Auriella sat in her chair, her fingers drumming on the armrest as she listened to yet another group of upset citizens arguing their grievances. 

Her patience, already worn thin from days of similar complaints, was running out. To her left, Leo leaned back in his chair, his face a mask of calm, though Auriella could see the tension in his eyes. 

She leaned closer to him, lowering her voice so only he could hear. 

"Ten years can't pass quickly enough." 

Leo let out a quiet chuckle, his eyes flicking to her hand, which was dangerously close to the hilt of her sword. 

"You should probably leave matters like this to me then, Auriella. I've seen you reach for that sword more times than I'd like to count." 

Auriella's lips twitched into a reluctant smile. "Are you sure? Shouldn't we show the people a united front?" 

Leo sat up, considering her words. The humans and demons under their rule were still far from peace, their deep-seated animosity showing no signs of fading. 

The endless meetings and attempts to mediate felt like trying to hold back a flood with a sieve. 

"You know," Leo said, his eyes lighting up with a new idea, "I think we've been going about this all wrong. Placating their issues won't solve anything. Maybe we need to let them vent their frustrations another way." 

Auriella raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What do you have in mind?" Leo stood, addressing the room with a firm voice that cut through the ongoing arguments. 

"Thank you all for coming to us with your concerns. It's become quite clear to us that despite living together, there's still a lot of tension between you. So, we've decided to let you work that out...physically." 

The room fell silent, the humans and demons exchanging confused and wary glances. "There's one rule though," Leo continued, his voice dropping into a stern tone. "No killing." 

A murmur spread through the crowd, the humans looking alarmed while the demons exchanged eager, anticipatory smiles. 

Auriella stood beside Leo, her voice carrying a sharp edge as she added, "Try to hold back. If you kill a human, I'll gut you myself." 

The demons quickly sobered, the threat in her voice making even the boldest among them hesitate to show glee at this challenge. 

"Ready? Begin!" Leo commanded. 

The room erupted into chaos as humans and demons squared off. The sound of fists connecting with flesh and feet scuffling on the floor filled the air. 

Despite holding back, the demons still clearly had the upper hand, their strength and agility far superior. 

The humans, though determined to win against them, struggled to keep up. Auriella's gaze swept over the combatants until it landed on one particular pair that caught her attention. 

Oriana, Auriella's mischievous imp-type demon best friend with a penchant for playing tricks on her opponent, was facing off against a large, broad-shouldered human man with short, wavy brown hair and sea-blue eyes. 

Unlike the others, he wasn't just surviving- he was matching Oriana's moves with surprising skill. 

"Leo," Auriella said, nudging him and pointing toward the pair, "who is that man over there?" Leo followed her gaze, his brow furrowed in recognition. 

"That would be Claude Watson, a wandering mercenary. He's somewhat famous in the capital. Why, interested?" He teased, though there was a hint of curiosity in his tone. 

Auriella chuckled, shaking her head. "Not in the way you're thinking. He's just...different from the others." 

They watched as Oriana leaped into the air, aiming a kick at Claude's head. He crossed his arms over his head just in time, blocking the blow and pushing her back. 

Oriana giggled, clearly enjoying the challenge, and dashed forward again, this time sliding along the ground to trip up Claude. 

But he was ready, lifting his leg to stomp on her, only to miss as she deftly slid between his legs and grabbed his ankle, pulling it away from him to knock him off balance. 

Claude lost his balance and fell forward, just as Oriana intended, his face hitting the floor with a sickening crack before he could protect himself. 

"Oh my goodness! Are you okay?!" Oriana's playful demeanor vanished as she scrambled to her feet and rushed to him. 

The room went silent, everyone pausing to see if the man was alright. Claude groaned and rolled on his back, blood trickling from his nose. 

"Mhm, definitely broken," he muttered, bringing a hand to his face. Oriana pouted, puffing out her cheeks in concern. 

"Can I heal that for you?" Claude shrugged, wincing as he adjusted his nose with a crunch that made the onlookers flinch. 

"Eh, maybe next time." Still pouting, Oriana pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to him. 

"Take this, at least. For your nose." Claude hesitated, then accepted the handkerchief with a nod of thanks. 

"Appreciate it," he said gruffly, wiping the blood from his face as he stood. As the tension in the room began to ease, Leo stepped forward again. 

"Well, do you all feel better now?" 

There was a brief moment of silence before laughter broke out, the absurdity of his question hitting everyone at once. 

The tension that had been simmering for days seemed to dissolve in the shared amusement. 

Auriella glanced back at Claude and Oriana, who were now talking quietly amongst themselves. 

Despite the chaos, a strange sense of camaraderie was beginning to form in the room, the first sign that perhaps their people could find common ground after all. 

As Auriella watched the unlikely pair, she couldn't help but see a reflection of herself and Leo in them- two very different people, somehow finding a way to make it work. 

She smiled softly, a spark of hope kindling in her chest. The road ahead would be long and difficult, but for the first time in a while, it felt like they were moving in the right direction.