Twilight: Darling of Volturi (YURI/GL)

Alec continued persuading Jane. ”Felix is ridiculously strong. Let him train Sophie to control her strength while you stand on the sidelines and supervise. If you personally use your gift on her, she’ll probably collapse before the training even begins. What would be the point of that?”

No one understood Jane better than her twin brother. The two shared an almost flawless understanding of each other’s thoughts. Alec had perfectly grasped Jane’s mindset, and the plan he proposed genuinely was the most beneficial one for her.

”It is a good idea. Two birds with one stone.”

Without even asking Sophie’s opinion, Jane accepted Alec’s invitation on her behalf.

Sweeping aside the snapped ballpoint pen and the notebook with its torn pages, Jane slapped the table decisively.

”Next, we begin practical training.”

Obediently, Sophie rose from her seat. Her gaze drifted toward her notebook and backpack, hesitating over whether she should bring them along.

”You’ll need something more suitable for movement.” Jane looked Sophie up and down, her eyes settling on the elaborate dress that reached below her knees before reaching an immediate conclusion. ”Go change.”

Alec tactfully turned to leave first.

Just as he reached the door, Jane called after him, then turned back to Sophie.

”Wait here until I return.”

The twins left hand in hand, leaving Sophie alone in the room.

Without even realizing it, she had already begun growing accustomed to following Jane’s arrangements.

She obediently waited whenever Jane told her to.

She waited for Jane to return with blood to feed her.

She let Jane lead her to the hidden waterfall pool to wash.

She quietly accepted every outfit Jane selected for her.

And now...

It was another order.

Wait.

Sophie remained standing exactly as she had when they departed, without moving so much as an inch.

If she wished...

She could even stop breathing.

Fortunately, Jane returned quickly this time.

There was no sudden appearance of Demetri midway through, nor another life-or-death struggle that ended with the two of them embedding each other into stone walls.

Jane silently handed another blood bag to Sophie.

Without needing any prompting, Sophie instinctively bit through the packaging and began drinking.

She had already learned the motion through pure instinct.

Very few newborns were expected to face someone like Felix immediately after their transformation.

Letting her replenish herself with blood beforehand could only help.

Compared to the ceremonial dress, the outfit intended for combat omitted decorative elements like lace and neckties, making it considerably simpler.

Even so...

It was still fairly elaborate.

Sophie had good reason to suspect that Jane genuinely enjoyed dressing her up in complicated outfits.

Especially because Jane herself was restricted by her status to wearing black almost exclusively.

As a result...

Every outfit she chose for Sophie was wonderfully colorful.

Sophie decided to keep that observation to herself.

Everyone deserved to have a harmless little hobby.

The various training grounds hidden throughout the mountains behind the castle were scattered across different kinds of terrain.

By the time Sophie arrived at the rocky training field while holding Jane’s hand, Alec and Demetri were already sparring against Felix together.

The leaders had forbidden the use of supernatural gifts inside the training grounds.

Here, victory depended solely upon combat skill and physical strength.

Even fighting two opponents at once...

Felix showed no sign of being under any pressure.

”Jane! You’re here!”

Whether it was simply because twins shared an uncanny connection, or because Alec constantly paid attention to Jane, he was the first to notice their arrival.

Jane released Sophie’s hand before gracefully leaping onto the stone platform.

Raising an eyebrow at the eager-looking Felix, she announced,

”Allow me to introduce today’s opponent.”

”Sophie. A newborn who completed her transformation less than a week ago.”

She smiled ever so slightly.

”Be careful, Felix.”

Among the four guards, the towering man possessed the most mature appearance. His specialty was overwhelming physical strength. Ironically, he was also the newest member among them.

Felix cracked his knuckles excitedly before grinning.

”Come on, newborn! Show me what you’ve got!”

The mountain wind swept down from the platform where Felix stood. Carried on that breeze, Sophie caught the scent of battle. The destructive instincts unique to newborn vampires stirred once again inside her.

Suppressing the impulse, she bent her knees and leaped onto the platform herself.

Unfortunately...

She jumped much higher than intended.

When she landed, her feet smashed deep into the stone, leaving behind another enormous crater.

By then, Demetri and Alec had already retreated to watch from a safe distance. Having personally experienced Sophie’s terrifying strength, Demetri couldn’t resist teasing Felix.

”Good thing she didn’t land on your foot. Otherwise, tonight we’ll have to carry you all the way to Florence for our hunt.”

Felix immediately shot back, ”The one who got slapped into the wall twice by a newborn was you, Demetri.” He grinned broadly. ”Shouldn’t Alec be the one carrying you to Florence?”

Remembering how their previous fight had ultimately ended with him sprawled on the ground, Demetri decided it was best to offer his colleague a friendly warning.

”Try not to overdo it. Don’t hurt yourself and don’t hurt the newborn either.” He coughed lightly. ”Otherwise, certain people’s supervisor might not be able to resist stepping in.”

He had almost blurted out, Otherwise Jane won’t let you off.

Fortunately, noticing the person in question standing nearby, he tactfully changed his wording.

Alec immediately defended his sister.

”My sister isn’t like that. She only taught you a lesson because you said something you shouldn’t have.”

”Enough talking.” Felix waved dismissively. He had never been particularly skilled at trading insults. He preferred letting his fists do the talking.

”Let’s exchange a few blows first. That’ll tell us everything we need to know.”

Feeling somewhat nervous, Sophie leaned closer to Jane and quietly asked,

”What exactly am I supposed to do?”

Jane tilted her head thoughtfully. Her eyes moved back and forth between Sophie and Felix as she calmly evaluated their respective combat abilities.

After a moment...

She arrived at what she considered the most reasonable answer.

”Fight with everything you’ve got.”

”Twist his head off.”