing glances at each other.
"The princess you tried to kill. I need to make sure you'll be long gone before I marry her." Ceaser said.