But Lord Kyros’s arm was still outstretched. He started pulling back his blade, but he wouldn’t make it in time to block!
No!
I closed my eyes, terrified, but I forced myself to open them immediately after. I had to watch!
Lord Kyros bent his arm and deflected Prince Luifon’s sword with his elbow. He’d hit the prince’s blade so hard he knocked it out of the prince’s grip, and it flew into the air.
The prince didn’t even try to go after his sword as it landed far off in the distance. Instead, he glared at Lord Kyros. “You’ve always got a few tricks up your sleeve, don’t you?!” he roared. Then he bent forward and dashed at Lord Kyros barehanded.
H-he’s not giving up?!
The unexpected attack caught Lord Kyros off guard, and the prince manage to punch him squarely in the face.
“Huh?! Is that allowed?!” I screamed despite myself.
I grabbed Mio, who was currently eating candies, by the shoulders and shook her. As she swung like a pendulum, she mumbled, “Shouldn’t be,” with a blatant lack of interest. The referee seemed equally puzzled.
In the meantime, the prince kept up his assault on Lord Kyros. He didn’t risk trying to grab Lord Kyros’s sword, instead settling for punching the count’s face once… Twice… Three times… Four…
Though the prince may have been disarmed, his hands were still encased in a thick layer of armor! It must have stung as badly as being hit with a metal bar.
The first two hits landed straight on Lord Kyros’s face. He blocked the third, however, and he finally managed to push Prince Luifon off him on the fourth. The prince wasn’t ready to give up, though, and he made to strike Lord Kyros’s right hand.
Oh no!
Lord Kyros grabbed his sword and brandished it with a smile.
CLAAAANG!
That distinctive metallic noise appeared to be the sound of Prince Luifon hitting Lord Kyros’s armor.
Ah… He lost…
Right as I thought that, however, another metallic noise—louder still—reverberated through the arena. Lord Kyros had just punched the prince in the stomach with his fist and split his armor open. The prince bent forward, clutching at his stomach in pain before collapsing and going still.
He’s lost consciousness, I realized.
Now that he was on the ground, I could see there was a huge hole in his silver plastron.
The coliseum fell silent.
“Um… So… Um…?” the referee mumbled, looking between the two competitors.
Lord Kyros wiped the blood off his face. His lip seemed to have gotten cut when the prince punched him. Then he looked down at his friend and stretched before letting out a deep sigh.
“He won,” he said. “Luifon got me first.”
“B-but, hitting with your fists isn’t allowed…” the referee muttered. “Well, I suppose there’s no such rule, but—”
“In that case, I couldn’t have won by punching him either, so I’ve lost all the same,” Lord Kyros said.
The host glanced at the referee, waiting for a result to announce. The referee frowned and ran back to the undercroft. After deliberating for a while, he came back and announced, “The winner is the jet-black warrior, Count Kyros Granado!”
Ah!!!
“You did it, Lord Kyros! You won!” I shouted excitedly. I’d risen to my feet and begun clapping with such enthusiasm that it took me a few moments to notice that I was the only one screaming. I covered my face with my hands and crouched to conceal myself.
“Marie…” I heard Lord Kyros say.
Aaaah, he heard me!
A few others started clapping. More people imitated them, and soon the entire crowd came to life. It was mostly clapping and cheering, but there was quite a bit of booing in the mix. The host was doing his best to calm the public by explaining the referees’ decision.
According to him, while the prince’s first punch had been deemed a violation of the rules, Lord Kyros had done the same, so they were even on that front. He went on to explain that the referees would have wanted them to fight another round to determinate the winner without such violations, but with the prince out cold, that wasn’t an option. There had apparently been some debate regarding the validity of Lord Kyros’s last hit, but the referees had concluded that, since they’d heard the characteristic sound they’d been waiting for, it had counted.
And so, after careful deliberations, the referees had all agreed that Lord Kyros should be deemed the victor.
I was still embarrassed about jumping the gun to congratulate Lord Kyros, but I finally sat back and lifted my head to look at the stage. A beautiful woman was giving Lord Kyros a bouquet of roses. She tried to hug him, but he stopped her before looking at me and waving like a child. The girls around me started squealing.
“AAAH! COUNT KYROS!”
“He just waved at me! At me!”
“What are you on about, old hag? He clearly smiled at me!”
“What did you just say, fatso?”
I couldn’t bear to listen to them and plugged my ears with my fingers, looking down at my feet. Just then, Mio tapped me on the shoulder. “Yes?” I asked.
I removed my hands and heard Lord Kyros’s voice. “Marie! Marie! Come down here!”
Huh?!
The women around us all turned to glare at me. I was terrified by their piercing eyes, and Mio had to physically give me a push on the back so I’d finally stand up and start climbing down the stairs.
When I reached the bottom, I realized the stage where the contestants and host were standing was elevated. I hadn’t noticed from above, but it came up to my chest.
I looked up at Lord Kyros and asked, “I-I’m, here. What can I do for you?”
“Stay right there,” Lord Kyros said as he got on his knees and gently pulled one rose out of the bouquet. He put it in my hair before repeating the process with a second, and then a third.
Wh-what is he doing?
When he was done, my hair was completely decorated with red roses, and Lord Kyros seemed pleased with himself.
“Perfect,” he whispered, nodding happily.
I could hear the audience whispering among themselves.
“May I head back?” I asked. But to my surprise, Lord Kyros helped me up onto the stage instead. Then, he crouched down, put an arm behind my back, and—
“AAAAH!” I screamed.
He’d just picked me up in a bridal carry in front of everyone!
I’m scared! I’m so high up! And everyone is looking at me!
Amid the loud commotion, I was trembling with embarrassment, shock, and fear, and all I could do about it was bury my face in his shoulder. Even though I was so tall, Lord Kyros seemed to have no issue carrying me like this, but I still held on for dear life, terrified that he’d drop me.
Suddenly, he declared loudly, “Allow me to take this opportunity to make a personal announcement. I, Kyros Granado, have recently become engaged to Lady Marie Chandelan!”
The noisy coliseum fell silent immediately.
Why are they all so quiet? I could feel countless gazes digging into my back. The back of my head started to feel numb. Why are they looking at me like that?
“I am aware the matter of my engagement has been a cause of concern for many, but rest assured that my business, as well as my house, is thriving now that I am receiving help from my future wife. More than ever, I will strive to contribute to the prosperity and stability of this kingdom through my work. I ask for your continued support for House Granado and its new member, my dear fiancée Lady Marie.”
Lord Kyros bowed, and finally put me back on the ground. His hand was still around my waist, though, so I couldn’t escape.
“Turn around,” he said. “Everyone wants to see your face.”
“B-b-but I…”
“It’ll be fine. You’re beautiful, Marie.”
Everyone here admired Lord Kyros. They’d expect a striking beauty at his arm, not someone like me. Are you sure you’re fine with me? Won’t I embarrass you just by being by your side?
“I’m… I’m scared,” I said weakly.
“It’s all right, Marie.” Lord Kyros stroked my trembling back. Then, he tapped it gently three times, as though he were knocking on a door. “You’ll be all right.”