“What did you do?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBzZJRCoUx
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGCQPkgMYMn
Her crimson eyes held his without wavering, the question hanging between them like an unsheathed blade. Then her expression shifted - not quite anger, but something colder. More precise.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyNmTMdUR9
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVRqDSWTvn
“Since when,” she said quietly, “did I give you permission to drop formalities?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBd5WCwKarX
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcY3PM3uXkq
The correction landed with deliberate weight. Not loud. Not dramatic. Just a statement of hierarchy that reminded him exactly where they both stood.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmm2E0R2jk
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJI9OQ22SJ
“That doesn’t matter right now.” The words came out harder than he’d intended. Desperation bled through despite his attempt at control.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaEm9jtGMsQ
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQHAXhc09n
Though her expression suggested it mattered quite a bit to her. That his casual use of her name represented a boundary crossed without permission.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNRNy2ffzD
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcvoZcETQt
Silence stretched between them. The training grounds waited in darkness, moonlight painting everything in shades of silver and shadow. Somewhere in the distance, a night bird called out and received no answer.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVr2zBajhPB
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtM0JMUn3M
Cel forced himself to breathe. To remember that she’d just saved him from execution, that alienating her now would be monumentally stupid.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADtGtVXuGh
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbDbwy5KQUQ
“Lady Hestia.” The formal address felt strange on his tongue after months of casual training ground interactions. “Forgive my rudeness. May I ask what transpired during the conference?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM3hqPDBqgx
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnXhrnlcub
She studied him for another moment, as if weighing whether that correction was sufficient. Then something in her posture eased fractionally.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPVuXusDME
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrJAXcH9cT
“I spoke for you,” she said simply.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDfzGJxgeB
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlQyq2OsUGn
Cel’s hands clenched at his sides. He’d suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed was different. 160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiBzpVgimO
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrPmpf3L21
“How?” Cel forced the question out carefully. “How did you accomplish that? I committed a crime worthy of execution. The laws are clear.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pCR5euQjy
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tgWM6dnnJ
“They are.” Hestia’s expression remained neutral. “But laws exist within hierarchies. And hierarchies have their own rules.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8wmirL19V
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkeEBtn5GfV
She moved to a section of the training ground where moonlight fell strongest. Her shadow stretched long behind her.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBka7Ez79d
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiyESpCedE
“I am a noble, just like Kyros. But there’s a difference.” She turned to face him fully. “I will succeed House Mortveil. The leading House of the entire Death Clan. That succession is already decided.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNedrme7zy3
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmICiD6VHev
Cel processed this information slowly, fitting pieces together.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3MuG3rPeID
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdl8WPIu8eT
"Kyros will succeed House Solgrand. Almost certainly. His siblings are too young and not as talented as him. House Solgrand doesn't lead the Sun Clan, though. They compete for that position, yes. They're influential, powerful. That's all there is to it." 160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpN1opF5v38
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3P1zx6Qjr
The distinction crystallized with uncomfortable clarity.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4irqbpDbj
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvy1Op3of9z
“So in the hierarchy,” Cel said slowly, “your words matter more.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUuBtljktz
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaze6X8VAV1
“Considerably more.” Her tone carried no pride. Just statement of fact. “When I speak, I speak with the authority of someone who will command an entire Great Clan. When Kyros speaks, he speaks as the heir to a house that aspires to leadership but does not possess it yet.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPgKhMm08n
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNMTRPzd2T
Cel’s mind tracked through implications. The weight her vouching would carry. The political calculation other nobles would make when deciding which side to stay on. 160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4t4JtRpI6
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2l2CqghpSL
“But he still got hurt,” Cel said. “I still attacked him. How did you justify that?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQZWthwf73
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBmBMHUHGK
“I argued that the incident arose from escalating tensions between students of different standings. That Lord Kyros had contributed to those tensions through his own behavior.” Hestia’s crimson eyes remained steady on his. “That punishing you severely while ignoring the circumstances would set a precedent that encouraged nobles to provoke commoners into exactly this kind of reaction.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HOuV1gS0H
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBfTZVVIs0U
Smart. Devastatingly so. She’d reframed the narrative from unprovoked assault to mutual escalation - made it about institutional dynamics rather than individual guilt.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZ2Ys3MR6w
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fMpgyBOMG
“The other heirs present saw the logic in that argument. Or at least, they saw no benefit in opposing it.” 160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtxya5OMjF
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAtfGulSjR
Silence stretched between them.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNILE8tbq0g
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtfwo5cBSf
“Didn’t this...” Cel hesitated, then pushed forward. “Didn’t this ruin your relationship with the Sun Clan?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1QbhpMwQA
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4VRkQ3KRN
Hestia’s expression went flat. “There was no relationship to ruin.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm2x0aBN4WS
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlGJvLw4bD
The words landed with bitter finality. Cel remembered then - what the barkeeper had mentioned months ago. 160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSizV56ByNH
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQNFfTm4T9
Raven Mortveil had killed a Chosen of the Sun Clan. Someone with a Divine Oracle as guide. Their future.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjzdtzTzuM
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzkVT9yr7Y
And the Sun Clan had never forgiven House Mortveil for that.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnPYqxnFbs
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEu4yN3X2z
“There’s another reason I could defend you so effectively,” Hestia continued.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqpSBsrEle
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEIyDJhWjtf
“What was it?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwoDp53U7zU
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6hviCf87d
“I told them that you are Lady Esrin’s disciple. No one in their right mind wants the Empire’s strongest warrior displeased with them.” 160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzDfKXC2LQ
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PSoPKqQUO
The pieces finally aligned - Hestia’s standing, Esrin’s backing, the carefully constructed argument about systemic tensions. Together they’d built a framework that made his survival politically viable.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzonwa1yMNE
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WyAwByuPd
“So you...” He forced the words out. “You confirmed what I told you? With her?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHC1O9rW5bV
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUcKLQZA4N
“I did.” Hestia’s crimson eyes tracked across his face. “And she confirmed your story. Said you were under her tutelage.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0bRiXjgSG
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKZuBkAPdK
Relief flooded through him so suddenly it left him dizzy. Esrin really had covered for him.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTmJk6bKmAN
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWkJBEPOadt
“Are we good then?” Cel asked. The question came out more uncertain than intended. “You and I?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYB9lhd3Q4k
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIE8NqvaV9
Hestia’s expression shifted - something calculating entering those crimson eyes.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mmifF0IN8
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGzy37t729
“I’m not sure.” Her voice dropped lower. “I remember quite clearly how you suddenly attacked me.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqvCaztTVq
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdS4Soir65a
Cel cleared his throat. There was no justifying what he'd done. 160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡga6oOokQzj
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2UU1CGEZMn
“I apologize for that.” The words came formal. Careful. “What can I do to make up for it?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASiEZw9JND
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMW6KJYMG5
Hestia studied him for a long moment. Then she smiled - small, controlled, carrying an edge that made his instincts scream warnings.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWUX1AMWVp
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HJjYKrCCN
“A favor,” she said simply. “At a time of my choosing.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ5SnQ9ScQc
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwoNPBTFCM
Every part of him wanted to refuse. Owing favors to people who could threaten his revenge was dangerous. Stupid. The kind of mistake that came back to destroy you when you least expected it.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgqelWZS4z
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVpnYdBIuC
But he’d attacked her first. Had put a blade to her throat over nothing more than a question that made him panic.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74us1mmkiD
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGw5Aw33fHD
And she’d just saved him from execution.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CXFZgcXzy
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfNwLuHS7F
“Alright,” he said reluctantly. “One favor. Within reason.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8RGm8fx5Z5
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnEglaHznn
“Good.” Hestia’s smile widened fractionally. “Then we’re settled.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6lKvjFdgJ
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE0pJvIGGrt
She moved, dismissing the tension between them with the same efficiency she applied to everything else. Her posture shifted into something more relaxed - not quite friendly, but no longer hostile.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOS4nDJlFhI
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuV4Pv14Vxp
“Would you like to spar?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU8H3mDJhMb
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBZ42Abv89
Cel glanced up at the moon, calculating time. He’d planned to go to the Reckoning’s hideout like usual. To train with Silas.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqwcelF52h
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAfysHdPwe
But it was already late. Far too late to make the journey across the city and back before dawn. 160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhqN0w6BXE
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYa9q37pnvR
And Hestia was here. Offering.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6R2uL6FmXN
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1x0JHdnDAd
“It would be my pleasure.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt4pQHS5jcw
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomuSez2dcV
They moved to the center of the training ground without ceremony. Artifacts materialized - Silent Moon in his grip, her crimson longsword catching moonlight along its blade. They settled into starting positions, and for a heartbeat everything went still.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54BlX8tyKg
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJhUpO21NMe
Then they moved.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGofVPZjRr
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdl4MYO5pLf
The exchange was brief. Brutal in its efficiency.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy72rtAKC2m
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT5VlyD481G
Hestia’s technique remained as flawless as ever - each strike flowing into the next, each parry creating openings that she exploited before Cel could adjust. She anticipated angles he hadn’t consciously decided on yet. Defended with the kind of economy that came from years of training under masters who accepted nothing less than perfection.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WbFHrEGe5
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQgTivKbS2
The bout ended with Cel’s back hitting packed earth. Hestia’s blade stopped a hand’s width from his throat - not touching, just hovering there as a statement of fact.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MgPL5piaf
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAMv5Nqh98
Hestia stepped back, lowering her weapon. Cel remained on the ground for another moment, catching his breath, staring up at the sky that seemed to shift colours.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpviSAeDBTg
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1gNIZfG0Q
“You held back again,” Hestia said. Not quite an accusation. More like stating an observed fact. “Is it because of your noble background that you try not to stand out?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLynC85nYX
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNmPYyIKbN
The question made him go still. His eyes cut toward her, finding her standing perhaps five steps away with that same assessing expression.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcsjRbv71Qr
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiH13tPxUbs
She was still a risk factor. A threat to everything he’d built since arriving at the Academy. One word to the wrong person and his true identity would unravel. His revenge would become impossible. His father would know he’d survived. Would prepare. Would ensure the next disposal attempt succeeded where the first had failed.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNq2DXGXMi2
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsEM3MAtMZ
But if something happened to her…160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUH96mEciP2
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tL2JJVgwq
Esrin would know. She already witnessed it firsthand.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2pfLxJSBb
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrI2l6VKYc
Killing her wasn’t an option. Neither was lying - she’d proven she could find the truth somehow.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdp0l1wZ8A
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUB88NRpcx
“Yes,” he said finally. “But it doesn’t matter if I use my full strength or not. I want to become better at technique. At reading opponents. At understanding combat beyond just hitting harder.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHujTEbXvJ9
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZd8vY99NB
A pause.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLulrjq9sn
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFl43LrZmHp
“And I don’t want to hurt you.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZY4696ZA6j
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH23ZYFylco
The admission came out quieter than intended. More genuine.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8lniJaLHC
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmIPzKpjD0O
Hestia’s expression shifted - surprise flickering across her features before settling back into neutrality.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AzQWrEIGq
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDR6mpxBcuT
“Hurt me?” The words carried something between disbelief and amusement. “You should consider yourself fortunate that Lady Esrin intervened. If she hadn’t...”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VrGxucz4f
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ615nWlo6cj
She left the implication hanging. But her meaning was clear. Their fight would have ended with him dead.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOW0M1fjHk
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTflCSsfqI
“I would have won.” The words escaped before Cel could stop them.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfl1DzquyGm
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYcrzp4x2H
He pushed himself upright slowly.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDmBjyCD2N4
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcIMV0gOxK
Hestia’s glare could have drawn blood.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Lt75j3cl1
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYGMyYua9d2
For several heartbeats they held that eye contact - his stubborn insistence meeting her cold certainty. The air between them went tight.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mUxDd9tsk
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUH7R1NwQ4n
Then Cel sighed, letting his shoulders drop.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6uqLTb9Qv
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhjE82etYo
“You’re right.” The words tasted like ash. “I would have lost. Badly.”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvYMqUp1iP
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKSZOk6t27
Hestia’s glare softened fractionally. Not quite approval, but acknowledgment that he’d chosen sense over pride.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbMLqhWpe5
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8XxsQdgEg
She moved to sit on the ground, crossing her legs beneath her in a meditation posture. After a moment’s hesitation, Cel joined her, settling onto packed earth that still held the day’s warmth.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZEffnq2Ey
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqBFt0dafx
“How did you even know?” he asked. The question came careful. Measured. “How did you figure out I’m a noble?”160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHEjoVXDjr
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspiJWXempv
Hestia turned to look at him fully, crimson eyes catching moonlight in a way that made them seem to glow. 160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡADXRfOkzba
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7IFAbwZ0CS
The night waited for her answer.160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIlc4q7KA9
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxN3AlgrUg4
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDSq4X0Agu5
---160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiK3hK3V5qk
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrKLWa3KiQ
160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDnKss2z3oA
​​​​​​​Want to read 8 more Chapters?  160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe973n5KWYd
Here you go: https://celastos-shop.fourthwall.com/160Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROY2L1FgKF
1234 copyright protection156ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsUlgAWZQv 尼

216.73.216.136