Chapter 20: Fair Lady

I was kidnapped...

The guy who I don't know asked me for a walk. Yes, he was grinning. What in the hell makes him happy all about?

After pulling me out of bed, I have not yet changed my nightgown!

Evyterr covers his face in embarrassment. Somehow, somewhere in the depths of his heart, he wishes that Theseus would come for him.

A pair of probing eyes stares at him, perceiving every little movement he makes. He seemed to understand Evyterr's reaction.

"Shall I put you down, princess?" Flexing his business smile, he gently put Evyterr down.

It just made Evyterr infuriate. Why is he calling him Princess?!

Evyterr shoved him, annoyed as he resorted back, "I am a man, sir; stop calling me inappropriate names."

Honestly, the older man was surprisingly enjoying his responses.

He loves to maneuver people's emotions and hearts, making them fall from his sly tricks, and then take the poison his mouth spouts.

He speaks with underlying schemes; though people called it deceiving, for him it was accumulating one's character by assaying them. Like action-reaction, he gains something that he needs about a person.

Now, facing the young master of Glastieve, who's been the apple of his curiosity, stirs him to tease the boy a little. He is a stubborn challenge he has to have, and it cannot wait to see what reactions the young master will see today.

He is interested and very amused in the concept that the young master was akin to a Cybey Flower. He learns from Crisis that this flower is poisonous and often grows in the midst of the wilderness. The flower obtained the people's fear and horror; it was every wanderer's nightmare, the sight almost calling death, but its beauty was undervalued.

However, Crisis had told him that the flower has most of the healing properties. It carries a tremendous amount of abilities to heal someone's mana, which is possible if the flower was thoroughly taken from its pollen tube and boiled the rest. The extract will turn into medicine.

Alas, who knows this poison can be someone's ――cure?

Evyterr disgustingly glared at him, and it made the man grin wider. Nothing is getting into him! Even if he insults him, he looks like he wouldn't care!

"Let's take a walk, princess. You must've been bored just laying in your bedroom."

Not that I mind; I would prefer sticking to bed than someone else's.

Percival softly chuckled while stoking the frowning eyebrows of the young master.

"Has your eyes been distant like that?" Percival murmurs. Evyterr unfortunately did not catch what he said.

He turns his back on him. Gradually, he feels something odd. Oh goodness, I did not have any slippers. What if he steps on something?

Evyterr was annoyed, but the grass felt nice. It was silky and soft.

He looked around and saw a lake, crystal blue and pure. The forest is just near by.

What is this peace and unease?

Percival let Evyterr walk around when he also felt something ominous.

He frowned, though it did not appear in his cheery face.

***

Long since Percival just reached his adolescence, he was convicted of a decade-long life sentence for attempting to murder a nobleman. He was born an orphan and raised the way an orphan should. He was unruly, always breaking the law, and would get away with it. His fellow orphans knew how terrible his habits were despite his intelligence, which is far superior compared to others.

No one would dare to contradict him. At a young age, he developed all the skills he acquired without any proper guidance. It was built through his own will; he took the hardest way to achieve it, and what brought him?

Power.

One you could say is a very raw talent. A power he trained on his technique, not mended by the ways of the norms but his behaviors are his only weakness to fix. His looks can kill, he speaks with no manner and pause, and he's ignorant and very difficult to manage.

Though, like the two sides of a coin, Percival, despite the odds, was still humane and prioritized others before him.

It seemed like a busy day, and together with him was his group, rather his underlings.

They merge in the alleys and blend within the crowd, with only one thing in mind: they need to buy medicines for their ill members. They have collected enough money from pickpocketing, and their town was suffering from an epidemic that only affects children ages eight and below.

"Percival, is this alright?" A little brown-haired boy asked, his voice slightly anxious.

Percival didn't reply; it didn't matter to him if they were using underhanded methods to get money. The children need to be medicated; nothing else matters.

"Myur, our brothers and sisters will die if we don't do nothing." Another older boy stokes Myur's hair.

"Noan,"

"Let's get moving, alright?"

The boys make haste following Percival on the tracks. Myur enthusiastically followed Percival, "Perci---hmp!!" The clash made Myur fall to the ground.

The people halted to find out what happened; they saw a young child on the ground and a carriage.

A nobleman's carriage.

Their judging eyes fell on Myur disgustingly rather than pitying him.

The nobleman furiously walks out in the carriage, "Why is a peasant trying to intervene in my leisure walk!? Take him!"

The nobleman raises his cane and abruptly hits Myur. Noan ran in distress but was stopped by the townspeople.

"You'll get hurt, boy!"

"Do not make the Lord angry, orphan!"

Noan's eyes sunken. He can't believe how heartless these people are letting a man abuse a child.

"That's my brother! Let me go! St--Percival!" Noan was washed with worry again.

Percival had a dark looming on his face as he jumped at the nobleman's neck, suffocating him. The people gasped but did not move to stop him.

"Myur!" Noan goes to Myur and watches Percival suffocating the nobleman.

The nobleman clutched for air, but Percival wasn't merciful; he pushed him to the ground and punched him until some soldiers came to stop him.

No one stopped Percival; some stood out of fear, or somewhere deep down they also wanted the nobleman to die.

Percival didn't fight back when the soldiers hastily pulled him away; he glared at the nobleman who was laying unconscious, thinking the damage wasn't enough.

Whether he kills or not, if that involves the safety of his brothers, he will resort to anything.

"Put 'em down! This piece of shit! Go sway, you unruly people! You think this is a show!?" A soldier rushed, pushing him to the ground. It created a commotion as some soldiers came to the scene, screaming at the crowd of people to disperse.

The men dragged him to prison gates, tied his hands, and even hit him for being stubborn to walk.

The corner of his mouth bleeds; looking at his palm, he remembers Noan's depressed face as he sees him being dragged away. It was a relief he was able to throw the pocket to him before he was taken.

"Send him to--!"

"HALT!" A stern voice interrupted.

Another carriage was in the way. It was way more extravagant than the nobleman's silver-rusted carriage.

The soldiers saw the flag carried by the carriage, an emblem that sends many heads to the mother soil.

The soldiers went clamorous. The flag, after all, was owned by a distinguished figure in their empire. The rising fear duels with their curiosity; it enlivens as they wonder who is inside the carriage.

It opened-a child in a white suit complemented by a pale pink outline carrying a fluffy parasol.

Percival watches the child walk towards them.

Its light step was like leaves falling on the water, and the youth's elegance emits a noble presence. What caught Percival's enthrall was the child's eyes reflecting sharpness and confidence.

"Leave him," the child spoke; it was soft yet a still command.

"Pardon me, but this boy tried to kill a person!" Percival glared at the man and snorted.

'So what if I did?'

"You little rascal! I--"

As an orphan, no one would try to defend and listen to them.

They sought many people to help them, only to leave them disappointed once again, again and again.

Even just trying to understand them a little, see that they are also striving to survive. It was knives stabbing their hearts when people would look away when they saw something wrong. When a child would be beaten up for something he didn't do wrong or think they had no value because they're orphans. Those people think they are just children their parents don't even want.

And that's it. Percival thought that if the world were throwing stones at you, then he would do the same thing tenfold too.

"Leave him before I take this matter to my father."

'What?' Percival's eyebrows crocked.

A superior was trying to oppose but retreated his tongue in the end. The soldiers nervously exchanged glances and unchained Percival; the child's threats made them fearful.

The child approached Percival; he didn't speak, but Percival did.

''I don't know why you did this. I never asked for help." He glared.

"I think that was an outstanding bravery you have."

"What? Are you stupid? What do you understand anyway?" It irked Percival a bit.

"Silly," her fair hair swayed as she giggled. "You were brave, selfless, enough to sacrifice your well-being for others. If my brothers were here, they would do the same; they would defend you too."

"You don't know that. What does a golden-spoon brat know about us, common people? No, rather orphans. We are nothing but peasants in your eyes, aren't we? Maybe a plaything appeasing you stupid nobles called 'killing time' hobby. Pardon me with your royal untainted being, please don't feed me with your stupid pity. I don't need it to live! Acting as if you understand, its disgusting! What are you putting an act for? You're making me vomit."

The insults did not even land in the child's mind.

"Watch your-" A soldier pointed his sword to Percival's throat but was dismissed quickly by the noble child.

The child smiled; she grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and tied it within Percival's wrists, where his wounds are.

Their eyes met, and a strange atmosphere was in between them. "How can I say you're evil for what you did? I would throw a knife too if someone dared to harm my family. I see no evil in that act. I can see how the people look at you. They were wishing someone did the act rather than doing it themselves."

Upon looking into the eyes of the child, he indeed saw no judgment.

"I understand how terrible it felt. Those adults didn't do anything right, and someone like you has to suffer the most because of their cowardice and ignorance. Though what you did was wrong, you almost endangered your life; don't you have someone to protect? I don't want someone such as you would be succumb to this world's unfairness."

"If you're thrown behind bars, did you even think about the people you will leave behind? In this unfair and oppressed world, isn't it better to stick together and protect each other?"

"..." The words weighed on his heart, and Percival gritted his teeth. He had no chance to refute.

Those clear eyes-he can't just find any malice to it.

The days brewed a calm weather. Though the epidemic is still rummaging, the young orphans have managed to counter the illness for their young members.

Percival was looking afar. Quiet as he stared at the horizon, to the city, to the outskirts.

The other orphans, especially Noan, saw drastic changes from the day of the accident. Their young leader became solemn, almost calm; his demeanor showed maturity, and even the way he spoke attested to a vision of morality.

Speaking of morality, when did their young leader know what's morality? Did he know what it even meant?

Why does he suddenly change? He was like a raging sea a few days ago. Devouring and insensitive. Noan was rather worried than confused. Of all the people he met, Percival was the only parent figure they had, as he was the leader of their small pack. He never acted like a child, though his behaviors sometimes can be compared to a child's, but his priorities never bend.

Now, seeing him so unlike himself is rather scary...

"Percival," he called. "Something on the horizon?" Noan added. Percival was still; he didn't bother to look back.

"I was thinking," he replied. "Well, indeed, you have been in a deep thought these past few days." Noan sat beside him.

Noan was trying to figure out what the cause of it. He risks asking again if his guess is right. "Is it about that young lady from the commotion the past days? She's been clouding your mind, hasn't she?"

Percival frowned.

And there it is, Noan grinned; it seemed he hit the right mark after all.

"I don't know what you're trying to say."

"You don't know?" Noan stared beyond belief. He did not figure it out at all, the way he is now? He's been changed by her!

"I heard the young lady will be leaving today." Percival's eyes widen as he hears what Noan says. She's leaving already? So soon?

Nolan tapped his shoulders and whispered, "If you want to meet her, head to the eastern gate; you better hurry."

Percival definitely didn't waste any seconds as he ran into the crowd without care. He saw the young lady from afar; she was about to go inside the carriage. Somehow, the young child saw he was approaching, running at a high speed.

Their eyes met. Percival was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath.

"You're from before," the child said, revealing a soft smile.

"I was...wanted to meet you."

A soldier, alarmed, walks near the young child, but the child cautiously stops the soldier. Percival clenched his fist; he lowered his head.

"I apologize for my behavior the first time we met, fair lady."

The young child didn't speak, but he was listening. "I thought what I did was enough. I can do anything for my brothers and sisters; they are the only family I have. I was selfish as to what I was doing for them is the right thing. I only did it because I'm also empty inside. I also want to be needed even if I'm weak. I realize that I'm powerless without them. All I think is about myself. I'm sorry... about the rude things I said before." He didn't rise to face the child. Embarrassed to be judged, but that didn't meet his expectations as the child just laughed.

"'I also want to be needed even if I'm weak," the child repeated.

"I knew you were too kind to notice that you care more than you thought you were. I hope you would try to see how big this world is. You could leave this place, you know. This place is corrupted anyway. Your lives will be wasted in here."

Percival felt light; he saw noble children act spoiled and entitled except for this one. He once again bowed as the carriage stride away. He withdrawn the thought of giving back the handkerchief; he was going to keep it until he came to see her again.

Till then, he is going to take his comrades away from here and establish an identity himself to find her again.

Percival thought he was ambitious; he did not care about this at all before, but he does now.

He caressed the handkerchief, planted a swift kiss on it, and raised it to the skies as if bragging it above the heavens. He outwardly smiled.

"Princess," he grabbed Evyterr's waist and skipped backwards.

An assault of magic faced them right there.

***

Evy, honey, mom's back! See me? I'm back! The festival is not over yet, love. Let's enjoy it a little more before going home.

Another character unlocked! (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠)

Yeppeeᕙ⁠(⁠＠⁠°⁠▽⁠°⁠＠⁠)⁠ᕗ

I read many comments saying when I'm going to update, I'm really sorry dears for not updating so soon. College is keeping on a leash, it was hard to make time.

But, hey, I'm hereee!

Cybey Flower is above!

You guys still remember if I should follow the original fate of Raffael in 'Sovereignty' or I keep the baby alive?

I need more answers to that!ᕙ⁠(⁠⇀⁠‸⁠↼⁠‶⁠)⁠ᕗ

Because I'M SO TORN!

Hope you find this enjoyable! Love you guys so much!꒰⁠⑅⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠꒱⁠˖⁠♡

~Lovelots(⁠~⁠￣⁠³⁠￣⁠)⁠~