Chapter 10 A duel
Kael's POV.
I smirked as I moved closer to them but still made sure to maintain my distance.
My eyes were darkened and they were fixed on my new stepmother.
“If I'm the prince, then my father is a king” I laughed for a few seconds. “Then you are the queen and your daughter? The princess?”
The words I said made me laugh as I threw my head back but I was forced to straighten the way I stood when father hissed.
“Show her some respect, Kael!” He snapped.
“I am trying my best here” I snapped my head to him and stared at him with anger.
I was still trying to accept her as my stepmother even though that is proving difficult.
To me, she's nothing more than someone who worked her way into the estate here, a gold digger who's here for the benefits.
She gets to exercise power as the Luna. She gets to carry the title around like it was hers to begin with. She gets to enjoy my father's wealth like they had worked for it together.
Those reasons were enough for any woman to stay with the alpha here.
The Luna chuckled. “It's fine, my lord,” she said.
“I understand that this is new for the alpha heir but soon he will get used to seeing me around” she said.
I almost scoffed but swallowed everything and just watched as she spoke.
When she finally stopped talking, Elias walked ahead of me and bowed deeply to my father.
“Greetings, alpha,” he said. “How have you been?”
Dad smiled, a corner of his lips getting twitched. “Doing fine as you can see”
Elias bowed deeper and I could see him smile too.
“I'm sorry I didn't come to pay my greetings to you as soon as I arrived.” He apologized. “Please forgive my bad manners”
Father chuckled. “I understand. You had to go visit places as soon as you arrived, it's only fair you do that”
Elias didn't give a reply but just let a small smile rent the look on his face.
I was being casted aside and ignored at the moment but I didn't care and only listened to both of them.
“I'm glad you are here” Father said, his tone getting raised and I could sense a hint of amusement.
“I was going to tell someone to fetch you,” he continued. “I'll like to watch a duel as part of my mating celebration”
“Oh my! That sounds great” My stepmother chirped in, sounding so elated. “I've never watched one happen in front of me”
Her words amused me and that got me chuckling. I faced her, my face looking polite.
“Then we had better give you the best show since it will be the first duel show of your entire life” I smiled at her.
She smiled back and I wondered if she was a fool for not noticing the sarcasm in those words or she was just fine acting like one.
“I'll tell the guards to prepare the grounds” Elias said and bowed deeply before walking out again.
When he was gone, Father called my attention to himself.
“You have lived for years with Elias abroad” he said.
Yes, I know. I didn't say anything and just waited for him to talk since it looks like he has something to say.
“How better are the both of you in martial arts now?” Father asked.
“You should see for yourself at the training grounds when we fight our opponents” I said with a smirk.
Father's gaze lingered on me for a few minutes before he took a deep breath.
“You will duel with Elias,” he said. “I want to see who'd win”
“And you can't let me down. He is from the beta's family and you are from an alpha royal bloodline” Father reminded me what I already knew.
What he had never failed to tell me continuously.
“I understand, father,” I said and bowed my head slightly.
I might be called a spoiled brat who the elders of the pack gossip about because I barely respect my father but I knew when not to joke with his words and when not to reply rudely.
“Let's get ready to spectate the duel” Father told my stepmother and she smiled widely.
They both stood up and walked into the inner chambers that were somehow connected to the main mansion in the estate.
There was a long hallway down a place that looked like a tunnel but was beautifully decorated.
Not many people had passed through there as it had mainly been for the alpha and Luna whenever they exited the court without passing through the hall's door.
I knew because my mother had taken me there when I was still a kid and I still remembered how much I cried because I wanted to know what magic she did to get to the mansion from the hall here.
I stood still and watched as they exited and right where I stood, they returned again, dressed in clothes suitable to spectate matches like they had said.
A few moments later, Elias returned back into the hall.
“Everything has been prepared, alpha,” he said.
“Good” father smirked. “Now lead the way”
He stood up from his chair and the Luna followed suit by doing the same.
They walked past me with the woman's gaze lingering on me in a way that made me want to stab something into her eyes and tell her to stop trying so hard to make me like her.
I followed behind them and everyone of us moved to the duel.
“There's a duel happening on the training grounds!” A guard exclaimed. “You don't want to miss it!”
I only smirked and ignored the guard, focusing on the path I was walking on.
When we got to the training grounds, the council were already seated as they had been summoned by my father and a lot of other men of high status were also included.
Fighters also lined up beside the field, their gazes darkened.
A duel sounded great. I couldn't remember the last time I had one anyways.