:Rebirth: Chapter 14
Lucy's POV
It's been a while since I've seen Sting, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss him.
He never grew out of his habit of calling me Kitty though...
I'm nervous...
Partially because I haven't seen my brother in so long, and the other reason is...
The students will definitely be upset seeing me, a female, attend the most prestigious school along with them.
Although this was a direct order from the emperor, I still can't help but feel a bit paranoid about what will happen.
I'm not supposed to use my magic at all costs, so at school, I'll just be a burden to the class...
Before classes began, Sting appeared out of nowhere and hugged me tightly.
"Uh.. Sting?"
"Kitty, tell me if anyone bothers you. I'll beat them up," he declared, grinning.
I smiled. "Thanks, Sting."
Still, I couldn't block out the murmuring of the fellow classmates.
I heard a girl is attending our school?!
Is it Princess Ultear? The one with magic?
No, no.
It's princess Luciana.
Luciana Heartfilia?!
She must be crazy to think she can attend just because she can decipher some ancient codes!
Well this is the deciphering specialty department after all...
Still, to think the emperor ordered this!
I walked into the classroom and the instructor gave me a look of disapproval.
"Let us welcome our new student, Luciana Heartfilia."
Everyone is staring at me...
"Hello," I said.
A few people muttered greetings back.
This is awkward...
The instructor assigned me to an empty desk, and I quickly sat down.
The entire class consisted of translating unknown, ancient languages (which still looked like English to me) to the language used in the kingdom.
I wonder why the Magnolia kingdom only kept my translating methods to themselves?
Probably to limit the power of the emperor...
After class, I was bombarded with questions from the boys.
"How did you get in here?!"
"Is it true that girls have some kind of disease?"
"How dare you attend our school!"
I tried to dodge the questions as much as possible, and prayed for the class to be over soon.
As I walked down the stairs, and almost tripped, probably from a fellow classmate's little trick to humiliate me.
"Your foot touched mine! Get away!" Someone barked at me.
I was about to apologize until a voice cut him off.
"Isn't that a little harsh?" Someone with deep blue hair spoke. I've never seen him before, but he was nice enough to speak up for me.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Prince Bora!"
Prince Bora...? That must be the second prince of the Freya kingdom.
A mid-sized kingdom, but powerful, nonetheless.
Bora walked over to me, concerned. "Are you alright?" He brushed the dust off my clothing.
"Ah, yes I'm fine," I responded.
He smiled. "Want to see something cool?"
Honestly, all I wanted was to go back to the place I was assigned to stay, but I had no choice but to follow.
Nodding, I followed him as he climbed the stairs to the rooftop.
Natsu's POV
Lucy is in the academy.
The moment this news reached my ears, I had already sprung up to go find her.
I don't really know why I'm like this.
What has gotten over me...?
Lucy's POV
The moment I reached the rooftop, Bora turned onto me.
"Are you a virgin?"
He was too close, and I knew in a split second this wasn't going to be a good encounter at all.
"I... have a fiance," I said firmly.
He leaned even closer to me. "You know that's not what I mean. I'm asking whether you are a virgin or not."
Bora was really out of line, and I wasn't really sure what to say.
He stared at me, smirking.
What the hell...?
If this was the real world, I would've done whatever I can to get away from this filthy being. But here, I am powerless.
"Poor you," Bora said, grabbing my wrist.
How can I get out of the situation?
There's no way I can overpower him, and would anyone even care if I screamed?
I know Sting will come, but he's far away in the Combat section of the academy, whereas I'm in the Deciphering department.
I really can't escape...
What if I use my magic...?
"I guess I'll take it," Bora sneered.
Repulsive.
I felt small tears welling up in my eyes, and tried my hardest to make it stop.
Why grant him the pleasure of seeing me cry?
"You're crying. That makes me want you more."
I slowly moved my hands to my pocket, where I stored my keys.
Tears flowed down my cheeks.
The rooftop door slammed to the floor, and I heard a familiar voice.
"I'll kill you."
It was Natsu.
Within moments, Bora was beaten and slumped on the ground, clothes burned black.
Natsu pulled me into his embrace and carried me back down the stairs.
I tried to hold in my sobs.
"I'm sorry for not coming sooner, Lucy."
These words were probably never heard by any female in this world...
I fainted, clenching the keys tightly in my hands.
No POV
News of this event quickly made its way to the Magnolia kingdom.
The advisors spoke, "We should probably offer the Freya kingdom some form of compensation for what happened to Prince Bora..."
King Jude Heartfilia laughed. "Tell them to be grateful I didn't wipe them off the face of the planet."
He quickly added, "And tell them I demand that lowly prince of theirs to kneel and beg forgiveness from my daughter. If they don't comply within a week, their kingdom will be no more."
Lucy's POV
Days passed since the incident on the rooftop, and I kind of felt bad for Bora.
The moment Sting found out about the news that day, he went to the infirmary and almost killed him.
Every day from then on was a nightmare for the Prince Bora.
Today, he appeared at the door to my room, where Sting and I were talking inside.
Opening it, Bora quickly knelt down.
"I've come to apologize to you, Prince Sting."
"To me? What for?" Sting questioned.
"I have wronged you."
Sting smirked. "You've never did the sort. You need to apologize to her, not me."
I sensed Bora wanted to internally scream at Sting, yelling how he'd never in his life kneel and apologize to a girl.
Bora didn't move, staying silent.
Sting's face darkened. "Hey, hey... I'm about this close to ending your life, but I'm restraining myself since Kitty is here. So you better hurry."
Bora paled. "I-I'll do it."
"Tomorrow," Sting concluded. "You will kneel and beg for forgiveness in front of the whole class."
The next day...
Bora refused to comply, and was beaten once again.
And for some reason, the kingdom of Freya fell to the ground that same day.
Some say it was the doings of the Magnolia kingdom for resource rights, others say it was because... of me?!
I wasn't really sure what to think, and right now wasn't really a proper time to think either.
The class was forced to run laps outside, and the instructor was making it exceedingly hard for me.
I slowed to a stop, panting heavily.
Someone gently grabbed my shoulders.
"Are you alright?"
After what happened with Prince Bora, I was terrified and jerked away from the person who steadied me.
Turning around, I saw his gentle smile and warm eyes.
The person who saved me was Prince Ren. There wasn't much information about him, except that he was the first born prince of Praeven kingdom.
Praeven...
From what I've read, Praeven is a relatively small kingdom with little power, unique in its treatment of females. Male dominance was of looser adherence there..
Thinking of this, I felt slightly relieved.
The next day, Prince Ren approached me again.
"Your name is Luciana, right?"
"Yes, but just call me Lucy, Prince Ren."
He smiled, a bit surprised. "You know my name?"
I nodded.
He was definitely good looking, with his green eyes and light colored hair.
"I know you're evaluating me right now," he said.
I shook my head. "I'm thankful that you're speaking to me, that's all."
He bent down and looked into my eyes.
"You don't speak freely, but rather after calculation. Do you always do that?"
I tried not to be alarmed.
Most men in this world think women are too stupid to outsmart them, but Ren... was very different.
"You don't have to be that way with me. I'd like to get to know the real you," he said softly.
Another few days passed, and I heard great commotion in the hallways.
I saw Ren angrily say to the crowd, "You will not beat Princess Luciana in the upcoming exam!"
I froze.
What is he saying?!
"I bet Princess Luciana will earn top marks. If she does not, you may sever my hand. If so, in return, I'd like you all to treat her with dignity."
Yelling filled the hallway.
I blinked slowly. I had only planned to get a decent passing score to not give myself away, but what Ren is doing is hard on me.
Ren walked over to me. "It's decided," he said.
Then he whispered, "If you want someone to have faith in you, then you have to show your faith in that person first. In my case, it's you. I will show you my trust in you."
It feels like Ren was a speck of light in this long nightmarish life I've lived.
Thank you...
And because of this, I now have the justification to do the best I can in this upcoming translating exam.
After I finished taking the exam, Ren came up to me once more.
"How did you do?"
I tried to smile, but I was full of concern for him. What if I didn't place in first...?
"I tried to prevent harm from coming to you," I replied.
He chuckled, patting my head. "You don't need to worry about the results. Do you have time? I'd like to speak with you about something."
I hesitated a little.
He spoke gently, "Don't worry. We won't go anywhere out of sight."
He led me to the gardens near the combat department.
Ren finally spoke, "Are you wondering why I made such a crazy bet?"
"Because you wanted to demonstrate your faith in me," I replied.
"But you don't believe that," he said.
He smiled reassuringly.
"How much do you know about Praeven?" He asked me.
"I... only what I find in books," I said softly.
It's as though Ren is from my world...
He understood the situation of women so well.
"In Praeven, women aren't treated like objects. In reality, they are actually treated better than the books admit," Ren told me.
"You must be wondering why I'm disclosing such secrets to you. It's because I trust you not to tell the others."
He looked into my eyes once again.
Being this close to him, my cheeks flushed.
He really was attractive.
"I like you," he finally said. "I wanted to get closer to you, but Bora messed it all up. Now you're always so defensive, and it hurts me. That's why I made the bet. I wanted you to know that I'm sincere. I wanted you to give me a chance."
I was speechless.
"Do you know what this is called in Praeven?"
I shook my head.
Ren whispered, "It's called love at first sight."
That's something I've never dreamed I'd hear in this world...
"It must be your first time hearing something like this. The phrase doesn't exist outside of Praeven."
Ren...
In the near distance, a window shattered.
But I was too caught up in his gentle smile to notice.
It's been so long since someone was sincerely nice to me, or even understood.
I...
...want to be loved...
-End of Chapter 14-
More on Juvia and Gray soon!