Lishinia knew that her lady could defeat the young Lord Mandrake with her eyes closed if she was willing to showcase her true abilities.

  She also knew that Peregrine Fern would break her grandfather’s bow into pieces and throw the shards into the ocean before demonstrating her true power before a member of the Sumbrian royal court.

  Duke Marigold might be close to her lady’s age and station, but the elf was too closely related to Queen Terran for Peregrine to chance being caught.

  The reason for her lady’s secrecy was simple: Crown Prince Deryl.

  At the age of five, Countess Peregrine started being the talk of the kingdom. She’d picked up youth archery, and levelled up well ahead of her peers. She was fearless in the face of monsters, and begged to be taken to the dungeon any chance she got.

  Unlike many of her peers, who had to be bribed, threatened and cajoled to work at leveling up, Peregrine had to be convinced to stop playing with her bow and eat something.

  Not only was she driven and methodical, she was also the daughter of the new Prime Minister - one of the rare positions determined by skill on top of title in Sumbria.

  When the young lady wasn't practicing archery until her fingers blistered, she was visiting the Bureau of State Affairs to have lunch with her father. Of course, after seeing the young miss everyone was enamored of her cuteness and adorable colouring. Her bright, healthy green skin, soft pink hair, and warm smile captured the hearts of all, and the Fern household was suddenly flooded with engagement proposals.

  Her father rejected all of them, stating that she was the heir and they were going to wait - he proudly declared that he would only marry her off to a young elf that had proven himself worthy of being a Fern consort.

  The royals had other plans, and Queen Thalia added Peregrine to the list of candidates for Crown Princess.

  Much to the horror of the Fern family.

  The Crown Prince was an unpleasant young man now, but he’d been an outright terror of a young boy. Peregrine had returned from that meeting in tears, and had begged to be withdrawn from the list.

  Lish still remembered that secret meeting. It bordered on treason, and only the Ferns, Lish and the butler were summoned.

  "Peregrine," The count had rested a firm hand on his daughter's shoulder and made a promise, "You know my mind - I am the one who will choose whom you marry, no one else - and the Crown Prince cannot meet the needs of our family. Do not worry, I will pick an elf who can support you as Countess of Fern."

  "Yes, father." Peregrine had managed to hold back her tears and straighter her tiny shoulders.

  "That means you should continue to be kind and polite to the prince," The count had stressed, finding a way to convince her to behave properly at court and also reassure the child at the same time - they couldn't risk the royals ire.

  "But darling," Peregrine's mother had been the one to come up with the plan, "that means that from now on, things are going to have to change. Are you ready?"

  Peregrine had agreed, and from that moment on, her carefree childhood was over.

  If they couldn't reject the royal family - they would have to have the royal family reject them.

  Peregrine stopped visiting the count at work. She took etiquette lessons and learned how to keep her thoughts hidden. She tied her hair back into a plain bun, and donned a drab yet elegant brown dress, and didn’t react too little or too strongly to the prince. As if a fire was lit in the tiny girl’s heart, she’d done everything in her power to fade into the background.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  And it had worked.

  The Crown Prince had been engaged to Duke Marigold’s sister, Duchess Arianna of Nordon, and Peregrine was free to go. Still fearing undue attention, Peregrine’s parents had kept her accomplishments hidden, and Peregrine learned how to hide her abilities so that even as she continued to shine, no one was the wiser.

  Lishinia was beyond proud of her lady’s accomplishments… but just as worried about how the duel was going to play out.

  The bell rang, and twenty targets appeared over the sand arena.

  …

  My three arrows hit three target’s dead centre.

  I didn't need to take time to draw, simply pinching and releasing my fingers each time. Another three arrows hit a split second later.

  Lord Mandrake released his daggers one hand after the other, and hit six in the centre a breath faster. He also reloaded with his [Skill] and continued to attack, hand over hand, in a windmill motion.

  I calculated my draw speed and fired shots at a planned pace quicker than my opponent. Not enough to outpace his score, but enough to fall short by a point or two the entire five minute match.

  At one minute, the targets started moving in a circular motion. At two minutes the targets blinked in and out while moving. At three minutes, obstacles appeared on the field. One target required me to shoot through twelve rings, another was inside a rotating box with only a small hole on one wall to shoot through.

  At four minutes, it was the final round. Each target that had been hit previously blinked into view, and Mandrake and I had the opportunity to hit our opponents targets and claim the target’s points for our own final score.

  At thirty seconds to the end, I overtook my opponent.

  "Mandrake," The duke's voice cut through the whispers.

  The lord was sweating, not because of the exercise, but because he realized that he couldn't outpace me. "The shadow's cast a pair of blades, [Duplicate Dagger]."

  The elf activated one of his abilities and for a single shot, he doubled his three knife throw to six, coming back ahead by one point.

  I let him have it for ten seconds.

  Victory wasn’t as simple as claiming the highest score. I needed to win without making it obvious, and I had to do it while demonstrating my lower level abilities.

  I waited until the timer hit twelve seconds to the end.

  Turning on a dime, I aimed my bow at Lord Mandrake and shouted, “By the keen eye of the hunter that knows Luck’s dart, [Track Target]!”

  When I let go of the bowstring, it released a single bolt.

  Everything that followed happened all withing five seconds.

  Mandrake had just released three knives, panicked and ducked, missing his chance at a final throw. I didn't flinch, and released a final three arrows.

  The crowd jumped to their feet at my attack, but I didn't shoot Mandrake. No.

  My tracking arrow hit perfectly, knocking the three knives Mandrake had just thrown clean out of the air - while my last three arrows landed a second before the timer bell dinged.

  All of the targets vanished.

  Mandrake stood there in shock, seeing the final score - I'd come out ahead two points.

  I almost felt bad for the elf.

  There was a moment of quiet before slow clapping drew both of their attention.

  Duke Marigold stood, his face considering, as he continued his slow clap. “Well done, Countess.”

  I unsummoned my bow and sent the arrows back into [Archer’s Quiver], bowing to the duke, “No, thank you.”

  My sincerity made the duke raise a single eyebrow, but I managed a genuine smile, “It’s not often that I get the chance to compete against someone so skilled!”

  I rarely let my emotions show, but relief from winning and the fact that I did enjoy the challenge had softened my smile.

  Lord Margrave actually blushed.

  “My attendants are a reflection of myself,” the duke stated, “though it appears Lord Mandrake will need to work harder in future.”

  The elf in question flinched, but looked like he’d accepted his fate. He retook his place among the duke’s attendants, shoulders slumped.

  There was a momentary awkward, but the duke finally said. “Well, Countess Peregrine… as promised, we shall be on our way.”

  The duke withdrew, taking his attendants with him and leaving Lish and I alone in the dueling arena. The second the door closed behind them, Lishinia turned on me with the force of a hurricane.

  “My Lady…” The maid’s eyes stared at me with such ferocity that I physically took a step back. Lishinia closed the distance, stating with equal intensity, “We must return home. Now.”

  I thought the duke was going to keep his word, so it should be fine... but I didn’t fight the maid, allowing myself to be trussed up in a large cloak to hide my identity and secreted out of the Glades like a thief in the night.