I've prepared myself getting hit from the ball of fire, I see the scorching air slowly getting near me. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable. A final, despairing thought flashing through my mind, Am I really going to get burned like this?
"MOVE— Little girl!" a deep, velvety voice roared, a voice so gorgeous it almost made me forget about the imminent fiery death.
In a flash of motion, a woman appeared in front of me, her long, dark hair whipping around her as she raised her hands. She met the fireball head-on, her bare hands glowing with a soft, ethereal light as she stopped the flames in their tracks, absorbing their energy with a graceful ease that was almost obscene.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Recklessly charging to your death?!?" she yelled at me, her face a storm of fury. She then turned her glare to the jumpsuit-clad man, "And you?! If this girl died because of your stupidity, you'd be disqualified, and your family would resent you for having a crazy son who is as dumb as a rock!"
I wasn't sure what she was saying, but the sheer power and beauty of the woman had me completely entranced. She was a goddess of righteous anger, a symphony of fury and grace. I think... I think I'm in love.
"With such beauty, how dare you interrupt me! Who do you think you are?!" the man in the jumpsuit sputtered, completely ignoring her words in favor of questioning her identity.
"I am Athena Freya Amaranth, Heiress of the Grand clan and soon to be Viking Empress!" she announced proudly, her voice ringing out like a thunderclap.
"A-A-Athena?!" The man trembled, his terror so complete he almost collapsed. "The reincarnation of Freya, with Estienne as the celestial spirit!"
"Indeed. You dared to question a royalty?" she scoffed. The look she gave the guy was so utterly, soul-crushingly cold.
On second thought, I'm not in love anymore. She's terrifying.
"I apologize, princess," he said, dropping to his knees. "but I am offended knowing that there are trespassers from the mortal realm with us, which is why I'm enraged."
"Hmm," Athena said, her gaze now fixed on me. She took in my appearance, her expression unreadable. "Based on how you reacted just now... Maybe you're related to those boys?"
My momentary idolization of her vanished quickly. I knew it. She was my savior for a moment, but as soon as she found out I was from Earth, she'd abandon me.
"Yes, I am, and if you have a problem with that, then we'll take our leave now—" I replied, biting my lip and clenching my fists. "By the way, thank you for saving me." I bowed, a polite gesture, and turned to leave.
But she was faster. Her hand shot out and grabbed my arm, her touch strangely gentle. Time seemed to slow down. The noise of the crowd, the fear, the anger—it all faded away. Was this her ability?
"Unless I say so, you're not going anywhere," she insisted, her voice a low command.
"Are you going to humiliate us in front of everyone just because we aren't one of you?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
"Pfft! Nah, I'm not a scumbag," she chuckled, her severe expression breaking into a genuine, beautiful smile. She turned to the crowd, her voice carrying across the entire courtyard. "Everyone here witnessing this incident! I want you not to mess with these people from the mortal world because I've decided to protect them, and if you dared to speak wicked of them, I'll have to be your enemy as well."
My eyes widened. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She was protecting us? Why? This had to be a trick. She was a powerful, well-known princess. She must be protecting her reputation, using us as a prop.
"Let's go," she said, her smile soft as she gently took my hand.
"Eh? To where?" I asked, completely lost.
"Let's eat some lunch, and you'll treat me," she laughed.
"Wait a minute, I didn't say anything like that—"
"Don't worry, I accept food as a thank you for saving your life," she said, winking at me.
"Eh?—Eeeehhhhh?!"
—
[Deli Syosho Resto]
[Around the courtyard, 12:30 PM]
"Are you sure about that?" I inquired, concerned
.
"Ah, you want me to add more? How sweet of you, little mortal," she said with a chuckle.
"No!" I yelled at her when she almost placed another order.
"What do you mean by no?" she asked, glaring at me.
"Isn't that enough already? He he..." I forced a laugh.
I was completely unprepared for the amount of food she ordered—a table full of dishes. Was this her way of repaying me for saving her? I'm not sure, but it looks like my allowance is the one that's going to be drained.
"Hmm, I guess this will suffice for now," she said, smiling.
We returned to our table, this time with my cousins and brother. Also, the prince came with his friend, who was also visually appealing.
I still can't believe there are so many attractive men here, and they're a vitamin for our eyes.
—
"What a surprise, Stephen, that this little mortal caught your attention," Athena said as she bit into her ham. So Stephen is the name of this weird prince...
"Yeah, I bet we have the same reason," he chuckled, taking a bite of his ham as well.
"I suppose so," she said, nodding. "How about you, Marco? What is it that brings you here? Shouldn't you be in the library or training with your mentor?"
He replied coldly, "It's none of your business."
"The two of you are polar opposites; whereas Stephen has a loud mouth and is incredibly shameless, Marco is an arrogant snob," Athena remarked.
"Excuse me?! Who's a loudmouth and incredibly shameless?!" Stephen exclaimed loudly.
"YOU!" Then she points at him using the bone of the ham. "ISN'T IT ALREADY OBVIOUS?"
"And you're telling me that as if you're not shameless and obnoxiously loud?" he scoffed at the princess.
"Why? When did I say I wasn't?!"
Tyler straightened his back and cleared his throat. "By the way, Princess Athena—"
"Athena is fine," she said quickly, taking another bite of her ham.
"I'd rather call you princess than be punished later for treason," Tyler politely replied.
"All right," she replied, pausing to look at Tyler. "Call me Athena, and that's an order."
Tyler, like the three of us, was taken aback by her words. I'm sure the other two royalties were taken aback by what they witnessed.
"You despise it when people don't use honorifics, but why is it that—" Stephen began to say, but was cut off before he could finish.
"I gave them permission, and from what I've learned... their world's regime is different from ours; they were led by government councils rather than royalties," she responded casually. "Isn't that right, Prince Marco?"
"Don't address me formally just to mock me; call me like you used to, and yes, their world was run by someone using the term President, where citizens are free to choose whoever they want to lead their country," Marco explained.
Athena began to laugh aloud. Perhaps as a result of the Prince's reaction.
"Hey, you," she said, pointing at Tyler. "Continue what you're saying."
"Uhh... What was the ability you used earlier?" Tyler inquired.
"Anti-magic, I can nullify any kind of magic, but my power is limited."
"How do you know if it's your limit?" he inquired once more.
"Good question! That is something I don't know either, but I can sense whether or not I can negate their magic."
"Oh wow, even so, your ability is amazing!" Tyler exclaimed.
"Yeah, a lot of people have said that," she chuckled.
"By the way, why did you save my cousin?" Ate Clydelle questioned.
"My gut told me to," she responded quickly.
Which we never expected, because we thought she'd come up with an answer that would please us or make us grateful to her.
Ate Clydelle nodded and adjusted her posture as she finished her meal.
"Princess—" I stopped myself, swallowing the title as her gaze sharpened, a clear warning not to use any honorifics. I cleared my throat and started again. "So… is it for your reputation that you've decided to protect us?"
She didn't hesitate. "No." The word was sharp.
"Then, what could possibly be your reason?" I pressed, my voice laced with a skepticism I couldn't hide. It was the only explanation that made sense for someone of her status to get involved with people like us.
She held my gaze, her expression unreadable, and a different kind of tension filled the air. A dangerous, serious one. "You want the truth?" she asked, her voice low and steady. We were left in a breathless silence, the weight of her question heavy in the air. We could only stare, waiting for whatever she was about to reveal.