There was a hint of silence in the air.
Rou suddenly laughed.
Rou:
[I can't believe how ridiculous it is for that guy, despite being the crown prince, he can't even see the fault of his actions... And suddenly issuing a duel to a stranger]
Rou continued laughing.
Suddenly...
Elise stepped forward, closing the distance between them with a menacing smile on her face. Her eyes gleamed with something far too knowing for Rou's liking, and he instinctively tensed up.
Elise:
[Funny, isn't it? How this whole thing started... all because of a girl named Amelia.]
She then looked at Rou with that smile still intact on her face.
Rou froze, his words caught in his throat as he stared at Elise, his mind racing. The shift in her demeanor made him uneasy.
At that moment
Amelia's voice called out, cutting through the tension in the air.
Amelia:
[Rou!]
He turned just in time to see her running toward him, her expression a mix of concern and embarrassment. She came to a stop in front of him, panting slightly as she straightened herself, her face flushed.
Amelia:
[I'm really sorry about earlier,] (she said quickly, her hands wringing nervously.) [I didn't mean to cause any trouble... It's just... I'm really sorry.]
Rou, still recovering from his awkward conversation with Elise, scratched the back of his head, giving her a sheepish smile.
Rou:
[No worries,] (he said, trying to deflect the awkwardness.)
Amelia smiled softly, relieved by his words, but then she seemed to notice something behind him. She blinked and her gaze shifted to the side, where Elise stood, arms crossed, watching them with an unreadable expression.
Amelia raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity in her voice.
Amelia:
[Uh, excuse me... but who is this?]
Elise's gaze hardened slightly as she stepped forward, her voice calm and cool.
Elise:
[I am Elise Vandorea,] (she introduced herself with a small, curt nod.) [A daughter of the Vandorea household.]
Amelia's eyes flickered with recognition, but she hesitated before speaking again.
Amelia:
[Vandorea...?] (she repeated, her tone unsure.) [And what's your... relationship with Rou?]
Elise's lips curled into a small, almost teasing smile.
Elise:
[Rou is my knight.]
The words hung in the air for a moment, and Amelia's expression shifted slightly—there was a flicker of something in her eyes that Rou couldn't quite place. Then, without missing a beat, Amelia's smile grew a little more tense.
Amelia:
[Well, I'm Rou's friend,] (she said, her voice perhaps just a little too casual.)
The words made the air thick with tension. Elise's sharp gaze never left Amelia as the two women sized each other up. Rou, caught in the middle, felt his throat tighten. He swallowed nervously, unsure of how to defuse the situation.
The tension between the two women, both clearly strong-willed, made Rou feel like he was walking on a razor's edge. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, unsure of how to navigate the minefield that had suddenly appeared in front of him.
Next day...
The morning sun cast a warm glow through the academy corridors as Rou strolled toward his room, relieved to have survived the tense situation he experienced by the fountain the day before. He took a deep breath, savoring the calm morning, until a familiar sight caught his attention.
Just ahead, Elias and Damien stood in the middle of the hallway, their voices raised and echoing down the corridor. The two were squared off, expressions filled with irritation as they argued back and forth. Rou stopped to watch, a faint smirk forming as he recalled this scene from the game.
Damien had that look in his eyes, determined as always, demanding answers.
Damien:
[Just tell me who she is already, Elias! We all know Prince Caelum wouldn't get so distracted unless there was something or someone interesting behind it.]
Elias shook his head, crossing his arms in defense of Caelum.
Elias:
[You're prying too much, Damien. The prince doesn't owe you every detail of his life.]
Rou sighed, watching the back-and-forth with a hint of amusement.
Rou:
(Same old drama, Caelum has them all wrapped around his finger, even when he's not here.)
Just then, a familiar voice broke through his thoughts.
Amelia:
[Rou!]
He felt a slight jolt as he turned, only to see Amelia coming toward him, her face lit up with her usual cheerful expression.
As Amelia approached him, her bright smile practically beaming.
Amelia:
[Rou, would you like to have lunch with me today?]
Her eyes sparkled with that familiar innocence, entirely unaware of the chaos that always seemed to swirl around her.
Rou felt a pang of hesitation as he stared at her, mentally replaying the dramatic scene unfolding between Elias and Damien just a few steps away.
Rou:
(You know, you're the reason behind this scene, Amelia…) (he thought to himself, feeling the weight of the tangled relationships in the academy closing in on him.)
He forced a polite smile, still trying to sort through his own inner turmoil, and simply nodded.
Rou:
[Sure, Amelia… lunch sounds great.]
Later...
As the final bell rang, signaling the start of lunch, Rou gathered his things and was just about to stand up when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He looked up, only to find himself face-to-face with Elias, whose eyes burned with barely restrained anger.
Without a word, Elias jerked his head toward the door, his expression leaving no room for argument. Rou, now both frustrated and intrigued, found himself being led out of the classroom and, before he knew it, was back in the training grounds.
Rou sighed, as he took his place in the ring across from Elias.
Rou:
(Of all the things I wanted to avoid today…)
But as he saw the challenge in Elias's eyes, he couldn't help but smirk a little.