The lights that had brought the training ground beneath the palace to life dimmed once more as everyone left the area, heading upstairs.
Everyone agreed to clean up and change before gathering again in the reception room to hear the evaluations of the old man, Jan, and whatever else he had to say.
Deon would be lying if he said he wasn't excited. He wanted to hear the opinion of an experienced person regarding his fighting style. He knew he had performed poorly in the fundamentals and was sure to receive criticism for it. But Deon also felt that he had done some things right, and he wanted to know what they were so he could work on them further.
Walking beside him, Vierenna would glance at him occasionally. Her earlier worry had disappeared, but her expression was blank in a way that didn't seem promising.
Deon noticed this shift when the group separated. The De Ressa members went to their guest rooms to rest, while he and Vierenna walked side by side toward their own rooms.
Over the past few days, Deon had learned that Vierenna's room was directly above his. But he had never actually been there.
"What are you going to do now?"
Deon asked, hoping to get an idea of what was on her mind.
She looked at him for a moment before a smile returned to her beautiful face.
"I'll go to my room, pick out some clothes, and then take a bath. What about you?"
Deon studied her smile for a few moments, contemplating the change.
"It's kind of unfortunate that we don't have private bathrooms in our rooms."
"Yeah, kind of!"
She fell silent for a moment, fidgeting excessively with her fingers.
'She's nervous!'
Deon had come to realize that Vierenna expressed her anxiety by scratching herself, just as she was doing with her fingers now.
He was about to ask, but then her obsidian-gray eyes met his—filled with something unsettling. A deep cunning lurked within them.
"We had private bathrooms back at the main household, you know, in the Upper City. You used to be so shy when we bathed together. Look at you now…"
"We were kids!"
Deon cut her off immediately, knowing exactly where she was going with this.
"As your older sister, I still remember a lot about you."
Deon shuddered slightly under her mischievous smile, but he felt compelled to respond.
"You're barely a year older than me. If you remember, then I should remember too."
"Oh, I know you do! I believe that's where your impure thoughts started—from those memories."
Deon already regretted trying to defend something he wasn't even involved in. He decided to change the subject to something he actually cared about.
"What were you talking about with your personal maid earlier?"
Back in the training ground's changing rooms, Vierenna's blonde personal maid had approached her for a private conversation. Deon hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now, seeing her shift in mood, he reconsidered. Plus, he really just wanted to steer the conversation away from the previous topic.
Vierenna looked at him with the same mischievous expression, but internally, she was struggling to keep it from turning into a frown or a cold glare.
"A topic change, huh? You're inexperienced, baby brother. You have a lot to learn."
"I'm not denying it. I am changing the subject. But I'm genuinely curious. I noticed your mood change, and not for the better. Should I be worried?"
Vierenna stared at Deon for a long moment, her expression growing serious—slightly troubled.
She let out a deep sigh, taking a breath to steady her mood before responding honestly.
"You don't need to worry about anything. As long as I'm here, you don't have to. Something is happening, but it has nothing to do with you. I'll handle it. You just focus on yourself."
Deon remained silent for a moment. He didn't completely believe her, but he didn't want to question her either. That would make things worse.
'If it has nothing to do with me, then I'm fine with it.' Deon thought to himself.
His gaze remained on Vierenna. Something in her eyes pushed him to say something that went against his own thoughts.
"Alright. But if you ever need help, I'd be happy to assist."
Vierenna's smile lit up with exaggerated happiness. She leaned in and kissed his cheek.
"You're earning more points, baby brother. But you still have a long way to go."
Deon rolled his eyes and said nothing more.
The next few minutes passed in relative silence until they arrived at Deon's room.
"This is your room."
Vierenna commented, standing beside him.
Deon nodded at her and opened the door to enter.
"Baby brother."
Deon paused at her call. He turned to look at her—her expression was warm but serious.
"You can always come to me."
Deon took a moment to reflect on her words, then nodded in appreciation.
"I don't have anywhere else to go but you."
Vierenna nodded back.
"Same for me."
Deon didn't completely believe that, but he believed she thought it was true.
He turned back to enter his room—
"Baby brother."
Deon turned again, only to see her mischievous smirk return.
"Not to the bath… I just felt like clarifying that, you know!"
Deon ignored her comment and entered his room. But before closing the door, he smirked mischievously, attempting to imitate her, even if poorly.
"I'll try!"
Then he shut the door. He could still hear her melodic laughter and teasing words.
"Don't fail. That would be bad."
. . .
Deon did as Vierenna had said she would. He picked out clothes and went to bathe. It really was unfortunate that he didn't have a private bathroom, considering how wealthy he was supposed to be.
He didn't take long in the bath since there wasn't much to wash. Vierenna hadn't even given them time to sweat during their fight against her. That thought, strangely, proved useful now.
After his bath, he returned to his room to wait for Vierenna. He knew she would stop by, as she always did.
His thoughts drifted back to his skill, Sword Attraction, the Threads, and the Canvas. But the more he thought about them, the less direction he had.
'Time will tell.'
Deon believed that. Especially since he had a reason to ask Vierenna for help in developing his swordsmanship. He couldn't ignore this side of his abilities.
Unlike magic, which Vierenna had guided him in willingly, the sword was different. It was something he had to take the initiative to learn. That was why he had come up with an excuse to ask for her help.
And it had worked. Though he had a feeling a long conversation was coming.
Would learning from her help him unlock the secrets of Sword Attraction? Deon didn't know. But what was certain was that he would improve himself and his strength, with or without it. Though he preferred the former.
Vierenna entered his room without knocking—unsurprisingly. She stood for a moment, looking at him lying on the bed, a wide smile spreading across her face.
"Good health, baby brother. You should wear more clothes. The weather is only going to get colder. Or… were you waiting for me to choose for you?"
She said, closing the door behind her and skipping toward him.
Deon glanced at her outfit—it was light yet elegant. And she was the one telling him to wear more?
Noticing his gaze, she laughed slyly.
"You don't have that kind of vision, baby brother. But I'll be generous and assume you're just worried about my health. If that's the case, though the chances are slim, don't worry. My affinity with ice keeps me from catching a cold. I actually benefit from it."
"That's good. I wouldn't want my amazing sister to fall ill. That would be devastating."
Vierenna froze mid-step, her expression turning serious.
"What do you want? And stop doing that. It's creepy!"
Deon smirked wider.
"Stop what? I'm just concerned for my sister… Ughh!"
Deon couldn't handle the embarrassment of his own words and dropped the act.
"Anyway, I just wanted to ask for your opinion about the fight. I tried something new and wanted your honest thoughts."
Vierenna looked relieved at Deon's return to his usual calmness. She took an exaggerated deep breath of relief and made sure to show her disapproval of his dramatics.
She also had plenty of comments and questions to throw at him. So, she sat behind him, taking him by surprise. Her fingers reached for his hair, still damp from the bath.
Deon tried to turn around to understand what she was doing, but she held his head in place between her hands.
"I'm just going to comb your hair. Relax."
Deon hesitated for a moment but then allowed himself to relax.
Vierenna started playing with his hair in familiar patterns. She felt the tension in his muscles ease, and a smile touched her lips.
"So, where should I start? I have a lot to say."
Deon's muscles tensed slightly at her words, but he quickly relaxed again, listening attentively.