A dare-devil commoner. A notorious, beastly Prince. His gentle brother. And an enraged Princess. When the four of them crossed paths, hell froze over. Oh, and a complicated love square between them was just a cherry on top.
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Gabriella Adler...
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"So you're telling me you trained all these years just to cry like a little girl on such a minor wound?"
The king wrathfully looked down upon the contestant who lost very dreadfully.
Ella had forgotten that for the king, no matter how benevolent or courteous, he was, weaklings were still his least of favorites.
"I'm sad to disappoint you like that, Your Majesty. Punish me, I deserve that."
The contestant said, his head hung low, drowned in shame and misery. His sword was worn in half by the King's men and his oath was next in line.
"Bring forth his oath."
The king commanded as he stood up from his cushioned seat and walked downstairs, to a place where the whole arena could watch without any hindrance. The contestant's oath was a silver pendant. It didn't look too expensive, but it wasn't some cheap street market accessory either; to the contestant, its worth was defined by a photo of him and his daughter inside the pendant. She couldn't survive long enough to see her father fight today. He hoped to place his and her last memory inside the palace doors as his parting gift to her.
Too bad, she was near to die another death today, along with her father's pride through the hands of the stingy royals.
The poor man was a wreck.
One could tell by the way his hand was clutched tightly on his heart and tears threatened to fall down his pale face.
The king halted in his steps before looking back to the royals.
"Would you do us the honors, Prince Theodore?"
Prince Theodore, who lazily gazed between the devastated man and the frail pendant, smirked a little and got up.
"My pleasure."
He responded as he marched down the stairs behind the king.
Prince Theodore walked towards the object; he plucked it up and keenly inspected it. He caught the man stealing glances at his oath and wiping his tears, his attempts to stay strong were a disaster. The expression in Prince Theodore's eyes changed. Watching the man sitting so pathetic and weak irked him.
He dropped the pendant down and stepped upon it with great force, shattering the remains on the floor; in the process, some of them flew over to the contestant's face.
He didn't withdraw his eyes from the man's figure, while performing such a hideous deed, not for even a single second.
The crowd roared in delight.
They enjoyed the silent slaughter of the man's dignity.
They fed upon their people's agony.
Ella spotted the entire scenario in rage.
Her hand itched from how hard she gripped her sword in fury. She watched Prince Theodore as he worked his way back to his seat. The smug look and his eyes devoid of empathy made Ella close her own and take deep breaths to steady herself. She observed him lay back on his comfortable seat and shut his lids; Ella watched how Princess Irene glanced over Prince Theodore, hardly blinking and cheeks flushed.
She also witnessed Prince Emmett.
Ella found him different.
To her surprise, he was the only one who looked upon the defeated contestant with compassion. He reassuringly smiled at the swordsman a little as he got up to exit. However, Ella also didn't fail to mark how he peered over Princess Irene every other minute and the faint blush that crept upon his ears.
This was too familiar, all too familiar.. Was Ella witnessing a love triangle?
"Contestant number 5, Gabriel Alder. Proceed towards the ring."
As soon as Ella heard the announcement her heart danced several beats per minute.
This was it.
This was her queue.
She drew out the cloak even further down her face and walked towards the ring. Her bottom lip was tightly captured in her teeth in anxiety and her sword was being trailed behind her. She stepped into the middle of the ring and bowed to the king in regard.
No matter how much she tried she couldn't brush off the vague murmurs from the audience.
"Why is his stature so narrow?'
"What is he? A girl?"
"Guess we're seeing another oath crushed to trash today."
"Name your oath, Gabriel Adler."
The host exclaimed
"It's ɢᴀʙʀɪᴇʟʟᴀ Adler sir, and I name God as my Oath."
Gabriella replied as she pulled off the hood of her dark cloak revealing her long, twisty brown hair.
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