After being escorted back to the waiting area Laura is given one of the potions provided by the royal family in order to get her ready for the next fight.
"What the heck was that Laura?"
Kana walks up to her in a bad mood and stares at Laura.
"What was what?"
"There's no way you fell into such an obvious trap right from the start. That's not the sort of thing you'd do."
"I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?"
"Yeah, I just wanna get this over with. None of these matches matter anyway."
"Just because you don't care about winning doesn't give you the right to lose so easily." Kana looks at Laura sternly.
"Does it really matter? You won."
"I won yeah, but it didn't even look like you were trying to win. Even when you used inferno it looked like you weren't even trying."
"I'm not trying. Honestly these fights aren't going to be entertaining for anyone to watch. I'll make sure of it."
"Why would you do that?"
Laura stands back up and walks toward the exit.
"Maybe if I put on a poor showing the princess will change her mind and let me stay here."
Kana stops Laura, "I highly doubt she'll change her mind, all you'll be doing is hurting your own reputation and the pride of your opponents."
"I don't care."
"Even if you don't care, others will."
"This isn't my problem. It's theirs."
Kana sighs deeply, "Fine then, go humiliate yourself in squash matches."
Laura exits into the arena to face the Harbinger.
***
"Th...the winner is the Harbinger!"
Roderick's booming voice echoes through the silent arena as the Harbinger stands there in shock. Laura lies on the ground having passed out after hitting her head on the ground.
Up in the seating for the nobility the nobles are shocked as well. They can't believe that Laura lost in such a pathetic fashion.
"Another loss."
"That match didn't even last 20 seconds."
"She fell for Kana's trap in the first few moments and now she was bested in a single move?"
The king and queen look at the first princess with judgmental looks.
"Vivian that's the fighter you want? Are you certain?"
"I am certain father."
"That was such a pathetic showing. Being knocked out in one move. Quite humiliating."
"Maybe the Harbinger just got lucky?"
Confusion and apprehension spreads through the nobles as they all look at princess Vivian, questioning why she went a purchased someone so pathetic.
***
Back down in the arena the Harbinger reluctantly goes back to the waiting area as Laura is carried back again.
"What was that?"
Eleonora who was watching the match is confused by Laura's two showings.
"She's trained so hard, there's no way she'd just lose so easily."
"You're right, she's losing on purpose." Kana says.
"She's losing on purpose huh? Quite selfish of her I'd say." Royce chimes in.
Roderick comes jogging over to the trio. Beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"What's going on with Laura, is she feeling sick or something?"
"She's losing the matches on purpose, hoping that if she puts on bad fights then the royals will reconsider buying her."
Eleonora grits her teeth. "That little..."
"Eleonora where are you going?" Kana asks.
"To have a little chat with Laura. Roderick, she and I are fighting next right?"
"That's right."
"Depending on how long our chat takes make sure you keep a backup plan in mind so the audience doesn't get impatient."
With that Eleonora walks off to see Laura.
"Laura why did you throw the match?"
The Harbinger confronts Laura about his easy win.
"I didn't throw the match, you won fair and square."
"Don't lie! We both know that it's just no possible that I could beat you so easily with a single move. Absolutely no way."
"Think what you want, that won't change the facts."
"Facts my ass. I have a chance to show what I'm made of in front of the royal family, do you know how excited I was to be able to fight you at my best in front of the most influential people in the entire country?"
Laura looks away.
"But now I can't all because of you."
"Whatever, I don't care. I have another match to fight in so please move."
"I'm not done airing my grievances to you, now sit back down and..."
The Harbinger stops his train of thought right then and there. He suddenly feels that if he were to utter another word Laura would kill him. The aura that Laura was radiating wasn't something that he had ever experienced before. It was a dark presence that made the hair on his body stand on end. With every fiber of his being he knew that if he spoke to her again that he would die.
After a tense few moments Laura starts to walk away but is stopped by someone standing in front of the exit.
"Hey Laura, how's it going?"
Eleonora blocks the exit with her sword, her expression a smug smile.
"Hello Eleonora. Please move so we can have our match."
"I'm not letting you go out there if all you're gonna do is throw the match."
Laura's expression turns back to one of disdain.
"You threw both of your matches right? I'm not gonna let you throw this one."
Eleonora draws her sword and points it at Laura.
"We've trained together ever since you got here and I've wanted to have a serious fight with you in front of an audience of people. Don't you dare think that you're gonna take that away from me you selfish little brat!"
"Selfish? You call me wanting to stay here selfish!?"
"I do."
"Why!? Do you want me to leave?"
"I don't."
"Then why?"
"Because I want to have a truly great fight with you. The fact that you're going with the royal family after this is already decided. There's no way princess Vivian will change her mind on this, even if you put on a bad showing."
Tears being to form in Laura's eyes, the reality she tried to escape thrust in her face by Eleonora. Eleonora sheathes her sword, walks up to Laura and gives her a hug.
"I know it's difficult to accept. You told me about how you were forced out of your home before and it's happening to you once again. I get it, it's painful. But you need to hold your head high when things like this happen."
Laura continues to cry in Eleonora's embrace for a while until Roderick comes in to inform them that the match needs to start. Laura wipes her tears and looks at Eleonora.
"I'll do my best Eleonora, I'll make sure you're not disappointed in me."
"I wouldn't have it any other way. No holding back."
Eleonora holds out her fist to Laura and Laura responds with a fist bump.
"Let's give them a good fight."
"Yeah."
After being escorted back to the waiting area Laura is given one of the potions provided by the royal family in order to get her ready for the next fight.
"What the heck was that Laura?"
Kana walks up to her in a bad mood and stares at Laura.
"What was what?"
"There's no way you fell into such an obvious trap right from the start. That's not the sort of thing you'd do."
"I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?"
"Yeah, I just wanna get this over with. None of these matches matter anyway."
"Just because you don't care about winning doesn't give you the right to lose so easily." Kana looks at Laura sternly.
"Does it really matter? You won."
"I won yeah, but it didn't even look like you were trying to win. Even when you used inferno it looked like you weren't even trying."
"I'm not trying. Honestly these fights aren't going to be entertaining for anyone to watch. I'll make sure of it."
"Why would you do that?"
Laura stands back up and walks toward the exit.
"Maybe if I put on a poor showing the princess will change her mind and let me stay here."
Kana stops Laura, "I highly doubt she'll change her mind, all you'll be doing is hurting your own reputation and the pride of your opponents."
"I don't care."
"Even if you don't care, others will."
"This isn't my problem. It's theirs."
Kana sighs deeply, "Fine then, go humiliate yourself in squash matches."
Laura exits into the arena to face the Harbinger.
***
"Th...the winner is the Harbinger!"
Roderick's booming voice echoes through the silent arena as the Harbinger stands there in shock. Laura lies on the ground having passed out after hitting her head on the ground.
Up in the seating for the nobility the nobles are shocked as well. They can't believe that Laura lost in such a pathetic fashion.
"Another loss."
"That match didn't even last 20 seconds."
"She fell for Kana's trap in the first few moments and now she was bested in a single move?"
The king and queen look at the first princess with judgmental looks.
"Vivian that's the fighter you want? Are you certain?"
"I am certain father."
"That was such a pathetic showing. Being knocked out in one move. Quite humiliating."
"Maybe the Harbinger just got lucky?"
Confusion and apprehension spreads through the nobles as they all look at princess Vivian, questioning why she went a purchased someone so pathetic.
***
Back down in the arena the Harbinger reluctantly goes back to the waiting area as Laura is carried back again.
"What was that?"
Eleonora who was watching the match is confused by Laura's two showings.
"She's trained so hard, there's no way she'd just lose so easily."
"You're right, she's losing on purpose." Kana says.
"She's losing on purpose huh? Quite selfish of her I'd say." Royce chimes in.
Roderick comes jogging over to the trio. Beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"What's going on with Laura, is she feeling sick or something?"
"She's losing the matches on purpose, hoping that if she puts on bad fights then the royals will reconsider buying her."
Eleonora grits her teeth. "That little..."
"Eleonora where are you going?" Kana asks.
"To have a little chat with Laura. Roderick, she and I are fighting next right?"
"That's right."
"Depending on how long our chat takes make sure you keep a backup plan in mind so the audience doesn't get impatient."
With that Eleonora walks off to see Laura.
"Laura why did you throw the match?"
The Harbinger confronts Laura about his easy win.
"I didn't throw the match, you won fair and square."
"Don't lie! We both know that it's just no possible that I could beat you so easily with a single move. Absolutely no way."
"Think what you want, that won't change the facts."
"Facts my ass. I have a chance to show what I'm made of in front of the royal family, do you know how excited I was to be able to fight you at my best in front of the most influential people in the entire country?"
Laura looks away.
"But now I can't all because of you."
"Whatever, I don't care. I have another match to fight in so please move."
"I'm not done airing my grievances to you, now sit back down and..."
The Harbinger stops his train of thought right then and there. He suddenly feels that if he were to utter another word Laura would kill him. The aura that Laura was radiating wasn't something that he had ever experienced before. It was a dark presence that made the hair on his body stand on end. With every fiber of his being he knew that if he spoke to her again that he would die.
After a tense few moments Laura starts to walk away but is stopped by someone standing in front of the exit.
"Hey Laura, how's it going?"
Eleonora blocks the exit with her sword, her expression a smug smile.
"Hello Eleonora. Please move so we can have our match."
"I'm not letting you go out there if all you're gonna do is throw the match."
Laura's expression turns back to one of disdain.
"You threw both of your matches right? I'm not gonna let you throw this one."
Eleonora draws her sword and points it at Laura.
"We've trained together ever since you got here and I've wanted to have a serious fight with you in front of an audience of people. Don't you dare think that you're gonna take that away from me you selfish little brat!"
"Selfish? You call me wanting to stay here selfish!?"
"I do."
"Why!? Do you want me to leave?"
"I don't."
"Then why?"
"Because I want to have a truly great fight with you. The fact that you're going with the royal family after this is already decided. There's no way princess Vivian will change her mind on this, even if you put on a bad showing."
Tears being to form in Laura's eyes, the reality she tried to escape thrust in her face by Eleonora. Eleonora sheathes her sword, walks up to Laura and gives her a hug.
"I know it's difficult to accept. You told me about how you were forced out of your home before and it's happening to you once again. I get it, it's painful. But you need to hold your head high when things like this happen."
Laura continues to cry in Eleonora's embrace for a while until Roderick comes in to inform them that the match needs to start. Laura wipes her tears and looks at Eleonora.
"I'll do my best Eleonora, I'll make sure you're not disappointed in me."
"I wouldn't have it any other way. No holding back."
Eleonora holds out her fist to Laura and Laura responds with a fist bump.
"Let's give them a good fight."
"Yeah."
