"Wait, Lira," Charles said, raising his hands in a calming gesture. His voice came out steadier than he expected, though inside he was scrambling for a way out.
After all… he only had 22 health points!
"Think about it for a second. We're in your room, not a fighting arena. If we brawl here and now, won't we wreck the place?"
Lira stared at him for a moment, then, to his surprise, let out a short, dry laugh.
"What's wrong, Rian? Already chickening out?" she said, crossing her arms with a sarcastic smirk. "Look, if you manage to beat me now, I'll give you my word: I'll push your fights back a week, you'll fight at night, and they'll be the last two matches of the day—the big ones, the ones that matter."
She paused to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, then added with a biting tone:
"Of course, that's if you can beat me, which I highly doubt."
Despite her authority as Kraus Cole's daughter, rescheduling fights wouldn't be easy, even for her.
Her promise was empty, a mockery dressed up as an offer.
Charles, hearing her words, just thought it was a lousy deal.
Did he really have to beat her to get permission to fight?
That was absurd!
"I could get hurt right now," Charles insisted, trying to reason once more. "If you break something here, I won't be in any shape to fight later. Don't you want to avoid me tarnishing the Cole name?"
Lira smiled, but this time there was a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"Glad you're finally getting my point," she said, stepping toward him. "That's exactly what'll happen if you insist on those two back-to-back fights today. Darion will wear you down with his air control, and if you survive… Syris will burn whatever's left of you to a crisp. But if you give up now, you don't have to worry about any of that, right?"
Lira's voice was soft, almost kind, but it dripped with condescension that turned Charles's stomach.
'This woman is seriously unhinged…' he thought.
Charles quickly scanned the room, weighing his options.
There was no water in sight—no bucket, no jug, nothing he could use as a conductor like he did at the fountain.
Without that, he was undeniably at a disadvantage.
Lira, taking his silence as surrender, turned and sauntered back to her armchair.
"Good, I guess we're done here," she said with a victorious tone, sitting down with an elegant flourish. "Get out of my room, Rian. Your servant clothes will be in your quarters by tonight. Get ready to start with the crops tomorrow."
She waved a hand dismissively, already tidying the items on her table.
Charles clenched his teeth.
The thought of giving in, of bowing to Lira and spending his days watering plants while she lorded over him… it made his blood boil.
'No,' he thought, a spark igniting in his chest. 'I'm not going to be her slave. I'm not going to live like Rian.'
He took a deep breath and spoke before she could fully ignore him.
"I want to fight you in a proper arena."
Lira froze, her hand still on the table.
What had this idiot just said?
Slowly, she turned her head, her eyes narrowing.
"What did you say?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous.
But Lira didn't wait for an answer. She sprang to her feet, fury practically radiating from her, and stormed toward Charles with quick, determined steps.
Before he could react, she threw a punch straight at his face.
Swish!
The blow cut through the air, and Charles dodged on pure instinct, twisting his head to the side.
Her fist missed his cheek by inches, the sound of the swing making his eyes widen.
'Shit!' he thought, stumbling back a step. 'She's as fast as Nora!'
Toren Vask's sons had been slow, clumsy, predictable.
But Lira…
She stopped, her arm still extended, and glared at Charles with rage.
"What's wrong with you, Rian?" she said, her voice trembling with fury. "You think this is a game? That you can waltz in here, challenge me, and then demand we go to the arena like you're some big shot?"
She stepped closer, invading his personal space.
"You've always been useless. What makes you think you can face me, here or anywhere else? Come to your senses!"
Charles swallowed hard, trying to stay calm.
His heart was pounding, his mind racing.
"Listen," he tried, raising his hands again. "I'm not saying it'll be easy. I'm just saying if we're going to fight, we should do it right, in a place where—"
"Shut up!" Lira cut him off. "I'm not wasting time dragging you to an arena so you can make a fool of yourself in front of everyone. If you want to fight, we do it here. Now."
Her eyes blazed with an intensity that made him take another step back.
'Damn it, do I really have to beat her in a fight right now?' Charles thought, desperation creeping in as he felt his body start to tremble.
Exhaustion was winning.