Aegis stepped onto the platform, her daggers already drawn.
Across from her, Talia adjusted her grip on her rapier, yellow eyes cold and focused. She looked absolutely gorgeous—black hair tied back in that tight ponytail, her uniform pristine despite the heat of the arena, those yellow eyes practically glowing in the torchlight.
Aegis took a breath, trying to center herself.
[Okay. She's going to throw the match. She has to. The whole point of me being here is to win this thing so I can marry her. She knows that. We talked about it. Multiple times. While naked.]
Talia's expression didn't change. Not even a flicker of recognition.
[She'll probably make it look good, but she'll let me win. That makes sense. Right? Right.]
Valdris raised her hand.
"Combatants, ready?"
Aegis nodded, forcing herself to breathe normally.
Talia settled into a combat stance, weight on the balls of her feet, rapier held low.
The crowd fell silent. The kind of silence that made Aegis's ears ring.
