It was really not the master's day because he bumped into these people who only knew how to provoke others. He planned on just greeting them and leaving right after but he did not expect them to block his way. He could only raise a brow and look back at the prince who was smirking at him.
"Did I do something to offend you, your highness? That you would block my way like this?" Cygnus waved at the guards who were standing before him.
"What? You are in my territory and inside this place, I can do anything I want. So, there's nothing wrong if I block you with or without reason." Eizen gave the man a haughty look as he stepped towards him. "Besides I don't like how you are belittling me."
Cygnus was baffled at how imaginative the man was. "I have never belittled you, your highness."
"No? Hah! Don't think that I haven't noticed how you look down at me whenever you look at me and you did it again a while ago. Don't think that because you are the son of Duke Ginehart that you can do whatever you want!" The prince became angry all of a sudden and even jabbed his finger at Cygnus' chest.
With the patience a person like him could muster he looked at the prince's eyes before he spoke. "Then what do you want me to do?"
Eizen gritted his teeth before stepping back with his fists clenched on his side. "I challenge you to a duel. Let's see if you can still have that arrogant look on your face after I defeat you!"
Cygnus sighed at the childishness that the prince was showing. He did not understand why the king chose this idiot as the heir to his throne. 'Was he trying to ruin his kingdom?' Cygnus thought to himself.
The crown prince became agitated because of Cygnus's silence. He couldn't believe that someone would give him this kind of silent treatment. This humiliation, he wouldn't let it go.
"What do you say? Are you actually a coward if you can't follow a simple instruction!" The prince's voice went up a bit after the last word.
Because it looked like the prince wouldn't let him go, he better agree and be done with it. It was also the right time to show him that he was stronger. It's also a good chance to teach the crown prince a lesson that he won't forget.
"Alright," he simply answered.
They were then ushered towards the training arena inside the palace. It was where the prince would practice his sword skills. Upon arrival, Cygnus immediately noticed someone who was also practicing his sword.
When that man noticed their arrival, he stopped swinging and bowed in their direction. Cygnus returned the bow but Eizan ignored the other. He then heard the crown prince.
"What are you doing here, Glenn?" Eizan frowned at the man.
"I am here to practice my sword skills brother," he answered as he gave his sword to the servant who was with him.
"You can leave or you can watch as I defeat this arrogant person because I am having a duel with him." He pointed at Cygnus who was standing behind him.
Glenn's gaze shifted to the tall man standing behind his older brother. His black hair and almost innocent looking face would get anyone's attention but what draws people in would be probably his eyes that felt like an endless abyss of darkness. His gaze lingered on him fro a while before he returned his attention to his brother.
"I will be on the side then," Glenn gave his brother a nod as he stepped outside of the arena and found a seat where he sat down.
Eizen frowned because of his brother's cold response. For some reason, he celt more irritated than ever. Cygnus observed this awkward interaction between the brothers and drew a conclusion for himself.
And that Glenn, he was the second prince of the kingdom. Brilliant in both academics and fighting. He was praised over and over again because of his intelligence. Some even openly expressed their lament because he was not the first child and that he was not the crown prince.
Cygnus had heard about him but never actually met him in person because he was not at any of the banquets that he attended. Seeing him in person proved the rumors that the brothers were not close despite having the same mother. Eizen was clearly jealous of his own blood brother.
Cygnus laughed and shook his head in disappointment at how these people were resenting each other just because of trivial things. Eizen noticed Cygnus's reaction and thought that he was laughing at him. He gave the man a glare but Cygnus wasn't bothered by it.
"Let's start!" Eizen declared and took the first step inside the arena with his sword. "In this battle none of us is permitted to use any kind of magic. If any of us breaks that rule then that fighter will automatically lose."
Cygnus removed his coat and let the maid hold it for him. He then received the sword that was handed to him by one of the guards and also stepped inside the arena. He twirled the sword a couple of times before calmly standing in front of the crown prince.
At the signal of the designated referee, the match has officially started and yet none of them moved an inch. Both of them were sizing up their opponent that a full minute already passed but neither of the two tool the initiative to attack. Eizen was also losing his patience as every second passed by.
The crown prince then decided to attack as he propelled himself forward using the force of his feet. His sword was ready to slash the moment he got near Cygnus. Before the sword's sharp edge could reach Cygnus, he raised his sword in a vertical position in front of him.
Cygnus's sword blocked the blade which pushed him skidding on the stone arena stage. He was still moving back when Eizen attacked again and this time his sword came down from above. Thanks to Cygnus's fast reflexes he still had the time to block the attack by raising his sword above him and letting it absorb most of the attack's impact.
The force from that attack was no joke though. Because the pressure from that attack caused the arena to crack. Cygnus used his might to push back the sword that clashed with his weapon and he succeeded. He then swung his sword as his body made a 360 turn.
The crown prince was forced to step back because of Cygnus's counter attack. Cygnus calmly stood from where he was and gave the prince a smile. He swayed from right to left before he suddenly disappeared from his spot and appeared before Eizen.
He then swung his sword from every angle to which the prince parried. Their movements were so fast that only the after image of the swords could be seen. Cygnus did not stop though he swung and stabbed while the prince blocked and also counter attacked.
This stalemate lasted for almost two minutes before it turned south. Cygnus's grip on his sword slackened for some reason and Eizen took this chance to attack. He stabbed through and almost skewered Cygnus if not for his fast reflex. The master managed to angle his body to the side to evade the stab but his clothes and skin were still grazed and blood started to trickle down from the wound.
He took that chance to jump back and create a distance between them. His gaze went to the hilt of the sword he was using and gripped it tightly. He then gave the prince a glare before he launched himself towards the prince.
This time he was fiercer and every attack he did cornered the crown prince. Eizen was surprised at the sudden turn of events that he was frozen for a moment. He was almost halved if it were not for his timely duck.
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