"Are you willing?"
His deep gaze seemed to pierce straight through me.
I felt dazed.
His breath brushed against my neck, warm against my otherwise cold skin. My eyes trembled slightly. At this moment, I was completely flustered. Jongmu's behavior toward me had been strange from the very beginning.
When he raised his brow,clearly waiting for an answer,I grew even more restless.
I could only stare at him.
His face… it was unfairly handsome.
Once again, I found myself unable to look away.
Even when I tried to speak, no words came out.It was as if I had forgotten how.
"Young Master Baek?"
He leaned closer.
"Are you unwell?"
His fingers slid through my tightly bound hair.
"Woah-"
"By the gods…"
The startled gasps from behind me snapped me back to reality.
I quickly pulled away from Jongmu's arms and turned around.
As expected, my sister, Jaeyeong, and Jubok were all staring at us with wide eyes. Jubok's mouth even hung open in a perfect 'O'.
"Young Master Baek, you still haven't given me an answer."
His voice was right beside my ear.
Only then did I realize that he was still far too close.
"Ah! yes." I straightened, quickly composing myself. "Of course, I am willing to spar with Your Highness."
I folded my hands politely.
"Though I must admit, my abilities are not as refined as my sister's."
"Hm… is that so?" He smirked. "Then I shall go easy on you, Young Master Baek."
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness."
Arrogant.
He must think I'm easy.
---
"Hyung."
Jaeyeong approached, holding a wooden box.
"I forgot to give you this earlier."
Curious, I opened it.
Inside lay a pair of twin fans,delicately crafted, their surfaces engraved with golden dragon motifs winding through mountain peaks.
My eyes lit up.
"Illusion Daggers?"
Jaeyeong nodded, his expression as stiff as ever,though I caught the faintest hint of pride.
"Yes. I had them customized by a swordsmith I met near the Demon Borders. I hope you like them."
"Like them?" I couldn't take my eyes off them. "They're incredible."
I looked up at him, grinning.
"You're the best."
His ears flushed red instantly.
---
A soft cough sounded behind us, interrupting the moment.
"Young Master Baek, are you ready?"
Ah.
Right.
"I apologize for keeping you waiting, Your Highness." I stepped forward toward the sparring grounds.
"No fatal strikes. First touch decides the match," I added almost instinctively.
"Of course."
Jongmu stepped into position, drawing his longsword in one smooth motion.
"Which realm?" Jongmu asked.
Is he going to fight a fair match?
"Golden Core."
My gaze scrunched him persistently. I tried to feel his level through qi sensing but even then I couldn't asses his exact realm.
He's even stronger than I thought.
My palms started to become sweaty.
As if sensing what I was doing, he laughed at my sneaky actions. Jongmu chuckled bemused, narrowing his eyes.
"Young Master Baek is truly talented to already have formed an Golden Core at such a young age."
"Your Highness...may I know your realm?"
I finally asked back.
"Nascent Soul."
As his words fell everyone at the grounds looked at him in surprise. Jongmu was only 28. For him to have reached such an realm it was almost inhuman.
"That's a true genius."
Hana's eyes showed admiration and determination. Her intense gaze as she looked at Jongmu was filled with the desire to fight him.
"B-but just two years ago there were rumours about you being at the Perfected Core Formation!"
Disbelief overcame me. How could someone in just two years move up in three realms.
"Well. Back then I was indeed a perfected core."
He spoke in a tone that could not hide his pride. It was only natural, only great geniuses that had long ascended, had ever advanced so fast in realms.
A monster. He's really a monster.
I couldn't fathom possessing such talent. I felt envious for the first time in my life. I usually was not someone that lacked in any regard. So seeing someone so mucn greater than me was leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.
"But let's not talk too much about these trival matters. It's almost time for lunch." Jongmu reminded.
He once again drew his longsword. "I will not lower my realm to match yours. So give it your all."
Just as he had said those words he vanished from my vision.
Behind me!
I felt his presence. Cold sweat ran down my back.I narrowly escaped by moving my body to the left.
"Not bad."
Without hesitating any longer I immidiantly attacked. I knew that if I didn't take this chance he gave me I wouldn't even last 10 moves. My usual style of defending while waiting for an opening was not going to work on him.
I have to attack without stopping!
I thrust one of the fans sharply in direction of his face, which he easily dodged. Knowing this would happen, I turned my body to the right with flowy movements. With my two open fans, I created flimsy daggers that sliced every so thin leaf in the vicinity into countless little pieces. I hoped for them to cut through Jongmu's skin or to at least make him back up.
"But not that good either."
Jongmu scoffed at my move. With swift movements of his hands the wind daggers immidiantly changed directions, attacking me instead.
"Fuck!"
I hurriedly used the fans to block the attack.
I have to no time for that. I have to move quickly.
But it was to late. In the swift second of me defending against my attack backfiring, Jongmu had moved behind me.
The hilt of his longsword bumped hard against my shin, which made me stumble on the ground.
"Argh." I let out a painful scream.
"You're too hasty. One needs a calm mind no matter the opponent."
Jongmu squatted down next to my kneeling self. He ran one of his fingers through strands of my hair.
He's always touching me so openly.
I furrowed my brows. Annoyance.
As my gaze met his smiling eyes that seemed to tease my defeated self, I didn't feel like following the rules anymore.
I held one of the fans in front of my face and curved my eyes shyly.
He did say he liked my face.
And as expected, my inexplicable actions stunned him,he stared at me silently.
Our gazes met.
"Your Highness." I tried to call him as sweetly as possible.
Jongmu trembled sligthy.
I touched his shoulder with my right hand.
"Your truly strong."
As I lowered my fan, revealing my smirking lips, I leaned closer to him.
Under my touch I could feel his body stiffen. Usually no one would dare to touch a prince so openly and brazenly like that.
"But you're too easily tricked by a pretty face."
I suddenly swinged from the ground, pushing him down. I quickly flung his longsword away before he could do so. Pinning him down in place.
Seeing him lay defeated under me, felt satisfying. I had wanted to pay him back for all the humiliating moments I had experienced in his short stay here.
With a broad smile and pink cheeks from excitement of having paid him back, I happily locked eyes with him.
"My win."
Jongmu let out a laugh of ridicule.
"Brazen."
His hands firmly gripped my waist, positioning me steadily on him before he raised his upper body from the ground.
Now that he was sitting instead of laying down, I realised how improper our position was.
I was sitting down on his thights while he had his arms wrapped around me. Our clothes and hair had also become disheveled, making us look quite scandalous.
"Brother...."
Hana rushed to my side quickly picking me up. She then made me stand behind her. Even Jubok who would have usually made fun of me looked at me with a strangely protective gaze.
Only Jaeyeong had a different reaction, he wore a creepy smile while looking back and forth between me and the prince.
What's all the fuss about?
"Your Highness." Hana reached out hand to help Jongmu up. "Are you okay?".
She then looked back at me before facing him again.
"My brother fought unfairly... using...ahem...using...petty tricks to win.".
Standing now steadily on his two feet, Jongmu slightly tilted his head.
"...I do not mind. I am quite willing to be a victim of such petty tricks."
Jaeyeong who had been quite took in a sharp breath. His face was beaming red.
"Oh! Jaeyeong are you okay?" I worriedly walked to him. He was having a nosebleed.
"I...I..thi-"
Jubok, Hana, Jongmu and I were looking at him, waiting for him to finish his words.
"I think I'm going to faint."
With those words said, he really fainted,falling straight down to the ground with a loud thud.
"Hah? Weird guy." Jongmu mumbled.