In response to Larima's question, I looked down at the stadium.
"Me? Hmm…."
It was just then that Enrique's match was about to begin. Standing under the brilliant sunlight, Enrique smiled slightly and greeted his opponent. In return, his opponent awkwardly replied. It was a polite gesture that didn't seem to fit the son of Duke Javier.
'Enrique must have had some home education…'
For some reason, I felt a sense of kinship. As expected of someone who had trained in swordsmanship under Lisandro with Oscar, Enrique's skills were quite impressive. Although he hadn't reached the level of drawing out sword qi like Oscar, he still possessed top-tier swordsmanship. The match began shortly after. Enrique's faint smile vanished, leaving only a sharp and intense aura. Before long, the match was decided. In the blink of an eye, Enrique's sharp blade was pointing at his opponent's throat. The opponent surrendered gracefully.
"…I lost."
It was a clean victory for Enrique. Cheers erupted from the crowd as I stared blankly at Enrique, who had defeated his opponent in just a few moves. The sunlight seemed to highlight Enrique's golden hair, making it shine even more.
"Ugh."
An exclamation of admiration escaped me.
'You've grown well, you've grown well.'
Shouldn't the one to be designated as a national treasure be Enrique himself, not some silly thing like me? As I watched Enrique's back as he descended from the arena with a cheerful smile, Larima urged me.
"Your Majesty. You didn't answer my question. Who would you like to see win? Huh, could it be Prince Javier?!"
"Uh, uh?"
"What? Your face is red!"
Larima's loud voice drew the attention of everyone around us. Especially, my father's gaze was incredibly fierce. I covered my cheeks with my palms and shook my head.
"No, it's just hot. It's just hot."
At that, the governess was startled and ordered Larima.
"Oh, Larima. Bring some ice water for His Majesty."
"Yes, ma'am."
Larima's departure allowed me to escape the awkward question.
'As if I would blush at the sight of a young boy in his early teens.'
However, my troubles didn't end there. My father casually called me.
"Mabel."
"Yes?"
"Try answering. Who would you like to see win?"
"I, I don't know."
"How can you not know?"
If I didn't answer, my father would torment me for days. He was as persistent as Larima.
'The answer is already set, you just need to say it. That's how it works, right?'
I sighed inwardly and clung to my father's arm. Then, I laughed and shouted.
"Of course, it's Dad!"
"…But I didn't participate?"
"I don't care. Dad is the best!"
Just the best. Dad is the best. Dad is the greatest. Despite my baseless and stubborn answer, my father's expression was filled with satisfaction. I felt a bit embarrassed under the surprised gazes of the other nobles but pretended not to notice.
'I wanted to act mature in front of Duke Donovan…!'
Duke Donovan's intense gaze made me feel incredibly uncomfortable as he stared at me intently.
My father, oblivious to my feelings, smiled contentedly and patted my head.
"If I were just a bit younger… I would have participated and won the tournament. It's frustrating."
Feeling the sincerity in my father's words, the nobles around him began to chuckle.
"Hehe. Your Majesty, you are still young, aren't you?"
"That's right. Who would see a father with a daughter as old?"
One noble uncle's words made my father's face turn cold.
"…What did you say?"
"Excuse me?"
"Are you denying my precious Mabel?"
"That, that's not what I meant."
"If not, are my ears rotting and falling off?"
Dissatisfied with the noble uncle's words, my father began to pick a fight.
'Sigh.'
Perhaps twisting compliments into insults is also a talent. Feeling sorry for the sweating noble uncle, I tugged at my father's sleeve.
"Why are you doing this, Mabel?"
"He's praising you. You're young, handsome, and you have a cute daughter like me!"
I smiled brightly, cupping my hands.
Since I had already been embarrassed once, I felt less self-conscious. My father's expression turned emotional, and he hugged me tightly.
"Right, my most adorable and lovely daughter!"
"Ugh!"
"You said it was hot, right? What should I do? Should I cast a temperature control spell on the entire stadium?"
As usual, my father was about to spend astronomical amounts of money without a second thought. I shook my head and pointed at the stadium.
"Start the match!"
Fortunately, two boys were standing face to face on the stadium. And I recognized them very well.
'Aidan and… Enrique?'
This was an unexpected matchup! ***
Sweat formed on Enrique's hand gripping the sword. He tried hard not to show his nervousness, but he wasn't sure if he was succeeding. He could feel that the red-eyed boy standing right in front of him was completely relaxed, unlike himself.
'…I will probably lose.'
Even Oscar, the youngest knight, had never defeated the Devil of Devlin. So, it was natural that he would lose, given that he couldn't even manifest sword qi. There was no way to bridge the significant gap in skill. However, Enrique didn't want to lose miserably.
'Even if I lose, I need to put up a fight.'
He adjusted his grip on the sword. The young emperor was watching them from the VIP seats. Their eyes met—azure and golden. At that moment,
"How long do we have to wait?"
Enrique turned his gaze at Aidan's indifferent words. Aidan stood casually, holding his sword loosely, looking at him. Enrique smiled slightly.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting."
"It was boring."
Aidan's attitude seemed indifferent, but Enrique noticed a change in his aura since their eyes met with Mabel's. Enrique took a fighting stance. The basic sword techniques he learned from Lisandro were solid. In contrast, Aidan remained in his casual stance. *Clang!* Enrique was the first to leap. His sword slashed diagonally, but Aidan's single gesture blocked the attack. Enrique retreated briefly before launching a fierce assault. *Clang, clang*! Dozens of exchanges occurred. The longer the match went on, the more Enrique gritted his teeth.
'He's toying with me.'
It was clear. Aidan never attacked once. The only one attacking was Enrique. And Aidan didn't even struggle to block the attacks, only deflecting with minimal movements. After stepping back a few paces, Enrique panted heavily, watching Aidan.
"…Why aren't you attacking?"
The answer came quickly.
"I don't want you to get hurt."
"That's ridiculous."
Enrique, who usually didn't use harsh words, couldn't hold back this time. Aidan smirked at Enrique's aggressive gaze.
"If you get hurt, His Majesty will be upset."
"…"
"I don't want that."
Enrique realized he had lost. His breath was ragged, while Aidan's was calm. Moreover, Aidan hadn't drawn any sword qi. Most decisively, Aidan hadn't moved from his initial position. Enrique felt a shock as if he had been hit on the head.
"…"
Enrique adjusted his grip on the sword and leaped again. *Bang!* The swords clashed, and the stadium floor cracked, raising a cloud of dust. The outcome was unclear. The audience began to murmur. As the dust cleared, people gasped. Aidan's blade had slightly cut Enrique's throat. Enrique felt a sharp sensation and laughed softly.
"I lost."
It was Enrique's defeat. …As Aidan descended from the stadium, he suddenly wiped his cheek with his thumb. Blood appeared.
'Not bad.'
Aidan wondered if Enrique had noticed that he had briefly manifested sword qi in the final attack. ***
'I couldn't even see it.'
Mabel, who had watched Aidan and Enrique's match with a dazed expression, was amazed. She had only heard about their greatness, but this was the first time she saw them genuinely sparring. The previous matches had ended quickly, but Aidan had barely moved, yet he had dodged well, and Enrique had attacked with all his might. Having seen Aidan and Oscar spar a few times, Mabel found Enrique's sword-wielding form the most unique.
'Even though they're still just kids.'
Mabel, resting her chin in her hand and smiling, muttered while glancing at the entrance of the stadium.
"It's about time to start…"
"What's starting?"
Mabel laughed awkwardly as Esteban suddenly asked, having somehow heard her mutter.
"The match is about to start."
"Ah, right."
The next match began. The semi-finals. Four people remained, including Aidan and Oscar. This match was between the other two.
'So the next match will be between Oscar and Aidan.'
Mabel watched the match, feeling a bit disappointed that the two wouldn't face each other in the finals, which would have been more dramatic. She heard the nobles around her murmuring.
"That's…"
"Yes, the first one to…"
"Oh, I see…"
They were murmuring because one of the two was the one who had declared he would propose to Mabel first.
"…The Viscount Bursley, right?"
Esteban remembered the family well. If he won, he would secretly send someone to deal with him