Zerath glanced at Eurus, closely examining his wounds and bruises.
"Princess Clairette is going to panic for sure. She must have never imagined the world turning upside down for you in such a short time."
"Zerath…!"
A smile curled on his lips as Eurus tugged at his coat that fluttered around his leg. He placed his hand on his head, ruffling his hair.
"Crafty as always, Zerath."
He paused and looked at Silas, seeing him throw his own attitude back at him.
"Seeing how you're not so surprised by his wounds, you were following the brat all this time, weren't you?"
"Maybe."
"So why aren't you continuing with your cat-and-mouse game? To watch me get frozen and humiliated?"
The intensity of his words grew harsher and more resentful. Not only was Silas quite vocal, his eyes weren't too shy either to express his burning hostility towards Zerath.
Zerath said, "I never want to see you get humiliated," he took a purposeful pause, "past or the present."
He stood still and firm under Silas's stern and scalding stare that made him feel as if he were being skinned alive. He saw him ignore him and go back to his ice-breaking efforts.
"That ice is not going to break. Eurus's ice is…a little different."
He snickered. "As always, the royals and the nobles want the commoners to simply swallow their defeat and go on with their lives."
"You gave a good lesson to Eurus, and I believe he won't forget it but right now, yes. You should accept defeat."
"Never."
"You do admit that Eurus adapted quite quickly, don't you? He understood your battle philosophy and applied it immediately. He's a good learner."
All this time, Eurus watched their exchange, puzzled and lost. He wasn't sure if they knew each other and, if yes, why the owner wasn't so friendly towards Zerath. Sensing a sharp gaze, he jolted. He almost hid behind Zerath, unnerved by Silas's knife-like stare piercing holes into him. But after contemplating for a few moments, he shed his fear and remained where he was.
"The strongest and the smartest survive, and I think Eurus displayed both qualities," Zerath held a prideful smile.
"Is he your son?"
"No."
"Then wipe that smirk off your face or I'll tear it off myself."
Passersby could hardly believe Silas's blatant rudeness towards their Crown Prince.
Does he not want to live!?
Silas made one last attempt, using every tool at his disposal to get rid of his frozen state but failed. He took a deep breath and looked down at Eurus.
"There's something really wrong with your ice."
Eurus pressed his lips. Seeing Silas raise his hand, he stood straight, alert, his fight-or-flight instincts kicking in. He nudged his courage to let his fight mode overwhelm the latter.
But surprise welcomed him when he saw two silver coins fall onto his palm. He stared at the coins with an unreadable expression. Then he looked up at Silas with that same gaze.
"Unfreeze me."
Eurus stood stunned, the unbelievable words falling upon his ears. The pain in his abdomen still felt fresh and stabbing, but it was as if the two silver coins were magically absorbing all his discomfort. He stared at Zerath for an answer, to which he smiled.
"Good work. You got your money back. You won."
Eurus stared at the coins in his hand which twinkled under the sunlight. He closed his palm with all his might, tears plopping down his balled fist. He held the coins tightly as if he would never lose sight of them again. He remembered the bullies jingling his money pouch, leaving him to eat the dust. Though he couldn't protect himself from getting robbed at that time, his little heart was now filled with immense joy to be able to win back his two silver coins at the very least.
Mother…I got money back. Mother, I won. Vivia, I won.
Seeing his little body tremble, Zerath bent and picked him up in his arms.
"Your bruises need treatment."
Eurus rubbed his teary eyes and undid his magic, freeing Silas from his icy state.
Silas said, his expression as unfriendly as possible, "You're obstructing my business, Your Highness. I'd appreciate it if you leave."
Zerath stared. "Did you think about what I asked before?"
"My answer will always be a no. Why? Can't the Crown Prince handle rejection? Oh yes, I remember. Nobles are always so very bad at that."
He smiled faintly. "I know you'll change your mind one day. I sincerely hope you do."
He only received a disdainful snicker in response. He turned in the opposite direction, taking Eurus with him inside a large tent. He helped him sit on the bed and asked a knight to fetch a physician.
"It must hurt badly. Silas's strength is no joke. Rest assured, I've called for the physician."
Eurus remained silent, still holding onto his precious silver coins.
"Why were you looking for me? You were with Vivia, right?"
He looked up suddenly, blinking at Zerath rapidly. The source of his journey finally dawned upon him, and he moved anxiously.
"Stay still. You'll worsen your injuries. Just tell me what happened. Is Vivia safe? Did somebody say something to her?"
Eurus nodded hard, and in his own jumbled way, he explained their little trip to Drisennia's tent and the foreboding fortune that she read for Vivia.
Zerath listened to him in silence, staring at Eurus with a neutral countenance. Though he didn't clearly understand the entire prophecy in detail, he got the gist of the conversation. He saw Eurus tensely flail his arms left and right, as if strongly wanting to make his urgent point.
"Vivia is sad…! She tripped but not fall. But she look sad. She was smiling but she was not smiling," he couldn't find the right words to express his feelings.
A flicker of an unsaid emotion gleamed in Zerath's eyes, which he had been trying to contain in his heart all this time. He firmly held Eurus's hands in his and smiled.
"Thank you for telling me-"
"Oh, I finally found you!"
Vivia's's zesty voice echoed as she lifted the partially opened tent's curtain. But the joy slowly turned into a nightmare for her. She studied Eurus from head to toe, almost stumbling back in horror. Anger then got mixed into that shade of fright.
"Who did this to you!"
A long series of explanations later, which Zerath patiently summarized for Vivia, her lips flashed with a smile that looked anything but forgiving.
"Hoho, I see. So there were bullies who stole his money, beat him up and then this trinkets shop owner used further violence. I understand everything. Please excuse me, Crown Prince."
Vivia's feet brought forth a trembling earthquake every time she took a wrathful step towards the exit. Those rumblings came to a stop when she felt being pulled back.
"Where are you going, Princess?"
Though an aura of fiery, burning flames of fury enveloped Vivia, she turned to face Zerath, flashing that same impending, looming smile.
"It's a festival outside, Crown Prince. I'm only heading out to enjoy myself."
"This enjoyment feels very suspicious to me."
"Rest assured, Crown Prince."
"I cannot, so please stay put."
Vivia finally breathed out fire like a dragon's ire.
"I won't sit idly by and let Eurus suffer injustices! What happened to him is plain wrong! He didn't deserve all that bullying and those beatings!"
She attempted to shake off his grip and make her way out of the tent, but Zerath remained firm, halting her struggle.
"Let me go! Don't stop me! I'll show them who a real bully is! You don't want to mess with me. Are you underestimating me?" She sneered, thinking of all sorts of revenge recipes cooking in her mind.
"Especially that trinkets shop owner!"
"Silas," Zerath reminded her his name.
"Who cares!? He's a nameless person to me. He wants to know what it feels like getting kicked in the stomach? Then let me show him!"