𝔽𝕝𝕠𝕨𝕖𝕣 ℂ𝕣𝕠𝕨𝕟 || 𝕂𝕒𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕥𝕠 𝔸𝕪𝕒𝕥𝕠

24. The Stars In Her Scars

Utterly boring, this walk was.

Ayato strolled alongside Diluc, nodding along as the king chattered away. His voice was dull to Ayato, and he found his mind wandering away from the conversation. The only thing the older king would talk about was how Inazuma hadn't changed a bit and how his Ayato's father had ruled. 

As they continued through the palace's halls, Ayato found himself wishing their stroll was over more and more. He wondered if this even counted as a conversation, seeing as it was extremely dull. He'd thought that Diluc, being the respectable king he was, would have something interesting to talk about when he said he wanted a private conversation. Oh, how wrong he was.

The absolute worst part about this was the fact that Kanari wasn't even here. He desperately wanted to pester her until she finally told her what he'd done last night. She didn't seem uncomfortable at breakfast, which probably meant he didn't do anything too bad.

Right?

"So, have you made up your mind about the proposal?"

That got his attention.

Ayato turned to his red-haired companion, who was nearly two decades older than him, with a blank expression. A part of him wanted to say yes, yes I have, my answer is no, but he stopped himself. It would be rude to just refuse without seeing the terms and conditions of the marriage.

Besides, the logical voice inside him said that the proposal might actually be beneficial to him. No matter how much he wanted to say no, he had to hear them out.

"Not quite," he replied coolly as they turned a corner. "I'd like to know the full contract before making a decision."

"I'd hoped you'd be able to take a liking to my daughter," said Diluc, glancing at him.

Ayato had to physically restrain himself from glaring at the king beside him. As if he could like the princess after the rudeness she'd shown Ayaka! Diluc was truly getting on his nerves. From the snide remarks he made about Kanari, to his persistence for his daughter to marry him. How his father befriended this man he would never know.

Suddenly, a collective gasp sounded from the room farther down the hall. Ayato quirked his eyebrows in interest, quickening his pace to see what the commotion was all about. Fortunately, the wooden door was wide open, allowing them to peek inside without causing a scene.

A figure in a white fencing suit stood ready, poised and ready. Princess Fischl was in position opposite to the person. They had on a fencing mask, making it unable to tell who exactly it was.

Ayato leaned carelessly on the white door frame, watching in the shadows as his sister shouted the words that began the duel. Under the brass lanterns hanging precariously on the ceiling, the two lithe figures fought.

As the sounds of metal against metal echoed throughout the room, the small crowd gathered within watched with awe. It was a match unlike no other. Both the princess and the masked fencer were swift, their attacks rapid and their footwork nimble.

Yet, as Ayato continued to observe the duel, completely ignoring King Diluc frowning behind him, he noticed that the unknown opponent was steadier. Their movements were smooth, and, unlike the princess, they seemed calm and composed. Every strike was perfectly calculated, missing Princess Fischl by mere millimeters each time.

The princess quickly grew frustrated as the match went on longer and longer. In her haste to win, her movements grew sloppier, and her parries became slower.

Her opponent, however, was as agile as ever. Their strikes became faster still, slowly but surely overwhelming the princess with the persistent near misses. As they continued to agitate Princess Fischl, their plan became clear to Ayato.