Chapter 19: A Winner’s Character (2)

Malcom stiffened. He gave her a quick glance before he raised his gaze to the sky, trying to remember.

He continued to walk, so Skyler thought he would not answer her.

After a few seconds, Malcom nodded stiffly, "Yes, a couple of times when I receive strong attacks."

"So the biosphere could do that…." Skyler responded thoughtfully.

The tremors were completely new to her. Skyler had heard it before but brushed off any information about it. After all, for her, if she kept on winning, there should be no problem. But she was completely wrong.

Malcom hummed, "But they are much more annoying when you fight in the real world!" He blurted with a frown before raising his hand in front of his face, "I cannot break my bond in the biosphere. Most of the attacks I received had caused me trauma in real life as well. But it's different. It is easier to break your bond if you practice."

"Have you had fights in the real world?" Skyler asked enthusiastically.

"Yes, more than I would like. How about you?" Malcom asked blankly.

"No," Skyler replied, looking at her hands as she rubbed them, "Only in the Bio-sphere, my brother was right. He told me that you seemed to have much more experience than me in combat."

Malcom shrugged his shoulders with a smile.

Skyler, upon seeing him acting casually, suddenly remembered the result of the combat and stopped in her tracks.

Malcom stopped a little further. He turned on the stone path and looked at Skyler's face.

He then heard the young woman speak so softly.

"I'm very sorry about what happened. My uncle… The Virtue made the wrong decision, and I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to regret," Malcom calmly replied, "You didn't make the call."

"No, but I accepted it!" Skyler said, raising her eyes and looking directly at Malcom. "I should have rejected that victory."

"Why?" Malcom asked naturally and without altering his position.

Skyler looked at him for a second as if her reasons for rejecting said victory did not have to be explained but realizing that the question was genuine.

"Because there is no honor in that kind of victory!" Skyler said through clenched teeth. Her expression was unmasked with shame.

Malcom looked at the girl for a long time. He then turned his back on her before he smiled helplessly then continued to walk.

"You are a high society girl, aren't you?" Malcom asked suddenly.

Skyler watched as Malcom began to walk away from her. She frowned deeply because of his question.

"What do you mean by that!?" She asked loudly as if offended.

Skyler stiffened. Society girl' also means that she needed to follow etiquette. She needed to think before taking action. Yet, since the time she arrived on the ranch, Skyler had forgotten to act properly.

Malcom stopped once more. He turned around to Skyler, who was waiting for an answer.

Who knows what Skyler was thinking as of that moment? With the way her perfect brows deeply furrowed, her knuckles were also noticeably clenched on her sides.

The young man took a deep breath and said, "You're an idealist…" Malcom smiled before he continued, "You are one of those people who guide themselves through what dictates honor and honesty. You know that kind of silly stuff."

"Silly stuff…?" Skyler asked, looking at Malcom in disbelief.

The girl looked at the young man as if those words could not come from the mouth of the brave warrior who had defeated her the day before.

However, there he was, losing all his knightly posture and showing who he really was.

Malcom chuckled, "Yes, princess, silly stuff. Don't be offended. I am not saying that it was a bad thing. Well, not everyone has the benefit of having such beautiful feelings."

"How can you say that honor is silly!?" Skyler blurted out in disbelief. She had raised her voice more than she had intended. The girl really felt strongly attacked by Malcom's words.

Malcom who saw how annoyed the young woman got and understood how he was attacking the center of her beliefs.

For a minute, wanted to continue to pay for all the slights and rudeness that people did to him on a daily basis but remembered her eyes when she apologized for the injustice of the previous day.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. I don't mean that the idea of honor is silly," Malcom spoke with a much calmer tone.

"Explain," Skyler demanded with narrowed eyes, her arms crossed over her chest.

Malcom cleared his throat before speaking, "I mean that people like me don't have the privilege of having that kind of sentimentality, that's all."

Hearing that phrase, the girl understood what he was trying to say.

Privileged.

Some people had already used that word to refer to her. It was usually in a much less pleasant way.

"I am sorry," the girl said in an apologetic tone while looking at Malcom.

Malcom shook his head. He then looked at her carefully before replying, "If you apologize for raising your voice, I understand. If you apologize for having privileges, you really are an idiot."

Confusion grew in Skyler. She didn't understand what he was referring to, and all her ideas collided in an instant.

Malcom looked at her and, approaching her, said, "Being privileged is not a sin. It is a circumstance. Nobody chooses the circumstances on where they were born. I did not choose to be a Marked. You did not choose to be a millionaire. It just happened." His hand then moved slowly to his shoulder.

He then continued, "You apologizing for winning a battle because of someone's prejudices or for having more money than someone else or for being born in a better position, that is silly. Having privileges does not make you a villain. It is what you do with those privileges that matter. You won yesterday, and in 20 years, when you are the leader of the Council of Virtues, you will be able to make the right call!"

The girl looked at Malcom, and he smiled brightly at her for the first time.

She nodded, her expression was determined.

"The important thing is what you do with those privileges," Malcom added, "Besides, I did not use the most praiseworthy tactics to kick your ass!"

And with a wry smile, they continue the path in front of them.

Skyler looked at him, impressed.

Everything about that young man was strange. With his way of speaking, his attitude towards people, and the strange confidence he had, Skyler had never met such a person before.

She wanted to know what kind of things build the character of a winner in a person who lost.