Raymond and Scarlett

"Mr.Ray, this is the place reserved for you," a guard informed him as he was led inside a spacious gallery that overlooked the vast ground in the middle of the coliseum. "I will be outside if you need anything. "

Raymond looked around the place and nodded satisfactorily. It was more lavish than he imagined. A nicely cushioned settee was placed in the middle and an assortment of fruits and wine was kept on the long table in front of it.

Taking a seat, Raymond could look down at the ground below through the open window. Jasmine was quick to sit beside him and pour a cup of wine for him.

"Master, here, drink this," Jasmine held the cup close to his mouth for him to take a sip and enjoy. But Raymond snatched it from her hands.

"I have hands. I can drink by myself."

"Hmph," Jasmine pouted. "Master, how about I feed you these grapes?" She took the bunch of grapes and dangled it in front of his eyes.

"Lyla!" Raymond called out.

"Yes," Lyla appeared by his side and took the grapes away from Jasmine.

"Don't think I can be pleased just by this," Raymond glared at Jasmine. "What were you trying to prove by going behind my back? Eh? Do you think I would abandon Lyla for Scarlett?"

"Mmmh, I am sorry," Jasmine lowered her head. "I won't do it again." She muttered under her breath.

"No, Jasmine! You're not sorry!" Raymond scowled. "Don't try to act pitiful. I am not falling for it."

"Master, I swear, I won't do it again," Jasmine said, her voice cracking from panic. This day couldn't get any worse for her.

"Shut up, Jasmine. I don't want to deal with you right now. I have other things to worry about."

Raymond was getting restless the more he had to wait. The sooner he told his secret to Scarlett the better it was.

She wouldn't try to kill him after learning the truth, right?

Raymond shook his head. If she didn't even try to hit him once after learning the truth then she wasn't the girl he had gotten to know these past few days.

Lyla fed him grapes as he drank the wine in big gulps. Soon the bottles started to pile up by the side but Raymond was still sober.

"Huh? Did I drink everything?" He asked as he looked around and to his shock found that there was no more wine to drink.

"Jasmine, call the guard. I want more wine."

"Master, you already drank a dozen people's worth of drink. How much more do you want?" Jasmine tried to reason with him.

"Hmph, I want to see how much I can drink before I get drunk!" Raymond huffed. It wasn't often that he was offered a free drink like this. So it wouldn't hurt to test his resistance to alcohol.

Before Raymond could further explain his reasons for drinking their attention was shifted to a booming voice coming from the middle of the ground.

"Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests and beloved members of our noble community,"

A rather tall man in the middle of the platform raised at the focal point of the coliseum announced loudly, lacing his voice with mana. His black hair was streaked with grey indicating his age. His piercing hazel eyes were shining brightly.

"Welcome, one and all, to the grand celebration of Phoenix Festival!"

With a flick of his hands, the ground shook and was split open at 10 different places to give rise to 10 gigantic doors etched with magical runes. As they came to settle on the ground with a rumble, he continued:

"As you all can see, the festival starts off with our proud youngsters going through Heaven's Door to start their cultivation. Best of luck to every participant, may the spirit of Phoenix be with you!"

The announcer was met with thunderous applause and excited cheers.

"Don't forget to try out our empire's delicacies. The Coliseum is surrounded by stalls of various specialties of food. You will find all the tasty treats you will ever want in your life!

"In the evening, you will witness the grand display of prowess by our young lords, the very people who are the hope of our future, through fantastic and thrilling duels."

"That is not all, my fellow citizens! At night, you will bear witness to the biggest fireworks in all of our empire, no, I daresay in all of our Continent!"

The crowd roared at the top of their lungs. It could be heard even in the surrounding landmarks of the Capital City.

"Thank you for joining us in this extraordinary event. May your time at the Phoenix Festival be filled with unforgettable memories, cherished friendships, and a renewed sense of wonder.

Enjoy the festivities, and let us ignite the flames of joy together!

Welcome to the Phoenix Festival!"

Followed by a resounding round of applause, the teenagers on the cusps of reaching their maturity were led into the ground in droves.

"Sigh~ I have to be the judge of those duels," Raymond sighed. He had been briefed by the guard about his role in the festival. As the guest of honour, he was made the judge of the duels between the youngsters of the noble families.

"I wonder if someone will bribe me to judge in their favour," Raymond hoped that it would be the case. At least, he could get something out of watching these boring fights.

"You should've leaked the news about your involvement before today if you wanted that to happen," Lyla said coolly. She had seen her fair share of these shady dealings made by nobles.

They wouldn't just jump into these things without thinking. They will take their time contemplating everything before doing anything illegal lest they get caught by the Imperial Family.

So it was very unlikely for them to bribe Ray now.

*******

'When is it going to end?'

Scarlett groaned inwardly. She was feeling sleepy but couldn't even doze off in front of everyone.

It was really boring to watch people go through Heaven's Door. There was nothing exciting about it for Scarlett who had been watching these events from a very young age. She couldn't fathom how most of the people found it exciting.

But the thoughts about the evening kept her going. That was when Ray would be introduced to the public and her brother would be appointed as the crown prince.

Her mood dampened considering how her engagement would be announced after that.

'No, just announcing it will change nothing. I still have time.'

She consoled herself with that thought. As long as the marriage didn't happen, she had time to do something about it.

Scarlett watched the ongoing event, her head buried in thoughts about her future. Time passed without her knowing.

The sun was about to drown into the horizon as Rob, her father's second Imperial Guardian, announced the end of the event.

She quickly made her way towards the guest room where Ray was seated. Along the way, she had to smile and shake hands with several nobles and young lords who tried to strike up a conversation with her.

By the time she had reached halfway, the break time was coming to an end and the second event was about to start.

"Ahh, Scarlett, I was looking for you!"

Her face brightened hearing Ray's voice. She turned around to see him walking towards her from the side corridor, his hands full of meat skewers.

"You want one?" He offered her a skewer which she politely refused. It wouldn't sit well with others if someone saw her eating street food.

"No, you can eat it, "Scarlett said. "Come with me. You're to sit beside our family for this event."

She tried to grab his hands only for him to lift her off the feet and carry her to a vacant room by the side.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Scarlett asked, making sure that no one saw her coming here. "Don't do something like that again. What if someone saw us?"

"Argh, I don't care. I need to talk with you," Raymond urged. "Please give me a few minutes to say what I want."

"Fine!" Scarlett relented, feeling the seriousness in his voice. "But make it quick, we need to go back."

"Err…uhm… y-you see…" Raymond stammered as he found it difficult to word it.

"Hurry up, Ray! The event is about to start!"

"Argghh! Fuck it, here goes nothing," Raymond took a deep breath before his lips parted to utter those words.

"Ray is my nickname and my real name is Raymond Clover. Just like you I have been hiding my real name and identity."

"Huh?"

Scarlett staggered backwards as her mind blanked, his voice echoing in the far corners of her mind.

"Hah! Hahaha! I think I heard it wrong! These people are cheering too loudly. Can you repeat what you said, please?"

"Are you alright?" Raymond asked as she grabbed her hands to steady her faltering steps.

"I said repeat yourself! I didn't hear it clearly!" Scarlett shrieked furiously.

"Sigh~ My name is Raymond Clover. Ray is just my nickname."

"You bastard!"

-Thump!

Scarlett started punching him in the chest. Her hands blurred as she balled her fist and kept punching him.

"This must be some sick joke!" She screamed as Raymond caught her hands. "Tell me you're joking!"

"Woah! Calm down, lady."

"How the fuck am I supposed to calm down? You shithead!" Scarlett was losing it.

"I am going to kill you!"

-Mana Burst-

His shirt was shredded to pieces due to the impact, but Raymond stood rooted to the ground, unmoving.

"You know you can't kill me. So stop it, will you?" Raymond chopped her on the head.

"You stupid man…" Scarlett whispered as she collapsed into his body. Raymond quickly caught her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Do you know how many nights I have spent sleepless thinking about strangling you?" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she remembered her sleepless nights.

"Aiyo! What?" Raymond sweatdropped.

"Hmph, what did you expect? You're lucky you are stronger than me or else…" Scarlett threatened as she breathed in his manly scent.

She couldn't help but let out a humourless chuckle as she remembered her stupid plan of bringing Ray to the Imperial Family to escape her marriage with Raymond Clover.

'Fate is such a bitch!'

-Gong! -Gong! -Gong!

As if agreeing with her thoughts, the sound of a bell ringing spread throughout the Capital.

But Scarlett completely ignored it as she tightened her arms around his waist.

"I don't know what to do now. I have been hating Raymond Clover for as long as I can remember," she choked, her voice strained with emotion. "But if there's anyone I want by my side, it's Ray—the strongest man I've ever known."

"You heartless brute! How dare you toy with my emotions like this! What am I supposed to do now?"

Scarlett knew he wasn't entirely at fault for hiding his identity. But she couldn't forgive him for ignoring their betrothal and living his life without worries.

More than this unfair marriage agreement, what irked her so much was that she had been completely ignored by her supposed fiancé.

But she knew in her heart that she could never hate this Ray who had saved her from that demonic wyvern, who had helped her to find her brother.

"Follow your heart, Scarlett. Oh wait, I should call you Sasha, shouldn't I?" Raymond's laughter was hollow and dry. "Although I can't fathom why you harbour such hatred towards me. If you truly desire to end my life, go ahead and try."

"But mark my words, dear Sasha, your life will only be wasted if you choose hatred and come after my life, for you shall never succeed," Raymond asserted, his tone laced with an air of confidence.

"Mmph!"

Raymond was attacked by her lips as soon as he finished saying the practised monologue that he had reserved for his enemies.

Scarlett couldn't deny it. She was a sucker for confident men. Especially Ray, who could back up his every word with his power.

"You're not Raymond Clover and I am not Scarlett Phoenix, understood?" She spoke, releasing his lips from hers, with the same confidence he had shown just before. "You're Ray and I am Sasha. That's all that matters!"