"Get out of the way!" A tall man with white hair exclaims harshly as he walks ahead of a woman in her mid-twenties with blonde hair; his clothes are simple, but she wears a luxurious dress and several jewels adorning her body, flat as a board.
The woman walks as if she were a queen parading through the streets of Lakeview; commoners bow and make way for her to pass, while even other nobles show respect for her, making her confident expression even more snobbish.
As the woman and her bodyguard walk, a girl runs towards them, "Young Lady, young Lady Anastasia..." The girl stops, trying to catch her breath.
"Did you reserve my dress?" Anastasia asks in an impatient tone, and the girl nods quickly. "Yes, I did, but there's something..." The girl's eyes shone as if she had found a treasure. "There's a guy in Madame Drummond's store... you really need to see him!"
"A guy?" Anastasia shakes her head with a disapproving expression. "Did you forget I'm engaged, you idiot? Why would I want to see any random guy?!"
"Hehehe..." The girl giggles. "This guy is on another level; seriously, after you see him, all other men will become crap, including your fiancé."
"You bit-" Anastasia almost slaps the girl in the face, but she stops and thinks. "You're not talking nonsense, right?"
"Of course not! I want the best for my Young Lady!!" The girl exclaims and grabs Anastasia by the hand. "Come on, let's go; when the other Ladies find out about this guy, it's going to be a war between the families for sure!"
"You'd better not be exaggerating..." Anastasia lets the girl pull her through the street to Madame Drummond's store while her bodyguard follows. Arriving at the place, the girls look through the window and see Arthur playing with Eve inside the store.
"Oh my goddess!!!" Anastasia has the same reaction as any girl seeing Arthur for the first time. "Where did this guy come from? He is heavenly handsome!! Which family does he belong to? I've never heard of anyone like him..." She runs out of breath and loses her words.
"I told you, he's in a completely different league," the girl exclaims excitedly. "But I have no idea who he is. My friend thinks he's a prince from a distant Kingdom..."
"A prince?" Now, it's Anastasia's eyes that sparkle. "This is my chance to get out of this damned dirty hole!" She checks her clothes and jewels while looking at the girl. "How do I look? Damn, I should be wearing that dress already!!"
"My Lady looks great!" The girl brushes off any tiny speck of dust from Anastasia's clothing. "But it's better not to throw yourself at him, you know, men like nice and elegant women."
"Of course, I know that!" Anastasia kicks the girl, who just backs off with a smile on her face. Then, she turns to the white-haired man. "Stay here; I don't need a dog by my side but that prince."
"Yes, my Lady," The man bows and stays on the sidewalk while Anastasia enters the store.
*Ding-Ding* The sound of the bells above the door echoes, but Arthur doesn't bother to look at Anastasia, making her a bit disappointed. The receptionist appears with a wide smile on her face. "Lady Isambard, we've been expecting you!"
Without thinking, Anastasia just acts, swinging her hand toward Margaret's face with all her force. "YOU BIT-" Arthur sees her movement in slow motion and prepares to act, but Nyx quickly exclaims in his mind. 'Wait!'
He stops his movement and watches Margaret reacting instead; she's a bit faster than Anastasia, grabbing the Young Lady's wrist instinctively. "WHAT?!" Anastasia is shocked to feel the firm grip of Margaret, who looks at her with sorry eyes.
Margaret acted on instinct and wasn't even aware that her reflexes and strength were so heightened for a mage, which is also the case for Anastasia, who is an Apprentice Mage in eighth grade. "I didn't mean to-" Margaret begins to release Anastasia's wrist, but the spoiled young lady becomes even more upset and tries to punch Margaret with her other hand.
Seeing Anastasia's offensive move, Margaret strengthens her determination. 'I can't let this woman humiliate me in front of my husband; that would be disrespectful to him.' With such thought, she responds with violence, too.
*PAH* The sound echoes through the store, drawing looks of shock and some of amusement. "AAAH!!!" Anastasia lets out a scream as she's thrown to the floor by Margaret's hard slap, her face marked with a clear handprint in bright red.
"My Lady!!" The maid and the store's receptionist quickly rush to aid Anastasia, who is stunned on the floor.
Margaret is also astounded by her own actions and turns around, finding Josephine with an amused expression while holding a glass plate in her hand and Arthur with eyes full of pride and love. "I..." She doesn't know what to say.
"My beautiful cat finally showed her sharp claws," Arthur laughs while gesturing with his fingers as if they were claws, making Margaret laugh too. "This shouldn't have happened, though!"
"It's alright, dear," Josephine speaks in a gentle tone while showing the glass plate in her hand, over its shiny surface, a vivid image of Anastasia attempting to punch Margaret but ending up being the one struck. "See, I recorded it; it was Anastasia who attacked first; you were just defending yourself."
"Oh..." Margaret is still unsure how to feel, but Arthur's expression makes her feel proud, too.
Meanwhile, Anastasia recovers from the shock and yells loudly. "Old dog shit!!!" Her voice reaches outside the store, and the white-haired man quickly comes inside.
"My Lady?!" Seeing Anastasia on the ground with a face marked by a hand, the man gets furious and draws a sword from his sheath. "WHO?!" He asks, and Anastasia points at Margaret.
"You little bit-" He advances towards Margaret, lifting his sword. Lady Drummond begins to utter something in a different language, "FLAMM-" But Arthur acts more quickly, stepping in front of Margaret and kicking the man in the chest.
*Whoosh* *BAM!*
Even being a second-grade Elite Warrior, the man can't react to Arthur's agility and is sent flying through the still-open door, rolling in the middle of the street while spitting out a mouthful of blood.
As everyone looks on in shock, Arthur gives Anastasia a cold face. "Wrong decision."