Azalea's heart seemed to drop in his stomach.
His scampering footsteps had thumped continuously, throbbing a headache. The feeling of imminent danger never fades away from his senses.
His locks of feathery white hair bounced in the wind. Azalea didn't stop running. He needed to run away from November. Why was there a demon disguised in their school? What exactly was November's goal? Why did she want to destroy S Academy? Why did she want to kill him?
Azalea remembered the smile of relief on November's face, when she'd finally grabbed onto his face, and formed a blade to decapitate him with.
Fortunately, all was foiled.
But the memory scarred Azalea's sight for who knows how many years.
"AZ! We finally found you!" A relieved cry came from afar. When Azalea looked up from his scampering footsteps, he saw his group of friends.
Daphnne was jumping up and down.
Percival was smiling.
Lucilline was—
Azalea paused. He couldn't figure out the expression on his dear friend's face. As they grouped back together, Daphnne kept on pummelling Azalea's shoulders, talking about how worried they were for him. Percival explained how one of the demons revealed that November was the mastermind, and that they were almost scared into becoming an ice sculpture.
"I'm fine." Azalea reassured them. He smiled, with his white teeth glimmering, "Look at me, I don't have a single wound on me."
"Indeed..." Daphnne's eyes scanned her childhood friend.
As they continued walking, Azalea felt a small tug on the back of his shirt. Turning around, Azalea was stunned by the sight he saw.
Beautiful locks of black hair had reached down to the nobleman's back, appearing like ink sprawling across blank pages. Lucilline only wore a white shirt, with short sleeves, which revealed his pale and unblemished arms. His slender figure used to be standing full of magnificence and pride. However, Lucilline now looked a bit pitiful.
Lucilline frowned, "Are you sure you're alright?"
Azalea's heart thumped aloud twice. He could no longer control the speed of his heart, nor the loud sound of it. He swore that everyone next to him could hear his heart beating out of control!
"...I..." Gradually, he felt the black-haired nobleman's hold on his shirt tightening.
Lucilline bowed his head, with shadows muddling his sight. His slender fingers held onto Azalea's white shirt, unwilling to let go of it. "...I'm sorry."
For some odd reason, he felt a buzzing noise at his ears. Lucilline's hands tightened by his sides, with his nails piercing into his flesh. Slowly, blood dripped down from his palms, but quickly vanished without a trac due to the Sequence Contract.
"...It was all my fault." Lucilline stared at his shoes. He sent Azalea off with November. He sent Azalea to die. He endangered Azalea.
He was constantly reminded of his identity—a villain.
Perhaps, it was impossible for him to be a good person. He will forever be the villain who harms the heroine and make leads in the end.
Amethyst purple eyes widened.
Azalea pursed his lips. His racing heartbeat had died in the air, and his sense of fluster had faded away. He could feel the sorrow hanging around the black-haired nobleman.
"What are you apologizing for?" Azalea frowned.
Lucilline remained unmoved. His bowed head were surrounded by a horde of conflicts.
"Look at me, Lucilline." Azalea stated. The white-haired male lead used to converse in a soft and soothing voice—suitable for lullabies. However, this time, his voice was serious, with not a single fluctuation within the wavelengths. He wasn't asking the black-haired nobleman to look at him. He was ordering him.
Lucilline could feel the shift in his tone.
Slowly, his head lifted upwards—
All of a sudden, a pair of two warm hands had cupped onto his cheeks. Alarmed, Lucilline tried to shrink out from the hold, but his face was immediately pulled to merely centimetres away from the male lead's face.
Lucilline was stunned.
To be frank, Azalea also had no idea what he was doing.
However, every single instinct inside of him was roaring at himself to cheer up his best friend. The white-haired teenage boy stared deep into Lucilline's golden jewelled eyes. They were truly a treasure. At times, Azalea just wanted to continue staring into them, wondering what kind of twinkle or spark they'd give off.
"Don't blame yourself for something you had no control of." Azalea's voice was magnetic, and brought shivers to the black-haired nobleman's spine.
For some odd reason, Lucilline felt his legs going weak.
His cheeks felt really warm—perhaps it was because the male lead's hands were warming them up—or maybe it was something else.
"I'm really happy that Lucilline cares for me though. You're always so shameless and saying nonsense. It's difficult to decipher what your true meaning is. Now that you're so vocally worried about me, I must admit that I am pleased. To have Lucilline worry for me again, I could sacrifice my life a hundred more times." Azalea smiled.
He was like a swan, gently swimming across peaceful surfaces of ponds. His white feathers ruffled in the wind, and brushing strokes of currents in the body of water.
Lucilline was mesmerized. He did not register the words that the male lead spoke until after a few minutes of staring—
"Enough!" Percival panicked.
He pulled Lucilline by the arm, dragging the latter away from the white-haired teenager's grasp. "Student Azalea," Percival was seething vinegar deep inside. "Please remember your manners. It is not right to be next to Lucilline at such a close distance."
Azalea recovered from his stupor.
He turned to look at Percival, who had thrown his entire body at Lucilline's arm, "..." Noblemen are really a bunch of hypocrites.
"Ahem," Lucilline coughed, "Azalea, next time, don't grab my face so harshly. What if you leave a mark?"
Percival: ???
Azalea: !!!
The white-haired nobleman came back to himself. He remembered the bold act he dared to display—touching Lucilline's face and looking at him from such a close distance!
He vividly remembered the feeling of soft skin brushing his palms.
Just thinking about it made his heart tingle from embarrassment. Azalea wanted to run a whole marathon from his bashfulness. I'm so done for!
All of a sudden, he stopped in his tracks.
Lucilline wore a concerned face. It was as if he was saying, "I don't care if you grab my face. But if you're going to grab my face, at least do it softly. Why be so harsh?"
Little did he know, Azalea had hit right on the spot.
The male lead's face darkened. Despair arrived so fast, he could barely adjust. Lucilline isn't even flustered at all..! Was he just overthinking things?
"Alright," Lucilline stretched his limbs. He didn't even bother with Percival, who'd been plastered on his arm. "After we get out of this school, let's find a place to eat."
Daphnne excitedly nodded. "Yes!"
Even though she'd witnessed the entire ordeal between Lucilline, Azalea, and Percival, she felt like it wasn't her place to intrude.
"Oh," Azalea suddenly remembered something. "I've learned that November is a demon. She was about to kill me, but two young men saved me. One of them is your butler, Lucilline."
Lucilline's golden eyes widened. "Augustine...?"
He remembered that Augustine was a reincarnator. His primary goal is to save Lydia Kingdom from the ensuing destruction nurtured by Lucilline Rubius; the villain of the novel. Therefore, if the male lead were to die, it'd be a huge loss to his goal of saving Lydia Kingdom.
No wonder he did his best in saving the male lead.
"But, I'm not sure if he stands a chance against November." Azalea frowned. He remembered the monstrous strength that the female demon wielded.
She truly was a powerful being.
Lucilline pursed his lips. "Then we must find some way to help him-"
"There's already help." Azalea added. "I remember the sound of metallic armour ringing down the hallway. You all must have heard it too, right?"
The group of four students nodded amongst themselves.
"It must be the Royal Knights."
*****
November dodged the attacks of twenty knights.
She gritted his teeth, and fought against the imposing threat. Damnit! Why must the Royal Knights arrive right this instant? I still haven't achieved my mission yet!
The sound of metallic crashes had resounded through the hallway.
The Royal Knights were studious, and were in unison. Their movements played out at the same time, making them appear quite frightening. Their heads were covered in the white armour, as if they had an angel halo circling their skulls.
A sword crashed at November's retrospective.
She quickly ducked, avoiding a direct hit to her neck.
"Your methods are cheap, Crown Prince of Lydia!" November scowled. "I can't believe someone of high authority and status would resort to cheating!"
Dimitri just shrugged, showing off his ambience of indifference. "There's no such thing as cheating in a battle to the death." His hazel eyes glimmered a sharp glint. "Isn't this what you've said before?"
November couldn't muster up a sound.
"Enough." The Crown Prince stepped forward. "My knights, stop fighting. Since the lowly demon has so many complaints, I shall see to her myself." His steel boots resounded heavy steps. Dimitri stretched out an arm in the air.
"My weapon." He declared.
The Royal Knights seized fighting, and immediately ran off to the back. They had disappeared, then came back with a heavy suitcase tolling in hand.
November didn't dare to move. Demons were know as horrible creatures. There was nothing that they fear in Lydia Kingdom—except for the Royalty.
"I shall fight you myself, demon." Dimitri deeply laughed, his chest heaving from the tremors. "You should be honoured." The harsh look in his hazel eyes reminded the demon of the generations of kings in Lydia Kingdom. This Crown Prince... even before he ascended to the throne, he has the look of a mighty predator in his eyes.
The Royal Knights tugged the suitcase before the Crown Prince.
Dimitri didn't even bend down. His Royal Knights had placed the handle in the Crown Prince's hand, so that he could remain his powerful stature.
Click. The suitcase was flipped open—revealing a beam of light!
November's heart was caught between her throat, as her pupils dilated at the sight of the weapon inside the suitcase.
"The Sword of Gravity." Dimitri sounded out the name.
The sword was made out of pure diamond, with the spirit of crushing mountains and sharp gravity honed inside its blade. Blue speckles of sapphire were planted on the hilt, decorating it in a plaza of jewels. However, the most exquisite part of it was its blade. Not only did it shine a beam of blinding light unto the ceiling, but it also trembled in unmistakable power.
"You..." November almost shook on the spot. You're going to fight me with that sword?
"Prepare yourself." Dimitri smiled, his handsome face glowering at the demon before him. He lowered his body, then—disappeared.
"What—" Before she even had time to react, November felt a gust of air seeping at her nape. By pure demonic instincts, she ducked her head.
The blue blade fell short in the air. Only a second passed, then suddenly, the wall broke into hundred pieces!
November gritted her teeth.
All objects in the path of the Sword of Gravity will be blown to pieces. They will have the mighty force of gravity bestowed upon their heads. If November was a second too late in dodging, then her head might have fallen off her neck.
"Again!" But the Sword was too heavy.
November could tell that the Crown Prince had some troubles with wielding it. An insane smile fell on her lips. After all, the Sword of Gravity is created by demons—not you foolish bunch of humans!
When Dimitri swung his sword again, November didn't even bother to dodge.
Cracks of her cheek began to corrode, revealing the ugly red scars across her face. Those scars glowed a crimson red colour, seizing Dimitri's heart in hesitation—
All of a sudden, a giant demon collapsed through the ceiling.
It was larger than the one that Lucilline, Percival, and Daphnne had fought before in the arena. Instead, this giant demon was at least ten metres tall, with its head breaking an uncanny hole through the ceiling. It also had distorted wings, which flickered in the light like a bat's hanging from above, slipping back into the shadows.
"Well, I'm going to retreat." November laughed. "This mission was a total failure, but at least I got some key intel. Thanks, Crown Prince."
She had completely erased the smug smile on the Crown Prince's face.
Dimitri's handsome face went cold, as if pristine ice had sharpened his facial expressions. "You dare run away from a fight with this prestigious one? Demons will always be demons... resorting to a cheap escape and fleeing like a coward."
"Coward? You make me laugh, Crown Prince."
The giant demon obstructed the way between November and Dimitri. It had no way of letting the Crown Prince past in a fast way.
November had already broken a window, with the glass shards piercing her skin. "It seems like Lydia Kingdom still hasn't changed much the past centuries. The generations of kings are still as cowardly as ever. You still don't dare to admit to your crimes."
Dimitri gnashed his teeth, "What are you talking about—"
He didn't get to finish his words when November had already jumped out from the window. "Leave the building immediately!" Dimitri demanded. "You must capture that foul demon no matter what!"
The Royal Knights did as he ordered them to. They all rushed down the hallway to leave the building. The giant demon did not stop them.
It just slowly turned to look at Dimitri, facing the Crown Prince with its hideous smile.
This demon doesn't have its mouth stitched, unlike the other ones. Perhaps November had already exposed her identity, and didn't think information mattered anymore.
The two giant protruding horns on its head had the smell permeating of mushy flesh. The giant demon opened its mouth, exhaling a pungent breath, hot enough to breathe out fire.
Dimitri gritted his teeth.
He alone must stand against this giant demon.