"Remember Lady Mirelle? Daughter of the Ashford Marquis?"
He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice conspiratorially.
Riven stayed still.
But Eldwyn didn't let his lack of a response stop him.
"Well, apparently both our host and another idiot have been trying to win her favor for months now."
"Our host?"
"Cassian Azurelake of course," Eldwyn said a bit confused, nodding toward the staircase where the young man had given his speech earlier.
"And the other one?"
"Lucian Harrowmont."
Eldwyn tilted his cup slightly toward a tall young man standing near the center of the hall. His crimson robe and confident posture made him hard to miss.
"They've been sending gifts, invitations, poems… the usual nonsense."
Riven raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds exhausting."
"It was," Eldwyn agreed. "For her too, apparently."
He took another sip of wine before continuing.
"So earlier today she finally said she'd had enough."
Riven waited.
Eldwyn shrugged casually.
"She told them she'd go on a date with whichever one wins tonight."
Riven blinked.
"…Wins what?"
Eldwyn gave him an amused look.
"A fight."
He gestured toward the gardens outside.
"At the training grounds."
Riven stared at him for a moment.
Eldwyn chuckled again.
"Cassian Azurelake versus Lucian Harrowmont. Tonight's main event."
Around them, several other nobles were already speaking excitedly about it.
Riven's gaze slowly drifted across the hall.
Smiling heirs.
Laughing nobles.
Excited whispers about an upcoming duel over who would get to take a girl on a date.
For a moment, he said nothing.
His mind flickered briefly to the past few weeks.
Then he looked back at the brightly lit hall.
…It's like a different world.
Riven lowered his cup slightly.
"Seems like I didn't miss much."
Eldwyn snorted softly at Riven's remark.
"Well yeah," he said, swirling the wine in his cup. "There's rarely anything important happening at these things."
His gaze drifted briefly to Riven's right side.
Or rather—
Where Riven's arm used to be.
Eldwyn cleared his throat lightly.
"…Not everyone runs into actual problems along the way."
Riven noticed the glance, but his expression didn't change.
"Right."
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Eldwyn straightened slightly and lifted his cup again, clearly deciding to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"So anyway," he said casually, nodding toward the center of the hall where the earlier murmurs about the duel were still spreading, "who do you think wins tonight?"
Riven blinked once.
"I wouldn't know."
Eldwyn raised an eyebrow.
Riven continued.
"I'm not exactly updated on everyone's cultivation progress."
He glanced briefly toward the groups scattered around the hall.
"Did anyone improve recently?"
Eldwyn hummed thoughtfully, tapping the rim of his cup with one finger.
"Hmm."
He thought about it for a moment before shrugging.
"I'm not too sure either, honestly."
This guy...
He nodded toward the garden doors where several young masters were already talking animatedly about the upcoming duel.
"Last I heard, both Cassian and Lucian were around mid Inner Condensation."
Riven tilted his head slightly.
"The same?"
"Maybe," Eldwyn said. "Or maybe one of them advanced."
He took another sip of wine.
"But if they did, they've been keeping quiet about it."
Riven considered that.
"So no clear favorite?"
Eldwyn chuckled.
"Not really."
He gestured lazily with his cup.
"They've always been pretty evenly matched anyway."
Riven hummed quietly.
Around them, the noise in the hall continued to grow as more nobles gathered in small circles.
Eldwyn leaned back slightly against the table.
"Well, either way," he said, "it should be entertaining."
Riven nodded once.
After a few more exchanges, he excused himself.
"Enjoy the show later," Eldwyn said with an easy smile as Riven stepped away.
Riven gave a small nod before moving back into the crowd.
For the next while he moved through the hall slowly, approaching several of the people Leyla had pointed out earlier.
Young masters.
Noble daughters.
He greeted them politely, exchanged a few words, asked casual questions.
Most of the conversations followed the same pattern.
Surprise that he had appeared again.
A few cautious inquiries about his health.
Then, inevitably—
The conversation drifted toward the upcoming duel.
Cassian Azurelake.
Lucian Harrowmont.
Speculation about who would win.
Some talked about Lady Mirelle's strange decision.
None of it was particularly useful.
Riven listened patiently for a time, memorizing names and faces where he could, but eventually the constant small talk began to wear on him.
Talking to so many people felt far more exhausting than fighting.
After one particularly long conversation that went nowhere, he finally gave up.
This is useless.
Riven slipped away from the crowd and moved toward two tall glass doors that opened into the manor's garden.
The moment he stepped outside, the atmosphere changed completely.
Cool evening air brushed against his face.
The noise of the banquet faded behind him, replaced by the soft rustling of leaves and the quiet chirping of insects hidden somewhere in the hedges.
Lanterns hung from the branches of several trees, casting warm pools of light across the stone paths that wound through the garden.
It was peaceful.
Riven exhaled slowly as he walked along the path.
This is a big garden.
After a short distance, he heard the faint sound of water.
He followed it.
The path opened into a small clearing where an ornamental pond sat surrounded by smooth stones and low bushes.
The lantern light reflected softly across the surface of the water.
Riven stepped closer—
Then paused.
Someone was already there.
A young woman crouched beside the edge of the pond, her back partially turned toward him.
She wore a pale dress that seemed almost silver under the lantern light, the delicate fabric layered in soft folds that spread lightly across the grass around her. Long dark hair fell over her shoulders, catching the glow of the nearby lantern like strands of polished silk.
She was leaning slightly forward, one hand resting near the surface of the water.
Small fish gathered near her fingers.
For a moment she remained perfectly still.
Then she flicked her fingers gently, scattering a few tiny crumbs into the pond.
The fish immediately swirled together beneath the surface.
The girl smiled faintly at the sight.
Only then did she seem to notice that she was no longer alone.
Her head tilted slightly.
Slowly, she turned.
Soft lantern light reflected in her eyes as her gaze met Riven's.
There was a small star-shaped birthmark near her left eye.
It looked almost like a tiny constellation.
For a brief moment Riven simply looked at her.
She was… striking.
Not in the overly decorated way many of the noble daughters inside the hall had tried to present themselves. There was something softer about her appearance. Her features were delicate, almost gentle, framed by long dark hair that fell loosely over her shoulders. The pale silver dress she wore caught the lantern light in faint shimmering folds, making her look almost as if she belonged beside the quiet pond more than inside the loud banquet hall.
Her eyes were clear and calm, carrying a quiet warmth that felt strangely out of place among the calculating nobles he had spoken with earlier.
Then her gaze drifted downward briefly.
Toward his right side.
Toward the empty sleeve where his arm used to be.
Her eyes paused there for just a moment.
But she didn't say anything.
When she looked back up again, her expression hadn't changed.
She simply gave him a small, polite nod.
"Good evening."
Her voice was soft.
Riven blinked once before answering.
"…Evening."
Inside his mind, a stray thought surfaced.
From everything he had heard tonight about Alric… the real one probably would have tried hitting on her already.
Not quite what Riven had originally imagined.
Still.
Standing here flirting with strangers wasn't what he had come outside for.
"My bad," Riven said calmly. "I didn't mean to interrupt."
He stepped slightly to the side, already preparing to leave.
The girl blinked in mild confusion.
"…It's fine, you can—"
But he was already walking away.
Her voice trailed off.
For a moment she simply watched his back as he moved deeper into the garden.
Then eventually she turned back toward the pond again.
Riven walked farther along the winding stone path until the lanterns from the pond area grew faint behind him.
This part of the garden was quieter.
More secluded.
He eventually found a simple wooden bench tucked beneath a large tree near the edge of the garden.
Riven sat down and leaned back slightly, letting out a slow breath as he looked up toward the night sky above the branches.
The stars were visible between the leaves.
For a while he just sat there.
Thinking.
Or maybe not thinking much at all.
The past weeks had been… exhausting.
Constant training.
Constant tension.
Constant caution.
Maybe because of that, the quiet garden and cool night air began to feel unusually comfortable.
His thoughts slowly grew more distant.
His eyes drifted closed.
For a moment—
His body relaxed.
Then suddenly—
Riven's eyes snapped open.
No.
He forced himself to stay awake.
Falling asleep in someone else's estate, surrounded by strangers, was a terrible idea.
Too much had happened to him already for that kind of carelessness.
His breathing steadied again as he opened his eyes fully.
And froze.
His breath caught instantly.
Because only a few centimeters away from his face—
Someone was leaning toward him.
Soft skin illuminated by the faint lantern light.
Long strands of dark hair falling forward like silk.
Long eyelashes, casting faint shadows against the cheeks.
A small, delicate nose sat perfectly between them, and the lips curved slightly in curiosity.
And just beside the left eye—
Was a small star-shaped birthmark.
Like a tiny constellation.