8 years later

Now 18, Angelica was in her last year of high school. Ever since Noctis started attending school, she had befriended not only him, but also his advisor Ignis, his trainer and bodyguard Gladiolus, and his classmate Prompto. While she considered them her friends, she was never very open with any of them. Her mother was still the only one she could talk to about anything.

Angelica had also begun working at the Citadel. Once she was 12, her mother had her assist the cooks in the kitchen. But Angelica's real talent was sewing. It had started with helping her mother mend a torn curtain. Not long after that, she was making clothing items and such all on her own. And so, she was tasked with tailoring outfits for the king and prince.

Valerie had also climbed the ranks within the kitchen. She had become the head chef, in charge of everything the other cooks did. And aside from both of their jobs, the pair still made time to train together. Valerie was teaching her daughter everything she knew about being an assassin and putting their skills to good use. While Clarus didn't much like the idea, Regis was perfectly fine with it. He had grown to trust the two with his life. They had both proven their loyalty more than once.

Today was like any normal school day. Angelica had just gotten out of her class and was walking down the hall with her books in hand. Other students steered clear of the redhead, keeping a safe distance from her, as they always did. Angelica was a bit distracted at the moment by the new boy in her class. He had taken the only available seat beside her, and even after some classmates warned him to stay away from the red-haired girl, he ignored them and tried to talk with her anyway.

He's obviously unaware of what I'm capable of. Hasn't he heard about my reputation? She scowled at the thought. Angelica didn't make friends with anyone other than those associated with Noctis. She had found ordinary people to be so... dull. They were all so untrained and ignorant to the duties she and her friends were responsible for, not to mention they we all scared to death of her.

"Hey, wait up!" Angelica stopped and turned, seeing the new guy rushing toward her. "You forgot one of your textbooks." He held it out to her.

She quickly took the book from him without the slightest hint of emotion on her face. "Thank you," she said simply.

Before she could walk away, the guy lightly grabbed her arm, halting her. "Hold on, I never caught your name."

"Angelica. My friends call me Angel."

The guy grinned. "Well I'm Lance. Nice to meet ya."

Instead of replying, she yanked her arm from his grasp and walked away. She could hear him following her but paid him no mind. But after she placed her books in her locker, Lance was right there when she turned around. With short, messy brown hair and piercing hazel eyes, he placed a hand on the locker beside her head.

"Angel, huh?" he said with a smirk. He looked her up and down. "You sure are as pretty as an angel."

Angelica kept on a poker face and asked, "Don't you know who I am? Haven't you heard of me?"

"I've heard the rumors." He lightly took her chin between his fingers, lifting her head up toward him. "But I'm not scared of you."

Angelica stood there, silently watching him. She had to contain her urge to snap his wrist right then. But she promised her mother she'd never have another incident like that. She hadn't physically harmed any classmates since kindergarten, and she wasn't about to start now just because of a pest who can't keep his hands to himself.

"Angel!" a light, familiar voice called.

Lance turned his gaze to the two boys approaching. Angelica caught a glimpse of them out of the corner of her eye. She then jerked her head away from him. "If you'll excuse me, I must be going."

She walked away from Lance and passed by her friends. Noctis and Prompto quickly caught up to walk alongside her. "So, who's your new boyfriend?" the blond teased.

"He is NOT my boyfriend," she snapped.

"Could've fooled me," Noctis added, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

With school now over, the trio walked down the streets and to Noctis's apartment. Fortunately, his place was within walking distance of the school. The three often hung out there in the evening to do their homework, not to mention Angelica often helped Ignis clean up the place since the prince never lifted a finger when it came to cleaning. The three seated themselves in the living room, beginning their homework.

It wasn't long before Ignis arrived. The only area that was the least bit clean was around the couch and coffee table where Angelica had tidied up before starting her work. After cleaning up the living room, Ignis then got to work on preparing supper for them while they focused on their schoolwork.

"Ugh, I'm no good at this math stuff!" Prompto groaned. "All these formulas are so confusing!"

Ignis glanced back at him from where he was in the kitchen area. He wondered if he should lend him a hand. Fortunately, Angelica decided to help him instead. She leaned over toward the blond, reading over his work.

"You just have to multiply those two," she instructed, pointing to the numbers. "Then you divide it by that one, and you'll have your answer."

Ignis smiled lightly to himself, returning to his task. Prompto grinned at the girl beside him. "Thanks, Angel. Y'know, you can be real nice when you wanna be. When I first met you, you were so intimidating."

A faint smile graced her lips. "You can't always judge a book by its cover."

"Yeah, that dude earlier seemed to get that," Noctis added.

Prompto laughed. "You sure he's not your boyfriend?"

Angelica frowned. "Positive. He was just an idiot who didn't want to listen to everyone's warnings."

"Obviously," the prince replied. "I've never seen anyone approach you so boldly like that. Normally everybody's afraid of you."

Ignis finally went over to the trio, setting down a tray carrying three plates of food. "If I may ask, where did this fear originate from? How did you obtain such a reputation?"

Angelica sighed and picked up a plate, her eyes shifting nervously to the side. "It was before I met any of you. I may have, sorta... broken a kid's arm."

Noctis and Prompto both gasped while Ignis's eyes widened with surprise. "Damn!" the blond exclaimed. "Seriously?!"

"It was an accident!" the redhead swiftly explained. For once, her emotions were actually showing. "And my mom paid for all the medical costs!" She sadly turned her gaze down to her food. "But the story spread throughout the school like wildfire. Next thing I know, there's about a dozen tall tales about me and everyone's afraid to even go near me."

Noctis gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Well don't worry, it'll take more than a past incident to scare us off."

Angelica actually felt a bit guilty for hiding the truth from them. But she knew that if they knew everything, they would definitely be afraid of her. It's like her mother always told her - people like them are feared for their skills. The abilities and reflexes they possessed were scary indeed, but it's not like they used them on innocent people in everyday life.

After finishing her homework and eating supper, Angelica gathered her things to leave. "I need to get going. See you guys tomorrow."

She began leaving when Ignis stopped her. "Do you need a ride?"

She smiled lightly. "That's alright. I've got some work to do at the Citadel."

"As do I."

"Then I guess I'll take you up on that offer."

The two left and got into Ignis's car. It was silent briefly until the advisor started up a conversation, "So, how is Miss Valerie doing?"

"Great. She's loving her new job as the head chef. But what exactly brings you back to the Citadel this evening?"

"Paperwork. You?"

She sighed. "One of the tapestries in the training room got torn. I've gotta mend it before I can get started on the new curtain design for His Majesty's room."

Ignis chuckled. "Well I must say, you've certainly got a way with a needle. I've seen your work. You pieced together the banisters in the throne room, didn't you? You did a fine job."

"Thanks. And I appreciate the ride, Ignis."

"Happy to be of service. I loathe to let a lady walk the streets after dark."

A smile tugged at her lips at that. He's so sweet. Arriving at the Citadel, the two parted ways. Angelica went straight to her work room and fixed up the tapestry. It took hours, but she finally had it mended and ready to be hung. Her mother soon entered the room.

"I thought you might be here," she said. "How was your day, Angel?"

"Fine. I did my homework with Noct and Prompto, then I came here."

Valerie smiled. "Well, sounds like a busy day. Still wanna train before we head home?"

Angelica smirked, always eager to learn from her mother. "You know it."