‘What in the luxurious hotel is this place? I feel like I entered some kind of medieval castle.’ Arthur thought to himself. He was truly flabbergasted by the sheer difference in design between the rest of the floors and this particular floor. It was like heaven and earth.
The guards didn’t seem bothered at all as they moved toward the door on the other side and then dispersed around it professionally, clearly showing that they were trained to do that.
Their leader stopped in front of the door and then turned to face Arthur and Isla. “He is waiting inside.” He said in a quiet tone as if he didn’t want to bother whoever was in that room.
The two nodded their heads and opened the door before walking inside. Immediately, they found themselves inside what seemed to be a massive, luxurious suit in a renowned hotel.
The place was at least five times the size of the room they had just been in. The walls were designed with beautiful golden colors and aesthetic decorations of all kinds. A massive glass wall opened at the massive arena from the other side, overlooking all of it with clear visibility.
A large, cinema-like stall enough for almost 50 people. All chairs are created out of the finest leather there is and filled with soft cushions for the best seating experience. To the side, there was a bar with a bartender standing behind it, wiping cups silently. Nearby was a beautiful lounge
The entire place looked like it was some kind of VIP area for the richest people to watch matches.
‘And here I thought the room we were given was luxurious… We were sitting in a dumpster.’ Arthur mused as he stared around silently, admiring the entire room. He felt like he was intruding on a place where he didn’t clearly belong.
This level of wealth isn’t something he’s supposed to be exposed to at all. Yet, here he is, standing in that place. Isla, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered at all. This wasn’t the first time she had seen a very luxurious place before nor was it going to be the last.
But, she had to admit that this place had a completely different vibe from anywhere else. A sense of eeriness filled her heart as she examined the room even more. The feeling was very subtle, but it left a very weird taste in Isla’s mouth.
“Please take a seat.”
*Swish*
‘What?!’
Suddenly, out of nowhere, they heard a voice speak right next to their ears. Arthur and Isla’s eyes widened as they quickly jumped forward, creating distance from whatever just appeared behind them.
Their senses didn’t catch the person approaching them at all. He simply appeared out of thin air.
‘…’ Arthur looked silently at the man, his heart beating faster than usual. Just one single sentence was more than enough to send a chill down his spine.
“There is no reason to put your guard up, you two.” The man said in the same calm, monotone voice that they heard. “I mean no harm.”
The man was considerably tall, towering over Arthur and Isla. He had golden shiny short hair and two calm and serene blue eyes. He wore a beautiful tunic embroidered with golden silk. The aura exuding out of him, as suppressed as it was, almost radiated with bright light.
Everything about the man was screaming royalty.
Isla and Arthur didn’t even need to ask any questions to know that this man, whoever he was, was the person looking for them.
“… That’s not really respectful to appear behind us like that.” Arthur gulped down a mouthful of saliva and spoke sarcastically. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”
‘He really got us there… This bastard is probably ridiculously strong!’ Arthur thought to himself. Even when he tried to gauge what level of strength the man had, Arthur could not feel anything… at all.
He had never felt such a weird aura from someone before. Yet, it cemented the fact in his head… He was not someone that Arthur should even consider offending let alone fighting.
Discover stories at empire
“Excuse my unpoliteness. They say first impressions are important and there is no better first impression than that one. I must say you two have a very good reaction speed. Truly living up to the things I heard about both of you.”
‘He’s fucking testing us… What kind of maniac does that immediately?’ Arthur sucked a deep breath as he eyed Isla secretly. The girl had a cold look on her face as she eyed the man.
“I wouldn’t say there is a need for first impressions. You have already been following us around with your men. Don’t you have enough information already?” The girl asked.
“…” The man blinked, clearly taken aback. “The information my men gathered is of no importance to me. I knew that I had to meet you myself.” He said.
“Well, here we are.”
“Indeed, here you are. Now, would you please take a seat so we can talk properly? It is not courteous of me to keep you standing like that.” The man said as he stepped forward, passing through the two of them with ease.
Isla looked at Arthur for a moment, sending him a signal with her eyes. Arthur immediately understood what she was trying to convey and nodded faintly. Then, the two of them walked toward the stalls and sat down next to each other right around the table, facing the man.
“How should we begin, hmm? How about a brief introduction?” The man said as he signaled for the man behind the bar. “Well, I am Vincent, the 5th prince of the Drakemorne family… Or as you may know it, the royal family.”
‘The fifth prince? So there are at least 4 princes above him. Interesting.’
“I am Arthur.”
“Darkmoon,” Isla replied.
“Yes, I do know of your names. I must say I am truly excited we are finally sitting around the same table. This is an honor for me to be the first prince to welcome you to our capital.” The man said as he crossed his legs casually, showing his royal aura even more.
“Please, Your Highness, we are the honored ones to meet you,” Isla replied calmly. “When we heard of your invitation, we were very much excited to meet you. This is a very huge opportunity for us after all.”
Isla’s words were chosen very carefully, making sure each one carried the meaning she wanted to convey. All of this was a part of the plan and she was executing it perfectly.
“Please, you gifted people are of far more importance than I am. After all, you are divinely chosen to grace our land. Your powers and endless potential are truly a treasure that must be preserved no matter what.”
Watching the back and forth between Isla and Vincent, Arthur was completely lost. ‘I feel like the two of them are playing 5D chess while I’m stuck with checkers.’
He could see that behind all that courtesy and flowery talks, there was a hidden conversation going on that he simply had no way of partaking. They were clearly trying to take control over the conversation and lead it in their way. A war of words hidden behind compliments.
“So, tell me more about your journey from the south. It must’ve been quite arduous.” He said.
“Yes, it was. We have been through a lot. But, with our teamwork, we made it.”
“Excuse my intrusion but, where are the other three people?”
“They unfortunately couldn’t attend for some important reasons. I hope you will excuse them.” Isla shook her head.
“There is no problem. Uhm, before we continue, what would you like to drink? We have everything.” The prince asked.
Isla and Arthur looked at each other for a moment before they replied at the same time. “Water.”
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3