Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine

"So is this the disguise you have chosen for yourself?" Lord Dorhales asked as he sat across the duo.

Both of them were wearing body-fitting suits under their cloak, and Alex was wearing a theatrical mask to cover his face.

Rebecca didn't need to hide her face since her name was popular not her face.

"We will be registering ourselves with fake names in the tournament as well. Can you help with the identification?" Alex asked since submitting his original citizenship card would ruin the whole thing.

"Of course. Russel will take care of it." The Patriarch voiced, to which the soldier behind them, nodded.

Godric paused for a moment before he turned toward Alex and said, "I've received a letter from Frostbate, inquiring about you. Naturally, I didn't confirm that anyone matching your description or name was in Dorhales. So, if possible, please keep your identity hidden for as long as you can."

Alex nodded, "Revealing my identity would gain me public animosity, and trust me, I am not much of a fan of that."

The conversation came to an end after that. Godric didn't keep them there for long and asked them to relax in their rooms if they wanted since, at six, they would be picked by Russel and escorted to the venue.

Returning to the room, Alex checked his inventory. He was using a ring and his right shoe as his storage spaces where he had stored several swords, daggers, and a composite sword, as Rebecca suggested. Other than that, he had kept potions that he received from Celestria, Amanda, and Sarah.

Turning towards Rebecca he asked, "Do you want me to keep your things in my storage?"

Continue your adventure at empire

Rebecca shook her head, "I can't digest much potion, and other than my daggers, I can use nothing as comfortably."

Alex nodded, "Well, if you need something just ask me. And about the blood, then in between the rounds, we will get some time."

Rebecca grinned ear to ear, "I look forward to that."

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At six, Alex and Rebecca heard a knock on the door.

Upon checking, it was the soldier named Russel who said, "Do you need some more time?"

Alex shook his head, "We are ready."

Rebecca and Alex stepped out of the room, following the soldier when suddenly, the second Princess appeared out of nowhere, with a huge smile on her face.

Rebecca instinctively pinched the hem of Alex's sleeve as she narrowed her eyes at the girl.

"You are going, savior?"

Alex nodded with a hum.

The girl took out a red threat from her sleeve, before asking, "This is a good luck charm. Can you let me bind it around your wrist?"

Alex couldn't feel any Soul Energy from it so he just nodded, "Go on."

Rebecca widened her eyes at Darling, shocked that he was allowing her to bind that weird thread to him. It was like she was binding him to her!

As the Princess tied the knot, she said, "I wish you good luck, my savior."

Alex gave her a short nod before he, along with Rebecca, began walking away.

Once they were out of her sight, Alex removed the thread from his wrist and stored it in his ring.

Rebecca, who suddenly smiled upon seeing her Darling removing the suspicious object, frowned again seeing that he was keeping it in his ring.

"It wasn't anything special..." She complained.

Alex didn't reply to her and continued to follow Russel until they reached the carriage before the big man said, "We will travel in the carriage until a certain point before you two will be traveling by foot."

Alex understood the reason behind this hybrid mode of transportation; Dorhales could not expose his favorability towards Alex.

They both sat down inside the carriage and soon after, the scenery outside the window began to shift.

'I should write a letter to Sarah and inform her about the situation...' Alex decided as he took out a parchment from his storage ring, and made some use of his free time.

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Sarah was nervous. It has been so many years since she came here. She was just a little girl when she left, and now, she was a grown-up woman.

When she walked away, she was nonchalant and confused. She didn't know where she was, nor could she feel any connection with the people once Sarah called her family.

And after that day, only Amanda and her father were the two whom she had met. Her mother and brother only saw her last time when she was leaving...not a word she has with them.

'This is difficult...I should have prepared myself a little more...' She was fidgeting at the entrance of the mansion where they lived while assuming a disguise so others wouldn't identify her.

Taking one step and retreating five was what she had been doing for half an hour now.

Suddenly, much to her surprise, a carriage paused before her—urging Sarah to step back as a lady stepped out of the carriage.

'Ah...' Sarah's eyes widened as she gazed at the lady who stepped out gracefully, possessing the same shade of hair as Amanda and someone who extruded motherly warmth.

Kaira tilted her head, seeing the strange woman standing there while biting her lower lip and, seemingly, stifling a sob.

Kaira was confused as she asked, "What business you m-ah!" Suddenly, the lady gasped as her eyes went towards the eyes of the person. Lady Lockwood suddenly was reminded of someone who was dearly close to her.

Her hands shook as Kaira shakily asked, "S-Sarah?"

The other one clutched the hem of her skirt, and with a smile that forced her tears to roll down, Sarah nodded, "Yes, Mother...I am back."

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Alex and Rebecca reached the contest venue nearly at seven, and surprisingly, there weren't as many contestants as there should have been.

Reason?

"The local arenas arrange their tournament that allows the local citizens to understand their chances in the grand contest."

Alex asked, "So they are wise, eh?"

"Yes, unlike the people of Frostbate, the people here do care about their lives and are not knuckle-headed."

Alex heaved a sigh, "Well, that lessens the competition."

Not so long after, Alex and Rebecca's turn arrived as they stepped forward to fill up the form. They just have to write their names and sign the agreement that their lives would be their responsibility. No one would be held accountable if they died.

Suddenly, someone approached them from the left, urging Rebecca to frown.

She thought the person might be here to register himself, however,

"Rebecca, long time." It was a man with dark long hair and a pair of dead grey eyes. There was no expression on his face, as the man called out again,

"I didn't know you would be participating in this as well."

Alex raised his brows, "You know him?"

Rebecca rolled her eyes, "Luke Greyhart's elder brother—Rui."

Alex recalled that dude he killed during his shopping trip. The guy who was originally betrothed to Rebecca.

Alex ignored him and urged Rebecca, "Here, fill out the form."

Rebecca smiled and stepped away from the raven-haired.

Rui looked at Alex, before asking, "Are you his boyfriend?"

Alex was mildly annoyed, as he said, "Why do you care? Just do-"

"If you are not, then I am going to claim her in this tournament."

*SHLINK*Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Rebecca lunged at the man, the fountain pen turning into a deadly weapon in the woman's hand as she pointed it at Rui's neck, "What did you just say?"

Rui looked unbothered, as he uttered, "By defeating that guy, I will claim you."

Rebecca gritted her teeth and tried to plung the pen into his throat—however, despite her effort, she wasn't able to move her hand at all.

Rui tilted his head and gazed at Alex, "You don't dare?"

Alex was genuinely frustrated with the guy. He was behaving so much like a certain as*hole he knew in his past life that Alex was on the verge of slicing his throat.

"You think Rebecca is a thing that you will claim her? Was your mother also claimed by one of the participants who came to bid for her?"

There was a certain pause after that—the people who heard their conversation widened their eyes and were expecting a fight to break out.

However, Rui's expression didn't change. At all.

After seemingly thinking for a bit, he nodded, "Yes, during her courtship trials, the men who came had to battle to show their strength before my mother got married to my father."

Alex rolled his eyes, "Congrats. Now fuck off."

Rebecca had already filled the form, so Alex didn't wait there to hear any more bull crap, and after holding Rebecca's hand, he pulled her inside.

Without turning to look at her, the silverhead voiced, "Stay away from him."

Rebecca, with a wide grin on her face, hummed obediently.

'Is he being protective of me? How cute~'

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A/N:- I hope you all enjoyed reading the chapter. Drop a comment.