Deon listened carefully to Vierenna's opinion on his untrained fighting style. As he had already concluded himself, she was able to deduce that he relied purely on instinct. She praised his vision but scolded his poor decisions.
However, this opened a series of curious questions from her. Most of them revolved around the way he chose to handle combat.
Deon had already prepared an answer for such a question—it was only natural for her to be curious.
"When I hold a sword, I feel different. I feel like I understand something I wasn't connected to before. Like I can see the fight and how it should be."
His answer was honest. If Vierenna was going to help him, Deon figured it was better to share with her his skill of Sword Sense—or at least, how he felt when wielding a sword. But what he didn't expect was...
"Like Sword Sense?"
Vierenna's head peeked from behind his shoulder to meet his eyes. A strange light flickered in hers.
Deon was still stunned, and that probably showed on his face, making Vierenna laugh at him.
"Hehe! Look at your face. Did you think I wouldn't know? Why did you think I ended the fight so early?"
Deon regained his composure and asked with slight hesitation.
"Is it common? Sword Sense?"
Vierenna leaned on him closer. He could feel her weight pressing on his back, but her face was close enough for him to see the terrifying expression she made.
"Common?.. Are you insane? It's one of the rarest skills to ever appear in our empire's history, let alone in our household. Never say that in front of anyone else—they'll laugh in your face."
Deon was slightly uncomfortable with how she leaned on him. She was no longer combing his hair as she was supposed to, yet she made no move to get off him. She looked way too comfortable.
Despite the less-than-ideal way they were having this conversation, Deon found himself unconcerned when he thought he would be annoyed. He was too curious to care.
"If it's that rare, how did you figure out that I might have it? And what's this about you ending the duel early?"
Vierenna wrapped her arm around Deon's right shoulder and rested her head entirely on his left side, her silky hair tickling his ear.
"Mmm, I would know because I have the skill. And so did Mother before me."
She closed her eyes, her hand resting on Deon's neck.
"I would have known about you too, but your training started too late."
Deon grabbed the hand on his neck and carefully removed it. That was the most uncomfortable part for him.
He treated the matter with indifference so she wouldn't notice. If she picked up on another weakness of his, he would suffer for a very long time—or at least until he returned to his world.
Luckily for him, Vierenna simply continued her words, her eyes still closed.
"I ended the match early for your sake. If Old Jan had noticed the skill and it came to light, you'd get a lot of unnecessary attention."
"So no one knows that you have the skill as well?"
Deon was genuinely curious. He knew that Vierenna was talented with the sword. Some even voted her as the greatest sword prodigy among the four empires. But he didn't recall anything about Sword Sense in her profile.
Vierenna tilted her head slightly over his shoulder and opened her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips.
"It's too late for me now. Not that I care."
Deon fell silent for a few moments, pondering her words. Given her personality, that could mean a lot of things.
Before Deon could ask Vierenna what she meant, she suddenly opened her eyes wide, as if waking from a deep and comfortable sleep.
"That was so relaxing. My baby brother is so comfy. Remind me to do this again."
She said as she finally lifted herself off his shoulder and returned her hand to combing his hair.
"Anyway, I'll guide you on what I know about the skill and other things. You did ask for my help, after all. And if you betray me… well, just don't, and you'll be fine."
Deon shuddered slightly under the sweet yet threatening remark. He knew she was serious about not betraying her, but how exactly was that supposed to work?
Regardless of his thoughts, Deon simply nodded—which was a huge mistake on its own.
"Don't move, you idiot. I'm combing your hair. Do you want us to be late for our guests?"
Deon swallowed his grievances and stopped his movements under his tyrannical sister.
••
After fixing Deon's hair and picking his outfit, Vierenna led the way to the palace's reception hall. He walked steadily behind her, listening to her words in silence.
Although he seemed focused, his thoughts were elsewhere.
"What's on your mind?"
And so, Vierenna asked, taking his surprise as confirmation of her observation.
His face and posture quickly returned to calm as he gave her a sideways glance.
"I was just thinking that I have a lot to learn."
He paused for a moment, his expression unreadable.
"I want to learn everything as fast as possible, but I know that mindset isn't ideal."
Vierenna's expression softened at Deon's words. She could somewhat understand his urgency—he had wasted a lot of time before even starting—but she was also full of praise for his highly aware mentality.
"Why the rush? Are you afraid of falling behind your peers?"
Deon pondered her question briefly before answering.
"That might be true. But… I don't know. I just want to be faster, stronger. Today wasn't like usual, you know, my training with the cube and all that. I feel like I've wasted so much time. And I know it'll be on my mind for a while."
Deon's words weren't entirely honest, but they weren't devoid of honesty either. He was indeed frustrated by what he felt was slow progress. He believed he could do better, but he didn't know how.
He didn't know why he confided in Vierenna, but the words just left his mouth when she asked.
"If that's what's bothering you, it shouldn't. If you were my age, you'd already have the full ability to stand among the top ten at the academy—without even counting the time you still have until entry. Just in today's fight, you held your ground better than Accia and her idiot brother. That alone says a lot."
Her words flowed, reassuring him. And Deon found himself believing her, feeling better than before.
He looked at her for a few seconds. Her gaze was still fixed on him, soft and full of warmth.
Deon let out a quiet sigh, feeling much lighter.
"You're really good at this."
He was honest with her.
"Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be? This is the power of the big sister!"
She answered dramatically, raising her hands to embrace the air.
Deon smiled at the sight. He had lost count of how many times he thought he had learned everything about Vierenna's personality, yet each time, she surprised him with something new.
"Do you really believe that?"
He asked, returning to a good kind of seriousness.
Sensing the improvement in his mood, Vierenna adjusted her behavior accordingly.
"Are you doubting your amazing sister? I can't believe you."
She looked at him in shock and disbelief.
"I made a promise to you, and you doubt me, of all people? Oh, how I will enjoy proving you wrong."
Deon tried not to take her threat to heart, but her serious expression told him otherwise. So, he quickly corrected himself.
"I don't doubt your abilities. I doubt my own—"
Vierenna cut him off, raising her hand in front of his face.
"Same thing."
She said in a tone of betrayal and disappointment.
"My promise to help you should be enough to send your confidence to the heavens, even if you were just a brainless insect. I don't want to hear excuses."
Deon still wanted to defend himself, but she continued cutting him off.
"We're here."
She pointed at the double doors, but Deon paid no attention. She was still talking.
"But this? This lack of confidence, this betrayal? I warned you what would happen if you betrayed me. But you went and did just that. I won't embarrass you in front of the guests, but we will have a talk later."
And she walked through the door. Deon could trace the outline of a twisted smile she tried to hide.
'Why do I do this to myself?'
Deon lowered his head in defeat and followed after her.
The price of Vierenna's help was far too high, but her help was always sincere. And Deon relied on that sincerity, no matter how much it cost him.
'Perhaps I'll lose myself—or maybe I already have. That is, if there's even anything left of me to lose.'