Chapter 469

[ 1,199 words ]

[Meredith].

The pairs formed quickly. Jeffery with Oscar. Levi with one of the warriors nearby.

Then, Wanda turned toward Vivian with a soft, innocent smile that didn’t fool me.

“Vivian,” she said sweetly, “shall we?”

Vivian blinked, looking startled for a second. Then she accepted. “O-oh. Yes, of course.”

My jaw tightened. Wanda chose the easy win, a target she could crush without breaking a sweat.

Though Wanda hid her malice beautifully beneath elegance and charm, I saw straight through it. She wanted to hurt someone, and Vivian was simply the easiest woman to bruise.

And this left me with Draven.

“There will be ten seconds for each pair,” Dennis announced loudly, stepping to the centre of the training field. “Hit the target as many times as you can.”

Everyone straightened slightly with different reactions.

Dennis pointed to the row of wooden targets. “You get ten knives,” he continued. “One point per hit.”

Then, he lifted the little brass stopwatch in his hand and flashed a smug smile.

The first round began, and he lifted his hand for Jeffery and Oscar to start.

Jeffery was fast and calculated, calm as always. Oscar was erratic, muttering under his breath as he threw.

Then Dennis blew the whistle and checked the board. “Jeffery, seven points. Oscar, three points.”

Next up was Levi and the warrior he was paired with. The game ended with six points for Levi and five for the warrior.

That was a close call for Levi.

Vivian swallowed hard as it got to her turn with Wanda.

“Don’t worry,” Wanda said sweetly. “I will make it quick.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Begin!” Dennis ordered.

The match was brutal. Vivian barely got one clean throw. But Wanda? She moved like she had been waiting for this exact opportunity.

Her knives flew one after another, the sharp thuds hitting dead centre repeatedly. In the end, Dennis announced the results.

“Wanda, nine. Vivian, two.”

Vivian managed a weak smile. Wanda stood tall, glowing with confidence and smugness.

My stomach twisted in irritation.

Finally, it got to my turn, and I stepped up next to Draven.

Wanda looked at me with thinly veiled satisfaction, expecting my humiliation.

Knives flew as the air cracked with speed. Draven moved like a force of nature—precise, calm, and ruthless.

I matched a steady rhythm, though not too fast or too accurate, just enough to look competent without drawing attention.

My arm stung by the eighth second.

Then Dennis blew the whistle, checked both targets, and grinned. “Draven, eight.” Then he looked at mine. “Meredith, four.”

I had a fair, modest score.

“You did well,” Draven smirked. I returned the gesture with a small smile.

Behind us, Wanda forced out a tight smile. “Impressive, Luna,” she said, though I was sure the compliment didn’t come from her heart.

I simply nodded. Inside, however, I hated that I had to hold back, especially after watching her crush Vivian just to feed her ego.

But caution was necessary for now.

“And that concludes round one!” Dennis declared. “Congratulations to the victors. But now—” He spun the stopwatch around his finger as if he had just been crowned emperor of chaos.

“We do the real fun. Speed-Throw Round Two, with punishments included.”

Wanda smiled like she had been waiting to hear those words all afternoon.

Then, Dennis wagged his finger dramatically. “And because we are now playing with stakes, there will only be two throws each per pair. The fastest and most accurate wins.”

Vivian exhaled as if she were preparing for execution.

Draven leaned slightly toward me and spoke through the mind-link, his tone smooth but edged with caution.

“Remember what I said, my love. Don’t push your limits.”

“I won’t,” I promised, though my irritation with Wanda still simmered underneath.

Dennis clapped his hands. “Pairs remain the same as last round. Let’s begin!”

This time, in the first pair, Jeffery hit both. Oscar hit one and missed the second by a hair.

In the second pair, the warrior Levi was paired with, won the round.

Vivian squeezed Levi’s arm encouragingly as he returned to her side. He only sighed, accepting defeat with his usual grace.

Wanda rolled her eyes so subtly I almost missed it. But the next moment, her mood lightened up because it was now her turn with Vivian.

Everyone already knew how this would go.

Wanda stepped forward like a queen entering her throne room while Vivian followed nervously.

Dennis held up the watch. “BEGIN!”

Wanda had two perfect throws—fast, brutal and cold, while Vivian missed one and landed the other.

This time, Dennis didn’t announce it dramatically. “Wanda wins.”

Vivian stepped back with a polite smile, but embarrassment clung to her. Wanda didn’t even pretend to hide her smug pride.

A wave of irritation rippled through me.

“Final round, Draven and Meredith,” Dennis announced.

We retook our positions. Then, Dennis raised the watch. “Ready. Start!”

Draven threw the two knives, and they hit the board effortlessly, each faster than the last. But for me, my first knife hit the target while my second grazed the edge of the target.

Dennis smiled. “Draven wins!”

I smiled as well, even though Wanda’s disappointment felt like another satisfying point in my favour.

Finally, Dennis lifted both hands dramatically as he grinned at us. “Well, well,” he said, “we have our losers of Round Two. So, our first set of punishments—”

But before he could continue, Draven spoke. “Nothing humiliating or harmful,” he reminded him again.

“Yes, yes,” Dennis sighed. “Lighthearted fun. I’m not trying to get murdered.”

Then, he straightened and pointed at Oscar first. “Oscar, you missed the target earlier. Your punishment is simple. Do ten push-ups while reciting how handsome I am.”

Oscar stared at him. “I would rather die.”

“You will manage.”

Next, Dennis turned to Levi. “Your penalty is mild. You are to fetch everyone’s drinks after this.”

Levi groaned. “I’m not your servant.”

“Punishment,” Dennis sang the reminder.

Levi sighed.

Then Dennis turned to Vivian gently. “Vivian, because you are new to our little chaos circle, your punishment will be very light. You will, uh… give Draven’s horse a pat later and say something nice about it.”

Vivian blinked her lashes repeatedly. “That’s… all?” She asked, looking around.

Even I didn’t expect that light punishment. Dennis was so considerate.

“Yep,” Dennis chirped. “Because Wanda already punished you enough.”

Vivian laughed softly, not realizing how true that was.

Then Dennis turned to me. “And Luna…” He grinned. “You must say one nice thing about me.”

I stared at him. “That’s the punishment?”

The surprising thing was that we had all expected Dennis to play foul, given the right he held to set the punishment.

But while the rules were ridiculous and a bit pride-provocative, they were harmless and straightforward.

“Yes,” Dennis said proudly. “Because for some reason, it pains people more than physical labour.”

Draven gave a faint smirk. But when I turned to Wanda, she had her gaze elsewhere with a neutral expression on her face.

“Alright! Punishments will be done after all rounds are complete. Next—” He swung the stopwatch once more. “Strategy Game! The grand finale!”

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