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Next to be interviewed was Cato. The host's voice rang through the stage with practiced charm, "Cato, you're from District Two, which has produced the last two winners of the Games. Does that bring any burden with it for you?"
Cato, with a sneer disguised as calm confidence, gave a reply that dripped with smugness. "It's a great responsibility, a lot to live up to," he said, tilting his chin ever so slightly, basking in the attention. "But it's also a privilege, to follow in the footsteps of such great champions. I just have to match their intensity."
The audience broke into warm applause, eating up his theatrics, but from where he sat, Aries could barely contain the growl that rumbled in his throat. His hatred for Cato intensified with every smug word the tribute dared to speak—or worse, each time he so much as glanced in their direction. The man breathed arrogance, and it ignited something primal in Aries that loathed everything Cato stood for.
Following him was the girl from District Five known as Foxface. The host grinned playfully as he addressed her. "So your name's Marissa, but everyone calls you Foxface. Because you're a redhead?"
She shook her head with a sly grin and corrected him with a playful tilt of her head, "No, sir. Because I'm tricky." Her mischievous smile didn't waver as she glanced out at the audience, then casually held up the host's wristwatch between her fingers like a magician unveiling her trick.
"My watch!" the host exclaimed, looking at his now-bare wrist in disbelief. The audience burst into laughter and applause, thoroughly entertained by her quick fingers and sharper wit.
Many interviews came and went before Aries and Estella's turn arrived, but neither of them paid much attention to the others. They were glued to each other's side, quietly going over what they should say to 'entertain' the Capitol's ravenous crowd. Aries, however, detested every second of it—the fakeness, the grinning faces, the hollow compliments—but he stayed close to Estella, anchored by her presence.
The moment Caesar Flickerman's gaze shifted toward them, it was as if all the noise dulled into background static. With his signature gleam, the host announced, "And now, from District Five, the girl who earned many hearts at first glance—Estella Perez!"
Before she stepped away, Aries leaned in and murmured a soft, "Good luck," the kind of tender blessing he rarely offered to anyone.
Estella moved with regal grace, each step igniting thunderous cheers. She approached Flickerman and, without missing a beat, leaned forward to kiss him gently on the cheek. The host gasped dramatically as if she had just stolen his breath—and possibly his heart. The audience roared, and a chorus of jealous whines rang out across the room. Flickerman clutched his chest with mock despair. "Aren't I just the luckiest man alive tonight?"
Estella lowered herself onto the designated chair, legs crossed with casual elegance that made the entire Capitol collectively hold its breath. Every movement oozed poise and calculated allure, her aura commanding the stage without effort.
