Oriana walked briskly out of the dining room, her eyes darting left and right looking for Adric. She found a maid leaving his room with a set of clothes.
"Is Prince Adric inside?" Oriana asked the girl, who bowed her head.
"His Highness is inside," the maid replied. Oriana waved for the maid to leave before going to stand at Adric’s door. She inhaled deeply before knocking on the door. It was Adric’s personal guard who opened the door.
"Princess Oriana," Rowan bowed, moving to the side for her to step in. When she did, he left the room and closed the door.
Oriana walked inside the room, she saw where Adric was standing in front of the mirror, fixing the band on his hair properly. He didn’t turn despite noticing Oriana’s presence.
"Prince Adric," Oriana cleared her throat, her hands squeezed tightly. Not hearing any answer from Adric, she continued, knowing he could hear her. "Are you sure you can go on with the duel? I noticed your hand earlier..." Oriana’s voice trailed off when Adric turned to look at her.
Adric dropped his hands to his sides, his head tilting slightly. "What happened to it?" he asked, staring at Oriana unblinkingly for a moment before looking away and grabbing his baldric.
"It looks like you hurt it. Would you be able to fight with it?" Oriana asked.
Adric chuckled. "Are you worrying about me right now?"
"Yes, because if you fight with that injury—"
"Now tell me, why are you worried about someone you have no intentions of being married to?" Adric sauntered forward to close the distance between them, mischief dancing in his eyes.
Oriana opened her mouth to talk, then she paused and took a step back. Why was she worried about him? "I’m worried because I’m the reason you got hurt. You were trying to save me yesterday. I can do that much, can’t I?"
Adric nodded. "You can." He grinned, raising his hand to touch Oriana’s golden hair, then moved it to the side to reveal her face properly, his fingers grazing her skin in the process.
Oriana inhaled deeply when she felt Adric touch her face, she closed her eyes. It was a familiar touch she wasn’t repulsed by; it was a touch her body had gotten used to.
"Seems like your body still remembers, hm? Princess," Adric drawled, moving his hand down to her neck, knowing exactly where was sensitive on Oriana’s skin.
The princess couldn’t deny that she was enjoying the feeling; it flamed a desire inside of her. Oriana was getting lost in the touch when she remembered it was nobody else but Adric. Her eyes flew open, and she took a step back. Her golden eyes flickered with anxiousness. "Please, let’s respect each other’s boundaries."
"I did, but you walked into my room yourself. Did you forget so soon the type of person I am?" Adric said, rubbing the fingers he used to touch Oriana together. "Still soft."
Oriana’s face burned crimson at his comment. She tried to shake it off, but Adric walked forward. Instead of standing in front of her again, he walked past her to the door.
"Go ahead and enjoy the duel today. I have a surprise especially for you after," Adric said without turning his face to look at her.
When the door closed, Oriana placed her hand on her chest, exhaling loudly as she had been holding her breath. She looked at the room one more time before leaving. Outside she saw Adric’s personal guard still waiting.
"Princess Oriana, His Highness has asked me to take you where you’ll view the duel better," Rowan bowed.
Oriana pressed her lips. "Will anything happen if he loses the fight?"
Rowan hummed, standing straight. "He would have to grant the wish of the winner. No matter what it is," the guard replied. Seeing that the princess was worried, he smiled. "Don’t worry, His Highness has never lost. It’s called the Combat of the court because it’s a reminder to the court officials why they should bow to one king."
Oriana nodded, following the guard to the arena where the fight would take place.
At the arena, Fidelis and Gwen sat together, with a large umbrella held over their heads and two maids fanning them. The same was done for Curtis and Saline, while their children sat on the other side with their own servants attending to them. Oriana was made to sit closer to the ring where the fight would be held. When she arrived, she saw some ministers bringing out their substitutes and everyone getting ready for the fight.
Adric sat opposite Oriana. When their eyes met, he gave her a small smile before entering the ring made ready for the fight.
"The first opponent of His Highness will be the Minister of Trade, Lord Markus," the announcer shouted with a loud voice.
The Minister of Trade stepped forward. Behind him was a taller, bulkier young man. "To fight in place of me, I present the best warrior from my clan. He is called the Crying Wolf."
The tall, bulky man stepped inside the ring, making crying noises. He would throw his knife up and catch it with his teeth without getting hurt. People cheered and clapped for his display as the man continued to entertain them.
Oriana gripped her gown tightly. She could see clearly by the man’s body that he was a dangerous fighter.
"And our reigning champion, His Highness, Crown Prince Adric," the announcer called before stepping out of the fighting ring.
Adric walked inside the ring with a smile on his face. He could hear cheers, especially from women. His eyes settled on Oriana, whose eyes were filled with worry.
"Let the Combat of the Court begin!"
The Crying Wolf was the first to shout loudly as he ran with all his strength to make an attack on Adric. Adric’s eyes followed the man’s movement, and he noticed he was limping on one side. Detecting the weakness, he took the head of his own knife, waiting until the man was close before striking him hard on the hip.
"Argh!" The Crying Wolf shouted in pain at the counterattack he didn’t see coming. But before he fell, he dragged Adric’s hand with force.
Adric grunted but tried to make it subtle. It was the same hand he was trying to keep away from his opponent’s eyes. With this, he lost balance and fell with the man.
"Your weakness, huh?" The Crying Wolf remarked with a smug look of victory on his face.
Everyone exclaimed when Adric fell, including Oriana, who almost stood up from her chair.
Back inside the ring, Adric grinned. "You hit the spot," he muttered before using his free hand to hit the man’s neck, causing him to choke. Then Adric stood up, grabbing his knife. He held it to the man’s neck. The Crying Wolf raised his hands to give up.
"Crying Wolf loses, His Highness wins!" the announcer shouted, and the crowd cheered.
Adric walked out of the ring, going to get ready for the next fight.
"With other ministers conceding defeat without even making an attempt, the next opponent of the Crown Prince will be the Prime Minister." The announcer said, then someone whispered something to him.
"And it just got better. The Prime Minister will be fighting by himself with no substitute, and it shall be a blood fight. The one with the most fatal cut wins," murmurs erupted in the crowd. It was rare to have a blood fight, especially with the Crown Prince involved. A fight like that usually ended with one person’s death. Everyone waited in silence to hear from the Crown Prince.
Adric nodded his head in approval. "I accept the challenge," and a loud cheer erupted from the crowd.
Adric tied his sword properly on his right hand, then entered the ring. The next person to join him was the Prime Minister.
"Nicholas?" Oriana muttered when she saw the young man go to stand in front of Adric. She blinked. Nicholas was the Prime Minister of Avon? But he said he was just a servant... Oriana bit her lips, a servant of the crown.
Nicholas turned his face to look at Oriana, then he gave her a bright smile and waved.
Adric followed his eyes and saw Oriana looking at Nicholas, surprise written all over her face.
"His Royal Highness, Prince Adric, and the youngest Prime Minister of Avon, let the best win!" The announcer stepped back as the cheering crowd shouted, getting ready for the fight.
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