Beautiful Scar

Chapter 22

Instead of heading to her room and finished her paperworks, she went to her training room, and easily found some of her men were there, training and practicing in their spare time.

The men saw her, almost stood up to salute her. But she waved it off. They were puzzled.

"Alright men, spar with me".

And just like that, the men cheered and went to have a go with their Captain.

Only to be easily lifted off and thrown to the ground.

One by one. Some went for a few rounds until they were all beat and left with Scarlet, still panting.

Every one except for Officer Mason. He was around as well.

But he only stared facing her.

Scarlet was panting.

She could not believe she said such things to Frederick!

Did someone spellbound her?

It was unbecoming of her.

"Captain", said Mason only looking at her.

"Don't just stand there, Officer Mason. Spar me", she instructed.

"I'm going to disobey that command", the other men who were catching their breaths listened in. "You can punish me later but Captain are you alright?"

From her sparring stance, Scarlet slowly stood upright and let out a breath. Her intense gaze eventually turned back to their steady sharpness. The eyes of a leader.

She calmed herself for a moment.

Officer Mason knew that his Captain was not really in a decent mood.

She was strict but clear and reasonable. But when she acted like this, almost too pissed off to even give a damn, he knew something was up or weighing on her mind. A tad too much.

But of course, when he was younger, he rejoiced just as much as the other men around them. It was an opportunity to spar and squeeze in a little revenge on their harsh Captain. But now that he aided her, he wanted to serve and protect her just as much she saved him and these men around.

And at such a young age, with peace still recently claimed and all these battle royale event, he wondered if the tasks of diplomacy and handling those privileged suitors were straining Captain Scarlet in an exhaustion that was different than her brutal training and yet just as intimidating.

She let out another breath, "I met Frederick just now", she confessed.

Mason's eyes widened and even the men that were beaten up sat upright.

She snorted a bit seeing them. She didn't know when it began. When either her or one of her men started sharing their thoughts. Maybe it was during those expeditions, on the battlefields. They bonded like comrades, like brother and sister.

Honestly, she did not disclose much about her state of mind towards Frederick towards Fina or any of her Lady companions. It always slipped her mind because it never was there until she saw him again.

He was that older boy, like Lance, but unlike her bullies, he was always harsh with his words but not hurtful. And he nagged, come to think of it, almost like Homes, when he felt she was unfitting for to be a warrior. Well, that always made Scarlet wanted to argue, which ended up them fighting like typical children.

But after the last beating she gotten from Collins, he never really looked at her in the eyes. And she wondered. Which always made her think there was something wrong with her.