Page 41 of Legacy of Glass
“How sweet.” Zane’s eyes laughed at Olivia in a way that made Julius’s skin itch.
“Her Majesty wouldn’t be happy with me if the first thing I did after she released me was to endanger her son,” Olivia added, making all four of Julius’s friends burst into surprised laughter.
She looked around at them in innocent surprise, leaving Julius torn between frustration and amusement. But when her eyes fell on him, she winked.
His mouth almost fell open, and Cade laughed.
“I think you really have met your match,” he murmured to Julius. “And you behold me positively agog with curiosity to hear how it happened.” He gave Julius a significant look, reminding the prince that his friend would have some questions of his own when they finally found the opportunity to talk without listening ears.
“I haven’t sparred yet this morning,” Kasper offered.
On any other day, Julius would have easily accepted, knowing the two of them were well-matched. But given his friend’s formal behavior earlier, he feared Kasper meant to lose to the prince as another gesture of apology. As little as Julius wanted to lose in front of Olivia, he would look even more foolish if she could tell Kasper was going easy on him.
“Cade looks equally fresh, and I have a score to settle with him,” Julius said with a laugh, clapping Cade on the shoulder and squeezing harder than was necessary.
Cade just grinned back. “Challenge accepted.”
Kasper stepped aside, not protesting, his subservient behavior only confirming Julius’s earlier impression. Usually Kasper was almost as inclined to haughtiness as Zane and would have insisted on his challenge being accepted.
Julius hadn’t intended to join in their usual morning sparring, so he had come without his sword. But Kasper offered him the use of his, and Julius happily accepted, glad to be able to accept one of Kasper’s overtures. Within seconds he had stripped off his jacket and vest, rolled up his sleeves, and taken his place across from Cade.
When he glanced at Olivia, she was seated beside the fountain, watching him with wide eyes. He looked back at his opponent to find Cade also watching Olivia, a soft smile on his face. Julius’s enthusiasm hardened into determination. He had always been well-matched with Cade, but he hadn’t practiced since before the ball, which put him at a disadvantage. But he refused to be defeated in front of his betrothed. He was suffering enough humiliation as it was, allowing the entire court to believe he was foolishly infatuated.
Kasper called for the bout to start, and Cade leaped nimbly forward, lunging into a picture-perfect attack. Julius jumped backward, out of reach, parrying before launching a counterattack of his own.
With the match begun, all other thoughts faded from his mind as he focused all his attention on the cadence of the parries and ripostes, his eyes glued to Cade for the telltale movement of his muscles that would signal a coming attack. It felt good to stretch his mind and body in unison, pushing himself instead of sitting around idle.
Finally, the perfect opportunity appeared. As Cade launched a complex attack aimed at disarming his opponent, Julius brought his sword up at an angle, sliding the attack away before twisting back again. Cade’s sword flew from his hand, the resistance to Julius’s blade instantly disappearing.
It was a new move, and Julius had only ever performed it on the visiting swords master who had taught it to him, so he was thoughtlessly expecting Cade to jump back immediately as the master had always done. But Cade stood motionless, caught by surprise, and the tip of Julius’s blade caught on his wrist, skipping upward as it tore a light gash up his forearm.
Julius wrenched his arm back, his eyes widening. He might have won the bout, but part of the challenge of the practice matches was in not injuring your opponent, and Julius had a near perfect record in that regard. He’d let his determination overtake his caution. Once again, Olivia’s presence had scratched Julius’s surface, proving how little he resembled the perfect prince beneath.
“I didn’t mean—” he began, his words cut off by Zane’s admiring whistle.
“Nice move,” Zane said in a more enthusiastic tone than usual. He didn’t seem in the least worried by the injury to his younger brother.
“Very nice!” Ashton agreed with even more enthusiasm. He bounded over and clapped Julius on the shoulder. “I haven’t seen that particular trick before. When were you planning to teach it to the rest of us?”
Julius grinned back, despite his underlying unease. “Only after I’ve defeated you all at least once, naturally.”
Ashton laughed, but Julius turned back to Cade.
“Is it deep…” he started to ask, the words dying as he saw Olivia wrapping Cade’s arm in a length of white cloth—presumably Cade’s discarded neckcloth.
Julius had wanted to impress her for once, but given how quickly she had run to Cade’s side, it looked like he’d managed the opposite. Again.
He strode over, intending to take over the task, but she had already completed it neatly and efficiently.
“It didn’t look too deep,” she said to Cade, answering Julius’s earlier question and easing his guilt.
“Of course it’s not.” Cade laughed and gave a charming smile in Olivia’s direction. “It was a mere glancing blow, barely a scratch.” He turned to Julius. “I hope now that I’ve been duly beaten, you’ll be willing to teach that move to me. Preferably before you teach any of the others.”
“My apologies,” Julius said, wincing. “I should have been more careful. I haven’t used it with an opponent who didn’t know it was coming before, and I should have considered the danger.”
Cade scoffed. “It’s hardly the first time one of us has been scratched, and it won’t be the last. Kasper barely even mentions the time I accidentally skewered his arm.” He threw a laughing look in Kasper’s direction and received a snort in response.
Cade’s voice lowered. “When facing each other across a blade, we’re all the same. We decided that from the beginning. You don’t have to wear the weight of your role in this, too.”
