As if taken aback by my sudden request, Bea blushed before nodding.
When Mikhail arrived at the emperor's seat, the man beamed. A cloak made of marten fur covered his back and shoulders.
"Welcome, Mikhail,” he greeted. "How are you feeling today?"
"Thanks to Your Majesty, I feel well-rested," the knight replied politely.
Satisfied, the emperor nodded. "Yes. We’ll become family sooner or later. It’s only natural that I’m concerned about your well-being."
Mikhail was irritated by the premature assumption yet he didn’t show it. He simply bowed his head, feigning appreciation.
"I’m just worried that my lack of skill might prove as an obstacle to your plan, Your Majesty."
"Don’t say such things. The only unforeseeable variable is Maximilian since he likes to go on a rampage at times."
The crown prince. Mikhail had heard of the man's excellent swordsmanship many times. The knight couldn’t, however, estimate how great it truly was.
Well, even so, the emperor was on his side, so he would be at an advantage. When the wild beasts were initially brought in, the emperor had marked the map where the ones with the highest bounties were located so that Mikhail could win. While the crown prince could do nothing but frantically search the forest, Mikhail would enter knowing precisely where the beasts were located from the start. He smiled.
"Oh, and speaking of wild beasts... It won't be on the map I gave you before,” the emperor said out of the blue, shocking Mikhail.
Glaring at him, Mikhail’s forehead wrinkled in consternation. However, he made himself relax and resumed smiling. "Do you have a better plan in mind, Your Majesty?" he asked.
"Of course."
If he could, Mikhail wanted to grab the man by his collar and force him to confess what the deal was. Instead, he gathered all the patience he had and asked, "Could I have a hint?"
The emperor turned his head. Pointing with a finger to somewhere further away, he asked, "Do you know where Duke Floyen is seated?"
There was no way Mikhail didn't know. In fact, he was even aware that Jubelian and Beatrice were heading somewhere already. Where were they going? Was she giving her handkerchief to someone else? His thoughts anxiously spun, and a man with a decent appearance flashed in his mind. Since this contest allows mercenaries, it was highly possible that Jubelian's lover—a commoner—had been hired by the duke. Mikhail gritted his teeth.
"The princess is with Regis' daughter. It's perfect,” the emperor continued.
A fire erupted within Mikhail once the emperor mentioned Jubelian, but he kept himself carefully controlled. "I’m foolish, and I don’t know what you mean, Your Majesty."
The emperor tutted before shooting him a grin. "You’ll emerge victorious and fuel Maximilian's feelings for Regis' daughter."
Mikhail’s expression hardened.
Standing in the field, I watched the emperor and Mikhail as they conversed. It was too suspicious to be a coincidence. According to the original plot of the story, Max was supposed to bring the magical beast. Since that situation was totally out of the picture now, I thought this day would end up being relatively uneventful. Unexpectedly, however, there was a silver flower where the emperor was seated, and a flower that could manipulate beasts had been described as being silver in the text. It matched.
I got Bea’s attention.
"Bea, that flower over there.” I pointed to the flower sitting on the center box seat. "Do you think you can get it for me?"
She gave me a puzzled look. "What do you want that for?"
How could I explain it to her? Could I say that there might be a magical beast hidden in the field which might be involved in a grand scheme by the emperor and that the silver flower might be a poisonous plant that could paralyze the beast for a while? There was no way she would believe me. And, to make it worse, she could start treating me like I was a weirdo.
I swallowed dryly before saying whatever just came to mind.
"It's just... so pretty,” I finished lamely.
Her eyes widened initially. Then, she squinted. Was she upset? Frankly, I understood her. I would think this was an absurd request, too, if I was her. I wet my dry lips as the silence between us stretched.
"I see,” she finally said, putting on a bright smile. "You really want that flower.”
"Ah... Yeah!" I nodded.
Gently stroking my cheek, she said, "If my dear Jubelian wants it so much, of course I’ll bring it for you.”
I was relieved when she easily accepted my request. This just served as another testament to how understanding Bea was when it came to her friends.
I was still immersed in such thoughts when she said, "Wait here with Victor. I will be back soon,” so I reacted belatedly to her departure.
"Wait, Bea! Wait a minute!” I cried urgently, but she didn’t seem to hear me. I watched as she confidently walked to the emperor's seat.
Turning to Sir Victor, I said, "I'm fine, so please go protect Bea."
"I'm sorry? But..."
I took in my surroundings.
"There are so many people here. Nothing could happen!" I insisted. Despite my reassurance, however, Sir Victor still looked perplexed. I pointed to a spot in the audience. "My father is watching me from there, so please don’t worry about me."
His face now pale, Sir Victor nodded. "Understood."
He was about to turn his back toward me when I called urgently, "Oh! And... Please let Her Highness know that I would like the flower to be taken without the emperor knowing."
The knight smiled ear to ear. "Understood, Lady Floyen. Please stay put!"
For a moment, I watched as he chased after Bea. Then, I turned my attention to the waiting knights. They all looked ready to begin the hunt. I quickly spotted Max in his black armor. He was holding his blade, and tied to its hilt was the handkerchief I had given him. Upon noticing it, I couldn't help but smile. I wanted to wave to him but I decided it wouldn't be the best idea.
Just then, someone touched my shoulder, and I flinched. Startled, I turned my head to see a familiar face.
"What are you doing here, Lady Floyen?"
"Oh. Hello, Lord Elios."
He sighed. "What are you doing on the field?"
I was only here because it was out of the emperor's sight and I would stand out from the crowd if I monitored his movements from my seat. However, I couldn't tell Lord Elios that.
"Oh, it's... I just came down to have a look around,” I said, giving him a vague answer in lieu of the truth.