Chapter 255 - Unleash Its Tension (2/2)

”Are you kidding me, Mom? Of course Aunt Isla will place all of her fortune in Uncle's hands,” Eli said astutely. It was when he glanced at Queen Isla that he realized how wrong he was.

”Omo. I'm actually looking for someone who would bet on him because sure as heaven, I won't,” Queen Isla chuckled.

”Isla! I heard you,” King Alistair warned.

”Heol. It's the wine talking, My King!” Queen Isla cupped the corner of her mouth to broadcast her response. It made the ladies burst in a fit of chiming laughter.

Obviously, the ladies were the only ones who seemed to be enjoying that part of the night while the men were sweating bullets.

Down where Maxen, Oliver, and King Alistair were standing, the three were in deep discussion whether they had an idea where that floating stake could be.

”F*ck it,” Oliver cursed. ”Where the heck is it? It won't float around, would it? If it's tethered to the dock, it should be within this range.”

With both of his hands in the air, Oliver used it to frame the expanse of the lake. He turned to his left to look at King Alistair for approval.

”I'll take the left side this time. Since it's not in the center, then it should be on the left. My light is limited, boys. Make sure to widen your scope. If we're unlucky, chances are, the stake got carried away to the right.”

King Alistair and Oliver turned their heads in unison to the right where Maxen stood in silence.

”Don't worry, Son,” King Alistair trailed off. ”If I fail, Wyatt can activate the locator.”

”Yeah. It's okay, Max. Uncle used it. I used it. What matters is we keep our pride at the end of the night intact.”

Oliver clasped his hand over Maxen's shoulder. This part of the ritual was the hardest of them all.

Back then, it was easy for tribesmen to locate the stake because their senses were heightened and their eyes acclimated to the darkness of the night.

But years passed and the way of living changed, making it hard for grooms of Nisia to pass this ritual, hence, a locator is sometimes used.

It was akin to the green and yellow glow of a firefly, that nobody would notice it was a deception at all because of the abundance of fireflies Nisia.

This method was a blood pact between men in Nisia to preserve their dignities on their wedding day.

The only problem was Maxen being Maxen. He dismissed the idea earlier.

What's the point of standing tall after what you claim as your achievement was in fact you cheating? He'd rather miss the mark and still bed his wife senseless.

”Let's get this over with,” Maxen uttered. He grabbed his own bow and arrow, dipping the spear in ethanol.

Bringing the arrowhead near a torch, he let the flames engulf it into a ball of fire. He nocked the arrow on the string and relaxed his shoulders.

King Alistair was in position, ready to release his string. And when he did, lighting forked in the sky soon after, illuminating the horizon.

Darkness enveloped them yet again but it didn't deter Maxen.

Maxen didn't blink. Maxen didn't breathe. At that moment, he stood a natural stance and raised the equipment in his hand.

To Maxen, the instrument in his hand was not just a bow and arrow but an extension of himself. It was then that he didn't have second thoughts.

Everyone held their breaths when a swoosh echoed as the bowstring unleashed its tension and sent the ball of fire flying across the lake.

Olivia shot up from her seat with so much force her chair fell backwards. Both of her hands clasped together in a silent prayer for her husband's victory.