The Arianiti matriarch was the first to properly look at me.

  She was a composed woman, somewhere in her late thirties, with sharp eyes similar to that of a hawks. She looked like the kind of woman who had made her decisions before the conversation even started.

  The two girls beside her stood out to me more though.

  One was clearly nervous, younger, fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. However I could sense an immense amount of esenca in her, probably even greater than Nora’s.

  The other was probably my soon to be fiancée, Altuna. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back, posture straight without being rigid.

  I excused my gaze from them and focused on the matriarch.

  "There is no need for apologies, Young Master Ledion. We heard of your recent recovery. We are simply glad you are well enough to join us."

  "Your consideration is appreciated, Lady Arianiti."

  Nora's mother, Zana, stepped forward with a gentler smile.

  "It really is good to see you on your feet, Ledion."

  She was the only one in this hall who could address me without a title and mean it with sincerity. Nora got most of her stubborn personality from her.

  "Thank you, Lady Zana."

  Armend caught my eye from across the room and gave me a look, clearly trying to warn me about something.

  I ignored him.

  "Please, let's not stand on ceremony. We were just getting acquainted."

  Elena gestured toward the sitting area with practiced grace.

  She really did know how to run a room. I understood why father relied on her for these things.

  We settled, and the conversation moved the way these things always did. Everyone saying something without actually saying anything. I mostly listened, offering a word or two where it was expected, keeping my expression pleasant and my eyes moving.

  I hated dealing with political tension like this.

  The younger girl with the immense esenca was the youngest daughter, Anna. She was clumsy and shy and her name didn’t ring any bells.

  As for Altuna, I hadn't directly addressed her yet either, there was no reason to rush.

  "Young Master Ledion."

  Lady Arianiti set her cup down and turned to me properly.

  "I will be honest. I had concerns about this arrangement when my husband first proposed it."

  The room shifted slightly and I could feel all the eyes fall on me.

  “That’s an understandable concern. After all, I’m the youngest and possess a very frail body. However, weakness of the body does not equate to weakness of the mind, Lady Arianiti.”

  I let a small amount of [Rule] leak out.

  It wasn’t enough to cause damage, just a heavy, cold pressure that settled over the room like a sudden drop in temperature.

  “I may be frail, but the Topia blood runs thick. I assure you, I have no intention of being a burden to your house.”

  Zana and Elena looked at me with wide eyes. They weren’t used to me speaking like this.

  “Well said.”

  The voice didn’t come from the matriarch.

  It came from the girl standing behind her.

  It was the first time I genuinely took notice of her appearance. She had long ginger hair and sharp green eyes that resembled her mothers, dressed in attire that would be considered more relaxed instead of a dress.

  Altuna stepped forward, bypassing her mother entirely. Up close, she was even more intimidating.

  “Mother worries about politics. I worry about capability.”

  She stopped a few feet from me, looking down. It was annoying, being looked down on physically, but I held her gaze.

  “You have Esenca. I can feel it. It’s faint, but it’s dense.”

  “I’ve been told I have some talent.”

  “Talent is useless without application.”

  She turned to the room, addressing everyone but looking at no one in particular.

  “The Arianiti family values strength. Not just magical power, but the will to use it. If I am to be betrothed, I need to know if my partner can stand on a battlefield or if he’ll crumble at the first sign of blood.”

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  Altuna ignored her. She turned back to me, a spark of challenge in her eyes.

  “Altuna, this is hardly the place.”

  Lady Arianiti warned, though her tone lacked real bite.

  “A spar. Right now.”

  “Absolutely not!”

  Zana stood up, knocking her chair back.

  “He just recovered from poisoning! He can barely walk!”

  “It is improper, he is a mage, Altuna. You are a knight in training”

  Elena added, her voice tight.

  “He is a man of the Topia household. If he breaks from a simple spar, then he would have died on the battlefield anyway.”

  Altuna countered calmly. She looked at me, waiting.

  Well it wasn’t a surprise, but If I accepted, I’d likely get my ass kicked.

  But one thing was certain, she wasn’t looking at me with malice. She was looking for a reason to respect me.

  The room went silent again.

  “I accept.”

  I said, pushing myself up from the chair. My legs felt weak from the training, but I should be able to hold on long enough.

  Altuna smiled. It wasn’t a gentle smile, it was the grin of a predator who had prey fall into it’s trap. How naive.

  “Wait!”

  Zana tried to intervene again, stepping between us.

  “We cannot allow this. The Patriarchs aren’t even here—”

  The heavy double doors to the main hall slammed open.

  A gust of wind swept through the room, carrying a pressure so immense that the lights flickered and dimmed.

  Two men walked in.

  One was a stern man with graying hair and robes of high quality silk, the Arianiti Patriarch.

  The other was a giant.

  He wore a simple white coat over military uniform, a longsword strapped to his waist. His presence was like a mountain, immovable and terrifying. He had the same black hair as me, the same cold blue eyes, but on him, they looked like a freezing tundra.

  Kreshnik Topia, The White Blade and my father.

  He looked around the room, taking in the tension, the standing figures, and finally, his eyes landed on me and Altuna.

  “I heard something interesting outside.”

  His voice boomed, deep and resonant.

  He walked past the stunned mothers and stopped in front of us. He looked at Altuna, then at me. The gaze reminded me of the first time he accepted me as his son… back then I was a promising talent, one with incredible talent.

  “A spar?”

  “Yes, Lord Topia.”

  Altuna answered without hesitation, saluting sharply.

  “I wish to see if he has the resolve.”

  Kreshnik grinned, letting out a baleful presence that made my face pale. It was terrifying.

  “Good. The garden is too small. Use the training hall.”

  “Husband! Ledion is sick!”

  Zana cried out, though it was pointless.

  “He is standing, isn’t he?”

  Kreshnik dismissed her concern with a wave of his hand.

  “If he dies from a spar, he wasn’t meant to be my son.”

  He looked at me.

  “Show me what you have, boy. Don’t embarrass our name.”

  Crazy fucker… but that’s why I liked him.

  The training hall was massive, built of reinforced stone that could withstand bombardment. Servants and guards had already gathered, word spreading like wildfire that the sickly Young Master was fighting the Arianiti daughter.

  I stood on one side of the ring, holding a wooden training sword. It felt heavy in my hands. My Strength was only 4 after all. Swinging this thing was going to be a workout in itself.

  Altuna stood opposite me, holding her wooden sword with one hand, relaxed, her stance full of openings that I knew were baits.

  “Ready?”

  I took a deep breath.

  I couldn’t win in a contest of strength. I couldn’t win in a contest of speed. My only advantage was [Rule] and [Shadow]. I had to use my smarts here.

  “Whenever you are.”

  She didn’t wait.

  She launched herself forward, covering the ten meters between us in a blink. It wasn’t magic, just pure physical explosive power.

  She swung, a horizontal slash aimed at my ribs.

  I didn’t try to block. If I blocked, my wrist would snap, so I lowered my body, Collapsing my knees and falling beneath the arc of her sword.

  The wind of her swing ruffled my hair. It would’ve been bad if it was a real sword.

  I activated my [Shadow] trait.

  For a split second, my presence vanished but that was all I could manage with my current level.

  Altuna’s eyes widened as she lost track of me.

  I rolled forward, past her guard, and thrust my sword up toward her stomach.

  She didn’t panic, twisting her body mid-swing, her momentum carrying her into a spin, and brought her leg around.

  She swung a heavy kick at me.

  I saw it coming, but my body was too slow to react fully. I managed to bring my left arm up, just barely.

  ‘Shit’

  The hit landed way too heavy for me, It felt like being hit by a sledgehammer. I could hear my bones crack as the impact launched me back, skidding across the stone floor. Pain exploded in my forearm, it was definitely broken.

  I coughed out blood, which wasn’t surprising. My body was far too weak for combat like this, I needed longer to recover.

  “Not bad…”

  Altuna said, turning to face me. She looked genuinely surprised.

  “You dodged the first strike. And you… disappeared for a second.”

  I struggled to my feet, clutching my arm, my breath was ragged.

  That one hit took way too much out of me.

  “I told you…”

  I wheezed, forcing a grin.

  “I have some talent.”

  “Then show me more.”

  She came again.

  This time, she didn’t rush. She approached methodically, cutting off my escape routes and tiring me out even further.

  I dodged all of her attacks as best as I could and backed up further to gain some time.

  I closed my eyes for a second.

  I needed to use it, the only thing that could bridge the gap.

  I focused on my Esenca. It was a small pool, but it was volatile.

  [Basic Elemental Magic]

  I couldn’t cast extravagant magic right now since I didn’t have the time or the esenca, but I could do something simpler.

  As she stepped forward to strike, I stomped my foot.

  [Earth Tremor]

  It was a weak spell, but it would do the job. I aimed it directly under her front foot just as she transferred her weight, which was harder than it sounded.

  The earth shook just slightly and Altuna stumbled as she put her foot down. It was a tiny mistake, a temporary loss of balance, but it was my only opportunity.

  I lunged, pouring every ounce of my remaining Esenca into my legs and my remaining arm.

  I activated [Rule] for as long as I could, unleashing the full force of my mental pressure. For a trained soldier like her, it was just a distraction, but that split second was all I needed right now.

  My wooden sword thrust forward, aiming for her throat.

  She recovered faster than I thought. She couldn’t dodge, so she didn’t try. She simply dropped her sword and caught my blade with her bare hands.

  Clap!

  The sound echoed through the hall.

  She stopped my thrust inches from her neck. Her palms were pressed tight against the wood, her muscles straining.

  We stood there, frozen.

  I was panting, sweat dripping down my face, my arm throbbing.

  She was staring at me, her eyes wide.

  “You…”

  “Draw.”

  Father’s voice cut through the air like a blade.

  He was standing at the edge of the ring, his arms crossed. He was looking at me with a terrifying intensity.

  Altuna let go of my sword and took a step back. She looked at her empty hand, then at her sword lying on the floor.

  Then she looked at me and smiled.

  “You’re crazy, you used a spell to trip me?”

  “It worked, didn’t it?”

  “My name is Altuna.”

  “I know.”

  “No.”

  She shook her head.

  “I mean, remember it. Because next time, I will win.”

  She extended a hand.

  I looked at it, then at my broken arm, then back at her.

  “I’d shake it, but you broke my dominant one.”

  She laughed.

  “Healers!”

  Father roared, though it was already a bit too late. My body was already giving up.

  As the healers rushed over, I looked up at the ceiling and fainted.