Chapter 326: Gifts She Appreciates

Sophia froze.

For a heartbeat, she simply stared into the open box, her eyes wide and unblinking, breath caught somewhere between surprise and disbelief. The room felt suddenly very quiet, as though even the walls were waiting to see what she would do next.

Slowly, carefully, she reached into the box and lifted one of the daggers.

It settled into her palm like it had always belonged there. Like it was meant for her hands from the beginning.

She turned it once, then again, studying the blade, the way the light traced its edge, the delicate vine motif forming the guard. The leather-wrapped grip fit her hand snugly, not too thick, not too thin, and the weight—gods, the weight—was perfect. It was balanced, and she knew that it was because of the man watching her expectantly.

She looked up at Orion, eyes shining.

"...Is this for me?"

He nodded.

"Yes."

He barely had time to add, "I know, I know, it’s not the kind of trap you were expecting—" before she dropped the dagger back into the padding and surged forward.

Her arms wrapped around him without warning, tight and warm and full of feeling she didn’t bother hiding.

"Thank you," she said into his chest, voice muffled but fierce. "Thank you."

Orion blinked, caught off guard, then laughed softly as his arms came around her in return.

"You haven’t even tested them," he pointed out. "You didn’t throw them, didn’t check the balance, didn’t—"

She pulled back just enough to look at him, her expression earnest. "I don’t need to."

He frowned slightly. "Sophia—"

"They’re beautiful," she said simply. "And I know you. You wouldn’t give me something that doesn’t suit me—except if it was to play a joke on me." She told him, and he smiled at her.

"But what if you don’t like it..."

She shook her head. "I already do."

"What if the weapon doesn’t suit you..."

"It does. And besides, you are my teacher, Orion. You know exactly what weapons fit me and what don’t. You were the one who even suggested I use a short sword because of how bad my stamina was. I know you wouldn’t do something that doesn’t fit me." She told him.

Orion swallowed. "You trust me that much?" he asked her.

Sophia didn’t even hesitate. She nodded immediately. "I trust you a whole lot—and even more than anyone else."

Something in Orion’s chest tightened at that.

He cleared his throat and gave her a look that was meant to be stern but failed somewhere along the way. "Don’t go trusting people just like that, shorty..."

"Why? Are you going to betray me?" she asked him.

He paused, then shook his head. "Not if I can help it."

That was a good enough answer for Sophia.

"Well, me too. I’m not going to betray you either," she told him.

He huffed a breath, then tilted his head toward the table. "Open the other box."

Reluctantly, she released him and turned back, her fingers brushing over the lid of the second box. This time, she didn’t close her eyes. This time, she wanted to see exactly what was in the box. She was a bit excited to see it too and wondered what was inside and if it would be as beautiful as the daggers.

But she didn’t need to worry. She smiled when she opened the box.

"Oh," she breathed. "They’re beautiful."

Inside lay the two short swords, pale and elegant, resting side by side like something sacred rather than lethal. The creamy white of the blades seemed almost unreal in the soft morning light, their surfaces smooth and faintly luminous. They looked less like forged steel and more like something grown and shaped by careful hands.

Orion watched her closely. "Pick one up. Try it."

She did.

The moment her fingers closed around the grip, her eyebrows lifted in surprise. She gave the blade a tentative swing, then another, a little wider this time.

Her shoulders didn’t strain. Her wrist didn’t protest.

She swung again, smoother now, letting her body follow the motion instead of forcing it.

"...This wouldn’t tire me out," she said, wonder creeping into her voice. "It feels... easy to use too. Like I’m not even holding a weapon."

"That was the point," Orion replied. "Even the sword you use while training puts a strain on you, but this one wouldn’t. I made sure it wouldn’t tire you at all."

She turned, eyes bright. "Thank you." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

He squinted at her. "You’re being suspiciously nice."

She laughed. "What? Is that weird?"

"Yes," he said immediately. "I have to say, I expected some teasing remark, but you’ve been too nice and thanking me," he told her.

"Well," she said, swinging the blade again, admiring the arc it cut through the air, "you did something like this for me. I’m not going to tease you for that."

"Hm. I don’t know how I feel about this maturity," he muttered.

She ignored him, attention fully on the sword now. She examined the details more closely—the shallow fuller running along the blade, the subtle curve of the edge, the interlaced vine motif forming the guard. It wasn’t excessive; it was just enough to catch the eye. Purposeful and intentional.

Her fingers brushed the pommel, and she paused.

"There’s a stone here," she said softly.

"Um... yeah, it’s called river jasper," Orion replied.

She turned the sword slightly, watching how the muted tones of the stone grounded the pale blade. Then her gaze shifted to the guard, where a small, discreet crescent had been inlaid.

Her breath stuttered.

She looked up at him. "When did you have these made?"

"It wasn’t me," he said. "Not exactly."

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously. You don’t have the talent for this."

He laughed. "Rude."

"But true," she added sweetly.

He shook his head, still smiling. "I met with Mary shortly after the festival. I did give her the ideas for the designs, but she outdid herself with this one. It took time, though, because she wanted to try a new material."

Sophia glanced back at the blade in her hand, then at its pale color, its strange, almost organic sheen.

"The new materials you speak of were used to create the short swords, right?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"I wonder what steel has this creamy—"

"Not steel, shorty. She used Skylur fangs."