"Lies! You're lying!" I spat out, struggling against the man that held me. He apologized simultaneously for being so rough, yet still gripping me like a criminal. We were literally on their side, I thought, but all I could see was a man afraid of going against the hierarchy.

With Morad in his fish bowl, he still remained in character as instructed. This was really becoming a predicament. Should I face this twat of a royal? But that would only escalate things. What if he wasn't here alone and had guards or something? My best course of action was just to see how things go, since he just wanted the board. Still, something deep down wanted to hit his smug face so hard.

Greyjoy smirked. "Now I'm lying? You believed every other word I said, but this one's too hard to swallow? How pitiful! You really need to see your faces. People love the truth until it turns on them."

I hated the way he toyed with us, playing with our family names like that.

"So you lied, my lord?" Granny Maera replied in disbelief.

"Yeah, just like everyone on the planet, ma'am," he replied casually.

"You're pretty shallow for a royal," I muttered. He was someone I wanted to see humbled so badly.

"Well, too bad! Eat dust!" Greyjoy yelled, showing no regard for what made me stand out prior.

As Granny Maera started to beg him not to destroy the board, and the rest of the crowd nervously backed us up, some started to feel things were getting out of hand—

"Let them go!" another person yelled.

"Yeah, let the board be… go back to Manyblood!"

Greyjoy roared back, "All of you, shut up!" demanding silence. He threatened to burn every last one of them to a crisp as his Mana Beast prepared to torch the missing persons board.

But suddenly, while all this was going on, I could feel it. Huh, a breeze? It feels different. What's this? I thought.

A gentle breeze blew and passed my ears, and to my surprise, it carried a voice that seemed to blow right into my head. While we struggled in the grip of the men, a voice whispered to me from the side.

The voice was calm, instructing me. "Calm yourself, Astraga Fula. The best thing to do is stay calm for now."

"Who are you?" I whispered back, though no one else seemed to notice.

"That is of no importance. All you need to know is Greyjoy isn't someone you should aggravate or mess with. Just wait for your father; he is on his way."

The gentle wind blew past me, and I glanced at Granny Maera, who seemed to have heard the same voice. "Granny, calm yourself," the voice said gently. Suddenly, her defiant posture calmed, and the gentle wind did something swift and discreet—her eyes rolled back, and she subtly passed out, unknown to the crowd and the man holding her. I realized the breeze and the voice were only for the three of us to hear.

Then the wind shifted towards Astraya, who was also struggling. "The three of you do not fear. Help is on the way."

Now that we were out of the way, Greyjoy could fulfill his goal.

His voice rose to us, commanding his Mana Beast, "Now you three are out of my way! Say goodbye to this board and a new beginning for Blackroot! Now burn it to ash… Toki!"

The snake reared, heat rolling off its scales. It lunged—flame licking the the air—when a voice cut through the crackle.

"Well now, what's all the commotion about, young master?" The voice came from afar.

"When you said you would be checking the town square, I never had in mind you meant taking all the spotlight at the busiest part of town."

"Well, your town doesn't know how to talk to royals. I was simply letting them know my intentions, that's all," Greyjoy replied, turning his head to the elderly man now standing in front of him.

"Young Master, well on behalf of my people, I apologize," the old-looking man, who was the Mayor, responded. "But this wasn't the idea I got when you meant 'checking the town square and the board,' hmm. When I heard the talk about the status you wanted and where you wanted to place it, it could only be the board. So, like a good Mayor I am, I just had to see what was going on myself."

As the mayor arrived finaly at the center of the crowed , accompanied by two men in official attire signifying their security status to the mayor as I could see 2 stars on their chest area could that be their rank?, the crowd began to shout in relief. "Finally, it's the Mayor! Good, this madness can end! Mayor Mostleey, save us!"

"You think I give a damn about the mayor being here? You all realize I have more power than your mayor!" he reminded them, pointing to the elderly-looking mayor. "Tell them, Mayor—the board will still be burnt!" Greyjoy scoffed.

"Well now, Young Master, I'm sure none will ever think a common mayor like myself will ever be as powerful as you," the man, who was indeed Mayor Mostleey, said with a calm unlike everyone else's panicked demeanor. He was an elderly-looking man whose face and hands showed an abundance of knowledge on politics and dealings with spoiled, ego-driven royals, wearing attire perfectly fitted for a local He stepped toward us, noting Granny Maera was still unconscious and the men still held us tight.

"Maera," he said, his tone intimate, as if he had known her for a long time. "You always cared about the board more than anyone of us in this town, but sometimes I do hope you consider your health as well. Look at you now. Your daughter would have been heartbroken to see you in this condition."

The Mayor then turned to Astraya and me, gently patting our heads.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.