The fork trembles in my hand as I cut off a piece of meat and slowly bring it to my mouth. Even though the Vermillion family seems to be staring down at their plates and eating, I can feel all their attention focused on me. Leopold warned me about good table manners, and even showed me the basics, but I feel as if something horrible is going to happen, like me dropping my fork or smearing the sauce of the meat all over my mouth.
Don't eat too much. Take tiny bites.
Remember to wipe your mouth.
Hold your cutlery with grace.
The instructions that I once scoffed at are now my lifeline. I carefully set down my utensils and dab at my lips with the smooth napkin, not daring to look up and see what the Vermillions are doing. They're judging me, assessing me, seeing if I'm ready for a life of nobility. I take a sip of water, barely allowing anything through my lips. Then I turn back to the piece of meat on my table, rolls of fresh bread and exotic greens lying next to it.
The silence drags on, not a human voice to be heard as the sounds of chewing and clinking surround the room. I'm almost through with my potatoes when someone pipes up.
"Were you not engaged to that other nice girl?" One of Leopold's cousins, seated at the left of the table. I raise my head simultaneously with the rest. It takes me a while to figure out that the speaker is the same one that mocked my rank as an Intermediate.
"Yes. Seradina Lameose," Leopold answers politely but tersely.
"And what happened to her?" There is nothing mocking in the voice of the speaker, but the question itself is a little slap in the face.
"A Heart's Duel." Again, another terse reply.
This causes another round of whispers and murmuring, but it dies down pretty quickly.
"A Heart's Duel, you say? And who was the challenger?"
Leopold allows a small eye roll before replying, "Mari, of course." He continues eating as the whispers flare up again, the clatter of cutlery being placed on plates echoing throughout the room.
"No way! She beat a Lameose?"
"The events must've been skewered in her favor!"
"Impossible. If she was the challenger then Seradina would have chosen two of the events."
"Maybe Seradina was unfit to be a Vermillion then, if she lost to a commoner!"
There goes that filthy word again. Commoner. But I continue eating, taking small bites of the vegetables and dabbing at my lips. Please just let this go already. The Heart's Duel is over, why gossip about it? Of course, I don't get my wish. Instead, I get something much, much worse.
The table shudders as someone slams their hands against it, jolting everyone into silence. I slowly lower my fork and my knife, and lift my head to see one of Leopold's cousins with both palms on the table. "How can she prove her worth here, at a dining table? She belongs in the arena, on the battlefield, with the warriors!"
"Sit down, Terone. We cannot stray from the ancient rites of our family." Fuegoleon stands up, instantly looming over the speaker. Terone gives a disappointed grimace and sinks back into his chair. Well, there goes my chance. It looks like I'll have to stick with the prissy noble stuff. "However," my head perks up as Fuegoleon starts to speak again. "If someone decides to challenge Mari, then she may prove herself as a fighter instead of a noble."
I scan the faces at the table, silently begging one of them to step up. Are they not saying anything because they're scared since I beat Seradina, or because they think fighting me will be a waste of their time. Probably the latter, but as I focus onto everyone's face, there is hesitation and reluctance underneath their cool features. Please. Just one of you. And then the moment is gone, with no one raising their hands or speaking up. I droop my head and stare at my plate, disappointed and crestfallen.
"Very well. Then I will challenge her." My head shoots up, my eyes widening and fixing themselves on Fuegoleon Vermillion.
"Don't accept!" Terone bursts out. "Not unless you have a death wish!"
"Silence!" Fuegoleon snaps, but his words have been said. All eyes are on me as I slowly rise, facing Fuegoleon. My heart pounds in my chest, and from the corner of my eye, I see Leopold with blank shock on his face. What do I do what do I do what do I do. I won't win this duel, but I won't impress them enough if I stay and eat. That's when it hits me. He never said I had to win, just that I had to prove myself.
Taking a deep breath, I set my face hard with determination. "I accept."
The effect is instantaneous. Everyone at the table except for Fuegoleon stands up and steps back without a word. What's going on? I look at Fuegoleon with confusion, and in return he gives me a wicked smile before launching a fireball right at my face.
I duck and roll to the side, the heat almost scathing my skin. I leap to my feet and rip the pins that hold my braided bun in place out of my hair. With a little bit of magic, I launch the pins at Fuegoleon, my black locks tumbling out of the braid and into wavy strands. Fuegoleon cuts through the pins and leaps onto the table, the plates clattering as he races towards me, light-footed despite his large frame. He raises his hand and strikes downward as he jumps off of the table, sending a stream of fire at me.
I dart to the side, but stumble when my foot catches onto the stupidly long dress. Glaring and gritting my teeth, I use my magic to cut the dress off at my knees, taking the extra swaths of fabric and tying up my hair with it. The sash that holds my grimoire comes loose as it floats out, glowing and flipping open its pages at my command.
Fuegoleon charges, his fist blazing with fire.
"Dark Magic: Black Lightning."
Just when his hand comes within inches of my face, I swat it out of the way and ram my shoulder into his stomach, the strength of the blow increased by my spell. He gives a surprised grunt as he is shoved backwards by the attack and its momentum, stumbling for a few seconds before regaining his balancing. We stand still in a face-off, the table behind him and the wall behind me. My spell still hasn't worn off, so I make the first move, running at him in a blur of darkness. But as soon as I get too close, he surrounds himself with fire, weaving his hands to create swaths of red and orange in a shield around his body. I back away, my hands in front of me, the skin on my palms stinging with minor burns, as the shield dissipates.
I expect him to continue the face-off, but instead he races at me as soon as his shield disappears, flying through the flames like some sort of god. The move is so sudden that I barely have time to react, shifting myself to the left as he slams his fist into the wall at the spot where I once was. I slide into the space underneath the table, getting only a glimpse of his feet hurriedly spinning around to follow my movement. Then I slice through the table and leap out, kicking the severed piece at him with a blast of my magic. He incinerates it, the wood splintering into a fiery mess, but I can tell that I've caught him off guard. Don't get too cocky. He doesn't have his grimoire, but he can still get the better of you.
Fuegoleon pools his fire into one palm before releasing it into an inferno-like blast. Even though I move to dodge it, it catches me in the left, and I double over from the blinding pain of the burn. Raising my head, my vision blurry from the intensity of my wound, I see Fuegoleon running at me, a blaze of fire engulfing his fist. I leap back and race across the table, retreating for the wall on the other side. Panic overtakes me as I realize that I'm trapped. I can dodge all I want, but sooner or later, Fuegoleon will overpower me. Then something sparkles in the corner of my eye, and I see the chandelier dangling over the table.
As Fuegoleon nears, his other fist now also one of raging fire, I gather my mana together, making sure I have enough for this move. Using the strength that I have, I wait until Fuegoleon is in position before leaping over him. I land on his head, my foot pressing against his hair as I use him to boost me up to the chandelier. I climb to the very top, swinging it back and forth to dodge the insistent blasts of fire from Fuegoleon. A few catch me, singeing my skin, but I keep my grip on the chandelier.
"Dark Magic: Murky Grip."
Tendrils burst from the ground and seize Fuegoleon, wrapping around his arms and his legs, keeping in place. He struggles against them, writhing in their hold, but I'm already onto my next spell.
"Dark Magic: Black Comet."
The mana that I have left is released from my finger, except I focus it on Fuegoleon, not allowing it to fly in all directions. As it races at him, its speed too fast for even him to dodge, time seems to slow down. His right arm breaks free from the tendrils, and he sends a concentrated blast straight at my head. I duck instinctively, and it rips through the chain that is holding the chandelier. I hear his cry of pain as my Black Comet tears through his bicep, but then I'm falling, the chandelier coming down with me.
Lights, crystals, and gold crash around me and on top of me as I land hard on the table, the impact knocking the wind out of me. I hear someone scream my name, and weakly, I lift my head, the debris of the chandelier weighing down my body. Through the bright and dizzying bulbs around my head, I see my tendrils disappearing, and Fuegoleon standing up.
I... failed.