Memories of a Past Love

Aika was sobbing heavily in her room. She buried her head in her arms atop her desk as the tears streamed down her face and her sobs reverberated off the walls. Behind her, Ingrid and Helen stood silently with stone faces; though tiny glints of anger were present in their eyes. They didn’t say a single word and couldn’t think of any way to comfort the princess. In fact, Ingrid knew that any form of comfort right now, given the subject matter, would only hurt the princess even more.

Near her desk, Salazar, Aika's pet Primordial Salamander, whimpered in tandem with his master’s sobs. He tried to comfort her on his own by nudging his head against her legs, but was met with no reaction. The creature could now only place his body near his master and lay his head down in sorrow.

Outside of her room, Prince Nobi, who had come to check on his sister’s wellbeing after that disastrous incident, heard Aika’s sobs and hesitated knocking on her door. He gave it a few more seconds and then gently tapped on the door. At first, no one answered the door. When he was about to knock again, the door opened. Ingrid peeked her head out to meet the guest.

“Prince Nobi,” she said with a bow of her head, “what brings you to the princess’ chambers?”

“May I come in?” asked the prince. “I want to see how my sister is doing.”

“Prince Nobi, I—,” began the maid.

“Who is it?” came Aika’s voice.

“Your brother,” answered Ingrid. She then told the princess why he was here. Aika gestured for her to allow it and the maid opened the door for the prince to enter.

Nobi walked in and found his sister sitting upright at her desk with Salazar in her lap. Her eyes and cheeks were red from crying, and wet stains from her now dried-up tears ran down her face. She had stopped sobbing, but still let out miserable sniffles every now and then. Salazar was rubbing his head on her body in a show of comfort.

“Ashira,” began Nobi.

“I’m fine,” quickly said Aika.

Nobi took a breath before continuing. “Listen, this thing with Tatsuya-kyun, how about try forgetting all about it?” Aika said nothing and remained silent. Nobi tried for a smile and said in a light-hearted tone, “You know, there’s a few guys I know at headquarters who you might like. Maybe you can find a better guy than the jackass you’re supposed to marry?” He was referring to Ralus Khyber, the pompous son of Duke Cors Khyber.

“There’s no one else but him,” said Aika in a quiet voice, referring to Tatsuya. “No one else is fit to be my Darling.”

“Ashira,” attempted Nobi. Aika quickly turned to her brother with a tearful frown, stopping him from continuing further with the conversation. Nobi let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Have you ever asked Tatsuya-kyun about his own feelings toward you?” he asked her.

“I know what I need to know,” said Aika stubbornly. She then looked down at her feet and mumbled, “He’s just forgot, that’s all.”

“Listen, if Tatsuya-kyun doesn’t change his mind soon, you’re going to have go through with this marriage,” said Nobi grimly. “Are you prepared to live a life as that sleazebag’s wife?”

“I—.” Aika didn’t know how to answer that question and became silent.

“If you still want a way out, I can try to help you any way I can,” said Nobi. He became quiet for a few seconds before making the following announcement, “There is still the option of intermarrying with the other tribes.”

“What do you mean?” asked Aika fearfully.

“Right now, the Draco tribe is the most powerful of the thirteen tribes,” said Nobi. “We possess military might, wealth, and more importantly, influence. No other tribe is more powerful than us. We are viewed as the leaders of the dragon realm and no other tribe dares to start a war with us without being prepared to die. Because of our power and influence, the other tribes will not hesitate to strengthen their ties with us and their own influence through diplomatic marriage. Father has received many proposals for a while now, but your infatuation with Owatatsumi Tatsuya made him put it off for your own happiness.”

“Intermarriage between tribes is not an uncommon practice nowadays, but I’ve never heard of intermarriage between members of the royal family before,” said Aika.

“That’s why many royals and nobles hope for this to be the first example of such a union,” said Nobi. “They hope for it to be a symbol of unity between tribes. A very progressive ideal has been popular among the young generation ever since you left for the human realm: breaking down the tribes and coming together as one race—dragons. Although many people want to preserve the integrity and traditions of the different tribes, the idea of coming together as one is something that is seen as a great step forward for the benefit of our race as a whole. Additionally, it will form the backbone of our opposition to the persevering ideology championed by Ouroboros.”

“In the end, it’s just politics,” sighed Aika sorrowfully.

“But you may find true love in the midst of it all,” offered Nobi positively. “As of now, there are three candidates,” he continued. “Prince Feur Naga of the Naga tribe, Royal Advisor Arakni of the Quetzalcoatl tribe, and Prince Oromo Abzu of the Abzu tribe.”

“Two princes and a royal advisor?” came Aika with a sniffle.

“Royal Advisor Arakni is the queen’s little brother,” explained Nobi. “He may not be of royal blood, but the connection is there.”

Aika swallowed a gulp and said nothing. Nobi waited for some kind of response out of her, but her silence told him everything he needed to know. He nodded his head and made for the door. “Think about it,” he told her before leaving the room.

The room was quiet once again. Ingrid and Helen, who had waited outside the entire time, came back in to tend to their lady’s needs if any. They stood by the door with their heads down and their hands down by their sides. Neither dared to disturb the silence in the room.

“This is wrong,” said Aika in a quiet voice moments after her brother had left. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” She brought her hands to her face and her emotions took over once again. Renewed tears streamed down her already tear-stained face and her voice trembled as she let out sobs stronger than before. Her heart was hurting and she couldn’t bear the emotional and physical pain anymore. She felt like she was about to crumble any moment. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” she repeated miserably.

In her lap, Salazar empathized with his master and rubbed his head on her body in a show of comfort. As he did his best to do what any good pet would do to help alleviate their master from emotional and physical suffering, his snout brushed against the golden locket hanging from Aika’s neck. It felt cold to the touch and his body shuddered a bit from the sudden wave of coldness that coated his nose.

Aika felt the locket dangling from her neck and held it in one of her hands. She calmed her sobs and they were reduced to little sniffles. She brought the locket up to her face and focused on its golden surface. With her other hand, she touched the cool metal and traced her fingers along its circular edge. This was her greatest treasure of all. A small smile tugged at her lips as wonderful memories of times past began to fill her mind. She opened the locket and looked at the photo inside.

It was an old photo of herself when she was small, about the physical age of a ten year old girl, standing next to a young boy of about the same age. She was in the human realm for her ‘Passage of Inauguration’, which began two years before, and had stayed with a maid and butler who was instructed to pose as her ‘human parents’ for the duration of her time over there. She had learned a lot about the human realm and enjoyed everything about it, from the innovations to the knowledge to the cultural practices to the history! It was there that she absorbed everything she needed to know about humans and their society. However, while there, she was never enrolled in a human school. But that didn’t stop her from absorbing knowledge through books and the like. And her familiarity with human and human-based technology can be attributed to this time of study too.

However, the highlight of her time there came a little later. It was three months before the end of her ‘Passage of Inauguration’—the time this photo was taken. All of the dragons in the human realm for their ‘Passage of Inauguration’ (the royals and their relatives) were called to gather at a special place to celebrate their progress prior to graduation. The celebration was also attended by special guests. And one of these guests was the boy in the picture.

Aika remembered that day vividly. It was a bright spring day when the flowers were all in bloom and the cool breezes danced in the air like mischievous sprites. The celebration was held at a reception hall near the outskirts of the city and Aika remembered riding in the black car with her caretakers to the location. That day, she wore a hot pink dress with white gloves and socks, a pair of black slippers, and a red sun hat.

When they finally arrived at the hall, she was led out of the car by her “father”. Inside, a bunch of people already showed up. A majority of them were dragons. There were also other fantastical races such as goblins, kitsune, kappa, giants, elves, and Savra present too. However, they were all disguised as humans to blend in with human society. But there were also a few people whose race Aika wasn’t sure of. Some of them carried a very mighty and powerful scent, while others had a very ethereal aroma about them. And there were also a few humans in the mix, too.

Prior to coming to the human realm, Aika had always been cautious of humans. She had heard a lot of bad things about them, and a few good things too, but her own opinion on them hadn’t been fully formed yet. What she did know was to be careful around them and to approach cautiously. However, upon living among humankind for a few years now, she developed a very good impression of them. She had made good friends with the local children and became quite enamored with human culture and innovations.

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that she learned of the existence of dragon slayers—humans who dedicated themselves to slay dragons because of their view that all dragons are evil and monstrous. This idea terrified her, and she came to understand that not all humans regard dragons positively. Even those who are not slayers can become her worst enemies if they learned of her identity, which is why, as she was taught, all dragons must learn to become humans while living amongst them. But on the flip side, she had also learned of those who oppose this organization—humans who venerate and respect dragons, and who strive to one day bring them back from their isolated world. These people were known as dragon saints. Aika was happy to know that there exists humans who will accept her for she was. These two sides, she came to understand, represents the duality of human nature and their attitudes towards those not of their own kind.

Now, sensing the humans in the hall, she safely assumed them to be members of the dragon saints. Her assumption was proven correct when her caretakers informed her that the dragon saints were here for the dragons’ protection.

The guests all mingled together and Aika was introduced to the other royalty and nobility from the other tribes. The first person was the princess of the Python tribe, but their highly formal way of speaking really made her feel uneasy. The only joy she got out of this meeting was discovering what lied behind this façade—a way of speech she will never forget in her life! Then she met the Kur siblings, a pair of Quetzalcoatl nobles. She was at first a little scared of their teasing nature, but became more open with them after taking part in a few mischiefs around the hall. Next, she met the prince and princess of the Naga tribe…well, the prince of the Naga tribe. The princess was supposedly too afraid to meet her, and others in general, and hid herself behind her caretakers. On the other hand, the prince was a very handsome lad, and if it wasn’t for his stutter and tendency to perspire when speaking, Aika would’ve believed him to be a ladies man. She then met with the Okami princess…the less said, the better. She couldn’t stand the princess on all levels. When it came time to meet the Druk princess, she was alerted that the princess couldn't meet at this time due to “certain difficulties”. And when she met the Amaru princess and the Ur princess, she was weirded out and creeped out by them respectively. However, the one person whom she was able to establish a rapport with was the princess of the Long tribe. They clicked together right from the start and Aika was happy to find a like-minded individual whom she could call a friend. This relationship would last to this day.

When the late morning gave way to the early afternoon, a new group of guests arrived. The door to the hall burst open and a young girl with short shoulder-length hair and a long ponytail down the middle came running in and laughing gleefully. Running after her was him—the boy in the picture. Aika remembered how he looked that day: medium orange hair like the burning sun and cool blue eyes like the azure sky. He was dressed in a suit with a red tie that had a dragon design on it. Following quickly behind him were the caretakers of the little girl, who was rushing inside to try and calm her down. And bringing up the rear was the boy’s sister and parents and a male guardian.

She remembered their voices and the words spoken that day. The little girl was laughing and teasing him: “Hah! You lost again! That means when we get back, you have to give me your new game!”

“That’s not fair!” protested the boy, breathing heavily.

“That was the deal,” came the little girl with a mischievous smile.

“Princess, please be aware of where you are and act properly,” pleaded one of the girl’s caretakers.

“Pssh! Who cares?” replied the girl, rolling her eyes and placing her hands behind her head.

“Now, now, they’re just kids,” said the boy’s father. “The young ones should have fun while they still can,” he laughed.

“Honey, there is a time and a place for all of that,” reproached his wife sternly with a warm smile.

“Right, right, I know,” apologized the man with a laugh. Meanwhile, the boy’s male guardian looked at the man with irritation and disbelief. There was something about his expression that told Aika they were very close. That kind of face could only be pulled if he knew the boy’s father really well.

And then, the boy was led to meet the other guests. Aika, standing with her caretakers, watched as the boy went through the motions with a smile on his face. She didn’t know why, but she found herself captivated by the smile he wore. She could tell that it wasn’t fake like the smiles nobles would wear while associating with the commoners, nor empty like the soulless smiles of dispassionate individuals. The smile he wore was warm and welcoming and refreshing. She felt like she was watching the embodiment of the sun. She wanted to meet him, she wanted to see that smile more closely, she wanted to have that smile to herself. But the more she thought about this, the more she felt anxious about actually doing it. This anxiety caused her to hide behind her caretakers as she waited for the boy to approach her.

When it came time for them to meet, Aika clung to the legs of her caretakers and refused to come out. She was too embarrassed to come face-to-face with that smile, no matter how much she wanted to see it.

“Hello,” introduced the boy, holding out his hand.

Aika peeked out from behind her caretakers and saw it—the smile she desperately wanted to see for herself. It made her cheeks grow hot and red, and she immediately retreated back to her hiding spot. It took some coaxing by the caretakers to finally draw her out to meet the boy. She hesitantly took his hand and shook it, all the while her eyes were focused on the ground.

“What’s your name?” asked the boy.

“A-Ashira,” replied Aika.

“That’s a very pretty name,” said the boy cheerfully.

His positive comment drew Aika’s eyes up and she met his smile yet again. She became entranced by it and could feel its warmth washing over her body. “Thank you,” she replied dazedly. Their meeting came to an end and the boy left to continue his meet-and-greet with everyone else. Aika watched with longing eyes as he walked away, led by the hand by his father. The smile was burned into her mind and she would forever remember it.

A little later into the afternoon, Aika was outside with her new friend, the Long princess. They were sitting on a bench and casually talking while soaking in the bright, refreshing sunlight. The conversation turned to the human realm and the Long princess brought up an unfamiliar term. “Hey,” she said, “do you know what the word ‘Darling” means?”

“‘Darling’?” asked Aika, confused by the word.

“I heard it once when I was watching a human movie from another country,” said the Long princess. “It was a very funny word and I wanted to know more about it. My caretakers didn’t know what it meant either. I only learned about it recently from a group of neighborhood kids.” She swung her legs carelessly with a bright smile.

“What does it mean?” asked Aika, intrigued.

“You really wanna know?” teased the Long princess. Aika answered with quick nods, her eyes full of stars and curiosity. The Long princess’ smile turned a little mischievous and she leaned in close to Aika. “It’s a word you use to call someone very dear to you,” explained the princess.

“You mean like best friends?” asked Aika. “Does that mean that you’re my Darling, then?”

The Long princess thought about it for a moment. “I don’t think that’s wrong,” she finally said. “But the people who used it appeared to be closer than best friends.”

“Closer than best friends?!” exclaimed Aika in surprise.

“They were basically lovers,” explained the Long princess.

“So it’s a word you use for someone you love,” realized Aika. That’s when another question struck her. “Hey, how do you know if you’re in love?” she asked her friend.

“I’ve heard that your heart begins to race and your body gets really, really hot. And then your chest begins to hurt and your head spins like crazy!” answered her friend. “At least, that’s what people tell me. But I’ve also heard that it’s based on your own feelings. You’ll know whether or not when you’re in love.”

“My own feelings,” whispered Aika to herself.

The Long princess stretched her arms and jumped off of the bench. “Hey, let’s play!” she announced.

The both of them then engaged in a game of tag. They were having fun near a tree within the hall’s vicinity and, being the innocent little children they are, they played and laughed without a care in the world. But the next moment during this little game of theirs, an incident would occur that Aika will never forget.

As they were playing near the tree, a dark shadow appeared behind them. They were ignorant of the danger they were in and continued their game as if there was nothing wrong at all. The shadow took the form of a beast, a monster from the deepest, darkest depths of hell. And as Aika and her friend got closer and closer to the tree, the shadow’s owner slowly emerged from behind the tree. Once the princess were right next to the tree, the shadow’s owner made their full appearance. A deep and throaty beastly growl drew the princesses’ attention and they were immediately frightened by the horror before them. Standing in front them with its gnarly fangs bared was a black hound with obsidian black fur and hellish red eyes. Its obsidian claws dug into the Earth and its stiff, saber-like tail swished in the wind. The beast stood taller than a car and was half in length. Its monstrous height and beastly claws and fangs, coupled with its horrific zombie-like face, was enough to give even the most holiest of gods nightmares.

Both Aika and the Long princess let out ear-piercing screams. The beast howled before jumping forward with its claws for the princesses. Aika remembered the feeling of Death upon her as she closed her eyes and braced herself for the afterlife. She remembered thinking that her life was going to end in the coming seconds. And as she waited for that horrible reality to come true, nothing happened. She opened her eyes and saw that the boy from before had jumped in between her and the beast to protect her from the attack.

The boy had his hands grappling against the beast’s claws while ducking his head away from the beast’s attempted bite attacks. Using all of his strength, he pushed the beast back and then proceeded to unleash a strong kick to the beast’s stomach. The beast was sent flying through the air. However, this wasn’t enough to take it down for good. The beast got back up on its feet and rushed forward at top speed. The boy prepared for what was coming next and got into his fighting stance. When the beast attempted another jump attack, the boy quickly responded with a kick to the face. The beast, knocked away to the side, brushed off the pain like it was nothing and proceeded to charge at the boy again.

Aika watched the fight between the boy and the beast with fascination. She was thankful for the boy for protecting her and marveled at his strength as he fought against the beast. If the boy hadn’t done what he did, she would’ve for sure died. Her heart was beating quickly in her chest, except this time it wasn’t from fear. A new, warm feeling was washing over her as her eyes watched the boy fight.

The boy threw a punch to the beast’s face from the right. In quick retaliation, the beast reached out with its right claw and struck the boy in the face. “Watch out!” screamed Aika in fear. The boy was pushed back and fell to his knees. Aika watched in horror at the river of blood flowing from just under his eye.

The mark wasn’t big, but it was still rather deep. The attack wasn’t fatal and was dealt out of desperation. The boy reached up and touched his eye. He was lucky to not have lost his eye, but the scare was enough to make him conscious of just how dangerous the beast really was—one wrong move and he would’ve been blind. But this wasn’t enough to dissuade him. He got back up to his feet and clenched his fists. Suddenly, his fist became encased in flames. Without another second to waste, he dashed forward at the beast and struck it square in the jaw. The heat from the flame burned the beast and left a horrifying black scar around its snout. The beast fell to the ground and fainted. And then, its body slowly decayed and it returned to the earth.

“Son!” called out the boy’s father. He ran over to the boy along with his friend and examined the now-congealed scar on the boy’s face. “Are you okay?” he asked his son. The boy responded with a nod. But despite his reassurance that he was alright, the boy was quickly led back inside for medical care.

A half-hour later or so, Aika was sitting alone on the bench outside. After that incident, everyone was told to stay inside until an investigation was complete and no further danger is present. The investigators came back with nothing and the area was declared safe once again, though with a few restrictions. That’s why Aika was able to sit where she was right now.

As she stared at the pinkish sky slowly transitioning from refreshing noon to beautiful evening, she hadn’t noticed the presence of someone next to her. “Are you okay?” asked a familiar voice. Aika froze a bit after hearing the voice speak, and she slowly turned around to see the boy from before sitting next to her with a fresh bandage over the scar. He flashed her a triumphant smile and Aika nearly fell off her seat.

She didn’t know what to say to him. Stutters exited out of her mouth as she unsuccessfully tried to think of what to talk about. And that’s when an obvious realization struck her. ‘He saved me. It was because of him that I am still here!’ she realized. She faced downwards and said a reverent tone, “Thank you.”

“As long as you’re safe, that’s alright with me,” responded the boy.

His words made Aika tingle and her cheeks became a light cherry color. “I-I’m only safe because of you,” she told him in a flustered manner. “I can’t do what you do. If something like that happens again, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“That’s alright!” announced the boy boldly. “I’ll be there to protect you!” The statement made Aika look up at him with wide-eyes filled with awe and elation. “Father always told me that I can be a hero. And that’s what I want to be. I want to be able to protect people from danger. And since I have powers, I can be a real life superhero!” The boy laughed as he said that last part. “But more importantly,” he continued in a slightly more serious tone, “I don’t want to see people getting hurt. I want to protect everyone’s next sunrise.”

“Mine’s too?” asked Aika, absorbed in the boy’s righteous speech.

“Of course,” said the boy with a nod.

Aika’s heart began to race a bit. A strange feeling washed over her and her body grew very hot. Her chest started hurting and her head began spinning. Just what was going on with her? And that’s when her previous conversation with her friend replayed in her head. ‘Heart begins to race…body grows hot…chest starts to hurt…head begins to spin…,’ recalled Aika. Her eyes widened as the realization hit her. ‘Is this love?’ she wondered to herself. She looked at the boy and her symptoms only increased in severity.

The boy began to notice that something odd was going on with Aika. “Hey, are you alright?” he asked worriedly.

Aika could only respond with a stiff nod. The next thing that came out of her mouth was so natural that she didn’t realize it happened until it was too late. “How about protecting someone you love?” she blurted out.

“Of course,” answered the boy quickly. “My parents and my friends, its my duty to protect them! But it’s not just them, it’s everyone in the world!” He then turned to her once again and added, “And that means you, too.”

Aika blushed at her own inclusion in his declaration. This lighted a fire within her. Instead of becoming more meek and shy around him, she began to feel more confident about her own feelings. “W-Would you protect me forever too?” she asked him shamelessly.

“I’ll protect you forever,” agreed the boy with a beaming smile. “You’re my friend. I will always protect those closest to me.”

“What if…,” began Aika, stopping midway as the thought began to make her cheeks red.

“What if what?” asked the boy, tilting his head in curiosity.

“What if I said that I want to be more than friends?” she asked him, closing her eyes in embarrassment.

“You mean like boyfriend and girlfriend?” came the boy. “Or do you mean like husband and wife?”

“Husband and wife?!” exclaimed Aika. Her face became redder than magma and she could feel herself about to faint from overexcitement. “I-I-I-I-I-I…,” she stuttered.

“Sure,” said the boy with a smile. “If that means that I’ll be able to protect you forever, then of course we can be husband and wife!” he declared. An epiphany struck him and he added, “You know, my mom had always said that my dad was her hero. And in the stories my dad tells me, the hero always gets the girl he saves!” He stood up on the bench with a confident smile on his face and said, “I made up my mind!” He turned to Aika with the same beaming smile, making her blush a rosy color. “I’ll be your hero!” he declared. “I’ll protect you forever as your husband and personal hero!”

“Then, are you saying that you accept me as your wife?” she asked him. “Are we officially lovers now?”

“Yep!” confirmed the boy with a nod.

“Then…, can I call you ‘Darling’?” she asked him bashfully. The boy took her hands and answered with a nod. Aika suddenly felt like a brand new door was opening for her. The pain that had plagued her body was gone and was replaced by a comforting lightness. She felt a strong urge to laugh and smile, and nothing else in the world seemed to bother her. It was as if she was now immune to universal negativity and had discovered inner peace. A beaming smile replaced her previous uneasiness and she tilted her head in glee. “Darling!” she called to him happily.

That evening, before the sun had completely set, Aika had her picture taken with the boy by her caretakers. And ever since that day, she had kept the picture inside the locket her mother had given her as a graduation gift upon her return to the dragon realm. Even though the boy had promised to protect her forever, Aika came to realize that she didn’t want to rely on him forever. It was selfish and cowardly and unfair. Instead, she wanted to be someone that could fight alongside him and be someone that can truly be called a lover: a person who is on equal footing with her loved one. And to do that, she convinced herself to train hard, and eventually grew to become a fearsome warrior because of it. It was so she could be the girl her Darling truly deserves.

Aika’s memories came to an end and she smiled. On her lap, Salazar noticed his master’s change in temperament and cuddled her while purring happily. Aika stroked her pet on the head before lifting him up and nuzzling him against her cheek. “I’m sorry if I troubled you, Salazar,” she apologized to the Primordial Salamander.

“Kra kra kra!” he barked happily in reply.

She took one last look at the picture in the locket before closing it. “I’m sure that Darling will come through,” she told herself. “Even if he forgot our promise.”

Suddenly, a knock came on the door. “Princess Ashira, are you in there?” It was Ralus Khyber.

His voice made Aika shiver and scowl and she quickly turned away from the door. “Tell him I’m taking a bath,” she told the maids.

Both Ingrid and Helen bowed their heads and proceeded to relay her message to the duke’s son. “Let me go in,” ordered the noble, “I don’t have time to listen to your dribble!” Despite Ingrid and Helen’s combined efforts, the duke’s son forced himself in. The maids could’ve easily stopped him with little to no effort if they were serious, but the consequences it would bring to their lady and kingdom made them hold back.

Ralus marched into the room and loudly declared, “I will be your master soon enough! And to deny the husband from seeing his wife, despite the circumstances, is disgraceful! I shall have your heads once I become heir to the throne!”

Helen was about ready to sucker-punch the noble when Ingrid quickly put out a hand to stop her. She then bowed her head and gestured for Helen to follow suit. Helen reluctantly did as she was told. “We apologize,” said Ingrid. Her voice was devoid of emotion and sincerity. But the prideful noble, as arrogant and narcissistic as he was, was oblivious to her poisonous tone.

“If you both were my personal maids, you both would’ve already been out of a job! And my father, who loves me very much, would’ve made it hard for your family to survive in the city and you would’ve been forced to move to the countryside and become disgusting and vulgar plebeian farmers! As befitting your disgusting and vulgar plebeian lives!” declared Ralus. He then laughed humorously to himself as if he had just told a very funny joke.

“Oh? And whose maids are you calling disgusting and vulgar plebeians?” asked Aika, who was sitting behind him all this time and listening to the entire conversation with repulsion.

“A-A-Ashira!” stuttered Ralus in surprise. He quickly spun around to face her and smiled sheepishly. “H-How long were you sitting there?”

“The entire time,” answered Aika tersely.

“I thought you were taking a bath?” he asked her.

“I wouldn’t want to dirty myself again after cleaning myself up once,” she told him harshly. In her lap, Salazar was staring at Ralus with hostile eyes while snarling. He was ready to protect his master from this pompous fool at any given moment.

Ralus could tell right away that the Primordial Salamander didn’t like him, but he also knew just how much the pet meant to his fiancé. With an awkward smile, he hesitantly bent down and slowly reached for the Primordial Salamander. “There, there,” he said.

Salazar was unimpressed with Ralus’ fake display of affection and promptly chomped down on the noble’s hand like it was a sandwich. Pain shot through Ralus’ arm and he immediately tugged his hand out of the Primordial Salamander’s mouth. Giant teeth marks were visible on his hand and his fingers throbbed. “My hand!” he cried hysterically. “Unbelievable! Ashira, that beast—.” He was about to insult her pet and force her to relinquish it to the proper authorities but stopped when it was apparent he was being ignored.

“Good boy!” praised Aika, scratching her pet’s belly. “You did a good job attacking that mean man! Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?” Salazar simply replied back with happy yelps and affectionate coos.

Ralus’s left eye twitched. Anger was boiling inside of him and he was ready to erupt. He had enough of this disrespectful show and being made the butt of these jokes! “That’s it!” he exploded. “Ashira, you and I will be husband and wife in a week! I demand that you show your future husband the love and hospitality he deserves!” Ralus didn’t care if he sounded rude or rash right now; he did everything he could to play nice with her. But drastic times calls for drastic measures. However, Aika’s attention was still focused on Salazar. This made Ralus’ entire body shake with fury. With a huff, he turned around and stomped out of the room.

Once he was gone, Aika looked out the door from the corner of her eyes. “Love and hospitably? As if a sleazebag like you deserve it,” she said to herself.