I broke her finger with just a touch... how?
Countless thoughts, among that being the most prominent, rushed into my mind like a residential opened dam. Watching as her pale finger now dangled awkwardly from her remaining fingers, I blinked, but Selena was unfazed.
She was smiling... it wasn't because she was in pain but rather because the expression on my face led to her smiling. She was like a magician who had done a trick to capture the attention of the audience, but in this case, the magic trick was actually real. And the emotion the audience—that being me—felt was panic.
"Your fin–ger!" I stuttered, pointing at the anomaly which I couldn't get my mind around. There was no way Selena's body was that brittle, and even if it was, I shouldn't have been strong enough to break her finger with that little strength.
Is she trying to frame me?
"No, a simple injury like that wouldn't get me in trouble, so why... just what is her game?" I couldn't help but ask myself that question. Even more importantly, what the heck was wrong with her body?
"Well, come on now... fix it."
Pushing her hand towards me, she continued to smile, her dangling finger swaying back and forth from the gesture.
"How do I even do that?"
Last I checked, I was no medic.
"Just push it back in place!" she said casually, as if she was commenting on the most common of knowledge around.
"But—"
"It won't hurt me," she assured, observing my hesitation.
It was quite strange. In a few hours, I would be engaged in a brutal test of strength against her, and yet here I was, worried about hurting her. This contradiction was why I didn't want to mingle with her; she just had a way of dragging me into her tune.
And the Alex before her learned that the hard way.
"Fine!"
Trying to act all nonchalant to avoid her tease, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her delicate hand closer. My motion was gentle, the fear of accidentally breaking her hand flashing in my mind like a continuous alarm.
As for Selena, she chose to stare, the smile on her face never leaving. This was the Selena I was familiar with—always smiling and drawing me in—not the one from last year that spent months trying to torture me.
"What?" she blinked, noticing I was staring too much at her.
A bit conscious of that, I closed an eye and smirked, trying not to display my emotional turmoil.
"Nothing much... it's just that a while back, I was pondering between you and Alice—who was much cuter."
I was lying, of course. Never have I thought of such, because to me, the answer was already clear.
"...Well, don't leave me waiting. Who is it?"
She said this, trying to pressure me while sparks glistened from her golden eyes.
Grabbing the finger that I had broken, my lips curled into a smile, and I answered just as I jammed it back in place.
"It's Alice—and by a large margin at that!"
Just as I expected, she didn't even react to the pain, but at my words, she seemed almost offended.
"You can't be serious, Alex! In what world is that bookworm cuter than me?" she complained, veins twitching on her forehead.
"In this world!" I pointed around, and she clenched her fists in defeat.
"Well, I don't care about your opinion."
She retracted her hand from my grasp and crossed it, a cute pout following after.
"Are you sure though?"
It appeared I had taken up the mantle of the older cousin as I bullied her—not with my fists but with words.
"Yeah, I'm beautiful, and I don't need you to tell me that."
"I was trying though... and ha, beauty? Alice will have you beat in that in like..."
Pausing my statement, I counted my fingers and stopped on the seventh.
"Seven years!" I shouted proudly.
If Alice were here, I could have imagined how red she would have been.
"What a freak. Even after all these years, you still haven't gotten over your sister complex."
Her retaliation was accompanied by a disgusted expression.
"Hey!" I panicked, horrified by her statement.
There was no way that was true. I didn't have a sister complex... that was weird.
I was just her knight, and I would fight anyone that dared harm her, including any guy that might end up breaking her heart in the future.
So basically, older brother stuff.
"See, you're grinning! You know I'm right!"
Pointing at me like a criminal, her expression darkened, while I, on the other hand, facepalmed, drawing the conclusion that this was going one way.
Right now, I could have steered the conversation back to whatever illness she was supposedly having, but a tiny part of me knew she wouldn't budge. So I chose to keep the warm atmosphere, ignorant of the fact that the path I took had no warmth.
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"So that is what Kain is up to these days!"
Within the luxurious comfort of the sleek limo gliding smoothly across the road, Camilla commented as she was made aware of Felix's intel on Kain.
Looking at the two men seated across from her—namely Felix and Abel—she crossed her legs elegantly and held her chin. She already knew how far Kain would go to attain what he wanted, but she still wasn't quite sure why Felix had trusted her with this information.
"Knight of Ideal, how are you confident I am not in cahoots with that man?"
Abel, who had taken a more observant role, glanced at Felix; he too was quite curious about his response.
"Haha... come on now, old friend. We both clearly know you don't have it in you to betray the Emperor. And for why I trusted you... I need not say."
Camilla's expression sank before a shallow response followed.
"Fair enough," she stated, quickly returning to her more authoritative look.
"If your intel is indeed correct, I will assist you. All the Bladeheart resources will be at your display... only if our Patriarch permits it."
The subject of the conversation shifted to Abel, who in turn continued.
"My tenure is almost up," he sighed.
"That depends—do you believe young Alex can defeat my daughter?" Camilla commented.
"Yes, I do," Abel responded without hesitation.
Camilla held a different opinion, and Felix kept to himself.
"For now, until a new Patriarch is decided, I shall lend my support by permitting Elder Lyold to investigate the matter alongside you. But if I may offer some advice?"
"I am not adverse to your offer," the Knight of Ideal leaned forward.
Camilla remained silent for a good while, then said, "...Kain is undoubtedly a dangerous man, but to me, his mistress Orchid is even more of a menace."
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A/N: Author notes here, I'm writing to inform all my readers that I finally got contracted.
Chapters after tomorrow will be locked.
As always, I will like you support either by reviewing my book and buying chapters.
Thanks again for reading this book.