Chapter 14

Niris woke up in the late afternoon, rested from the emotions of the day. Unable to stand still any longer, he decided to go for a walk outside. To avoid running into people, he headed for the garden that had become his haunt with Seiran. He opened the wooden door and looked discreetly behind. No one was there. He pushed the door open and went out.

That's when he jumped in the air. Inja was leaning against the wall just behind the door that the angel had closed behind him.

"Oh my god you scared me!" he cried, one hand on his chest.

His blood was pounding in his ears. The guard didn't respond. She turned her head, ignoring the prince's moods.

After recovering from his fright, Niris watched her for a moment and cleared his throat.

"I'm going for a walk in the garden, do you want to come with me?" he offered.

The guard seemed to hesitate. Then she straightened up and walked towards the prince without saying anything. Delighted with his success, Niris smiled at him and together they set off toward the forest. They walked for a few minutes without saying anything, and then the prince finally broke the silence.

"I'm sorry I got carried away earlier," he said, his eyes looking up at the green fleece that towered over them, making a pleasant natural shade against the sun's rays. "My father made me realise that I can't do what I want while I'm on a diplomatic mission, whatever my relationship with Seiran is. I'm in more danger than him, so I have to agree to put my safety first even if it means separating myself from him for a while."

The guard walked looking at the ground in front of her as if lost in thought. Without raising her head, she replied, her face still impassive.

"I apologise to you too. I went too far and shouldn't have spoken of your mother in that way, it was a complete disregard for your feelings and I apologise for that. I got carried away..."

NIris smiled. Inja was stubborn but he knew she would listen and understand him. When it came to him, she was always a good listener. He was relieved. It had been difficult for him, but now that he had accepted the situation, he was more or less at peace with himself. The thought of leaving Seiran behind caused a pang of pain in his chest, but he knew now that it was necessary and that there was nothing he could do about it.

He stretched and blew out a breath, releasing all the stress he'd built up over the last two days.

"I feel better now that we've talked! We've known each other for so long, I don't like it when we're on bad terms."

He turned to her with a big smile. Inja remained unmoved. She knew the little prince well. She knew the value he placed on their friendship, but she also knew his natural charm that led people to trust him and which he didn't hesitate to play when he needed to soften someone up. She knew this, and she was now immune to it.

"I stand by what I said about your safety and I hope you will take your own protection seriously, no matter what," she reiterated firmly.

-Aaah, I told you I understood and I would do what you tell me to do, why did you have to undermine my motivation? So mean..." Whined the angel, pretending to look hurt.

But once again the guard was not fooled. She remained stoïc toward his comedy. So they continued their walk through the forest for a while, taking the first path they had not yet explored at each new junction in the road, until they retraced their steps, closing the loop they had started and approaching the palace wall, a little above their place.

They were about to walk back up along the impeccably cleaned stone wall when they heard footsteps not far away. Intrigued, they headed for the place where the ruckus seemed to be coming from.

The scene before their eyes was frightening and the jovial atmosphere that had prevailed disappeared instantly to be replaced by a climate of extreme coldness. In front of them, Yousmaïl Namar, accompanied by two other high dignitaries from Virtine and her assistant who was standing a little behind, were standing in front of Ascarm who was firmly held against the stone wall by two armed guards, one of whom had passed his blade under his throat.

A trickle of blood ran from his right temple and bruises on his arms and face showed that he had been beaten without mercy. His eyes were half closed and he seemed to be struggling to stay awake. Niris felt his blood rush through his veins.

"ASCARM!" he exclaimed at the bloody sight. "Yousmaïl, what is wrong with you? Explain yourself! Why are you attacking the representative of Selanpe in this way?"

Fury had overtaken his reason and he could hardly control himself. The sight of the abused aquatic being made him mad with rage. He rushed to save him from the two guards who had attacked him, but Inja stepped in.

"Your Highness, keep your cool! Don't forget that we are at an official ceremony and you are a state representative!" She told him via their mental communication channel.

The angel was boiling inside. He had to make an immense effort to control himself and not plunge forward while invoking Shikamu. He clenched his fists and repeated his request.

"Explain yourself! Or I'll have my guard intervene for unwarranted infringement on an official representative of a member planet of the intergalactic organization!"

The vampire laughed as if what Niris had said was as ridiculous as announcing a snowstorm in the middle of summer. The other two dignitaries accompanied her with their nasty laughter.

"If you think that invoking intergalactic laws will scare me, you are mistaken, my dear Jangta," she replied with her deeply contemptuous air. "And who will listen to the whining of a powerless little angel like you? You've been acting like a high dignitary ever since Emperor Aroslan came to your defense. I think you deserve a little lesson to make you learn your place in this event before you get too comfortable."

She approached him, twirling her black sunshade that protected her from the sun's skin-damaging rays. Her hips rolled in a dance as dangerous as it was seductive as she put one foot in front of the other with deadly grace. Niris stiffened, ready for a confrontation. In front of him, Inja drew her katana and raised it to her shoulder.

"You are a danger to my lord, and I forbid you to come any closer, or I will follow the intergalactic rules of self-defense in a diplomatic event," she warned her.

The vampire glared at her, and as if she were playing the situation, pushed the tip of the katana with her index finger, obviously not making the slightest effort.

"Your little knife is no match for me, I'm far too powerful for you," she whispered as she leaned into the hilt.

With an imperceptible movement, the angel turned her blade and brought the tip down a millimeter along the princess' finger, leaving a bright red mark on her diamond skin. Surprised, the vampire couldn't hold back an astonished look that appeared on her face.

"I've sliced through vampires and astral Yetis with my 'little knife' before, there's nothing to stop me from doing it again," she replied in the same menacing tone.

The two women watched each other for a moment, assessing the danger and power of each with their eyes. The visual battle electrified the air around them. For a moment, the tension they single-handedly channeled made the other spectators lose their confidence and begin to wonder who these angels were who dared to attack the Amadean princess without fear.

After a moment, Yousmaïl took a step back and straightened up, ceasing to threaten the guard with his imposing aura.

"You are attacking me, but it is your friend whom you want to save who has caused me harm. How do you intend to repair the damage he has done to me?"

She glared at them, relishing the power she could wield over them without restriction.

"If you think you've been wronged, you need to explain it and get a Peacekeeper instead of going after him physically," Niris replied, gritting his teeth to force himself to follow diplomatic protocol.

"Oh but of course! Why didn't I think of that? What an idiot I am! It's so obvious!" she mocked sarcastically, which caused the two Virtinian mages to laugh.

Niris' gaze hardened. The vampire had no shame in admitting her total disrespect for the diplomatic codes of the intergalaxy. She considered herself above it all, untouchable. She didn't give a damn, and she never missed an opportunity to remind herself of that.

"But my dear Jangta, who is going to prevent me from solving this case by violence? Is it you? Seiran? The intergalactic organization? Who will stop me? You think you can stop me from doing anything in this situation?" she continued while glaring at him.

Niris knew that she was gloating inwardly about the situation because there was nothing he could do. As Jangta Okram, his hands were tied by his lack of power. If she wanted to kill Ascarm here and now and blame it on Niris, she knew she could do it. And Niris couldn't intervene without risking exposing his cover. The situation was delicate, and he had to play it smart to get out of it with the least amount of damage possible.

"You accuse Ascarm of causing you harm, but you haven't said what," he continued, controlling himself as much as possible.

The vampire rubbed her chin with her hand, pretending to think.

"Well, you see, I was lounging around in this lovely part of the forest I've just discovered, when your friend suddenly came after me, blaming me for trying to kill you, and that such actions were punishable by prison under intergalactic law. He attacked me first, and fortunately, my Virtinian friends were nearby! They came to my rescue and helped me subdue your friend who was like a wild beast that couldn't be controlled! They had all the trouble in the world to calm him down, as you can see," she glanced desolately at the aquatic creature who was still held savagely against the palace wall, unable to move at all.

Niris bit his lip. In other words, the vampire had come to their place on purpose and provoked Ascarm into committing an outrage for dignity, allowing her to respond with violence. And to absolve herself of any responsibility, she had made sure to get other dignitaries to intervene in her place so that she wouldn't have to be involved in the reckoning herself.

The vampires had this very peculiar doctrine of considering a verbal attack as an outrage justifying an armed response, regardless of the strength of the opposing party. A barbaric system that only they used and that the whole intergalaxy feared. The numerous trials that followed this type of action didn't, unfortunately, stop the vampires from perpetuating this violent tradition, which maintained this climate of terror among the other populations, who lay down before the vampires in fear of paying the price.

In the absence of effective means to prevent deaths or other serious injuries caused by this mechanism, legal action after the fact had proved ineffective. And Yousmaïl knew this very well. Niris thought about it. He had to find a way out of this impasse, and quickly.

"I understand that you feel offended by my friend's behaviour, but I think it would be better for the smooth running of the coronation ceremony and the engagement of Prince Seiran if we kept this kind of conflict between us and resolved it through compromise rather than violence,"

Again, Niris used the only weapon he had at his disposal: his eloquence and his intelligence. It seemed to work. The vampire reflected on his words for some time. She was the first claimant to the title of imperial princess, she had to be careful with her reputation. About this, the angel was right. An incident like this could tarnish her image in the intergalactic community, even if she could blame it on the Meripan angel. Mesh'azme Ralaar's family was doing everything possible to present a modern and positive image of their regime, free of conflict and scandal. The mysterious disappearance of a representative of a mother planet during the coronation ceremony was a little too visible a stain on this immaculate white.

"And what do you suggest?" She said, crossing her arms.

"A legal duel," the angel answered without hesitation.

Her statement caused a flurry of disapproval among the mages still observing the scene from a distance. Studying the proposal, Yousmail looked at him without saying anything.

"As the people involved are the guards of Lords Vani and Oulstoff, I suggest that those who will confront Inja should be, according to your choice, their two guards, your assistant, or all three at the same time. Does that seem fair to you?"

The vampire smiled through her teeth. This angel must have been completely insane to put his guard's life on the line like that. He was either insane or a fool. But either way, it wouldn't change the situation. No one could beat Hitty, her personal assistant. And certainly not the guard of a low-level angel like Jangta of Meripea.

"It's a bold proposition you're making here," she said with relish. "Well, since you're giving me the honour of choosing, let her face all three at once! And let the fight be now!"

"Accepted! In exchange, you release Ascarm and promise never to attack him again," Niris demanded, inwardly deeply relieved that she had agreed to the deal.

"I'm not sure I can promise that..." the princess began before being interrupted by the angel.

"Promise or the deal is off!"

The vampire glared at him. She didn't like the tone he was taking with her. But it didn't matter! He was going to regret it when his guard lost all ability to fight under the edge of her assistant's blade! She was already enjoying seeing the little angel's honour dragged through the mud following this disastrous duel that he was sure to lose!

"Very well, I promise," she agreed with her toothy smile.

Niris nodded quickly. With a wave of his hand, he invoked a legal duel pact and signed it with the imprint of his thumb on the dematerialised surface. He then sent it to the vampire who did the same. The agreement was sealed. The duel could now take place.

"Meet us in an hour in the palace combat room," the vampire ordered as she turned around.

"Agreed!" Niris said, relieved to finally put an end to the direct threat she posed to Ascarm.

With a wave of her hand, she indicated to the other two to follow her. On the orders of their respective masters, the two guards released the Selanpis, who slowly slid to the ground, inert. Without waiting for them to disappear completely, Niris threw himself forward. Gently, he lifted the head of the small green being who was still conscious and placed it on his lap.

"Niris..." the latter called in a hoarse voice as the angel's head appeared in his field of vision.

"shh, save your strength!" intimated the little prince. "Inja, help me carry him! We have just enough time to get him to the infirmary before we head to the battle room,"

The guard nodded and helped her lift the Selanpis, then hoisted him onto her back.

"Let's go."

Quickly they made their way to the room that had housed the angel during his recovery just the day before.