High above the clouds, a sleek, futuristic chariot soared through the sky. Inside, a maid chatted cheerfully, pointing out the breathtaking view of the city below—a magnificent sprawl of gleaming towers, glistening domes, and bustling aerial highways.
The city looked like something out of a dream, a blend of advanced technology and artistry.
Kai, however, was not interested in the view. Sitting by the window, his face was flushed with embarrassment, and his eyes were fixed outside, lost in thought.
'Why did Dad stick me with this girl?' he fumed internally. 'And if my brother sensed me back then, he's going to kill me.' He sighed deeply, clearly agitated.
Aurora, the girl in question, leaned closer, her lips almost brushing his ear. "What are you looking at?" she whispered playfully, her eyes twinkling.
Kai's expression darkened, but he said nothing. Aurora only smiled wider. "You're the rudest person I've ever met," she remarked, unfazed.
A vein pulsed on Kai's temple, and he snapped, "You're just a lowly commoner, and I am a prince! Show some respect!"
Aurora's smile didn't waver. "You're not a prince," she said, her tone casual but cutting. "You're just a spoiled brat. Princes don't act like you."
Kai's face flushed bright red, and he glared at her. "Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?"
"Your future wife, blondie," Aurora replied smoothly, though there was a flicker of disappointment in her eyes.
"What?!" Kai nearly jumped out of his seat, his shock palpable.
"You heard me," Aurora continued, her voice now cold and distant. "But I don't think I'll go through with it. You're weak, both physically and mentally. You see yourself as someone important, but you're nothing.
This world belongs to your father, not you. His army, his maids, even this chariot—none of it is yours because you've never worked for it. Yet you speak as if you own it all. How foolish."
Her smile vanished, replaced by an expression of icy indifference, rare for someone her age. It hinted at a maturity forged by harsh experiences.
The maid, who had been listening quietly, stifled a smile at the young girl's words. Kai, on the other hand, was livid, his face a mask of shock and fury. "I don't want to marry you either!" he yelled.
"As if I'd ever marry someone as weak as you," Aurora retorted, her tone dripping with disdain.
Kai's anger boiled over, and he stood up, fists clenched. "I challenge you to a fight! To the death!"
"Alright," Aurora agreed without hesitation.
The maid's eyes widened in alarm. 'Young Master, you shouldn't have done that.'
Kai turned to the maid, his expression stern. "Take us to the battlefield district."
'I'll stop them if things get out of hand, the maid thought, her worry evident.'
The Battlefield District
The chariot descended into a vast area known as the battlefield district, where the warriors of the Abyssal World sparred and honed their skills. It was a place of combat, where blood, sweat, and pride were tested daily.
Kai and Aurora stood in one of the arenas, a circular platform over 100 meters wide, surrounded by towering stone pillars that bore the scars of countless duels.
Aurora was at (G+) rank showing her talent which was impressive for someone her age. And Kai who should be at that rank at his age was just an (G-) rank.
Aurora gripped a spear, her posture relaxed but alert. Kai entered the arena, holding a katana, his eyes fixed on her, burning with anger.
The maid stepped aside and raised her hand. "Begin."
Aurora's eyes glinted as she saw Kai rush towards her, katana raised. She smirked, deftly parrying his attack. With a fluid motion, she knocked the sword out of his hands and swept his legs, sending him crashing to the ground.
She pointed her spear at his throat, her face calm and composed. "How's the view down there, blondie?"
The entire skirmish had lasted less than a minute. The maid observed from the sidelines, impressed.
'To think a child like that has already entered the beginning of the Novice realm...' she thought, noting Aurora's precise movements and the powerful aura she exuded.
Aurora stepped back and kicked Kai's katana toward him. "Come on, it was just luck the first time," she taunted.
That day, Kai was defeated 32 times. Each time he fell, he would get up, his face a mix of frustration and determination.
After the last bout, he slumped in his room, bruised and sore, with the maid tending to his wounds. "Look at what she did to my face," he grumbled.
"I'll heal you, Young Master." A soft golden light enveloped Kai, and his cuts and bruises began to fade away.
"I'll beat her next time," he muttered, but even he didn't sound convinced.
'This is going to be a long ordeal of the Young Master getting beaten up. Maybe this will help him grow stronger... Is this your plan, My Lord?' the maid wondered.
For the next two weeks, Kai faced Aurora in the arena every day. Each fight ended with him on the ground, his pride wounded more than his body. Yet each time, he stood back up, refusing to surrender.
Aurora's strikes grew harsher, her patience thinner. Today, she left him with a broken sword and a broken hand. Kai lay there, panting, but his eyes followed her as she walked away.
The maid, Jun, approached and healed him, as she always did. "Jun, am I a bad person?" he asked quietly.
Aurora had broken his arm and sword today because he had said something that pushed her over the edge, and her parting words echoed in his mind: "You're just a bad person."
Jun looked down at her Young Master and saw something different—a boy finally questioning himself. 'Is he reflecting on his behavior?' she thought, hopeful.
"You're not a bad person, Young Master," she said gently. "You just do bad things sometimes."
Kai sighed, sitting down, his gaze fixed on the ground. "Have I been bad to you? Is that why I have no friends?"
Jun knelt beside him, wrapping him in a gentle hug. "My Young Master, if you treat others poorly, they'll respond in kind. You should be kind to those who deserve it, but not everyone is worthy of your kindness.
Some people will be rude and think they're the center of the world—you don't owe them anything." There was a hint of a lesson in her words, a subtle reference to Kai's own behavior.
"Like how I was acting..." Kai murmured, realization dawning. "Is that why I didn't have a maid for two years before you came?"
Jun didn't answer directly, but her silence spoke volumes.
Tears welled up in Kai's eyes as he whispered, "Jun, I'm sorry if I was bad to you. Please don't leave me like everyone else."
Kai was still just a child, often overlooked by his father, ignored by his sisters, and shunned by previous maids who had all left. Only Jun and his mother remained.
"I will never leave," Jun said softly, her words filled with warmth.