"What a bunch of bluffs."
Frowning, Beatrice turned and scowled at Victor.
He shrugged. "It's true," he said.
Unlike him, the rest of the spectators were exclaiming as if they had witnessed a scene out of a fairy tale.
Soon, they noted someone on the field and began to roar in excitement.
"Duke Floyen is here!"
His silver hair shimmered in the sunlight. He was an attractive man with a radiant appearance. Next to him was his beautiful girl, Jubelian Floyen. Unimpressed by what she had just seen, she remained expressionless.
"She isn’t even a bit amused."
"Well, that's only natural. She must see those great knights every day, right?"
"Either way, she’s a lovely lady."
"Agreed. Both of them are dazzling."
Beatrice felt proud even though she wasn’t the one receiving the compliments. Of course. Her dear friend was a lovely woman.
Just then, she heard a sigh come from behind her.
"How could a lady be so beautiful? She must be an angel.”
Wrinkling her brow, Beatrice turned around again. Could she really trust this idiot? Victor's idiotic smile deepened the princess' distrust.
I yawned while in the carriage and Dad looked at me.
"Are you tired?" he asked.
"Oh, no! I'm fine."
He sighed quietly in response to my hurried assertion. "So, is your plan to watch the game with the princess and her friends today?"
"Oh, will that make today uncomfortable for you?" I had decided to stay by my dad's side today for safety purposes, so I asked if it would be awkward for him to sit with my friends.
He simply shook his head. "No. It's just that... your friends might feel uncomfortable.”
I smiled at his answer. "You don't know how much my friends adore you, do you?"
He narrowed his eyes. "Adore me? I don't understand. I’m not even considered a proper swordsman..."
He frowned as if he truly couldn’t comprehend it. I sighed. He didn't realize how accomplished he was. How modest!
A few moments passed and I could see the greenery outside the window.
"Wow, it's so spacious!" I exclaimed.
My father nodded. "It’s said that the previous royal family enjoyed hunting."
Perhaps it was because the blood of dragons ran through their veins. After all, those creatures were considered to be at the top of the food chain. I wondered if this was why Max had a talent for swordsmanship. In any case, he had spoken rather boastfully about winning today.
As worries began to fill me, my dad must have noticed, because he said, "Don't worry about the crown prince. No one in this empire can deliver a fatal blow to him except me."
"You're right, Dad,” I chuckled.
Things would have been different if Beatrice had awakened as a sorceress. However, she was an ordinary woman right now. Keeping my thoughts to myself, I decided that maybe that was for the best.
In the original story, the catalyst that spurred her powers forward was her utter loneliness and despair. If she needed to endure such hardships to achieve magical knowledge, it was probably better to live without it. I just had to protect her with Max. That would likely suffice.
"I wish that he would just jump over the obstacle before him already,” Dad muttered quietly.
I looked at him, surprised. I had heard of many mentors who grew jealous of their students' progression... but it seemed that my dad had a kind heart.
Just then, I felt the carriage come to a halt.
Dad extended a hand to me. "We’re here."
I grabbed his hand and took in the scenery as I got off the transport. Outside the amphitheater was a long line of carriages. Barracks dotted the empty fields, and the knight captains of each family held their seals high, ready to enter. Even though the invitation only extended to nobles that ranked higher than a count, there were more than enough in the audience.
I was against hunting for entertainment, so I was dismayed to find that there were so many people. It was incredibly unfortunate that animals had to sacrifice their lives for human entertainment, but in the end, it couldn’t be helped. This was a royal order. The only comforting news was that the meat from the animals hunted today would be distributed to those living in the slums. At least the emperor was thinking of the public.
"Shall we, Jubel?" Dad asked.
I held his hand tightly as we entered the stadium.
"Duke Floyen's knights will now enter!"
At the loud announcement, I turned my head to the field only to see Geraldine enter with a stiff expression. He was extremely conscious of how he was portrayed in front of the people, it seemed, especially around Lord Elios, given what I had told him. All of the knights were moving in unison, but I could tell from their nervous demeanors that they cared very much about how the crowd was viewing them.
"Do not forget about the weight of your blade. Remember who we serve.”
Geraldine spoke in a graver tone than usual. I was convinced that the people’s attention was making him more pretentious than usual. Afterward, the knights drew their swords in unison and gathered them together in the air, making me inhale sharply at the sight. Why were they doing things they didn't do on a daily basis? I wouldn't have cared if they were people I didn't know. However, the problem was that these knights were mostly good-for-nothings who got paid for sloppy work! They spent their days simply acting as barriers around me whenever I would go out. It was strange to see them pretending to be chivalrous.
"For the glory of the Floyen family!" they yelled, and I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
Shivers ran down my spine. Unable to tolerate it any longer, I turned away.
"I've told them many times not to stand out...” Dad spoke softly. "I will have to supervise their training myself to discipline them.”
I let out a sigh. When I had told Geraldine about Lord Elios, I didn't mean that we should beat him in terms of how charismatic we looked. My cousin was definitely an idiot.
Watching me sigh, Dad took my hand and squeezed it tight.
"Come on, let's go sit down,” he suggested.
As we moved to our seats, I scanned my surroundings, locating Bea in her dedicated seat. Glad to have spotted her, I grinned ear to ear. I was exhilarated to reunite with her, but I realized it would appear unsightly to others if I approached her informally.
"Todd, could you ask Her Highness as well as my close acquaintances to join me?" I asked my escort.
He nodded. "Of course, Your Ladyship.”