Novel Bin
Chapter 24: Midnight Duel at the Moonlight Gardens?! The Shadow Prince Challenges Zephyr… Over a Card Game?!(Part 1)
Location: Moonlight Gardens – Midnight
Petals drifted through the air, illuminated by floating lanterns that cast silvery light across the marbled garden walkways. In the distance, the gentle hum of string music lingered from the tail end of the royal ball.
Zephyr Arclight had just managed to sneak away from the swirling storm of noble suitors and royal expectations. He leaned against a tree shaped like a moon crescent, his tuxedo slightly wrinkled and his enchanted lapel still glowing from Selena’s monitoring spell.
He let out a long sigh. “Just five minutes of peace... That’s all I want.”
A shadow loomed.
“You’ll have to win it in a duel, commoner,” came a rich, velvety voice.
Zephyr blinked. “...What.”
From the moonlit mist emerged Prince Kael Umbros, heir of the Obsidian Dominion and notorious for his dramatic entrances. He wore a deep violet cloak embroidered with black roses, and his eyes shimmered with obsidian sparkles.
In his hand? A deck of glowing, arcane duel cards.
“You are unworthy of Lady Rosalia’s hand,” Kael declared, pointing a card toward Zephyr. “Therefore, I challenge you... to a midnight card duel.”
Location: Moonlight Garden Duel Circle
A shimmering circle of mana formed around the two competitors. Spectators began gathering from every corner of the castle, alerted by enchanted whispers and gossipy familiars.
Arwen, eyes narrowed, took a front-row seat. “This is nonsense.”
Drakynia leaned over. “No, this is glorious. I have money on Kael throwing his cape dramatically in Round Two.”
Selena, sipping tea that somehow materialized, muttered, “The Queen’s gonna love this.”
Rosalia, holding her breath, whispered, “Win, Zephyr. Win like the righteous hero I know you are.”
Round One
Kael slammed his first card: Dark Rose Revenant! A shadowy knight bloomed from the ground, wielding twin obsidian blades.
Zephyr blinked. “Okay... time to improvise.”
He drew randomly from his magically generated deck and slapped down: Banana Familiar of Minor Chaos.
A literal banana with eyes and a monocle bounced into the field.
The crowd gasped. Kael smirked.
“You dare mock the sacred game?!”
Zephyr shrugged. “It has a 12% chance to explode.”
The banana winked. Then exploded.
The shockwave knocked Kael back, scattering two of his next draws.
Round One: Zephyr Wins.
Round Two
Kael gritted his teeth. “Shadow Binding Ritual!” His field filled with dark thorns and whispering mist.
Zephyr calmly played: Mop of Eternal Reflection.
A spectral mop appeared and calmly... began cleaning the thorn field. The darkness began purifying into light.
Selena dropped her teacup. “What spell component did he just activate? That mop is breaking curses.”
Kael snarled. “Impossible! That was a cursed dimension!”
Zephyr smirked, tossing his hair. “And now it’s a tidy dimension.”
Round Two: Zephyr Wins.
Final Round
Kael growled. “Then I wager everything. One last draw.”
He summoned The Abyssal Queen, a towering, shadow-wreathed matron who laughed in thirteen voices.
Zephyr, sweating, pulled his final card.
Cupcake of Divine Judgment.
He stared. Then grinned.
“Rosalia, this tastes like righteousness, right?”
He threw the card. A cupcake appeared. The divine frosting exploded in holy glitter, purifying the Abyssal Queen into a humble tea lady, who promptly served Kael a cup of jasmine tea and vanished.
Final Round: Zephyr Wins.
Aftermath: Moonlight Garden
Kael knelt, defeated, cloak torn.
Zephyr offered him a hand. “It’s just a card game, man.”
Kael blinked. Then chuckled. “You have earned my... grudging respect. But next time, I will bring my advanced deck.”
Rosalia clapped happily. “Zephyr! You did it!”
Arwen huffed. “Still ridiculous.”
Drakynia muttered, “I owe Mirelle five gold coins.”
Selena scribbled something into Zephyr’s file: "Somehow wins even in divine-tier dueling. Suspicious."
End of Chapter 24
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