Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
║jealousy, jealousy ━━━ (CHAPTER TWENTY ONE)
TIME WORE ON. Hours, minutes, seconds passed until time made little to no sense anymore. Anemone supported her chin with her palm, elbow on the edge of the table as Charlotte took over one of her pawns with her castle.
"I don't get it." She sighed, eyes lacking the passion her captain had.
"You'll understand eventually." Charlotte said patiently. Anemone moved her queen up which was easily left vulnerable for the opposing bishop to take. "You're supposed to be protecting the king, by the way. Not the knight."
"Awe, but the horses are so cute." She said, picking one of them up to admire. Now it was Charlotte's turn to sigh.
Considering today was paycheck day again, the Blue Rose knights had a day off. Unusually but not unexpected, the base was empty with a few exceptions. Anemone had been strolling around the gardens when she spotted Charlotte sitting in front of a chessboard, having tea by herself. Curious, she approached her and inquired about the chessboard. It was then did Charlotte began explaining how playing chess worked and now, they were having a trial run. It was admittedly not so much a trial run as much it was Anemone playing with her own made-up rules, however.
"How are you getting along at the Blue Rose?" Charlotte's question didn't surprise Anemone as the girl leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs.
"Quite well. Everyone here is so surprisingly friendly and kind. Maybe except for Mirela at first. But I think we're learning to get along better now." As she spoke, she drummed her fingers along the table. "Do you really like playing chess, Captain?"
"I do enjoy it. Playing chess is one of my favourite pastimes alongside reading and gardening." She admitted and as Anemone moved one pawn forward, she swooped in to take her king. "And just like that, I win."
"Congrats, Captain!" Anemone beamed, not at all sore about losing. "I'm just glad I managed to keep the horses safe."
This statement elicited another sigh from her captain which in turn made herself giggle. "Anemone, the reason why I want you to learn chess is so you can learn about strategies and how to think critically in a short amount of time. Think of the chessboard as your battlefield and the king as the person you're protecting. You're the queen and the other chess pieces around you are your, hm... let's say magic attacks. Within the time allotted to you, think of the best move to counter your opponent and defeat them."
Anemone listened carefully to her captain's words. She understood what she meant to a certain extent, but chess still didn't pique her interest.
