Fenrir's sword flew away again, and he himself was thrown back. His face turned red with astonishment. This was the third time. He stood up and gripped his sword, he couldn't see the enemy's attack. It was like an invisible sword. The only thing he could experience was the result of the attack—he would fall down, and his sword would be thrown away.
He could hear the laughter of the people watching, so he quickly picked up his sword and looked at the person in front of him once more. The eyes he saw were so dark that he felt his soul being sucked in, and his hands trembled until holding his sword became heavy.
"Aukk!" Fenrir groaned.
He was confused because it happened so fast, but he felt a slash on his calf and saw blood. There was a large, torn wound because his clothing was ripped.
'So stupid. Damn so stupid', he thought, then remembered what he would tell his father back home. Or would his father still be able to see him alive?
...
DORIAN KNEW the other nobles were wondering why he would bother with a duel. That was what he disliked about the Tenusa nobles: they had nothing but their rules, their pride. Yet anything could easily be wiped clean with blood—if someone dared to cross them. What mattered was doing whatever it took to speed up one's goal. Even if it meant playing a boring, tedious game.
As he was about to struck again, he felt... her. Felt her rise. So his head shifted—a fraction—enough to catch Nyasia rising, retreating. He stopped. No, his body locked for a breath, and something sharp cut through his chest. 'Damn it. So hard to please,' he muttered to himself, as she slipped away from the crowd.
Dorian glanced at his opponent, then threw his sword to the ground at the man's feet. "Boring," he said coldly, staring down the man. Then he turned, his gaze slicing sideways. "Have your family's accounts ready by tomorrow. Don't wait until I have to do something you won't like."
And he walked away.
People clapped behind him as if they hadn't seen or heard Fenrir's moans. But Dorian's face stayed expressionless, almost disdainful. When he reached at the corridor, he saw Vanery standing by the wall near the doorway, as if she had waited for him.
She straightened herself the moment she saw him, then approached, looking at the duke in his dark velvet suit and his lean legs that seemed to blend with the shadows in the hallway.
"Your Grace," she began.
"I heard Young Master Oshen said something out of line. I'm sorry I dragged your name into this. Still, you didn't have to go through with this duel."
She gave a worried look.
"I'm not worth it," she added.
"That's up to you," Dorian replied, letting his gaze fall on her like a verdict. Then he walked past her in hurried strides.
All Vanery could do was watch him—her heart pounding, bewildered by the sudden chill in his mood. 'A priceless woman? She'll make him see she's worth that much,' she thought.
...
EARLIER, during the duel, Nyasia had looked at the man standing near Young Master Oshen, who was moaning in pain on the ground. In her visions, she watched countless people who screamed and cried because of the same person standing there now.
She couldn't watch it anymore, so she rose and left the banquet hall. Later, she arrived at the manor's main hall and entered a private sitting room. Summoned, Lea was already waiting by the window. She immediately apologized for what had happened, saying she had succumbed to the duke's threats earlier tonight.
"What was the threat, then?" Nyasia said with a faint irritation in her voice.
"That he'll have you two, er, get caught at the garden," Lea replied. "He's very convincing. My real mistake."
"That man's a better actor than a decent nobleman," Nyasia exhaled, remembering him agreeing to that ridiculous duel that turned out so one-sided. "What is it?"
Lea reported that Mrs. Nox had made moves after finding out what had happened at the garden.
"I see," Nyasia replied. But she had expected this. 'After all, if Maryan went to the banquet after what happened to Mirelle, she'd lose her good image as a caring elder sister who couldn't move on from what had happened to her ruined sister. Father would start questioning.'
"Some people are asking where the First Lady is now. But Mrs. Nox is making a sorrowful face without saying anything," Lea added.
"Playing again," Nyasia said with an amused smirk. "She's banking on people's tendency to speculate about what happened."
The goalnwas to plant ideas in people's minds. 'But what is it? What would naturally make them think?'
*