A TALE OF FIRE AND ICE

Encounter

[ Neither the picture nor the content belongs to me. All the rights belong to the respective author. It is only used for entertainment purposes not offended anyone.]

Let's continue

***

Irene blinked in surprise when she saw Blake when she went out of her room.

[Ah, I almost forgot.]

She remembered that Lisa left the vice-captain to her as her personal knight.

It was actually a big deal because everyone in the empire knew that Blake would only follow Lisa's orders. But knowing his stubborn personality, she was surprised that the vice-captain accepted that kind of job.

"I'm Blake," he said to her. "Vice-Captain of the Black Serpent Knights."

Isabella (who was standing beside her), glared at Blake. It was funny how the tiny girl tried to intimidate a huge guy like the vice-captain

and it actually worked.

"Lady Prescott," Blake added politely. "Good morning."

Isabella looked quite satisfied.

Irene laughed softly at the exchange.

She remembered that Blake, no matter how intimidating he looked, was actually afraid of ladies who had the courage to call him out or talk back to him. So the key to taming the vice-captain was to simply hold your ground and resist his intimidation.

[Isabella did a good job, huh?]

"Good morning, Sir Blake," Irene greeted him with a smile. "Would you like to accompany me to the pavilion?" She motioned for the pot that Isabella was holding. It contained the little fishes that she would feed her "children" in the pond. "It's time for my pets to eat."

"That's literally my job, Lady Prescott," Blake said. "I'll follow you anywhere, just like what Captain Lisa instructed me to do."

"Very well," she said, then she started to walk first.

Isabella and Blake followed a few steps behind her.

She greeted and smiled back at every servant that she saw while walking from the mansion to the garden leading to the pond.

"Sir Blake, did Lisa bring Damian with him?" Irene asked Blake to make small talk. "I forgot to ask the captain about the number of knights he'd be bringing with him."

"It's not a big mission so the captain only brought Damian and another knight called Whitton," the knight said. "Since they'd be using the portal in the royal palace, Captain Lisa was advised to bring a small company."

That made her feel relieved.

Lisa was the strongest captain in the empire, no doubt about it. But she didn't want him to overestimate himself and get hurt. Especially not when he was only going to a dangerous island to get her a fine engagement ring.

[Yeah, I figured him out when he not-so-discreetly measured my ring size.]

Last night, she asked her father about Pillas Islands since she hadn't been there even in her previous life. She knew that the duke had already been on the island for his trading business so he asked him to tell her about his time there.

According to her father, the Pillas Islands was known for its pearls and tropical fruits.

As soon as she heard about the pearls, she realized that Lisa may have decided to get her a pearl for her engagement ring. That made her worry because she also heard from her father that the finest pearls on the island could only be found in the nest of gigantic sea monsters.


She wasn't sure if Lisa really had a mission in the Pillas Islands or his sole purpose was to get her a pearl. But she was certain about one thing: the captain would definitely aim to get the finest pearl in the island even if it was in the heart of the sea monsters' lair.

[Well, it's too early to say that Lisa is in love with me. But I can tell that he's fond of me. And if he's still the same person as he was in my previous life, then he'd definitely give me all the best things in the world.]

Just like how he showered Tzuyu Morganna with love in the past

She gently smacked her cheeks with her hands. She made sure to do it as lightly as possible but it still made a sound.

Isabella and Blake seemed to have heard it because they asked immediately if she was okay.

"I'm fine," she assured them while climbing up the stairs to the pavilion. Then, she walked towards the banister and looked over the colorful koi fishes in the pond. When she saw her pets," she remembered the time Lisa talked to them. That memory instantly put her in a good mood. "Hello, my dear children. For today, your mother is in charge of feeding you. I know that you miss your father but you have to understand. He's working hard for our family. Shower him with love once he comes home, okay?"

Irene turned to Isabella to ask her for the vessel. But she stopped when she realized that the maid and Blake were looking at her strangely. Ah, they were probably shocked to see her talking to the fishes like they were real children.

She couldn't help but smile at their reaction.

[Lisa's adorable quirk has rubbed off on me, huh?]

"I'm fine," Irene reassured Isabella and Blake with a soft laugh. Then, she turned to the koi fishes in the pond and wished that she didn't look as sad as she felt. "I wonder if the captain has reached the island by now."

***

"CAPTAIN!"

Lisa was having coffee in the ship's kitchen while trying to decide if he wanted to kick Damian out of the vessel or send him back to the Royal Capital. But one thing was for sure.

[I regret bringing him with me.]

But then again, he couldn't leave the young knight at the Prescott Estate. It wasn't that he no longer trusted Damian. He just wanted Irene to have the knight in his troop be her bodyguard.

And Blake was the most suited for the job.

"Captain, what should we do?" Damian asked when he entered the kitchen, face pale with fear. "The lobsters here are so huge and so wild. They're trying to climb the ship!"

Lisa's ears perked up. "Oh."

He immediately stood up and walked fast to get to the ship's deck.

He heard that the sea creatures in the Great Sea of the East were very different from ordinary "seafood." If there were "wild lobsters" now, then they must have reached far enough from the coast and closer to the "nest." Which also meant that they were about to meet the infamous gigantic sea monsters in the area.

[Well, I also came here to slay them anyway.]

Emperor Taeyeon "ordered" him to slay the sea monsters that had apparently left the nest and started to pass through the barrier that the folks of Pillas had put to keep the coastline safe.

The emperor had to give him a mission for him to gain permission to cross the Great Sea of the East. Even if Pillas Islands was a part of the empire's territory, they still had to respect the island's rights to the sea.

[If I succeed to slay the sea monsters that threaten the island's coast, the ruler of Pillas said I'm free to take home any pearl or sea life that would pique my interest.]

"Captain, look at those lobsters!" Whitton said as soon as he got on the deck. The knight was holding his sword while facing three giant lobsters. "They managed to climb up here by using their claws!"

Lisa was amazed when he saw the biggest lobsters he had ever seen. They were probably ten to twelve kilograms each. "Catch them alive," he said while pulling out his sword in the holster attached to his hip. "Irene would love to eat lobsters that huge."

***

Irene let out a sigh while looking outside the window of the carriage.

Right now, she was on her way to the royal palace to have an afternoon tea with Her Royal Highness Princess Tiffany Moonchester. The princess sent her an invitation a few days ago. There was no way she could turn down a request from a member of the royal family so here she was now, suffering in silence.

It wasn't like she could suddenly change her attitude towards the princess.

[Father and our servants are pleased by my good relationship with Her Royal Highness.]

As a duke's daughter, she belonged to the same social circle as Princess Tiffany. Even in her previous life, she was always invited by the princess to every party, banquet, or gathering that she had organized.

And as far as she remembered, they were good friends.

Not until she betrayed the princess.

Remembering that today was the day she was supposed to "discover" Princess Tiffany's "royal secret" was enough to dampen her mood.

She let out another sigh.

"I hate to ask but the captain strictly told me to prioritize your well-being, Lady Prescott," Blake said. The knight was sitting across from her. He was inside the carriage because she insisted. "If something is bothering you, I can take care of it, my lady."

"I'm just tired, Sir Blake," Irene lied because she couldn't tell him the truth. "The maids made me take a bath twice."

That was true.

Since she was going to the royal palace to meet the princess, her maids paid extra attention to her bath. They chose the newest dress and the fanciest jewelry in her collection. They also decorated her hair carefully. Even her makeup looked prettier than usual.

[I'm pretty confident with my looks but once I'm next to Princess Tiffany, I would surely look like a couch potato.]

"Ah, I see," Blake said in an obviously uninterested manner. "If you need something, don't hesitate to tell me, Lady Prescott."

She just smiled at the knight, then looked outside the window again.

Based on the road she was seeing, she could tell that they were about to enter the premises of the royal palace. She remembered that in her past life, she came a little earlier than her scheduled meeting with the princess. Because of that, she witnessed something that she shouldn't have

[Wait. I discovered the princess' secret because I was early. But what if I came late? That would be rude of me but if it could change the event that's supposed to happen today, then it's worth the risk. Coming on time is also an option but I want to arrive when "that" incident is already over.]

She immediately turned to Blake who looked like he was monitoring her every move. "Sir Blake, can you help me get into a little "accident?"

Blake looked surprised by her request. "Lady Prescott, I'll do anything but that." He motioned his hand as if it was a knife slashing his neck. "Captain Lisa will kill me if you get hurt in any way under my protection."

"Trust me, Sir Blake," Irene said sweetly in hopes of charming the vice-captain to do what she had in mind. "I have a brilliant plan."

***
"GOOD job," Irene said to Blake while looking at the broken wheel of the carriage they were using a few minutes ago.

[My father will probably get mad at me but I have to do this.]

Earlier, she asked the coachman to stop the carriage and pretended that her hips hurt from sitting for too long. When they got off the carriage, she asked Blake to cut the back wheel.

Then, she used her communication stone to call a nearby carriage rental. The communication stone was a ruby stone embedded in her dangling left earring. She used it as a wireless earphone. After talking to the owner, she asked the coachman to pick up the carriage and gave him a bag of gold to pay for it.

Anyway, she knew that there was a carriage rental near the premise of the royal palace. If she didn't know that, she wouldn't ask Blake to cut the carriage's wheel. She still had to show up at the princess' afternoon tea party after all.

"Lady Prescott, why are you doing this?" Blake asked in a curious voice. "Pardon me but do you not want to attend Her Royal Highness' tea party?"

"That's not it," she denied while shaking her head. "I just need to create a little detour. I can't be late without a proper reason so I asked you to do this. I apologize if my order violated your code of conduct."

He looked flustered by her apology. "My lady, you didn't have to apologize to me. I'm just a mere servant."

"You're Lisa's precious friend and the dependable vice-captain of the Black Serpent Knights," she told him. "Sir Blake, I'd like it if you don't think too little of yourself again."

When she vowed to herself that she would treasure Lisa in this lifetime, she also decided to take care of his friends and family. The captain was an orphan but she knew that he treated the Black Serpent Knights like his family even though some of the members were afraid of him. Thus, she felt the need to look after them like a big sister.

Plus, it wasn't hard to do because the people around Lisa were all good to her.

"Thank you for your kind words, my lady," Blake said with a bow. "I promise to keep that in mind."

She was actually surprised that he used a more polite tone now.

[Did I earn his respect?]

Wow, that was a feat. In her past life, she remembered Blake would always look at her with contempt.

[Ah, I'm slowly but surely changing my fate by simply being a decent human being.]

"Rise, Sir Blake," she said. When he stood up straight and looked at her with respect, she smiled at him. "Would you mind walking me to the Sky Plaza?"

Blake gave her a small smile before he bowed again. "It's an honor to accompany you, Lady Prescott."

She just smiled at that before she started to walk towards the Sky Plaza. It was just a few meters away from the Majestic Forest a manmade wood built to protect the royal palace. Only people with invitations or summons from the royal family could pass the Majestic Forest.


[The security around the palace is really tight.]

Anyone who was headed to the forest would inevitably pass by the Sky Plaza first. It was the heart and the upscale area of the Royal Capital.

The Sky Plaza also boasted 'Aristo' the shopping district for the higher nobles. Well, there wasn't a written rule that said only higher nobles could shop there. But the prices of the products sold in that area were so high that the lower nobles couldn't afford them.

[Oh, our jewelry shop is in Aristo.]

The jewelry shop that her father owned was called Prescott's Choice. Their shop was famous for its jewelry embedded with spirit tones. Those spirit stones had a variety of functions. They could be used as a communication device, a voice and video recorder, and also for taking pictures like how a camera would work.

The spirit stones in their shop came from the mountain that their family owned. And yes, they had their own mining company.

[No wonder our family is so rich.]

"Move!"

Irene was surprised when a young boy suddenly came out of the dark alley on her right side. He child even pushed her out of his way. If Blake didn't catch her, she would have stumbled on the ground. Unfortunately, the boy who pushed her tripped and fell flat face.

Irene gasped and was about to run towards the boy when Blake stopped her.

"Lady Prescott, please stay here," Blake said and pulled away from her. "I'll check on the young boy first."

She nodded because she didn't want to get in the way of his duty.

Blake got down on one knee to face the child who just got up while holding his bleeding chin.

[Oh, that looks painful.]

But she had to say that the young boy looks suspicious. The child was wearing a black beret hat and a black cloak, too. But under the cloak, she could see that he was wearing commoners' clothes. His shoes also looked too big for him.

[No wonder why he tripped.]

Irene was about to walk towards the boy but she stopped when she found several rolling red marbles on the ground. The marbles came from the child's pouch that fell from his pocket.

She bent down to pick the marbles that rolled towards her shoes.

"Don't touch it!"

She was surprised when the boy screamed at the top of his lungs. Instead of letting go of the red marbles, she only held them tighter in her hand. It was reflex.

The young boy stood up right away and looked at her with a shocked look on his face. Even though fresh blood was dripping from the wound on his chin, it looked like he was worried about her instead. "Big sister, are your hands okay? Did they get burn?"

Irene opened her hand where he held the three red marbles that she picked. Her palm wasn't burned or anything so she looked turned to the boy with a knotted forehead. "My hands are fine. Are these marbles flammable or something?"

The young boy's eyes widened in shock. "Why aren't you burned?"

Her eyes also widened. "D-Do you want me to burn?"

The child was about to run towards her but Blake grabbed him by the collar. "Let go!" the boy snarled at the knight. "I need to make sure that big sister is safe!"

"She's not your "big sister," Blake told the child strictly. "Mind your manners and call her 'Lady Prescott,' brat."

The boy looked at her with a knotted forehead. "You're a noble?"

She smiled at the boy as a response and walked towards him. Then, she gestured Blake to let go of his collar. When the child looked up at her, she bent down to reach his eye level. Looking closely, she could tell that he was around nine to eleven years old. And wow, his eyes were a beautiful shade of orange. "Boy, I have a lot of questions for you but we have to bring you to the hospital first," she told him. Then, she held his hand and put the red marbles in his palm. "I hope your marbles didn't get scratched."

"Big sister, these marbles won't get scratched even if you try to cut them with a sword," the boy said. "And only people with affinity to fire can hold these marbles without getting burnt"

"There you are."

Irene was surprised when she heard the stern voice. When she turned around, she was even more surprised to see Sir Dustin Ainsworth the captain of the Golden Tiger Knights.

[It's really him.]

Sir Ainsworth was the oldest among the captains of the Four Orders.

He had light blonde hair, sharp gray eyes, and a faint scar on his chin. He was also lean, tan, and undeniably handsome.

Because of the appearance of Sir Ainsworth, a crowd of nobles gathered around them.

She immediately stood up straight and gave Sir Ainsworth a polite greeting. Blake also greeted the Golden Tiger Knights' captain.

The boy with orange eyes attempted to run away from them but was caught by a Golden Tiger knight right away.

Her chest tightened while watching the child struggle to be freed but to no avail.

"Sir Ainsworth, may I know why the boy is being arrested?" Irene asked out of curiosity and worry. [He's too young to be a criminal, isn't he?]

"Lady Prescott, that child is known as 'Flint' and he's being arrested for disturbing the peace," Sir Ainsworth responded in his usual stern voice. "Unfortunately, the child is spreading rumors about the return of the "Fire Mages."

Sir Ainsworth said the last two words as if he didn't believe in the existence of the Fire Mages.

"The Fire Mages are real!" Flint yelled as if he was offended by Sir Ainsworth's tone. "This empire's Fire Wielders are nothing against the real masters of the fire!"

"Mikhail would be sad to hear that," Sir Ainsworth said.

The captain was talking about Sir Mikhail Denver the heir of Marquis Denver and the captain of the Red Phoenix Knights. As far as she remembered, Sir Denver was one of the empire's most talented Fire Wielders and the second youngest captain from the Four Orders.

[Lisa is the youngest among them.]

"Mikhail Denver is a fake!" Flint yelled again. "Every Fire Wielder here is only a cheap version of the real Fire Mages!"

The buzz among the crowd started to grow louder.

The nobles were making fun of the child, treating Flint like an insane person. Some of them were even urging Sir Ainsworth to execute the boy.

[How heartless!]

"Sir Ainsworth, I understand that you have to arrest the child," Irene said in a desperate attempt to turn the captain's attention away from the people who wanted Flint to be killed. "But doesn't he need medical assistance first? He got hurt when I bumped into him." She lied so Sir Ainsworth wouldn't question her concern for the boy. "I won't be at ease until his injury is treated."

"Very well," Sir Ainsworth said. Then, he turned to the knight holding Flint in place. "Bring the boy to the hospital. Once he's treated, transfer him into my office."

"Yes, Captain," the knight answered politely before marching away from them while holding Flint by the neck.

[Poor boy.]

Flint turned to her with a sad look on his face.

Irene wanted to assure the boy that she would look for him later. But then, Sir Ainsworth suddenly blocked her view. The captain also glared at the crowd which caused them to disperse.

[Good riddance.]

"Lady Prescott, may I know if you have time to talk?" Sir Ainsworth asked politely. His face was as blank as a canvas so she couldn't really read what was on his mind. "It's about a certain knight from my troop who displayed rude behavior towards you."

[Ah, he must be talking about Sir Belington.]

"Sir Ainsworth, I would love to have a talk with you but the timing isn't right," Irene said politely. "I have a scheduled tea party with Her Royal Highness this afternoon. I'm actually running late. The carriage I was using a while ago had a problem so my coachman went to a carriage rental. I'm just waiting for his return."

"Oh, I'm about to head to the royal palace as well," Sir Ainsworth said. "How about we share my carriage and have a talk there, Lady Prescott?"

***

Lisa didn't know why but he suddenly felt annoyed.

He was supposed to use his mallet to crack the lobster's huge claw but when his mood changed, he accidentally crushed the shell in his hands.

Whitton and Damian who were having dinner with him in the ship's kitchen looked surprised. But when he frowned at the two knights, they shifted their eyes away from him and continued eating the lobsters in silence.

[What's this unpleasant feeling?]

For some reason, he could also vividly see Irene's beautiful face in his mind. Well, he never got her out of his head ever since they met at the port. But this time, she came into his mind when he couldn't understand why he felt angry for no reason.

[I hope nothing bad happened to her. Blake is with her so I'm sure she'll be safe. But why do I feel uneasy?]

And why did he feel like he wanted to punch someone?

***