Astraea's POV
A roar broke from the crowd, their voices loud and eager for yet another spectacle. Vira grinned at me and cracked her knuckles as she stepped forward, and her overconfidence made me want to laugh, but I kept my face neutral, waiting for her to make the first move.
She lunged towards me with her giant arm, swinging slowly towards my head, but I easily sidestepped it and let her punch go by, not sure if it would have done any real damage if it had connected.
I stepped back, fists in a defensive stance, and Vira lunged again, predictable and slow, giving me time to think of a response. And that was when I spotted it—an opening.
As she swung for me again, I flanked her and managed to throw a quick punch. My fist connected with her jaw, but I had to pull back, making sure not to put any real force behind it. I didn't want to split her face wide open.
What I was not expecting, though, was how little would be needed. As soon as my punch landed, Vira staggered, her eyes wide with shock, and she swayed for a moment, knees shaking, then went down with an almighty thud that stunned the crowd into silence.
I stood tall, fist still clenched, and stared down at Vira's unconscious form. She was out cold, and for a moment I thought she was faking—but no. The girl wasn't moving.
I turned to face the crowd, and their stunned expressions were like nothing I had ever seen, and the silence was so bad that I almost burst out laughing.
They thought Vira would crush me, didn't they? Yet here she was, taken down by a single punch. The fact that I didn't even have to use my strength made it all the more ridiculous.
'Humans,' I thought, barely hiding a snicker. 'Such pathetic things.'
Finally, the host seemed to come out of his shock, stepping forward with what sounded like an awkward and forced announcement. "W-We… We have a winner! Astraea has… d-defeated Vira!"
His tone clearly showed his discomfort; he was not pleased with how the fight had ended. The crowd, unsure of what to do, let a few claps out before some hesitant cheers followed, but the energy was nothing like before.
I didn't care about that, and their disappointment meant nothing to me.
I took one last glance at Vira, then turned toward the audience. I scanned through the faces in the crowd, searching for the girl who had piqued my interest earlier—the one who had faced Vira and lost.
I found her almost immediately, standing at the edge of the crowd, half-hidden behind some onlookers. She stared at me, her head slightly bowed, her expression unreadable.
Our eyes locked for a moment, and time seemed to stop again. The strange tug I had earlier felt reasserted itself, nagging me with an ache deep in my chest that I couldn't explain.
I took a couple of steps toward her, but before I could even speak, Draven was standing beside me, lightly gripping my arm.
"That's enough for tonight, Your Highness," he said quiet but firm.
I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "What, you think I'm taking on the entire crowd next?"
Draven did not smile. "Now you've made your point, Princess Astraea. It's best we leave before we draw unnecessary attention."
I hesitated, glancing back at the girl. She was still staring at me with an unreadable expression, but there was definitely something in her eyes—something I just couldn't put my finger on.
"Fine," I said finally, pulling my arm free from the fist of Draven. "Let's go."
As he took me through the crowd, I couldn't shake the image of her off my mind. Who was she, and why did looking at her make my chest ache like this?
Shaking my thoughts free, I walked beside Draven through the streets, the noise of the crowd fading as we headed toward the car. For the first few minutes, Draven was oddly quiet, but I could see the frustration emanating from him, and it didn't take long before he broke the silence.
"I can't believe I let you do that," he muttered while shaking his head with disbelief. "A fight? On your first day here? King Therion would kill me if he ever found out."
I scoffed, crossing my arms while I gave him a sidelong glance. "Relax, Draven. It was just a little sparring with some human. Hardly a reason for my brother to get upset."
Draven halted in his steps and turned to face me with a look somewhere between frustration and exasperation. "That was not sparring, Princess Astraea. You knocked someone out in front of an entire crowd. If that word gets back to the king—"
"Then don't let it," I interrupted, my tone serious but at the same time unserious. "He doesn't need to know, does he? As far as he's concerned, I'm settling in nicely." I gestured around, smirking. "Which, technically, I am."
Draven sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This can't happen again, Your Highness. My job is to protect you, to keep you from doing anything that could endanger you—or expose you. Fighting in public isn't exactly low-profile."
I rolled my eyes, turning back toward the car. "You're being dramatic, Draven. No one's endangered, and I didn't expose anything. Besides," I added with a grin, "I held back. If I hadn't, that giant would've been halfway through the floor."
"That's exactly my point!" Draven said, his voice rising slightly. He stopped, took a deep breath, and continued in a calmer tone. "This is your first day in the human world. If you're already causing a stir, what happens when the novelty wears off? This can't become a pattern."
"Noted," I replied, even though I had no intention of keeping my word.
We reached the car, and Draven opened the door for me, his worried expression not changing. I was just about to slide in when my name rang out, halting me in my tracks. "Astraea!"
I turned, startled and confused. It was her, the little fighter from earlier, the one I noticed in the ring.
Her skin was pale, her eyes pinned to mine with an intensity that sent a jolt straight through my chest.
And then it hit me again.
That sharp pain in my chest, the same one I'd felt earlier. It was stronger this time, leaving me momentarily breathless.
I clutched at my chest instinctively, my knees buckling slightly as I struggled to regain my composure.
Draven was at my side in an instant, his hand gripping my arm. "Lady Astraea? What's wrong?"
I shook my head, shutting my eyes a second to try and force myself to push through the pain. "It's nothing," I said, though my voice was strained. "Just… give me a moment."
The girl took a hesitant step closer, her gaze flickering between me and Draven. "Are you okay?" she asked.
I straightened, forcing myself to meet her eyes despite the lingering ache in my chest. "I'm fine," I said curtly. "What do you want?"
She hesitated as if she could not string together the right words. Her hands fidgeted at her sides, and she seemed almost... nervous.
"I just..." She took a step forward, and her expression softened. "Can you teach me how to do that?"
Her words were both confusing and unexpected, and I furrowed my brows, my gaze fixed on her as I tried to process what she'd just said.
"You want me to teach you?" I asked while tilting my head slightly sideways. "What are you talking about? Teach you what?"
The girl let out a small sigh, as though summoning her courage. "I want you to teach me how to fight like that," she said, even though she was clearly exhausted. "I want to learn."
I blinked, taken aback for a moment. Another stab of pain shot through my chest, but this time I ignored it as my curiosity outweighed my discomfort.
I stared at the girl, the corners of my mouth twitching upwards as a faintly amused smirk formed on my face. "Shouldn't you at least introduce yourself before you start demanding lessons from someone you don't even know?" I said, crossing my arms and leaning against the car.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked away for a moment, clearly embarrassed. "You are right," she obliged, nodding. "I'm sorry. I'm Zephyra. Zephyra Storm."
Zephyra Storm: a cute name.
I was about to respond, intrigued despite myself, when Draven leaned in close. "Why are you engaging in this conversation, Your Highness? You don't even know this girl."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and whispered back, "Just stay quiet, Draven."
Draven sighed but didn't say anything further.
Turning my attention back to Zephyra, I allowed a small smile to spread across my face. "Well, Zephyra," I said, dragging her name out deliberately, "I'm not a teacher, and I certainly don't take requests from strangers."
"However," I continued, teasing, "if you're ever lucky enough to run into me again, I might consider it."
Zephyra's eyes widened. "You mean that?"
I shrugged, pushing off the car and opening the door. "Maybe. If fate decides to throw you in my path again, if not, then you can forget we met."
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but I didn't give her the chance. Straightening, I turned and climbed into the car, leaving her standing there.
Draven followed a moment later, shutting his door with more force than necessary, and I leaned back in my seat, letting out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.