Beautiful Scar

Chapter 23

"You are my mistake".

"Pardon?"

Scarlet paused for a while. True. There was never really a time to explain one's reason to kill a person, especially on her side. And now, since the root of the cause was out of her own carelessness, she wondered how this Prince in front of her would react to it.

"Let's just say I am merely doing my due diligence to make up for my past negligence", said Scarlet.

But it was still unclear to Neville, "I still don't understand. Why did back then I was supposed to die in your hand, and now I'm entrusting my life to you to watch over me?"

Scarlet smirked hearing the latter, "I wouldn't flatter myself to go as far to watch over you, Princeling. Neither do I care you entrusted your life to me or not, or even if you trusted me anyway. I'm merely following orders".

For a second, Neville's face looked crestfallen.

And Scarlet reconsidered. Did someone not teach him history? Of what happened between his Father and Fina's father, or the sins his father bored to the Silverstorm Kingdom, and more importantly to this royal family at all.

While Scarlet would like to keep things simple and concise, she knew there was a slight probability if she did not disclose the reason, Neville would still want to find out himself, or worse, if Collins and the other Warrior's Council members ensnared him instead.

And there was also ticking annoyance to be reminded of her own carelessness.

Darn Collins for bringing such thing up in the Council, really putting her in the spot among Captainships in the seating there.

And while Homes tried to ease her back then, there was still an undertone that her failing to kill the young Prince at the time marked the weakness and incompetence on her parts.

For Scarlet, who had taken every criticism and praise, this one seemed to not bode well with her. Not at all. She was really, surely ticked by this.

Each of them won't get her off this case.

Because she was the first case of a failed assassination attempt carried out by a Silverstorm's Warrior, while thankfully the party that was supposed to be killed only knew the truth now, it was frustrating.

So frustrating.

Of her own cowardice at the time.

And the truth which Scarlet would not disclose to Neville was that it was the first and last, she ever attempted to kill an unarmed and harmless person.

And till this day, she hadn't rebuilt back her confidence in this aspect of warfare.

And then, there were other things that waver her confidence gradually. The death of her comrades when she was first posted as Captain. That was another blow to her heart and her capabilities.

The look in Homes and Collins' eyes and the other Generals and the King and Queen, when she reported her first case.

But somehow, for her comrades, she was able to channel her regret and sadness and turn the tables on these.

But the attempt to kill Neville...

She remembered. She was still fresh off the academy and one of her early missions was to assassinate the Prince. She was so eager to climb the Warrior ranks that she volunteered to be the last person to encounter Neville.

Homes had warned and advised her to reconsider the choice she made. But at the time, and till today, there were some things she was stubborn with him.