The Villianess story: A 100 ways to kill your husband
Chapter 273: Fishy match up

Chapter 273: Fishy match up

The rose duel can only have a single victor that gets the gold rose. The first stage of the duel cut the number down by having them fight against ghouls. Where a good number of knights get disqualified.

By the fourth day of the duel, there were just 16 knights left in the game. After the judges had examined their performance from the third day, the best 16 were picked. The goal was to reduce the number to 4. So each knight was categorized into four groups and made to fight.

The winners of each category fight were to fight with the other winner under the same category until one person was left in the category.

Unlike the previous days, where each knight gets a rose after each match. In this game, only the winner of a category was given a rose after winning two matches.

It was exciting to finally see the knights fight against each other and the spectators were more than excited.

The gates were raised, and the knights for the first match were revealed; a deafening roar echoed in the arena, the walls vibrating as the youngest prince made his way into the arena.

Determination was written on his face; this was actually the first time Abrielle saw Alfonso’s face without a smile. He looked charming, and Abrielle was immediately drawn into the match. She secretly prayed that Alfonso would lose for selfish reasons.

She took her seat before her eyes drew to the opposite gates. Her heartbeat dropped to her stomach. It was not the worst matchup for Alfonso, but she felt something fishy.

It was Elias. "How is this possible?" She asked herself. If she remembers clearly, Alfonso was meant to fight Sebastian in his first match, which he won due to his better combat experience.

The judges claim the categories were arranged based on the strength of the contenders, but she could not help but think someone had messed up draws.

"Isn’t that Cedric’s top knight?" Marinette, who was not so far from Abrielle, asked Karissa, whose face was twisted, already sensing something was off. "He is, I have a bad feeling already but I am confident with Alfonso’s strength." Karissa scoffed.

Abrielle was not that confident and she started to feel sorry for Alfonso. She knew Elias was far from ordinary to be Cedric’s right-hand man. Did Cedric plan on getting Alfonso out of the competition early? She wondered.

A loud trumpet rang. "MAY THE GODDESS BE IN YOUR FAVOUR." the officiator’s voice echoed loudly due to magic sound implications.

The crowd was loud, cheering and shouting as Alfonso and Elias took their positions on horseback. The arena was filled with excitement, the air buzzing with energy. Nobles and commoners leaned forward, eager to see the duel unfold.

Abrielle was at the edge of her seat, trying to keep her face calm. This was not in the book, she had no idea how this was to unfold. Dread crept up her stomach remembering the scene from last night.

Deep inside, she was uneasy. She almost felt sorry for Alfonso but he brought this upon himself. Elias was Cedric’s strongest knight. Despite how skilled Alfonso was, Elias had more combat experience than Alfonso, who was more of a behind-the-scenes general where he shone.

Elias should win this match easily. It was literally already in the bag but it was too early to judge. Alfonso was good, but not that good.

Karissa closed her eyes, whispering a silent prayer already. Despite how confident she was she could not help but worry.

After the trumpet sounded, the duel began. Everyone held their breath in anticipation of what might happen next.

Both men charged, their lances colliding with a sharp clang! The force shook them, but neither fell. They circled, then charged again. The crowd held its breath.

Blow after blow, strike after strike. They were evenly matched. Too evenly matched. Abrielle’s hands curled into fists. Elias was holding back, but why? She expected that Cedric had sent Elias to embarrass Alfonso or that he had another plan.

In one of the waiting rooms, Cedric watched the match through the glass window with a blank expression. "He is better than I thought. That’s interesting." The first prince’s voice was filled with amusement.

"Elias is still giving him a hard time," Axel mentioned. Both of Cedric’s knights were still in the duel. "I would be worried if I were you. Lucian will be a hard nut to crack." Cedric mentioned not taking his eyes off the match.

"That would be the case if I wanted to win. I don’t even want the rose." Axel’s voice trailed.

’ make him suffer.’ the voice whispered in Cedric’s ears, and for once, he was in sync with the voice that always whispered words he rather did not hear.

The duel was getting heated, each strike left the audience breathless. Elias wasn’t making this seem like an easy match in the slightest way. Alfonso dodged a strong hit, then let out a low snicker. His voice carried over the sounds of battle and their horses.

"Tell me, Elias," Alfonso said as they rode past each other. "Is Cedric up to his games again? Why are you holding back?"

Elias said nothing, his grip tightening on his weapon. His face was face, Alfonso was used to how Cedric’s subordinate always seemed to lack emotions.

Alfonso smirked. "No answer? Interesting." He chimed then lunged forward again.

They clashed again. The fight stretched longer than expected. Dust rose, horses neighed, and the crowd gasped at every near hit. No one could guess what the outcome would be.

Elias’s horse shifted slightly, a small mistake. Alfonso reacted instantly, striking hard. Elias lost balance and fell. It looked like a stroke of luck. It was hard to read or see since the dust surrounding them made it hard for the spectators to see everyone move.

Silence. It felt like a ghost appeared then; the crowd roared, recovering from the shock.

Abrielle sat frozen. Something was wrong. Elias was not the type to make such mistakes.

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