As I walked back to the training grounds, the cool breeze slipped through the loose sleeves of my new outfit as I tried to steady my breathing.
When I reached him, he let his gaze roam over me, his expression unreadable but sharp, a faint smirk teasing at the edges of his mouth. "Ah, there you are," he drawled, his tone smug. He flicked a glance toward the sparring field where a group of his soldiers were running drills, each one more imposing and lethal than the last. Finally, he lifted a finger and pointed to one of the warriors—a tall, broad-shouldered man with a steely expression and a well-worn wooden sword gripped in his hand.
