The Queen Mother and the other royals got up from their seats once more.
The Queen Mother fixed her gaze on us.
“The first game will be a game called Beast vs Beast.”
I whispered to myself,
“Beast vs Beast?”
I looked around, and I could tell that I wasn’t the only one who didn’t understand what was going on.
The Queen of Eldoria, Queen Elowen, stood up.
Her gaze was intimidating as she began to speak.
“Introducing the competitors.
Representing the Kingdom of Ravencroft is Her Royal Highness, Princess Seraphina Ravencroft, and her beasts: Lucien, Kael, Cassian, Sylas, and Adrian.
Representing the Kingdom of Aluexia is His Royal Highness, Prince Rowan, and his beast, Nyxara, from the Kingdom of the South.
Also representing the Kingdom of Aluexia is Her Royal Highness, Princess Arabella, and her beast, Zephyr.”
I could hear the crowd cheering from outside the cage.
The more Queen Elowen tried to speak, the louder the cheering became.
“Representing the Kingdom of Frostvale is Her Royal Highness, Princess Freya, and her beast, Ignis, from the Far North.”
The crowd cheered even louder the moment her name was mentioned.
I felt a little relieved when they announced that she was the only one representing her kingdom.
At least I’ve found someone in a somewhat similar situation to mine.
Her brother was only five years old, and it seemed that he wasn’t yet eligible to participate in the games.
“Representing the Kingdom of Solaria is His Royal Highness, Prince Kieran, and his beast, Sylphina, from the Far East.
Also representing the Kingdom of Solaria is Her Royal Highness, Princess Aurelia, and her beast, Solaris.”
The crowd continued cheering louder and louder.
“And finally, representing the Kingdom of Eldoria is His Royal Highness, Prince Lysander, and his beast, Verdant, from the Far West.
Also representing the Kingdom of Eldoria is Her Royal Highness, Princess Ophelia, and her beast, Skadi.
And finally, also representing the Kingdom of Eldoria is His Royal Highness, Prince Orion, and his beast, Fenrir.”
I felt a little uneasy because this was the first time something called the Royal Games was happening.
I didn’t remember writing anything like this in my novel, so how was it happening?
I quietly began mumbling to myself.
“This can’t be real.
Tell me this is a dream.
And the worst part is that everyone believes I’ve participated in this event before, when I’m only just hearing about it now.
Oh gosh, what should I do?”
I nervously played with my hands.
Before I could continue talking to myself, I felt someone tap me on the shoulder.
I turned and saw that it was Sylas.
I felt a little annoyed.
I was trying to think of what to do because I didn’t want to get into any trouble.
More importantly,
I didn’t want anyone to suspect that I wasn’t the original Seraphina.
And now Sylas wanted to add to my problems.
I ignored him the first time.
He tapped my shoulder again.
I ignored him.
Then he tapped me for the third time.
I turned around, planning to react by stepping on his toes.
But before I could, he leaned closer and whispered into my ear.
“Don’t worry, Master.
I won’t let anyone know that you’re not the real Seraphina.
At least not yet.
I’ll help you and protect you.”
I was left speechless.
For the first time ever, Sylas was willing to put himself on the line to protect me.
My thoughts were interrupted when the Queen Mother stood up and began to speak.
“The first game in this royal event is called Beast vs Beast.
Each beast must protect their master from being attacked by an opponent’s beast while their master commands them from within the arena.
If a master receives even the smallest scratch, they will automatically lose.
The first two competitors whose masters are touched or scratched by an opponent’s beast will be eliminated and will not advance to the next game.
The remaining seven winners will automatically qualify for the next round.”
I couldn’t believe this.
So we had to entrust our lives to our beasts.
I clenched my fists.
I could feel sweat dripping down my face and onto the floor.
My mind couldn’t stop replaying what the Queen Mother had just said.
It felt as though I had lost control of my own thoughts.
What if our beasts can’t protect us from our opponents’ attacks?
Or worse…
What if a beast turns against its own master?
I stopped myself before I could finish that thought.
And to make matters worse, no one knew the abilities of their opponents’ beasts, which made this game even more dangerous than it sounded.
I looked around the arena and saw how frightened everyone was.
I mean, why wouldn’t they be?
We were being asked to entrust our lives to beasts.
Beasts that could turn on us at any moment.
My gaze landed on Sylas for a moment before I looked away.
Or worse…
What if what happened during the Crown Trial happened again?
My eyes widened as I stared at the side of the enormous cage.
W-what if someone tampered with my beasts like Aurora did?
No…
no…
But what if they did?
What if, instead of protecting me, they attacked me?
What if King Alaric had already done something to them?
Then standing here wouldn’t be participating in a game.
It would be inviting death.
Before I could continue spiraling into my thoughts, the voices of the royals echoed throughout the arena.
“LET THE GAMES BEGIN!”
The crowd erupted into cheers.
Cheers because they wanted entertainment.
Cheers because they didn’t care if people lost their lives in the process.
I turned and saw Lucien standing beside me.
He reached for my hand and held it tightly.
“I’ll protect you with my life, Master.”
In front of him stood Kael.
In front of Kael stood Cassian.
In front of Cassian stood Adrian.
And at the very front, ready to fight, stood Sylas.
I turned back to Lucien.
“Tell me the truth, Lucien.
Have people died while participating in the Annual Royal Games before?”
Lucien looked at me.
For a moment, it seemed like he wanted to avoid the question.
But I didn’t let him.
“Tell me the truth, Lucien.”
He hesitated before finally nodding.
“Yes.”
My heart sank.
“Many people have lost their lives while participating in these games.”
The moment he said those words, I didn’t know what to do.
I didn’t know whether to cry, scream, run away, or stay.
My mind went completely blank.
I couldn’t think straight.
Lucien tightened his grip on my hand.
“Everything is going to be okay, Master.”
His voice was gentle but firm.
“I’m here.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I would kill everyone in this arena and even lay down my own life just to protect you.”
“So don’t be afraid.”
“We’re all here to protect you.”
I looked at their faces.
For the first time since I met them, none of them were smiling.
None of them were teasing each other.
None of them were joking.
They looked completely serious.
I looked around once more.
Everyone was ready to fight.
Lucien howled.
His teeth transformed into sharp wolf fangs.
Cassian drew his fox-blade sword, ready to fight and transform at a moment’s notice.
Kael transformed into a massive white tiger, his sharp claws digging into the arena floor.
Adrian’s tongue became that of a serpent, while two deadly fangs emerged from his mouth.
Sylas remained where he stood.
One of his hands transformed into a raven’s claw.
He slowly brought the claw and his other hand together.
I frowned in confusion.
“Lucien, what is Sylas doing?”
Lucien glanced at me before shifting his gaze toward our opponents.
“He’s about to use his power.”
“My power?” I repeated.
Lucien nodded.
“His Seer’s Ability.”
I stared at Sylas.
A golden ray of light suddenly appeared around him.
For a brief moment, it illuminated the entire arena.
Then it vanished.
Sylas’s eyes widened.
“Protect Master Seraphina at all costs!”
His voice echoed throughout the cage.
“Someone is about to strike her!”
The Queen Mother stood up from her seat.
A smile appeared on her face as she looked down at the competitors.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
The entire arena fell silent.
“Fight to the death if you must.”
My eyes widened.
“Kill your opponents if necessary.”
The crowd erupted into cheers.
“Injure them.”
The cheering grew louder.
“Show no mercy.”
I felt a chill run down my spine.
The Queen Mother raised her hand high into the air.
“NOW, LET BEAST VS BEAST BEGIN!”
King Cedric of Frostvale stood up and blew a massive horn.
The sound echoed across the arena.
BWOOOOOOOM!
The games had begun.
But the moment the horn sounded, Sylas shouted once more.
“COVER MASTER SERAPHINA!”
Before I could react, a blazing fireball shot toward me from behind.
My eyes widened.
I turned around and saw it hurtling straight at me.
My heart stopped.
I wanted to move.
I wanted to run.
But my entire body had already gone numb.
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