Iris wished she could turn back time. She would go back a few minutes ago and redo what happened. Either way, it already happened, and she can't change the fact she lost the first round of the challenge.
"Can I shoot another one?" Iris asked.
"My bow broke," she said, showing it to everyone.
Iris didn't notice she had a scratch on her face when the string was cut off. She just felt her hand throbbing with pain.
Iris looked at her hand; it was bleeding for some reason.
Duke echeron immediately went to Iris and grabbed her wrist. He looked at it with a blaze in his eyes.
Echeron was really angry, but he couldn't show it to anyone. He took his handkerchief out from his suit and wrapped it around Iris's hand. He stayed silent while tying it up, but you can see his anger because he tied it up really hard.
"ouch" Iris exclaimed
Iris was surprised by what he did but still felt pain when he suddenly tied her wound really hard.
Duke Echeron let go of her hands. He looked at Iris and saw blood dripping from her face. He suddenly wiped it with his thumb and licked it.
Iris blushed when Duke echeron did that.
On the other hand, Lady Catherine saw what had just happened, and she was furious. Her face was turning red because of anger.
She went to her dad like a little kid throwing a tantrum.
"Dad, you can't let her take another shot" she declared
Her dad can't argue with her when she's throwing a fit, and her dad doesn't wanna look bad on her daughter. The marquis looked around and saw that everyone was waiting for him to say something. He stands up from his chair.
"Ehem! As the rules say," The Marquis said
"You can only shoot three arrows," Marquis Bellona announced to everyone.
The duke raised his hand in protest. "But that does not include if the bow suddenly broke," a pointed out.
The marquis didn't know what to say because the rule was that each candidate had to shoot only three arrows, but if the bow was broken and the arrow did not hit the target, the person could shoot again.
"But Dad! Look!" Lady Catherine said, pointing at the target.
The target was hit but on the very corner. The marquis smiled as he pointed out the target.
"I am sorry, Duke, but the rules said if the bow was broken and the arrow wasn't hit, then she can shoot again," The Marquise said
"but as you can see, she hit the target," Marquis Bellona reasoned.
"I disapprove of your ----" the duke tried to argue, but Iris held him back, shaking her head like saying do not push further and just let it be.
"Let's just try to win the second game", Iris said sadly.
The referee announced that Lady Catherine won the first round.
Duke echeron clenched his fist, trying to hold his anger. He grabbed the bow Iris had earlier and examined it, and he knew instantly that something was wrong with it. He dragged Iris off the platform and went to their tent.
When they got into their tent, he went to his secretary, that is standing on the right side of his table. He handed over the bow and whispered something to him. he nodded and left the tent immediately.
Echeron said nothing to Iris but assisted her to sit on the chair. He went to the cabinet beside his table and got a first-aid kit box.
"Why do you have that?" Iris asked
"I got a feeling this would happen," he said like he had already predicted this.
"humans easily get hurt," he continued.
Echeron applied medicine to Iris's hand. She felt a bit of sting, but it disappeared immediately. She blushed because echeron was the second person who showed her kindness.
That's what she thought.
It was afternoon already.
The second round was about to start. Iris and Lady Catherine Were now standing at the center of the field. The target was the one who would get the most presents to win the challenge.
It's either an animal's prey from their hunt for a flower from the field.
"Looks like you are losing," Lady Catherine said when she saw no one was in the line to give Iris a present.
Iris just ignored her. Echeron said to wait and have patience because he would do something about it.
But it's almost been an hour since she last saw echeron, and she became nervous he doesn't want to kneel in this rude lady.
"The second duel is now starting," the referee said
The young nobles rushed towards Lady Catherine as they filled her table with flower and their hunts. She waves at them, thanking them for their love and support.
"What a deceitful girl," Iris mumbled
Lady Catherine somewhat heard it. She looked at Iris and glared at her.
"What did you say?" she asked
"Nothing," Iris answered.
Lady Catherine rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous. I have many admirers, unlike you."
"I'm so happy for you," Iris said sarcastically.
"Get ready to lick my feet cuz you're about to lose," she whispered with a smile like taunting Iris.
Iris just stayed silent, but she really was nervous. She didn't want to lose, but when she looked at Lady Catherine's table, it was packed, and she got nothing.
"I'm sorry I'm late," Duke Echeron said
He came closer to Iris with a bag full of flowers and prey from his hunt.
"I went to hunt some for you," he said as he showed a bag full of animals and flowers, too.
At first, she doesn't recognize him because of his rigid looks right now.
But when Iris looked at the duke, she thought that he might be a god in disguise because though he was dirty and stooped with exhaustion, he had an aura of a mystery. But rather than a god, he might be closer to a devil. Looking like a fallen angel, with ruby eyes and crimson red hair.
"And looked who I found," the duke said
A guy in a black cloak put ten bags of prey on Iris's table, filling up everything.
"Looks like you win," the mystery man said
Iris was dumbfounded. She looked at her table and Lady Catherine's table. She really won this round.
"Lady Iris won," the referee announced to everyone, which made Lady Catherine mad again.
"Who are you?" Iris asked the mystery man.
"It's me!" he said as he kneeled down in front of Iris, kissing her right hand.
Iris saw a familiar scar on his face.
"Fredrick?" Iris exclaimed