Chương 70: Chapter 69 Edited

Cale Gran moved through the festival crowd with quiet authority, a small basket of candied fruit balanced on her arm like she had every right to be exactly where she was. Her eyes took in the scene in one sweep. Kaoru's flushed face, Ellara's polite composure, me standing slightly between them. Her lips curved as she surveyed the scene.

"Ah," she said warmly, as if she'd just stumbled onto a delightful coincidence.

"And who might this handsome young man be?" Kaoru snapped upright like he'd just been called to inspection.

"I, I am, yes. Oh, no, wait. I am Yamato Kaoru, Obāsan," he said, bowing with abrupt formality unbecoming of the situation.

"Of Yamato Tenshūkan." Gran's eyes twinkled.

"Oh, you're from Yamato Tenshūkan, are you? Well, it's so nice to meet you," she replied, as though she had expected nothing less.

"Such good posture. Are you one of the family retainers, Young Kaoru?" Kaoru somehow stood straighter.

"Uh, no, Obāsan. I am one of the direct-line heirs." He bowed politely again, a full formal bow, like we were at some sort of gala. This one deeper and even more graceful than the last. Once finished, he gave Ellara a look as if searching for recognition or validation. I narrowed my eyes. Who the hell does this punk think he is, looking at my little sister like that? Should I cut off his hands? Or what about his eyes?

No, that would probably be too loud, and healing Expressions in that circumstance are way too messy. I could just break a couple of fingers. That could work. It would get the point across and would be pretty easy to heal. Oh, what about pulling out his teeth? That would really make my feelings on this subject known. Wait. No, that was probably extreme. I did want the kid to be able to eat. And Gran would probably get mad at me for taking out the heir of a major warrior clan.

I considered this and decided I didn't really have to worry about that. Worst-case scenario, I could just take out the entire clan. That would probably cause a lot of work for someone like Aiden, though, and I didn't necessarily want to do that. Taking out entire clans was not something I should do casually. Gran raised an eyebrow at me. Apparently she had noticed my murderous intent.

She shifted the basket slightly and stepped closer, placing herself just enough between Ellara, Kaoru, and me to make the geometry clear and avoid making it obvious.

"Direct line, hm?" she said, amused.

"What a heavy responsibility for someone so young. You must be very capable. I like capable boys. They make such good grandsons-in-law. It's especially good when they're strong, kind, and have great discipline. I couldn't let anyone who spent time with my granddaughter be weak, now could I?" Gran said this as though she were speaking to herself rather than to us. Kaoru flushed again, though he tried to hide it by straightening further. Ellara gave Gran a horrified look.

Gran glanced at me, an amused glint in her eye, her gaze switching between us like she was measuring temperature instead of words. I exhaled through my nose and eased my shoulders back a fraction. The glare softened into something closer to tolerance and out of the territory of outright homicidal tendency. Kaoru drew himself up again, clearly determined to regain some measure of control over the conversation.

"I issued a formal challenge," he said.

"Our last bout didn't count." Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"I don't remember you issuing a formal challenge. I simply remember you pulling a sword, which is irrelevant to me at this point. I like to think I acknowledged it in my own way," I said.

"You were on the ground at the time." Ellara made a small sound suspiciously close to a laugh and quickly covered it by pretending to adjust her sleeve. Kaoru's jaw tightened.

"That exchange was not regulated," he said stiffly.

"Like I said, it does not count." I tilted my head. I was already starting to lose my patience.

"Oh? It didn't count? Then you probably shouldn't attack people at random."

"No," he said firmly.

"There were no witnesses of authority, no adjudicator, and no formal declaration. And I didn't attack you at random. You were being disrespectful."

"You drew first," I replied.

"On somebody you didn't know, over some perceived slight. I'm pretty sure that's the definition of random." His hand twitched toward where his sword would have rested if he weren't in festival dress.

"I'm sure you did it on purpose, trying to make a name for yourself against the heir of the Yamato. For someone who claims no affiliation," he said, "you carry yourself like a trained duelist."

"Yes, as you can see, I'm absolutely consumed with making a name for myself," I said, gesturing broadly at myself and my family.

"You have some strange delusions of grandeur. As for me, I walk. Sometimes people fall over near me." Gran hid a smile behind her hand. Kaoru looked equal parts offended and confused. It made me want to smack his face. Ellara stepped forward slightly, placing herself half between us without realizing she'd done it.

"I think what my brother means," she said sweetly, "is that maybe you should wait for the tournament. That way everyone can watch properly and you can have your satisfaction." I gave Ellara a sharp look. Was she actually encouraging this clown? Kaoru blinked. The suggestion clearly appealed to him.

"Yes," he said, seizing on it.

"In the arena. Under sanction."

"I am not fighting in the tournament," I said. His eyes narrowed just a little.

"You would refuse a formal challenge? Then you have no honor."

"And you have no sense of self-preservation," I said. The kid was really working my last nerve. I should just beat him black and blue and be done with it.

"If you want to fight, then maybe you should—" For a second, the air between us tightened again. Then Gran, without preamble and considerably harder than an old lady should have been able to manage, smacked me in the back of the head.

"This is a festival," she said lightly.

"Not a battlefield. Save your sharp edges for when someone is keeping score. And when the innocent need to be saved." Both Kaoru and I stared at Gran like she had grown a second head. I let out a sigh.

"Yes, Gran." Kaoru followed suit, allowing the moment of intensity to pass. He bowed again, this time slower and more deliberate.

"Yes. I apologize for my impertinence, Obāsan. I assure you it will not happen again." He gave her another small bow.

"You will see," he said to me.

"This isn't over."

"Oh, I cannot wait," I replied with a sneer. That was it. I was absolutely going to beat this kid within an inch of his life. His gaze shifted back to Ellara, softer now, almost uncertain.

"And you," he said, "should not stand so close to dangerous men." Ellara glanced sideways at me, then back at him.

"He isn't that dangerous," she said calmly.

"It's actually super cute when he gets protective." That seemed to short-circuit whatever speech he'd been preparing. He straightened once more, pride reassembled.

"I will request a sanctioned duel," he said.

"Properly."

"I won't accept," I said.

"I don't have time to waste." He gave Ellara one final look, longer than he meant to, then stepped back toward his people, who were no longer pretending not to observe. Gran watched him go, then turned her attention fully to me.

"You could have been kinder," she said mildly.

"I could have been less kind," I replied, watching the kid walk away.

"Did you see how he was looking at Ellara? The punk. Don't worry, Gran. I will take care of this. He will rue the day—" Ellara bumped my shoulder.

"He's not that bad," she said.

"He drew a blade on me," I reminded her.

"Or did you forget that part?"

"I don't know anything about that," she shot back.

"He's sixteen. And you're fine. There's no way some sixteen-year-old could hurt you. Indulge him a bit, big brother. He's allowed to be impulsive." I glowered.

"I'll show the little upstart impulsive."

"Cale, don't make me get mad at you. He was just talking to me. Besides, he's kind of cute." I looked across the grounds. The kid was only three hundred paces away. I could drop a Starlight spell on him. It was flashy enough that nobody would know it was me. Gran glared at me and I returned the look.

"What did I do, Gran?"

"Cale, don't you dare." Why did it feel like Gran always knew exactly what I was thinking? I shrugged and turned away. Gran might actually be the final boss. I hadn't been back that long, and if she could read me that well already, I might have issues. She smiled faintly, lifting the basket again.

"Well," she said, "if this is how the tournament begins, we are going to need more candied fruit." I didn't argue with that. I kept an eye on the retreating pink head in the crowd, though. I am not one to fight for spectacle. Maybe I would make an exception just this once. The punk.