Arthur exhaled, rolling his shoulder as if shaking off the lingering impact, then glanced toward Julia.
"Well… that makes it twelve to twenty." He smirked faintly. "Sadly, twelve are mine… and twenty are yours."
There was no bitterness in his voice, just quiet acknowledgment.
"But as you can see…" he added, flexing his fingers as faint Qi flickered around them, "it won't take long to even the odds."
Julia didn't respond.
Arthur walked up to her and extended his hand. "Come on."
For a brief second, it looked like she might accept it.
Then she slapped his hand away.
Not aggressively.
But firmly.
Arthur blinked. "…Oh."
That was new.
She had never done that before.
Without a word, Julia pushed herself up. Her movements were slower than usual, slightly uneven, a faint limp in her step. Her face remained blank, empty.
She turned and started walking toward the mansion.
Arthur scratched the back of his head. "C'mon… don't be rude now. You almost won this time."
