"Is that so?" Rose asked with a suspicious look on her face. She could tell Rize was hiding something, but she couldn't put her on what it was exactly. Rize was a completely new face who was somehow allowed into this venue with no real backing.
When she noticed him walking to the lounge and then being followed by that trio, her intuition told her that she might witness something interesting. A part of her wanted to make sure those three idiots didn't bully someone who couldn't really fight back.
However, what she witnessed there simply surprised her. Rize was a good fighter… Extremely good fighter, and she could immediately tell. She had received intense training ever since she learned to walk under her father's wing, and yet even she had to admit that Rize's technique was scary.
'He didn't have a single wasted movement. I could tell he would've easily knocked all of them out in a second.' She frowned as she watched the scene. Then, Rize was able to somehow change someone's entire momentum with a simple move.
That required a level of body control and understanding of human anatomy that she hadn't seen in someone their age before. Even she hadn't fully mastered that yet.
'Whoever he is… He is not normal. I need to keep an eye on him.' She squinted.
"Well, you can leave; I will make sure they don't do anything stupid," Rose said.
"Eh? Are you sure? I don't mean to be a nuisance." Rize said. "If they want to make my life harder, I can't do much about it."
"No, there is no need for you to get the short end of the stick. These idiots needed some good beating." Rose said as she crossed her arms. "In any case, it was nice meeting you…"
"Rize. You can call me Rize."
"Rose." She said. "I hope to see you again in the future, Rize. Hopefully you won't be a 'nobody' by then."
"Haha, thank you." Rize laughed awkwardly before he turned around and left. 'Holy shit. I somehow managed to get out of there alive. She really followed me all the way here to see? The Heroines are scary. Their intuition is second to none… They're the Heroines for a reason.'
Rize sighed. 'Another massive change in the story. I should've not met her till years later. Now she knows my name and my face. I'm really losing the plot… Literally!'
Rubbing his face, Rize made his way back to his seat where Geralt was. He looked at the distressed look on the boy's face.
"Are you ok, boy? Did something happen?" He asked.
"No, it's fine. I'm just… thinking." Rize replied. "So, did something happen?"
"It seems the ceremony will continue in a few moments. There was indeed a mistake in the timing."
"I see… Glad they were able to fix it quickly."
'As if the damage hasn't already been done.' Rize looked to the side. 'Kane must be generationally embarrassed.'
***
Meanwhile, back at the lounge.
"Ugh… That bastard. I'm going to beat him! I won't calm down till I beat him up!" Victor yelled as he slammed his fist into the wall. His nose was still runny with blood, and his eyes were filled with tears. Meanwhile, his friend had a bruise on his face.
Arthur was sitting on the sofa, his arms crossed and a very dark expression on his face. He was in such a sour mood that he wanted to strangle and kill someone right there and then.
"We can easily find him and make him pay for it. Even if he could beat us, he can't beat a proper Awakener." Ethan said. "We should send someone to beat him up. Isn't that right, Arthur?"
"..." Arthur didn't reply.
"Arthur?"
"I don't want to beat him up," Arthur said in a low tone as he stared at his friends. "I want him dead."
The moment he uttered those words, the entire place went into deep silence. Both stared at him with wide eyes. They didn't expect him to say such a thing.
"Art, you…" Ethan said with a dark expression. "Are you serious?"
"Yes. I will kill him." He said. "I will make sure he is never seen again."
"..."
The two were completely speechless. Killing was such a chilling concept to them. They were kids; they had never seen death before, let alone orchestrate someone's death. Their hearts started racing, but they knew Arthur was serious.
"He disrespected me, insulted me, and even attacked you both. I will never take such disrespect. I'm not someone he can mess with, and I will show him that." Arthur said.
'He will be begging me for forgiveness. But I won't forgive him. I will make him pay. I will mak-'
"No, you won't."
"Huh?!"
"...!!!"
Out of nowhere, the trio was jumpscared by a new voice that spoke behind them. Instantly, they looked over their shoulders, only to see someone they could've never expected.
"Rose… Rose Witherfield. What the hell are you doing here?!" Arthur asked as he stood up.
"I've heard everything you were saying, and I will tell you this," Rose said. "You won't dare to touch him or hurt him. If you do, be prepared to face the consequences."
Her words made Arthur clench his teeth. "It's none of your business, Rose Witherfield. Leave yourself out of it."
"Oh, it is totally my business now that I've heard everything. Justice is everyone's business." She said. "I will keep an eye on you. If you dare to touch him, you will have to face me. I don't know about you, but antagonizing my clan will be a very bold choice." She said.
Even for someone like Arthur, he knew what the Witherfields were about. They were not the kind of people you would ever want to make enemies with. Not only were they one of the most influential and strongest clans in the nation, but they were also one of the strongest in the world.
If Arthur's dad got a whiff of what this was about, he would be dead meat. Clenching his fists in frustration, he glared at Rose.
"Art…"
"Let's go." He said coldly as he turned around and started walking away. "You remember this. I won't forget what you did, Rose."
Grumbling to himself, he left the room. Rose stood there for a while before she rested her hand on her hip.
"Rize, huh? I never thought I would find something so interesting so soon." She muttered with a calm expression. "Don't disappoint me, Rize. I will keep a close eye on you."
Even as she said those words, something told her that seeing where this boy would go wouldn't be so disappointing after all.
Leaving those words behind, Rose left the room, just as she heard the announcer speak.
***
"Ladies and Gentlemen, our deepest apologies for what occurred earlier. There was a small mistake regarding the time of the awakening." The man said. "We would like to thank you again for your patience. Now, please welcome the Royal Family and His Highness, Prince Kane!"
As he spoke, the light moved to the center of the stage where Prince Kane appeared again. This time… Something did happen.