Chapter 340 Not Worth It

“Kayden, don’t tell me you’re going to see Tilda again.”

“Enough, Kayden. You’ve done more than enough for her. I’ve watched you. She’s not worth it. She really isn’t.”

“I don’t want you humiliating yourself in front of her anymore. Promise me, let’s stop chasing after Tilda. Please.”

Santiago just couldn’t understand it.

Tilda had taken the championship.

Kayden had been eliminated altogether because of Santiago’s crash.

And now Kayden still wanted to go face her? With that venomous mouth of hers, she would tear him apart. Santiago didn’t even want to imagine how harsh it would be.

Maybe Tilda was right—maybe Kayden really did have some kind of masochistic streak. Why else would he walk straight into humiliation?

“Santiago, I know you didn’t mean it. But when you went down, your ski pole flew straight toward Tilda."

“If she hadn’t dodged in time, do you realize how much damage it could have done? You might have killed her.”

The memory of that still made Kayden’s stomach twist.

It wasn’t the same as Santiago instinctively shielding himself.

If a flying ski pole at that speed had struck her head, or her spine….

With no way to defend herself, Tilda would’ve gone rolling straight down the slope.

And that could have been fatal. No exaggeration.

“I …”

In that split second, all Santiago could do was protect himself. Panicked, he let go of his ski pole.

And he hadn’t even noticed that it almost hit Tilda.

“I… I didn’t mean to,” he muttered, his voice weak and unconvincing.

Kayden had no reason to lie about something like this. The thought of what could have happened and the damage that pole might have caused made Santiago’s chest tighten.

It was more than he could handle.

Luckily, Tilda had reacted fast enough to dodge.

“If I thought you’d done it on purpose, I don’t care if you’re my own brother—I’d beat the hell out of you."

“Now shut up and focus on healing.”

With that, Kayden spun around and walked out of the infirmary.

“Damn it. I really didn’t do it on purpose. No matter how much I hate Tilda, I’d never stoop that low."

“The way Kayden looked at me … It’s like he actually thinks I did it on purpose. Damn it!”

His resentment toward Tilda only deepened.

If it hadn’t been for her, Kayden never would have spoken to him so harshly.

He scoffed.

Meanwhile, Tilda and Mystro were already holding the trophy.

She looked at their photo together, both of them smiling with the prize in hand, and allowed herself a small grin. “Our first ski race as partners ended perfectly. Definitely worth the trip."

“This picture needs to be framed when we get back,” she added. “Something to keep as a memory.”

Mystro rubbed his chin, studying the shot.

He studied the photo of him and Tilda, the two of them looking almost perfectly matched.

He had to admit, he was happy with the photographer’s skill.

And the angle was spot-on.

“Tilda, you’ll be heading back to Cetherland soon, won’t you?”

“Yeah. I’ve spent enough time here in Motrar. The New Year’s coming up, and while people celebrate it here too, nothing feels as comfortable as spending our traditional holiday back home.”

“Yeah…”

Mystro seemed lost in thought.

“Mystro, you’re thinking about going back to Cetherland for the New Year’s, too, aren’t you? It’s only three days away.”

“We’ll see,” Mystro said with a hint of mystery, already plotting to surprise both Dane and Tilda if he could.

“But, Tilda, still nothing from Liam?”

“I asked someone to punch a hole through the signal blockade, but the surveillance there is too heavy. It’s going to take time."

“From what I’ve hacked through the surrounding cameras, he hasn’t left that underground military base. It’s been 40 days already.”

She bit her thumb lightly, worry clouding her expression.

“Don’t worry, Tilda. He’s Uncle Harvey’s disciple. There’s no way he went in unprepared."

“And didn’t you already catch traces of the safeguards Liam left behind on the feeds?”

“I hope so. Anyway, Mystro, we’ve played around enough. Let’s head back. And don’t forget. You promised to model for me.”

Since she would be leaving soon, Tilda wanted to finish this one important thing. She had imagined it countless times.

How Mystro, with his calm face that still had something sharp underneath, would look in her painting.

For her, it was both nerve-wracking and exciting.

“Fine, I’ll do whatever you say. But once you’re done, it’ll be my turn,” Mystro teased.

“Don’t worry, Mystro. We’ve got plenty of time today.” Her eyes lit up. “Oh, right—let’s send our championship photo to Dane. He should have landed in Cetherland by now.”