The arena, located in the city center, was packed as it was before every fighting match. Locals were looking forward to this event, which was held four or five times a month.
Today, even where the excitement is at the ceiling every minute, there was a different bustle. The leaders of prominent families, various trade groups, and bureaucrats were in a ground race, as the city lord announced that he would come to watch the fights.
As the city lord announced that he would come to watch the fights, the leaders of prominent families, various trade groups, and bureaucrats were in a race for seats.
“Get out of the way! The young lady of House Partheni is here!”
When she arrived at the protocol section of the arena with the two orc and human bodyguards, everyone’s attention was on her. As they slowly made their way to his family, a middle-aged gray-haired man started walking towards them.
“My dear girl, what surprise is this? You always refused to come to the arena; what wind brought you here?”
When Niko saw his daughter, whom he adored, he ran to her excitedly.
“Daddy, I just learned that the City Lord is coming to the arena today. Therefore, I guessed that you would be here too. You’ve been neglecting me a lot lately.”
When the young girl spoke with her pleasant voice and good manners, her father’s heart melted. While he was walking ahead showing the way, he did not even see Nafız standing next to his daughter. A friendly voice rang in their ears as the newcomer group took their place in company with Niko.
“Father and daughter, how well do you get along? It is impossible not to be jealous!”
A tall man with braided hair in a ponytail and kohlrabi over his large black eyes was calling to them from the top of the stairs.
“Fernandez, stop posing. How come you weren’t the first to arrive in the arena? You love these shows!”
Eftelya spoke excitedly when the gray-haired man answered in the same warm tone.
“Uncle, I’m angry with you too! Can you remember the last time you came to see me?”
The dark-skinned man, descending the steps, kept smiling, but no one knew he had lost a piece of himself after hearing it. Every time he saw his child, who looked like his sister, whom he loved dearly, the wound that had closed within him would open again.
“My beautiful niece, forgive this stupid old man!”
Niko was childhood friends with Fernandez and his deceased wife. He knew exactly how his old friend was feeling. That’s why he started talking business to change the subject.
“Marcos has taken over a gate. How do you intend to protect yourself from this young man?”
Fernandez said, raising an eyebrow at the mention of his son.
“I don’t know what to do; I think he looks like his grandfather. If he has something on your mind, it is tough to prevent!”
The man who had finished his sentence was about to take his place next door to the Partheni House when he was startled by a loud voice.
“Isn’t it time for you to retire, old man? Or do you want me to run over you?”
Eyes turned to Marcos as he entered the environment of the city’s elders, accompanied by his two bodyguards. The vicious lad was as handsome as his father, and his sharp eyes were penetrating with the courage of his youth. He was specially dressed in his most garish outfits and tied his hair with a black ribbon.
“You little monkey! Unless I die, you can only play boss at that little gate!”
When father and son began to argue, the surrounding people, especially the rows of the Partheni house, burst into laughter. This event was a common occurrence for the nobles of the city of Parthenia. Each time, the two would clash without caring about their surroundings, resulting in a spectacle.
‘What the hell is this? The City Lord will be here soon, but the two scumbags are making a mess!”
The short fat man shouting in an arrogant tone while joyful laughter was flying around would make everyone shut up. People’s eyes were on the woman next to him as the dwarf-like man twitched, who thought his exit was the reason for the muting.
This beauty, walking with her long blond hair tossing in her sky-blue dress that swept the floor to give a lesson of nobility to her surroundings with every step. A heart-pounding woman with her bold decollete under her flashy necklace on her neck, after looking around her with disinterested eyes, said, “Husband, can we go to the place reserved for us? I don’t want to cause a misunderstanding by standing in the same place as these commoners!” She said.
The like beauty monument addressed as husband was Quintus, the owner of the Augustus gladiator school and arena. When he entered the hall with his wife, the leaders of the other two noble families also stood up to greet them.
These people, who would watch the fights in front of their families positioned side by side, formed the cream layer of the city. Although they competed with each other, they grew up together from childhood to adulthood.
“Athena, I think you have a secret to stopping time that you haven’t told us. Years have no power over your beauty alone!”
Fernandez started yelling at his old friends, who had just been replaced. The incident did not seem strange to those who knew him, as he had long been famous for his tactless speech.
“You’re just as b******* as always. Some things seem never to change!”
Athena turned her attention to the other family after speaking in a sultry tone to the head of the Cervantes household, whose gaze was briefly upon her.
“Niko, you are not alone today. I see that the company of sweet Eftelya put a smile on your face!”
When the gray-haired man tensed a little after the woman’s words who had feelings for him, his daughter came to the rescue.
“Aunt Athena, what a chance to witness your legendary beauty again today when I came to see my father!”
When his daughter answered for him, Niko hurriedly entered the conversation.
“We wanted to spend some time together. Eftelya had not seen you for a long time; it was a pleasant surprise for her.”
“I am sure that my dear friend Maria is watching you proudly from the sky. I wish she could be with us!”
Athena couldn’t finish her speech because her eyes filled with tears, but a few words she said were enough to make Eftelya’s father and uncle sad. Before Maria married Niko, she and Athena were childhood friends whose food and drink were inseparable.
Maria and Athena, two beautiful women! Two goddesses of Parthenia! Two close friends and a man that fate has pushed between them. Maria always knew that her friend loved Niko madly, so she suppressed the growing feelings inside her. Until the young man declares his love for her in public. The fire of this legendary love embraced Maria, and the end of the work was a marriage where two families were united.
As the people overhearing the conversations thought of the woman’s death with a heart of gold, part of the arena, which overflowed with enthusiasm, took on a mood of mourning. The people could not even hear the footsteps of the heavily armored guards.
“City Lord Astute has entered the arena! Give your regards!”
After the sound that rang through the arena, everyone’s minds were cleared, and they bowed to pay their respects, facing the top of the stairs. The medium-height man, dressed all in black and looking around with coal-black eyes, walked briskly to his seat.
The people, who raised their heads as he sat up, seemed to hesitate to look at him, waiting where they were without making a sound. In the crowd, only one person’s eyes flashed wildly at the sight of this arrogant man.
Nafız had not taken her eyes off Astute for a second since her appearance. Specifically, when she saw the black lily tattoo on his neck, a subtle murderous intent was involuntarily released from her body.
———————————————————————————————————————–
My best friend is my tailor. Because whenever he sees me, he immediately takes my current measurements. However, all my other acquaintances think that I am still the same as before.
Bernard Shaw
