Blake leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, sporting a look that said, “You've finally asked the right question.”
“Think about it. Isabella is of the White Dragon Royal Family's bloodline, a master of Holy Light magic. Logically speaking, today's situation should have been her stage to show off her skills and awe everyone. But what happened instead?”
Blake took a step forward and shrugged. “You, a Night Black Dragon who can't even transform yet, used Shadow Blessing to pin Carlyle right in place, and Shirwin's wind blade delivered the killing blow.”
“At the end of the day,” Blake sighed, “she rushed out to catch those arsonists because she wanted to save the day in a moment of crisis, so all the spotlight would be on her.”
“But in the end, you stole all her thunder. If you were in her shoes, wouldn't you be angry?”
Hearing this, Leopold opened his mouth slightly, then closed it. He stood in place. He really had been careless; he should have looked at things from a dragon's perspective...
“...What you're saying seems to make some sense.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “But I still feel like something's not quite right.”
“Oh, come on, Brother Leo,” Blake slung an arm around Leopold's shoulder. “For tomorrow's match, you just need to lose to her on purpose. It's not that hard.”
“Besides, it's not like you'd definitely beat Isabella anyway, right?”
Leopold froze in place, blinking his eyes.
“...You have a point.”
“Right?” Blake patted his shoulder, wearing an “I told you so” expression. “Then it's settled. First thing tomorrow morning, you pick a place and throw the fight. Make it look good, and make Isabella happy.”
Having said his piece, Blake let out a yawn and limped toward the door.
“...Lose to her?”
The next morning, the aroma of toasted bread and creamy mushroom soup filled the castle's dining room.
Isabella sat in her chair, holding a piece of bread dazedly. She didn't seem fully awake yet. Her long white hair draped loosely over her shoulders, and her ice-blue eyes were half-closed, carrying a hint of grogginess.
Leopold walked down the stairs and pulled out the chair opposite Isabella.
“Morning,” Leopold said, picking up a piece of bread from the table.
Isabella looked up at him, let out a muffled “Mmh,” and immediately slumped face-down onto the table.
Leopold chewed on his bread and hesitated for a long moment before clearing his throat. “Ahem... Bella, are you free today?”
There was no response from Isabella, who seemed to have fallen asleep against the table.
“Bella?” Leopold called out again. Only then did Isabella slowly lift her head, her ice-blue eyes blinking as if she had just woken from a dream.
“...Hmm? What did you just say?”
“I said—” Leopold put down his bread. “Are you free today?”
“Today?” Isabella tilted her head, rubbing the corner of her eye with her fingertip. “I should be. Why?”
“I wanted to invite you out...” Leopold stopped halfway. He suddenly felt that if he asked her out for a sparring match, it would sound too stiff.
“...For a walk?” He changed his phrasing.
Isabella tilted her head, her eyes looking a bit clearer than before. “For a walk? Where to?”
“Uh...” Leopold's mind raced. “I heard there's a subterranean lake with some nice scenery.”
Isabella blinked, seemingly not expecting such an invitation. She picked up a whole piece of bread and began to nibble on it.
“Is Blake coming?”
“No... just the two of us,” Leopold quickly explained. “Blake's leg is injured, so he said he wants to rest.”
She took another bite of the bread, chewed for a long time before swallowing, and then placed the remaining half back onto her plate.
“...Sure.” She stood up. “When are we leaving?”
“After breakfast—”
“I'm full,” Isabella said.
“But I haven't eaten yet...”
“Then eat first.” Isabella sat back down, folding her hands on the table and tilting her head to watch him.
Leopold picked up his soup bowl and finished it in a few gulps. He then grabbed two pieces of bread, stuffed them into his mouth, chewed a few times with puffed cheeks, and swallowed them whole.
“All done,” he said, immediately standing up.
“Hahaha.” Isabella couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
By the time they walked out of the castle, the streets of the capital were already beginning to bustle. Goblins pushed mine carts and carried baskets as they shuttled across the cobblestone roads, while the massive fluorite overhead slowly began to glow.
“Which way is this subterranean lake you mentioned?” Isabella turned her head to look at him.
“Well... there's an abandoned mine shaft to the southeast of the capital. If we walk down about two miles, there's an underground lake. There are glowing fish in the water.”
“How do you know about it?” Isabella asked.
“Blake told me.”
“When did you ask him?”
“Last night... after you went back to your room.”
“Oh?” Isabella narrowed her eyes slightly but didn't press further.
Leopold stopped in front of an inconspicuous mine shaft entrance. A rotting wooden sign hung over the opening, the writing on it already blurred and illegible.
“This should be it.” He bent down and slipped inside, with Isabella following closely behind.
“Hey, Leo,” Isabella said from behind him. “Do you think I'm being unreasonable?”
“Unreasonable?” Leopold didn't stop. He raised his head and thought about it seriously. “I don't think so at all.”
“Really?” Isabella's voice sounded muffled as she followed him. “But last night... even though I wasn't actually angry, I deliberately ignored you.”
“Do you know what I was thinking at the time?” Leopold asked.
Isabella looked up, her ice-blue eyes gazing at him in the dim light.
“I was thinking that when you rushed out, you flew so fast without even a hint of hesitation.” Leopold turned his head to look into her eyes. “My very first reaction was—how amazing!”
Isabella's eyelashes trembled slightly.
“And later, when you came to save me, when that light shone from behind Carlyle.” Leopold's voice softened a bit. “I thought to myself, this white dragon is truly incredible. Thank goodness she arrived. She was just like a savior.”
Isabella turned her face away, her voice sounding a bit strained. “...Since when did you become such a smooth talker?”
“I'm no smooth talker. I'm just speaking my mind.”
The tips of Isabella's ears flushed slightly red.
“...Hmph,” she snorted, turning away to continue walking toward the lake. “But speaking of which, Leopold, you wanted to have a duel with me there, didn't you?”
Leopold's footsteps froze instantly. He turned his head and looked at Isabella with a somewhat guilty conscience.
“Huh?”
She stood in place, tilting her head to look at him, a knowing smile playing in her ice-blue eyes.
“After all, Blake was there, right?” Isabella took large strides forward, passing Leopold who stood frozen in front of her.
“If you win, I'll forgive you.”
Leopold stood frozen, watching Isabella's figure recede into the darkness of the mine shaft. He opened his mouth. Oh, boy. Blake actually had a point. He had been a bit skeptical at first...
“Wait... Bella, hear me out. I really didn't mean to steal your thunder—”
“My thunder?”
“Yes, exactly!” Leopold hurriedly caught up.
“What kind of weird concept is that...”
“Let me explain, Isabella!”
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