I Only Love My Greatest Enemy

Eris moved through the alleys and other hidden areas of the capital. Armand followed at a distance. The Hapsburg hid with every few steps, looking behind her to see if anyone was following. However, Armand managed to stay hidden.

"Just where are you going, Eris?" he thought.

Eventually, the Hapsburg girl went back onto a main street of the city. The moon was high in the sky at that point. Most of the roads were pitch black. But a few were lit up. And Eris made her way to a building that was so bright that hordes of moths floated around it. It wasn't just that light was coming from inside the building. The entire structure was glowing.

"Magical lights. There must be a group of nobles or really wealthy commoners inside," Armand pondered.

Eris stepped into the building. Armand snuck up close to it before moving in himself. There, he was suddenly hit with the smell of alcohol. Numerous people in fancy clothes had gathered in the room.

These nobles and rich merchants were seated around various tables. Some were gambling with cards and dice. Others were drinking. Still more were engaged in storytelling.

Armand looked around while remaining as unseen as possible. He caught a glimpse of Eris sneaking out the back door. The Concord boy followed her, making sure she didn't see him.

When Armand stepped outside, he found that he was in a large garden. There were rows of hedges and shrubbery. Several fountains dotted the area, some taller than the hedges. The sound of flowing water entered Armand's ears as well as distant conversations. He smelled fresh-cut grass, and the scent of alcohol faded away.

Armand looked around. Eris had disappeared behind some row of hedges. The boy grimaced, but he felt determination flow through him. Moving fast and quiet, Armand rushed through the shrubbery.

He came to a clearing. There was a gazebo in the back of it and a fountain in the center. Armand stopped in his tracks before ducking behind the hedges. Eris was walking towards the gazebo.

That's when a sudden realization came to Armand's mind.

"Early in Eris' political career, she got in a duel with another noble because he was a political rival. Eris won by cheating, and she was enemies with his lover ever since. I remember reading reports that this duel was at a location that's just like this. The duel happened later the last time around, but Eris might be trying to get it out of the way early," Armand thought.

The boy tried to move forward to stop her, but he halted himself instead.

"This must be what Chronos was talking about. I do not want Eris to get in a duel just to get rid of an obstacle. So, I have to let her get in one. But I also have to protect her," Armand clenched his fists so hard they turned white. "I know what I have to do. I'll try to resolve things peacefully and with honor."

Armand crept toward the gazebo. He hid behind the fountain as much as he could while listening deeply. Eventually, Eris' words came to his ears.

"What I'm saying is that you are, beyond a doubt, the most disgraceful noble I've ever met in my entire life," she said.

A sense of urgency blasted through Armand. He rolled over to the side of the gazebo, staying close to the ground so he was out of sight. Then, he heard the response.

"I will teach you a lesson in manners, wench."

Armand heard the sound of someone taking off a glove and throwing it on the ground. He didn't hesitate. The Concord boy jumped over the side of the gazebo and grabbed the glove off the ground before Eris could. Then, the boy looked around.

There was a boy Armand's age with a glove only on his left hand before him. He had brown hair and orange eyes. There was a sword at his hip. An expression of shock coated his face. Behind this boy was a girl around the same age. She had green eyes and red hair, and there was another startled look coating her.

Then, Armand turned his head so Eris was in his view. Even she looked surprised. Though, there was far less shock on her face than there was on the others'.

"I thought for sure I wasn't followed. It looks like you've gotten the better of me this time, Armand," Eris thought with a grimace.

"Eris, it's time for me to fulfill Chronos' orders. I will protect you," Armand thought.

He stood upright and bowed to the noble across from him.

"My apologies, but you just challenged my fiance to a duel. I have no quarrel with you. However, it is my duty to protect her. So, perhaps we can settle this matter between the two of us?" Armand suggested.

The other noble nodded.

"That is acceptable. Though, I hope you are ready to die because of your fiance's insult," he said.

"I intend to settle this in an honorable way. With pistols."

"Very well. We shall duel with pistols."

Eris hid her onrushing grimace. She felt a headache coming on. The girl forced her face to take a neutral expression.

"Of course. If both combatants fire their pistols into the air, the duel will end peacefully with the duelists' honor intact. That must be what Armand's planning. The only way it could go wrong is if Armand's opponent is faster than him, and Barbados is not. After all, it's a massive dishonor to shoot your opponent after they fired their pistol into the air," Eris thought.

Barbados gestured to the woman behind him.

"Since my lover and your fiance are here, they can act as our seconds. That way, we can get this affair over with quickly," he said.

"I'd be honored to act as your second, Barbados," the red-haired girl replied.

Eris forced herself to curtsy.

"I can't refuse this without making Armand look bad, but perhaps I can scare Barbados off by mentioning who Armand is?" she thought before speaking. "I have no objections, Armand Concord, adjutant of Marshall Staufer."

Barbaros looked at Armand with sudden recognition flowing through him. However, rather than run, he nodded.

"Very well. We can get started right away."

Soon, the four were in an empty street. They lit an oil lamp and hung it from a tree so they could see. Still, the world outside of them was sheathed in a cloak of darkness. Armand made sure no one was within pistol range. Then, he and Barbados stood with their backs touching.

"You will take ten paces, turn around, and fire your pistols," Eris gave the instructions.

The red-haired girl tensed up. Her heart beat rapidly. Sweat trickled down her brow. Eris, meanwhile, stood at ease. She felt a massive amount of frustration, but there was no lack of confidence.

"Just get this over with," Eris thought before speaking. "1. 2. 3."

With each word, Armand and Barbados took a step. Their feet hit the cobbled ground. Barbados felt his own brow become sweaty, but he forced those feelings of anxiousness down. Armand had an eerie calmness about him. If someone saw him, they'd think he was taking the pistol to a gun convention as wasn't in a duel.

"4. 5. 6. 7."

Eris continued, and the combatants kept moving. Step by step, pistols raised high, and the space between them increased. The Hapsburg recalled that she turned and shot Barbados at this point the last time around.

"8. 9. 10."

The moment the tenth step was taken, Armand and Barbados turned around.

Bang!

Armand was fully turned before Barbados even got halfway through it. The Concord had fired his pistol into the air. Seeing this, the red-haired woman breathed a sigh of relief. Eris let out an internal groan.

"My apologies, but I cannot let Marshal Staufer know that I challenged his adjutant's fiance to a duel," Barbados aimed his pistol. "I'd like to let you live, but I cannot."

Bang!

Blood welled up in Armand's shirt. The bullet hit his chest. Pain flashed through the boy, who hadn't had enough time to magically reinforce his body to stop bullets. He stumbled back and fell to the ground. Armand gazed up at the sky as blood flowed over the ground around him. His vision went hazy.

Pure rage welled up in Eris. Without thinking, she drew her rapier and charged Barbados. He drew his own sword.

"Well, this saves me the trouble of challenging you again," Barbados said as their blades clashed. "Only Abene and I will leave this place alive."

Eris ignored his words. She was so mad that she moved on pure sadistic instinct. After another ringing of steel, Eris saw an opening. The Hapsburg thrust her sword into Barbados' hand. He let out a scream of pain as he dropped his weapon.

However, this wasn't the end. Eris sliced her blade across his arms, legs, and back. Deep but nonfatal cuts formed on Barbados' body. He let out a scream of pain as Eris cut with her rapier so that a chunk of skin went flying from his shoulder. Then, she stabber her blade into his right leg and twisted it for maximum agony.

Moving around to his front, Eris thrust her sword into his groin. The pain was so great that Barbados passed out. Abene screamed in horror and ran over to him. Eris rammed her sword through the unconscious boy's heart before running over to Armand.

The Concord was lying in a pool of his own blood. Panic pulsed through Eris. She flashed back to the time she died. A sense of dread flowed through the girl. Eris recalled that she hadn't lost this much blood before she was killed.

"I shouldn't have wasted time torturing Barbados!" she thought.

Eris placed her head on Armand's chest. She heard the sound of his faint heartbeat. But Eris did not let herself feel relief. The girl grabbed Armand and tried to pick him up. But her muscles ached and strained from the effort, barely able to pull him a few centimeters above the ground.

Trying to lighten her load, Eris threw some of her concealed weapons away. Guns, bombs, and daggers fell from the girl's coat. Then, she tried picking up Armand again. Her muscles strained once more and she could only bring him a foot off the ground.

Gritting her teeth so hard they almost cracked, Eris searched through Armand's clothes as fast as she could. The girl removed a bunch of concealed weapons from his rapidly cooling body.

Eris grabbed Armand once more, this time moving so that her back was under him as she lifted. Her muscles felt like they were on fire, but Eris was able to carry Armand.

Step by step, Eris walked in complete and utter agony. Her limbs ached, and her back felt like it would collapse. Blood from Armand's wound poured down his body and onto her. The red liquid flowed into Eris' eyes. They stung as if they were hit by a bee, but the Hapsburg pushed on.

Her breathing became ragged. Eris felt her lungs burning to ash as she took increasingly painful steps. But she forced herself to continue, pushing as much agony aside as she possibly could.

Then, Eris came to her destination. She banged on a door as loud and hard as she could. A bearded man opened it in his nightgown. The moment he saw Armand, he sprang into action.

The man grabbed the boy, checking his pulse. Relief flowed through the bearded man's body when he saw that Armand was still alive.

Armand was brought inside as quickly as the man could carry him. He was placed on a table with a magic circle around it. Eris ran inside, following the two with panic in her eyes.

"Is Armand going to be okay, doctor?" she asked.

"I require quiet now," the man said as he uttered an incantation.

After a few painful minutes, the circle started to glow. Once more, the doctor checked Armand. The boy was still breathing. Then, the doctor examined the Concord's body. He turned to Eris after a few moments.

"How did he get this injury?" the man questioned.

"He was shot with a pistol," Eris answered.

The doctor nodded.

"He is lucky to be alive. He was shot in the lung."

Eris' heart turned weak upon hearing the doctor's words.

"I will need to perform an operation to remove the bullet. You should wait in the other room until it's finished. I would not want you to see this," the man continued.

Nodding, Eris made her way to the other room and sat down. She made sure that her back was to the wall. Eris sat in a corner and placed her hands over her face. Only one thought went through her head.

"This is all my fault."