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“By sparring, of course. And no need to refer to me by my title; we are all men here, brothers in arms. To Death, we are all souls trapped in mortal flesh. There’s no difference between prince and soldiers on the battlefield. Everyone,” he called more loudly for the crowd to heed, “my name is Siwang, and you should all refer to me as such.”

The crowd exploded in hollers and cheers. He was endearing himself to the men who would charge into battle and sell their lives for him. However by doing so, he was also establishing bad militarydiscipline. Military ranks existed for a reason, and the chain of command had to be clear. I looked around the camp at the senior officers to see their reactions.

They were all stone-faced. Except Caikun, who was frowning.

There was no reason a prince should lower himself like this.

Suddenly, I no longer feared whether Siwang recognized me. I feared the state of the front lines.

When Siwang returned his attention to me, his lips curled into a soft smile, one I remembered all too well.

I lowered my head farther, my hands formed tiny fists at my sides.

“Your Highness…” I insisted on the title that I had never used with him, because if I called him Siwang, he would recognize my voice. “I’m just a farm boy from a small village. I’m unworthy of being your opponent. You should pick another. Someone taller, stronger, more experienced. Maybe another highborn who matches you in training. Or—”

Siwang stepped forward and touched my shoulder. I jumped back. He was so close. If I lifted my head now, he’d see my face clearly.

My startled reflex earned a restrained chuckle from the prince’s lips.

“There’s nothing unworthy about a farm boy. Every single one of us eats rice here, right? Who plants those seeds and reaps the grains? We are all soldiers here to protect our home and loved ones. When we put on our armor, we are equals. We are brothers. I will treat every one of you as if you are my family, and I hope you’d all do the same for me.”

Again, the crowd cheered.

Siwang failed to mention that the emperor had forced every single one of his half brothers into exile to protect Siwang’s claim to the throne. Being his brother didn’t confer the splendor one might have expected.

“Shall we?” Siwang shrugged off his heavy fur coat to reveal a gray cotton uniform, the same as mine.

Even in drabs, Siwang was beautiful. When he moved, the uniform hugged his perfectly defined chest and biceps. If I didn’t notice before how much taller and broader he’d grown, I did now.

Despite the same clothes, Siwang looked nothing like the men around us. His grace and aura were not attributes these lusterless uniforms could hide. Just as it was not something fanciful clothes could replicate, though the wealthy young men of Yong’An had tried.

Power and grace were things that had long settled deep in Siwang’s bones, morphed into the way he spoke, stood, and moved.

“Let us begin,” I murmured.

We each took three steps back. Siwang was the first to bow, and I quickly followed suit.

“May the best man win,” he said.

My heart beat a dangerous tempo in my ears. Siwang wouldn’t kill a new soldier just to establish dominance, right? Or was this the reason he’d chosen me, because I was small and an easy target?

Siwang lunged, led by his right foot.

This was not the first time we had sparred. Even without Fate’s help, I knew he would aim for my abdomen, either get me on the ground or immobile. So I took a wide step to the left at the last minute to avoid him. If he lost his balance, it would be great, but Siwang was too good. So he would likely re-collect, then lunge again. If he did, then I would have to dodge again. Could I hit the Crown Prince of Rong? What would happen if—

Siwang anticipated my wide step.Of course.He was Rong Siwang. Trained to perfection and expected to exceed all expectations. He swiftly shifted his weight from left to right and grabbed me by the arm, his shoulder lodging in my belly.

I was thrown onto my back before I knew it.

“Best out of three?” Siwang offered his hand to help me to my feet.

I didn’t take it.

I pushed myself up and took a step back. “I’m as unremarkable as they come, Your Highness. Ask anyone here and they will tell you so. I am weak and I am lazy.” This earned a few snickers from the soldiers who didn’t know me. “If you wish to see a better example of our commanders’ efforts to polish rough stones into marble, please, pick any of my peers. They’ll show you just how capable they are.”

“I volunteer.” Relief washed over me when Luyao stepped up. He shot me a pitiful look. “Little Li is just a boy. If you wish to fight a real opponent, fight me.”

Tears welled behind my eyes. If we survived this war, I would hunt all the boars for him and Zhangxi. Their child would be the roundest, fattest, chubbiest baby the village had ever seen. That child would never go hungry. I would make sure of it.