Divorce The Duke, Marry The King!
Chapter 57: Piece of shit

Chapter 57: Piece of shit

"Catch!" Without warning, Ray hurled a fighting stick in Mia’s direction. She scrambled to catch it, losing her balance and tumbling to the floor in the process.

"Why didn’t you tell me before throwing?!" She snapped, slamming her fists on the ground in frustration.

"Your opponent won’t announce when they are going to strike. Get up," he replied calmly, not even sparing her a glance. To her surprise, he began removing his shirt, leaving her bewildered.

They were here to train so why was he undressing? Was he planning something inappropriate? No, of course not. Even Ray wouldn’t try anything in a public training ground. She was definitely overthinking it.

"Why are you taking off your shirt?" Mia finally asked, deciding to voice her confusion directly.

Instead of answering, Ray picked up his fighting stick and moved to the center of the training ground. "I have heard you like to grab your opponent’s shirt to gain an advantage. That won’t work here," he explained, his tone as indifferent as ever.

Mia scoffed, rolling her eyes as she moved to join him. "Klaus really talks too much. But let me make one thing clear, I don’t need to cheat to win," she declared, a smug grin tugging at her lips. Despite her bravado, Ray remained impassive, staring at her as though she were an unremarkable gem.

"Let’s get this over with!" She barked, readying herself. She knew she was no match for Ray in combat, but she didn’t want him to underestimate her. Showing weakness would only seal her defeat; she couldn’t afford to give him that satisfaction.

"Curve your back slightly. Keep your legs angled toward your opponent," Ray instructed, circling her and using his stick to nudge her into the correct stance.

"Ah! That hurts!" She whined as his stick prodded her, but he ignored her protests, remaining focused on her posture. Only when he was satisfied did he step back.

"Come at me," he said, standing motionless as he waited for her attack.

Mia arched a brow, scanning him for any weakness she could exploit. But his stoic expression and steady stance revealed nothing. She realized a direct attack would be futile, she needed a strategy. Something sly, but not outright cheating.

After carefully plotting her move, Mia finally lunged. She didn’t aim for him directly, instead, she glided to the side. Yet Ray was faster, he dodged her attack effortlessly and, with one decisive blow, sent her sprawling to the ground.

Grimacing, Mia clutched her side, anger flaring in her chest. She forced herself to her feet, her pride as bruised as her body. "I am not going easy on you again," she spat, masking her embarrassment with defiance.

She charged at him once more, determined to land a hit. But as she closed the gap, she reached out blindly, thinking she had grabbed his shoulder to gain leverage. Instead, her hand found his waist, and before she knew it, they both toppled to the ground with Ray landing squarely on top of her.

For the first time since she had known him, Mia caught a reaction on Ray’s face. His expression flickered with surprise before he quickly masked it with his usual impassiveness. She smirked, pleased that her sly move had managed to tackle him, even if only briefly.

"You didn’t see that coming, did you?" She boasted, her hand still firmly gripping his waist as he struggled to free himself.

"Is this your grand strategy? Grabbing your opponent waist?" He muttered, his tone laced with disdain.

"No, it’s a..." Her words trailed off as her eyes drifted to his bare chest. Her confidence faltered, replaced by wide-eyed admiration. His sculpted abs, marred with faint scars, looked so perfectly chiseled that her thoughts momentarily betrayed her. Without thinking, her hand left his waist and landed on his chest. "Do you train every day?" She asked, stunned by how flawless he looked up close.

"What are you doing?" He snapped, clearly annoyed. Grabbing her wandering fingers, he twisted them just enough to break free from her hold.

"Ah! You demon! I will kill you!" she screeched, leaping to her feet and charging at him recklessly.

No matter how hard she swung her stick, Ray easily dodged every strike. His counters, however, landed perfectly each time, sending her to the ground over and over.

"I will hit you today!" She declared with renewed determination, lunging at him again. Just as she thought she had an opening, he caught her wrist mid-swing. In one swift motion, he spun her around, his arm encircling her waist to pin her in place. Her expression twisted in frustration, and she reacted impulsively, slapping him hard across the face.

"Don’t touch me!" She shouted, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and embarrassment.

Ray sighed, his patience clearly wearing thin. Without warning, he tossed his stick aside, grabbed her shoulders, and pulled her down with him, flipping her onto her back.

"Oh, shit!" Mia cursed, her breath knocked out of her as she hit the ground. She glared up at him, furious at his audacity.

"This isn’t about the slap," he said coldly, leaning over her. "It’s about your arrogance. If this were a battlefield, you would already be dead. You are a piece of shit like every other warrior out there, there is nothing special about you. Survival is what matters. Next time you step onto the training ground, remember—you are not a woman here, you are a warrior. If you can’t handle that, go find yourself another trainer." His voice was sharp, each word cutting deeper than the last.

For once, Mia had no retort. His harshness left her stunned, a rare sense of powerlessness washing over her.

Ray rose to his feet, retrieved his shirt, and stormed off the training ground without another word. His anger hung heavy in the air as he disappeared from sight.

Mia lay there for a moment, gripping her shoulder and sighing deeply. She felt the sting of both her bruises and his words. If she were honest with herself, Ray had been nothing but professional with her. She, on the other hand, had made things unnecessarily difficult.

"How hard could it be to work with him?" She muttered to herself. Apart from his bluntness, he wasn’t entirely insufferable. But then she remembered his biting insult and scowled.

"You are a piece of shit too," she grumbled in his direction before getting to her feet. Dusting herself off, she left the training ground, her pride bruised but her resolve strangely strengthened.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.