"Just watch,” I said coldly. "Our knights will surely defeat yours. And the winner will be..."
"More than anything else, I want to give the winning prize as a gift for your coming-of-age ceremony."
The corners of my lips lifted into a smile as I recalled Max’s face. "It’ll be the person I’m cheering on,” I finished. "He’ll win."
Lord Elios grinned. "I can’t agree with that, but thanks for these."
He carefully picked up the gloves I had thrown at him, turning his back on me. I glared at him as he walked away.
Then, I frowned. I just lost a pair of gloves, and I would lose face if I asked him to give me the gloves back…
As I regretted my choice, I heard Geraldine's voice from beside me.
"Jubel, you... Do you want me to win?" he asked. His eyes were trembling as he looked at me. I shook my head.
"No, that's not it. I just wanted to make him shut up—”
Geraldine didn't listen. His eyes shone brightly. "His Grace's orders are unquestionably important, but if you say so... For your sake, I’ll do my best to win,” he promised. He was even holding my hands.
The person I was talking about was Max, but I couldn't tell Geraldine the truth since he was like this, so I spoke vaguely. "It’ll be good enough for us to win against the duke's family. So, please—”
I was about to tell him to act in moderation when a voice shouted for me. "Jubelian! I apologize for making you wait so long."
It was Bea. I had no choice but to give her my attention.
"Then, I'm going to get ready now,” Geraldine said. "Hurry up and get back to your seat with Her Highness."
Bea nodded. "Yes. Let's go back quickly.”
I was forced to return to my seat without correcting Geraldine…
On the way back to our seats, I looked at Beatrice. "Bea, did you get the flow—"
Before I could finish speaking, she pulled out a couple of crumpled flowers from the sleeve of her coat and showed them to me. There were only two, but I was relieved since two would be enough.
Satisfied, I inspected the blossoms as Bea said, "There was nothing I could do about preserving their shape. If I didn't put them in my sleeves, my father would have noticed."
She must have believed me when I told her I wanted these flowers because of their beauty. I smiled and shook my head at her troubled explanation.
"No, thank you so much for doing this, Bea."
"If there's anything else you want, just tell me,” she said. "I’ll get it for you."
Was it because she knew that I was dating her brother? She treated me like family. "Thank you. If you need my help on anything, Bea, I'm here for you as well.”
Blushing, she nodded slowly. "Th-Thanks."
I glanced at the emperor's box seat. Then, I met Mikhail's eyes. He was looking down on us. How long had he been trailing us? Ominous thoughts pervaded my mind for a moment, but I held firmly onto the flowers’ stems. Everything was going to be okay; Dad was here with me, and with these flowers, the magical beasts shouldn't be able to attack us.
Taking Bea's hand, I said, "Let's head back."
Mikhail had been watching Jubelian and the princess. He frowned slightly. How annoying.
According to the plan, he was supposed to be the one on the princess' side, but after seeing Jubelian beside her, Mikhail had no choice but to feel upset. She smiled so easily around others...
He clenched his fists.
"It must be inconvenient for you that Beatrice is spending all her time with Regis' daughter today," the emperor commented.
Mikhail turned to face him. Was he trying to gauge Mikhail’s thoughts? To the public, he was a pitiful victim who had suffered from Jubelian's unrequited love. However, a shrewd man like the emperor could have noticed that something was strange.
Like always, Mikhail put on a mask and spoke with composure. "Our relationship ended long ago. This isn’t anything inconvenient for me. As for Duke Floyen, I’m not afraid, for I have Your Majesty supporting me."
The emperor chuckled loudly. "Yes! This is why I like you!" he exclaimed.
Mikhail listened to the emperor's obnoxious laugh for a moment before recalling that he hadn’t been told the important details of today's plan.
"In any case, our conversation was unfortunately interrupted by Her Highness."
The emperor stopped laughing. "Oh, yes. You told me earlier that aside from winning the competition, you were concerned about how to expose the crown prince and his feelings for Regis' daughter."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
With bright eyes, the emperor began his explanation. "It's simple. While the participants are chasing the beasts, you’ll deal with the one that will attack the Floyen family.”
"By 'the one,' do you mean the dire wolf?"
"Yes."
"But how will a magic beast know to target those seats?"
The emperor smiled. "Ah, it's not a complicated process. I made those cushions out of snow hare leather. Dire wolves are known to go crazy for them. No matter how sensitive Regis is, he’ll only think of it as a comfortable chair."
While admiring the lengths the emperor went for his scheme, Mikhail felt his blood boil. This bastard was trying to put Jubelian in danger?
The bastard in question grinned. "Judging by your expression, I can see that you really care for my daughter."
Only then did Mikhail realize that he had let his emotions show. It was a troublesome journey to win the emperor’s trust... He couldn’t make a mistake now!
Kneeling on one knee, he bowed. "I have committed an atrocity, Your Majesty. I was just afraid that due to the nature of the beast, things might get out of control..."
There was a moment of silence, and the emperor—who initially seemed angry—suddenly burst into laughter. "I've been doubting the sincerity of your heart toward my daughter since you were always indifferent to her... but I’m relieved that you’re revealing your true feelings like this."
Mikhail looked up.
A chuckle escaped from the emperor's lips as he headed toward the railings looking down on the field. "Your intentions will be rewarded today,” he said.
Realizing that the emperor was completely overlooking his mistake, Mikhail gave a slight smile.
No, I’m the relieved one. Who knew you would be so foolish? he jeered silently.
Just then, the emperor handed something over. It was one of the silver flowers that decorated the railing.
"This is..." Mikhail trailed off in amazement.
The emperor grinned. "Take it."