CHAPTER 136: THE WINTER TRIALS 11

Aegis stepped onto the platform, her daggers already drawn.

Across from her, Talia adjusted her grip on her rapier, yellow eyes cold and focused. She looked absolutely gorgeous—black hair tied back in that tight ponytail, her uniform pristine despite the heat of the arena, those yellow eyes practically glowing in the torchlight.

Aegis took a breath, trying to center herself.

[Okay. She’s going to throw the match. She has to. The whole point of me being here is to win this thing so I can marry her. She knows that. We talked about it. Multiple times. While naked.]

Talia’s expression didn’t change. Not even a flicker of recognition.

[She’ll probably make it look good, but she’ll let me win. That makes sense. Right? Right.]

Valdris raised her hand.

"Combatants, ready?"

Aegis nodded, forcing herself to breathe normally.

Talia settled into a combat stance, weight on the balls of her feet, rapier held low.

The crowd fell silent. The kind of silence that made Aegis’s ears ring.

Valdris’s hand dropped.

"Begin!"

A pillar of ice erupted from the ground, shooting straight at Aegis’s chest like a frozen spear.

Aegis threw herself to the side, the ice missing her by inches. She felt the cold radiating off it as it passed.

[HOLY SHIT!]

She barely had time to process before another spike launched at her head—this one even faster than the first.

Aegis ducked, rolling across the marble. Her shoulder hit the ground hard enough to bruise.

[WHAT THE-]

A wall of ice slammed down where she’d been standing, the impact cracking the marble beneath it.

Aegis scrambled to her feet, eyes wide, heart hammering.

[She’s going all out! She’s actually trying to kill me!]

Talia’s face was a mask of cold concentration as she conjured another ice shard—this one the size of Aegis’s torso—and hurled it with a flick of her wrist.

It was easy to forget, since Aegis had so effectively tamed her, just how OP this girl was. In the game, she would usually be the main source of damage in the party, and with good reason.

Aegis cast Aether Step, teleporting three meters to the left in a flash of purple light.

The shard shattered against the marble where she’d been standing, sending frozen shrapnel everywhere.

[Is she using this as stress relief!? Did I piss her off somehow!? Was it the thing I said about her ass last night!?]

Another spike. Then another. Then three more in rapid succession. Talia wasn’t holding back at all. Each projectile came faster, more precise.

Aegis ran, weaving between projectiles like her life depended on it—because it fucking did. Her heart hammered in her chest so hard it hurt.

The crowd was going insane, their voices merging into one continuous roar.

"COME ON, PRINCESS!"

"KILL HER!"

"MY MONEY’S ON STARCALLER!"

"KISS HER!"

[Wait, what? Who said that last one?]

Aegis cast Aether Whip, the glowing purple tendril snapping out and wrapping around an incoming ice spike. She yanked, shattering it mid-flight in an explosion of frozen fragments.

She used the opening to close the distance, daggers raised.

Talia created a barrier of ice between them—a solid wall three meters high and thick as a person.

Aegis didn’t slow down. She slashed with Ruby and Sapphire, the enchanted blades carving through the ice like it was paper. Shards exploded outward, glittering in the torchlight.

Talia was already moving, her rapier flashing as she struck through the debris.

Aegis blocked with both daggers crossed, the impact rattling up her arms hard enough to make her teeth click together.

They broke apart, circling.

Talia conjured ice beneath Aegis’s feet—a slick sheet that spread like water. Aegis stumbled, her boots sliding, catching herself at the last second before she ate shit.

Talia lunged, rapier aimed at Aegis’s throat.

Aegis sidestepped and slashed at Talia’s sword arm with Ruby. The blade connected, biting into flesh and drawing a line of crimson.

Talia hissed and retreated, pressing her free hand to the wound. Blood seeped between her fingers.

[Oh fuck, did I hurt her? I hurt her. Shit, shit, shit—]

"Not bad," Talia said, her voice steady despite the blood.

Talia attacked again, her rapier a blur of silver. Each strike came faster than the last.

Aegis parried, blocked, dodged. Her muscles screamed with every movement. Her arms felt like lead.

[She’s not holding back. She’s actually not holding back. I’m going to die. I’m going to die and my last thought is going to be about how hot she looks!]

Talia conjured a sheet of ice across the entire platform, the temperature dropping ten degrees in an instant. Aegis’s breath came out in visible puffs.

The ice forced Aegis to slow down, her boots struggling for purchase on the slick surface.

Aegis cast Aether Step, teleporting behind Talia in a flash of purple.

Talia spun like she’d known exactly where Aegis would appear, blocking Aegis’s strike with the flat of her blade.

They locked eyes, faces inches apart. Close enough to kiss.

Talia’s breath was warm against Aegis’s face, her pupils dilated.

[Oh. Oh fuck. She’s enjoying this.]

Talia shoved her back with surprising strength and conjured another ice spike, this one aimed at Aegis’s legs.

Aegis deflected it with Sapphire, the impact making her wrist scream, then charged forward before Talia could create more distance.

She slashed with Ruby. Talia blocked, steel ringing against steel.

Aegis followed up with a kick to Talia’s stomach, putting her hips into it.

Talia grunted, actually grunted, and staggered back a step. Her eyes widened slightly.

Aegis pressed the advantage, attacking with both daggers in a flurry of strikes. Ruby high, Sapphire low, alternating, never giving Talia time to breathe.

Talia parried each strike, her movements precise despite the pressure. But she was being pushed back now, her boots scraping across the ice-covered marble.

They clashed in the center of the platform, steel ringing against steel in a rhythm that sounded almost musical.

The crowd roared, but Aegis barely heard them. Her entire world had narrowed to yellow eyes and silver steel and the way Talia’s jaw clenched when she was concentrating.

[God, I want to kiss her. Why do I want to kiss her right now? This is a terrible time for this!]

Aegis could feel her stamina draining. Every block, every dodge, every spell—it all added up. Her lungs burned. Her legs shook.

But Talia was slowing down too. Her breathing was heavier, coming in sharp gasps. Her strikes were slightly less precise, leaving openings that hadn’t been there before.

[She’s getting tired. I just need to outlast her. I can do this. Probably. Maybe.]

Talia created another ice wall between them, this one thicker than the last.

Aegis cast Aether Whip, the tendril slamming into the ice and shattering it into a thousand glittering pieces.

Talia lunged through the debris like something out of a painting, rapier aimed at Aegis’s chest, her hair coming loose from its ponytail.

[Fuck, that’s hot—FOCUS!]

Aegis sidestepped, but Talia adjusted mid-strike with terrifying precision, the blade grazing Aegis’s shoulder.

Pain flared, sharp and immediate.

Aegis hissed and retreated, pressing her hand to the wound. Blood seeped between her fingers, warm and sticky.

[Okay. New plan. Time to use what Rosanna taught me.]

She remembered the lessons on the Sky Piercer. The feint. The one that relied on perfect timing and your opponent’s assumptions.

Talia advanced, yellow eyes locked on Aegis like a predator. She conjured ice beneath Aegis’s feet again, the cold seeping through her boots.

Aegis pretended to slip, letting her leg go out from under her.

Talia’s eyes lit up with triumph. She lunged, rapier extended.

Aegis cast Aether Step at the last possible second, teleporting behind Talia in a flash of purple light.

Before Talia could react, before she could even turn, Aegis pressed her palm flat against Talia’s back and cast Aether Pulse.

The burst of energy slammed into Talia at point-blank range, purple light exploding outward. Talia staggered forward, her balance compromised.

Aegis didn’t hesitate. She swept Talia’s legs with a vicious kick to the back of her knee.

Talia crashed to the ground, her rapier clattering across the marble.

Aegis pressed Ruby to her throat, the blade steady despite her shaking hands.

Silence.

Complete, absolute silence.

Talia stared up at her, chest heaving, black hair spread across the white marble like spilled ink. Her yellow eyes were wide, pupils blown.

Then she smiled.

"I yield."

The crowd exploded into chaos—cheers and screams and shocked gasps all blending together.

Aegis stepped back on trembling legs, her heart still hammering, and offered her hand.

Talia took it, her grip warm and strong. Aegis pulled her to her feet.

As they separated, Talia leaned in close enough that only Aegis could hear her.

"You’re welcome," she muttered, her breath warm against Aegis’s ear.

Aegis blinked.

[Wait.]

Talia walked off the platform, her expression neutral, like nothing had happened. Like they hadn’t just tried to kill each other.

Aegis stood there, processing.

[Was she... taking it easy on me that whole time?]

She thought back to the fight.

The way Talia’s strikes had been powerful but never quite connected with anything vital. The way she’d created openings that Aegis could exploit. The way she’d positioned herself for that final sweep.

[She made it look real. But she was holding back just enough to let me win.]

Aegis’s chest tightened with something that felt uncomfortably like love.

[I’m going to marry her. I’m going to marry her so hard!!!]

The crowd was still roaring as Aegis walked off the platform, her legs barely working.

Scarlett tackled her in a hug that drove the air from her lungs.

"YOU’RE IN THE FINALS!"

Aegis wheezed, her ribs protesting.

"Scarlett—"

"You beat Talia! Princess Talia! The ice queen herself! The girl who’s never lost a match in her entire life!"

"Can’t—breathe—"

Scarlett let go, grinning so wide it looked painful.

"Sorry. I’m just so excited! Do you know what this means?"

"That I’m one step closer to death by Darius?"

"That you’re one step closer to a noble title!"

Sophie bounced over, practically vibrating with energy, her whole body moving.

"Big sis! You’re fighting Darius next! In the finals! THE FINALS!"

"Yeah." Aegis collapsed onto the bench. "I noticed."

Vera yawned, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

"Try not to die."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Vera. Really feeling the support here."

"No problem."

Lune looked up from her sketchbook and offered a small nod.

"Well done. That was... educational."

"Educational?"

"Your facial expressions when you’re terrified are very interesting."

"I’m so glad I could contribute to your art."

Aegis leaned back, her entire body trembling with residual adrenaline. She glanced across the arena and spotted Talia sitting with Liora, who was fussing over the cut on her arm with a worried expression.

Talia caught Aegis’s eye and gave a subtle nod. Just the barest dip of her chin.

Aegis nodded back.

Valdris stepped onto the platform, her voice ringing out.

"The final match will commence in one hour! Combatants, use this time to rest and prepare!"

The crowd began filing out, heading to grab food or place last-minute bets on the impossible—a commoner versus a noble prodigy.

Aegis leaned back, staring at the sky. The sun was setting, painting everything in shades of orange and gold.

[One more fight. Just one more.]

She glanced at the bracket board. Her name sat beside Darius’s, both of them in the final slot, glowing in magical gold letters.

[If I win, I get a noble title. One step closer to marrying Talia. One step closer to not being a commoner anymore.]

She raised a fist.

[Let’s do this!]