178 The Challenge 1

CHAPTER 178

It was the King and his Grand Advisor. The soldiers bowed down their heads in reverence to their king.

Prince Owen stepped forward and moved towards King Bayard. Cullen didn't wait as well and walked up to the King.

All three met in the middle and exchanged pleasantries.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. Thank you for the praise," Cullen said with a quick bow.

Prince Owen gritted his teeth at him. Cullen was really getting on his nerves and it angered him greatly.

'Look at him accepting praises from father. Why didn't he say he was just being flattered? Tsk.' Owen thought to himself.

"Owen, Cullen would make an excellent teacher. I do not need to worry about a thing anymore. He is just like me in my youthful days," King Bayard said as he recalled his young years.

"Father do not be too quick to make your judgment. We still haven't duelled yet," he corrected his father.

'Like heck, the outcome would change, son. Just admit it to yourself, he is better than you.' King Bayard said in his mind, but outside, he had a smile spread across his lips.

"Okay, son."

He didn't want to say it loud and disgrace his son. After all the latter was still trying to build his reputation.

"It is time, let the match begin."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Yes, father."

"Good. Clear the area, we would be making use of all the training fields," King Bayard announced.

"All the training fields?" Prince Owen asked.

"Yes. You didn't think it was going to be based on a single weapon now, did you?"

"No, father. It would be too easy if it was just one," he quickly lied to cover up.

Honestly, he has thought they would duel with just the sword and nothing else, just now it turned out differently.

Cullen who remained silent at their sides quietly smiled to himself.

He was confident in his abilities and so he wasn't worried, unlike Prince Owen whose palm sweated at the mention of the training fields.

"Gerald!" King Bayard called out to his Grand Advisor.

Gerald, who was behind took great strides forward to answer the call of his King. "Your Majesty!"

"Yes, tell them the instructions of the match."

"Yes, Your Majesty," he answered and turned towards the Prince and Cullen.

"Your Highness!" Gerald greeting softly and then bowed his head slightly to the Prince.

"Gerald," Prince Owen replied him, awaiting the instructions.

"Grand Advisor," Cullen said acknowledging him.

"Cullen. I trust you both are ready?"

"Yes, Gerald," they said in unison.

"Alright. The match would proceed thus. There would be three challenges in total, you both would draw the lot and pick out two of the challenges and His Majesty would draw the last to decide the final challenge."

"Understood."

"I concur."

The male servant held a wooden box in his hands. It had an opening enough to fit one's hand. Quickly, he took several steps forward and stood beside Gerald with his head bowed down.

"My Prince, would you do the honours of picking a ball first?"

"Okay."

Without a second thought, he took two steps forward and stood in front of the serving boy. He cast a glance at him and noticed the boy's hand trembled a bit from freight.

He smiled softly to himself. He was happy there were a few who feared him. 'It should be so. I am the Crown Prince after all." He thought boastfully to himself.

He put his hand inside the box and brought out a paper, then took a step backwards and waited for Cullen to do the same.

Taking the cue, Cullen followed in his footstep and picked out a paper, then took several steps backwards.

After the two men had taken, King Bayard moved forward and picked his own paper then looked at the competitors.

"Owen read what is on yours and Cullen would do the same."

Opening the paper, he read out. "Archery."

His gaze left the paper and went straight to his father.

"Well, you picked it yourself."

He shifted his gaze straight to the serving boy. The boy trembled from the intense gaze he was getting.

He had never been in the Prince's bad book but somehow something told him that he just entered the book, for being a carrier of something the Prince didn't like.

And Prince Owen had a way of punishing servants he didn't like or those that annoyed him. So all servants were beware of him and tried their best not to anger him.

For the female servants, he would have his way with them, while the male, he would punish heavily.

"Now Cullen your turn," King Bayard's voice pulled Owen out of his rage.

He looked up, awaiting what the other was going to say.

"Hunting!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Prince Owen's lips curved up into a smile. 'Yes, something I am best at.' He thought.

True to his thoughts, Prince Owen really was the best when it came to hunting. It was one skill that ran through his vein as he inherited it from his father.

Even though he was lousy with women, he always enjoyed hunting more than anything.

King Bayard noticed the smile on his son's face and couldn't help but sigh. He knew no one could beat his son in that area but that was just one out of three challenges.

'Shouldn't he be more worried about the other two challenges? He doesn't even know what the last challenge would be. Until when would he learn?'

"I am the next then," King Bayard said then proceeded to open his own paper.

Everyone waited in anticipation at what the last challenge would be. As it stood now, they already had a draw. There were two challenges of which both competitors excelled in one each.

Right now, only the last challenge could determine the winner.

"The final competition is…"

"Father!"

All head turned to the direction of the feminine voice. A pretty damsel dressed in a fighting gear sat on a horse with a bow and quiver containing arrows strapped to her back.

Her hair fluttered with the wind, making her look like an enchanting dancer, but a dangerous one at that.

"Hyah!"

She hit her horse with her heel and rode forward to meet King Bayard. She stopped just some distance away from the crowd and highlighted from the horse.

"Good job, Lily," she said petting her horse before making her way towards her father and brother.

"Father," she called out and went in for a hug.

"My darling. How are you?"

"I am fine and you?"

"Always better whenever I see your brilliant face."

"Don't flatter me. What are you doing in the training grounds?" she asked getting serious as her gaze fell on the soldiers behind them.

All the soldiers quickly bowed in respect to her and she nodded before shifting her gaze back to the King.

"We are about to start a challenge for your brother and Cullen. I am overseeing the match," he briefly explained to his daughter.

It was then she turned her gaze to the others. And by others, I mean her brother, Gerald and Cullen.

"Grand Advisor Gerald," she called him with his title.

"Your Highness, I trust you are well?"

"Well indeed, thank you. Hello brother!" she greeted Prince Owen with a smile and then shifted her gaze to Cullen. "Hello, General."

'She finally noticed me and he stole the spotlight, again.' Prince Owen thought as he frowned at his situation.

"Greetings, Princess. What brings you here?" Cullen asked with a smile reaching his ear, at her greeting.

'Look at him, smile like a fool at my sister. If only he knew she won't fall for that. He isn't worth her time.' Prince Owen said inwardly.

"Hello, Cyrena. I see you are on your way hunting. Want big brother to come teach you some tricks?" Prince Owen quickly spoke up, putting up a show in front of his sister.

'What does this dimwit thinks he wants to teach me? I excelled better than he ever did in anything.' She mocked Prince Owen in her mind.

"Hahaha, I think brother should be more concerned about his challenge, than troubling himself with this little sister of his," Cyrena said innocently as she smiled at her brother.

"It isn't a bother. Perhaps you should watch and learn a thing or two from our challenge."

"I would pass. My hunting waits," she replied to him and turned to Cullen.

"By the way Cullen, I just dropped by to get some arrows before leaving. Good luck on your challenge."

"Thank you, Princess."

While Cullen was beaming with joy at the Princess' good wish for him, Prince Owen was boiling with anger at being ignored for the second time.

As if to add insult to the injury, Cyrena moved closer to Cullen and whispered something in his ears.

King Bayard who was watching the whole display from behind them, couldn't help but laugh inwardly at what his daughter was doing.

She was indirectly provoking her brother by siding with Cullen. 'Youngsters!' he thought while shaking his head.

After which, Cyrena turned around and gave her father a peck on his cheek. "Bye father. I have got to go," she said briefly and then waved at them.

"Bye, my darling."

Cyrena smiled at the King, then rushed up to her horse and rode away.

"Yes, where were we? Ah! And the final challenge is…"