Arena Forty-Two: Their Secrets II

The night passed by without much worry.

I had reached the dorm without any issues and had spent a quiet yet pleasant dinner with my dorm mates. Raymond had already cooked us a hearty meal, so we didn't have any issues on that side.

It also seemed that others were also ignorant about Raymond's and Felicia's engagement... But they took it with ease.

While I still had worries about what Felicia, Alicia and Grey had told me, I kept those worries to myself and ate my meal.

After finishing dinner, I went back to my room, washed up, and jumped on my bed.

Sleep came immediately, and I soon forgot about all the day's problems.

...

The next day, I had to report to my teachers about what happened (as I had collapsed in the middle of the class). The teachers, who were already informed by Principle Flora, accepted my reports without many questions.

After the hour-long report was done, I came out of the staff room, tired and battered. Sighing, I went back to my class, which was, as expected, full of stares.

"..."

I had no choice but to accept the stares and sit down. The classes were about to start.

...

The time flew away, and soon the voice rang, declaring the end of the classes.

I left the classroom and headed towards the Elliot building. If possible, I wanted to meet Anastasia and learn about the rewarding ceremonies a bit more.

Walking through the hallways, I soon reached the ground floor and got out of the building... That is where I saw Anastasia, walking out of the Elliot building.

I called out to her almost immediately. Hearing my voice, she turned towards me and smiled.

"Ah, I was looking for you."

"Same here."

I replied to her words with a smile of my own.

"Really?"

She tilted her head as I approached her. Nodding, I explained.

"I just wanted to know about the rewarding ceremony. I mean, you have been to these ceremonies before, right?"

"I have been... Twice."

She said, a bit hesitating. It seemed that he wasn't particularly fond of those memories.

"Can you tell me what you did there and what etiquette to follow? If it isn't a bother, that is."

I slowly spoke out as I glanced at her profile.

"Well... it's nothing much, but alright."

She sighed and agreed.

"Shall we head somewhere quiet?"

I suggested. She nodded and we soon moved to the covered area I had taken Anastasia to before... The place where I had met Roxy for the first time.

"Why here?"

Anastasia frowned, but I just shrugged.

"The other places are too open... We can move to my room back in the dorm... But that wouldn't be a good choice."

"I will still like that more than this place... But fine."

Anastasia begrudgingly sat down on the bench and patted the place beside her. I smiled wryly and followed her lead.

"So... About the rewarding ceremonies."

She started while gently swinging her legs.

"The ceremonies are usually simple. The emperor gives you a medal and some kind of extra reward with it, offers you some words of praise, and leaves the hall soon after. The main part of the ceremony comes after that... Which is mingling with the nobles."

"Can I not mingle with the nobles?"

I asked, scowling. I didn't hate the nobles, but still found them bothersome to deal with... Though the three major houses were exceptions. For some reason, everyone who came from the three major houses was amicable, at least on the surface.

"Well... You can decide not to. Just like I did... But in my case, I am from a major noble house, so they can't do anything directly even if I act rude... But..."

Anastasia glanced at my face... And I knew what she was going on about.

"I am not from a noble house, is that it?"

"Yeah... If you decide not to talk with them, they might feel insulted and might try to harm you."

"Tsk... Talk about being annoying."

"I know, right? They are such a pain to deal with..."

Anastasia commented while giggling. I laughed with her for a few moments, then brought the discussion back to the topic.

"So... Mingling is a must. What do I need to remember when talking with them?"

"Surprisingly, etiquette isn't a major issue, as you are a commoner and a battle-related person... But you must always be respectful yet warm to the high ranking nobles. Not to mention, if they approach you with talks of marriage and offers of sponsorship, you must deny them with utmost politeness."

"Talks of marriage... And offers of sponsorship... ?"

I had read about the former in the books, and heard about the latter from my classmates (more like, eavesdropped on their conversations). I knew more than well enough to deny the former, but what about the latter?

Fortunately, Anastasia explained without me asking.

"Well, you know well enough why to deny marriage proposals. Because in most cases, they would try to get their daughter to have sex with you just to have a chance at giving birth to a high-ranking Technician or Elliot..."

Anastasia frowned as if remembering something unpleasant. I immediately understood what had happened.

"Don't tell me... They approached you with talks of marriage too?"

"Of course they did. Not just that, some of those bastards had asked me to give birth to their children for just once, even if I didn't marry them."

Hearing those words, something rose inside my heart. I could feel the blood rush to my head. Before even realizing it, I was getting my teeth in anger.

Seeing that, Anastasia giggled.

"What... Are you jealous, Arnold?"

"... No."

I calmed myself down and averted my gaze. I didn't even know why I felt that way... But I was indeed jealous. But admitting it was too embarrassing.

Seeing my red face, Anastasia smiled in a really sweet way. Then she continued.

"Don't worry, I turned them all down... And also threatened to destroy them if they ever came to me with such proposals again."

"That's... Good... For you, I mean."

I hurriedly covered my relieved words. Coughing, I decided to ask the next question I had.

"You told me that the emperor would just give me the rewards, offer a few words, and leave. But what if he doesn't?"

"... That is the worst-case scenario."

Seeing Anastasia's grim face, I felt confused.

"Why is that?"

"If the emperor stays behind, he can follow three courses of action. The first one is to strike up a conversation with you. In that case, you'll probably garner more attention than ever. The chances of avoiding the nobles will go down to zero... Not just that, they might even contact you with proposals and offers even after the ceremony ends."

"Won't they do it even if the emperor left?"

"Not really... Some might, but others will mostly keep a close eye on you and only send their offers again once you get another achievement."

Anastasia clarified as she played with her hair.

"I see... I understand the first course of action. What are the other two?"

"The second course is to simply sit there and observe you. If the emperor does that, the nobles will get anxious. They will try to contact you, but will be careful when doing so. Because that attitude means that the emperor is silently judging you... And for what, no one knows. The nobles wouldn't want to associate strongly with you until they clearly know that you are seen in a fair light by the emperor."

"I see... And the final one is probably to insult me, right?"

I asked, sighing. Anastasia nodded.

"Yeah. Though unheard of, according to the historians, a few divine emperor did that in the past. If the emperor does that, then your chances of getting a bright future in the empire is pretty much zero... Though in exchange, Arzen and the Theocracy will take notice of you."

"That sounds more problematic though..."

"It is more problematic. Anyhow, what I am trying to say is..."

Anastasia paused to take a deep breath, then suddenly stared into my eyes.

"No meeting with the Imperial Family can be considered as a 'good one'. No matter what the emperor does, you'll still lose something, be that peace, safety or your future."

Anastasia announced in a grim voice. Just like A.R.M.A. and Felicia, she was clearly warning me about the Imperial Family...

I didn't know what the future held, but I felt more confused than before, that was for sure.