She went on. “Well, if you’re not jealous, are you at least as infuriated as I am? I don’t know about you, but that is a nasty bruise across her face, and the cut on her cheekbone”—Adelaide shook her head and tsked—“probably from her counterpart’s wedding ring.”
“Are you saying you think her husband hit her?”
“You’ve been thinking the same thing. It’s probably why you’re out here brooding.”
“I’m not brooding.”
Adelaide shrugged off her long leather jacket and discarded it onto the rock. She wore black trousers and a matching vest over her shirt. She looked the part of a warrior. Theo only wished she could carry her sword in the daylight as she did now.
Adelaide bent down to pick up her sword and held her stance, pointing her weapon at him. He pulled his own from its sheath. She gawked at the silver blade, admiring the serpent hilt.
“New sword?” she asked, her eyes fixating on the jewel for its eye.
“One good thing needed to come from the war,” he said, but a smile never reached his lips. An invisible layer of blood coated the blade. No matter the amount of scrubbing he’d done, he would always see their faces. Losing his old sword, the one piece of home he’d brought and promised he’d cherish, had been a disgrace. The only reason he still had this one was because it’d been a gift from Gris.
Adelaide yelped, and their blades collided. Her feet moved in a swift rhythm, carrying her over the sand with each of her strikes.
“I see your footwork has improved,” Theo said.
Her blade met his, and she pressed against it. “As I spend my time training instead of reading silly little novels, I would hope so.”
She pulled back, but then she surged, and he was forced to move at a speed he hadn’t used since the war. With her smaller stature, he’d taught her to use it to her advantage. Wear her opponent down and move with quick strikes. She stepped back as she began circling to catch her breath.
“If you read more, you’d find they aren’t silly at all, but rather thrilling adventures.” Theo smiled, pleased with the shift in conversation.
“A thrilling adventure would be to sail the Nebulous Sea to war or travel to Duncaster. Those are real adventures, ones you get to liveyourself.” Adelaide pulled a hidden dagger from her boot and angled both blades before him.
He released a sigh. As much as he wanted her to become a soldier, he didn’t wish to shift to this conversation right now.
“Not all travels are adventures. You must not mistake them for reckless danger.” Theo drew his dagger as she lunged at him. Their swords met with a piercing ring that made him wince. Adelaide pulled back, but he shook it off before she had a chance to notice.
“At least you saw combat.” She readied herself for another strike.
“War isn’t glorious, Adelaide.”
Theo didn’t wait for her to attack. He stepped forward and unleashed his own series of moves. She didn’t balk or stumble in her steps. Her arm moved in a fluid motion as it blocked each of his slashes. She ground her teeth together and moved before he sensed it. She kicked his hand, sending his dagger into the sand.
“Why do you get to run off and fight while I’m left here?”
Her scream pulled at his heart.
“You weren’t old enough,” he reminded her. She’d only been seventeen when he left, too young to experience any of it. If it’d been his decision, she would’ve accompanied them to Duncaster, but it hadn’t been up to him.
“Screw being of age,” she sneered with a vengeance as she sailed into another attack. “I’m almost twenty-one. I should have gone to Duncaster with you.”
“Father wouldn’t have allowed it.”
She let out a frustrated grunt, pulling back and sheathing her sword. “It’s always the duke won’t allow it, or the duke says to stay put, or the duke says I’m not to train. Why won’t he let me?” Her face turned a bright shade of crimson as she trembled with furious anger. She stomped around the beach, throwing rocks into the crashing surf and kicking at large piles of sand.
“Will you compose yourself?”
“No,” she snapped, kicking up more sand.
He shielded himself against the particles flying at him in her tantrum. The same conversation had been held between them years ago, but now she could throw heavier rocks and with better aim. She hadn’t been born into the life she deserved. Because of circumstances far beyond her control of heredity, she hadn’t been allowed to train. Unfortunately, she resembled their mother too much—not that their father would ever reveal to Adelaide that that was his reason for holding her back.
Adelaide squatted down, lifting a rock she had no business attempting to pick up. She cradled it between her arms and wound herself up. She threw it into the surf with a large crash. Theo took a step back as she went for an even larger one, and the muscles of her arms pressed against her shirt. Wailing, she flung it even farther than the last. Apparently, she hadn’t only increased in skill in the last three years but also strength.
There was no sense in trying to bring hope to her desires. Theo still hadn’t figured out how he could help her. Luther would uphold their father’s wishes when he took his place as the next duke. Theo only hoped, with his influence as future chief, he could find ways to assist her, to give her a chance at the life she wanted.
