A soft breeze filtered through the half-open windows of the Mist Palace's infirmary chamber, carrying the faint scent of dew and roses. The gentle rustling of curtains stirred Ariel von Solareign awake. Her eyes fluttered open, blinking against the warm, golden light that streamed across the room. The velvet canopy above her seemed to shimmer, an unfamiliar yet regal sight.
Her head throbbed lightly.
"Where…?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.
"You're awake."
A familiar voice cut through the haze. Turning to her right, Ariel spotted a figure seated beside her—Charlotte Bensvil, her loyal attendant, posture perfectly upright, hands folded in her lap. Her sword lay across her knees, polished and untouched.
"Charlotte?" Ariel's voice came out hoarse, barely a whisper as she stirred and pushed herself upright, her limbs heavy with fatigue. "Where... am I?"
Charlotte rose immediately from her seat beside the bed, her eyes widening with relief. She gently supported Ariel's back with one arm.
"You're in the Mist Palace, Your Highness. After the duel... You collapsed. You've been unconscious ever since."
Ariel's brows furrowed, her mind still catching up.
"The duel… right." Her voice dropped. "I was going to strike him. I remember… I moved in… and then… something—something slashed me. And I collapsed."
Charlotte nodded solemnly. "Yes. Young Master Eris' sword struck you. But it seems he held back. So you didn't sustain any Injuries.
Ariel clenched the bedsheet tightly, her jaw locking.
"Damn it," she muttered under her breath.
Her eyes darted back to Charlotte. "Where is he now?
Charlotte hesitated, her expression uncertain.
"After the duel… he left the arena without saying a word. I believe he returned to his quarters.
Ariel threw off the sheets.
Charlotte stepped forward immediately. "Your Highness, wait—you've only just woken up. You shouldn't be moving yet."
"I'm fine," Ariel snapped, already swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "I need to see him."
Charlotte sighed. "Aggressive as usual," she murmured.
Ariel was already halfway out the door.
Meanwhile…
The morning sun spilled across the hardwood floors of Eris von Vale's room. It was quiet, peacefully so—a stark contrast to the storm of thoughts racing through Eris's head.
He leaned against his desk, arms folded behind his head, eyes trained on the ceiling.
"That was close," he muttered with a grin.
"If she had shifted even slightly, my attack would've missed entirely. But damn…" His smile widened. "That felt good."
He chuckled to himself. "I fought the twins before, yeah… but she was different. Stronger. Faster. Her last strike—if it had landed, I wouldn't be standing here ..."
Knock, knock.
A gentle, deliberate knock pulled Eris from his thoughts.
"Yes?" he called out, voice calm.
"It's Charlotte Bensvil, Young Master," came the voice from beyond the door, formal and composed.
"Her Highness has regained consciousness. She requests an audience with you. Can we enter?"
Eris let out a chuckle, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk.
He rose, brushing his fingers through his hair.
"Please—come in
The door opened, and Charlotte stepped inside, followed by Ariel. Her hair was slightly tousled, her uniform freshly worn but still wrinkled from rest. Despite the fatigue in her eyes, she held her chin high.
"Thank you for having us," Charlotte said, offering a polite nod.
Eris gave a lazy wave. "Always a pleasure."
Ariel stepped forward, expression unreadable. "I have something to ask you, during the duel—"
But Eris cut her off with a sly grin. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
She blinked. "What?"
He tilted his head dramatically. "It's Something you should do, if I recall…"
Ariel froze.
A flashback surged in her mind.
"If I lose, I'll become your slave. Or servant. Or whatever. Doesn't matter, because I won't lose."
Her eyes widened, cheeks beginning to burn.
"You…" she muttered.
Eris leaned forward, eyes gleaming with mischief, his tone dripping with exaggerated innocence.
"Hmm? Why so quiet, Your Highness? I'm W-A-I-T-I-N-G for your…"
He drew the word out like a game, lips twitching in amusement.
Ariel clenched her fists, face flushed with a storm of pride and humiliation. She turned her head sharply, refusing to meet his gaze.
"…Master," she muttered under her breath, voice barely audible.
Eris cupped a hand to his ear, feigning confusion.
"I'm sorry, what was that? I didn't quite catch it."
"MASTER!!" she shouted, cheeks blazing crimson.
"There! Happy now?! Are you done tormenting me?!"
Eris burst into a fit of laughter, leaning back with delight.
"Ahh, now that's more like it."
Beside them, Charlotte turned her head to the side, her expression perfectly composed as she stared intently at the floorboards, pretending she wasn't witnessing any of this.
"So?" Eris said with an amused glint. "What brings my dear slave to her benevolent enslaver? Are you that eager to serve?"
"In your dreams!" Ariel snapped, flustered. "I came to ask you something."
He raised a brow. "Alright. Take a seat, then. Let's talk properly."
The three of them settled around a round table in the corner of his chamber. Ariel sat stiffly, arms crossed. Charlotte remained composed but observant.
Ariel wasted no time.
"During the duel—what was that attack?" Her voice was sharp, demanding. "Don't play dumb. I was about to land a strike. I know I was. And then out of nowhere, something slashed me. You know what that was."
Eris leaned back, casual. "Oh, that?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Yes. That."
Eris smiled, his voice low and teasing.
"I could tell you."
Ariel leaned in, eyes narrowing with impatience.
"Then tell me already."
But Eris only gave a casual shrug, folding his arms as he leaned back.
"Hmm… but why should I?"
Ariel's mouth opened in protest, but no words came. Something in his tone, or perhaps the weight of everything unspoken, held her back.
A flicker of hesitation crossed her face… then humility.
Silence stretched between them.
Without a word, Ariel stood tall, walked over to him, and—after a long, tense breath—bowed her head deeply, her pride folding with the gesture.
Charlotte's eyes widened slightly.
" I'm sorry for being rude. For assuming I'd win, I challenged you without understanding your strength. I underestimated you… It was a fair duel. And I lost. There's nothing I can say to change that." Her voice lowered. "
She slowly looked up, her eyes meeting his with quiet resolve.
"I don't know what technique you used… but if you're willing to tell me…"
She took a breath, her voice soft but sincere.
"I would be… truly grateful."
Eris blinked, momentarily caught off guard.
Well, would you look at that…
I thought she was just a snotty little princess with some decent sword skills. I just wanted to mess with her a bit,
But this?
She's accepting defeat…
A slow smirk tugged at his lips.
Guess she's not just talk. She wants to grow. I kinda like that.
He smiled—not teasing this time.
"Stand up, your Highness."
She blinked. "Huh?"
"I accept your apology. And… sure. I'll tell you."
Ariel's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Eris nodded. "But first, tell me what you know about afterimages."
She blinked again. "You mean… like the illusion? Where something still appears in your vision after it's gone?"
"Exactly," he said. "Your brain registers a shape or light, but it's not there anymore."
She nodded slowly. "Yeah. Like when a fast movement leaves a trail."
Eris snapped his fingers. "Bingo. What I used was similar. I used Aura to create a spatial pre-slash—I call it my 'Silent Moon.' I predicted your movement path and embedded a delayed slash into the space itself. When you passed through it… boom."
Charlotte's eyes widened, genuinely surprised. "You used a predictive spatial technique mid-duel?"
Eris replied with a dry chuckle,
"Yeah... If you had moved even a little faster, I would've lost right then and there."
Ariel's mouth parted slightly in disbelief. "That's… ."
The room fell into a quiet hush.
"Silent Moon…" she murmured. "
"That's…" Ariel muttered, her voice barely a whisper as she stared at Eris across the quiet room.
Eris, who had been sipping tea with one leg casually crossed over the other, raised a brow. "Hm? That's what?"
She clenched her fists, frustration flickering in her violet eyes. "That's so UNFAAAAIRRRR!"
He blinked. "Unfair?" A beat passed before he suddenly stood up, throwing his arms wide in mock outrage. "—
Don't tell me! Are you saying… I could've won if I'd just moved a little faster?!"
Ariel glanced away, her lips tightening. Charlotte, who had been watching them like an amused cat, finally spoke up.
"Well then, Young Master Eris," she said, her tone light but pointed. "What do you plan to do now?
Eris blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"
Charlotte sighed. "I mean, the duel. The terms. You know... The fact that the Princess of Solkardia is about Princess Ariel being your servant?"
Eris waved a hand, nonchalant. "Oh, that? If that's what's bothering you, don't worry about it."
Ariel turned to him sharply.
"I never planned on actually making her my slave," Eris continued with a shrug. "Besides, the duel wasn't even officially registered. It was an informal duel, anyway. If we turn a blind eye, no one outside would know what happened."
Ariel's face lit up. "Really?!"
She took a small step forward, her hands clenched at her chest as though a heavy weight had just been lifted—but before she could celebrate—
"However," Eris said, his voice low and calm, "could you live with that?"
The joy drained from her face. "What… do you mean?"
Eris stepped closer, his gaze piercing but not cruel. "I was just thinking… if the proud princess of a great Solkardia empire herself issued a challenge, HERSELF set the terms, and then—after losing—HERSELFpretended it never happened… what would that make her?"
Each word stabbed her consciousness like a Blade. Ariel's hands trembled.
"I mean, sure," he said, tilting his head, "maybe no one else would know. But you would. You'd carry that with you, knowing you backed down from your pride. Knowing you chose comfort over your word. Would you be okay with that?"
A heavy silence filled the room.
"I just found it curious," Eris added, voice softer now. "That's all."
Ariel looked down, biting her lip. Her nails dug into her palms. She hated this. Hated that he was right. Hated that part of her wanted to let it go. But more than that… she hated the idea of living a life where she ran from her own decisions.
"Grrrrgh…" she growled through clenched teeth. Her eyes flared with defiance as she looked up. "FINE!"
Eris smirked.
"I'll stick to the terms," she declared, her voice sharp, almost regal. Then, lowering herself to one knee with her hand on her chest, she looked him square in the eye.
"I pledge my loyalty to you… Master."
Charlotte stands shocked in the background.
Ariel's cheeks burned with humiliation, but she didn't waver. "From now on… Eris von Vale, you are my master and my rival."
Her tone shifted, pride and purpose fusing into a steel-like resolve. "Don't think for a second that this is the end. I'll train harder. I'll rise higher. One day, I'll rechallenge you—
—And when I do, I'll win. I'll reclaim my freedom with my own hands." So be prepared."
Eris looked at her for a moment, the teasing smile softening just slightly into something warmer. Then he laughed, a low and confident sound.
"If that's the case, then too bad, princess," he said. "You might never get that chance."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Because I'm not planning to sit around waiting. I'll keep moving forward, too. So by the time you do catch up… I'll already be ten steps ahead."
Ariel stood, brushing off her skirt as she met his gaze—not with indignation or spite this time, but with something new: resolve.
"We'll see about that," she said, her voice calm, determined, and unwavering.
The room fell quiet again. The tension remained—but now it was different. No longer a battlefield of pride. It had become something else.
A beginning.
End Of The Chapter...