- POV General -

The sun was high in the sky and its rays were descending on a small continent located in the Southern seas. On this medium continent there wasn't much except forests, some steep mountains, villages and a big city on the water's edge. Although there were much larger cities in this world, this one was still big enough to have a huge port in it.

This city, named "Belfort", was governed by a Lord in charge of looking after the population and managing everything related to trade. The import and export of all kinds of products was a common practice in this world where merchant ships scoured the seas in search of riches. Indeed, the richest continents and their cities saw their businesses prosper while those who had nothing to contribute ended up dying slowly.

The city of Belfort was considered neither rich nor poor, and its inhabitants lived by working the land and doing many businesses. For many places like this, merchant ships stopped every week to stock up on water or food and offer a few products. Thus, daily life was not difficult and the inhabitants lived their lives peacefully and happily.

But, where the maritime trade would prosper, many people decided to take to the sea to pillage and plunder... pirates. Some were bloodthirsty criminals, others were adventurers in search of freedom and sometimes both. In Belfort, however, it was almost impossible to see pirates because the city was too poor to attract the attention of the dangerous ones.

However, the originally calm and serene town was about to experience for the first time during the night an unexpected event that would mark the destiny of one girl in particular. 

For the moment it was only noon, the seagulls were singing high in the sky, the sound of the waves and the smell of the sea was everywhere and the whole town was animated. For good reason, it was Sunday and the weekly market was held in all the streets, animated and filled with stalls. The girl in question was in the middle of one of them, shuffling her feet and looking around disinterestedly.

Her name was Achi Von Kokosnuss, she was 15 years old and happened to be the daughter of the Lord of the city, the most influential and richest man. Blonde with a ponytail tied on the left side, she was dressed in a beautiful red dress with ribbons that went perfectly with her eyes. Indeed, Achi had pink eyes of which she was very proud, tinted with some red reflections according to the light and her moods.

The young teenager was very pretty and had a beautiful face, however always frowned, testifying of her rather difficult character. Each day, she rarely smiled and spent most of her time complaining about her life which she found banal. Achi didn't think she was destined for great things, but rather dreamed of being able to do what she wanted, when she wanted, without any adult telling her what to do.

The young teenager was roaming the streets looking for something exciting to do and a way to brighten up her far too boring days. The sound of horse-drawn carriages mixed with the sounds of the city, the voices of passers-by and their laughter. Smells swirled in the air and you could smell everything from the baker's bread to the carpenter's wood to the bookseller's books.

"Tch...gee, when am I going to be able to part with those bootlicks ?"

As she whispered these words, Achi was shooting at a rock in the middle of the road while quietly looking over her shoulder. She was being followed by two guards who had orders to watch over her when she left the family manor. It was indeed common practice for nobles to do this and the Von Kokosnuss family was no exception.

Unfortunately, Achi, although of noble blood, was far from acting like one, much to the chagrin of her mother who tried to educate her like a Lady. The young girl had no problem standing perfectly but there was only one thing that prevented her from being a Lady : her tongue. Achi never had a tongue in cheek and always spoke in a sarcastic tone, always scaring off the other children and adults around her.

"What's the point of being able to go out if I have to drag two idiots around with me all the time and watch my every move ! I'd rather live on the street, at least I'm sure I'll experience interesting things !"

Today was the day she was allowed to go out but despite this permission she felt anything but free. As she spoke softly while complaining, she glanced to her right. Young children, barely dressed, were begging for food without ever receiving a glance from passers-by. Stopping for a moment at this scene, Achi sighed before shaking her head.

"Yeah no actually...I take that back. Money is way too important."

Pulling out a purse filled with gold coins from her small bag, her scowling face then suddenly became more illuminated showing an unexpected childish side. The young girl pink eyes sparkled and she could be heard giggling softly at the sight of her small fortune. In her life which she found dull and boring to death, her only comfort and interest was the money or candy she bought for herself every Sunday.

"Hehehehehe~ let's go buy some candy~"

As Achi uttered this sentence, she stepped forward into the crowd of people that began to fill the pedestrian street she was on. Sneaking with unconcealed haste towards the only fancy candy shop in town, she was suddenly bumped on the left shoulder by someone. Nearly tripping, the girl stood up with a palpable anger, not hesitating to immediately raise her voice.

"Hey idiot ! You could look where you are going ! Because of you I almost spilled my p..."

Suddenly, shivers ran down her spine as if a bad feeling was taking over her preventing her from finishing her sentence. Lowering her head to look at her right hand, Achi discovered with horror that her beautiful purse full of coins of which she was so proud had disappeared. Raising her head with a face between despair and anger, she began to look around.

"M-My purse full of money...m-my coins, my wealth, my allowance gone !!"

As the young Lady Von Kokosnuss began to shake with frustration, her eye fell on the person who had just jostled her earlier. The mysterious person was wearing a cloak with a hood covering their entire face leaving no clue as to their gender or appearance. The only thing Achi could see was a hand full of rings, one of which had a seal with an "H" engraved on it.

But what particularly attracted the girl was the object that this hand was holding tightly and that they was about to hide. This mysterious person was shamelessly stuffing her purse full of coins into their pocket. As she gradually disappeared through the crowd, Achi came out of her shock before going after the thief.

"Hey !! Thief !! Wait !! My purse !! Give it back !!"

"Lady Von Kokosnuss wait !!"

Grabbing the corners of her awkward dress, the noble girl would rush out, throwing herself among the people as she ran behind the figure. The two guards seeing this were in turn trying to navigate through the world theren in vain. Achi Von Kokosnuss had already disappeared, too busy to listen or even stand like a Lady sneaking around with difficulty never taking her eyes off the figure that was always moving further away.

"My coins !! Give them back !"

The young teenager continued to shout but apart from the passers-by who looked at her in a strange way, no one seemed to take her seriously. Suddenly, the figure turned quietly into an alleyway to the left and usually deserted, seeming not to even care about their pursuer. This action did not escape Achi's eyes because it was now her turn to walk into this street without thinking.

It was darker, dirtier and the further the girl went into this street, the more the desire to block her nose took her. The walls of the houses were no longer white but black with grease and the water from the sewers flowed almost freely on the paved road. Everything was very dirty, but Achi was determined to find the thief. Moving forward cautiously, the foul smell and the unbreathable air finally made her put her hand to her nose.

"Buaaah ! Seriously, what is this smell ? It's disgusting, dirty and I'm sure that even after I get home and have a good bath I'll stink until tomorrow ! Tch, all because of that damn thief who disappeared !"

Tapping her feet for a few seconds to let her frustration pass, she would stop before sighing. Complaining as always, the girl was about to turn back when suddenly, as she turned around a man appeared in her path. He was fat, hairy and it only took one look to understand that he was not there with good intentions at all.

"Well well well…young Lady, that's not very nice what you just said ! You look rich to me so you can't understand what people like us go through every day.."

"Tch... and I don't want to, thank you..."

The man had said these words while slowly moving closer while Achi had mumbled her answer in a low voice. She knew very well that she was in a bad position but she couldn't help opening her mouth because it was stronger than her. Nevertheless, in front of this unknown man, in a remote and unsanitary alley, the young lady was still trembling.

Achi might have a sharp tongue but she was not stupid and knew very well that at this moment, the situation was not good. She clenched her fists and kept her head up but unconsciously her body was backing up slightly as the man moved forward. He didn't fail to notice this and it was with a voice that was both hoarse and fat that he began to speak again.

"Hahaha~ Poor thing, if you keep backing up like that you're going to meet people even more terrifying than me. Trust me you don't want to go down that kind of street hahaha~!"

He had an awful laugh and every word he said made him spit out a mountain of yellow and white spray. His teeth were mostly black when they hadn't fallen out and his tongue was hideous, pale almost green. Achi had begun to tremble despite herself and in her head a dozen scenarios were playing out as the man spoke again. 

"Come on... there's no point in being afraid hehe~ I'm not going to hurt you, I just want your money and... and... hehehe~ Ahem... you don't have anyone here with you young Lady, you better not resist or I might hurt you hehehe~!"

At these words, he reached out his furry hand to grab Achi by the hair, not having the patience to wait, far too excited by the easy prey she was. She, closed her eyes instinctively, her heart beating seeing her end approaching very fast. As her breathing quickened, Achi suddenly felt a hand rest on her shoulder making her jump as a voice echoed near her.

"Sorry to disappoint you big guy but... this cutie here is with me !"

The person who had just spoken was a woman and her soft but commanding voice sounded immediately bewitching to the frightened girl. She had spoken these words with great confidence and although her voice was calm, it was also strong and commanding. Achi, slowly opening one eye, turned her head over her shoulder to see a hand full of rings including a sigil ring with an "H" for seal.

"Hey but you are...

Having immediately recognized this thieving hand, Achi was about to retort but didn't have the chance because the mysterious woman prevented her from doing so by pulling her against her. The girl had not seen her face but felt the unexpected strength of this woman who had robbed her but appeared from nowhere to save her. Only able to listen, Achi didn't move and stretched her ear to hear the voice of the man who became enraged.

"Who are you ? Where did you come from ? Get lost or I'll break your face ! I saw her first !"

"Oh~? So the disgusting, sweaty pig that you are feels unjustly possessive !? Interesting. But just so you know, this adorable little thing doesn't belong to you so let me give you some advice."

As the mysterious woman finished her sentence, she let go of Achi before gently whispering to her to wait a few seconds. Facing the hideous man, the hooded and ringed woman did not tremble and even waited patiently. Taking out a knife from his pocket, the attacker threw himself on her without hesitation with heavy and slow steps. Achi was still a little afraid but curiosity made her keep quiet and observe.

"One : A woman's body is beautiful and precious and should never be hurt under any circumstances. To hurt a woman is a crime ! You can steal them but never hurt a woman... without her consent at least fufu~"

The young woman began to speak as if nothing had happened as the man came up to her with a dagger in his hand. Shifting slightly to the side, she grabbed the slimy, hairy arm of her attacker as she spoke before flicking her wrist. Using her opponent's strength, the woman would bring him to his knees as she sat quietly on his back continuing her monologue.

"Two : Never talk about your exes on the first date unless she asks you directly. You wouldn't want to scare off the one who's interested in you on the first date, would you ?"

"You bitch...!

"Thank you~"

Red with anger, the man quickly stood up, swinging his arm with all his strength at the one who was gleefully humiliating him. It was without counting the agility of the one with the hood which in a fast and effortless jump avoided the blow of the knife. Following the gesture, she grabbed the arm of the violent man before twisting it casually provoking a big crack followed by a fat cry.

*CRACK*

"Aaaaaahhg"

"What a diva voice you have there but shhhh, shut up a little, I'm not done yet. Ahem...Three : If you're so lonely, poor thing, start by changing your overly aggressive language and... your appearance. I mean... ew ! Okay you must be desperate but still, make an effort... urgently, you make me want to puke !"

Finishing her sentence, the woman who still hadn't revealed her face then hit the man in the stomach with her knee before grabbing his head. With her two hands, she exploded his teeth with force, making him fall almost unconscious on his back in the dirty alley. Jumping up beside him, the hooded woman would raise her foot before bringing her heel down on the man's head, smashing his skull against the cold, wet ground.

"Four : Women are Queens, treat them as such or you'll end up alone and that'll serve you right !"

Unfortunately, Achi's assailant could not hear any more advice from the unknown woman as his condition did not allow it. He was disfigured, blood was flowing from his ears, mouth, nose and his breathing was weak. Without worrying about all this, the woman wiped her boot full of blood on the clothes of the unfortunate man before raising her voice.

"For you it will be free, my fatty, you will thank me later."

Achi was speechless and was torn between disgust and a sudden admiration like she had never experienced before. For the first time in a long time, chills had run through her during all those seconds and made her tingle. Too proud to realize or admit it, after coming to her senses, the noble girl could think of nothing else to say but what she had repeated so many times today.

"Y-You !! My purse, give it back to me you thief !"

As the mysterious woman stretched, at the young teenager's words she stopped before turning to her. For the first time, Achi could see the bottom of her face and beautiful pink lips forming a teasing smile. Giggling, the woman bent down to pick up the poor man's dagger before playing with it. As her fingers twirled it this way and that, with a provocative air she finally answered.

"You know, young lady... just because you yell "give me back my purse" doesn't mean we're going to give it back to you. But don't worry, I'll take good care of it for you cutie~ Here, take this !"

Finishing her sentence, she threw the dagger towards Achi who once again closed her eyes without even knowing why. A sound of iron was then heard at her feet and before she could even open her eyes, a kiss was placed on her cheek. Outraged, confused, shy and angry all at once, she opened her eyes to find the woman gone and the dagger at her feet.

"Your purse and that kiss, think of it as my payment for saving your little noble ass ! I suggest you get the hell out of here if you don't want to find yourself in the same situation after only a few minutes hahaha~"

"Y-You !!"

The voice of the woman with the provocative smile had echoed from the roof of a house just above Achi's head. Her laughter bounced off the walls of the narrow street, but as the young teenager looked up in anger, no one was standing there anymore. The woman who had robbed and saved her had disappeared leaving only a smile in Achi's thoughts as she hurried to the main street with a restless mind.