The great hall of House Everhart was a place built not only to impress but to crush. Chandeliers dripped with crystal fire, flooding the chamber with golden light. Marble pillars soared toward a vaulted ceiling, carved with hawks clutching swords—the Everhart crest repeated so many times it felt like it was watching every step. The floor itself gleamed like a mirror, so polished Andy could see the reflection of his frayed boots in every stride.
He clenched his jaw. I don't belong here.
Beside him, Nia walked as though she had been born to rule this space. Her silver hair caught the chandelier light, shimmering like spun starlight. Her staff tapped softly against the marble, each sound crisp, commanding. Andy stole a glance—her back was straight, her expression calm. But he had seen her hands before battle. He knew tension when he saw it.
The nobles turned, eyes following them like hawks sighting prey. Whispers rose, sharp and poisonous.
"Is that him?"
"The commoner?"
"Her aura must be corrupted."
"She's lost her mind."
Andy's grip tightened on his blades, though he dared not draw them here. Words. Always words. And I have no weapon for them.
The System's voice cut through his spiraling thoughts, cold and final.
> [Engagement Trial: Task 3 Initiated]
Demonstrate Public Trust.
Condition: Partner must declare choice openly before peers.
Failure: Bond Collapse at 50%.*
Andy's heart dropped. Now? Here?
Nia's fingers brushed her staff tighter, but her eyes never flicked from the path ahead. She had heard it too.
Then laughter—a voice smooth, deliberate.
Andrew stepped from the cluster of nobles, his silver armor polished to a mirror finish. His smile was sculpted, perfect, but his eyes glowed with disdain.
"To think Lady Nia—Everhart's jewel—returns from trial with… this." His gaze slid to Andy, dripping contempt. "Tell us, commoner, did you impress her by slaying chickens in some alley?"
Laughter burst around them. Sharp. Cruel.
Andy's face burned. His hand twitched toward his sword, but Nia's knuckles brushed his wrist. A reminder. Not here.
At the dais, Lord Everhart rose. The hall fell silent as his presence filled it. Broad-shouldered, hair streaked with silver, eyes as sharp as daggers—he was authority incarnate.
"Nia." His voice rolled like thunder. "You return at last. But chained to disgrace. Explain yourself."
The weight of it pressed like stone. Andy's chest tightened. He expected her to falter—to bow, to be what he'd always feared nobles were: unyielding masks.
But Nia stepped forward.
"Father," she said, voice clear as a bell, "I completed the Trial of the Forgotten Cave. The System has bound me to Andy. He is my partner."
Gasps rippled like waves across the hall. Nobles leaned forward, eyes wide, mouths open.
Lord Everhart's fist slammed against his throne's arm. "A bond with a commoner is no bond! This farce will be dissolved."
Andrew's smile curved wider, venom sweet on his tongue. "Listen to him, Nia. Return to dignity. You owe it to your name. You owe it to me. Choose wisely—choose blood, not… filth."
Andy's nails dug crescents into his palms. Rage burned. Fear whispered. He couldn't fight this with fire or steel.
But then Nia raised her chin.
"No."
The word cracked across the hall like a whip.
Whispers died. The hall froze.
"I chose this bond," she said, her silver eyes sweeping across every face. "Not the System. Not fate. I did. Andy stood beside me when shadows tried to kill us. He bled for me when cultists swarmed us. When you see him as dirt, he is the one who made me feel like I could be more than Everhart's perfect puppet."
Her voice trembled for only an instant, then steadied with iron.
Gasps, outrage, awe rippled through the chamber.
Andy's heart slammed against his ribs. He stared at her, breathless. She—she really—
Lord Everhart's eyes blazed, fury twisting his face. "You defy your House for him?"
Nia stepped closer to Andy, her hand brushing his. Her voice rang, firm and fearless. "Not for him. With him. Because he is my partner. And no one—not even you—will take that from me."
Andrew's mask cracked. "You'll regret this, Nia! With him, you'll lose your House, your crown, everything—"
"I'd rather lose them than lose myself!" she shot back.
The System's chime thundered, louder than their voices.
> [Task 3 Complete: Public Trust Demonstrated]
Bond Progression: 82% → 90%
Reward Granted: Engagement Ring of Unity – Soulbound.
Light burst in the center of the hall. It spiraled around their hands, weaving silver and starlight. Runes flared in midair, ancient and absolute. Nobles gasped as two rings materialized—bands of pure silver etched with glowing constellations.
The bands slid onto their fingers, light binding them in a vow deeper than words. For an instant, it felt like the hall itself bowed.
"Impossible—!"
"The System itself acknowledges—"
"This bond… it cannot be undone!"
Voices rose, furious and astonished.
Andrew's smirk collapsed. He glared, fists clenched, teeth grinding.
Lord Everhart's knuckles whitened on his throne.
Andy stared at the ring on his finger, chest burning. "…Nia…"
She turned, her cheeks tinged red, but her gaze unwavering. "Now… we don't need to touch to be together. The System gave us this bond. And nothing can break it."
Andy's breath caught. For a moment, the crowd, the whispers, the fury—none of it mattered. All he saw was her, standing beside him, unafraid.
The nobles erupted in uproar—anger, disbelief, awe—but Andy didn't hear them.
Because in that moment, he understood.
This wasn't survival.
This wasn't just the System.
This was choice.
This was them.
And this was love.
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