3 P.M.

  Artheris Academy hallway.

  Dan Burn and Princess Nora Ophilis walked out of the classroom building, the bell still echoing behind them, marking the end of the last period.

  Along the way—

  "Nora."

  "Yes, Mr.Fury."

  "You get it, right?"

  "Yes."

  Nora shifted positions, moving to Dan’s left while he took the right. Her tall frame shielded him from the figure waiting at the exit… Rafinya.

  She hadn’t given up. Not in the slightest.

  She blocked the way, and in her eyes it was clear exactly what she wanted.

  Before they could even reach the door, Rafinya lunged forward.

  "Dan! I’ll say this for the last time!"

  But before she could reach him, a barrier cut her off—Princess Nora Ophilis.

  "Move aside. We’re leaving."

  "What’s it to you?"

  "I know everything that happened in the library. The Paulis really are shameless, aren’t they? Can’t you see Mr.Dan isn’t interested?"

  "This has nothing to do with you. It’s my family’s business."

  Rafinya shoved Nora, but Nora’s body pressed back even harder, and she grabbed Rafinya’s wrist.

  "I won’t say it twice."

  Everyone around them felt it instantly—the heavy weight in the air carried in Nora’s voice. And it only thickened when Rafinya turned back, her Velvet-red eyes blazing.

  "Stay out of my family’s affairs."

  Ice erupted from Rafinya’s arm, and Nora’s eyes narrowed, cold winds swirling as if to herald a duel.

  But before they could clash, the ice cracked under sudden pressure—exploding midair—while Rafinya’s fire roared to life, swallowing the space between them.

  No words were spoken, but the atmosphere declared it. A fight was inevitable.

  And yet—

  "Everyone!!! The knight duels for this Friday have been announced!!!"

  All eyes turned to the official notice just posted on the wall. Dan’s widened at what he saw.

  Nora Ophilis vs. Rafinya St. Pauli.

  !!!!

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Barely a week after the last match—and now another headline clash.

  Rafinya shook Nora’s hand off, Nora’s ice shattering against the floor as they both returned to their normal states.

  "This week’s going to be brutal…" Dan muttered.

  "Think of it as good news, Mr.Dan." Nora’s eyes locked on Rafinya. "It’s another chance for the Paulis to embarrass themselves."

  "It’s more a chance for the Ophilis line to realize their ice is worthless against fire."

  The tension was unbearable.

  Neither would yield. For Rafinya, only victory would do. Her draw against Dan remained on the record—so with Nora, she had to win, to restore what was lost.

  "Confident, are you? Just like the last time you got smacked off the stage by Mr.Dan?"

  "This time I’ll take my revenge out on you, Nora."

  She said it, but her eyes flicked to Dan, sharp with resentment. Dan averted his gaze, because deep down he knew—he had cheated. And now, Nora might be paying for it.

  "Nora, let it go. Save it for the duel."

  "A wise thought, Mr.Dan. Keeping one’s composure is key—lose it, and it leads only to defeat."

  As they turned to leave, Rafinya’s voice rang out.

  "The future Empress Ophilis the Fifteenth… surely she won’t lose to a pampered noble girl, will she?"

  Nora froze.

  Rafinya had repeated the very words Nora herself had once spoken. And when Nora turned, Rafinya’s lips curved in a sly smile.

  "If you’re so confident, then prove it—with a wager, Your Highness."

  The deliberate use of Your Highness.

  The deliberate taunt of calling her the future Empress.

  Fury saw it at once. Rafinya was setting a trap. And it was a trap Nora couldn’t avoid.

  "If I lose, I’ll never bother you again. But if I win—trade Dan to me. A playful little bet, surely not too much for Her Majesty-to-be?"

  Claire Palmer’s words rang in Dan’s head—the trading system. If Rafinya truly won, Nora would have to trade him over. Rafinya would bind him in her place.

  That would be disastrous.

  "There’s no reason for me to accept that."

  "Then you admit you might lose?"

  "You’ll see on the day. Say what you like—I don’t care."

  Nora refused to play the game.

  "Then the proud ice of Snowhaven isn’t as absolute as you claim, is it?"

  "My last opponent said the same thing, Rafinya."

  "How pitiful. If you’re this afraid of losing, you’re clearly unworthy of standing beside Dan."

  Nora stiffened.

  Those words cut deep.

  Unworthy to stand beside Mr.Fury?

  The flash of an image seared her mind—herself, standing behind them, reaching forward but never able to touch: Fury, Casca, Zeedee, Everton. The circle she longed to belong to.

  And now—told she didn’t deserve to be there.

  "Let’s go, Nora."

  Dan tugged her arm, pulling her away. But what he saw made him stop short—her eyes, locked onto Rafinya’s, seething with the promise of blood.

  "I swear, Rafinya—I’ll leave you crippled for life."

  "Try it if you can, Princess."

  And with that, the challenge was accepted.

  —

  Anfield.

  By the campfire outside the cabin, the cold air wrapped around them, the fire’s warmth flickering.

  Dan handed Nora a wooden cup of hot tea, sighing as he did.

  "So you accepted after all, huh? Heh."

  He wasn’t angry. Not at her, not even at Rafinya. To him, this was just children squabbling—nothing serious compared to what he had seen.

  "You’re upset because she said you weren’t worthy to stand on the same level as me, aren’t you?"

  "…No. How could I ever compare to you?"

  "Don’t lie to yourself. I see through it."

  He sat down beside her.

  "You’ve got your pride too, Nora."

  Deep down, she had told herself she had already reached his level. She knew him personally, she knew Casca, Zeedee, Everton, his soldiers. If not an equal, then at least the lucky mouse that had fallen into a rice jar. She convinced herself she wasn’t that—that she was worthy.

  But was that true?

  No one could answer.

  Nora hugged her knees close, her breath white in the cold air. Shame and guilt warred inside her—yet Fury had seen it all.

  "What’s wrong, little one? Cat got your tongue?"

  "I’m not a ‘little one,’ Mr.Fury…"

  "Listen to that tone. Upset, are you, little one? Hm?"

  "Mr.Fury, I don’t like it. It’s like you see me as a child."

  "Little one, little one, little one."

  She shrank smaller with every word.

  Then Fury spoke again.

  "I’ve been through this too, you know."

  "? "

  She looked up.

  "Three years after I hatched, when I had to fight other demons to claim land—I didn’t always win. My power was less than half of Father’s then. But he made me supreme commander anyway. I stood at his side, met countless demons from every clan, and somehow, I climbed my way here."

  "Easy for you to say, Mr.Fury…"

  "A human once told me—we are the average of the people we surround ourselves with. I became who I am because I was always among those stronger than me."

  Strength didn’t mean raw power. It meant diplomacy, wisdom… and in Zentinel, he had found something greater still: spirit.

  "But I’ll tell you a secret. Those people you wonder if you’re worthy to stand with? Deep down—they’re just as flawed as you."

  Her breath caught.

  Casca, Zeedee, even Fury himself—she had never seen all of them. He admitted it.

  "Well, well… look at you, playing the charming gentleman for the princess, you stupid lizard."

  !!!

  A smooth, mocking voice came from behind the tree.

  Someone had arrived, suddenly, without a sound.

  No one but her could do that—

  Casca!