35 A word that triggers Sherin

"Keep in mind that you surrendered." Sherin said and kept her sword away.

The heavy atmosphere seemed to lighten up a bit ever since Alec stopped their duel. All of the people inside had mixed feelings from the fight. Full of surprise and excitement but it all vanished as he surrendered.

Louis. who were very focused on the fight, calmed his tense body and dropped down to lean back on the tree. He frowned but then turned his head a bit to the direction of the other knight, "How lame, I guess your captain stops fighting when he is about to lose." he said to Tristan with obvious mockery in his tone.

Tristan frowned and rolled his eyes, ashamed for putting on airs. He was so sure that his captain would win, too confident. He sighed with disappointment, 'How could you suddenly end the duel, Captain?' he thought, annoyed now that a kid is teasing him.

Louis removed the smirk on his face and silently glanced at Alec with a squint, 'Unknown past, recruited by the crown prince, possibly connected with Aranea as he stopped after finding out that she is a spider...' he continued to think and try to find more dots to connect.

He might not look like it because he is a brat in everyone's view, but Louis is sharp to notice even the slightest things that feels off. 'These people from Antares are suspicious.' he thought and Chance came into his mind, 'Hmm, servant.'

The sudden request to stop the duel still irked the female aide, she finally pushed Alec to the point where he fought back with his sword but then he suddenly surrendered, 'This is really ridiculous.' she thought again.

When she was about to approach Alec, she stopped and took only one step forward as the knight also stepped back, She looked at him, "You. Are you doing all this just to mock me?" she said, feeling that it was weird of him to do those things.

"What makes you think that I am?" he asked.

"You probably still think that I am not worth fighting, for I am a woman." she said and glared at the Valorian, "You made me think that you would fight me seriously and when I did, you stopped. For what? To mock me?" 

Niro put his hand on Sherin's back to calm her down, his brows furrowed, there was no need for her to put much thought to it. Normally, she would just let it be. No matter how slow or fast her mood changes, she would never be so agitated just because an enemy quitted.

'I guess she acknowledges this man as someone on par with her.' he thought and shot a serious glance on Alec. He saw his surroundings spiralling once again, so he turned around for a while for them not to see his expression.

"To mock you?" he asked and took a quick glimpse at the house then back to Sherin, "I do not have time to waste to do such a thing." he added, which annoyed Sherin even more.

Niro finally got his sight straight and back to normal, well at least for now, and turned back to face them. Surprised, he saw Sherin glaring at Alec. 'How could Alec make her be like this with no effort?' he thought.

Even Sherin does not know why she was being like that, she was calm earlier but whenever Alec does little things it would already make her blood boil.

Alec was observing her since the moment they fought, right now he was still watching her. He looked down and stared at the spider on her sword, "Why are you even on Canopus? Did the Old Spider kick you out?" he asked and saw Sherin froze.

"Did you get that temper from your father? Well, it looked like all Araneans have it." Alec added but Sherin's expression was starting to darken. "Judging from Aranea's leader, it is most likely that you escaped your place because of suffocation." 

The female aide turned her head to the Valorian knight, shaking in anger and looked like she was about to erupt, "What..?" she muttered.

Niro sensed where his words were going, but what Alec was saying would only enrage Sherin. 'Mentioning her father was a wrong decision, that triggers Sherin.' he thought.

"I have no proof, these are all assumptions. Seeing that you are the only woman that became that prince's aide, then you must have a big argument with your father," he raised his other hands from the crossed arms and touch his chin to think, "You must have wanted to prove your worth to your father, but after everything you have done,"

Sherin and Alec stared at each other directly in the eyes, "It was futile." he continued.

Sherin abruptly raised her sword to hit him but Niro used his sword to clash it to hers, blocking the sword from going to Alec's face, "Calm yourself." Niro said to her. "Do not let it get to you." 

Because of Niro, Sherin has slightly calmed down but the coldness in her eyes remained.

Louis stood up and walked to get near to the three and so did Tristan, 'Another fight?' he was surprised for he never once saw Sherin mad before. This was new for him as he usually sees her either blank-faced or smiling.

"You told me you have no time for mockery but what your words are mockery itself." she said and tried to hold herself back to not slice him up. Niro still blocked her sword so it would not cause another fight, if ever it did, it was most likely that there would be a real bloody fight.

Alec Valorian's face remained blank, "The aides of that stupid prince sure is interesting." he said. 

Niro's sword that was pushing Sherin's weapon away, moved and pointed to Alec, "What did you call our prince?" he asked and narrowed his eyes.

The two of them were now pointing their swords at Alec and the Valorian just put his hand on the grip of his sword, ready to pull it out if they attack again. Before the aides heard Alec's answer, they all turned to the direction of the door that revealed two figures.

"What happened here?"

~~~~~~~~~~

'Same level? Or maybe one of them really is stronger.' Louis thought, he would never be sure unless they really do fight without holding back. He realized that Chance really was not kidding when he said Alec could take down an army.

'Looks like he really did not notice that I almost slipped up, safe.' Niro thought and sighed.

Sherin has returned to her normal (abnormal) self, it was only until now that she realized that she almost went out of control earlier. 'Why does he sound as if he knows my father that well?' she thought. Whenever she remembers the last three words that Alec said, her blood starts to boil. 'I do not believe that those were just assumptions.'

She looked at the man who was now by the side of the knight she fought with and saw Prince Caliber staring at the two of them, she squinted, 'Servant of the young prince, but also the reason why His Highness Caliber rushed here?' she asked inside her head.

Sherin was curious about the new people that he was seeing and found them suspicious, except for Niro who already knows.

There was something that Sherin found weird, Chance just started as a servant today but Caliber rushed as if he knew the man so well and was close with him. She looked at Niro and he furrowed his brow, confused as to why she was looking at him. "You think I am a fool?" she whispered.

Niro's eyes widened slightly and he was about to speak but Sherin raised her hand near his mouth, "Forget it, I will find out eventually." she cut him off since she knows that he will lie to her again.

"Did something happen earlier?" Chance asked his knight, Alec looked at him, "Yes, your..." he was about to say highness but Louis and Sherin were still around, "Nothing happened, Charles." 

Chance was not prepared to hear him call him Charles again, 'Charles?' he thought and stared at Alec. He noticed that Alec's eyes were not on him anymore even though he was facing him. 

Caliber's mood was turning bad as the knight looked at him, 'Charles? So you call each other by names.' he thought and was annoyed by the way Alec looks at him.

Chance followed the direction of where Alec was looking and saw a frowning Caliber behind them, Caliber who was glaring at Alec, dropped his gaze to Chance who was staring at him, 'Knight and master? Who calls each other by names? A 'knight' who calls a prince with no honorifics?' he looked away from Chance, 'Knight and Master! Ridiculous!' he thought.

Sherin sensed that his partner was not by her side anymore, "Niro?" she called out but no one was there.

They all turned around after hearing a loud thud and saw the male aide on the ground.

"Niro!"