I did not have any time to admire my handiwork, as I felt myself wrestled to the ground. No doubt, it was his knight Souza.

“Hic-”

I lay on the plaza ground, looking up to see two crazed eyes on top of me. Souza was squeezing my neck with monstrous strength. The pitch-black eyes, combined with the raven-colored hair made me shudder in fear.

I knew I would have trouble with Souza, the most loyal person on his highness’s side throughout the entire novel. Souza Francina. Now that I have met her in person, it is obvious she is a girl. But in the story, she did not reveal this fact until she took her last breath in the prince’s arms. This was because Souza could not profess her love for the snobbish prince, as she had lost her ability to speak due to a childhood illness. So, she remained disguised as his male knight until the day she died. It was the only way she could remain close to her love. I had never read of truer love before this.

The lost prince ultimately died in the struggle for the throne. The last wish he made whilst bleeding out under the broken ballroom chandelier, was to tell his late knight how much he loved her. I admit I shed a tear or two while reading this part of “Forgotten Love.” I can almost sympathize with her. She died for the sake of love, much like how I might die trying to save Ciella. Only, I will profess my love before I go.

I tried to keep conscious, but I could feel Souza squeezing the life out of me. Damn it all. Why didn’t I take wrestling instead of my useless art major?! At least then I could have run away from a trained knight, but now I think… I might actually die!

“Souza!” came a cry from behind us.

A single command was all it took to stop her from killing me. She jumped back to Spidey’s side. I immediately took the chance to implement phase two of my plan. I staggered up and brushed off the dirt from my clothes.

“Strangely, you look down on flightless birds,” I said, continuing to dust myself. “When your own guard dog can't even bark.”

I grinned to myself. I could feel his rage from across the plaza. That is right. An eye for an eye. This is how you made me feel when you insulted my darling Via. He walked up to me and tried facing me directly, still clenching his bleeding chin. It did not quite work, as I had the height of a grown man, and he had the height of a teenager. He still chose to badmouth me though.

“Y- you…! Shut up! What do you know about him anyway?! So what if he can’t speak? He is a great knight and my best friend!”

He seemed genuinely hurt by what I had said about Souza. Perfect. This was exactly what I wanted.

“Via is also a brilliant girl,” I said as I narrowed my eyes. “And an amazing friend of mine. Yet you felt the need to beat her down. Is that the type of victim you like to prey on? The injured bird? Does that make you feel manly? Hurting someone who has been hurt the same way their entire lives? Isn’t that a bit hypocritical, considering you cherish a bird who is even more flightless than her?”

His angry expression changed to that of self-reflection. He stepped back from my face.

“No…! I just found her face annoying is all.”

“Why?”

“Just- the way she was smiling… and looking at Lady Lila.”

“But you said you found her disgusting did you not?”

“I- I only said that because I was angry she saw through my joke…!”

“You’re so one-dimensional.” I scoffed in abhorrence. “Think for a moment! WHY would the sight of someone who simply looks a bit different from you, bother you?”

“B-because…!”

“Because you are spiteful,” I interrupted. “You want the people who have led unhappy lives to remain unhappy. You are a miserable human being, thinking like that. That mentality is what makes you weak.”

I took a breath to compose myself. Whoever showed his emotions first would lose. He, on the other hand, expressed his terror through his deafening silence. I could see his eyes glisten. He was holding back tears as he tried to not show me his defeated face.

I looked at the bell tower. Tsk, my hour was up. I needed to finish this quickly. Leaning forward so I could whisper in his ear, I gave the shaking boy my last warning.

“Remember this. The path you are going down right now will lead you and everyone you care for to a sure and painful death. I asked you for an apology, but your stupid pride got in the way. This is your flaw. Your road to misery, Prince Demitri Von Lila.”

I did not give him any time to respond, as I saw Souza approaching us from the corner of my eye. I turned away from him and sprinted out of the plaza.

***

Before me, was the door to the bakery I had left Octavia in. I entered. The doorbell sounded, and the scent of freshly baked goods greeted me. Octavia must have done what I asked.

She was in the exact place I had left her. Octavia’s new white dress swayed beautifully, and her eyes shone when she noticed me enter.

“Via,” I said as I approached her table.

“It was marble.”