Checkmate
Zany didn’t think that someone who grew up in the village would know how to play chess. Therefore,
Arielle must just be putting up a strong front.
Unbeknownst to her, reality was different from what she expected.
The tournament was about to begin in two minutes, and Zany noticed that many people had gathered
around them to watch.
Pretending to be magnanimous, she explained, “I had better run through the ground rules with you. The
chess pieces are already in place so I don’t have to show you that. I’m black while you’re white. I’ll move
the black pieces and you will do the same to the white pieces. Based on the rules, white will move first. If
you want to surrender, all you need to do is to topple your king…”
Zany acted as if she was an expert while going through the rules with Arielle.
However, Arielle didn’t interrupt and quietly listened to her show off.
In the eyes of others, Arielle looked as if she was learning the game earnestly.
Finally, the tournament began.
Zany gestured courteously for Arielle to start.
Smirking, Arielle made the first move.
Without any hesitation, Zany followed by capturing Arielle’s pawn.
Arielle made her second move… and third… and fourth.
Gradually, Zany’s expression turned into one of disbelief. Her eyes opened so widely that they were
about to pop out of their sockets.
How is this possible? Arielle… has actually captured so many of my pieces.
Rubbing her eyes, she couldn’t believe what was going on.
Nevertheless, the reality was exactly what she saw. Her queen had been captured, causing her hands to
tremble.
Lifting her gaze at Zany, Arielle asked, “Are you moving?”
Zany stared intently at the board.
This way? Checkmate!
That way? Checkmate!
No matter what moves she made, her king would end up being captured. Therefore, it was just a matter
of time before she was defeated.
Sweat began to break out of Zany’s forehead.
She couldn’t believe that she, an amateur chess player with outstanding results, would lose to a country
bumpkin.
Knock… Knock…
At that moment, she heard Arielle’s fingers tapping on the table, as if to hurry her up.
What an insult!
Unfortunately, there was no way for her to turn the game around.
Closing her eyes with a pale expression, Zany toppled her king…
That was a sign that she had admitted defeat.
Arielle stood up and extended her hand to shake.
However, Zany simply walked off in humiliation.
Arielle grinned as she watched Zany flee in disgrace.
Sometimes, it’s better to ignore the taunts and insults of others. All I need to do is to defeat them when it
mattered.
Given that Zany had admitted defeat, Arielle won the round in a quick two minutes.
The scorekeeper noted down Arielle’s points on a scoreboard.
The participants would be eliminated based on their score.
Given how low Zany’s score was from losing to Arielle, she would likely be asked to leave Haut Monde.
Meanwhile, Kelsea had just ended her game.
When she saw her opponent topple his king, she let out a triumphant smile before heading over to the
scoreboard. She wanted to see how many moves Zany defeated Arielle with.
Perhaps… she didn’t even need any? After all, Arielle doesn’t even know how to play.
However, before she got far, Kelsea ran into Zany whose face was pale in shock.
She was holding her bag and looked as if she was about to leave.
Stunned, Kelsea stopped her and asked, “Are you feeling okay? Where are you going?”
Looking at Kelsea, Zany forced an awkward smile, “Erm… yes. I… I’m not feeling well. I’m going off first
as I need to see the doctor.”
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