The cheering is loud and almost one-sided. The nobles are praising Seraphina's name, calling her the next Lady of House Vatore. They are vocal about their opinion, using the voice of the masses to put more pressure on her. As people move out, forming a circle that is big enough to become the stage of the fight, Seraphina and Primrose step in, each wielding a weapon of their choice. The former, a pair of fencing foils, and the latter, a spear that has been passed down through generations.

Primrose, donning her mother's black dress, holds the spear tightly, the strength of her ancestors is slowly pouring into her, giving her the confidence she needs to overcome this obstacle. Standing in front of the blonde beauty, she reminisces of when she came to visit her grandma in Mt. Komorebi during the summer.

Sumire used to say that her grandchildren are special. Primrose and Nathaniel inherit the blood of the Emberlynn family, allowing them to wield magic, and on the Minamoto side, they learn more than just the art of potion crafting. When they were young, Rosalina would take them back to during summer vacation, and they would train with her side of the family to learn and understand the deep history of the Minamoto Clan.

Seraphina takes the first attack, striking her flexible sword at the raven head, which she dodges nimbly, blocking the strike with her spear. The small stature allows her to move swiftly, but she is still at a disadvantage. She may be able to avoid the strikes of her opponent but is barely able to swing out any attack. It has been quite a while since she put herself in a fight, but Primrose is far from giving up.

Sumire would often take Primrose with her to the garden filled with flower pots and a small pond tugging in the corner. Here, she would train her in the art of spear fighting, just like how she had done with Rosalina when her daughter was little.

Sumire's spear moves were graceful and elegant, each thrust was fast and precise, leaving no room for mistake. Her leg movements were swift and agile, each twirl earned her a slash of breeze that brought along a whirlwind of flower petals in the heating air of summer. The flexibility and endurance that she had harvested through many years of training became the number one asset of her fighting style, with each footwork resembling a dancer, fluid movements mimicking the dance of a flower.

Primrose remembers how she would just sit there, captivated by her grandma's spear fight.

She swings her spear, a small wave of water follows, but Seraphina is faster as she moves to a safer distance. She knits her eyebrow, her attack is so close, and yet, that blonde woman is still able to get away. Caleb is watching from afar, his eyes never leave her, no matter if she is winning or losing.

But Primrose wants to win, for her and for him as well…

"Your attacks are just as flimsy as your feelings for him, human."

"This human has a name and it is Primrose!"

Her grip on the spear becomes tightening, Seraphina's words serve as a dagger to her heart, but she withstands the attack, both physically and emotionally.

"Why are you letting your feelings dictate your movements, my dear?"

Primrose looked up at her grandmother, breathing heavily as her training weapon was blown out of her hands with ease. Staring at the small palms, she grew irritated at the idea of how hard the training session was. It was painful and time-consuming, and she had gotten nowhere since the beginning of summer.

But Sumire was kind enough to not give up on her granddaughter.

"You have a high affinity for water magic and yet, you never consider using it in your spear work."

"What do you mean, grandma?"

But Sumire only gave her a gentle smile, she said nothing after that.

Seraphina's attacks grow to be more vicious as she strikes at Primrose's weak spot, some can even lead to a fatal blow. The raven head remains focused, knowing very well that a friendly duel is not what this vampire is aiming for. She wants to get rid of her, at all costs…

"Remember, my dear, water is both gentle and fierce, much like the art of combat." Sumire set down her spear, looking down at Primrose who was lying flat on the dirt ground "Why is it that I always win, even when I don't possess magic affinity like you?"

"Because you're strong."

Her honest answer drew a chuckle out of the older woman.

"I am strong, but that is not the only reason. See Primrose, water has no physical form, you put it in a jar and it will become a jar, you put it in a box and it will become a box, you put it in a vase and it will become a vase. Water is malleable, it can form in any shape you want if you know how to do it."

Primrose blinked at her grandmother, such a philosophical concept was out of reach for a young child like her.

"When you fight, just like water, you go with the flow. Adapting to your opponent's moves, just like how you put water in the shape you desire."

Sumire brought up her spear, the movements were precise yet gentle, fluid yet still. Each move was powerful enough to knock down a tree and Primrose only stared at them in awe. Flower petals fell down from the tree, dancing with the wind currents.

"Soft and gentle, still and precise. Adapting to your opponent means your attack will become more versatile, notice how water never resists but always flows along with its obstacle. To fight like water means to be in perfect harmony with your surroundings and your weapon."

Primrose dodges the attack nimbly, it is so close that the tip of the foil almost slit her face. The cheering keeps getting louder and she can hardly hear anyone from her side. Inna is very pleased with what she is looking at, she knows very well that this fragile human being is not worthy to be by Caleb's side and that he is bewitched by the naïve thing he calls love.

"Give it up, you are nothing compared to me. I am the heiress of House Bloodhaven, I have the money, the power, and the social status that you can never imagine. My feelings for Lord Vatore are stronger than yours, with me by his side, he will be invincible!"

But the raven head digress at that nonsense. Since the start of the party, the only things she hears are money and power, there is no love, no emotion whatsoever, just the most practical things that she can imagine. A marriage with no love is bound to fail, a marriage with only one person investing is bound to collapse. It is such an easy concept and yet, no one seems to see it.

These people are blinded by power and fortune through the promise of being the mate of Caleb Vatore. And Inna, for her to call herself his best friend is the most hypocritical thing Primrose has ever heard. She doesn't understand him, nor she can see the matter of his heart. It is ironic yet sad at the same time and Primrose knows that Inna will never be able to see through her friend's truest self.

"But how do I do that?"

Sumire looked at her surroundings and then turned to her granddaughter, smiling. She twirled around, the head of her spear captured many flower petals with strong and precise thrusts. Her movement was elegant and swift, blending in with the wind like a beautiful picture of a summer day.

"Become one with water, Primrose. Flow like one, act like one, and the spear you are holding will guide your way."

"Give up, human!"

Primrose holds her ground, the spear stops Seraphina's attack with a precise block. She looks at her opponent, onyx eyes boring right into her soul. There is a calmness in her eyes, still yet deadly. With another swing of her spear, the blonde vampire is sent flying. Inna flinches at the sight, looking at Seraphina as she struggles to maintain her footing.

"You are no match for her. Your feelings are nothing compared to hers!" the brunette calls out loudly, aiming to lower Primrose's morale.

But it takes more than a few insults to knock the raven head off her feet. She remains resilient, even in the midst of all the jeering. Behind her, she can hear Kian and Lilith cheering, Lumera tells her to watch her step, Marlin yells to finish her opponent and Caleb's unwavering attention is on her. He has always been watching her, silently cheering his lovely maiden as she fights with everything she has. And this small body of hers is stronger than what it might seem.

"My feelings for him…" she holds her head high, gripping the spear tightly "…are not yours to dictate!"

Primrose charges at her, each thrust of her spear holds the strength of her feelings and the determination to prove her value, not as a mage, not as a mate, but as herself, Primrose Emberlynn.

Her footwork is swift and agile, like a dancer's gracing her movement on stage, each step stemming from a concrete stand and gentle like water. The flow of water magic accompanies her every move, weaving intricate patterns into her dance. When she swings her spear, the weapon becomes a part of her, water spirals form around her body, blocking every attack of Seraphina's foils. Her intricate twirls bring water torrents with her as she waltzes through the stage – her stage - to attack her opponent.

The blonde vampire is having a hard time blocking and dodging the attacks. Her emerald eyes are wide open when the spearhead keeps jabbing at her, the blue hue on the weapon is manifested through Primrose's water magic. Her strikes are beautiful and deadly, with each one becoming stronger than the previous, forcing Seraphina to maintain a still balance if she doesn't want to be knocked off the floor.

"Be mindful of your emotion, Primrose!" Marlin calls from afar, a reminder to his pupil of how destructive her power can be if she lets loose of her emotions.

Seraphina holds onto her fencing foils tightly as she blocks another water blade coming her way, but as she just barely diffuses the projectile, Primrose charges in, twirling elegantly and swinging the spear with all her might, knocking her weapons away and the blonde vampire lies vulnerably on the floor, unable to get back on her feet.

Her voice hitches as the sharp spearhead points at her, Primrose is standing tall, looking down at her as if she is nothing but a peasant falling out of grace.

"Yield!"

Seraphina looks at her with a grudge-filled stare, brows knitting tightly as she reluctantly announces her defeat.

The crowd falls silent, their earlier cheers now overshadowed by the unexpected victory of the young human. Inna runs to the blonde's side helping her get back on her feet. She glares at Primrose, and the kindness façade fades away, revealing an ugly frustration that paints across her delicate face.

"What is the meaning of this? Are you trying to kill her?" the brunette wastes no time pinning a crime onto her "You dare to lay a hand on House Cents's ally?"

Before the brunette can take any step further, Caleb steps in. His tall stature blocks Inna's hand from grabbing onto Primrose. Lilith and Kian follow, along with Marlin and Lumera, all forming a barrier around the raven head. Despite the victory, the tension only rises at Inna's accusation and the nobles seem to take her side, beginning to whisper about the duel and how Seraphina almost got killed.

"Enough with this nonsense, Inna. You know very well what the Bloodhaven heiress did during the duel, as a fencer yourself, you should have seen it." Caleb speaks up, icy silver orbs glancing at anyone who dares to pin a crime on his lovely maiden "She used a real weapon on a human, her aims were at Primrose's dead spots and with one strike, she could be left bleeding to death. On top of that, she would be bleeding in front of vampires, what do you think would happen after that?"

"This is a Duello, Caleb. Of course, there have to be injuries. I could use the same arguments as you did." she retorts.

"But you forget about vampire's healing ability. Primrose's weapon might cause injuries, but vampires are known to have faster healing capacities, meaning that even if Lady Bloodhaven is bleeding, it is easier for her to heal herself." Marlin steps in, looking at Inna with soulless eyes "Unless you're just conveniently forget about this, Inna Cents."

Caleb nods at Marlin, confirming his words to be true. The accusation, along with Caleb's firm voice sends a deadly warning to those who dare to try this again, and the vampires, although wanting to side with Inna, know their place and offer a silent agreement. The nature of this Duello is not to determine who has the right to be his mate, it is to eliminate the source of this problem, both Inna and Seraphina want to wipe Primrose out of the picture.

The raven head finally understands what Inna told her earlier, that she should have got rid of her when they were in Glimmerbrook. She remembers this woman, the one that Caleb rescued during the confrontation with Thebe Hesberg. Inna Cents was the reason the young lord arrived at Glimmerbrook in the first place.

So even back then, she wanted to kill me?

Her father told her about the prejudice and problems that she would have to face if she chose to go to the party, and here she is, almost getting herself killed. She thinks about what would happen if Seraphina actually injured her, would these noble vampires stay calm? Or they would give in to their vampiric nature and…

The thought of it sends chills down her spine, Primrose can not believe that her life almost ends in such a gruesome way. Even when she achieves her goal and proves herself to be a worthy mate, it seems like the favor of the masses is still on Inna's side. She can not stay here anymore, she wants to go home, she wants to be in Caleb's arms. His embrace is always so safe, so peaceful, her source of comfort whenever she needs it.

"Caleb…" she speaks up, softly and pleading "Take me home, please…"

The young lord senses her distress and immediately sweeps her off her feet, Primrose stays neatly in his arms as she hides her face in his chest, too tired to even look at anyone. Lumera takes the weapon out of her hand while Lilith gathers the blush dress she wore earlier, they are all too tired to deal with Inna and her goons now.

"Caleb, you're not serious about taking her as your bride?" Inna, still stubborn as a mule, asks her friend again "You know what would happen, do you?"

"My decision to take her as my bride has nothing to do with you…" he looks at her and then turns his attention to everyone in the room "Or anyone of you. If you dare to lay hands on Primrose again, the alliance between House Vatore and House Cents will end in your generation, Inna."

"You will regret this, Caleb. And I will not let this happen. I will not allow House Vatore to fall just because of that human girl!"

A brute, invisible force rises up, knocking off all the tables and decorations in the ballroom, glassed windows shattered as the eerie wind flows in, blowing off the candles. Panic screams and gasps erupt from the guests, some even kneel down at the sight of those bloody red eyes. Inna steps back, pale face trying to maintain her calm. Caleb glares at her, his eyes are soulless and the dark black clouds surround him, protecting him and Primrose from any potential danger.

"Try me, Inna…"