Mᴀʀʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴜᴋᴇ ᴛᴏ sᴀᴠᴇ ᴍʏ ᴄᴀᴛs!?『ɴᵉᵘᵛⁱˡˡᵉᵗᵗᵉ ˣ ʳᵉᵍʳᵉˢˢᵒʳ!ᴍʳ』

XII

ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ sɪᴅᴇ ᵖᵗ1

A woman sighs as she reads the streambird in the early morning, the pictures clearly showing her son and his soon-to-be husband in such a blissful love that she never got the opportunity to experience it in her life. It made her reflect on her youth, wondering why everything turned out the way it did. She dreamed of happier times but they never came and she wished so much that she loved her son with all her heart but that love ran out so long ago.

In her tired mind, she couldn't spread all her love but maybe if things were different would her children look like the man she wished to marry? Would that make her happiest and fill her heart with the joy she once had in that bygone era of youth?
"Mommy, could you tell me what you were like when you were big brother's age?"The youngest Clémence, startled her from her daydreams. She didn't even hear the door to her parlor opening nor did she hear it close.
"Sure, when I was M/n's age...I fell in love with an architect who had beautiful blonde hair and deep amethyst eyes."Her smile was tight and bitter, a time of her life was hard to recount.
"It all started at a banquet...."

FLASHBACK

Laila had been waiting for this day for months like many other young adults her age, a banquet for the young people of Sumeru to mingle and potentially find their special someone but that wasn't Laila's main concern. She was there to sing and dance. She wanted nothing more than to use the banquet as her debut as a floral ring dancer, to show her skill and hopefully join the bazaar.
"Laila–"

"Worry not grandmothers, I'll perform exquisitely at the banquet and carry out my mother's legacy."Laila had been raised by her grandmother and grandfather since she was a child. She never knew much of them other than the blurry memories she had. You see her parents perished in a horrendous shipwreck on their way back from Snhznya leaving her with her mother's side of the family.
"That's not what I'm concerned about. Your main purpose is to find a husband, I care not for your dancing. Hurry up and leave."Laila sighs as she leaves out of the desert abode with her floral ring in tow.

All her grandparents cared about was her finding a husband whether she loved him or not...But Laila wasn't looking for love at the moment. She wanted to dance and make a name for herself in the performing arts scene just as her mother did. That's how her parents met.

Maybe one day she'll find love in that special way? However, that was reserved for later!
"Jeez! Ya daydreaming so hard you don't even recognize your greatest friend is standing before you!"

"Pft, oh hush now son of the great chief~"Her friend rolls his eyes at the title.
"Are you ready Abrax?"

"Yeah yeah, let's get this snobby event over with. As if anyone from the forest would give me the time of day."The ginger sighs at this statement, it was quite a dilemma between the two halves of their nation.
"Who knows, maybe someone will fall head over heels for ya?"

"Tsk as if! Two weeks ago I went into the city to grab some herbs not found in the desert and the shopkeeper stared me down the entire time. I felt so uncomfortable that I couldn't even bring myself to buy anything and left...The city folk don't take too kindly to those behind the wall."

"Here's hoping that things will be different."

"Ugh, you have too much hope!"

🌵🌵🌵

The banquet was just as they feared, it was heavily divided. Children of the forest leered at those of the forest as if they were less than while the children of the sands just looked outright uncomfortable with the stares and stuck to speaking amongst themselves, some even panning to ditch entirely. Laila sighs heavily, at some point this divide needs to end, looking around she finally spots her red-haired friend from the forest.
"Aisha, let's go ahead and dance. I'm sure we'll lighten things up around here."

"I think so too!"The two quickly rush the stage calling attention to themselves with their quick and light movements. The two immediately dance to the overruling music, two moving separately yet flowing and coexisting together. It was a symphony of beautiful swift movements that pushed the music to dance as they were.

They held the eyes of everyone as they slowly came to an end with the music.
"Whoa. That was splendid!" Applause fills the room and it finally breaks the tension when the two step down.

Laila and Aisha chuckle as they reconvene with their group but there is one extra person there.
"Uh? Hello?"

"Ah Laila, Aisha this is Shakir. He is from the academia, a student from Kshahrewar Darshan."Laila cocks her eyebrow while giving the man a once over.

Laila wasn't too impressed with his presence but was still kind enough to politely acknowledge him.
"Hey, I've seen you before. You were that ring dancer in the desert tending to a herd of Sumpter Beast! If I remember correctly, you used a Rishboland tiger as the herder to keep them in check. I must say, very impressive and innovative!"This caught Laila off guard once more, no one has complimented her on that method! They would normally call her insane and disregard the method all together.

At that moment, Shakir had her attention without even trying.
"Coral is her name..I-If you wanted to know.."

"Hahah, what a great name! Say could you explain how you trained Coral?"

Flashback over

By the time she finished that part of her story, Clémence had fallen asleep with her head placed on Laila's lap.
"....I hope and pray his fate never takes after mine."Laila quietly folds her hands together and then places them against her forehead.
Please allow him to be happy...I may not have been the best mother to M/n but this is all I can do for him..