The next day, Aarav walked toward the training grounds. He spotted Selena sparring with Lucian while Luca watched from the side.
"Selena... hi."He waved at her awkwardly.
Selena immediately turned toward him."Hi, Aarav. Hey... I'm really sorry I couldn't show up yesterday."
Aarav smiled softly "It's okay, Selena. I understand." After a brief hesitation, he spoke again. "Selena... can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Aarav. What is it?"
Aarav swallowed nervously. His lips moved, but only broken words came out. "Can... train... you guys... for a while...?"
Selena blinked. "Sorry, Aarav. I couldn't understand you."
He took a deep breath "Can I train with you guys?"
"I need to prepare for the final exams too ,Please."
Selena smiled and nodded. "Sure. But don't disturb me, okay?"
Aarav smiled back "I won't."
________________________________________
From that day onward, Aarav trained harder than ever.
He ran countless laps around the training grounds.
He did push-ups until his arms trembled.
He swung his wooden sword over and over again.
Yet...
He still felt out of place. He felt like he wanted to give up many times .
But when ever he did lose motivation he looked at Lucian and Selena continuously sparring together, laughing between exchanges.
Aarav kept convincing himself, "I just need to work harder...Then everything will go back to normal."
________________________________________
Two months before the final examinations—
Alice entered the classroom with an announcement."Today, we'll be deciding your partners for the final practical examination."
"It will be a two-versus-two battle.So choose your teammate carefully."
"Your performance will also determine who enters the Special Class."
The classroom immediately erupted into whispers.
The Special Class was a dream for countless students.
Anyone who entered it and maintained good grades was almost guaranteed a position serving under the royal family after graduation.
It would bring Selena one step closer to achieving her dream.
Aarav wanted to become a part of that dream.
So..He trained even harder.
________________________________________
That afternoon, the duel class began. Students gathered around the practice arena as Alice called out the names.
"Lucian."
"Yes, Madam."
"Aarav Valden."
The training ground immediately fell silent.
Even Lucian looked surprised.
Aarav stepped into the arena, gripping his wooden sword tightly.
Lucian smiled politely. "Let's have a good match."
"...Yeah." Aarav replied while getting his sword ready .
Alice raised her hand "Begin."
Clack!
The wooden swords collided.
Lucian attacked first. Aarav barely blocked before retaliating with a horizontal slash.
Clack!
Another clash.
Then another.
For the first time...Aarav was actually keeping up.
The surrounding students slowly began whispering.
"Has Lord Aarav improved?"
"I didn't expect this."
Alice watched silently and then she looked at Selena cheering for both . "So... that's why ."
Her thoughts drifted back to that morning.
_______________________________________
The following morning, Aarav had arrived at the academy much earlier than usual.
Instead of heading toward the training grounds, he quietly walked toward Alice's office.
Knock.
"Come in."
Alice looked up from the papers on her desk.
"Aarav? Is something wrong?"
He hesitated before lowering his head "Madam...May I ask you for a favor?"
She raised an eyebrow."What is it?"
"...Can you pair me against Lucian during today's duel class?"
She studied him quietly"Any particular reason?"
Aarav forced a smile "I just...I want to know how far I've come."
After a long moment, Alice slowly nodded.
"...Very well."
______________________________________
The cheers of the students brought Alice back to the present.
"Wow...Lord Aarav is actually keeping up with Lucian!"
Even Lucian's expression had changed."Wow he's gotten stronger from just 2 months of training . .."
Aarav continued pressing forward. His footwork was clumsy, and he knew he lacked Lucian's experience.
But when it came to raw strength...
He had the advantage.
Clack!
Aarav knocked Lucian's blade aside and forced him backward. Without giving him a moment to recover, he unleashed a relentless barrage of heavy swings.
His swordsmanship was crude.
He hadn't learned from books, nor had he gained experience on real battlefields.
Every attack relied on brute force, and every defense was little more than blocking with either his sword or his body.
It was far inferior to Lucian's refined style.But every strike carried determination. He refused to back away.The exchanges became faster. Neither gained a clear advantage.
Then, little by little, Lucian adapted. Instead of matching Aarav's strength, he began redirecting each heavy swing with small, precise movements.
Aarav's arms gradually grew heavier. His breathing became rough. His swings widened. They became slower and sloppier.
Lucian noticed immediately."This is it..."
He patiently waited for a mistake.
Finally Aarav committed to another wide slash.
"There!" Lucian stepped in, driving his wooden sword toward Aarav's right side.
But Aarav suddenly abandoned technique altogether. Instead of blocking with his sword.. He raised his left forearm and took the hit. Pain shot through his arm.
Still, he endured it.
Then Bam!
He threw his entire body forward. His shoulder slammed into Lucian's chest.
Caught completely off guard, Lucian stumbled backward.
Before he could recover
Thud!
Aarav's wooden sword crashed into Lucian's right flank with all his strength.
The spectators gasped. Some students frowned.
"Using your body like that..."
"That's dirty."
But Lucian had no complaints. In a real battle..There were no rules. He simply grunted in pain.
Aarav had done it. One clean strike to Lucian's head...
And the duel would be over.
For the first time in months... Hope appeared inside Aarav's heart.
'I can do it...'
'If I win...Maybe everything really can go back to normal.'
Just as Aarav stepped forward to deliver the final strike .A familiar voice echoed across the arena.
"Lucian!" Selena stood near the edge of the training grounds. "Don't lose now! Come on!"
Lucian smiled faintly "I know."
Aarav froze ,His eyes slowly drifted toward Selena.
She wasn't looking at him. Not once.
She was cheering...For Lucian.
The hope inside his chest quietly cracked.
His grip weakened and His confidence disappeared.
Aarav recover and was about to land a strike but it was too late
Lucian immediately noticed the opening.
Clack!
With one clean strike, he knocked Aarav's wooden sword from his hands.
The weapon spun through the air before landing several meters away.
Silence spread over the field
Alice stepped forward.
"Winner..."
"Lucian."
The students applauded. Lucian walked over and offered Aarav his hand.
"You've improved a lot."
________________________________________
Aarav simply stared at Selena. She was smiling. Not at him but at Lucian.
For the first time,Winning no longer mattered to Aarav.
Because even when he had finally become good enough...The person he wanted to notice him..Never did.
Selena walked over with a bright smile.
"You did great, Aarav. You've improved so much in such short time.I honestly didn't expect that."
She patted him on the back.
Aarav slowly got to his feet."...Thanks, Selena." His voice was flat.
Without looking at either of them again..He quietly walked away.