Chapter 289: The Forest Trial (Part Two)
"Do you already need a break, Princess?" Damien asked as he seized his attacks for a fleeting second. His tone and gaze were a mixture of mockery and worry. Despite his determination to give her a hard time throughout the test, either to make her realize that she had a long way to go or to make her bring out her true potential, he was unable to keep the fact away that she wasn’t just anyone but mate. The woman he loved the most.
Annalise let out a shaky breath as she stared back at her husband while trying to catch her breath. Fighting without a weapon against him was definitely not a great idea, but again, she was the worst with weapons since she hardly knew how to use them.
She and Kenric needed to work on their weapon training sessions more than she first thought would be necessary. She wasn’t a fan of weapons but there was no denying that weapons were of great importance during a battle.
"I’m not that weak, My Lord." She ended up replying as she positioned her body for the next round. All this time, she didn’t divert her attention from those beasts either that were still lurking nearby but not attacking her yet, probably because they knew that she was still trailing them with her magic.
Annalise wasn’t really sure how she did it, but she somehow succeeded in dividing her magic into two different directions, one was working on finding a way to deactivate Damien’s illusion spell while the other was keeping track of the beasts who were supposed to be her actual opponent in this trial. At the same time, she was also able to handle Damien, though not very elegantly but still worth complimenting.
Damien tilted his head to the side while his eyes studied her. Only after remaining silent for certain long seconds did he finally speak - "I’m sure by now you must have realized that today you are facing a dual challenge. You must duel me and defend yourself against the fierce beasts that inhabit this forest. It’s not just about physical prowess, but also your ability to stay focused and keep your emotions in check. Are you ready?"
Annalise took a deep breath, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension. "Yes, I’m ready," she replied, her voice steady.
To her surprise, Damien smiled warmly and stepped back, signaling the start of the second round but not before he threw a sword toward her that she somehow succeeded in catching right before it could have broken her nose.
"So... it begins."