Chapter 8: The Match Begins
AMY was frozen, overwhelmed by the great roar of cheers that seemed to shake the very air around her.
The tournament host used a magical tool that magnified his voice like a megaphone, but because it was pointed toward the spectators, Amy couldn’t really catch what he was saying. But from what she could manage to hear through the audiences’ screams, he seemed to be announcing the next match.
“It should be starting any minute,” said Joshua.
“Come on, Amy, let’s get a closer look,” urged Isabelle.
They moved toward one of the benches lined up right by the window-like opening in the wall that overlooked the stage. Tigger wanted to sit on Amy’s lap, but his fluffy fur totally obscured her view, so she had him sit at her feet instead.
He must have been watching the other matches before Amy got there, but for this match, perhaps frightened by just how loud the screaming and cheering had become, half of his body was glued to Amy’s legs.
“It’s all right,” she murmured, scratching his forehead. He seemed to feel comforted given the way his eyes narrowed happily. She smiled down at him.
With everyone’s attention now focused on the upcoming match, no one was looking at Amy anymore. She finally felt the pent-up tension release from her shoulders.
Now that she had calmed down, her thoughts drifted back to Jahal’s offer…
He surely just wants me there to keep Letty company…
Letizia was Jahal’s number one priority, so he would naturally always be thinking of her first. Jahal had said it so casually, but he didn’t act like his offer was a joke, and it certainly hadn’t felt like one to Amy…
Amy probably wouldn’t be treated poorly in Bakr, having been invited there by the royal family. If they could vouch for her identity and background, she might even be able to work as a healing magician and support herself.
Not to mention, the cat-loving Kingdom of Bakr had always been the kingdom she had most wanted to visit.
Bakr wouldn’t be a terrible place to escape to in an emergency…
Just as that thought crossed her mind, she remembered the feel of Edward’s hand against her cheek, and her heart ached.
B-But…
A fiancée candidate is not a fiancée.
Without anything legal or public binding Edward and Amy officially, they had no right or say in the other person’s actions. In that sense, Amy and Edward were both free to do whatever they liked.
Amy was puzzled to find that that thought made her feel rather sad.
All the characters from the otome game had seemingly made their appearance, but the story didn’t seem to be progressing. The characters also seemed different from how they were in the game.
Amy’s chief concern, however, was that the invisible hand of the game would start manipulating situations after the heroine showed up. Isabelle had laughed off this worry and insisted that forces like that didn’t exist, but the mental images imprinted on Amy’s memory were so powerful, she just couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
On the other hand, no one knew what the future would hold, whether this was the world of her video game or not…
That was why Amy had to take life by the horns and do everything she could now to the best of her ability…including bracing herself for what was to come.
“Amy?” came Isabelle’s voice as she lightly tapped Amy’s arm.
“Oh—yes?”
Amy’s eyes had probably looked totally glazed over. Isabelle’s touch had broken her out of her reverie.
Isabelle pushed Amy’s bangs out of her face and looked over her with concerned eyes.
“Are you tired? It must have been really busy at the first aid room, huh?”
“It was, but I’m okay. Mom…is Ed really going to be in this match? That’s what Jahal told me.”
“That’s right,” said Joshua, sitting on the other side of Isabelle. “It’s the semifinals.”
“The semifinals!” Amy jumped in shock.
Edward has advanced that far?
Amy felt a fresh wave of guilt that she hadn’t seen any of his matches before this one.
Edward’s team must have been very strong to have made it to the semifinals, but their opponents were probably just as skilled. Not to mention—this was the team that beat Jahal’s team. Amy had plenty of reason to worry.
“You’ve been watching this whole time, right, Mom? What sort of people are they going up against?”
“Well, you see, it’s quite surprising…”
“How so?”
Isabelle looked torn between concern and excitement. Confused, Amy looked to her father but saw him wearing a similar expression.
“Is there something wrong with the other team?”
“I don’t know if I’d say that, but… Oh! Look! They’re starting!” said Isabelle.
Amy looked where Isabelle was pointing just as the participants started to walk onto the stage.
The first to appear was Alexander, who walked out amidst shouts of joy from the spectators. After he waved a casual hand toward the audience, Amy could hear the loud squeals of female voices even more distinctly.
“Wow… That’s amazing,” said Amy, bowled over by Alec’s popularity.
Isabelle chuckled. “Alec certainly knows his audience.”
Amy had nearly forgotten how objectively appealing Alexander was to girls—not only was he the son of a duke, but he was handsome to boot. Amy had been hanging out with him since she was ten, and during that time she had only ever seen his private persona, where his charm was significantly turned down, so it had slipped her mind.
As Amy looked on in admiration, the next party member came out. It was Kevin, the man she had met that morning.
This time there were deep, booming shouts, mostly from men who looked to be members of the Order of Knights, and Kevin responded by barely raising his hand with a grim look on his face.
After Kevin, the third party member walked out on the stage.
At that moment, the thundering screams erupted like a volcano.
“Ed…”
The Third Prince of Luducia had walked on the stage.
Edward was always more low-profile than his older brothers, but as he stood there imposingly in front of a roaring crowd, there was certainly something special about him. The cheers were likely a testimony to how bravely he had fought in the day’s matches.