The Blade Princess

---The Champion's Ball---

I don't know how it came to this but practising with weapons and improving my use of internal force brought me peace. Earlier it was walking in the garden and tea with my father. But that seemed a lifetime ago. Like it was not me who did, it was some poised princess dressed in a gown too expensive for her taste and smiling at things not realising the harsh truth of life.

Bretrarum was right, the world was harsher and he unknowingly prepared me for it. 

The Kingdom  I once considered my second home, the place where Henley resided and I imagined in my head of walking hand in hand with him after we get married felt like a suffocating prison. Thankfully, Dark Prince requested a quarter near his father's place as he announced my arrival to Henley. Thought I was hiding right now, I had to face him in the ball kept in his honour.

Suddenly my depressing thought process was interrupted by a sword clashing with mine and Dark Prince almost materialised in front of me. We duelled for a few minutes reminding me of older days and I still struggled to hit him but my body could pick up his aura, his body heat around me now.

"Enough Princess, you have been doing this for hours now. You are exhausting yourself." He said with an unpleasant frown on his face.

I stopped and dropped the sword from my hand, I could feel the numbness course through my upper arm and the nauseous feeling in my gut. He was right, I haven't slept and eaten, all I did was trying to let my anger and misery out by hitting thin air.

And there was gratitude due so I looked at the Dark Prince and even in the mask today, I can feel the concern from him.

"Thank you," I said.

When he just remained silent I elaborated for him, "For not being one of those who destroyed my home. For not being able to hate me enough and making my life a little miserable." He just stared at me with a passive look like I was not in my right mind.

"I have a war ahead of me and I might not live through the whole thing, hell, I hope I do not. But I need to fight it for my father and myself." I said feeling anger surge through me.

And he sighed and came closer, even then making my heart flutter, "We, Princess. We have a war ahead of us."

That was enough to make tears well in my eyes and I embrace him wrapping my arms around him seeking comfort that could set my dishevelled heart and mind at rest even though trusting anyone was becoming even more difficult now.

---

The angry waves coming off the King of Nevarlia was almost the same as evil glare from Henley's stepmother and it was slightly amusing. Aside from them, everyone was shell shocked as I walked in the ball with my arms interlinked with non-other than the feared Dark Prince. Probably because no one has ever seen someone in such proximity with him.

And even though he lost to Henley in this battle, no one still dared to mock him or judge him his reputation was enough to make people tremble. 

I was dressed according to my new status, in a royal black gown with black feathers adorning my dress below my waist. They glittered as I moved under the light. My hair was put to perfect waves and a little tiara was set on my head which felt more like a chain on my neck.

Diamond and emerald, the two of my least favourite jewels were used as my accessories. A thumb-sized emerald rested on my chest attached to a silver chain and it felt too cold my bare skin.

As we walked in the expected reaction among the crowd made me feel a lot better. The previous disdain and insults were replaced with fearful silence.

It was amusing to watch how everyone feared Bretrarum more than the King himself.

"I think you need to stand beside the Prince my dear," King said and I froze as the realisation dawned on me.