The Prodigious Heir

"Rufiant, Chehin, what was that about? You better give me an acceptable answer or else you two will have to spend a night inside the Hound Correctional." General Ronin Mariyah stood before the kneeling and heaving Rufiant Mariyah and Chehin Mariyah.

They have now sprawled a few steps away from the damaged and bloodied Arena. The servants kept a respectable distance away from their masters as the two elders present rushed towards the three figures. Consecutively, Madam Rea and Axue raced to the Arena's ground with worry etched on their faces.

"Elder brothers!"

"My sons!"

Simultaneously, the two women seemed to appear as if they did not care about their pride and etiquette as long as they could be sure that the two young masters of the Mariyah Household were safe and sound. Only, Rufiant and Chehin were too deep in their thoughts that to the point that they did not hear their surroundings.

Rufiant, who was now a far cry from his usual clean scholarly look, clenched his fists. He decided to bite the bullet before his father would change his mind and made the punishment more severe than it already was. "I am in the wrong, Father. Punish me as you see fit." Slumped on the cobblestones, he bowed his head to the ground. "If Father sees fit for me to stay in the Hound Correctional for a week or more, this son will accept it. But there is one thing that Father needs to know, this son did not regret challenging Chehin to the Arena."

Chehin scoffed at Rufiant's antics. This earned him a glare from the imposing general who had stood against thousands of armies in the battlefield. He did not care about the household affairs unless it would tarnish the reputation of the Mariyah Clan that he had painstakingly improved through the years. The family's pride and honor was General Ronin's bottom line, not his family nor his duty to the people of the Kingdom of Amina.

"This bastard! You are willing to accept your punishment, but you did not regret your action? Are you mocking this general?" General Ronin drew his two-meter long and three-inch wide ancient sword before he pointed the tip onto Rufiant's neck.

"What are you doing to my son, General?" Madam Rea's shrilling voice made the elders cringe. Her brown eyes dimmed as she stood beside Rufiant and Chehin.

"Do you dare challenge me, Rea?" The booming voice of General Ronin made Chehin and Rufiant's attempt to save their mother stop.

Chehin and Rufiant tactfully remained to kneel in front of the fuming general.

On the other hand, Axue was torn between the choices of impressing her brothers or staying loyal to her father. Each choice got its own merits and downsides. Pondering over these things, Axue bit the inside of her cheeks as she fought hard to maintain her regal yet innocent countenance.

Axue almost fooled everyone with her gracefulness and her filial piety to her family, but not the sixteen-year-old girl who was standing behind a Wisteria Tree.

Her red hair danced along the leaves of the colorful tree as her body was covered with a tattered cloak. She hid her presence and watched from the distance. She came after sensing a familiar aura. Theta continued watching the farce.

'I cannot believe that I spent years dreaming of being accepted by the likes of them,' Theta thought as she watched the scenes unfold before her. Theta's train of thoughts continued, 'I should have heeded Zarno's advice back then. Maybe, just maybe, I could have been able to save at least my mother.'

Blood dripped to the ground as Theta's fingernails pierced her palms. With her knuckles turning white, the burning hatred ignited passionately – brighter than ever.

Theta was pulled from her trance when a familiar silhouette walked through the entrance of the Arena, stopping the foolish household from continuing their sordid show.

His stature was tall and lean, proud and elegant. His smile held a smile but instead of warmth from his amiable countenance that screamed his magnanimity, his smile brought an unexplainable terror to anyone.

Theta glanced at her father who turned stiff for a fraction of a minute. She dared not deny the power that the heir of the Karjah Household held.

"Arc Karjah," whispered Theta. There was a tinge of bitterness laced in her soft voice as she stared at the young man who was talking at Axue with his signature smile.

Arc Karjah, a twenty-year-old holy knight and the heir to the Karjah Household, was the genius among all the heirs of the families that served as the five pillars of the Kingdom of Amina. Being a holy knight was not an easy feat. Though holy knights did not have magic, they were blessed with divine power that they could use like magic. Unlike magic abilities, divine powers were passed down from generation to generation. For over one hundred years, Arc was the first to appear ever since the last holy knight graced the bloodline of the Karjah Clan.

At the young age of fifteen, he was able to establish himself as the heir of the strongest household among the five pillars despite the fact that he was from a humble background. He was an illegitimate child like Theta. Hence, the two once got along with each other until he was forced to sever his ties with her when he got engaged to Axue.

Arc Kajah was Theta's only friend. And he was the first person ever to abandon her. He was the first person who taught Theta the value of prestige over relationship ties.

Perhaps Arc felt the intense gaze behind him so he glanced at the Wisteria Tree to his east, but he saw nothing. Shrugging it off as nothing, he continued his words to General Ronin Mariyah. "I am here on behalf of the Karjah Household as we express our deepest regret after the passing of Lady Yuna Mariyah." His gentle smile shifted to the frozen Axue. "Will Lady Mariyah guide me to Lady Yuna's tomb? I would like to offer my prayers to her and bless her soul with my divinity to ease the lady's journey to the afterlife."

The young heir's words struck the people around him. Realization dawned upon them that the prodigious holy knight was there not because of his fiancé but because he wanted to pay respect to the deceased mother of the girl he used to be engaged with. It was a slap on the face for Madam Rea, who was clutching her fan until her knuckles turned white, and for Axue, who was putting on more effort to keep her ice-cold image. On the other hand, the elders took the wounded Chehin and Rufiant.

"Young Master Karjah, our clan is still preparing the grand graveyard for my late wife. I want my beloved second wife to feel my affection even after death, so I took extra caution in making her tomb." General Ronin was the first one to compose himself. With a stiff grin and an awkward countenance, the patriarch of the Mariyah Household agreed readily. After all, the young heir's reason of visit was valid.

Madam Rea nodded her head. She now stood side by side with her husband as they stood before Arc Karjah. "My husband is right, Young Master Karjah! We valued Lady Yuna too much that we decided to place her in a safe place to rest for a little while waiting for her final resting place."

"Then I shall visit her temporary grave then."

Madam Rea almost fainted from anger and fear upon hearing the young heir's voice. But her voice as she regard her servant was soft. "Li, call the Second Young Miss here. We have a guest here that she knows."

"Yes, Madam."

Theta, who was leaning behind the Wisteria Tree's trunk, grinned. Her amethyst eyes lacked with mirth as she listened to their nonsense.

'Now is not the time to use you in this game, Arc. Wait for the main event since you will be playing a role in it,' Theta pondered as she merged with the darkness.