~4 years later~
" Nyx~! Come home for food!" the lady shouted. The once fair, pale skin tanned from years staying under the sun daily.
" Woof! Woof!"
Faint barkings were heard from the direction of the endless trees. Hearing the reply from afar tugged a smile to the lady's lips.
Rustlings of leaves and bushes became louder and louder as a creature emerged from the nearest bush. A canine strode gallantly and enthusiastically towards the lady, fluterring its black, shiny coat and the green fur on its abdomen. Its emerald eyes shine brightly at the sight of its favourite human, circling her upon approaching causing a few giggles to leave her mouth.
" Hey there, Nyx! Ready for food?"
" Woof!"
" Okay, sit!"
With that command, the elegant breed obeyed and stayed on the spot. Putting the food bowl in front of Nyx, the lady chuckled softly when she saw a few drops of saliva flooding out of Nyx's snout. Never moving an inch, the desperate eyes tried to look away only to look back at the food causing it's mouth to salivate more. Once she stand at a safe distance before the mess could get onto her, she smiled.
" Go!"
In an instant, ravenous sound filled the area as Nyx munch greedily as it fill his stomach. After a bit while, the lady drop her smile as she turn her head towards a certain direction. Given her situation, her senses heightened after years of quite the peaceful life she have lived isolated in the abandoned forests. The sound of nature has assimilated throughout her mind that a slight disturbance would alert her.
" Come out. I know you're there."
Her stern tone made the silhouette flinched a little. The friendliness she showed Nyx earlier were wiped off instantly, leaving menacing and murderous aura surrounding her as if all of it just now was a dream. Slowly, the silhouette make himself visible, making the frown on her face grew as she recognizes the identity of the man.
" And to what reason for the prince of the Xavier Kingdom to grace my humble abode with your presence?" she questioned immediately at once.
" For you to know my identity at a glance, you must be a noble from my kingdom." he replied, amused at the situation at hand.
" Was a noble. I left my house, thus no longer associated with the kingdom."
" Why?"
" It was of no importance to you, your highness."
" Huh."
" I have to ask you again, what is your purpose of coming here, your highness?" The lady swung her hand, grasping onto the forming ablaze sword and holding it in front of her just like a knight.
" Or I'll have to consider you a threat." she continued.
" R-Right... I-I was running away from assassins sent by the rivalling kingdom and I ran out of mana. I stumbled upon this place. I think I managed to lose them on the way..." he trailed off, realizing how he seemed to trust her despite meeting her just a moment ago.
" That's what you think." she replied, glacier spears forming around her.
" What..?" The confused prince was immediately barricaded with a thick earth wall, limiting his view. In a split second, he heard thuds of a few things hitting the ground. Once the commotion died down, the earth wall disperse and he could see bodies of the assassins with holes on their neck.
It gave him shivers how she could kill them in a matter of seconds, without making any sound too. Just how did she lived to be that good in combat?
" Now that's settled with, what do you want to do now?" She side glanced him as she burn the corpses right where they are.
" R-Right... I... I should go... Thank you for saving my life-"
Growl~!
The prince's face blew up red as he laugh awkwardly, scratching his head.
She sighed.
" Come on in. It's a waste to save your life now if you're just gonna die of starvation later."
" Th-Thank you. That's a really big help."
" Don't sweat it. We won't be seeing each other again."
" Why?"
" I don't want to have people knowing me here."
" Then, can you at least tell me your name?"
" Would you leave me alone after this?"
" If I can honor the name of my saviour after that, sure. I will."
" Ha... Fine. My name is Agnes."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Putting on a plate of hamburger steak with a few vegetables on the side in front of him, just a whiff of it made his mouth salivate uncontrollably. Agnes sat at the opposite side of the royalty, handing the cutleries to him.
" Dig in."
Using the knife, he cut a piece of the meat and shove it into his mouth. A sigh of bliss escaped as he proceed to devour the rest of it. Seeing this, a chuckle left Agnes' mouth.
" What?"
" You know, for a prince, you sure don't seem like it, your highness."
" You do remember that I told you to call me on first name basis. You're my saviour, not anybody else!"
" Pardon me, I need a bit more time to adapt."
" Sure... And to answer your curiosity, I was raised as a commoner for a quite while until my existence was discovered. There's only us here, so I feel more comfortable to be myself. It's been a while since I can talk like this."
" You've had it hard. Good job holding on like this."
" Thanks. What about you?"
" Me?"
" Yeah, for a lady, you are quite strong. At first glance, I thought you were a guy."
" Eli, you have to promise me not to tell anyone. Not even His Majesty."
" I swear to all my life that I won't tell anyone unless you told me so."
" Good enough. Well, my 'father' and me made a deal and he broke it. In that contract, I agreed to give him a way to make more money for the county, in exchange for protection within the mansion. The condition is that if ever he ask me for help again, I would be stripped off of my family name and I would leave, willingly. But he might be hunting me down, wanting more wealth by forcing me to 'cooperate'. So, I cut my hair and wear these garments as a way to hide my identity. To tell you the truth, these are much more comfortable than those heavy and expensive dresses. They're hard to walk in too."
" I see... You had it rough too. But why did you choose here to be your safe place?"
" This is the land of the free. Those who tread this land with an army would provoke every kingdom available for breaking the treaty signed by the past leaders thousands of years ago."
" You really think this through... Just how old are you?"
" You know that you should never ask a woman her age, right?" she teased.
" W-What?! No! I didn't ask for that purpose!" he flustered.
" Relax, I know what you meant. I'm 19 years old."
" You've never been to the academy?"
" Yup, I would have if I didn't leave 4 years ago."
" You've been here for 4 years?!"
" Yeah."
" Wow..."
" Close your mouth or a fly would get in."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
" It seems quite dark for you to travel. The area have quite a number of monsters, especially at night. You probably have to start moving tomorrow."
" Really? And you live in the middle of it."
" Yeah well, I have Nyx to alert me and all the trainings I've done for protection gave me the upper hand."
" I forgot how admirable you are..." he muttered to himself.
" ? "
" It's nothing. Do you have an extra blanket by any chance? I don't mind sleeping on the floor."
" How can I let you, the guest, sleep on the floor?"
" No, it's fine, really. You've done so much for me."
" Just come outside."
Walking towards the door, Agnes step outside and trudging along the area, only stopping at a stretch of quite near to her house. Seeing that Eli wasn't coming any nearer, Agnes signed him to come up to her. As he walk towards her, Agnes lift her hand, mana flowing out of her fingers.
Trees shoot out of the soil forming a full fledge single-storey house made of woods. It was complete with windows and fire was lit inside. It was quite small compared to hers but all the necessities like toilet and bedroom are still spacious for one to live in.
" Whoa..."
" I figured that you'd be uncomfortable sharing a toilet with a woman. Plus, it would be quite scandalous for a man and a woman to be in a house together without proper engagement." Agnes smirked at the prince who had a slight tint of blush on his face.
" So, make yourself at home. I'd be next door if you need anything. Do what you have to do."
" What will happen to it after I leave?"
" Well, either I keep it since I might get more unexpected guest in the future, or I just destroy it. It's of no use to me anyways."
" Can you.. not destroy it?"
" It's a hassle to keep it clean."
" Then, can at least keep it clean so I can come back and repay you?"
" If it's money, then I have no use of it."
" Of course! I'll bring you some desserts that are famous in our kingdom. It just got popular a few months back."
" Oh? Now we're talking."
" Well, if I'm not mistaken, it's called 'Fluffy Goodness'. It had two different cuisine; one being white and soft, whole the other looks like a clump of cloud. Both are very sweet." he explained.
' Is it like marshmallow and cotton candy from earth?' Agnes' eyes sparkled brightly as she thought to herself, not noticing how Eli just stared at her.
' Does she have a sweet tooth?' A small smile graced his lips as he wait for her to answer.
After giving it a good thought(not really), she agreed, sealing their deal with a handshake.
" Then, have a good rest, Eli."
" You too, Agnes."
They bid each other goodnight and retired into their places. Eli strolled towards a chair and sat silently for a while.
" Schwarz." he finally called out.
Dark mists filled the area, clumping together as a silhouette began to form. The mists slowly dispersed as a man with long dark strands doning a black robes stand before him. His abyss-like eyes with white pupils staring straight at him before he bowed a little.
" Master."