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Chapter 113 – Meaning Of Clashing Swords
“Rio. Are you my escort or Rosanne’s?”
Kiehl scolded Rio, who was next to Rosanne. It was fortunate that it was the Imperial Palace, but it was a little awkward moment for Kiehl, who always had an escort, to walk alone.
He then glanced at Rosanne awkwardly.
“Long time no see.”
“Ah…”
So did Rosanne.
— “Someday…. I hope you get the same back.”
After speaking the last words that were like a curse, she hadn’t run into Kiehl in the past few weeks.
“I heard it from Rio that Lady Bella shared a lot of work?”
Rosanne, who had been speaking casually, changed her tone into a formal one to Kiehl.
“I’m glad you have the time to go out for a walk.”
Rio knew that the atmosphere between the two was not serious, so he just kept an eye on it. In the meanwhile, Rosanne’s demeanor appeared to have shifted subtly and it was because Rosanne’s demeanor appeared to have shifted subtly.
“And what I said, be-before was very rude.”
“You don’t have to speak so hard.”
Kiehl put down the fur he was holding.
“Still…”
“Back then, I talked too much, too. I’m sorry.”
At his words, Rosanne was a little surprised, not expecting the apology that came out of his mouth.
“Young Master! Apologize to me, too!”
“…What’s wrong with you?”
Pur took a small calendar from her pocket and held it out to Kiehl.
“Look at this! Three months behind!”
It seemed that Pur had marked on the calendar the dates when he had promised to sleep together with Pur and Bella once a month.
“…Pur, you can read the calendar?”
“Do you think I am stupid?”
Pur huffed and pressed Kiehl’s foot.
“My subordinate Cotton Candy told me!”
Kiehl stroked Pur’s head.
“Kiehl, but where are you going? Even your clothes look different than in the morning.”
“Ah… I’m going to spar with Bella.”
Rio frowned, hearing those words.
“…Well, Kiehl. Isn’t that too much?”
“Huh? What?”
“Even if it’s… Lady Bella. Where in the world is the Crown Prince sparring against the Crown Princess?”
“Why not?”
“Against a weak woman…”
Now, it was Kiehl who was frowning instead.
“Have you never seen Bella use a sword?”
“…Never.”
He knew that Bella was sparring with Lady Shuria at the Cruelle family, but he had never actually looked at it with interest. It was because, at that time, they were absorbed in paperwork. Only then did Kiehl understand why Rio didn’t trust Bella and insisted on an escort.
“…Follow me.”
Then, Rosanne blushed and quickly grabbed Kiehl.
“The, then… Can I go as well?”
* * *
Bella and Kiehl glanced at each other in bewilderment as soon as they met at the appointed place.
“…Bella.”
“There’s more of you. I have two. You have three.”
She was sure they had decided to meet secretly without anyone noticing. In the end, they both had tails, but it was too long.
“Bella has four.”
Bella looked back, and before she knew it, she was even joined by Zanbar and Iwer, who had come running when they smelled something funny.
“I wasn’t going to. They said they made a bet and followed me.”
“I have a hard time saying no…”
Listening to his words, she looked away as her eyes met Rosanne’s and she awkwardly waved her hand.
‘…Yes. It’s going to be hard to say no to anyone over there.’
Reluctantly ignoring them, Bella and Kiehl grabbed each other’s swords. In the meantime, Iwer stirred up people who gathered there, just like a food vendor at a baseball field.
“Here, here! How much will you bet?”
“1 silver to the princess!”
“Sir Zanbar, why are you betting on that!”
In the midst of the chatter, Rosanne, who never seemed to watch a match like this, sneaked up and held out 1 gold.
“I, I will also bet one gold… no, three gold to Lady Bella.”
After the audience calmed down to a certain extent, the demons looked at Bella and Kiehl with rage.
“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve seen the two sparring.”
“Yes. It was boring when I was at the mansion.”
“By the way,Iwer, why did you bet on the Young Master?”
“A dream demon’s… intuition?”
As the wind blew and her hair fluttered, Bella tied her hair into a tight ponytail. After taking her sword out of the scabbard for the first time in a long time, she provoked Kiehl by turning her sword several times.
“Let’s see how much your skills have improved?”
“I think it’s better not to let your guard down.”
Anticipating a fierce counterattack, Bella took the initiative and lunged at Kiehl. She thrust with great force, but Kiehl swiftly evaded her attack and countered by bringing his sword down towards her back. Rio and Rosanne watched with widened eyes, their hands covering their mouths.
To their surprise, Bella skillfully used the recoil of the sword thrust to defend her vulnerable back.
As the duel progressed, the demons became bored, while a mix of tension and relief alternated in Rio and Rosanne.
Unlike the spectators, Bella relished the opportunity to work up a sweat in her flowing gown. It was a stark contrast to her sparring sessions with Shuria in the Cruelle family. The young one, who had sparred exclusively with Bella, had ventured into the wider world and returned with newfound experience.
‘He’s really improved a lot.’
It was also very different from the sword fighting he did while in the Demon Realm. Every time their sword clashed, it was different from the time when she laid down her heart and said goodbye forever.
Like that childhood, today’s sparring would become another memory that she wanted to recall in the future.
“Come a little more.”
“Bella should.”
For quite a long time, the sound of the two swords clashing ranged. It seemed like it would never end.
“I was going to lose on purpose, but I have to end it now.”
Kiehl laughed at Bella’s words.
“Are you provoking me?”
“That’s right. Isn’t it a strategy to provoke and disrupt the opponent in order to win?”
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“But that’s no provocation at all.”
Bella also jumped in with a smile, thinking it was the last. Their sword collided hard and Bella’s sword was about to go all the way down Kiehl’s blade. The person who pointed the blade to the other person’s throat first would win.
Instead of the sword, Kiehl’s face came closer.
“….”
His lips that came so suddenly wet her lips, and the cold blade of the sword touched her throat.
“I won.”
“…This is a bit cheesy.”
“I heard that confusing the opponent is also a strategy.”
Bella kept her mouth shut and looked at Kiehl with a sullen face.
How could he leave this cute face alone?
As he held her chin lightly and stroked her lower lip with his once more, Kiehl smiled with a little rough breath. This sweaty black hair and clear red eyes that focused on the target.
He spoke, touching her hair a little vaguely.
“Come to think of it, it’s been a while.”
At that, Bella looked at Kiehl’s lips, her face blushing. It was her who seduced him into liking her first… with a heart that wanted to change the novel.
Who thought that this level of skinship was okay.
“It’s, still… awkward…”
“…What?”
Bella summoned her courage and grabbed Kiehl’s shirt, and tiptoed slightly.
“I’ll try once a day.”
And a single ‘Chu’ sound to match the covered the rough breathing.
Kiehl looked down at Bella, a little puzzled. It was nice that she suddenly kissed him and promised to fight.
“…Will you do it once a day?”
“At, least? Me, too…”
“Huh?”
“I think I need to adapt a little…”
Kiehl pinched Bella’s cheek lightly.
“I think it will be hard to do it once a day.”
Now that her body had recovered, it seemed that her body was tickling, but there was a lot of work to do. There were still many people who couldn’t be caught by her hand.
“Let’s do it at least once a week. Please coordinate your schedule.”
Bella found it strange that Kiehl took her words seriously. What kind of skinship did he mark on the calendar?
“Isn’t that… too planned?”
“Then, do it when you have free time like today.”
She found it strange even when she thought hard about it. Even with an added imagination, it was still strange. It was not like she was bored then went to him for a kiss. It wouldn’t be like she had some time today, so let’s go kiss.
As Bella continued to tilt her head, Kiehl tapped her nose with his finger.
“I still have a lot of work, so it’s hard to spar every day.”
Her face turned red in an instant.
…What was she thinking on her own?
“Yes, that’s right.”
Of course, Kiehl wouldn’t miss the change.
“Bella, are you thinking of something else?”
“…I, I didn’t.”
Seeing that, he couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“What were you thinking?”
“Sparring. I thought of sparring too!”
With her red face, and the thumping of her heart that Kiehl had, he could roughly guess.
‘So cute.’
Because she was cute, his heart wanted to joke around more.
“Tell me because I won. What were you thinking?”
Bella pressed her foot against Kiehl’s.
Meanwhile, cheers and boos were heard in the audience.
“Yes! I won!”
Iwer and the twins hugged each other and ran around. On the other hand, others almost looked like they were holding funeral portraits.
Before they knew it, Bella and Kiehl walked over to where they were and got their water bottles.
“Miss. How could this be?”
“What’s this! Why is our Princess losing to the Young Master!”
“The future of the Demon Realm…”
The demons glared at Bella dejectedly, shocked by her loss.
“I lost…”
Who knew he would catch people off guard while kissing? He also looked pretty, so he had to have the talent to use his beauty to good us.
At that time, Rosanne looked at the two and finally started to cry.
“It’s too much…”
It was only then that Kiehl saw that Rosanne was here. She always had no presence to him, so he didn’t even care if she was there or not…
‘…I must really be a bad person to her.’
Even though he her heart, he didn’t mean to hurt her on purpose since he has always politely refused.
Bella was also flustered.
To be standing here deprived of the rights that the female lead in the novel should have… they were kissing in front of Rosanne, like a nightmare.
When Rosanne followed here to see the couple, Rio asked, ‘Wouldn’t it be uncomfortable?’ Without thinking, as soon as she saw the two of them, Rosanne regretted her actions.
It was the first time she had seen the two of them together.
She felt that Kiehl was very unfamiliar.
She’d seen him wield a sword many times before, but it was the first time he had looked at Bella with such a happy expression.
‘…He really likes Lady Bella.’
So when he playfully kisses Bella, Rosanne had a hard time hiding her tears.
“It’s too much… Lady Bella…”