Chapter 22: SHATTERED PRIDE
BAM! BAM!
Both attacks struck true.
Swoosh! Nerissa flew through the air like a broken kite, crashing hard. Rovan slammed face-first into the stage with a brutal thud.
Dust billowed into the air like slow-rising smoke.
The entire arena froze. Spectators stared without blinking, terrified they’d miss even a fraction of what came next. The duel — expected to be a walk in the park for Rovan — had turned into a breathtaking spectacle.
Now, silence ruled.
Who had emerged victorious?
No one moved. Not a single cheer, not a single breath.
In the viewing box, Marquess Donald Yale stared at the stage, every muscle in his body taut with tension. His fingers clenched his wine glass so tightly that it cracked — a droplet of red trailing down the stem.
Across the field, Zephyr Albrecht and Prince Rowan stood motionless, their gazes locked onto the battered stage. Even Lilith Starwind — so often disinterested — was leaning forward, arms folded, watching with rare attentiveness.
Then — movement.