Chapter 29: The Ice Queen’s Jealousy
The morning sun filtered through the small window of Leon’s private quarters and cast a warm glow over his face.
He slowly opened his eyes and stretched his limbs on the plush feather mattress, immediately noticing the terrifying density of his own muscles.
Having seventy points of Strength and Agility radically altered his perception of the physical world.
The heavy oak wardrobe in the corner looked incredibly light, as if he could casually toss it out the window with a single hand.
He ran his fingers over the upgraded Aura Concealment Ring resting on his left hand and felt the dense magical ward actively wrapping around his novice core. The dark metallic band hummed with a quiet reassurance that promised to hide his explosive growth from the terrifying predators roaming the upper wing.
He washed his face with cold water and dressed in his tailored black attendant uniform before heading out into the pristine marble corridors.
The Sterling estate was already filled with chaotic activity in preparation for a grand banquet being hosted by the Patriarch that evening. Dozens of lower servants scrambled past him carrying crates of expensive imported delicacies while heavily armored guards barked strict orders to maintain the perimeter.
Leon navigated his way to the grand library and spent the first few hours of his shift organizing the restricted historical archives.
He moved with a silent fluid grace that allowed him to effortlessly glide up and down the towering wooden ladders. Around midday the heavy gilded doors swung open to reveal Beatrice.
The Head Maid looked breathtakingly sharp in her pristine uniform, though her icy blue eyes carried a lingering trace of volatile exhaustion. She had clearly spent the entire night agonizing over the scandalous interaction they shared trapped against the bookshelf.
Beatrice marched down the central aisle and stopped a few feet away from his position. She aggressively adjusted her wire rimmed glasses and purposefully avoided making direct eye contact with him.
"You are to finish dusting the western shelves by three o’clock Leon," Beatrice commanded in a brisk tone that actively tried to reestablish her cold professional boundaries.
"Lord Sterling requires a specific vintage of Elven wine for the banquet tonight. You will proceed to the Patriarch’s private cellar beneath the grand dining hall and prepare the casks for the kitchen staff."
"I will make sure it is handled Lady Beatrice," Leon replied smoothly while offering her a respectful bow.
He utilized his passive Lie Detector skill and watched her aura wildly flare with a confusing mixture of strict authority and repressed flustered heat at the sound of his resonant voice.
Before she could issue another harsh warning about maintaining his distance, the grand grandfather clock in the hallway chimed three times. It was time for his scheduled appointment in the lion’s den.
Beatrice frowned deeply as Leon confidently set his feather duster down on a nearby reading table.
She opened her mouth to demand his continued labor but the unspoken threat of Lady Seraphina’s wrath kept her silent.
The Ice Queen clearly despised the fact that a common attendant was fraternizing with the eldest daughter of the house, and her passive aura practically radiated a bitter chilling jealousy as he walked past her toward the eastern courtyard.
The private training grounds were basking in the intense heat of the afternoon sun when Leon stepped onto the reinforced white marble. The elite guards and noble squires were gathered around the perimeter just like yesterday, but their arrogant sneers had been replaced by expressions of tense anticipation.
They had watched this frail looking servant dodge a lethal strike from the Silver Goddess and slap her midriff, so they were eagerly waiting to see if his luck would finally run out.
Lady Seraphina Sterling was waiting for him in the center of the arena.
She wore a sleeveless dark leather combat tunic that showcased her sculpted arms and violently accentuated the generous swell of her chest.
Her silver hair was tied up in a practical braid that whipped through the air as she elegantly practiced a series of devastating sword forms. The moment she spotted him approaching, a predatory smirk graced her perfect lips and she tossed a heavy ironwood practice sword directly at his chest.
Leon caught the weapon effortlessly with a single hand.
The dense wood felt surprisingly light to him today.
His newly acquired Sword Mastery skill flared to life in his mind and instinctively corrected his posture. He shifted his feet into a flawless defensive stance and aligned the blunt edge of his weapon to perfectly deflect an incoming blow.
Seraphina paused her warm up routine and raised a sculpted silver eyebrow. She immediately recognized the dramatic shift in his martial foundation.
"You actually know how to hold a blade today Leon," Seraphina noted with genuine fascination while pacing slowly toward him. "Did you spend the entire night practicing in your room or are you just full of endless surprises?"
"I am a very fast learner Lady Seraphina," Leon offered with a magnetic smile that made the noble daughter’s violent crimson aura pulse with competitive excitement.
She did not waste another second on idle conversation.
Seraphina exploded across the twenty feet of marble in a terrifying blur of motion and launched a devastating horizontal slash aimed directly at his ribs.
Leon did not activate his Aura Step to flee. He braced his boots against the ground and swung his own ironwood sword to intercept her attack.
The collision sounded like a thunderclap ripping through the courtyard.
The immense kinetic force behind her swing normally would have shattered a commoner’s arms into dust, but Leon’s seventy points of Strength firmly held the line.
His invisible Mana Skin actively absorbed the residual shockwave as their wooden blades locked together in a violent struggle for dominance.
Seraphina’s violet eyes widened in pure unadulterated shock as she realized her physical strength was actually being matched by a servant possessing zero readable aura.
She aggressively twisted her wrists and disengaged the lock, instantly launching a relentless flurry of masterful strikes aimed at his vital points.
Leon relied heavily on his seventy Agility points and his deep well of magical combat knowledge to weave through the deadly assault. He parried a thrust aimed at his throat, sidestepped a vicious downward cleave, and smoothly redirected her momentum using the flat of his blade.
The elite guards watching from the sidelines stood in absolute stunned silence.
They were witnessing a masterclass in physical combat between the undisputed prodigy of House Sterling and a boy who swept the library floors.
Seraphina was breathing heavily with a thin sheen of sweat glistening on her pale collarbone.
Her blood was pumping with an intoxicating thrill she had not felt in years.
She intentionally stepped inside his guard and brought her face dangerously close to his, allowing the intoxicating scent of ozone and sweet lavender to wash over his senses.
"You are incredibly dangerous Leon," Seraphina whispered fiercely while their wooden swords clashed together one final time. "I am going to figure out exactly what you are hiding under this facade of yours."
Before the sparring match could escalate into a truly lethal exchange, a sharp voice echoed across the courtyard.
"Lady Seraphina, the Patriarch requests your immediate presence in the war room," an armored captain announced from the sidelines while offering a deep bow.
The Silver Goddess clicked her tongue in profound annoyance and reluctantly lowered her practice sword.
She stepped away from Leon and wiped the sweat from her brow, casting one final lingering glance at his composed figure.
She promised him a much longer session tomorrow before gracefully marching off the training grounds, leaving Leon to deal with the aching bruises forming beneath his uniform.
Comments