Celine also removed her outer jacket for easier movement, revealing a sleeveless shirt underneath. The knights immediately turned away from the sight of her exposed arms, but she stopped them, "Focus on the fight!"
Lucian thought Celine would try to taunt him like Sir Brix, using his feelings against him, and he was ready to counter. Instead, she attacked him.
No words. She didn't challenge him to play her games. She didn't provoke him. She just attacked him without warning.
A fast jab toward his face.
Lucian jerked aside like a startled cat, the blow grazing his cheek, and he seized his chance. He clamped her shoulders, bringing her down.
He had her pinned beneath him, his knees digging into her sides. But his triumph lasted for only a second.
She rolled him over like dough. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her hidden muscles bulging.
Both grunted as she flipped him over, slamming his body into the ground.
She was a light fighter and Lucian would have knocked her down if he landed a hit. If he could land a hit.
She let go of his neck before he could punch her, only using pure momentum of surprise to attack him. She rolled away from him and got back up again, eyeing him, toying to predict his next move.
Lucian also got up on his feet, also observing her. A light fighter had no power, but a lot of speed and technique. She would use the momentum of his hits to knock him off balance.
So he waited for her to attack him again, and when she did, he didn't dodge. Her right leg was a blur as she kicked at him. He caught her ankle in his hand, twisting it sharply to the side.
"Ugh!" she grunted, her leg twisting with him, but her ankle didn't snap as it would have if she was a normal woman. She used that momentum to kick at his face with the other leg.
Lucian grabbed her other ankle and flung her body into the ground.
Her hands were still free, and she lifted her upper body, using gravity to drag him down.
The strength in her core was insane.
Celine bent up like a puppet yanked upright by invisible strings, then grabbed his head in both of hers, her sharp nails digging into the back of his skull and eyes.
"My win," she said.
Lucian was still holding her legs and by the time he could get her off, she would have gouged his eyes out.
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Lucian had fought Sir Brix before fighting her and had lost a lot of his stamina. But Celine was a woman, which made her the weaker of the two of them. If he was to lose to her, it would be humiliating even if he fought ten of her knights beforehand.
He expected everyone to sneer at him, or to laugh at him, but what he didn't expect was a serious expression on their faces.
"You shouldn't have looked down on our Lady, My Lord," Graham said.
'What the…? Do they really think I went easy on her?' Lucian's mouth twitched as he turned his gaze on Celine.
Celine grabbed a jug of water from the table and a bucket, handing it to him.
Lucian took it, looking at her, waiting for her to speak.
She didn't say a word, but the smile on her lips spoke volumes. She probably knew he was bluffing and was going to let him keep his pride, for now.
Lucian rinsed his mouth with the water silently, contemplating adding more fighting into his schedule.
"Seems like our bed matters are going to be more intense from now on," Celine said while wiping his forehead with a wet cloth.
Lucian spat the water out of his mouth.
"Hehe..." she chuckled.
Lucian coughed, hitting his chest, pretending to get flustered by her words.
The people present pretended they heard nothing and that they were just air. If they heard something, they heard nothing, if they saw something, they saw nothing.
Celine sat at the bench and Lucian followed nonchalantly, acting as if he didn't hear her, too.
He sat next to her, looking no different from a benevolent lord with a gentle smile on his lips as he watched the knights resume their training together with her.
"For how long did you plan to hide it from me that you can fight?" Lucian asked, smiling. They were both good actors, and they knew it.