"Hmm?" sharp blue eyes stared at what stood before them.
Dressed in pure white atop their throne, the mysterious being observed the floating red liquid in front of him.
He sat straight, hands cupped on his knee as his white hair swayed slightly.
"Truly foolish," he said, his voice low yet his tone foreboding.
A blue ring appeared around the liquid that seemed to be made of blood, freezing it into a crystalline crimson sphere.
"A King willingly putting on a collar on his own neck, bounding himself to a Little Queen who has yet to mature."
He sighed before letting his lips curved into a smirk.
"Such a foolish Blood Oath indeed."
---
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"Woow!" Mira had stars in her eyes as food and game stalls spread out on every side of the way like in a market. "Everything in the stalls looks so yummy."
Without a doubt, the whiffing scent of different types of snacks and foods caused one's mouth to drool in hunger. Not only that, but the countless target games like any you could find in a festival, ensured that everyone had fun while also offering them prizes for their success.
For the occasion, Ace was wrapped in a tailored charcoal grey wool pea coat buttoned high over a dark cashmere sweater. His black trousers and classic leather chukka boots were immaculate, adding to the flair his dark scarf which was tucked into his lapel brought out.
Beside him, Emilia radiated warmth in a soft camel puffer coat cinched at the waist with a bright cherry-red knit scarf which added a determined splash of color against her cable-knit sweater and her stylish ankle boots.
In contrast, Mira wore an oversized, hooded forest green parka over a simple graphic tee and durable black cargo pants which were paired with scuffed, heavy-duty combat boots and a dark beanie.
And finally, Frank wore a bold mustard yellow teddy fleece jacket, slim-fit corduroy pants and pristine fashion sneakers.
"C'mon Emi!" Without warning, Mira grabbed Emilia's arm, dragging her away. "We're gonna visit each and every one of them!"
"M-Mira slow down a little bit!" Emilia's words fell on deaf ears.
"Man, what a child," Frank shook his head with a smug face, as if showing he was more mature than he seemed. "Am I right?"
Ace simply nodded to his question, not even bothering to give him a response.
'Damn. He's even quieter than usual,' Frank felt cold, feeling a sense of awkwardness.
"Well, come on big guy," Frank rested his hand on Ace's shoulder. "If we don't hurry, we'll be left in the dust by the girls."
Ace simply nodded in agreement once again, making Frank's brow twitch with an awkward mix of worry and wonder.
'Seriously, what the hell happened to this guy.'
Without dwelling on it too much, Frank and Ace regrouped with the girls, and with the academy grounds being a riot of color and noise even with the cold air in the atmosphere which hinted at winter being close, the crew simply went all out with enjoying everything the festival had to offer up until sundown.
"This is so good!" said Frank, a cinnamon-sugar churro now being engulfed in his mouth with every bite.
"Don't you think you ate a bit too much?" asked Emilia who also seemed to enjoy the festival by crunching on a paper cone of crispy fried mushrooms.
"Nope. I'm long ways from having eaten my fill," Frank replied before letting out a burp. "Sorry."
In stark contrast, Mira joined them with a grin on her lips.
"I just scored the jackpot! Hehe!" she said, holding up an oversized brown teddy bear that she won at a hoop toss game.
"What would a tomboy like you need a teddy bear for? Scared of ghosts?" Frank teased before Mira snapped and punched him in the gut.
"Hmph. I don't mind going for another round," Mira cracked her fists with a menacing glare while Frank held his gut in pain.
"S-sorry," Frank admitted defeat as easily as he ran his mouth earlier.
"Hmm? By the way, where is Ace?" Mira asked, looking around them.
"I'll go fetch him," Emilia set herself in motion without wasting a minute. "You guys can just continue visiting the stalls. We'll catch up later!"
"W-wait!" Mira didn't even have the time to say anything as she immediately pouted.
Frank, seeing her reaction, still hadn't learned his lesson.
"Emi-con," he muttered under his breath, not realizing that Mira's ears twitched.
"What was that?" she glared back at him as if ready to kill him.
'Shoot.'
With a resigned smile, Frank did the only logical thing he could do… run.
"Come back here, you fucker!" Mira chased after him like a fury.
In the meantime, while Emilia searched for Ace in the crowd, the one being searched for held a candy apple in his right hand while his left hand held a bag full of snacks he bought at different stalls.
'Ah!' his lips slightly parted as his eyes widened in nonchalant surprise. 'Guess I'm lost.'
As he looked around him, unable to find the others, a thought crossed his mind.
'Emi is… strange.'
The previous night, Emilia had finally realized what kind of person Ace really is, and instead of her being in shock, he was the one who was completely stunned from yesterday.
'And for some reason, she's been giving me glances all day,' Ace thought, wondering why him, who had been in a out-of-it the entire day, would always unconsciously flinch or tense up when he noticed Emilia's gaze on him.
'It's not fear. It's not anger. So, what do those eyes mean?' he wondered, the seemingly determined and clear glint in Emilia's gaze appearing repeatedly in his mind.
In comparison, as his gaze rested upon the candy apple in his hand, his eyes were dark and empty while continuing to wonder what changed in Emilia.
"So this is where you were!" Emilia's voice called out to him, his body freezing up for a second.
'Again,' he turned around to face her. 'That feeling again. What is it?'
His mind went back to what happened between him and Emilia in the end. The slap, her glare, her words… For some reason, those events that seemed insignificant changed something, but whatever that change is, Ace couldn't figure out what it was. He only knew one thing… Emilia was cause of all this.