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"Come. The others are waiting for you,

" my brother said and tugged my hand to usher me back.

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"Okay then…

" I muttered and glanced at the two women with me. When I did that, Nathaniel also looked at them and then realized that I wasn't alone.

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"H-hello…

" Estelle greeted him shyly.

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"Good evening…

" Her friend also did the same. She then cringed when she thought of what she had said. After all, the evening wasn't that good anymore.

nThere are nobles that kept screaming and pushing, wanting to get out of the hall. Some were crying from hysteria, while the others looked worried but still calm nonetheless. It's a total mess..

n'So much for a happy occasion…'

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"Let's go,

" I told the two girls and then began to walk away again, this time, with four of us.

nWe were sticking close to the side to avoid the roaring nobles. If we tried to slink our way among them, we'll just end up being ripped to shreds. We will be caught up with the chaos as well.

n

"This is getting bad,

" I grumbled as I looked at the once joyful dancefloor, which now turned to a bustling supermarket or something. This is like the capital but more boisterous and chaotic.

nThe majority of panicking people is making the others panic either, which is seriously not good. If everyone continued in this direction, someone could end up hurt. It could be the knights, or the nobles themselves.

nI do think that someone got hurt already, just from their desperate pushing and pulling. If this goes on, ah… damn it. They're making my head uncomfortable again…

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"Nadia! You were gone too long!

" Gwen exclaims as soon as they spotted us.

nMy friends are also nervous as well, it's plainly evident in their faces, especially the women. Conrad, Luther, and Eon are gone, probably trying to appease the nobles and working on a countermeasure to calm everyone down. Nathaniel had left too as the captain to lead the knights. He was just checking up on us when he was doing his rounds and found out I wasn't there so he looked for me.

nKai and Lost are the only guys left and are protecting Bea and Gwen. At this time, Lost seemed to brim with mana and he's sticking close to Kai. His liquid amber eyes were glowing faintly, turning to slits, like the wolves. It was fascinating but this is not the time to be distracted by such.

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"Oh gosh, there really is an attack, right?! What's with that big blast earlier?

" Gwen muttered while biting her fingers. A habit she has when she's nervous and afraid.

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"Don't say unnecessary things. You should calm down, Gwen,

" Bea remarked. She was saying that but her face says otherwise. She's also scared like her and was only masking it with fake confidence. I'll give it to her for acting tough so as to not worry the others.

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"Brother said that it is nothing to get worried about and they are dealing with it. Let's just wait for things to subside,

" I uttered, calm as a brook.

nGwen seemed to calm down when I slid beside them, while the two girls stood a few steps behind us. Bea also sighed in relief upon hearing it and relaxed her body. Kai and Lost were standing in front of us, acting as walls. I had almost forgotten that Kai is going to apply as a royal knight next year and has taken lessons with Nathaniel as his mentor. He looked really formidable right now, like a true knight. It wouldn't be impossible for him to ace the exam.

nThe rumbling had stopped but the fear of the people didn't diminish for a bit. They are getting more and more frisky. One nobleman even shoved a knight, while another one is forcing their way through. Most of them are cursing and swearing, seemingly uncalled for people such as them. The knights aren't fighting back and were just firmly standing their grounds.

nIt felt like there was something dark looming in the air, like a thick invisible blanket that is driving everyone in the room insane. No matter how hard the knights tried to reassure them, they just got wilder and wilder.

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"They are getting worse…

" Gwen muttered.

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"The royals up there are in disarray as well,

" Estelle commented.

nWe all glanced at the front and witnessed the exact same thing she said. They looked like they were all arguing, even the Emperor has a frown on his usual marbled face. The Empress's smile is a bit skewed, while the Queen looked bothered. The royal attendants and the side of my father are having a terse conversation. It's not going well... I could feel it.

nThe tension from the royal hall is worming its way inside my head. It was making me irritated. With the combined noises from the gathered crowd, their stupid remarks, and their impatience, it felt like I'm going to combust from frustration. It's so unpleasant and I wasn't going to stay here and listen to all that.

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"Ughh…

" I grumbled and knitted my brows. I was getting angry, like really really angry.

nI want to come up to everyone and shut their mouths off.

n'Gosh! They are so annoying!'

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"... Nadia?

" Bea whispered.

nI don't know if she's looking at me because I was currently glaring at the floor. The buzzing in my head returned for some reason and I felt nauseous. I closed my eyes to zone out the clamor but it was futile.

nAnd then the noise pierced my ears, amidst those, there was something else that was also present. There's something eerie that is creeping, hissing in my head like a snake, it was giving me goosebumps. They are like layers and layers of cold yet silky voices… It's weird... and creepy as hell…

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"Hey…

"

nThe buzz got louder and so is the beating of my heart. Crazy, my heart was pounding so hard that it felt painful. It was making me out of breath.

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"Ugghh… shut up…

" I voiced out, unaware that I was already talking out loud.

nThere it was again, the snake-like voice…

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"I SAID SHUT UP!!!!!

"

nMy voice thundered all around the hall as one big sound wave. It was loud and resounding that got heard by the masses. For a brief moment, I was breathing heavily. Greedily taking in oxygen to fill my deprived lungs.

nThe noise died down and only the sound of my own breath was the thing that rang in my ears. I opened my eyes and saw an unusual sight. The raging nobles nearby had stopped throwing tantrums and were all looking at me in silence. It didn't click on me that quickly that they were behaving strangely. I was so mad that it completely went over my head.

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"Why are you all acting like savages in front of their Majesties? Don't you have decency as nobles? From the way you are behaving, all of you are less than feral beasts!

" I couldn't help but blurt out.

nI was mad, okay. The frustration just got to me so I couldn't bottle my emotions up anymore.

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"The knights have already informed you of the situation and are asking your cooperation, yet you all listen to it in deaf ears. Is this how a noble should act? The people who lead the citizens? How shameless.

"

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