As the evening sun cast a warm glow through her window, Aurianna sat alone at the dinner table, silently thinking about the previous trial. Her fork clinked against the porcelain plate as she delicately picked at her al, her brows furrowed in deep thought. With a sigh, she mumbled aloud in her room, "It’s weird."
The sudden voice of Eva pierced through the silence, close to Aurianna’s ear, as she inquired, "What’s weird?"
Aurianna looked up from her plate, her expression filled with confusion and frustration. "King Girsal giving this punishnt," she replied.
Her thoughts drifted back to the calm appearance of King Girsal during the trial. "I thought I would have to convince him to send to war. But I underestimated him," Aurianna admitted.
Leaning back in her chair, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. "He’s probably plotting sothing," Aurianna added, a hint of suspicion creeping into her voice. She continued, her nervousness evident, "I must be prepared then, because if I fail, I’ll lose my life."
"I have very little knowledge about my enemies. All I know is they are a kingdom that excels in extre combat, they have 3 Arc Humans, over 100 Chaos and Holy Humans 1000 High Humans, and their ruler is King Shiba, who owns the title of the fastest woman on the continent. Seriously, what’s with King Girsal and making enemies of strong people?!" Aurianna exclaid furiously.
"Have you thought of a strategy to fight an Arc Human?" Eva asked curiously.
Aurianna shook her head and plastered a dumb expression on her face. "Nope, because our levels are just too far apart. I’m not stupid, you know? No matter how much experience I’ve gained, I still won’t be a match for an Arc Human. Our age difference, experience, knowledge, and power are too far apart," she admitted thoughtfully.
She reached for another plate of food, savoring it slowly, hoping that the taste could help ease her worries.
Eva, her voice tinged with approval, remarked, "It’s good that you’ve taken so ti to think about this."
"Absolutely, that’s why I’ve made it a rule to avoid those Arc Humans like the plague," Aurianna affird. She had a confident smile as she continued, "But now that I’ve managed to catch King Girsal’s attention, there’s no way he’d actually let fight them and die. They would probably kill before I could even fight back. Besides, those Arc Humans typically appear in the third round, and I’m only fighting in the first. But, if he lets fight an Arc Human, that’s why I’ve got you, Eva! I shall rely on you to keep safe!" Aurianna added with a wink and a thumbs up.
Eva suddenly appeared before Aurianna as she floatted in the air, "Hey, just promise one thing: be careful and don’t let your recklessness get the best of you."
Aurianna nodded earnestly. "You got it, Eva."
"I wasn’t fully prepared but who would have thought that so of my dear family mbers would give battle equipnt!," Aurianna exclaid excitedly as her hand rubbed over her ring. "Charm is an excellent tool after all," she added, her face breaking into a wide grin.
Eva’s eyes locked onto Aurianna as she inquired, "I hope you’re ready now, Aurianna?"
Aurianna t Eva’s gaze, "I think so, Eva. I’m hoping that I can rely on you."
Eva’s expression remained neutral as she offered a gentle warning, arms crossed. "Don’t worry; I’ll do my best to keep you safe. But rember, I can’t protect you all the ti."
"I understand, Eva." Aurianna replied as she understood what Eva ant.
Eva let her final words hang in the air. "I’ll be in the void space. Should you need anything, just call for ."
Aurianna expressed her gratitude, "Thanks, Eva."
However, a thought suddenly struck Aurianna, prompting her to call out to Eva. "Hold on, Eva."
Eva turned her attention back to Aurianna. "Yes, Aurianna?"
Aurianna looked at Eva with cute puppy eyes as she asked, "Is there perhaps sothing you’d like to give to ?"
"Like?" Eva asked, hoping for Aurianna to be more directed.
"You know, like a super cool weapon or sothing?" Her cheeks flushed with excitent.
"Unfortunately, the ones I’ve got right now, you won’t be able to use them." Eva said.
A dejected expression crossed Aurianna’s face, but she quickly t Eva with determined look. "Just try ," she countered, her voice loud with resolve.
Eva laughed lightly before she tossed a small, spiraling cone towards Aurianna. The object spun continuously without pause, leaving Aurianna a bit puzzled.
"A spiral?" Aurianna asked, her brow furrowing as she scrutinized the curious object in her hand. It was a small device, no larger than her palm, and its color seed to blend a srizing mix of red and black.
Eva bead, nodding with satisfaction. "Yep."
Puzzled, Aurianna inquired, "But what’s it for?" She couldn’t quite fathom the purpose of this mysterious device.
"That’s for you to figure out. It’s a really fun weapon," Eva replied with a wink, leaving Aurianna with more questions than answers.
As she observed the strange spiral, Aurianna couldn’t help but trust in Eva’s words. ’Hmm well I know one thing for sure is that Eva never has useless weapons. So guess I’ll trust her on this,’ she thought, giving Eva a suspicious, look. "Thanks," she said aloud.
Eva offered a warm reply before disappearing. "You’re welco. I’m off now!"
"Hmm I wonder how this thing operates," Left alone with the spiral, Aurianna pondered about it’s function. She turned it in her hand, trying to decipher how it worked and she noticed it moved with her hand. But besides that she didn’t know more about it. Eventually, she gave up in frustration.
Just as her patience waned, a re graze of her finger on the device’s edge drew blood and the spiral sucked it in, causing the spiral to react. It imdiately turned around her wrist, transforming into a fashionable bracelet with a deep red glow.
"Not bad, I guess," Aurianna said as she admired how it looked on her wrist. Yet, her contemplation was abruptly interrupted by a noise at her door. The unmistakable sound of soone fidgeting outside made her raise an eyebrow. Sensing the person’s aura, she couldn’t help but frown.
"Princess!" Yui burst into the room, arms wide open, tears in her eyes, and hurtling towards Aurianna. In an agile dodge, Aurianna avoided the flying embrace, causing Yui to tumble to the ground.
Aurianna’s frustration boiled over as she snapped, "Don’t you know how to knock, Yui?!" She showed her annoyance with a swift kick to Yui’s butt.
"Ouch! That hurt! Wait, you rembered my na? I’m so happy!" Yui bead despite the awkward tumble.
"Scram before I kick your head off!" Aurianna yelled angrily.
Yui, however, seed undeterred by Aurianna’s harsh words. "Princess, calm down! I ca to give you this." She retrieved an object from her space pouch.
Aurianna’s surprise was evident as she examined the item. "A Fountain Cake?"
Yui’s pride shone through her cheerful expression as she extended the gift. "Happy Birthday, princess. I baked it myself."
Aurianna sighed, her annoyance evident. "My birthday’s not today."
"Eh? Then when is it?" Yui gasped in shock
"It’s on... the day of the war! Of all days! I was so busy thinking about the war that I forgot my birthday!!" Aurianna’s exclamation carried disbelief and frustration. She couldn’t help but ponder, ’Honestly, I don’t even think that’s my real birthday; it’s just so date King Girsal decided.’
Yui, with a sad expression, chid in, "That’s just sad," her expression suddenly turned Happy, "Happy belated birthday, though!"
"It’s supposed to be ’happy birthday in advance." Aurianna corrected as she looked at Yui with a blank expression.
Yui, looking a bit flustered, quickly corrected herself, "Well then, happy birthday in advance!" She said with a thumbs-up.
’I feel like giving her a good punch,’ Aurianna thought as she watched Yui eat so of the cake happily which was supposed to be ant for her.
She chuckled and asked, "Why do you always stick to ? You’re a bit of a weird one, you know."
Yui responded earnestly with a serious expression, "Because if I don’t stick to you, I’ll totally die. And death is bad, dying is bad!"
Aurianna couldn’t help but think. ’What on earth is this goofball saying?’ she wondered, as she watched Yui with a dumb expression.
But Yui wasn’t done yet. She declared, "What’s more, I love the princess!"
Aurianna couldn’t help but frown, "Pervert."
Yui protested, "I don’t an it in a perverted way! It’s just that watching you try on dresses or even stepping on – it makes so happy and satisfied, I couldn’t ask for a better punishnt!" Her face lit up with sheer delight as Aurianna judged her with a weird gaze.
Aurianna couldn’t help but roll her eyes, thinking, ’As I thought, she’s a bit of a masochistic pervert.’ She shot a glare at Yui.
"Scram! Leave, I’m heading to bed," she commanded before taking a bite of the cake in her hand.
"Princess, don’t you die, okay? Otherwise, I won’t be able to brush your hair anymore!" Yui said.
Aurianna responded, "Just go."
As Yui departed, Aurianna couldn’t help but give an indirect complint, saying, "And your cake’s not half bad." She mumbled her words while finishing the last of the cake.
From outside the door, Yui couldn’t contain her excitent, exclaiming, "The princess just said thank you – indirectly!"
Yui pondered, ’I’m so surprised. Maybe the princess is the type who likes to act an but is kind inside?’ She chose to ignore the strange looks from the knights standing beside Aurianna’s door.
Yui soon shook her head, dismissing the thought. ’No, she’s pretty an on the inside too,’ she concluded before walking away.
Zagan, observing from the table, couldn’t help but ask Aurianna. "You really like that maid, don’t you?"
Aurianna corrected him, saying, "I don’t like her."
Zagan, always curious, pressed further, "Oh, then what is it?"
Aurianna’s responded. "She just reminds of soone from my past, although my mory’s hazy. Plus, I don’t sense any hostility from her – none at all. That’s what makes her so darn weird. I’ve never t anyone quite like her. She keeps everything in check around my mansion, and it’s reduced my workload quite a bit. Killing her would just create more problems that I’d rather avoid dealing with. Still, she’s been getting a bit to comfortable and arrogant, forgetting her role and all and starting to do whatever she wants. For now, I’ll let her play her gas. She makes life less boring." A smile played on her lips as she finished her words.
"I’m gonna stick with master too! I won’t let that maid be more liked than !" Zagan grumbled, an unmistakable hint of jealousy in his tone.
Aurianna, her eyebrows raised in playful surprise, couldn’t help but ask, "Jealous much, Zagan?"
Zagan nodded, not holding back one bit. "Yup, I’m definitely feeling jealousy." He hopped up onto Aurianna, making for an undeniably adorable sight.
"Hehehe, how cute," Aurianna chuckled as she rubbed Zagan’s head.
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