Free Web NovelChapter 32: A Professional After One Victory
The worst thing that could happen after success was confidence.
Unfortunately, Seraphina had both.
By the time they left the storytelling stage, she was already walking differently.
Not dramatically differently.
Just enough for Kael to notice.
Which meant danger.
"I feel it."
"You won one competition."
"I know."
"One."
"I know."
"You’ve said ’I know’ three times."
"Because I keep knowing things."
Kael regretted speaking.
The prize pouch disappeared into Seraphina’s hands.
Then into her pocket.
Then came back out.
Then disappeared again.
Then came back out.
"Are you checking if it’s still there?"
"Obviously."
"It won’t vanish."
"You don’t know that."
She checked again.
The money remained.
Wonderful.
Reliable.
Beautiful.
A group of children ran past.
One of them pointed at her.
"That’s her!"
Seraphina blinked.
The child pointed excitedly.
"The story lady!"
The other children immediately looked impressed.
Seraphina straightened.
Kael immediately saw it happen.
The confidence increased.
Again.
"Story lady."
She liked that.
Far too much. freёwebnovel.com
"That’s a title."
"It’s a description."
"Titles are just descriptions with confidence."
Unfortunately, that sounded exactly like something she’d believe.
The children disappeared into the crowd.
Seraphina watched them go.
Then smiled.
"Fame."
"No."
"Small fame."
"No."
"Beginning fame."
"No."
Kael’s resistance was becoming less effective.
Mostly because she wasn’t listening.
The festival stretched across multiple streets.
Music drifted through the air.
Laughter rose from every direction.
A baker argued with a customer over pie.
A musician performed near a fountain.
Someone dressed as a giant fish was chasing children.
Seraphina pointed.
"See?"
"What?"
"That fish man is famous."
"I don’t think that’s fame."
"Look how many people know him."
The giant fish tripped over a barrel.
Children cheered.
Seraphina nodded.
"A legend."
Kael kept walking.
Ahead, another crowd gathered around a competition area.
A wooden sign stood near the entrance.
Festival Challenges.
Seraphina stopped.
Kael didn’t.
Then noticed she wasn’t beside him.
A familiar sense of dread appeared.
He turned around.
She was already reading the sign.
"Absolutely not."
"You haven’t even read it."
"I don’t need to."
"That’s close-minded."
"What is it?"
She pointed.
"Obstacle course."
"No."
"Why?"
"You almost died climbing a fence when we were twelve."
Silence.
A painful silence.
"That fence attacked me."
"It was a fence."
"It knew what it did."
Kael walked away.
Seraphina followed.
Complaining.
As expected.
"You’re bringing up old mistakes."
"You fell three times."
"It was uneven."
"It was grass."
"The grass was against me."
A passing merchant laughed.
Seraphina pointed at him.
"You weren’t there."
The merchant immediately raised both hands.
"My apologies."
Correct response.
They continued through the festival.
A stall selling decorative fans caught Seraphina’s attention.
Immediately.
Dangerously.
"Oh."
Kael looked over.
The fans displayed elegant designs.
Flowers.
Birds.
Mountains.
Gold accents.
Silver patterns.
Seraphina walked closer.
Very slowly.
Like a predator approaching prey.
"Kael."
"No."
"I haven’t said anything."
"The answer remains no."
"Look at it."
He looked.
It was a fan.
"A beautiful fan."
"A fan."
"A magnificent fan."
"A fan."
"A villainess fan."
Kael knew he’d lost.
The vendor smiled.
"Excellent taste."
"See?"
Seraphina immediately said.
The vendor blinked.
"What?"
"My taste."
The vendor looked confused.
Then decided agreeing was safer.
"Yes."
"Thank you."
Money vanished.
A fan appeared.
Seraphina looked delighted.
Kael looked disappointed.
The universe remained balanced.
They hadn’t even walked twenty steps before someone spoke.
"Miss."
Seraphina turned.
A young noble stood nearby.
Well-dressed.
Clean.
Confident.
Too confident.
He smiled.
"I couldn’t help noticing you."
Kael sighed.
The noble continued.
"You’re extraordinarily beautiful."
Seraphina nodded immediately.
"I know."
The noble froze.
"Excuse me?"
"I know."
Silence.
The noble clearly expected a different reaction.
Unfortunately for him, Seraphina had owned mirrors.
He recovered quickly.
"I admire confidence."
"Good."
"I was wondering if—"
"No."
The noble blinked.
"I haven’t finished."
"You were about to ask something dangerous."
"How do you know?"
"Experience."
Reasonable.
The noble laughed.
"Perhaps we could have dinner together?"
Seraphina considered it.
For nearly two seconds.
Then opened her fan dramatically.
A movement she’d clearly practiced.
"I’m flattered."
The noble brightened.
"However..."
The brightening stopped.
"I don’t think you’re a match for me."
The poor man looked personally attacked.
"I don’t even know you."
"Exactly."
That somehow made it worse.
Kael walked away.
Seraphina followed.
The noble remained behind.
Confused.
Possibly questioning his life choices.
A successful interaction.
Several minutes later they stopped near a food stall.
The smell alone was dangerous.
Fresh meat.
Warm bread.
Spices.
Seraphina stared.
The vendor stared back.
A battle of wills.
One powered by hunger.
The other powered by profit.
Eventually profit won.
As usual.
They bought food.
Sat near the edge of the square.
For a while neither spoke.
Just eating.
Enjoying a rare peaceful moment.
Then Seraphina suddenly laughed.
Kael looked over.
"What."
"I remembered something."
That usually meant trouble.
"When we were little, you convinced me treasure was buried behind the west garden."
Kael immediately groaned.
"Oh no."
"Oh yes."
"You actually believed me."
"I was eight."
"You dug for six hours."
"I was committed."
"You found a potato."
"It was shaped suspiciously."
Kael laughed.
A real laugh.
The memory clearly hadn’t faded.
"You carried it around for two days."
"It could have been magical."
"It was lunch."
Minor detail.
Seraphina pointed at him.
"You encouraged me."
"I was nine."
"You should have been wiser."
"That’s not how age works."
A nearby couple overheard and started laughing.
The woman nearly spilled her drink.
Seraphina looked offended.
"Why is everyone laughing today?"
The man answered immediately.
"Because you’re funny."
"I wasn’t making a joke."
"That’s the best kind."
A devastating response.
Even Kael looked amused.
Traitor.
As evening approached, festival lights slowly appeared.
Lanterns glowed above the streets.
Music softened.
Families gathered.
Children carried sweets.
The entire town felt warmer somehow.
More alive.
For the first time in weeks, nobody was chasing them.
Nobody was hunting them.
Nobody wanted secrets.
Nobody wanted answers.
Just ordinary people enjoying a festival.
The realization felt strangely nice.
Then a loud voice echoed across the square.
"LAST EVENT OF THE DAY!"
Crowds immediately turned.
The announcer stood on the main stage.
Holding a large pouch.
A very large pouch.
The kind that made people pay attention.
Prize money.
A lot of prize money.
Seraphina’s eyes narrowed.
"Oh."
Kael immediately stood.
"No."
The announcer smiled.
"Our final event!"
The crowd cheered.
"Partner Challenge!"
Kael paused.
Seraphina paused.
Then both slowly looked at each other.
That was never a good sign.
The announcer continued.
"Teams of two!"
The crowd cheered louder.
"Strength!"
More cheering.
"Speed!"
Even more cheering.
"And problem solving!"
The cheering reached its peak.
Seraphina pointed at the prize pouch.
Then at Kael.
Then at the prize pouch again.
A terrible smile appeared.
"Kael."
"No."
"Kael."
"No."
"Best friend."
"No."
"Trusted companion."
"No."
"Loyal ally."
"No."
"Person who enjoys food."
Kael stopped.
"..."
Seraphina smiled wider.
Checkmate.
And somewhere deep inside, Kael knew tomorrow was going to be exhausting.
