Milady didn't know when it had started to rain.
At first, the raindrops were like piano notes sliding down from the horizon, a light, nimble pitter-patter. On the forest leaves and on the ground, each drop sent a shiver through the surface, spreading a small, dark patch.
She was cold, tired, and she had just made a mistake.
"Want this?" Luo Geng asked with a smile. He took the badge from his shoulder, held it between two fingers, and flashed it at her.
He didn't look like his usual self.
"The one still standing after this duel can have it."
As Luo Geng spoke, he suddenly swung his arm and flung the badge far away. Even though Milady knew she shouldn't, her eyes were still drawn to the emblem that held so much at stake, pulled a dozen paces away.
By the time she realized her mistake and tried to turn back, it was already too late.
In that instant, anyone who saw Luo Geng might have thought he was presenting a large bouquet, as if about to offer it to Milady.
