[Daughter of House Sparda –Part Four]

"Dad," Acela held her father's hands that were callused and rough from his younger years of holding his swords too often, "I will be fine. You don't have to worry about me."

"Nonsense. You are my daughter, and I will always worry about my children no matter where they are and what they do. Especially you; I will always think about you and hope that you are happy, eating well and doing whatever you want to do." He answered withdrawing one hand from hers, but coming up to lightly cradle her face softly. Age wrote in the blue eyes that glinted while he smiled sweetly at her, and though Duke Sparda had always had white hair since birth, his face was finally fitting for the white hair. The man did not get younger with the years, and ever since the death of his closest friend the late King, Acela's father had been almost too busy helping the prince ascend smoothly to his throne.

"Thanks to you I can do exactly just that all the time." Acela covered the hand cradling her face with one of hers, holding back the tears. "I'm just leaving temporarily. I promise I will be back before you know it. You won't even know that I was gone."

"Then don't take too long and don't have too much fun such that you forget to return home." He bade.

"I'm not Dante, Dad." Acela chuckled, then picked the bouquet of flowers that she had brought into the room with her, putting it between them. "I got this for you. To promise you that I won't run into any trouble while I'm there, and even if I do, I know exactly how to get myself out of there."

"You..." The Duke smile was softly sour as he accepted the bouquet between his hands, admiring the vibrant colors before he looked back up at his daughter who had turned 26 in a blink of an eye. The malnourished 13 year old who had been selling flowers in front of his compound had grown up into a beautiful, strong and independent woman who was giving him flowers. "You are really your mother's daughter. Eva always gave me flowers to leave in my office so that I would be reminded of her."

"I know." Acela answered shortly. "Mum always bought flowers from me back from before, remember? I always saw the same type of flowers in your office even after Mum passed on."

"Don't let talk of flowers hold you back." Duke Sparda rested the beautiful bouquet back on the table again, this time stepping forth and taking his daughter in a gentle hug. "Know that your father will be watching over things in the dukedom, so rest assured while you carry out your mission. Don't worry about what happens here and no matter what happens, you must stay safe."

"I will." Acela promised, hugging her father back equally tightly in farewell. They remained like that for a short while –Acela soaking in her father's hug enough to survive for the next few months and possibly years without him –before parting. An encouraging smile hung on the duke's face as she turned and stepped towards the door.

With a heavy heart, Acela exited her father's office and closed it firmly behind her.

"The carriage is ready." Her brother waited for her outside. The corridor lamp cast a soft orange glow on his face, and she looked up to see regret and worry in those blue eyes. She remembered how angry those blue eyes had been back during the discussion, how they had looked as if they were ready to burn everything down to reject the proposal.

Acela had no doubts that if she hadn't stepped in like she did and accepted the proposal, he would have done some irreparable damages to the Kingdom.

"Where is Dante?" She asked as they started their journey to the front of their mansion where the carriage was waiting... to bring her to her fiancé.

After the death of King Felix, there had been a short period of fighting between the nobility as some tried to block the Crown Prince Claude's ascension with ridiculous claims. Her father and family had stood by Claude's side the entire time, and together, they had managed to dismantle the power of the Vestia family –the leaders of the rebelling nobles. The victory, celebrated by Claude's coronation, had been short-lived when assassins from the rival country of Kiyo tried to sabotage the whole affair by staging an attempt on the new king's life.

Thankfully, there had been no harm done to Claude, but it had been the start of a string of political issues between their countries. Suspicious, Acela's brother Dante had been sent to Kiyo for undercover spy work, and he had come back with disheartening news –the remaining members of the Vestia had escaped to Kiyo and somehow wormed their way into power there and were exacting their revenge against King Claude and the Sparda family.

Many rounds of conflicts later, the Kiyo Royal family finally sent Link Vestia –the current Head of the Vestia family in Kiyo –over as a representative. Behind smoke and mirrors, the declaration from Kiyo had been clear: King Claude had to wed Acela Sparda –the only single female of the House of Sparda –to the Third Prince of the Kiyo as a symbol of cooperation and relations between the countries.

Essentially, Acela was asked to become a sacrifice for the sake of her country and her family. Acela had agreed.

"That idiot is still with Claude. He believes that he can talk the king out of the current situation." Her eldest brother –now already much past his marriageable age –answered.

"Even if he talks the king out of this, I'm still going to Kiyo." Acela said.

"I know." Vergil sighed. "That's why I didn't bother talking to Claude. Once you've made your mind, you don't change it."

"You know me too well, Brother Vergil."

"Please just promise me that you will take care of yourself. Kiyo is a different place entirely. The name Sparda means nothing to Kiyo as it does here. They will be hasty to see you as a sacrificial princess and try to put you in your place." The worried brother rushed to the surface, and despite the depressing atmosphere of their current situation, Acela could not resist smiling at the amount of concern being showered on her.

"I know. But you, Dad and Dante have trained me for this. I won't let anyone take anything away from me if I refuse. Just because I have less people who listens to my words doesn't mean I am less powerful." Acela answered, bravely taking her brother's hand swinging beside her while they walked side by side towards the front of the mansion. "You don't have to worry about me. I've grown up and learnt all I need to survive. I will do well in Kiyo."

"You don't have to do anything except stay safe." Her elder brother shook his head to emphasize his point, his fingers tightening over her hand. "Claude has told you about our strategy. We will invade and destroy Kiyo and those pests from Vestia once and for all. Just help us buy some time there."

"Don't feel pressured to ready the army hastily. An unprepared army and squad of royal guards will not make for good rescue parties." She advised, though she guessed her brother probably knew much better than her about things as such. Her brothers were, after all, experienced with many rounds of battles in their previous conflict with Kiyo.

Her engagement to the Third Prince of Kiyo now was simply a call for temporary ceasefire while Claude and her brothers prepared themselves for an all-out, decisive battle.

"If you feel that your life is put in danger, don't be afraid to damn all our strategies and run. I will deal any consequences that Kiyo tries to come up with."

"I don't think that's something the First Commander is supposed to say." Acela chuckled, and it was all too soon that they reached the front steps of the Sparda Mansion.

"Dante won't be here to send you off today, but Claude will send him as representative to Kiyo at times, so he will get to see you and update us on your situation." Vergil explained as they turned to each other for their farewells. The night was quiet; Acela was leaving in the middle of the night while most of the servants were asleep because if she tried to leave in the day, the servants of the Sparda House –who were all like family members to her –would make her departure even harder.

Only Sebastian stood waiting by the carriage after having made sure that her possessions were fully loaded onto the carriage, and Acela had already said her goodbyes to the old man.

"It might be better that Dante isn't here." Acela confessed, self-consciously wiping the corner of her eyes because they were beginning to smart a little. She had thought she could leave without tears to do her duty, but after bidding goodbyes to her father and now doing the same with her brother was not easy without tears. "I might cry even more if he was here."

"I'll remember to tell him that." Vergil's answer was evened, but he pulled her into a tight hug. In how tightly Acela's found herself in her brother's arms, all the words he was not saying came through. The warmth of his embrace was the same as their father's, and the strength of his arms as they squeezed her spoke of an unbreakable promise.

"Even if nobody there knows how powerful the name Sparda is here, don't ever forget for a single second that you are a Sparda." Her brother spoke while still hugging her tight, and Acela could feel the vibrations through his body into her as he spoke low. "You only bow to who is deserving, and you apologize only to who you wish. Nobody else can make you do as they please and nobody will move you if you will not be moved. Kiyo was the one who requested for your hand. Don't let anybody tell you that you are a sacrifice."

"I have no intention to be such 'sacrifice'." Acela promised, hugging her brother tightly back. "And I don't need the name Sparda to show them what it means to be a Sparda."

"I trust you."

The three words weighed heavy in Acela's heart and her eyes stung even more as she clenched her fingers in her brother's clothes, fisting her hands. They spent a few moments in silence as they held each other tight, then eventually parted. Acela hurried to wipe the tears from her face despite the fact that she had already left a wet patch on his coat front.

"I have a gift for you for this engagement." Vergil announced, and reached under his coat. Acela watched with muted surprise as he revealed two swords hanging from his belt –one his usual and the other one with a shorter, thinner hilt and a sleek design hidden within a beautiful white sheathe. Removing the new sword, he handed it over with a grim smile. "Claude had the best sword makers in the Kingdom working on this, and I designed the sword with you in mind. I based it on the sword you usually use for sparring sessions with me, but I hope the balance of this one works for you."

"Thank you." She could not hold back the tears now as they spilt forth while she received the beautiful weapon with trembling hands. Unsheathing the sword, the melodious ring as it came free from its cover was beautiful in her ears. The polished metal caught the moonlight and reflected brilliantly, its shape perfect and its weight perfectly balanced. The hilt had been made smaller than the usual sword to fit her smaller feminine hands, in dense but light wood, wrapped in soft cotton-plastic for easy handling. "Thank you, Brother Vergil."

"Don't be afraid to use it."

"I understand. I will." Acela hurriedly sheathed the sword again to avoid her tears dripping on its blade, wiping her face furiously with her sleeves. "I'm sorry, I did not wish to cry for this farewell, but I cannot stop..."

"You never cried for yourself before." Her brother must be out to squeeze more tears from her because his gentle hands removed her hands from her face, and used his own sleeves to gently wipe her tears instead. "Even when things were tough, you never cried. But when it comes to us in your family, your tears come so quickly. When you are in Kiyo, you shouldn't have many reasons to cry."

"I won't shed a single tear while I'm there." Acela promised strongly, forcing herself to stop the tears as she sniffed. "Kiyo will never see my tears."

"That's the sister I know." The smile was gentle as her brother's hand affectionately patted her on the top of her head. "You should leave soon. The gates of the Kingdom will be congested with the morning crowd if you leave later."

"Okay." Acela sniffed and held her sword tight between her hands against her chest. "Goodbye, Brother Vergil. Please stay safe and take care of father."

"You too, Acela." His soft reply betrayed the sorrow within the calmness written on his face, and Acela steeled her nerves as she entered the carriage, and it started rolling.

Right before the carriage turned out from the gates of the Mansion, Acela could not help but look backward with the sword draped across her lap.

Her brother still stood at the bottom of the steps to the Mansion, and his hand was casually wiping something across his face.

Acela did not need further checking to know the truth: her brother was wiping a tear.

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"So, you are the famed beauty of the House of Sparda." King Kiyo remained seated upon his throne up the steps while Acela stood at the bottom, betraying no emotions on her face while she looked up at the man who had torn her away from her family. "No wonder your father and brothers didn't want to let you go. It's a pity that Link is already married to my daughter; I would have given you to him otherwise. Link deserves a present for how he has helped me in this kingdom."

At the mention of the man's name, Acela let her gaze move over to the man standing beside the King's throne, dressed up for his role as the king's advisor. He might be dressed in impressive garbs, but Acela could not mistake it; the man was exactly the same one who had relentlessly been chasing and attempting to make conversations with her during social events back at home.

But it all made sense; how the name Vestia was able to rise in power in Kiyo so quickly after its fall from grace back home. All they had done in the end was to marry one of their sons into royalty.

Acela let her gaze travel back to the king, thoughts flying at high speeds. This was the first impression that she would make on a man who had the power to take her away from her father and brothers. This was a man who demanded that she be made a sacrifice for the sake of her kingdom and family.

Acela could take her brothers' advice and pretend to be subservient and stay under the radar, biding for time waiting for her brothers to invade Kiyo and save her. She could be polite and cater to the demands and the king and make him happy so that he would not try to default on the agreement and resume his petty conflict with her country. It was an act expected of a hostage, after all.

But those were all not acts of a member of the House of Sparda.

Acela rested her hand over the hilt of her sword that remained buckled at her hip with a holster over her dress. The sword disrupted her appearance of a servile, polite lady, but Acela had refused to let the sword be left on its own. The sword was a gift from her kingdom and family: it was a symbol of Acela's power, and she had no intention to let Kiyo take it away from her.

"Link Vestia never caught my eye even back in my own kingdom. It is a fortune for the both of us that he is already off the market." Acela aired her honest opinion, barely remembering to censor her words. The king was already treating her like an object –talking about giving her to Link as a present –and Acela would not stand for it.

"Your tongue is sharp as always, Lady Sparda." The man in topic grinded his teeth as he answered, the distaste clearly written on his face.

"Thank you." Acela made sure her smile was sweet and charming. "I was afraid that you might have forgotten about me after your departure."

"Nonsense. You were the most unforgettable woman, and I missed you terribly." Thankfully Link Vestia turned out to have grown up over the years, because he now knew how to hide his true intentions behind acidic words.

"I'm glad that the two of you get along so well." King Kiyo interrupted with a laugh, and Acela could not decide whether the king had ignored or completely missed the air of tension in the previous conversation. "I'm glad that I heeded Link's advice picking a wife for my son. You will make beautiful babies together with Cales. Where is Cales; I thought I sent for him when Lady Sparda arrived in the castle?"

It was easy to guess that Cales was the name of the Third Prince of Kiyo, the man that Acela was set to be wed to.

Unfortunately, the name Cales only triggered memories of a certain boy that had terrorized her childhood before she entered the House of Sparda. The boy's name had been Cales Nelson, and shortly after his run-in with Acela and her brother, the Nelson family had withdrawn from the country. Acela had known deep in her guts that the reason why the Nelson family did such a quick retreat might have something to do with her brother, but she had been glad that the hateful boy was gone.

Surely now, the Cales that was her husband-to-be was a different individual?

"He must be getting ready to meet his future wife." Link answered with a smile that held deeper meaning. "How much of a coincidence is it that the son that you adopted also knew Lady Sparda?"

"Cales does?" The king clearly did not really care much about the opinions of his son as he replied in surprise. "Lady Sparda, have you met Cales before? I do not recall having ever heard about you coming into Kiyo before."

Acela refused to let the smile slip from her face. This was the start of her troubles, but she had no intention of letting anybody take her off her stride.

"The only Cales I am aware of was named Cales Nelson."

"Ah, so you've met him. Nelson... that's a name I hadn't heard in a long time. I adopted Cales after his father, my good friend, passed away. Cales is like a son to me. You are in good hands, Lady Sparda." The reply more or less confirmed the identity of the Third Prince, but Acela did not bother being dismayed. She was no longer that homeless, spineless little girl begging for scraps on the street. Acela had absolutely nothing to fear.

"I do not doubt it." She answered. "Cales is certainly in good hands."

No more could be said before the doors to the hall opened again, and Acela turned to witness the entrance of the Third Prince. The young boy had grown up, but recognizable features still hung on his face. There was no mistaking it; it was Cales Nelson, and now apparently Prince Cales Kiyo.

The delighted grin spread upon Cales's face at the sight of Acela standing in front of the king held words and intentions that she did not even want to start guessing about. None of them would be nice, after all.

"Acela! It's been so long since we've last seen each other! I've missed you so much!" The prince dashed towards her, his arms wide open as if rushing to take her in welcoming embrace.

Not on her watch. Stepping back, Acela held up her sword (with its sheath) and put it between the prince and herself like a shield.

"Hello, your Highness." Acela greeted pleasantly. "I don't believe I have allowed you to call me by name yet."

"Nonsense. You're going to be my wife, Acela." There was a promise in that sentence.

"It's 'Lady Sparda' for you while we are still unwed, your Highness."

"Sparda, huh?" The reminder of her surname visibly dimmed the man's faked joy at seeing her again after so many years, and only served to confirm her suspicion: the man still loathed her family for driving him out of their kingdom. "You won't be Sparda much longer. You never were a true Sparda in the first place. Do you really think that you are a Sparda just because the Duke said you were? You don't even have an ounce of Sparda's blood. You, Dante and that disgusting man Vergil don't share a single familial gene."

"I heard your kingdom of Kiyo doesn't view favorably of women with short hair, Prince Cales." Acela's answer was so off-topic and unexpected that the brief anger that had flashed in Cales's eyes disappeared into surprise and confusion.

"Yes? What does that have to do with the price of butter?"

"Thank you for the information." Acela maintained her smile fearlessly as she stepped back for extra maneuvering space, and slid her sword out of its sheath.

"You brandish your sword against your husband?" Cales asked, clearly fearless since they were in his territory. "You should think carefully before you act. My father is watching, and we wouldn't want your brothers and your King Claude to suffer more, would we?"

"You mistake." Acela absently messed with her braided hair with her free hand since the sheath of her sword still hung on its holster on her hip. "I am not brandishing my sword at you, your Highness. I am a woman of the House of Sparda; we don't use our swords carelessly."

"Then what is your purposes of drawing your sword? Did your father not teach you manners about drawing your weapon in front of royalty?"

"I will politely ask you to keep my father out of this conversation, your Highness." Acela slid her ponytail over her shoulder, pinching and tugging lightly on the end to make it taut. "But since you seemed to doubt my position within my own family, I wish to offer you evidence."

"How? Everybody knows you were just a shameless homeless flower girl who somehow begged her way into the Sparda family." Cales's words distantly reminded of the verbal assault that Acela had once received. But it was so long ago; Acela no longer remembered how she had been like or how she reacted to those insults back when she was younger, back before she realized what it meant to be a Sparda.

"Since both you and Link Vestia used to be from my country, I'm sure you two are aware of the characteristic traits that make those of Sparda who they are." Acela raised her sword across her body and rested it against her shoulder near her neck. "Those of the House of Sparda do whatever they like, bow to whoever they deem worthy and apologize only when they feel like it."

"And?" Prince Cales prompted carefully. "You are going to kill yourself just because you were sent here as a sacrifice? To prove that you are Sparda?"

"No, of course not." Acela chuckled, enjoying the thrill of doing whatever she wanted. Her brother was right; she might no longer be in a place where the name Sparda rang synonymous to power, but it did not mean that she could not make it so.

Acela tightened her grip over her sword hilt and flicked her wrist. The tension came loose, and the soft ends of her shortened hair tickled her neck. Acela opened her hand and let the bundle of her braided ponytail fall to the floor between her and the man who was supposed to be her husband.

"I'd like to see you bear the shame, Prince Cales, of marrying a woman with short hair within Kiyo. A woman who belongs to the House of Sparda." Acela declared.