Words of two men fighting over a noblewoman spread fast, especially since one had once been engaged to Celine Rochefort, and the other was engaged to her now. Yet she wasn't the one they were fighting for.
"The Crown Prince is the favorite to win the next Grand Knight Competition. It'll be an easy victory for him," someone remarked, watching the brawl outside the inn.
Jax jumped down from his horse and approached AL, a dozen men following closely behind him. "What are the odds?" he asked.
"Two out of ten in the Crown Prince's favor," AL said.
"I'm in," Jax said, slapping a gold coin in AL's hand, "For the Boss."
"..." AL stared at him, confused.
"Always bet on your Boss. It's better to lose less than to lose everything. Did you not learn anything by staying by his side this whole time?" Jax said.
The rest of the group also slapped down a few coins in AL's hand, ''For our Boss!''
AL walked reluctantly toward the bookie to get the bets going. He hoped that Lady Bianca was worth the trouble, or else...
This was the Rochefort territory, which meant their Boss's fiance would get involved sooner or later. For a woman, there wasn't a more savage blow to her pride than to be thrown aside in favor of another. How were they supposed to protect their Boss if things got ugly?
Weapons were heavily regulated in the cities. The only ones who had the privilege of carrying them were the nobles and the knights, yet both groups had to obtain special permits to do so. A large group like theirs had been searched twice by the city guards already. Their weapons, even a small dagger, were confiscated, and they were given special passes to retrieve them once they left the city.
Lady Bianca breathed hard, fist clenching, "Could you please not drag me into your fight?! If anything is going to happen to either of you, it's me who will be blamed! Do you even realize that?!"
The Crown Prince stopped for a moment, allowing Lucian to tackle him to the ground. His hand shot toward his neck, making sure to leave a bruise, his knee digging into the Prince's back. Her words didn't affect Lucian, obviously; they worked in his favor.
'Remember, people want to see a duel, not a massacre. Like perfume, too much and it becomes vulgar,' Lucian thought and let go of the Crown Prince's neck, clumsily punching the side of his face.
The prince rolled over, dodging his next attack, and jumped to his feet, wiping the drop of blood off his nose. He had a hard time keeping his balance, just like Lucian had (pretended to have), but he was not ready to surrender yet. Lucian went for the other man's neck again, his arms closing around him and choking him, harder than before. The Prince gasped, trying to pry Lucian's hands off him, but he couldn't. This time, Lucian had meant it.
"Stop it!" Bianca yelled and ran to the two men. She had had enough. "You are choking him to death, Lord Arclight!"
"Are you protecting him?" Lucian asked, tightening his grip while raising his voice. "After all he's done to you?!"
"You are hurting him!" Bianca cried. "Stop it! Stop it!"
Lucian didn't stop.
"Please..." she whispered and placed a gentle hand over Lucian's arm. "You are not like this."
Lucian's hold loosened a little before doing it again, as hard as before. "He hurt you first."
"I'm fine," Bianca insisted, shaking her head, "I'm fine..." She started crying, and her tears rolled over his arm, "Let go of him, please."
Clapping sounds and cheers broke out. "Don't give up, Your Highness!" Celine yelled, "You can do it! Show him who he's messing with!" She stood a few steps away, surrounded by her guards.
Lucian grip tightened once more, "Yeld," he hissed in the prince's ear, "She got hurt because of you and yet she's crying for you. I'm not going to let you hurt her ever again."
Celine's voice was getting closer and closer to them. "Win this for me!" she said sweetly, "Show him you are the one who deserves me!"
Lady Bianca's expression was blank while Lucian's was pure fury, "Would you mind repeating that, your Highness?" he asked, "I couldn't hear you."
The Prince turned to look at Lucian and said, "I yield," much to everyone's shock. He stumbled backward, and then, as he was about to fall, she caught him.
"Are you alright, Your Highness?" Celine whispered with a hint of concern in her voice, "Can you walk?"
He pushed her away, "Don't touch me."
"..." Celine's face fell. "But... But..." she stammered, her hands shaking, "I was just worried about you.... unlike her! She obviously doesn't love you! Not like I do."
Celine was known for being crazy in love with the Crown Prince, but when Lucian witnessed it with his eyes, he began to question his own tastes in women.
When the Crown Prince continued to reject her, Celine glared at Lady Bianca with such venomous hatred in her eyes that it made Lucian question if he was looking at the right person, "She can't even hold a candle to me, and yet everyone chooses her over me. Why? Why her? What does she have that I don't?!"
Lady Bianca tried to hold in her tears as she found her courage to approach them, "I don't know what I have, but I know what I don't have. I don't have to ask for validation and force myself on others," she said, "And that's exactly why you will always be left alone in the end, Lady Celine."
Celine looked like she had been slapped in the face, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed in humiliation, "Y–you–! Watch your filthy mouth! You might have His Highness' favor, but I can still have you arrested! Right now! For… for being rude to a noble!"
That was it? Her performance made Lucian cringe inside, for he had been used to receiving a taste of her venom whenever she got a chance. She probably felt his scowl because she turned around and glared at him, 'What?'
He made a face that said, 'You can do better than that.'
Celine made a face that said, 'I'm not wasting my brain capacity on her.' And just to taunt him, she pointed her finger at Lady Bianca, "Get on your knees and apologize for offending me! Now!"
"I'm sorry!" Lady Bianca said, lowering her head, "I just found you pitiful, I really did. Because you have nothing to give to others except your selfish desires!" She raised her head, her witty remark leaving everyone stunned, "I'm sorry for you, Lady Celine. You're a miserable person who will never find happiness, and that's why you can't stand to see others happy!"
"Ugh!" A frustrated groan escaped Celine's throat. "She always describes us so well! Doesn't she, Your Highness?" She laughed and turned around, her eyes meeting Lucian's, 'I would gladly waste them on you though,' she mouthed.
Lucian stared at her, his face emotionless. Don't blush, don't get flustered, don't smile, his inner voice reminded him, but his lips trembled a little.
She whispered something in Crown Prince's ear and he stopped in his tracks, even allowing her to hook her arm around his.