"You can always train her to win," Leah says.
No sooner than said, they start training.
The leader of the Rugarith, Arlor, gives them a room spacious enough to train. In fact, the room was an old ballroom that hadn't been used for a long time. After removing all the furniture and cleaning the room, they realized that the room was much larger than it looked before the transformation.
While Lucien was training Eva, Isabel and Leah were keeping busy on their own. If they weren't watching the couple train, each one was on their own projects: Isabel with her inventions and Leah with her potions and spells.
However, not everything is a bed of roses.
As they spent so much time together, the sexual tension between them only increased, as Eva didn't want to admit anything about what was going on between them and Lucien didn't want to pressure her.
One day, during one of their training sessions something happened that changed the dynamic between them.
The couple is practicing the movements with great coordination.
"They seem to be dancing instead of fighting, don't they?" Leah whispers to Isabel so that the couple won't hear them, even though Lucien's good ear captures everything.
"Sí, sí. They make such a good couple! It's a shame tu hermana[1] won't make up her mind," Isabel says.
"Yes, but you have to understand that—" Leah begins to say but is interrupted by the noise of someone falling.
Bang!
Isabel and Leah look at the couple again and discover that Lucien is standing with a sword a few centimeters from Eva's chest, who is lying on the floor.
"If this were a real fight, you would already be dead. You still don't listen to what I tell you and you keep making the same mistakes. You're not ready to fight," Lucien says.
He's frustrated not because Eva makes mistakes, but because those mistakes could cost him his life, and he doesn't want to even think about it. What would he do without her! She is everything to him! Despite having so little time together, he can no longer imagine a day without being with her, without teasing her or without her being pissed at him about something he does.
He doesn't understand why she is so stubborn about being the one to participate in the Red Battle. It's as if she believes that if she participates, she will be able to prove... something. But Lucien doesn't think she has to prove anything. For him, she is perfect, with her strengths and weaknesses.
But let's be honest, no one is perfect. We all have our faults, but we also have our strengths that make us unique.
Eva, still lying on the ground and breathing with difficulty, squeezes the daggers in her hands and prepares to counterattack.
She lifts the daggers to remove the sword from her chest while trying to unbalance Lucien by kicking him in the knee.
Lucien hardly manages to dodge the blow, but instead, he has to take a few steps backward.
Eva charges against Lucien and then begins another exchange of blows.
However, this time Eva is fighting with anger, something that could affect her combat, and so Lucien lets her know. In her own way.
"You're letting your emotions take over. How many times have I told you that when you fight you have to do it with a cool head? If you don't, your enemies can use it against you," Lucien shouts at her.
When she hears it, Eve throws her last blow that makes the two to be separated.
"I'm sick of it. Would kill you for once not to criticize me! I know I' m making mistakes. It's normal, I've only been fighting for a short time. But it doesn't help that you spend 24 hours crushing me with words. What have I done to you to make you hate me so much!" Eva says in tears.
She can't take it anymore. She is mentally and physically exhausted.
Seeing her tears, something breaks in Lucien's heart. When he tries to approach her to console her, Eve moves away.
"No, don't touch me," Eva cries.
Lucien clenches her hands and decisively approaches her and takes her in his arms. He puts his hand to Eva's chin and lifting it, he passionately kisses her.
Eva, exhausted from so much tension, decides to let herself go.
Lucien breaks the kiss and, looking them in the eyes says, "Don't ever say that I hate you again. Never!"
Then he rests his forehead with hers and whispers, "Without you, I'm nothing, stubborn."
The couple kiss again.
"It's about time," Leah says, "Isabel, let go of the dough I've earned."
And the couple breaks the kiss.
"No, they haven't made it official yet," Isabel says.
"And what does it take to make it official? Get into bed? They're already sharing rooms," Leah says.
"Hey, where did the nice, calm sister from before go?" Eva asks, red from shame, hiding her face in Lucien's chest. He chuckles at her shame.
"Since you were behaving like a child, someone had to be the oldest. But since it looks like you are back to be the smart sister I love so much, now I can take my wild side out," Leah says, laughing.
"Oh, by the way, Arlor wants to know if you are ready for the fight," Leah says, finally remembering why she and Isabel have come back to the room when they left it during the couple's 'fight'.
Lucien and Eva exchange glances and smile.
"We are ready," they say in unison.
Three days later, the group is invited to the inauguration of the Red Battle.