Chapter 553: A Weak Presence
As she walked into the coliseum, Emma heard the crowd roar. The stand shook under the stomping of an excited audience, but she tried to steady herself as she walked toward the booth high in the air and one closest to the arena.
The staff saw her face, and it was enough to make him activate the platform, which she then stood upon. The runic lines on the platform buzzed as it rose in the air, taking her toward the flying observatory.
Emma could see the arena and the stands from her spot. There was no one standing in the arena, but the screen showed the faces of the next duelists: Arlo Starli and Alexie Linan. The first was the Orlan Prime Minister"s son, and the second was a minor Veranian n.o.bility whose father was on his deathbed.
Her friend"s face looked at ease, and his eyes were all-seeing. However, she couldn"t rest easy until she prevented this duel, which must have been caused by none other than her fiancé.
After the platform reached the booth, it connected to its door, which lit up and opened. There were a pair of chairs inside, with only one occupant inside. It seems the prince was expecting her.
"Welcome, my dear fiancée," said the prince as his arm stretched from behind the chair. "I missed you dearly."
Emma heard the sincerity of his voice, and her mind wanted to remind her that this was her fiancé and future husband. Her legs moved slowly to get toward the chair, which she sat in after taking his hand.
"I missed you too," she said with a smile before she turned to him. "I kept calling you since last night," she muttered as she met his eyes.
"I must have been too distracted," he said with a smile while squeezing her hand. "I am here now, aren"t I? And I have reserved the best seats in the coliseum for us."
Emma nodded while pushing the urgency in her heart back. She knew that if Prince Caleb knew she was protective of Alexie, he would get jealous, and things would get worse.
"I wonder what this duel is about?" she acted oblivious while frowning a little. "I know this Alexie fellow. He is a crowd."
It hurt her heart to speak this way, but she knew that saving his life was far more important than his reputation. Emma saw a slight smile appear on the prince"s face, and it made her hopeful that an end to this show was possible.
"This ignorant n.o.ble is indeed a coward," smiled Prince Caleb. "However, he was not a coward enough to keep his hands to himself."
"Prince Caleb," her heart sank as she heard this, and the hand holding hers squeezed tighter, almost crushing her bones. "It was a hug among friends. I swear that there is nothing between us."
"You don"t go to another man"s window if he was a friend, dearest Emma," said Caleb as he turned around. "I trust you, but my father is bound to misunderstand."
Emma could feel a hand gripping her neck, making her unable to breathe. The Yalen Family might appear to be on equal footings with the other two, but she knew it was nothing but an illusion of freedom. It was a ruse to convince scholars to visit the Yalveran Union.
Their eyes reached the farthest lands and saw the deepest abysses. This made them capable of finding hidden talents and treasures to strengthen their family and stalk others. Emma knew she was one of those others because of her origins and her current status as Caleb"s fiancé.
"I will never do that again, so please," she allowed her panic to misguide her, and the prince saw the weakness he was seeking. Finally, however, she couldn"t swallow her words back anymore. "As the next Yalveran King, please stop this."
Emma knew that feeding his ego always left him in a good mood, and she didn"t know if that meant he sought her submission or admiration. However, Prince Caleb didn"t say anything or move for the next minute as the crowd roared louder.
"I cannot ruin their excitement and tarnish my reputation, can I? Duels are to be honored by everyone under the heaven. This will teach Alexie never to touch another man"s woman anymore, and I will make sure that he can"t do so."
"Caleb!" she rose from her chair with horror, beads of sweat covering her face. "He doesn"t deserve this kind of punishment! I am the one who should be punished," she fell on her knees. "Spare him."
"I would never punish the person I love," he said while his hand caressed her cheek. "Rise, Emma. Let us see what your actions brought to this "friend" of yours."
As she stared into his violet eyes, Emma felt trapped more than ever. Her body shook with hatred for the cursed fate she willingly walked into. However, there was always a choice.
"I know that you are looking for that other friend of yours," said Caleb as she was about to break free. "You have to choose between the two of them. Otherwise, the moment that we find that friend, he will suffer instead of Alexie."
Then, she realized Caleb was not jealous but simply ecstatic for the chance to tame her. He knew that she willingly listened to him, and he did not want to change that.
Emma rose to her feet slowly before sitting next to him, his hand holding hers again. The tears pooled into her eyes, but she held them back, lest she breaks down. In her heart, there was a single wish.
"Please be safe, Alexie."
***
The crowd roared as the first duelist took the arena, his armor shining brightly against the lights coming from above. It was none other than Arlo Starli, beaming with the confidence of absolute victory.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," a man took the stage, and it seems the college has appointed a teacher to oversee the fight. "The antic.i.p.ated duel begins now. We have the first ranker of the second-year students, Arlo Starli, against the mysterious owner of the First-Ranking Store, Alexie Linan. Of course, the match cannot be said to be made in heaven, but the odds are unpredictable."
As the crowd heard the introduction, their blood boiled as they began to shout for their favorite contender. The referee allowed for their excitement as Arlo took the stage, and when he raised his arm, the crowd lost it.
Their chants threatened to split the sky, making the air vibrate with heat. Arlo smirked as he looked at the crowd and his fans with pride as the first-ranked for two years since he entered Jerano.
The screen flickered to show footage of Arlo"s past fights where he dominated his opponents with absolute speed and strength. The crowd was growing wild as the footage kept playing. Then, as the world was busy admiring Arlo, who did not stop posing and pounding his chest, a man slipped on the opposite side of the arena.
"Excuse me," his voice was low, but somehow, it reached every audience member and forced them to be quiet. "I have other things to attend to, so can we fight?"
The words made the almost-crazed crowd close their mouths, staring at the unnoticeable man with a blank expression. His presence was the opposite of Arlo, who demanded attention.
"Uh, the other duelist has made an entrance, it seems," coughed the referee. "This is the first official duel for Alexie in the coliseum, and it is reported to be among his firsts in Jerano."
The words by the referee made everyone speechless. Even if someone ran away their entire lives, they could not avoid duels in Jerano since it was the main method to solve disputes. Alexie yawned as the crowd stared at the man, looking for signs making him worthy.
"This is more boring than I thought it would be," smirked Alexie as he pointed at Arlo. "Are you going to turn into the steel again? You should do that before the fight begins. Otherwise, I will defeat you once more."
"You cheated in the team battles," glared Arlo at him with hatred. "And that punch was too weak to make me stagger, let alone be defeated. Let me show you what I have been preparing for the past year."
As he said so, Arlo took a step forward. The arena shook as steel exploded beneath his foot and climbed to cover his entire body. Then, a thousand swords rose from the steel-covered floor, waiting to be brandished.
"You can forfeit the moment that the duel starts, but I am sure that the guilds will never take in a coward, no matter how good you are with artifacts."
As the arena was covered with steel in an instant, the opponent, Alexie Linan, stared at it with silence. Then, he turned toward the referee, who was too speechless by the strength of a student to speak.
"Let"s get this over with, dear referee. I have an announcement to make after this battle ends."
Hearing his words, the referee snapped out of his daze and nodded. His arm rose high in the air as the crowd sat on the edge of their seats. Alexie Linan"s future announcement filled them with excitement as the referee brought down his arm, starting the duel.
"Fight!"