Page 156 of The White King's Favorite

“Is it very bad?”

“It’s strange, considering she knows about our skin. She most likely wants to show off. She wants to show she can injure us despite our dragon skin, and make the fight last. Cessi won’t have it, though...”

Indeed, Cessilia didn’t seem to care at all about Ashra’s speech. She hadn’t moved since before. Naptunie realized her sword seemed completely still as well, and almost like it was part of Cessilia’s body. Ashra’s sword had a handle with a long, red ribbon, and symbols carved into the blade, while the Princess’ sword had a simple leather handle, without any other kind of flourishes. Strangely, it seemed much more noble.

“...You should use a d-different sword,” Cessilia said. “That one isn’t s-suited for c-combat.”

“Oh, I know. But to a specific monster, one shall adapt their weapon, Princess. Those scars on your neck mean your dragon skin cannot completely save you from cuts, hence I want to see how long it takes for you to bleed...”

“It’s a fucking test,” muttered Tessandra. “This isn’t even about the fight. The Yekara Clan is experimenting with what it would take to kill us...”

Naptunie, who had been looking forward to this fight, was back to worrying again. The Yekara Clan was truly too much. They left nothing to fate; they were targeting the Princess on a long-term basis. They definitely had planned this fight, and to use Lady Ashra to test if she could kill the Princess... Now, it was all down to Cessilia. Despite Tessandra’s words, she couldn’t stop worrying about her. Cessilia seemed like such a kind-hearted person, it was hard to imagine she’d attack her opponent as fiercely and recklessly as they knew Ashra would.

“Your Majesty!” claimed Ashra with a wry smile. “I shall show you this Princess isn’t right for our Kingdom. Our Kingdom needs a real queen!”

Right after that, she jumped forward, aiming right at Cessilia. The next movement was barely believable.

Ashra launched herself at full speed toward her, yet Cessilia seemed to simply step to the side. It was so quick, yet each movement was absolutely perfect. Ashra seemed to be blown aside, although they had clearly seen Cessilia be the one to move. The Princess was swift and quick, and her opponent’s blade found absolutely nothing when she crossed the air in front of her. Ashra herself seemed to be completely speechless for a moment, blinking twice as if she had just been hit by reality.

Cessilia left her no room to catch up, though. The Princess made a simple movement with her wrist, and suddenly, a long, red ribbon flew into the air. Her sword wasn’t even stained, but it was clearly blood that splattered the ground. The movement had been so perfect, swift, and silent, everyone in the audience looked for the injury with confusion. Even Ashra herself looked down to find her flank crossed with a long cut. She then screamed one second too late, holding the bleeding injury with a panicked expression.

“There you go,” muttered Tessandra. “Cessi is gonna give her a taste of her own medicine...”

“She won’t look for a quick victory?” asked Naptunie.

“No. Not now that she’s seen and heard what Ashra had planned for her. Cessilia might be kind, but she is no fool. She especially has no mercy for sadists with a thing for torture... We are not science subjects. Ashra should have faced a dragon instead. She would have gotten a quicker death...”

Down in the arena, the Yekara candidate seemed to be slowly catching up with what had just happened. She was still holding her bleeding flank, glaring at Cessilia with all her might. All of her earlier boastings were gone. Even if she had just been bested, the young woman was a good enough fighter to realize this was no mere luck from Cessilia. She had just realized how much she had underestimated her opponent. Quickly, she adjusted her position, holding her sword with both hands and getting ready, clenching her teeth.

“You... cursed freak,” she grunted.

“I’m j-just getting started,” said Cessilia.

Naptunie felt a chill. This Cessilia was so different from everything she had seen before. She was cold, calculative, and focused on her opponent. No, those were the eyes of a predator focused on its prey. The Princess was now really looking like she was standing with all her might, towering over her opponent with the fierceness of a warrior. The fight was only just beginning, it seemed. Ashra too had adjusted her position to leave no openings. She had made a mistake once and didn’t want to risk it again. Her entire clan was watching like one body leaned forward with serious expressions on.

Ashra moved first again. This time, her movements were much faster, and her sword appeared above her head, ready to cut down her opponent, but before she could, Cessilia’s sword blocked her halfway. Ashra had both hands on her handle, while Cessilia used only one to keep her from slicing her head in two, which spoke volumes about the strength difference. The two women glared furiously at each other, and their blades loudly clashed again. Ashra was trying to break Cessi’s defense, but the Princess blocked her each time. Each movement was so fast, it was like they could read each other’s minds. The audience didn’t even dare to blink, as each movement was happening so quickly. Their blades would be pushing against one another for several seconds, trembling from the pressure on both sides and would suddenly clash again loudly without warning. The violence of the fight was impressive, yet it had some strange beauty to it. The two women were wearing incredibly elegant outfits that contrasted with the almost bestial way they went at each other. It would have seemed like choreography if they weren’t so clearly bent on hurting their opponent. Pearls of sweat had appeared on Ashra’s forehead, and Cessilia’s hairdo had come undone. Each time she moved and spun, her curls went flying around her like a furious flame. The contrast of the red and blue dresses was hypnotizing, but everything was happening way too fast.

Ashra hadn’t lied about her own fighting skills; anyone who had once wielded a weapon could tell this much. Her movements were precise, full of strength, and clearly determined to hurt her opponent. Facing her, Cessilia was leaving no room for mistakes; she seemed to be effortlessly deterring each attempt of Ashra’s blade to come near. Her dance was perfect and beautiful, but something about this Cessilia was scary. Naptunie felt like she was watching a different person. A cold-blooded daughter of the War God’s Favorite. When Ashra’s blood flew in the air again, a surprised gasp took the whole audience. Once again, Cessilia had gone for a light but painful injury, slicing her opponent’s hip. Ashra’s anger increased with her pain, and she began attacking again, but her injury was hindering her. Cessilia spun beautifully and found herself behind her right after. Her sword drew a perfect line in Ashra’s back, and a scream echoed in the arena.

“Cessi...” grunted Tessandra, frustrated.

Naptunie, who had been so focused on the fight, just now noticed how angsty Tessandra looked. The young woman was leaning forward, frowning and studying her cousin’s expression more than the fight itself.

“...Is everything alright?” muttered Naptunie.

“I hope so,” said Tessandra. “If Cessilia can remain calm...”

“She seems very calm, though? More than Lady Ashra, anyway...”

“Don’t be fooled. Just because she looks calm doesn’t mean she is. Cessilia still has the blood of a dragon... One of the reasons she hates fighting is because the bloodlust can get the better of her.”

“You mean she could make mistakes if she gets too excited?”

“No.” Tessa slowly shook her head. “It’s much worse than that... She could get into a hunting mode. She would toy with her opponent for a long while, like a dragon would with its prey, and make her agony as slow and painful as possible.”

“That’s... terrible.”

“Yes, and not what Cessilia wants at all. But she can’t help it. With what happened to her when she was younger, her own instincts are now mainly focusing on self-preservation. She is so focused on this fight, I bet she has forgotten pretty much everything else going on. Who she’s fighting, why, and who is around. For now, she still looks pretty much in control, but if Ashra doesn’t concede defeat soon, that idiot is heading toward a very slow and painful death.”

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