“What are you doing?” a child’s voice asked.
Master Edwards and Jamie froze. The hand quickly retracted as the two sat back up.
“You’re back,” Jamie said flustered. She smiled at six-year-old Benny and his three-year-old toddler brother, Henry. The two boys ran over to Jamie. They hugged and kissed her.
Benny gave Master Edwards a death stare and firmly squeezed himself between the two. “We came back earlier because we overheard Mom saying you could die and that she thinks you would. Dad thinks you could even win. You should withdraw, marrying my brother is not worth dying for.”
“Benny,” Master Edwards said aghast and slapped his head.
“Owww!”
Henry looked surprised at Master Edwards' reaction. "What’s wrong with what Benny just said?" she thought.
Both Benny and Henry are the definition of adorable and will be extremely stunning when grown up. Benny has velvety blue eyes, dimples, and baby-blue hair. Henry is almost the opposite, with almond orangey-brown eyes, chubby cheeks, and ruby-red hair.
“Benny, you’re six years old. You should know the Love Contest is binding by blood," Master Edwards said. "The dead-oath contract for the Love Contest was created by the most gifted Veinham, your forefather, in his attempt to ensure a strong bloodline and peace."
“What’s that?” Henry asked cutely.
“It means my blood will stop flowing if I don’t show up on time to enter the contest,” Jamie explained. At that moment, Jamie understood the meaning behind the family name. Oh, that’s why the family name is Veinham. VEIN, they must have innate gifts that imbued with mana can control your veins. No wonder they’re so powerful and wealthy. As for ham… I'll have to look into that later.
"Jamie signed the dead-oath contract," Master Edwards explained. Jamie sighed, "oh that fateful day," she thought...
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[ Day 1 - Mander
Veinham Dining Hall ]
Jamie was being served a slice of apple pie when Master Edwards arrived. They shook hands.
“Excuse me, young lady, I would like a piece as well,” Master Edwards requested to the elderly hunched servant.
She chuckled and bowed, “Why yes, my Lord.”
Master Edwards turned his attention back on Jamie. “Let us go over your situation. A new untrained servant is paid 10 copper. A contestant is paid, if she places in the top 10 in the first round, top 5 in round 2, and lastly Top 3 in the last round. Different tiers, different award money. Why thank you, young lady,” Master Edwards said as he was served an entire apple pie by a wrinkled hand. The elderly petite woman smiled and walked away.
“For perspective, getting Top 10 can feed you comfortably for say 32 years give or take, and that’s in the city. You’ll also get a cozy job with the Veinhams.”
“How much does 10 copper get me?”
“Well, you’ll live here so living expenses are paid for. In about 10 years, if you save up and advance through the ranks like many here, you can buy a nice plot of land in the country and live out your days,” Master Edwards said and turned to look around. Jamie looked as well. They were mostly surrounded by elderly servants, with a few young ones here and there.
“People like it here. The older servants are paid half of what they were used to and in return, work less. Just last year, the Veinhams had built another boarding house for the servants. There is even talk of building another because the families don’t leave.”
Jamie took a sip of her coffee. "I just need to place a rank… I’m pretty athletic, how hard could this be?"
“So are you in? Here is the contract, read it. Very important, like the fact that you can die,” Master Edwards said and gave her a scroll.
“I'm in. I don't need to read the contract," Jamie said. After today's kidnapping ordeal and entering the world of Mander, Jamie didn't realize she was still on a major adrenaline rush.
Master Edwards shrugged and started to roll Jamie’s hand on an ink pad.
Jamie took another sip of coffee. I have some powers already and am chosen. This is a love contest, not a battle royale. Also, as a lowly servant, how could I find a way home? Besides, the best case scenario is I can marry the General, who is pretty hot and has access to resources so I can figure a way home. Worst case is… I guess I die…actually. Hmm, being a servant doesn’t sound so bad…
At that moment, Jamie realized the reality of things, and her cautious nature kicked in, just as she felt her fingertip being lifted from the scroll. Before she could object, he nonchalantly jabbed her with a small pin, and a drop of blood splattered on the contract. The scroll burned red and disappeared.
On Jamie’s hand, a tattoo appeared as if someone was writing on her hand, it read “#79”.
“Oh, umm...how many days do I have to nullify the contract?”
“None.”
“Oh, okay, no problem,” Jamie whimpered out of reflex. She sat still. "Calm down, calm down. I can always think my way out of things. Just eat this enormous piece of pie and be grateful I'm not already dead."
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[ One Day Before Round 1 of the Love Contest
D1 Sunbeam Forest
Year 0 ]
Henry took a bite of his honey-glazed deer jerky and then gave the same bitten piece to Master Edwards. Master Edwards gave him a look but took the bitten piece anyway. Henry pulled a new piece from his brown bag and glanced around the fire. He grinned, pleased that everyone was enjoying the snack with him.
What is this? So chewy! But I probably should pretend to like it since Henry is sharing, Jamie thought.
"Speaking of, where is Lisaria? Isn't she supposed to be with you around this time? " Master Edwards asked. "Don't drink that!" Master Edwards shouted at Henry, as the toddler attempted to take a sip from the pineapple tuber.
"She's meeting me in the study later, but I might have to cancel it now," Jamie responded. Oh yes, Benny isn't the first to point out that I shouldn't be in the love contest. Jamie recalled Lisaria had said the exact thing...
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[ General Ames Personal Study
Veinham Estate (Zone 4) ]
“I don’t know if you have what it takes, you shouldn’t have signed the love contest contract,” Lisaria commented as she pretended to dust a grimoire. She looked at the door again.
Oh the cost of not thinking, Jamie thought and sighed. Blood squirted through her poorly stitched mana sultures on her left cheek.
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“Holy Gladmora!” Lisaria rushed over to stitch Jamie up. Lisaria is a certified healer, ranked Gold. She could easily go adventuring if she bothered to.
“Are you not concerned with scarring? Gladmora, Master Edwards is infamous for being tough, but this is borderline abuse. How are you not in pain?” Lisaria said in disbelief.
“I just want to survive. And he gave me a bracelet to block my pain receptors,” Jamie said. She tried to catch Lisaria's eyes for some solace.
Lisaria was not interested, she glanced over at the door again. “When did Master Ames say he’ll be here?”
“He didn’t,” Jamie said curtly and continued to copy spells from her big grimoire to her pocket-size one. To carry around a larger one would be nice, but she had trouble controlling her mana for long periods. So instead, Jamie decided to use a glue charm to carry it on her hip.
“How much longer will you study for? You need rest, you know,” Lisaria said.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Well, the children will miss you if you die. I don't know how you can spend so much time with them, I hate children. You should’ve just done the nanny job,” Lisaria continued.
Jamie bit her lips, she wouldn’t be risking her life in this stupid love contest for the elusive but super sexy General if she wasn’t so stupid.
Jamie returned to copying down the spells and mouthed them as she tried to engrave them into memory.
They heard children singing, and as they got closer, Jamie could make out the song.
“Swish, swish, swish. Dodge, Dodge, Dodge, the way of the warrior is one of great honor, swish, swish, swish. Dodge, dodge, dodge. Careful now. Put on a show and your head will roll.” A new song most noble children’s families like to sing nowadays.
“Oh they’re here, I’m out,” Lisaria said before her eyes twinkled. Standing at the door were the children and General Ames. Benny and Henry are both dressed in royal blue kimonos with white and red koi fish hanging on their arms. The General was dressed in a black kimono, with a golden obi (belt). He looked majestic and fatherly, a look Lisaria often saw when the boys were around their eldest brother.
The way the boys both tugged on each of the General’s arms made them look tiny and showed off the General’s strong arms.
He laughed, “Where on Mander did you learn such a song?”
He looked up and saw Jamie. He gasped loudly. Jamie had a black eye, and her face and hands were rainbowed with bruises.
Despite that, he thought she looked cute diligently coping her spells down. He felt bad. In his battle ecstasy, he suggested she enter into one of the toughest competitions in the known universe. Edwards did a terrible job explaining the crucial bits.
The Vaselands are a serious military powerhouse, they were a cut above most prominent warring families. He was hoping that since she was the chosen one for the Vaselands, despite coming from a weak district (solar system), she could place well in one of the rounds. Because of how his forefather set up the contest, as strong as he is, he cannot take her out of the contract.
The Love Contest is taken more seriously than the Veinham's duties to the King, except the King does not know that. A wrong wife can be the ruin of the entire family, let alone her husband and children. This is why the Veinham family remained strong, unlike other families where marriage isn’t taken seriously. Most noble military families care for riches, power, or old-school love. The Veinhams take it a step forward, they require merit, divinity, and love.
To ensure love is also a part of the equation; a life-and-death battle where contestants fight alongside General Ames himself is strategically added to the final round to ensure the suitor and future wife has an unbreakable bond. A bond that can only be formed through hardships and with their lives on the line.
The Love Contest barrier itself is the same that protects the King’s family, the Veinham family, and any other family that could afford the spell’s maintenance cost. Once contestants enter the portal for a round, no other foreign beings can enter.
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The bonfire remained strong, as the four warmed up by it. Jamie watched Henry, with his cute chubby toddler hands stabbed a stick through a small blue pleasant and started to roast it over the fire. How is this kid three years old?
“You forgot to remove the feathers stupid!” Benny shouted. He raised his right hand, palm facing the pleasant, and removed the feathers using mana. The removed feathers fell into the fire.
For the past three months, Jamie had been reading them bedtime stories because their nanny was away visiting her mother in the countryside. Their parents were also away on some secret mission because no one would tell her where they went.
“They’re doing important things right now,” Benny would inform her when asked where his parents were.
“Very important,” echoed Henry, who was always by Benny’s side as a loyal sidekick.
The boys’ parents had not been back until three days ago and had taken them to the castle in the sky for family time, but the kids had asked to come back early to see Jamie off.
On most days, the boys also ate meals with Jamie. But it wasn’t always this affectionate.
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[ Day 5 in Mander
Veinham Side Courtyard ]
Jamie focused her attention on the pink rose in front of her. She raised her hand, palm facing the rose. Rose petals started to pluck themselves into the air, they remained floating midair.
Two petals fell to the ground. That’s okay, that’s just two. Now create the ball for them to circulate in, Jamie thought.
A trained eye could see mana threads slowly encircling the rose petals, slowly forming a mana ball.
Whosh! An arrow shot right through her rose mana ball, resulting in all the rose petals falling to the ground. She turned to see two boys, Benny and Henry wore futuristic white bodysuits resembling fencing suits at one end of the garden, 50 feet separating them. Benny smirked and lowered his right hand.
“Let’s see how powerful you are, Vaseland,” Benny said, pulling out a dagger.
Slash! Jamie fell backward as she heard the swish of Benny’s dagger slashing past her ear. She had somehow managed to dodge it. This boy could use transportation magic!
She rolled to the right as, BLAM! the boy slammed his leg on what would’ve been her face. The kick left a dent on the concrete floor.
Benny looked at Jamie with an intensity Jamie had never seen in a child.
"She is quite nimble for a pure Earth human. Hmm, I’ll do my killer move to end this," Benny devised.
Benny pooled mana onto the palm of his right hand and braced himself to run at her.
“Stop it!” she screamed at him, the mana ball looked like it could kill.
Jamie noticed a few rocks by the rose plants. That could work…, she thought.
Benny in his sprint to throw his mana ball at her, did not see the rocks in his path. He fell for the oldest trick in the book, tripped on a rock, and fell flat on his face. Something shot through his mana ball and destroyed it instantly.
A child’s cry erupted. Jamie walked over. She let out a sigh.
“Does it hurt?”
“Yes,” he wept.
“Why do you suck Benny?” Henry asked. Jamie was startled, this toddler was able to use mana to transport himself next to them, from the end of the courtyard in less than a second. A 50-foot distance!
“Shut-up! I don’t see you wielding a dagger,” Benny snapped back.
Jamie smiled. How childish, so cute!
“Do you want a hug or a boo-boo kiss?” she asked.
Benny lowered his head and glanced sideways to ensure no one was around.
“I’ll take a hug.”
She hugged him and smiled.
“I want a hug too,” Henry said and joined in.
Despite all the changes around her, Jamie felt grounded at this point despite the encounter being quite unusual. It reminded her of Noah, her dead 15-year-old brother. Her mom fell ill after his fatal car accident. Noah was not a planned child and was eight years younger than Jamie.
Don’t cry, Noah is in a better place now.
“Why are you crying?” Henry asked.
“I’m not,” Jamie said as tears flowed freely from her eyes.
“She needs a feel-better-kiss Henry,” Master Edwards said, with a basket filled with breakfast foods. The smell of freshly baked bread, thick sliced bacon, and coffee filled the air.
Henry kissed Jamie and without being prompt, Benny leaned in to kiss Jamie on the cheeks as well.
Master Edwards smiled. “How about you boys eat with us?”
“Have you tested for poison yet? Mom said we can’t have anything if it hadn’t been checked,” Benny said matter of factly.
“Jamie should be able to do that,” Master Edwards said.
“The Vaseland?” Benny said with raised skeptical eyebrows.
“Your brother invited her, she could be your sister-in-law soon,” Master Edwards said.
Jamie blew into a white handkerchief. Really? I’m just trying to survive here.
Benny looked at Jamie, something about her made him want to smile at her. She is pretty, but not as pretty as Mom. She is sweet I guess, but she is Vaseland.
Henry watched as Master Edwards placed the food basket on a wooden bench. He raised his hand, palm facing Benny. Uh-oh…
Benny grabbed his dagger, “Move! Move!” he shouted at Jamie.
Jamie looked confused until she felt the dagger pierce her breastbone and swiftly slashed downwards. It was so painful, she couldn’t even scream. She felt her gut organs leaking out and her hands immediately covered her stomach.