"The king wishes to see you imdiately," Robin continued, straightening.
"He’s... rather urgent about it."
Kael exhaled. "Of course he is. Let’s go."
And with that, they stepped into the silent halls of power.
Kael moved swiftly through the corridor, his cloak trailing behind him.
Yue’s words echoed in his mind — "I’m already on my way."
He turned a corner, intending to head straight for the audience chamber — but stopped.
Through the open archway to the royal garden, he spotted movent.
Steel glinted in the morning light.
Elara.
The princess was locked in a duel.
Kael stepped toward the scene, his curiosity overriding his urgency.
Robin reached out to stop him. "Lord Kael, we don’t have ti—"
Kael ignored him. Robin hesitated, then followed.
As Kael drew closer, he saw who Elara was fighting.
Her brother.
The Crown Prince.
Neither held back. Blades t with the weight of sothing heavier than practice — pride, history, perhaps sothing deeper.
Kael slowed, eyes narrowing.
The duel was turning against Elara.
Her movents, once sharp and controlled, were beginning to fray under pressure.
The Crown Prince pushed her back with every strike — his blade a storm, rciless and precise.
Kael stood at the edge of the garden, tense.
She’s not keeping up...
Then, everything changed.
Elara’s eyes glowed faintly blue.
She whispered a word — no, commanded it:
"Chrono Step!"
Ti fractured.
The air around her shimred like heat haze, and in a blink, she vanished — only to reappear a few paces behind her brother, sword slashing down.
He barely blocked in ti, sliding back across the grass.
Kael stiffened.
Ti magic? Since when?
Robin muttered, stunned, "That’s restricted sorcery..."
But the Crown Prince only grinned.
He held out a hand, flas dancing across his knuckles.
"So that’s how you want to play."
His voice rang with controlled fury:
"Blazing Crown!"
A wreath of fire erupted around him, the flas coiling like serpents.
He lunged, every strike now trailed by searing heat, the grass beneath them charring black.
Elara dodged with another flicker of her spell:
"Chrono Mirage!"
Three versions of her flickered into view, all moving at once — echoes in ti.
But the prince roared:
"Ashen Spiral!"
A column of fla exploded from the ground, swallowing all illusions.
One Elara scread, tumbling across the earth — the real one.
She gritted her teeth, raised her hand:
"Temporal Cage!"
Ti froze — just for a heartbeat. The world fell silent. Even the flas seed suspended in midair.
She moved to strike —
—but faltered.
Blood dripped from her side.
The spell had cost too much.
The Crown Prince stepped forward, fire fading, eyes now serious.
"Ember Fall."
A final wave of heat swept through the garden, knocking Elara’s blade from her hand.
She fell to one knee, gasping, her vision swimming.
Silence followed.
Kael didn’t breathe. Neither did Robin.
Elara bowed her head.
The duel was over.
The prince turned away, not gloating, just tired.
"You need more control. And less pride."
Kael stared at Elara, heart pounding.
Ti magic. Where did she learn that?
And more importantly...
Who else knows?
Elara was full of surprises today.
Kael stood silently by the edge of the scorched garden, watching as she drank from a small crystal vial.
The soft glow of the healing potion dulled the bruises forming on her arms.
Then, her gaze shifted — calm, focused — landing squarely on him.
"So," she said, voice cool and even.
"Welco, Kael... or should I call you Duke now?"
Kael stepped forward with a slight incline of his head.
"Princess Elara," he said respectfully, not letting a flicker of emotion show.
Not the surprise. Not the questions.
Especially not the awe from witnessing ti magic up close.
Elara looked like she might say more, but before she could speak—
A voice cut in, low and mocking.
"Well, well... Isn’t this the so-called ’Prophesied Child’ of the War God’s Temple?"
Kael turned slowly.
The Crown Prince had sheathed his blade, but the fire hadn’t left his eyes.
He walked toward them with the relaxed arrogance of soone born to command.
"Or should I call you brother-in-law now?" he added with a smirk.
"Haa... doesn’t matter, I suppose."
He stopped just short of Kael, close enough for his next words to sting.
"You couldn’t even protect your own house," he said, his tone sharpened.
"What a failure of a chosen one."
Silence.
Silence hung heavy in the garden.
Even the wind held its breath.
Robin’s jaw tightened. Elara looked away.
Kael stood perfectly still.
No fire. No anger. Only the cold silence of a man calculating.
Then the Crown Prince stepped forward, his tone cutting through the tension like a blade through silk.
"Are you truly worthy of my sister?"
Elara’s head snapped up, alarm flashing in her eyes. "Aren—"
But before she could finish, the prince raised his voice, silencing even her.
"I challenge you to a duel," he said.
The words dropped like iron in the courtyard.
"If you lose... the ’Chosen One’ title will be revoked. And the engagent—" his gaze slid to Elara, cold and final,
"—will be canceled."
Silence fell over the garden. Even the leaves above seed to still.
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
So that’s it.
He understood now. The prince wasn’t simply defending his sister’s honor — he was after the title, the status, the prophecy.
Typical. But still dangerous.
Objectively, Kael had every reason to accept — and lose.
Ending the engagent would free him from the chains of court marriage. But...
His eyes moved to Elara.
Ti magic.
She was no longer just a pawn to Kael.
She had beco... relevant.
Useful.
He could also feel them now — the quiet eyes of the court. Nobles watching from balconies, guards whispering behind polished helms.
Word would spread before the hour passed.
Kael exhaled slowly.
Then grinned — not wide, but sharp.
"Very well," he said softly.
"But if I win..."
The prince raised a brow, amused.
"If you win?"
Kael’s voice didn’t waver.
"Then I’ll take all Rank Three Royal Spells."
That made the prince pause.
Kael’s voice was calm, asured, yet carried an undeniable weight.
"I’m betting on my title... on my marriage," Kael said slowly, locking eyes with the prince.
"And you, as prince, cannot simply bet on a few spells."
Robin’s hand twitched, sensing the tension rising sharply. He opened his mouth to intervene, to warn Kael of the danger in provoking the prince—but the prince cut him off.
A cruel smile spread across the prince’s face, arrogance blazing in his eyes.
"Very well," he said, voice low but firm.
"If you are willing to wager so much on such a gamble, then so be it.
I accept."
Robin’s jaw clenched as he exchanged a worried glance with Kael.
The prince’s acceptance had sealed their fates.
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