Chapter 160 Unexpected Skill

Chapter 160 Unexpected Skill

Three days after the dinner with Theo, Adrian summoned Lila to the training yard at dawn. The message came through Sydney, who delivered it with worried eyes and hands that twisted in her apron.

"His Majesty says your recovery period is over. Training resumes today." Sydney's voice dropped. "Be careful, Lila. He has been strange since that dinner. More intense than usual."

Lila's wrist was still splinted but healing well. Her head no longer throbbed. The cut on her temple had scabbed over cleanly. Physically, she was ready. Mentally, she dreaded facing Adrian after his rejection in the dining room.

The training yard was already full when she arrived. Not just Marcus and a handful of warriors. Dozens of them. All watching her with expressions ranging from curiosity to skepticism.

Adrian stood at the center, arms crossed. His face was carved from stone. "Lady Lila. You are late."

"By two minutes, Your Majesty."

"Two minutes in battle means death." His eyes were cold. "Take your position."

Lila moved to the center of the yard, her heart hammering. Something felt different today. Wrong. The air crackled with tension.

Marcus appeared at her side, his voice low. "His Majesty wants to test your progress. Multiple opponents. Defensive responses only. Do not try to be heroic. Just survive."

"Multiple opponents?" Lila's voice climbed. "But my wrist is still injured. I cannot hold a sword properly."

"Then you will adapt." Adrian's voice cut across the yard. "In real attacks, enemies do not wait for you to heal. They exploit weakness. Today, you learn to compensate."

He gestured to three warriors. Large men. Experienced. They moved toward Lila with wooden practice swords drawn.

"Begin."

The first warrior struck without warning. Lila barely dodged, her body moving on instinct. The second came from her left. The third circled behind.

Panic flooded her system. Too many. Too fast. Her injured wrist throbbed as she tried to block.

But something else took over. Something deeper than conscious thought.

Her feet shifted into a defensive stance she did not remember learning. Her good hand deflected the first strike with precision that shocked her. Her body twisted, using the first warrior's momentum against him.

The second warrior lunged. Lila's elbow connected with his throat. Not hard enough to injure seriously but enough to steal his breath. He stumbled back, gasping.

The third warrior grabbed for her injured wrist. Bad mistake. Lila's hand closed over his, twisting in a way that turned his own grip into a lock. His practice sword clattered to the ground.

She swept his legs. He went down hard.

The first warrior recovered and attacked again. Lila moved without thinking. Her body flowed like water, each movement precise and deadly. She disarmed him with a technique that involved redirecting his blade, stepping inside his guard, and striking pressure points that made his hand go numb.

His sword fell. She caught it mid-air with her good hand.

The yard went silent.

Lila stood in the center, breathing hard, holding a wooden sword she did not remember knowing how to catch. Three warriors on the ground around her. All disarmed or injured within seconds.

Her mind caught up to what her body had done. Terror flooded through her.

"What..." Her voice shook. "How did I..."

She stared at her hands. They were steady despite her fear. Competent. Skilled. These were not the hands of someone learning to fight. These were the hands of someone who had been trained for years.

Adrian moved closer. His eyes blazed with something that looked like recognition. Like he was seeing someone he had lost and found again.

"Do you remember learning those techniques?" His voice was rough.

"No. I just... my body moved. I did not think. I just reacted." Lila dropped the sword like it burned her. "Adrian, what is happening to me? What am I remembering?"

"Your training. Your real training." Adrian's gaze swept over her, cataloging every movement she had made. "Those techniques are not basic defense. They are advanced combat forms. Royal guard level. The kind taught to nobility for personal protection."

"But I am just a servant. I have always been just a servant."

"No." Marcus's voice was quiet. "You have not. Not always."

The warriors around the yard whispered. Lila could feel their eyes on her. Assessing. Reevaluating. Seeing her differently now.

"Again." Adrian's command cut through her confusion. "Six warriors this time. Show me what else your body remembers."

"Adrian, I cannot. I do not understand what is happening."

"Then let your body teach your mind." His voice turned gentle despite the harsh words. "Trust your instincts. Trust what you know even if you do not remember knowing it."

Six warriors surrounded her. Larger than the first three. More experienced. They did not hesitate or hold back.

Lila's panic spiked. Six against one. Injured wrist. No training her conscious mind could access.

But her body knew.

It moved before her thoughts formed. Ducking under strikes. Redirecting force. Using opponents against each other. Her footwork was flawless. Her timing perfect. Every movement efficient and devastating.

She disarmed four warriors in rapid succession. Injured the fifth with a strike to his knee that made him stumble. The sixth tried to grab her from behind. Bad mistake. Lila dropped her weight, twisted, and used his own momentum to flip him over her shoulder.

He hit the ground with a sound that made everyone wince.

Lila stood alone again. Six warriors down. Her breathing was controlled. Her stance still defensive. Ready for more.

But her mind was screaming.

"Stop." Adrian's voice was hoarse. "That is enough."

Lila's knees gave out. She collapsed, hands pressed to her face. "I do not understand. I do not understand any of this."

Adrian caught her before she hit the ground. His arms wrapped around her, holding her as she shook.

"You were trained." His voice was barely a whisper. "Extensively. Professionally. Someone taught you to fight like a warrior. Like nobility. And then someone made you forget."

"Why? Why would anyone do that?"

"Because trained warriors are dangerous. And someone wanted you weak. Vulnerable. Unable to defend yourself." Adrian's arms tightened. "But they failed. Your body remembers even when your mind does not. The training is still there. Buried. Waiting."

Lila pulled back enough to see his face. "You recognize the techniques. You have seen them before."

"Yes." Adrian's expression was pained. "You used to train with me. Before Celeste died. You would come to the yard and we would spar together. You were good. Better than most of my warriors. And you moved exactly like you did today."

The revelation hit like a physical blow. "I trained with you? We were close enough for that?"

"We were close enough for everything." Adrian's thumb brushed away tears she had not realized were falling. "And then someone took that from us. Took your memories. Took your skills. Made you forget who you really were."

"Who am I?" The question came out broken.

"That is what we need to find out." Adrian helped her stand. "But today proved something important. The memory blocks are failing. Your body is remembering faster than whoever created the spell anticipated. Which means your mind will follow."

"And when it does? When I remember everything?"

"Then we will finally have the truth. About what happened. About who did this. About everything they tried to bury." Adrian's eyes blazed. "And I will make them pay for every moment of suffering they caused you."

Lila stared at her hands again. These hands that knew how to fight. That moved with deadly grace when threatened. That belonged to someone she did not remember being.

Who was she before? What had been taken from her? And why did her body know things her mind could not access?

The questions circled endlessly as Adrian led her from the training yard. Behind them, warriors whispered and stared. The servant who fought like nobility. The mystery deepening with every revelation.