Tournament Day 3 Part 8

After watching many matches, the crowd's enthusiasm had not lessened by even the slightest. Each match was just as entertaining as the last. Everyone came back from the intermission ready for more. It was quite apparent that those who were not able to do their best in the previous events wanted to make the most of this stage. Most matches went on smoothly, with only a few having to be stopped due to a competitor using excessive force. The duration of the matches also varied, with some lasting as long as half an hour and some as little as seven minutes. This kept the audience engaged. There were also many memorable matches that took place, with the Princess' being one of the most talked about. While some could argue that if her opponents had stronger nature magic then she might not have been able to overpower them, the majority agreed that her performance was impressive. This was also her first time participating in the tournament, which led some to believe that had she been more familiar with the event, she could have done even better. Of the many who were in awe of the Princess' performance, the soldiers of Training Ground 20, who were spread out around the venue, saw the Princess in another light. She, who once shied away from the spotlight, was now shining on her own. This further strengthened their belief that if they worked hard, they too would be able to proudly hold their heads up as soldiers despite not being able to use nature magic. 

Delima looked at the Princess with eyes bursting with pride. She cheered louder than anyone else could. She knew just how hard the Princess had been working to get to this point, and she was willing to do anything to help her continue moving forward. At the thought of this, Dilemma thought back on what they had done, and while it wasn't clear whether the Princess' current performance was solely due to her training or if it had to do with their other efforts, she was just happy that she took Hayden's advice. The Princess' movements were precise, powerful and somehow beautiful. Among those who were impressed by the Princess, every now and then the generals and others present in the room would check the King's expression. There was certainly some improvement compared to what he came in with, but it wasn't clear how he felt. He had a slightly pained expression mixed with something else. He chugged down countless glasses of wine. Someone else might have found themselves unconscious or ill at this point, but the alcohol only seemed to affect his expression. He too, however, was able to notice the change in the Princess. She appeared more confident. Her raven hair seemed to resemble his more and more.

Things seemed relatively normal at the castle, but this was only from the outside. While Lady Bodum was being cared for and comforted by her followers, Lady Baulm was being tormented by the gazes and snickers of others. After the incident with the servant was exposed by Alexander's rescue, everyone in the castle was aware of Gretchen's actions. Those who were afraid of her before were comforted by the fact that there was someone they could turn to for help. Additionally, those who saw her unsightly appearance on the night of the incident were more than happy to let others know. Since that night, whenever she would move around the castle, she would do so as quickly and quietly as possible. Rather than a noble, she looked like a thief or a fugitive as she went through the halls. The servants who would usually attend to her made themselves scare and tried to busy themselves with other work so that they would not need to attend to her. No one found an issue with their actions. After all, they were there to serve people, not monsters. Additionally, since the Queen had not come forward to issue a warning against such behavior, the servants felt as though Lady Baulm had lost the protection of her backer. Whether this was only temporary or not meant little to them at this time. There were those who looked at Lady Baulm with disgust and disdain due to her cruel actions, some who looked at her with pity, and others who simply enjoyed ridiculing her. Her status as a noble no longer mattered in their eyes. While they still could not inflict the same pain onto her as she did others, they would certainly not allow her to have an easy life. 

Lady Baulm had just returned to her room after getting some bread, cheese and dried meat. She had been sustaining herself using only wine but realized that she needed something more filling. She had a disheveled appearance and smelled of the wine which left many stains on her dress. Perhaps it was due to the wine's effects that she was less conscious of what was happening on her way back to her room. This being the servants who looked at her and laughed or the guards who tripped her every now and then. The room was a mess. She was lucky not to trip over something as she walked in. She dropped the food onto a table in the corner of the room and clumsily pulled out the chair. She plopped down onto the chair as though it was her bed.

 *Ow* "Dammit! That fucking bitch! This is all her fault! She must've said something! How dare she?! She's just a fucking commoner! And that boy! How dare he! He thinks he's something now?!" exclaimed Gretchen as she took bites of the various foods she brought back.

Gretchen continued with her rant until she remembered Viola's eyes. She stopped eating and started clawing at her palm. She felt chills up her spine and couldn't stop shaking. She looked around with panicked eyes for something to calm herself. She then grabbed an almost empty wine bottle that she had on the table and put it to her mouth. She gulped it down, finishing it in a matter of seconds. As she tried to get the last few drops out of the bottle, she began shaking the bottle violently. All of a sudden, the bottle slipped from her hand and landed dead center on her face until it fell to the floor, breaking. She screamed out in pain as she too fell to the floor. She felt a bit disoriented, so she grabbed her head but then quickly worried for her face. As she clumsily touched her face, she felt a substance coming from her nose. She looked at her shaking hand to see her fingers covered red. She was stunned silent for a moment before she let out an ear-shattering scream. It was so loud, those on the Celestial Sphere probably heard it as well. She rushed to get to her feet but ended up falling as she stepped on her dress. She ended up falling face first and unlike before, things were much worse. A great deal of pain emanated from her nose. With just a slight touch, Gretchen had to recoil. As she fell backwards, her hands landed on some shards of glass. Now, not only did her nose seem to have been broken, but she also had glass shards sticking out of her palms. She tried to pull out the shards as carefully as she could in her state before frantically flailing her arms. As she cried out in pain, tears streamed down her face.

 "Is there anyone out there?" *Sniffle* Gretchen wiped her runny nose with her sleeve.

A few passing guards heard the ruckus Lady Baulm made but pretended not to.

 "Hey! You bastards! I need help!"

Gretchen remained in the same spot, yelling for help, until she passed out, either from the pain or the alcohol in her system.

Back at the B.A.D Box, the Princes, Viola and Ember were now seated in the luxurious viewing room with the King and Generals, while Julie had left with the twins to get food. Although there were attendants who served refreshments present, Stevie wanted to sample some of the vendors' offerings as well. The room had an unusual atmosphere. At first, when the Crown Prince and the others entered, everyone turned to look at them then turned their heads to the King. Upon seeing this, they also turned to look in the direction of the King. Since they would need to greet him anyway, they carefully approached. The King simply glanced at them and then slightly nodded. That was enough for them. Although they had important matters to discuss with the King, they understood that their public appearance took precedence. They took their seats, and an attendant brought another chair for Ember and the others who would soon return. The Crown Prince was seated closest to the King then the Second Prince, then Viola, then Ember. As soon as they were seated, Viola got to work on the remaining desserts. The smell immediately attracted everyone's attention, even the King. However, while they recognized where the dessert was from, due to the box it was in, they did not recognize the dessert itself. Many of those present looked on curiously as Viola devoured the slices. While they couldn't get a good look at the dessert since Viola ate it so fast that it seemed like it was never there, they could tell that it was a new creation. Many had already started planning on visiting the cafe to get the dessert for themselves, their partners, friends, and so on. The King was thinking of bringing the cafe owner into the palace as soon as possible, while the Crown Prince was focused on something else. The Second Prince had been staring at Viola. The Crown Prince wondered what they may have been doing together when they should have been apart. Although they had spoken before entering the B.A.D Box, that was not a matter that they discussed. The thought of them being together irked him. What if someone saw them together? What would people think? The Crown Prince felt that he would need to remind the Second Prince of their arrangement. 

 "Oh my, that must be quite good Blo- I mean Viola! I've never seen that dessert before. What did you say that was?" asked Ember in a cheerful tone.

 "I didn't," said Viola coldly.

Ember was at a loss; she could only laugh awkwardly. 

*Pfft*

The sound of a stifled laugh came from the entrance of the room. Three figures came into view.

 "Pardon us, before arriving we saw a pitiful little bird outside trying to pick up scraps. It was trying so hard to get something that kept blowing away in the wind. So… pointless. Don't you think so, little sister?" Julie and the twins had now arrived where Ember and the others were seated. Evie looked just as composed as her Lady while Stevie had her hands full with bags of various snacks as she enjoyed skewers of barbecued and smoked meats.

 "Well, I wouldn't say it's pointless. It's the entitled bird who expects a feast, that ends up not even seeing a plate."

 "Well, not if that bird had been valued all along. Remember, there's quite a big difference between a pigeon and a dove." Julie gently pinched Ember's cheek as she bent forward.

The two sisters smiled at each other, but it was obvious to everyone that it wasn't exactly a harmonious relationship. There were many who remembered the scandal that involved Ember's mother, and while Ember seemed to always conduct herself in a dignified manner, there's bound to be conflicts between the child of the legal wife and the child of a mistress whose mother almost destroyed a household. The generals present once again felt like they needed to be careful not to draw attention to themselves.

 "Julie, have a bite of this," said Viola as she looked at Julie with gentle eyes.

Julie was surprised by the sudden offer, but her eyes lit up at the sight of the dessert. There were even a few generals who looked sour upon hearing what Viola said. Julie walked around the set of chairs at the end to get closer to Viola. Viola scooped up a large piece with a bit of everything, it almost looked as though it would fall from the fork. At first Julie was a bit hesitant; afterall, she would be sharing the same utensil with Viola, plus she wondered if it would all fit in her mouth, but at the same time, she couldn't deny that she wanted a taste. She slowly bent forward and moved some hair from her face as she opened her mouth. Viola carefully moved the fork toward her. Julie slowly widened her mouth to accommodate the size of it, and once she got it all in, her eyes seemed to sparkle. There were a few who became red in the face at the sight of this. Even the Crown Prince had to acknowledge that Julie was seductive. Julie jumped around slightly as she touched her cheek. 

 "Come, let's share the last piece," said Viola with a gentle smile.

 "But my Lady, our Lady's seat is all the way over th-"

Before Evie could finish her statement, Viola used her wind magic to lift Ember up while still seated, move her to the end of the row, and then pull the other three seats closer. Stevie was the first to take a seat. She took a drink from one of the servers as she continued to enjoy her barbecued meat and some bread. Julie was pleasantly surprised and happily sat next to Viola. Evie excitedly looked over at the arena as she took her seat, and Ember was left stunned. No one even bothered to look Ember's way. While Ember tried to play it off and act as though it didn't matter, she couldn't hold her smile forever. 

 "It's not fair. *Sniffle* Why am I being treated like this?" asked Ember to herself as she hung her head and wiped her tears.

While the Second Prince was talking to Viola, he noticed Ember at the end of the row. He then stopped Viola, who had now been enjoying some of the snacks that Julie had bought.

 "I couldn't help but notice that you don't seem to get along with Ember as much as you do with Julie and the others. Is there a reason for that?" asked the Second Prince.

At first, Viola just looked at the Second Prince without responding, then she looked at Ember, who had now composed herself, and looked at the Second Prince again. "There's no mistaking it. She may seem like a victim, but she's surely no saint."

While the Second Prince wanted to know more, he could tell that that was all Viola would say. He also knew he wasn't necessarily in a position to pity another, but seeing Ember's state reminded him of his own.

All of a sudden, there was an explosion of cheers. It was time for a match that everyone felt could turn out quite interesting. It was a 2 Star going on 3 Star Earth Mage against Princess Cecilia.

The first semi-final match was about to begin!