Chapter 426

The vardock wears for 6 gott konte de bought, and as Tiffany gredvat thairy and lights, she isundit ja p ading parting off andrything that had h. She made it clear test they hadn’t pins trusting buble #wet bells who’d chrrad the pu. Hey just grave her a small emite and ruled by his “t it. Good thing you’ve got Sharmain in your torner.

They all knew, of course, that things weren’t nearly as simple as Tiffany made them out to be. In their eyes, this wasn’t Sophia’s doing at all, it was Judy, using Sophia as a convenient excuse to provoke Shermsins.

To Henry, it was just pathetic. Judy clearly had no grasp of love. Even if Shermaine lost to her, did she really think that would change how Joshua fatt? As #a victory on horseback could rewrite desire. And besides, Shermaine didn’t lose.

Every time she stepped into the spotlight, she left them awed. Today would be no different. It had been too long since they’d had a good show, and now, with Shermaine about to strike back, the thrill of it was intoxicating.

Roy in particular was visibly eager. He’d missed the last spectacle at the ski resort and had been regretting it ever since. Finally, today, he had a front–row seat to her revenge.

“She’s amazing,” Tiffany said with a spark in her eye.

Joshua’s gaze had already wandered toward the arena. His eyes were steady, clear, and quietly tender, as if in that moment, the world held nothing but Shermaine.

From the side, the cat padded in silently, just in time to see Shermaine and Judy, both astride their horses, raise their bows in unison. Reaching behind them, they each retrieved an arrow and drew the string back.

The crowd fell silent. This was the first shot, and no one could afford to look away.

The target was marked in rings of ascending value. The outermost white earned a single point. Black was worth four. Then came blue, five and six. Red marked seven and eight. The yellow center was nine and ten.

A clean ten meant hitting the very heart of the yellow ring. But with both riders in motion, and the wind sharp and unruly, even seasoned archers would struggle. It was a test of skill, focus, and poise.

The two archers released their arrows almost simultaneously.

A sharp twang, and both shafts cut through the wind, Judy’s just a fraction ahead.

All eyes followed the first arrow. It struck with a soft thud, embedding itself within the yellow.

Judy glanced at the target and allowed herself a faint, knowing smirk. It was just a sliver off the bullseye, almost perfect.

But almost wasn’t good enough.

It was 9.8 points, impressive by any standard, but Judy wasn’t pleased. She’d been aiming for ten.

Shermaine wanted to beat her, she would have to be flawless.

And Shermaine was.

Her arrow came a heartbeat later, slicing the air and landing dead center, clean, sharp, and uncompromising.

It was a perfect ten.

Chapter 426

Judy’s expression froze. For a moment, she couldn’t believe it.

She had miscalculated. Shermaine had really done it.

The two arrows sat side by side, but it was Shermaine’s, marked with crimson dye at the tip, that commanded all attention. It gleamed beneath the sun, bold and unapologetic.

Shermaine’s lips curled, not in arrogance, but in satisfaction.

The cat let out a delighted meow, its tail flicking as if in celebration.

In the Kingdom of Xyperia, archery had long been revered, not merely a sport, but a symbol of discipline, strength, and sovereignty. Even in a world overtaken by modern science and technology, the art of the bow remained sacred.

And as the kingdom’s reigning ruler, Judy had trained in it from childhood, Excellence wasn’t expected of her. It was required. But she had been crushed effortlessly from the very first arrow.

In the viewing gallery, Roy let out a breath of sheer awe. “God, that was beautiful!” he murmured. “Watching her compete in person is something else entirely.”

“Justice, swift and clean!”

“That’s how you win three million.”

“As if anyone but Shermaine could pull that off.”

Had it been any of them up there, they’d already be bleeding chips at the table.

Sophia stood silently to the side, looking lost and out of place. She bit her lip and said under her breath, “Don’t get too full of yourselves. This is just the beginning!”