Chapter 28: The Princess Bet

As I stepped out of my tent, Amy was already waiting for me.

She stood next to the RV, leaning against it. She looked up with a small smile as she heard me approach.

"Took you long enough," she said softly.

I raised an eyebrow.

"You beat me by one minute."

"Still counts," she replied with a smirk and, already turning towards the forest trail.

I shook my head, slightly surprised by her morning energy, and started following her.

When we reached the clearing, she stretched her arms over her head, letting out a slow breath.

"I've been practicing," she said. "Promise not to laugh."

"I won't," I responded with a kind tone, a bit surprised by her drive.

I pulled a kunai from my pouch and met her gaze.

"Today, we'll spar again. Show me what you've learned."

She nodded, though her movements were hesitant. She clearly didn't like this part of training, not when it meant swinging a real blade at me.

I motioned her forward with one hand.

"Come at me."

She stepped in and began to strike, and every swing lost speed as she got close. I deflected them without effort, sidestepping most of them without even raising my kunai.

After a few rounds, I stopped and took a small step back.

"You're still holding back."

Amy looked frustrated.

"Well, yeah… I don't want to stab you."

I stared at her for a second, then tilted my head slightly.

"If you can land even one hit on me, I'll grant one of your requests."

She blinked.

"Like a genie?"

I paused, then gave her a mocking smirk.

"Sure. Anything you want. Not like you'll actually win."

Her eyes narrowed, the hesitation evaporating. She adjusted her grip and dropped back into a stance that was… almost decent.

"Oh, you're on," she said.

She took a step closer, twirling the kunai in her hand like she was warming up.

"And when I win… you're gonna wear one of Sophia's dresses for the whole day. Let's see you try to kill that 'Princess' nickname."

I stopped mid-step, staring at her.

How the hell did she know about that?

Amy caught the look on my face immediately and smirked.

"Thank Daryl, for that. He hasn't used your real name once — just calls you that every time. I'd be surprised if the whole camp doesn't know by now."

I didn't say a word.

Just glanced off towards the treeline where the camp was.

Say goodbye to your bike, Daryl.

She didn't wait for me to count down.

Amy rushed forward the moment I shifted my stance, leading with a wide slash. I stepped aside, deflecting it with a flick of my wrist.

Her next strike came low, aimed at my ribs. I caught it on the flat side of my kunai and pushed her back again.

"You're still telegraphing your swings," I said calmly.

"Maybe you're just reading my mind," she muttered, already charging in again.

She was faster this time.

Still, every attack was blocked. Every kick was redirected. Every feint was countered before it even finished.

"You're leaving your side open," I said after another parried strike. "Don't lead with your shoulder like that."

Amy grunted in frustration but didn't stop. She spun and slashed again, feet kicking up loose leaves as she moved.

After another five minutes, her form started to falter, her breathing grew louder. I could see the frustration in her movements as she got more sloppy.

The next time she attacked, I caught her wrist and used her own momentum to send her tumbling to the ground.

She groaned, coughing once as the dust settled.

"You're okay?" I asked, stepping forward to offer a hand.

But she didn't take it.

Instead, she pushed herself up. Her hand casually brushed across the dirt.

The next time she charged, she feinted high and then flung a fistful of dirt straight at my face.

It was a smart move. But she should have waited longer and done it more descriptively.

I tilted my head slightly, the dirt flying past me harmlessly.

Amy blinked, stumbling to a stop, clearly expecting at least some kind of reaction.

"...Seriously?" she said, exasperated.

I just stared at her, deadpan.

"Next time, don't be so obvious about it."

She let out a frustrated groan and collapsed back onto the grass, arms spread out.

"Ugh. I give up, you're impossible."

I walked over and stood above her.

"Better luck next time," I said, offering a hand.

She grabbed it, and I pulled her back to her feet.

She was covered in dirt and breathing hard. 

"You tried something clever," I said as we turned to head back.

Amy wiped her hands off on her pants, grinning through her exhaustion.

"Had to at least try. I'm not gonna let you stay unbeatable forever."

I glanced at her with a smile as we started walking.

"Shouldn't you aim for something feasible at least?" I said quietly.

Amy huffed, muttering under her breath.

"At least I didn't lose to a little girl…"

I raised an eyebrow, glancing at her.

"So that little kid's better than you?"

She blinked, realizing what she'd just implied, then groaned.

"Ughhh… I'm too tired for this."

We just started walking back to the camp in comfortable silence.

Then, just as the edge of the farm came into view, she stopped walking.

I noticed her stopping and turned around towards her.

When I turned around, she was still standing there, arms hanging loosely by her sides, eyes glued on me like she was debating something.

She didn't say anything. Just stepped forward, closing the space between us.

Then she raised a hand and pointed past me.

"What's that?"

I turned my head slightly, instinctively scanning the area behind me.

And that's when she leaned in.

Soft, sudden, her lips pressed gently against my cheek.

By the time my mind caught up with what was happening, she was already stepping back, a grin forming on her face.

"I win," she said quickly, her voice a little shaky, then turned and bolted toward the camp, her face glowing red.

I just stood there, watching her back as she ran off, a genuine soft smile forming on my face.

The warmth from her kiss still lingered on my cheek.

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🧪 Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for the support — we've officially passed 400+ power stones!

Quick update on the upload schedule:

I'll continue aiming to release chapters daily, but if there's ever a day without an update, don't worry, it just means I'm working on making the next chapter longer or more polished. I don't want to rush through anything and risk lowering the quality just to meet a deadline. Some chapters need more time, especially when I want to cover a lot or end things the right way.

So if a day is skipped, just know a bigger chapter is coming the next day.

Hope you enjoyed this one! Let me know what you thought of the story and the character interactions in the comments — I love reading your reactions.

Thanks again for reading 🖤