Chapter 42
1662 Words
CHAPTER 42
The next day, the Capital Arena was once again filled with people. More people came to watch after hearing of the incredible show yesterday. However, this time they were not looking forward to who will win, but to what kind of performance will Kai show.
They had already expected Kai will win this round again. There was even a fun club already and others were holding some banners with Kai's name.
Count Venzel, a member of the Aristocratic Faction, saw this and remarked sarcastically, “That man even got himself a fan club.” He cast a sour glance at the females giggling loudly as they held the banners.
“Tsk. The Crown Prince sure got lucky this time.” His companion, Count Carey, replied.
Overnight, Kai became popular. His performance yesterday got people to look up to him and even called him the ‘Genius of this Generation’. And because it was the Crown Prince who brought him and the only one who didn’t doubt him, the Aristocratic Faction became worried as the Crown Prince got an advantage in recruiting Kael Arder.
“At this point, the only thing we could do is to hope that we can convince him to join our side, anyhow.” Count Venzel said.
Kai Arder is yet to be named as the Crown Prince's aide. As such, the Aristocratic Faction hopes to sway him to their side at whatever cost in order to increase their power.
.
Tatiana entered Kai’s waiting room to talk to him again before the fight begins. However, what she saw was not what she had expected.
“Tatiana, what are you doing here?” Noah, who was casually sitting on the couch, asked.
Noah had already predicted that Tatiana will visit Kai again. Although it angers him, he decided to give Kai a visit as well and went in earlier before Tatiana.
Tatiana was stunned for a moment as she didn't know what to do. She had clearly been caught in the act, however, she then realized that she was not doing anything unlawful, so why should she be frightened of him?
“Ah, your highness, you’re here... It seems I entered the wrong room. My apologies, please excuse me.” She reasoned and curtsied. Tatiana was about to turn around to leave when Noah caught up to her and grabbed her arm to stop her.
“Where are you going?” he asked with a serious tone.
Tatiana looked at the arm that Noah is gripping. His hold was so tight that she already knew it would leave a mark on her skin.
“You’re hurting me, your highness. Please let go.” Tatiana said in an unusually calm voice.
It was then that Noah realized his mistake. He instantly loosens his grip and whispered an apology, which Tatiana thought was strange.
Then, he asked again. “Where are you going?”
“As I’ve said, I have entered the wrong room, so obviously, I’m heading to where I’m supposed to go.”
“And where is that exactly?”
Tatiana’s eyebrows furrowed at Noah's stubbornness. She's starting to get annoyed at how Noah is pushing this.
Because of this prince, I've been easily irritated during the last few days.
“At my waiting room. There, are you happy now, your highness?” she gritted.
Noah stared at her for a while before he smiled smugly.
“Really? Who are you kidding, Anastasia?” he sneered. “You entered the right room. You wanted to talk to Kael Arder here, am I right?”
Tatiana wasn’t able to answer for a moment. She glanced at Kai who was looking at them worriedly.
What should I do? Should I just come clean?
She didn’t really like the idea of the Crown Prince finding out her connection with Kai. The reason is that it would just confirm his suspicions about her. But who is she kidding? The Crown Prince already knew from the start, and she’s the only one trying s hard to deny that fact.
Tatiana sighed, giving up.
“Fine...” she mumbled and looked directly at Noah’s eyes. “That’s right, your highness. I want to talk to Mr. Kael Arder here about something important. Can you please leave first, so I could talk to him alone?”
Tatiana doesn’t care if she sounded rude at that moment. She just wants to end this quickly.
Meanwhile, Noah was once again amused at Tatiana’s behavior. She’s annoyed and she’s showing it transparently.
Are you annoyed that I know your little secret, Tatiana? Well, too bad, since I’m not planning on stopping there.
“Hmm...let’s see...” Noah pretended he was thinking. “How about a...no?” he answered.
He turned around and walked back to where he was sitting earlier. Then, he patted the seat next to him as if telling Tatiana to sit there.
“You can just talk to him while I’m here,” Noah said plainly.
Tatiana was dumbfounded at his sudden childishness.
Is he always like this? I never thought I would dislike a person this much—and it’s royalty at that.
“I didn’t expect for you to be this childish, your highness.” She said sarcastically.
Instead of being offended, Noah only smirked at her and raised an eyebrow.
Tatiana let out a deep breath, trying to calm herself. The fight will start soon, so she only has a few minutes left to talk to Kai.
In the end, she decided to ignore Noah and hoped that he’s someone who can keep his mouth shut. Tatiana walked towards Noah and sat beside him. She then signaled Kai to sit across her.
Kai followed despite being confused at Tatiana and Noah’s confrontation.
“Kai, I want to tell you something about the fight later.” Tatiana started.
Noah also listened to what Tatiana had to say, but what really caught his attention was the name she called him.
Kai? She even has a nickname for him. Tsk.
.
Later on, the fight was officially starting.
Tatiana and Noah had already taken their seats, and the audience was much louder than it had been the day before. Everyone was applauding for Kai, and their yells became much louder when the contenders entered the arena.
Unlike yesterday, there is only one specifically chosen royal knight who will fight against Kai. Originally, Kai should be fighting against three royal knights, however, His Majesty decided that it would be too unfair and unnecessary at this point. The knight chosen, named Shawn, was next to Charles Young in the list of most talented knights in the empire. As such, he can not be underestimated.
If Kai happens to win this round, he will surely outrank Shawn and would become the sixth most talented knight in the empire. As a result, more people came to watch this deciding match.
“Begin!” at the announcer’s signal, the fight started with the royal knight’s first attack.
Kai twisted to protect himself, but Shawn attacked him from the opposite side, which Kai barely avoided. Kai was applying the same strategies he had used yesterday. The royal knight, on the other hand, had studied Kai's combat style and came prepared, which made Kai struggled for the first few minutes.
He tried using other techniques but the knight read through him and counterattack immediately. Kai was obviously struggling and the audience was starting to worry.
Noah, on the other hand, was also starting to worry about how the fight was going. He looked at Tatiana to see her reaction. For some reason, he suddenly felt a prick in his heart when he saw her looking at Kai so worriedly.
Although he understands why Tatiana is worried since Kai is her friend, he can’t help but feel a little...jealous.
Noah paused at that thought.
Wait, what? Jealous? Me? Why would I be jealous?
Never in his entire life did Noah feel jealousy. He doesn't believe in love nor did he have any greed in that aspect. That's why, it's impossible for him to feel jealous, especially of another guy.
Realizing that, Noah immediately put those feelings aside and focused on the fight again.
Meanwhile, Tatiana was watching Kai with worry because he's currently at a significant disadvantage. It's exactly what she had anticipated. Kai will be unable to apply the same strategies he used yesterday since his opponent has already devised a strategy to counterattack them.
If Kai will not change his ways soon, then he’ll end up losing this fight.
Kai swung his sword to block the blade coming at him. He twisted his blade and pushed with all his strength, causing Shawn to step backward. Kai instantly did a turn and was about to s***h his sword, but Shawn dodge it again.
Their what-seems-to-be-an-endless-fight continued longer that both parties were already starting to feel exhaustion. They stepped away from each other for a moment to have some break.
They were both panting heavily and furiously, and they were both drenched in sweat. No one, obviously, wanted to give up. However, Kai was already reaching his limit. He's absolutely exhausted, and if there will be another prolonged fight, he would certainly lose in the end.
During their little break, Kai glanced at his surroundings inconspicuously as he tries to come up with a plan. While looking around, a figure caught his eye.
At the top tier of the stadium, Tatiana was staring intently at him. It was as though she was trying to tell him something. Then, all of a sudden, Kai remembered their conversation earlier,
“Kai, I want to tell you something about the fight later,” Tatiana said.
Kai looked at her confusedly, “What is it?”
“Later on, if the fight drags on longer than intended and you begin to tire, drop your sword and fight your opponent using your own hands.”
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reyankleyr
- Writer
