“The Katen Kingdom prefers people who look strong on the outside,” Ares explained, shaking his head lightly. “So, it can be considered unusual.”
“Ah…” Kirine nodded slowly, understanding what he meant.
Ares’ appearance was certainly striking, but compared to the massive physiques of Katen Kingdom natives, he might seem somewhat delicate.
Still, isn’t he good enough? Kirine thought, subtly assessing him. He was tall, lean, and agile, with broad shoulders. No matter how I look at it, I prefer this over the Katen men, she decided.
Just then, Kirine slapped her head, the sound startling Ares. “What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?” he asked.
“Wow, I think I’m going crazy,” Kirine replied.
“You definitely are,” Ares said, clicking his tongue. He carefully examined her forehead. “How hard did you hit yourself for it to be this red already?”
“Well, there was a reason for it, you know,” Kirine said, sheepishly.
“Sure,” Ares replied, skeptical. What kind of serious reason would make someone slap their own head? He shook his head, his eyes still fixed on her forehead. He was displeased that it had already turned red. Why does she treat her body like that? he wondered.
Just as Ares was about to say something, they arrived at the training facility where Sasha was.
When he told Estelle he was there to pick up Sasha, the little girl soon appeared, running towards them with a bright smile. However, someone blocked her path.
“Is this girl your daughter?” Viarte asked, her silver eyes sparkling with interest.
Sasha, barely reaching Viarte’s waist, had long eyelashes framing her round amethyst eyes. Her pale face was full of curiosity, not fear. Her delicate hands waved as she looked up. She had a lovely appearance that could easily be mistaken for a doll.
But suddenly, a question crossed Kirine’s mind. This is strange, she thought.
Viarte stroked her chin, glancing between Sasha and Ares, her brow furrowing slightly. Strangely, the child resembled neither her father nor her mother.
Before Kirine could dwell on the thought, Viarte said, “I could give you cuter children.”
Kirine’s expression turned to disbelief as she covered Sasha’s ears.
“This person has no shame to say things like that in front of a child!” Kirine glared at Viarte, her anger evident.
But Viarte remained unfazed. “Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”
“You did! Especially in front of my daughter!” Kirine exclaimed.
“Is she really your daughter?” Viarte asked, her tone seemingly innocent.
Kirine felt her blood pressure rising. “What?” she replied, her voice laced with disbelief.
“You’ve been saying all sorts of things since earlier,” Kirine continued. “Is that all you have to say now?”
“Calm down,” Viarte suggested.
“Do I look calm right now?” Kirine demanded. “You’ve been saying strange things all this time, and I’m supposed to just take it?”
The thought of having to duel against her will due to an unheard-of proposal was already frustrating enough. With Viarte constantly poking at her nerves, Kirine couldn’t hold back any longer.
But Viarte’s expression remained indifferent as she looked at Kirine. If anything, she seemed intrigued, as if observing a peculiar creature.
“You’re like a cat,” Viarte said.
Kirine blinked, thinking she’d misheard. But Viarte merely continued to gaze at her. Kirine’s pale skin contrasted sharply with her jet-black hair, and her crimson eyes seemed to draw her gaze in. Her sharply angled eyes reminded her of a black cat.
“Isn’t it better to treat a person like a flower than a beast?” Kirine asked.
“Still, a cat is quite a cute little beast, isn’t it?” Viarte replied.
“Who do you think I want to look cute for?” Kirine retorted, her stomach churning with annoyance. “If you lose to me, you need to apologize formally.”
“Is it really necessary to apologize for this?” Viarte asked.
“I need an apology, so you’d better apologize!” Kirine insisted. Viarte only stroked her chin as if she didn’t understand.
Perhaps it was thanks to that, but her determination to win this duel surged within her. It was definitely the only way.
How did it come to this? Kirine thought. To defeat Viarte, who constantly irritated her, she trained tirelessly with Ares. After training, she would even dream of training in her sleep.
But on the day of the duel, an unexpected incident occurred.
“Are you okay?” Kirine asked, her voice laced with deliberate concern. At the end of her gaze was Viarte, clutching his bleeding thigh in pain.
“Well… it’s bearable,” Viarte replied.
“What? No way,” Kirine exclaimed. Viarte’s face looked as if she was about to die, yet she said something so insincere that it was both ridiculous and pitiable.
Why did it come to this? Kirine thought, letting out a complicated sigh and tilting her head back. Memories of what had happened just a few hours earlier flooded her mind.
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