Chapter 198: he would shift here

Cassius pov

It's been an hour since I was looking at the chess and then at the man who had trapped me. He made it like he did not know much about chess and his starting moves were all over as if he was playing randomly.

Yet now the whole area was covered by him strategically. No matter what I move, my defeat was fixed.

I could see the pride on Marianne's face and the smirk on her brother's face, while Killian just looking at us curiously. He still be hoping for me to win. I was once again trapped by him, and I was ashamed to say but I did underestimate him.

I had never heard of him playing chess or doing anything that was done without using power. So i thought it would be easy for me to win, but now i had realised he was just provoking me since the start.

"There should be some time limit on thinking too. Move your pieces, your highness" he spoke finally and I sighed.

I moved the least fatal one knight and it got killed in a second, with a bigger smirk on his face. He had covered all of them.

"Next chance your highness" i really wanted to punch him to remove that smirk but i knew, he would retaliate with more force and in the end i would be the one who was beaten.

I moved the bishop this time with more confidence as the death of the knight had given me a leeway. 

"Check, sir James"

He smiled as he looked at my bishop standing in front of his king, I was really getting irritated by his smile.

"what is the hurry, your highness? The game had just started."  with that he moved his knight and killed the bishop,  but in exchange his knight was killed by my pawn too.

"Mother, who do you think would win?'' I heard Killian ask but I did not move to look at them and tried to focus more on the chessboard.

"I apologise but there is no doubt that my brother is going to win" i heard her replying and her voice was filled with haughtiness there was no apology in her voice.

"Your wife is not sure about your winning, your highness." he said in case i had not heard her voice which i had clearly.

"Time would tell that, sir James" I snarled as I once again covered her queen.

He looked at me with a smile as if he knew my move but the queen was not the aim since the start. It was the rook, which I killed the moment he moved the queen, making him surprised. If I had underestimated him then he had done that too.

So the battle of wits continued… until we both were stuck at the draw.

"Looks like no one is going to win, sir James. Shall we announce it as a draw?" i asked as it was already past midnight.

"We are not in a hurry, are we? Your highness" he asked as he moved one of  his leftover two pawns.

"Your chance, your highness" I could see he had used his last knight and pawn to cover my king which was now defenseless after the queen was killed.

"Check" I announced as I set my rook. He smiled as he moved his knight back and covered the king.

"Check" he announced and I took two steps back but that was not enough.

"Check and mate, your highness" he said as my king had no more place to move.

"Father, did you lose the match?" Killian asked, obviously gaining a pearl of laughter from James.

"We need introductions, young man" he said as he looked at Killian with interest.

Killian straightened himself as he moved towards him.

"I am Killian De Luca, son of  Cassius De Luca and Marianne De Luca, Sir James" he said with a formal bow of his head.

There was surprise in James' eyes when Killian added Marianne's name too and James looked back at Marianne who nodded. 

"So, what are you good at, Sword wielding or chess?" he asked without acknowledging his introduction.

"I am at the learning stage of both of them, Sir James. But I will be very lucky if you would be the one who guides me further. '' 'Did I not guide him enough to ask this brute to guide him, would he not take the chance to come here daily and humiliate me if he accepted it?'

"That would not be necessary, Killian"

"Why not" came the three voices together as they all three looked at me with clear annoyance. Suddenly I had become the third person in their happy family conversation.

"I mean, sir James is a busy man. He would not be able to come here daily. He must have only a few days of holidays." i added and they both looked at James with pleading eyes.

He laughed and nodded his head, "unfortunately, your father is right, Killian. I only got a month's holiday. And mother had organised a meeting daily with almost all the nobles left unmarried for me. She wanted a daughter in law this time whether I stay or not." 

God bless a long life to mother in law for this good deed. And a poor girl who would marry him only to stay alone or stay with him without hands all her life. I smirked at the thought and they glared at me again. 

"What, what had I done. I was just happy that he will get married."

They looked at me with suspicious eyes for a long while while looking back at him.

"But that doesn't mean that I can not train you, Killian. If you still want my guidance then I can spare some time for you."

"That would be a hassle for you, sir James. Travelling two hour back and forth daily is a tiring thing.'' I added trying to dissuade him and even Killian nodded, as he did not want to worry the man for himself.

"Oh, that would not be needed, since i had won the match." he said proudly and an ominous feeling filled my heart.

'Don't tell me that this brute was shifting here!!!!"

[Don't stop voting and comments, i don't know why but these days there is heavy downfall in comments and voting. I hope you will leave a comment and i promise i will try to improve. PS unlock the chapter with coins if you can]