"So, if we want to stay in Demacia, we have to participate in a duel?"
Chen looked bewildered, and his impression of Demacia gradually worsened.
Fiora nodded, clearly confirming that this was true:
"Father will definitely fight to defend the Laurent Family's honor. Fortunately, it's not a duel to the death, so at least my father won't kill. I specifically came to find you to tell you about my father's fighting style, so you won't lose too badly and suffer fewer injuries."
Chen quietly asked:
"Is your father stronger than you?"
"..."
Fiora hesitated for a moment, then said:
"No..."
This was the truth, but no one in the Laurent Family knew, nor would anyone believe it.
Chen nodded as if it were obvious:
"Indeed, otherwise you wouldn't have been made a hero."
Fiora:
"???"
Powder, sitting on the bed, waved her hand:
"It's fine, just get used to it. He doesn't speak human."
Chen:
"???"
Then Chen looked at Fiora and calmly told her:
"Then it's no problem. I'll go to the duel every day. By the way, is it okay if your family loses? Do I need to go easy?"
Fiora:
"...Are you really that confident?"
Chen shrugged:
"Don't talk about me; Powder could even win."
Powder chimed in:
"Indeed, if I kite a bit, I can easily handle melee. My gun is fast beyond seven steps, and within seven steps, it's both fast and accurate."
Fiora was a little confused, but she still replied:
"If you win, the family's honor will definitely be damaged, which could have a big impact on the family. But perhaps the Crownguard Family wouldn't agree to me marrying into it."
Chen said confidently:
"Alright, then I'll definitely help with this. It wasn't easy for you to sneak out so late, are you not afraid of being discovered again?"
Fiora glanced at the clock on the wall, ready to leave. Before she left, she hesitated for a moment and still said:
"Thank you."
Even though this might affect the family's honor—in Demacia, family honor was more important than life—Fiora still wanted Chen to win this time. After all, she felt guilty, and she also had the selfish desire not to marry.
Chen waved to her:
"No need to thank me, we're friends after all."
"Friends..."
Fiora jumped out the window, her heart still restless. It had been a long, long time since anyone had treated her as a friend.
Chen closed the window and drew the curtains.
Powder shrank into the quilt:
"Wait! You still have a duel tomorrow! No!"
Chen's mouth curved slightly upward as he slowly walked over:
"No big deal! I can control myself!"
Powder was a little shy, burying her head in the quilt:
"Gentler... Quicker..."
Chen resolutely refused:
"Can't do it..."
Powder:
"Mmm!!!"
The next day at noon, the Grand Plaza Duel Arena.
There weren't too many people, but not too few either. After all, the Laurent Family in Demacia was neither too big nor too small; it was considered middle-tier.
The Laurent Family wanted to strengthen itself, so it intended to marry Fiora to the Crownguard Family, the largest family in Demacia apart from the royal family.
Today, the Crownguard Family also planned to observe the Laurent Family's dueling strength, so they sent someone to watch the duel.
The person from the Crownguard Family who came to observe today was a blonde girl with a beautiful face and a pretty middle part.
Fiora immediately went to greet her:
"Lux, long time no see!"
Fiora had a very good impression of this girl who shared a similar situation to her, and Lux also came forward:
"Sister Fiora, can I call you that from now on? After all, you're marrying into our Crownguard Family!"
Lux greeted her with a beaming smile. She was very fond of this valiant sister who was about to marry into her family, and even felt a little envious that Fiora could practice swordsmanship.
Lux herself, however, was forced to manage the family's businesses, doing things that were meaningless to her, such as coming here today.
Fiora smiled as she looked at Lux:
"Of course you can."
Lux showed a sweet smile:
"Will you be fighting today?"
Fiora shook her head, saying with some disappointment:
"No."
Lux glanced at the nearby clock:
"It's time, why aren't they here yet?"
Fiora also frowned. Had Chen and Powder really run off?
Just then, Chen rushed in, carrying Powder on his back. Powder slapped Chen's head:
"You said you could control yourself, control yourself my foot! We almost overslept!"
Chen held his head:
"That's all your fault! Who told you to be so pretty and cute? You're too charming, it's your fault!"
"Hmph!"
Powder stopped her attack and quieted down, her heart secretly pleased by the compliment.
At this moment, Fiora looked at them both in disbelief, seeing their dark circles under their eyes:
"They're late. Could they have been so scared they didn't sleep all night? What were they doing after I left?"
Lux turned to Fiora:
"You know them?"
Fiora thought about last night and replied with a smile:
"My friends."
Lux looked very confused:
"Your friends, dueling your family? What's going on?"
Fiora tilted her head slightly. She was willing to tell Lux, who shared a similar predicament, about this. She looked at the sun in the sky:
"I actually don't want to marry, but this is my fate. They want me to be myself, not to marry for the family, so they spoke up for me and were challenged by my father."
Lux felt a sense of empathy at this moment. She also sighed and spoke from her heart to Fiora:
"We're all the same. I don't want to manage the family business; I want to leave Demacia, and I don't want to marry..."
Fiora frowned. Sure enough, Lux was also in the same situation as her. Women from prominent families had no right to their own lives; they only had one outcome: arranged marriages.
"The Crownguard Family also arranged for you to marry?"
Lux looked around, and seeing no one, she whispered in Fiora's ear:
"Sister, don't tell anyone, I'll tell you."
Fiora nodded, and Lux whispered:
"They arranged for me to marry the Demacian Prince, Jarvan IV. I've always thought of him as a brother, but if I really have to marry him, I can't accept it..."
Jarvan IV and Garen had been very close since they met at twelve, like brothers. Lux, as Garen's sister, also considered Jarvan her brother for all these years.
"!"
Fiora was shocked. Indeed, these families didn't care about women like them; they were just "tools" for political marriages!
Just then, a loud shout from below:
"The duel is about to begin!"
It interrupted Fiora's thoughts. Fiora looked into the distance.
Her father stood on one side, and opposite him was her friend from yesterday, Chen.
Chen had a katana at his waist, a streetlamp in his left hand, and a battle-axe in his right, standing still and stretching his muscles.
Jax appeared beside Fiora at some point.
Fiora looked at the three-fingered man beside her:
"You came to watch too?"
Jax nodded:
"If his fundamentals are too poor, I won't guide him."