Chapter 119 Nostalgic Pain

"Ugh... That speech was a pain."

Lilianna cringed as she remembered the looks the nobles gave her.

She'd spoken from the heart, but her views were too radical for the children from the more prominent houses.

They'd grown up being spoonfed the ideals that commoners are beneath them and that no amount of hard work can beat someone with more talent.

A red-haired girl standing next to her placed her hand on her shoulder, causing her to halt her stride.

"Don't worry about that. If I see any of those b*stards, I'll sock them right in the face."

Clenching her fist, the girl made a punching motion.

However, all that earned was a deadpan look from Lillianna.

"And... Now my worries just increased."

The red-haired girl's expression froze.

"C-calm down, Lily, it's just a joke! Mostly..."

"Sigh... It's always 'punch first, ask questions while punching' with you, isn't it."

"In my defence, punching has a proven track record of working 95% of the time."

"The remaining 5% is the concerning part."

"Heh heh heh...." Backed into a corner, the red-haired girl decided to change the topic of their conversation, "I heard that silver-haired kid we saw at Noble's arena was ranked number one among those who took the entrance examination."

Lilianna nodded her head.

"Yes, that's correct. He's actually going to be in the same class as us."

The red-haired girl let out a sigh.

"He's strong and handsome... If only he didn't share the same name as that b*stard, I would have tried to court him."

Lilianna's expression froze slightly but quickly hid her expressions behind a false smile.

"You know... If you acted a little more like a girl and didn't chase away your fiance, you wouldn't have to worry about this."

"Eh? He was a wuss! There's no way in h*ll I'm going to marry that pansy. But, seriously, he's a year older than me and refuses to fight me."

The red-haired girl beat her hand against her chest

"If someone wants to marry me, they'll need to beat me in a fight! It's gotta be 1 on 1 too. Ganging up is for cowards."

Lillianna watched her friend pose with a small smile.

"You never change, do you."

"Do you want me to?"

The turquoise-haired girl shook her head.

"Of course not. I love you just the way you are."

The red-haired girl flashed her a toothy smile.

"Of course you do. After all, you're the only one who can keep up with me!"

"Speaking of keeping up... We need to get to our class soon."

Lillianna reached into her pocket and produced a golden pocket watch with an engraved royal crest.

Opening it up, she gasped.

"We're almost out of time! We need to execute the emergency plan."

"Oh no... Anything but that. The world won't end if we don't get there on time, right?"

Beads of sweat began to form on the red-haired girl's forehead.

"Kaera, I am a princess, and you are the daughter of a duke. Therefore, showing tardiness on the first day of school is inexcusable. Think of our parents who will chew our ears off."

"B-But..."

"No buts, we need to do it."

Lilianna hurriedly grabbed her friend's hand, and the two blurred and vanished from their location, shortly appearing right before the door to their new classroom.

After escaping her friend's clutches, Kaera hurriedly covered her mouth with her hands.

"Urghhh, I feel like I'm going to hurl...."

Lillianna walked up and gently rubbed her friend's back.

"There there. Are you feeling better now?"

"I think I'm good now."

Kaera slowly pulled herself to her feet and stumbled forward.

"A bit dizzy, though... I can see you and your 2 twin sisters."

Lillianna rolled her eyes.

Opening her backpack, she produced a small vial.

"Here's a motion sickness elixir. You'll feel better after taking this."

Kaera turned to the elixir with a look of desperation.

"As...urgh... Always, I love the fact that you make sure to think ahead."

Greedily taking the vial from her friend's hands, Kaera downed the whole bottle in a single gulp.

Sticking her tongue out, Kaera grimaced.

"Still tastes like sh*t, though."

"It was made to be effective, not taste good."

"That much was made painfully clear."

Lillianna leaned in to get a better look at her friend's face.

"So... How are you feeling?"

"Better. URGHH... Let's not do this again, please. At least for the sake of my poor stomach."

Lillianna swiftly turned her head away, avoiding eye contact with her friend.

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

Kaera looked and gave Lillianna a deadpan gaze.

"You're evil...."

After finding their bearings, the two girls walked over to the doors and pulled them open.

*Creak*

Entering the classroom, they were greeted with countless agape stares in their direction.

Stares that were immediately accompanied by a sea of murmurs.

Kaera let out a sigh.

"I hate when people talk about others right in front of their faces as if they don't exist. It's annoying, right, Lily?"

"..."

Hearing no response from her friend, Kaera turned in her direction, only to see her blankly staring at something in the classroom.

Following her line of sight, Kaera saw a familiar silver-haired boy sitting right next to the son of Wilfried Silvercolt.

Lilianna wasn't staring at something but someone.

'It's him, the boy named Arvell Silvanus! Moreover, he's also staring in our direction... No wait, he's not looking at me, but Lily?'

Arvell's actions weren't weird since countless guys in their class were staring at Lilianna.

However, for some reason, Kaera felt a knot in her heart from looking at that gaze.

Before she could adequately question that feeling, The silver-haired boy stood up and began walking in their direction.

'What's his aim?' Kaera thought to herself as she saw the silver-haired boy slowly grow near.

On the other hand, Lilianna snapped out of her reverie and politely smiled at the approaching Arvell.

"Do you need something?"

The silver-haired boy bowed politely to show his respect for her royal status.

"I wished to greet the princess since I couldn't do so properly last time."

Lilianna waved him off.

"There's no need to be this courteous. The top priority for a warrior in the arena is always the fight."

"Even so, I didn't want to leave an unfavourable impression on your highness."

Arvell raised his head and looked at Lillianna face to face.

Hearing her voice, seeing her face... Everything felt so nostalgic yet unfamiliar.

She was undoubtedly the girl he'd known for so long, but much had changed with time.

His former fiance had grown from a child into a young lady.

Lilianna's eyebrows raised slightly.

"Unfavourable impression? After a fight like that, I couldn't have a better impression of you. While it doesn't speak much for your character, your resolve and strength are the real deal."

"Thank you for your praise, your highness."

Lillianna shook her head.

"We're going to be classmates for the next four years, so being called princess seems a little too distant. So just call me Lillianna."

Arvell's eyes widened in surprise.

"O-okay pri- I mean Lillianna."

Kaera's eyes narrowed slightly as she turned to her friend.

"Wait, Lily, you're letting people just call you by name?"

"Yeah? Being called a princess by the people I will study and learn with will feel dull and boring."

"I understand, but still...."

Kaera looked at Arvell once more, but now that he was closer to the two, the feeling of a knot in her heart increased dramatically.

It had grown from a simple knot to an annoying itch.

It was like every time she looked at the boy before her, she felt a pain in her heart.

A pain that she hadn't experienced in years...

Especially when she saw her friend sometimes pause to stare blankly at the silver-haired boy in front of them.

'I don't like him.'

While Kaera was having a mental dilemma, Arvell was in the midst of one of his own.

'Lykos, I don't want to do this anymore... I know there is a high possibility she hates me now, but I trust the Lily I remember. I don't want to believe that the girl I knew is completely gone.'

'Arvell... Usually, I would be happy you're getting over your trauma from being betrayed and cast aside, but you should think this through. While you are keeping secrets from possibly one of the few who still care for you, it's too dangerous to tell her.

Even if she doesn't leak your secret, there's still a high chance she might slip and accidentally oust your real identity.'

Arvell sighed inwardly.

'I know... I know that it's a risk for both of us... But it hurts Lykos... We were so close, and now there's a wall between the two of us.'

Lykos took his astral hand and rubbed Arvell's head gently.

While he couldn't feel anything, Arvell felt comfort from the gesture.

'I know... It must really hurt. What you experienced during these past few months is something no child should have to endure. Sometimes the world isn't fair, but we have to work with the hand we were dealt. You only need to bottle up those feelings a little longer until you're strong enough to fight. Strong enough to reclaim everything you lost and get revenge on those who wronged you.'

Arvell stifled a small laugh.

'A little while for you would be a lifetime for me. But,' Arvell took a deep to calm his breathing, 'you're right. Even if it hurts and I feel like my soul is about to tear, I must endure. Endure till the day where I am finally strong enough.'