38: Duel between the princes

Duel between the princes

Marianne pulled Anastasia into the same room she and Prince Maxwell had stepped out of a moment before, closing the door. Her eyebrows had gathered together to form a slight frown, and when Anastasia continued to stare, the elder Flores sister said, 

"He came to speak to me… He came with a proposal, the same one but slightly different."

"To be his concubine?" A mistress, Anastasia thought in her mind. 

Marianne quietly nodded before letting her back rest against the wall while staring at the ground. 

Anastasia was aware that no woman of the lower class could marry a prince or king. If the man wanted to keep a woman of the lower class, it would be as his concubine or mistress. The prince was offering the same position to her sister again. 

"What do you mean, slightly different?" Anastasia asked, wanting her sister to elaborate on it. 

Marianne struggled to find the right words, as if she was swallowing her hurt and pain, before she replied, 

"Because he's found his soulmate, he will never be able to love me the way he did before. What we had until now has been erased on his side. He probably feels guilty, and wants me to have a better life, to protect me by taking me as his concubine. But there won't be any love, and he will never touch me."

On the bright side, Marianne would be promoted as the prince's concubine, and she wouldn't have to sleep with any more random men who entered the court or to please the king's guests. She would wear expensive clothes and jewels. She wouldn't fall to the lower rank once she grew old. But on the downside, she wouldn't be able to receive anyone's love, and her life would be shallow. She would be alone. 

"He's trying to take responsibility?" Anastasia asked, unsure of Prince Maxwell's intentions as she had believed that once the royal family member met their soulmate, they wouldn't look at anyone else. But then, he had told her beforehand that he wouldn't touch or love her. "Is that what you want, Mary?" 

Marianne smiled, her expression tinged with a touch of bitterness and a certain heaviness in her chest. When her eyes rose to look up at her younger sister, there were tears in her eyes, and she said, 

"It is probably not ideal, but I love him. He could have forced it upon me, but he gave me the option to decide. You don't think it is good?" 

Anastasia sighed and replied, "I am your sister, but only you know what you truly want. I just don't want you to regret the decision you make now in the future."

But the more Anastasia thought about it, the more she realised it would be a better position for Mary than her current one. Instead of spending days and nights with other men, she would be left untouched. 

"I don't have a future, Anna. As hard as it is, this is my life. I guess I am just happy to see him, rather than not see him at all," Marianne clenched her hands, feeling a prick in her heart. "Love is a passing thing, isn't it? One day it is there, and then the next day, it turns out to be an illusion."

Marianne had come to believe that there was no one who could love her the way she had felt Prince Maxwell's love for her. With it gone were the hopes and dreams she had envisioned, and she stood alone in the darkness. 

Anastasia watched her sister lower her eyes while she continued to look dazed. She said, "You are choosing to stay by someone who doesn't love you anymore, sister. I know it is painful, but I think you deserve better. Someone who will love you completely, and I think he is out there, waiting for you. I know it is selfish of me to ask you this… but take your time and give it some thought. When and if you are ready, we will leave." 

Marianne nodded, and Anastasia hugged her sister tightly. The elder Flores sister asked, "What are you doing on this side of the palace at this hour of the night?" 

"Mr. Gilbert asked me to attend to the guests here. I am no more a simple lowly maid but one who works for Princess Emily," Anastasia relayed the news. 

Marianne turned happy for her sister; pulling away, she said, "That's good news! Princess Emily is kind, and you won't have—you… how will you manage it?" She asked, worried that her sister would be caught. 

"So far, everything has gone well. I can only hope it will last until I get away from here," Anastasia offered a reassuring smile to Marianne, not wanting her sister to be more distressed, as she had her own troubles. 

As Anastasia left the room and the corridor to go back to the servants' quarters, the smile on her lips vanished. It was obvious that her sister's heart was in the palace, with the man who didn't love her. Seeing the anguish in her sister's eyes, she hoped to never fall for those emotions and to guard her heart. 

The following day after breakfast, Anastasia was on her feet, following Princess Emily, whose mood seemed better than the one she had left the princess in last night. They walked through the palace corridors, with the hem of the princess's dress sweeping the already-clean floor. 

Princess Emily thoughtfully remarked, "Mother and everyone else is busy with the guests. So this is the perfect opportunity to step away from the palace." 

Anastasia turned to look at the princess, her eyes holding a question. She wasn't sure if the princess was allowed to leave the palace. 

"We will have guards following us, so it is perfectly alright. I only want to go to the base camp where my siblings are. Hopefully, Aiden isn't dead yet," Princess Emily said, as if she was sure he had been beaten by now. She said, "I have already ordered Norrix to bring the tailor, who will be coming this noon to take your measurements."

Anastasia wondered if there was a way to get out of this. Maybe she could say she was sick, but that would come to Mr. Gilbert's attention, as it had been only two days since she had last fallen sick. 

Once they exited the palace, the palanquin awaited at the foot of the stairs. Positioned at the front and back of the palanquin were two men each, while four guards held spears in their hands. 

Princess Emily climbed inside the palanquin before the transparent curtains on either side lowered to conceal her from view. Soon the four men hoisted the palanquin, and once they started to move, the four guards followed, each taking a corner, while Anastasia walked on the left side of the palanquin.

They walked for several minutes under the sun, taking a different path which neither led towards the Bazaar nor the town called Jannat. To Anastasia, it was new, and her eyes took in the tall palm trees and the streets, where many commoners came to catch a glimpse of the royal member of the Blackthorn family taking a stroll.

After many more minutes had passed, Anastasia's eyes finally fell on a steep slope ahead of them. When they got closer, her eyes fell on the wide, hollow ground below where a troop of soldiers practised their fighting skills and were preparing for the upcoming war. In one corner, she could see the young boys who had just been enlisted engaging in rigorous training. 

They went down the slope, and on reaching the lower ground, Princess Emily ordered, "Stop right here. Anna and I will walk from here."

"But Princess—" one of the guards began, quickly stopping when Princess Emily raised her hand and extended it beyond the curtain. She pushed the thin curtains aside before getting down. 

"My brothers will be busy, and I do not want to disturb them. It is the safest place I could be, so you don't have to follow us," Princess Emily ordered the guards.

"Yes, Princess," the guard answered while he, along with the others, bowed at her. 

"Come, Anna. Let us take a stroll," Princess Emily smiled at Anastasia, and they started to walk. 

Anastasia heard the commanding voice of the officer in charge of the young enlisted soldiers giving them orders, which they obeyed, followed by the sound of wooden sticks clashing against each other. 

"I have always held a strange fascination towards this place. Sometimes I wish I were a man. If I were, then I could have been more useful to my family and help Brother Dante," Princess Emily said, her eyes shining brightly as she watched the soldiers training. "It is rather ironic, considering I don't like the sight of blood," the princess nervously chuckled. "Do you find it odd?" 

Anastasia moved her hands as slowly as she could to speak to the princess, asking, "You don't like the sight of blood either?" And to this, Princess Emily nodded. "It would be strange if we did, no?"

"Look! There are my brothers!" Princess Emily spoke excitedly, letting Anastasia know how much the princess loved her brothers. They reached where the three brothers stood and heard Prince Aiden argue with Prince Dante. 

"I am telling you, I love this sword and want to fight with it. It is so pretty, look at its handle!" He looked excited as he stared at its intricate craftsmanship. 

"Find a wooden stick, Aiden. I don't have time to play with you when we need to prepare you for the war," Dante stared hard at his brother, who didn't want to budge. 

Maxwell had chosen a sword himself, and said, "I don't see why Aiden cannot use a real sword if he wants to. Maybe it would be better for me to teach him. After all, in case you have forgotten, I have been in charge of this base since last night."

"You might be in charge of this place, but that doesn't mean you have the skill for it," Dante stated coolly, his words loud and clear, which brought attention from the other people around them. On noticing his sister there, his gaze turned displeased. He asked, "What are you doing here?" 

"I thought to come pay a visit," Princess Emily smiled, before her eyes fell on her younger brother, and she asked, "Why have you poured water on yourself?" 

Prince Aiden stared at his sister and deadpanned, "It is my sweat, Lily." Hearing this, Princess Emily quickly took a step away from him while scrunching her eyebrows. 

Dante's eyes fleeted over to look at the maid behind his sister, who offered him a bow. 

"What do you say, Brother Dante?" Maxwell asked him, bringing his attention back. 

"What for?" Aiden tilted his head, "I think I would prefer to learn from Brother Dante."

Maxwell chuckled and said, "How about a duel?" 

"I don't want to hurt you," Dante stated, his tone serious. 

"A little scratch doesn't bother me, and we will know how far I have come," Maxwell challenged his elder brother to a swordfight. Unlike the other soldiers, as a prince, he had learned the art of swordsmanship from the Vizier. 

"I wasn't talking about scratch marks, but if that is what you wish, let us duel," the serious glint in Dante's eyes reflected slight amusement. He turned to one of the nearby men and ordered, "Bring me a sword." 

Princess Emily frowned and asked Prince Aiden, "I don't think it's a good idea to use a sword. Won't they get hurt?" 

"That is to be seen, but they will be fine. How exciting!" Prince Aiden's eyes brightened as if ready to see his two older brothers fight. 

When Dante and Maxwell stepped into the temporary ring made with the help of ash powder, most of the men who had been training earlier moved towards the ring. Anastasia saw the interest in every man's eyes, who whispered amongst themselves. 

"Who do you think is going to win the duel?" 

"Hard to say. I heard Prince Maxwell has been trained by the Vizier, and we all know how the Vizier won wars for the King," whispered the other man. "Not to mention, with his Crux, he's at the next level. Maybe he will win."

Anastasia's eyes were trained on the two Blackthorn princes, who drew their swords, holding them high. There was an unspoken competition to excel and show who was better than the other. The two men moved in a circle, waiting to find an opening, and suddenly the two swords clashed against each other. 

The sound of the sharp blades rang in and around the ring, filling the men who were watching with excitement, as they had never been able to witness a duel between the princes. 

Maxwell used all his might against Dante's sword, which he had attacked head-on. He flattered his brother, "Do you know how long I have been waiting to duel with you? Everyone believes you are the strongest swordsman here."1

"If you want to take the title, take it. It is all yours," Dante knocked Maxwell's sword away, and their swords clashed again before his brother jumped backwards. 

"I will, so don't hold back," Maxwell smiled, before going back in with continuous attacks. He was annoyed that Dante had not attacked him and was only defending himself. He swung his sword, using all his strength. 

Compared to Maxwell's furious moments, Dante's appeared more graceful, as if he was toying with his brother. 

But after a few moments, even though it seemed like Maxwell was doing well with all the attacks Dante had dodged, their positions switched. Maxwell felt the heaviness of Dante's sword coming down, and though he had moved to the side, his brother's movements were swift. His sword flew from his hand the next moment and fell to the ground. 

"Is that all that you have got?" Dante taunted Maxwell, whose jaws clenched before his lips twitched and turned into a smile. 

"Far from it," Maxwell replied, bringing his hands forward. Soon his hands turned into sharp, long daggers. "You don't mind if I don't use the sword, do you?" He attacked Dante, who used his sword and dodged the sharp dagger that came close to his face. 

Anastasia heard Prince Aiden remark, "Woah! That must be what a level up does to the existing Crux. Now I wish I had met my soulmate, just to know what I can do."

Princess Emily whispered, "I have seen him transform metals, but this is really unique. Brother Dante is at a disadvantage."

"A big one," Prince Aiden nodded in agreement. 

Anastasia watched Prince Maxwell's relentless attacks against Prince Dante. Prince Maxwell's daggered hands turned longer and sharper, and he moved around to slash his brother's back, and the fabric of Dante's shirt absorbed his blood. 

Unconsciously, Anastasia's hands clenched at her sides, feeling her heart skip a beat when one of the daggers came too close to Prince Dante's neck. The sounds of the blades were relentless and fast. 

Dante moved back when he saw Maxwell's daggered hand swipe through the air to strike him. One of the daggers grazed against his arm, which left a tear on his shirt and brought a line of blood with it. Some of the people around murmured, and Dante remarked, 

"With a little more practice, you will do well in the upcoming war." 

Maxwell glared lightly and said, "I don't know if I should take that as a compliment." 

"That depends," Dante replied when they pulled away, leaving a good amount of space between them, and at the same time, Maxwell narrowed his eyes. 

When Maxwell returned to attack Dante to end the duel, the latter kicked up the sword that belonged to Maxwell and caught it in his hand. The daggers clashed against the swords as they moved around the ring. When the younger Blackthorn prince moved both weapons, Dante bent back to dodge the attack and kicked his brother's leg, making him fall to the ground. 

Before Maxwell could get up, one sword swished right next to his head to stick into the ground, while the other was placed at his throat. Dante remarked, 

"Don't weigh years of experience against an ability. There's no point in wielding something if you don't know how to do it." 

Putting away the sword, Dante offered his brother a hand to stand up. But Maxwell, whose pride was hurt, didn't take it, and he pushed himself up to stand. Maxwell's hands returned back to normal. Dusting himself off, he left the ring, while some of the soldiers applauded the princes. 

"I will need ten years to get to where they are," Prince Aiden said with dread, after witnessing the skills displayed by his two older brothers. 

"Brother Dante won!" Princess Emily was in awe, "I can finally breathe; I was worried something would happen. To think he doesn't have the Crux's ability," she said with a stunned expression. 

"It was expected to happen, Princess," someone said from behind.

Anastasia turned along with Prince Aiden and Princess Emily, and their eyes fell on an elderly soldier who worked under Prince Dante. He bowed at them and apologised, "Forgive me for speaking out of turn." 

The soldier then said, "When the prince was young, he had to make up for the lack of his Crux and trained very hard for a long time. I believe he was only humouring Prince Maxwell today, because the man I know on the battlefield would have ended the fight in less than a few seconds."

Anastasia turned to look back in the direction where Prince Dante stood. He wore an expressionless look on his face and was back to giving orders to the soldiers, unfazed by the fresh wounds caused by Prince Maxwell, which were soon hidden beneath his coat. 

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