Chapter 885 Test of Nerves

• From the moment Annabeth strode in, the Duke had known she came from a military background—every step possessed the clean geometry drilled at academies far from these chandeliers.
• But she was young, and the cool mask she wore—aloof, unbothered, almost arrogant—sparked a competitive itch he had not felt in years.
• Soldiers everywhere shared the same refusal to yield; borders, flags, and languages had never dimmed that instinct.