Kneeling is a normal action for other kingdoms. But, in the kingdom of Pantera, it is seen as the most shameful act. The sole gesture of weakness and complete surrender. Only done by those who have lost their will and hope. Moreso, knights frown upon the thought of the act, and would rather accept death than bend the knee. None would even kneel towards the Proud Lion. Because of this belief, there's a popular saying that circulated throughout Nusterra in the past and still lingers even in the present times. "No one kneels in Pantera", was how the saying goes.
Geleon knows about this. He was used to kneeling towards people of higher positions than him in Aakdan, so he thought, why not fully submit to Nireus hoping that the matter would be resolved? The duke glanced at the two knights accompanying him and mouthed for them to copy him. And, their actions worked.
Nireus looked at them and removed his hand from the hilt of his sword. The lord of Arsida saw three dishonorable men who had already lost to him without even wielding their weapons.
"Leave."
The duke was almost on the verge of tears. He couldn't lift his head because of the humiliation, and the thought of returning to his kingdom without the girl made him imagine a dire future that awaited him. Cold sweats poured from his once suave face.
"P—please, lord Chronis. I'll give any—"
Geleon stopped talking when he heard the chilling voice of Nireus that said the same single word, "Leave." He gulped and looked up at Nireus. To only became so intimidated by his stare that the duke's instincts told him to look away.
After calming himself, Geleon stood up. He bowed one last time and wanted to leave in a hurry, almost dashing to his carriage. The two Aakdani knights with him were also thinking the same thing.
"Wait," Nireus muttered. His voice made the duke and his men stop in their tracks, the cold sweats started to pour again. When he turned, Geleon forced a smile and asked the lord of Arsida what he wanted in the most respectful way he could.
"Take that box with you."
Geleon almost shouted in anger towards his men to take the box of gifts. Then, he entered his carriage and asked the coachman to proceed home with haste. He started moving even before the two Aakdani knights could mount their harions.
Once the duke and his men were out of the manor, Nireus smiled, "That went well," he said.
The others who remained as silent observers couldn't help but laugh, thinking about the scene they'd just witnessed. It was the knights, Donos, Arsen, and Konon who couldn't help but burst into laughter, almost in tears. Seeing someone kneel and submit to another was a rare sight for them.
Tiriara was also laughing. She did because it was funny for her to see the others laugh.
"Should we go chase him and scare him off more, father?" Tiriara said.
Nireus grinned at his daughter, "Oh, you're still here? Go play with the others in the backyard," he said with a cute childish voice.
Tiriara didn't like how her father treated her like a little child, she jumped at his back and held him in a chokehold. All Nireus could do was let out a nervous chuckle, embarrassed in front of his visitors.
After a while, Lyra asked the three children to go play in the backyard so that the adults could talk with each other. This time, Tiriara followed with a smile. It made Nireus a bit jealous seeing her daughter follow Lyra's words more than him, but he also felt relieved to see Tiriara's smile.
At the lord of Arsida's office, Nireus told everyone that he had finished writing a letter for the king. He called one of the servants and asked her to send the letter.
"Are we allowed to know the contents of the letter, Chiliarch?" Arsen asked.
Nireus explained what he had written. In the letter he wrote for the king was the fact that he has a girl under his territory that bears the Zeal of the Great Wolf. He also stated that she was an escapee from Aakdan and finished it with how his encounter with the duke ended.
Donos, who was almost always silent and just listened, became curious and couldn't help but ask, "Chiliarch, I know it isn't my place to ask, but, do you think war might happen?"
The talks of war made everyone in the room silent.
"I'm unsure. But, what I'm certain of is that our king would never hand over the girl, even at the cost of breaking the many years of peace."
***
Later that day, Aeneas and the others returned home. Tiriara and Konon accompanied them, even though Nireus almost begged his daughter to stay at home and spend more time with him and Theresa. One kiss on the cheeks paired with a cute way of saying "please", and the lord of Arsida couldn't refuse his youngest daughter.
They took a stop at the shopping district to purchase clothes for Neoma. Lyra was passionate about picking the girl's clothes. She was happy seeing her in different kinds of attires where she found the girl cute. Her and Tiriara's praises, calling Neoma cute, made the girl blush and feel the warmth she only experienced from her late mother.
Soon as they arrived at the Caspius manor, Tiriara turned to Aeneas and asked him to fulfill his promise. With a smile, Aeneas agreed. He rushed to his room to get his water crossbow, while Tiriara took hers from Konon. Seconds later, the two were in the backyard of the main residence, facing each other with a grin while holding their weapons. Neoma followed them, she sat at the sides and watched the two play. Her face slowly formed a smile as she watched them laughing their hearts out whenever one of them was hit and got drenched with water. When Tiriara saw her, she asked Aeneas to stop. Then, Tiriara approached Neoma, offering her the toy.
"Now, you try," she said with a smile.
Neoma stared at her, then at Aeneas. She was filled with hesitation. When she took another glance at Aeneas, she saw him nodding. The girl couldn't remember the last time she had played as children of her age should, or whether she experienced such a thing.
With a contained smile, Neoma pointed the water crossbow at Aeneas. She took her shot and managed to hit the boy. Laughter came out of her. Seeing her, both Aeneas and Tiriara also laughed.
Aeneas shot her, but he missed. At the sides, Tiriara was booing him, teasing the boy about how he became such a bad shot. Aeneas rolled his eyes, he thought that Tiriara would notice that he was deliberately losing against Neoma. Their fun continued for hours and only stopped when Neoma grew tired and hungry.
When the moon replaced the sun, the three spent their time inside Aeneas's room. He wanted to teach Neoma how to read. While Aeneas was guiding Neoma, Tiriara was beside them, reading a book she randomly pulled from the shelves. She began singing her favorite song, Zeal of Power.
As she reached the second part, Tiriara stopped, "Oh, the Great Wolf!" she blurted while pointing at Neoma who was confused.
"Wait, you just realized that now?"
Tiriara responded with aggressive nods. She went closer to Neoma, with a grin, "Can I see your Zeal again?" she asked. Her voice was quite loud.
Aeneas shushed her, "Hey, watch your voice," he whispered.
"Sorry…"
After a brief pause, "Why do we even have to hide her Zeal? What's wrong with it?"
The boy shrugged, "I also don't know. But, mother said not to tell anyone about it. I wouldn't have told you if you hadn't seen it," Aeneas paused, "But, if I have to guess, it might be because other people might think that it's from a demon."
Tiriara turned to Neoma, "Is it?" she blurted.
Neoma stared at her with a confused expression, "Demon?" she murmured. Then, she looked down at her chest, pulled her clothes from the neck, and peeled the clearskin covering the mark. Tiriara watched her, while Aeneas took glances. She showed them her Zeal once again when she managed to take off the cover.
"It doesn't look that different from the others… What even is a demon?" Tiriara muttered. On the other hand, Aeneas took a notebook and a pencil to draw it.
Tiriara has a lot of questions. In the first one, she asked Neoma if she could use her Zeal.
"Yes," the girl answered. Then, the Zeal on her upper right chest started to show a light-bluish glow.
"Woah. It kind of reminds me of my Zeal. So, what's your power like?"
"Not know."
Tiriara grunted, "That's a bummer. I'm so curious."
Neoma became saddened, "Sorry," she said.
"No, it isn't your fault. I just wanted to know what it is, it's fine if you don't know."
Aeneas was deep in thought, tapping his lips with his finger. Tiriara noticed him and asked what he was thinking. Then, the boy started saying the lyrics of the second verse he learned from Tiriara. He kept thinking about the verse and memorized it after the first time he heard it.
"Under the moonlight as he prowls," said Aeneas.
Confused, "You just said the lyrics of the song. But, what does that mean?" Tiriara said.
"For his light o so bright, could make day at midnight," the boy muttered.
"Again, you just say the lyrics. I know about that. I was the one who sang it, remember?"
"What I'm trying to say is that maybe... Maybe, her Zeal has a similar power to yours."
Tiriara's eyebrows furrowed, "What? You mean she gets stronger under the sun?"
Aeneas sighed, "No. I just told you the verse. I think she gets stronger under the moon," he explained.
"Oh."
Though Neoma was not good at speaking, she could mostly understand other people. After hearing Aeneas's words, she stared at the half moon and the light of her Zeal glowed brighter.