"Huh? So you really have a fiancé?"
Nicole’s expression almost froze before she burst into sobs.
Her eyes reddened as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Y-You’re a liar, brother."
Just like that, she ran off, crying in pain.
Rocky just shook his head slightly, powerless as his little sister ran off to the sound of her sobbing.
"Don’t worry... She’s still too naïve to understand it."
Diana grinned.
Although she said that, Rocky could see the smugness and sense of victory on her face.
Rocky said,
"You shouldn’t lie to her about that. Scarlett already has a fiancé... someone from a great Clan."
Diana smiled.
"Oh, I didn’t know that. So you’re satisfied and accept it, huh?"
Rocky scowled. He clenched his fist in irritation.
At that moment, he wanted to say: Yes, it’s better for her.
But his lungs seemed to tighten, stopping him from saying such things.
Diana smirked quietly as she saw the clear hesitation and confusion in her brother.
She rubbed Rocky’s head for a moment.
"You won’t do it, right?"
"You cann’t lie to me, brother... and what I said earlier wasn’t a lie."
Rocky rolled his eyes in annoyance as his big sister kept stirring his thoughts.
"What do you mean it wasn’t a lie?"
Diana grinned, rubbing her chin. She chuckled and finally let Rocky slip out of her embrace.
"You forgot?" she said lightly while pacing around the room.
At that moment, Rocky began to recall something similar Scarlett had once told him.
Indeed, a fragment of memory he just couldn’t quite grasp.
Diana let out a sigh and shook her head.
"Tsk... you forgot the moment you shouldn’t have forgotten in your whole life."
"I can already imagine her disappointed face if she knew that."
"DAMN IT! Then tell me, stop playing around like that," Rocky grumbled.
Diana replied calmly,
"Of course, if you want, brother."
Her voice felt heavier than ever.
"You proposed to her that day. I was the one who witnessed that moment... a childish kind of love."
"But she refused. She said, ’’We’re still young, so let’s get married when we’re already 17.’"
Silence.
Rocky stood there, scratching his head in confusion.
He lingered for a while before asking,
"Is it really true?"
...
"Of course."
...
Rocky let out a powerless sigh. He walked around the room, occasionally shaking his head.
(I can’t believe I said something like that to her. And we were just a few months away from turning seventeen... Now I understand why she cried for me. I planted a childish kind of love in her, yet she still kept it until now.)
"Should I take responsibility?"
He clenched his fist and asked,
"Anything else?"
Diana shrugged.
"I don’t know... you should ask her directly instead of asking me."
Rocky sighed again and glanced outside through the window. He didn’t really know what he should do at this moment.
Maybe... he would just follow his instincts when he saw her.
"That’s true."
A few days later.
Rocky had spent what were supposed to be the happiest days since he lost his parents.
He had a short time with his sisters, talking about their private stories and beasts. Rocky’s sisters were shocked by his beasts. Even from the Black Zone, they still overpowered any beast in the kingdom.
Rocky also gave them some pills to boost their beasts. His intention was to get them into the Plant Associations. Under the power of an organization assessed on par with the great Clans, his sisters would be safe.
Ursa, Diana, and Nicole would help him manage the money from selling his pills.
"Very good."
Rocky chuckled while lying on his bed.
He would gather all his energy today for the harsh days awaiting him.
Finally, the day when the genius lands gathered had arrived.
In a vast plaza that lay before the massive castle, the sunlight poured over the place, clearly lighting every face.
Faces filled with excitement, all hoping the contest would begin.
One of the guys, who had a charming face, chuckled. He pointed at a human and said,
’’Look at them. They’re so ugly.’’
Another guy grumbled,
’’Stop stating the obvious. Humans have always been hideous and weak.’’
Why could those guys say that? Because they were elves — a race with long lifespans and beautiful bodies.
They were always proud of that, and dismissive of humans.
’’Get out of my way, humans.’’ An elf yelled as he spat in disdain. His eyes were filled with mockery as he looked at the humans ahead.
Some humans only frowned and stepped aside.
Soon, his appearance became clear from the crowd — a male elf with a snake-like face, his blonde hair flowing all the way down to his legs.
He puffed out his chest as he stepped forward. Following him was a female elf with a similar face.
The girl kept her usual expression while walking behind her big brother. No one there could read her mind, because she was too beautiful, leaving them stunned.
The lines of an angel seemed carved clearly across every part of her body.
Her delicate hand slowly lifted to cover her snort as irritation flashed through her eyes.
To her, the humans and their beasts ahead were nothing but flawed products of this world.
Pure hatred.
Rocky, standing nearby, scowled in discomfort. He didn’t like the way the elves looked at them.
(They’re even worse than the hyenas.)
However, the next moment, something caught his attention.
He rubbed his chin as he noticed a female elf standing behind the arrogant ones. She kept her head bowed in fear, as if the whole world was something terrifying. She possessed pure black hair — a trait completely different from the other elves.
Her black eyes would sometimes glance at everyone, but they quickly lowered again, slightly timid.
Beside her, some elves tried to keep their distance, as if she were a human to them.
He shrugged.
Indeed, there was always that kind of existence in every world.
(She’s an outcast. I can tell.)