Later that afternoon, when Ard, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin returned to the palace, the sharp "clang... clang" of practice weapons echoed through the air. They spotted Adeline in the side courtyard with Eva and the rest of the girls. Taking a detour to get a closer look, Ard saw Adeline sparring with Eva using wooden swords.
Eva effortlessly parried every swing and thrust without striking back once. She didn't look like she was looking down on her; on the contrary, she seemed to be mentoring her. Adeline looked like she was having the time of her life, grinning ear to ear as she pressed the attack.
"See? I told you it would be fine, bro," Geoffrey said.
"Relax. They wouldn't do anything crazy to their own sister-in-law... future sister-in-law, I mean," Ainsley added, pushing up his glasses.
"If I'd known that, we should have stayed at the tavern and kept relaxing. We didn't need to rush back," Irwin muttered.
