Chapter 50 - Games (2)

Chapter 50 – Games (2)

Translator: Lunarise

Editor: Namita Suberi, Larkspur

Viola wondered how much time had passed since she had first come here. Time flew by so fast that she didn’t have enough of it. She sat down on the sofa with a thud.

“Ow,” cried Viola. Her entire body was sore.

“Is it supposed to be this painful every day?” she asked, looking at Rosha.

“It’s because it’s your first time,” said Rosha, blushing. She placed the medicine in a small bowl on a table in front of her. These medicines were part of the protocol that all candidates followed. She gulped the dark liquid. It tasted sweet but turned sour when it reached the throat. She frowned.

“Try this,” said Rosha cutting a strip of something brownish and dried and handing it to her.

“What is it?” asked Viola, curious.

“It’s some kind of delicacy from across the continent,” said Rosha.

“It looks the same colour as my hair,” said Viola, examining the thing at eye-level. She took a bite, it melted in her mouth. It tasted sweet and surprisingly refreshing. She had never had something like this before. Viola tried taking a huge bite of it.

“It’s good! You try some too, Rosha.”

“I can’t!” said Rosha, cutting more strips, “Lord Lune especially left it for you.”

“He gave it to you?” asked Viola.

“Yes,” said Rosha, smiling. “He said it would make you feel better. How romantic! He seems to be head-over-heels for you.”

Viola rolled her eyes. “He couldn’t be.”

“Why else would he visit you every night and day?” Rosha continued. “And he can’t take his eyes off you.”

Viola was annoyed. She didn’t have time for this useless talk about love. She couldn’t love some enemy spawn and would never allow it. But this Lune had certainly left a good impression on her maid. He showed up often enough to fool people and make it seem like he had really fallen in love with her. His ‘once-a-day visit’ rule had already been broken. She always had to be cautious when planning to go out of the imperial villa in case he suddenly visited and found her gone. She needed ample time to consult with Paul, but these past few days had seen too many visits from the man.

“Tell Paul that I will come by the stables,” she said to Rosha, rather snappishly, “I want to see him even if just for a moment.”

“All right,” said Rosha.

Viola was now able to take walks without appearing suspicious. She had told Lune of her grievances and suffocation on being trapped here all day. Unfortunately, wherever she went, he accompanied her. He would appear suddenly, out of nowhere, whenever she was taking a stroll. She had to be more careful. If she saw him today, she would tell him she wanted to see the horses. Perhaps she could manage a small talk with Paul, who was managing the stables.

She got her cloak and rubbed her sore back with difficulty. She found a branch while she was walking and thought back to how she had let her sword practice go to waste. She then thought about Lune, which filled her with annoyance and anger towards her situation. She swung the branch around, practicing jabs and slashes. She felt her muscles tense. Whenever she felt angry or helpless, practicing always made her feel better. She continued for a while and then sat down under a tree to cool off.

After some time, she stood up and turned around to continue with her walk only to be startled to see Lune, who was leaning against a wall looking at her, arms folded. The pent-up anger she had put in her sword practice flared a bit again. He had snuck up on her yet again and she had failed to detect his presence. This annoyed her more.

Honestly, the guy doesn’t seem to have any other job than sneaking up on me, she thought, supposed to be a knight and all, bah.

“Do you want to spar a bit?” Lune offered her a wooden sword.

“What?” asked Viola, confused.

“It looks like you want to fight,” he said, perhaps aware of the withering look she directed at him.

He walked towards her and picked up a small branch and pointed it at her. She felt her bubbling anger soar at his smirk.

“Go easy on me,” he teased.

Viola picked up the wooden sword and prepared her stance. He was underestimating her ability, which fanned her rage. She attacked him with all her might. She didn’t just swing around to block his jabs but went on the offensive. She stabbed and slashed at his weak spots. The tip of the sword missed narrowly and brushed his collar. She turned her wrist without a moment to waste and stabbed him again. But he had already anticipated her attack. He stepped aside and as Viola was forced forward with the momentum he wrapped an arm around her from behind and another held her wrist away. She could feel his breath on her ears. He kissed her on the nape of her neck sending a shocking thrill through her body.

“It’s accurate but slow,” he said, “you need to relax your wrists and observe your opponent more.”

“I know that much!” spat Viola and elbowed him making him release her.

She turned around and slashed at him once again, barely missing. He stepped back. She readied her sword and went on to attack, but he was quick. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. She lost her balance and flew into his arms. He held her by her waist, grabbed her chin, and turned her to face him as he came down with a kiss.

She pushed him away. “What do you think you are doing?”

“Hm… ” He kissed her again.

“Lune…” she said, as he mumbled something incoherent. She was surprised but didn’t push him away, melting into his sweet kiss.