Chapter 920: Alternate Timeline: At Celestra (8)

Kiara paused and then let out a long sigh, realizing that explaining to a stranger like him was pointless. "Forget it."

Let him think whatever he wants.

Then she tilted her head and added, with a hint of challenge in her voice, intending to change the topic, "Anyway, I still have to appreciate Your Highness for almost figuring out my intentions as if you knew me. Suddenly, I get the urge to test your intelligence. If you don’t mind..."

"Test my intelligence?"

The prince’s brows rose.

"A challenge?"

Kiara nodded. "First, a simple question. Then, a riddle. If I was satisfied with your answers, then I will present with something memorable."

Her eyes glimmered with a playful spark.

"If you are not interested, we can forget it and continue walking."

In truth, Kiara was curious.

How Gideon pieced information together, reading like her mind. She felt that he was either truly intelligent or someone else brought him the information.

Even in modern times of her past life, she saw wealthy guys often hire their smart friends to write their exams and pretend that they were the ones who excelled in studies.

And this is the medieval times. Gideon is also the Crown Prince of his kingdom. To establish himself as some wise and intellectual, he might use a real genius and voice out those other people’s thoughts as his own.

That’s why Kiara wants to see whether Gideon was truly wise or merely well-educated.

At the same time, a small part of her wanted to reclaim a little pride after the prince had so neatly deduced her intentions, removing that mysterious aura she always had with her.

To her surprise, Gideon accepted immediately.

There was no hesitation in his voice.

His chin lifted slightly, and a spark of competitive pride lit his expression.

"Please go on, Miss Kiara."

Kiara began with the first question, one she remembered from her past life, during her time in the military when her superior asked her the question.

"Who are the two greatest friends and the two greatest enemies of a soldier?"

Gideon repeated the question under his breath.

"The friends and enemies of a soldier..."

He lowered his gaze.

The hallway grew quiet.

The moonlight slid across his thoughtful face while his footsteps slowed unconsciously.

After nearly twenty seconds, he spoke. "I believe greed and impatience are the two greatest enemies of a warrior."

Kiara kept her smile but offered no confirmation. "And the two greatest friends?" she asked.

Gideon considered a little longer. This time, his answer carried less certainty. "Hard work... and luck?"

Kiara let the silence linger for a moment, just enough to make the answer feel weighty.

Then she shook her head gently.

"You have one correct."

Gideon blinked.

Kiara said, "Sleep and tiredness are the two greatest enemies of a soldier. Hard work and caution are the two greatest friends."

She looked ahead as they resumed walking.

"A warrior who conquers these enemies and embraces these friends can achieve almost anything."

Gideon fell silent.

Kiara expected him to debate the answer, perhaps to defend his own reasoning.

Instead, he nodded slowly. When he finally spoke, his voice carried sincere respect.

"You are right." He drew a thoughtful breath. "Greed and impatience are enemies of all people, but lack of sleep and exhaustion are dangers no soldier can ignore. Even the sharpest sword is useless in the hands of someone too weary to lift it."

A smile touched his face.

"I am impressed."

There was no bitterness in his tone.

To Gideon, losing a challenge was not humiliation. It was an opportunity to add another piece to his understanding.

He turned to Kiara, his interest even stronger than before.

"You may ask the riddle now."

Kiara felt a faint stab of embarrassment. A few moments earlier, she had secretly wanted to humble him. Now she found herself admiring the prince’s willingness to learn. Moreover, Gideon’s earlier answer isn’t that far off from the real one either. There is an element of truth to it.

Kiara’s answer was correct strictly in a military sense, while Gideon’s words are thoughtful and abstract.

Hence, she decided not to make the next challenge overly difficult but certainly not easy either.

"Very well."

Her voice became more deliberate.

"Suppose you are stranded alone on an island covered in forest."

Gideon listened intently.

"One day, the wind blows from the west."

Kiara raised a hand and traced an invisible line through the air.

"Lightning strikes the western edge of the island and sets the forest ablaze. The fire is fierce and unstoppable. If nothing changes, the flames will sweep across the island and consume everything in their path."

She paused, allowing the image to take shape.

"You cannot jump into the sea because steep cliffs surround the island. A mysterious seal suppresses your ether and your strength. You are reduced to the abilities of an ordinary person."

The prince’s expression grew serious.

"You can run quickly, but your body offers no protection against the fire."

Kiara let a few heartbeats pass before asking the question.

"In that situation, how do you survive?"

*

At first glance, the riddle appeared complicated, like a knot tied by an experienced sailor, intimidating to look at until one found the correct thread and pulled it gently.

Kiara had asked the question partly to test Gideon’s intelligence, but more than that, she wanted to know whether he could remain calm when danger closed in from every direction, because in moments of crisis, wisdom was not measured by how much a person knew, but by whether his mind became sharper or more confused when the flames began to rise.

To her surprise, she had underestimated him.

Gideon did not ask for the riddle to be repeated.

He did not pace.

He did not frown dramatically.

He merely lowered his eyes and fell into silence.

For ten seconds, perhaps a little less, the prince walked forward with measured steps, the hem of his robe whispering against the marble floor, while moonlight slid over his thoughtful features.

Then he lifted his head.

"That is simple."

His tone was calm, almost casual, as if he were discussing how to cross a stream.

"If I were trapped in such a situation, I would first take a branch and light it using the flames on the western side of the island."

He raised a finger as he explained.

"Then I would run to the eastern side, using the western wind to my advantage, and set another fire there. The wind would push that smaller fire westward, burning the forest in front of the larger fire. When the main blaze arrives, there would be nothing left for it to consume. And when both fires are done, I would stand safely in the burned area and wait for my people to find me."

Kiara stared at him for a brief moment.

The answer had come cleanly, without hesitation, and with exactly the kind of practical reasoning she had hoped to see.

A warm smile spread across her face.

For the first time that evening, a trace of respect formed in Kiara’s eyes.

It was genuine.

"You are correct, Prince Gideon."

The prince’s posture relaxed, though his eyes remained fixed on her, waiting for the promised clue.

Kiara folded her arms and said in a softer voice, one that carried a strange certainty.

"Then I will keep my promise."