The morning at the Rosewood summer manor was very busy.

With the duel later in mind, the servants hurried to complete some of the small assigned tasks. More soap appeared at every tap and sink in the manor, and the kitchen was stocked with a whole host of ingredients like soybeans and chilli that the Earl liked.

Count Aegean stressed over the contract, while the Royal Guards set up the duelling field on the open space at the front of the manor.

As the time of the duel approached, people started to trickle over. It was mostly Rosewood employees and residents of Redmond town, but even the three Investigators came out to see, standing behind the barriers that the Royal Guards had cast around the duelling ground.

Imperial Councillor Blewitt preferred not to stand among with the servants. Instead, he stood by the windows in a room on the first floor overlooking the duelling field.

With great reluctance, Manager Gregory went outside. He stood with Manager Ashdown, Solicitor Carmine, Mage Munsell, Mage Alabaster and the Investigators. The servants politely kept a clear circle of space around them.

Fifteen minutes before time, Ren Xiyang closed the summer manor’s contracts book. He strode over and opened the door to his suite right before the prince could knock. “Your Highness, Count Aegean,” he greeted.

Ren Xiyang had changed to a plain black tunic, tightened at the waist, and black trousers. His black hair was tied back.

Rian himself had changed into finely stitched duelling clothing in white and blue.

“Ready?” Rian asked, his ice blue eyes sparkling. “Count Aegean has drawn up the contract for us. I’ve already signed.”

Count Aegean wasn’t shy about showing his unhappiness. “Your Highness, are you sure you want to proceed? I’ll destroy the contract immediately.”

“Count Aegean, please hand the contract to the Earl.”

Count Aegean reluctantly handed the papers over.

“Thank you for your hard work, Count Aegean,” Ren Xiyang said. He read through the contract and then signed Ayden Rosewood next to the prince’s signature.

Count Aegean took the contract back, lips twisting downwards.

Ren Xiyang closed and locked the door to his suite. “After you, Your Highness.”

“By the way,” Rian said as they walked down the stairs. “Last night, dinner included a dish called ‘tofu’. I was informed that it was your recipe.” He glanced sideways at Ayden. This foreign ‘tofu’ felt like a clue to Ayden’s background. There was no such dish in Sedaveria.

“I read it somewhere,” Ren Xiyang said vaguely. “If you’re interested, I’ll have the kitchen make other dishes with tofu. It’s a good side dish and can be eaten alongside or in replacement of meat.”

“That would be welcome,” Rian replied agreeably.

Count Aegean said nothing. He preferred not to admit that he had liked it.

They soon reached the front of the manor.

“Give way for his Highness Prince Rian Azure! Give way for Earl Rosewood!” the Royal Guards shouted. The people parted, allowing the group to walk onto the duelling field.

“Cast the personal sparring shields,” Count Aegean commanded.

“Yes, my Lord,” one of the Royal Guards stepped forward and cast shield spells on Rian Azure and Ayden Rosewood.

“Now, check the field,” Count Aegean said next, following the guard out of the duelling field.

“Yes, the spells are stable,” another Royal Guard confirmed. The spells around the duelling field should stop any stray attacks hitting the audience.

Count Aegean frowned unhappily as he couldn’t delay things further. “Your Highness, Prince Rian Azure, do you agree to magically duel against Earl Ayden Rosewood?”

Rian Azure stood straight with that little bright smile that did not bode well for Count Aegean. “I agree.”

“Earl Ayden Rosewood, do you agree to magically duel against His Highness Prince Rian Azure?”

Ren Xiyang inclined his head. “I agree.”

Anticipation built up in the crowd.

Count Aegean felt a big headache from these children. “Then take your positions.”

Ren Xiyang and Rian Azure walked to opposite ends of the duelling field and turned to face each other.

Spectators held their breath.

Count Aegean had to steel himself and say the words. “Then, let the duel begin.”

Spectators strained forward, eyes wide to see what would happen—

—No motion.

It was so quiet one could hear the nearby birds.

Neither Ren Xiyang nor Rian Azure moved. Feeling the pause, they met each other’s eyes.

Ren Xiyang’s fingers curled slightly.

It seemed that both had the idea of scoping out the other’s abilities first.

Rian Azure thought it wasn’t fun to have a long stalemate. Ren Xiyang didn’t care for psychological waiting games.

Hands moved.

CRACKLE—SHINNNNG—!!

Three balls of fire burst out from Ren Xiyang, while an array of sharp ice formed around Rian Azure. Ice and fire clashed at the center of the field. Steam exploded out, smashing against the sides of the duelling field shields.

“!!!” More than one person raised their hand in reflex to block the attack.

FIRE! ICE! FIRE! ICE!

The two children stood stationary at each end of the field, summoning fire and ice. The wind roared as the temperature rose sharply and fell haphazardly, causing hair and clothes to flap widely.

BOOM! FWWOSHH! Fire and ice met explosively again and again.

Searingly bright fire and reflective crystalline ice made the entire duelling field glow.

Good aim, Ren Xiyang and Rian both thought. Curved attacks, distractions, diversions, even fire and ice coming up from the ground itself—the other was able to block and defend.

Strong, they both thought.

The servants and commoners watched with big, wide eyes, unwilling to even blink for how much would happen in a fraction of a second. In their daily lives, they rarely saw magic. Most mages were nobles, and the ones that weren’t were employed by the nobility and in general didn’t interact with the poor. THIS display in front of them blew their minds. They felt as though they understood first-hand why nobles were nobles and commoners were commoners.

Little did they know that this terrifying ability wasn’t common among the mages in the nobility.

The Royal Guards tensed up. Prince Rian had been placidly practising his ice magic with them as per the King’s orders, but it wasn’t like this! Technically they were ready to step in the moment anything went wrong…But they didn’t think they had the power to stand between the two mages fighting in front of them. If they tried, they’d die from both fire and ice.

Meanwhile, Count Aegean’s mouth had dropped open in shock. Prince Rian had been training over the last few days, but he had still been using verbal spells. He hadn’t known that Prince Rian had mastered nonverbal spell casting! He hadn’t known Prince Rian could be so fast!

And Ayden Rosewood, by the Saintess! It turned out that that fire-flying trick wasn’t just a single trick! If Prince Rian hadn’t mastered nonverbal spell casting, then he would have been too slow to counter Ayden Rosewood’s rapid attacks. Count Aegean was an adept water mage, yet he could barely follow the flight paths of deadly ice and magic and fire that Rian Azure and Ayden Rosewood could decisively dodge or block.

Count Aegean felt a chill. These two children…they were so strong now. Once they became adults…

The thought was sobering.

—And dammit, if the prince is so good, why does he act naughty all the time?!!!

Manager Gregory also felt a chill. The rumours about Ayden Rosewood’s ability were fucking underestimated by a thousand times! With a flick of a finger, one of those fire blades could strike Gregory dead in an instant.

Mage Munsell swallowed down his jealousy. If only he could be such a strong combat mage, instead of a healer mage.

Mage Alabaster frequently dealt with out-of-control child mages: their powers often appeared very strong, but they lacked control and could die from lack of magical energy regulation. But Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood were the opposite of chaotic. They were geniuses.

Imperial Councillor Blewitt was completely stunned. The Eldest Prince Rian Azure was even more powerful than the King had been at his age. What kind of terrifying mage would he become in the future? Should he support Prince Rian Azure to become the crown prince…or should he deal with him early?

And where had this Ayden Rosewood been hiding? He was much more powerful than the late Earl Roland Rosewood at the height of his abilities, and he was also only twelve! It was well within the realm of possibility for Ayden Rosewood to fight the other noble families and grab a promotion to become a Marque or even a Duke and swallow up more land.

Solicitor Carmine himself wasn’t a mage, despite coming from the fire-ability Carmines—hence his current job as a solicitor to a different noble family. He had seen other fire mages like Roland Rosewood and his eldest brother, Baron Carmine, fight before. None of them were like this. Not a single spell was spoken. Ayden Rosewood’s hand movements were not hand-spells either, not when the same movements produced dramatically different results. Right there and then, he made a prediction in his heart. With Ayden Rosewood as the Earl, the Rosewoods would rise once more.

Rian felt exhilarated as the attacks went faster and faster. He could really get to know Aden Rosewood. Rian felt as though they had come to a mutual agreement to cast only elemental spells. He grinned, enjoying the battle. His smile widened at the thought of poaching Ayden Rosewood to become his first ally. He was an ice mage, and Ayden was a fire mage. Didn’t they match very well? Ayden’s ideas were interesting. Maybe he could shake up the old Imperial Councillors~

Rian gave a short laugh. If so, Count Aegean might even seriously think he was planning to usurp the throne!

Count Aegean, upon seeing Prince Rian smiling happily: “…” He wanted to knock the prince on the head! He was in the middle of a dangerous duel, what was there to laugh about??

Across the duelling field, Ren Xiyang’s eyes narrowed slightly. He took one step forward, then another and another. Rich magical energy filled his body, from deep in his chest to the tips of his fingers. His fire balls condensed into burning white prisms. The accuracy sharpened, expending minimum energy to just deflect the ice shards around him.

Rian’s lips curled up. He also slowly walked forward, narrowing the distance. This meant they both had to be faster in deflecting and blocking the other’s attacks. His pupils contracted when Ayden Rosewood suddenly moved his hands in a different shape.

A wall of fire rose from the ground halfway between them, crackling loudly. It twisted like a tornado, rushing towards Rian.

Count Aegean sucked in a sharp breath, his heart leaping to his throat. Prince Rian…!

Ice crystallised in an instant around Rian, forming a protective dome. Steam hissed and billowed out as the force of the flames seared through the ice. The flames split into multiple parts, each swelling in thickness as Ren Xiyang wrapped them around the ice dome.

Sweat dripped down Rian’s face. He lost control of the ice as it turned into vaporous steam in an instant.

Count Aegean couldn’t bear it any longer. Those flames looked as though they could completely shatter the shield that the Royal Guard had cast. None of them had expected Ayden Rosewood to be so strong. He couldn’t watch the prince get injured, not even a little.

“Stop! The match is over!”

 

 

 

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Ren Xiyang and Rian Azure have some tacit understanding…?

Rian: ^_^ It was great that we only used elemental spells. We understand each other!

Ren Xiyang: Oh. I forgot.

Rian: …

 

 

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ALSO! CC drew some fanart!

Stairs also drew some fanart!

Hehehe I love their Ren Xiyang’s 🥰