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“Are you being serious?”

“Yeah. Things will work out somehow, right? I’m a knight of this country, after all. No matter how much of a prince he is, he wouldn’t dare to harm a knight from another country.”

Hearing his nonchalant response made Winley’s blood pressure slowly rise.

“……Be honest. You became a knight just for this, didn’t you?”

“Princess, you talk too much. Knights are supposed to speak with their swords.”

“Damn it! Fine, bring it on! I’m a princess of this country too. Do you really think I’m going to just stand by and watch while you keep causing trouble in our name!?”

“Good. That’s the spirit.”

***

Enzi’s fingers twitched as he lay unconscious. He could faintly hear the sound of a conversation.

Clack! Clack clack! Clack clack clack!

The lively sound of wooden swords striking each other followed.

“……Ugh……”

How dare they be so noisy while I’m sleeping? With a frown, Prince Enzi suddenly opened his eyes.

“……Huh?”

Clack clack clack clack!

The sources of the noise quickly came into view. A beautiful blonde woman was in fierce combat with a villain.

No, a worm.

Whack!

“You left your other shoulder open. Are you asking to get hit?”

“Ack!”

“You need to be mindful of your footwork. Even when dodging, don’t just move blindly. Think about where you’re stepping so you can counterattack properly.”

“I swear, I’ll get one hit in……!”

“Your spirit’s strong as ever, but your attacks are too sloppy. Your sword is dull. You wouldn’t be able to kill a cockroach like that.”

Enzi’s pupils shook uncontrollably.

‘How can that cockroach move like that?’

The memory of earlier events came back to him.

‘Am I…… still trapped in a nightmare?’

He had heard of Princess Winley’s swordsmanship skills.

There was a rumor in the Hart Kingdom about a peculiar princess who mingled with knights. It was said her talent was far from ordinary.

Curious about the truth behind the rumors, Enzi had challenged her to a duel. However, he had suffered an utter defeat.

‘I thought I was just unlucky due to my carelessness……’

Enzi swallowed nervously. He had been gravely mistaken.

Just look at how the princess was moving now. Her swift movements were like those of a wild beast.

Her thrusts were sharp. Even when her attacks were blocked, she seamlessly followed up with a relentless barrage.

‘Could I have blocked that?’

The thought didn’t linger long. No, he couldn’t have. Not with his current skill level.

Winley was just that strong. Stronger than anyone her age that he had ever seen. At this point, the rumors seemed to be an understatement.

But what was even more shocking and terrifying—

Whoosh!

“Aaah! Why can’t I hit you even once!?”

—was that not even the princess’s sword could touch the hem of the worm’s clothes.

“Because I can see everything.”

“What?”

“Before you attack, your eyes give away where you’re going to strike. It would be strange if I couldn’t dodge that.”

“It’s your reflexes that are strange for even being able to follow that!”

How was he supposed to explain the strength of this bastard?

‘Andrew von Meeke……’

At the very least, Enzi could see the princess’s movements. But following this guy’s body with his eyes was a challenge in itself.

‘……This makes no sense.’

Enzi bit his lip hard. He didn’t want to admit it. Even after seeing it with his own eyes, he couldn’t believe it.

So, he observed more closely, trying to be as objective as possible. But the conclusion didn’t change.

‘……He’s strong. Much stronger than someone like me.’

That was the objective truth. Those two were clearly stronger than him.

‘What on earth did you go through in less than a year, worm?’

Enzi accepted reality. A true ruler must be able to acknowledge their own shortcomings. Only then could they improve and take a larger step forward.

Thud!

“Huff, huff, huff.”

At that moment, Winley fell back, landing on her rear. Though she was lightly pushed back, the force she felt was far beyond what she had imagined.

“……Ugh……”

The pain from the hits she took now surged through her body.

Her back, knees, and hips were all hurting. There wasn’t a single part of her body that didn’t ache. She received a thorough beating.

‘……I feel refreshed.’

But unlike the physical pain, Winley’s heart felt immensely relieved. In this short time, she had learned more than in the entire past year combined.

It felt like she had been possessed by a ghost. Her opponent had shown her exactly how to move to fight more efficiently.

He had demonstrated only the moves she could actually perform.

‘This kid is amazing. Far beyond my imagination.’

Thanks to this, Winley even felt grateful to Ancelot.

Of course,

“……Is this how you treat your fiancée, you jerk?”

Her words came out very differently. With a half-serious expression, Winley looked up and jokingly muttered.

“It’s not like we’re real fiancés, so what does it matter?”

“If we were real fiancés, would you have not hit me?”

“……Huh?”

Watching him seriously ponder her words, Winley was left dumbfounded.

“……Are you seriously thinking about that?”

“Well, there’s some logic to what you said.”

“Are you being for real?”

“Yeah. If the head of the family isn’t around, there could be situations where the family is in danger. To prepare for those threats, it might be better to make the family stronger on their own……”

“……”

Winley fell silent, then smiled softly.

‘Yep. I should stay away from this bastard.’

There had been a time when she briefly considered the idea of marriage with this boy.

Of course, it wasn’t because she had developed any special feelings during that short time. She’d already gotten engaged with him for her own purposes.

To dispel any suspicions from those around her, it was entirely possible she would end up marrying him.

‘Before that happens, I need to become stronger. Strong enough that no one can ever touch me again.’

Determination shone in Winley’s eyes.

Until now, her ideal man had always been someone stronger than herself. But as of this moment, she had a change of heart.

‘Being kind and gentle is a must. To hell with strength and looks.’

Thanks to a certain someone, Winley had matured early.

“……Huh? Come to think of it, that guy’s awake now?”

“……!”

Breaking out of her thoughts, Winley glanced to the side. Sure enough, Prince Enzi had opened his eyes at some point……

“……He closed them again?”

Was he pretending to be unconscious out of embarrassment?

“……No. Rather……”

Suddenly, Winley noticed the devilish grin on the other guy’s face.

‘……May the gods protect that poor prince.’

He probably didn’t want to get beaten up again.

Duke Herman had just received an unexpected report.

“……Are you saying there’s someone making advances toward the princess?”

“Yes, sir. I witnessed it clearly with my own eyes.”

Duke Herman’s gaze sharpened.

“Who is it?”

“Enzi von Meeke, the 1st prince of the Meeke Principality.”

“Hmph…… Of all places, it’s Meeke again? What sort of cursed fate do we have with that region?”

He’d been surprised momentarily, but Duke Herman’s expression remained stern.

“Anything else of note?”

“Well, the prince apparently had a sparring session with Her Highness at dawn.”

“The Prince Enzi sparred with Her Highness?”

Duke Herman couldn’t help but let out a wry laugh.

“So he dug his own grave.”

“Yes, as you might expect, Her Highness achieved an overwhelming victory. However……”

“However?”

“Sir Andrew von Meeke…… or rather, our kingdom’s new knight, Sir Ancelot, was also present.”

Seeing the knight hastily correct himself, Duke Herman furrowed his brow.

“He was there?”

“Yes.”

“A serious incident must have occurred then?”

“……Well……”

The knight hesitated before continuing.

“He knocked him out.”

“Knocked him out? Who knocked out who?”

“Ancelot knocked out Prince Enzi……”

“What?”

Duke Herman’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he shook his head in disbelief.

“He, too, is digging his own grave. I always knew he was a reckless one.”

“Fortunately, Her Highness managed to mediate the situation well, and no major incident followed……”

Duke Herman interrupted the knight.

“If we were to assign blame, who do you think is at fault?”

“……If we look at it objectively, Prince Enzi is mostly to blame. The sparring with Her Highness was just that, a sparring match. But for some reason, Prince Enzi got agitated afterward and was the first to attack Sir Ancelot with a mana-infused wooden sword.”

“Mana? He used mana in a sparring match?”

“I saw it myself.”

An icy chill settled over Duke Herman’s face, far colder than before. He was genuinely angry. What if he hadn’t assigned someone to watch over the princess?

What if an irreversible ‘incident’ had occurred within the palace walls?

“……There would have been no greater humiliation.”

“Rumors have already spread, and royal knights have been deployed throughout the palace. Normally, they wouldn’t be active until later in the day, but due to this early morning incident, they’re taking extra precautions to prevent further accidents.”

“No, that’s not enough.”

Duke Herman’s lips twisted into a smirk.

“Follow the orders I’m about to give carefully.”

“Understood.”

***

Prince Enzi had barely returned to the annex when he secluded himself, refusing to eat. Eventually, hearing a commotion outside, he stepped out of his room.

“……What in the world is going on?”

Looking down at the first-floor lobby from the staircase, Enzi was baffled. Knights were divided into two groups, engaged in a standoff. Just then, Duke Veder noticed Enzi and hurried over.

“Your Highness! You’ve finally come out!”

Enzi smiled awkwardly and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry for causing you concern. But, what is this? Why are there outsiders in our quarters? Who are they?”

“Well……”

Duke Veder hesitated for a moment before sighing.

“……They’re royal knights from the Kingdom of Hart.”

“What? Royal knights from the Kingdom of Hart……?”

“They’ve informed us that their previous accommodations will be given to another kingdom’s delegation. With so many people from all over the continent coming, there’s a shortage of annexes. The King of Hart himself requested that we allow them to stay here.”

“What……?”

Enzi’s brow furrowed.

Really?

‘A lack of annexes?’

In diplomacy, even those with nothing to show put on a show of plenty.

“They said we mainly use the first and second floors, and they will use the third and fourth floors, but…… As they’re also knights, there’s an odd tension brewing between our groups.”

“Does this even make sense?”

“They justified it by claiming it’s for the safety of the guests, so technically, we could challenge them on it, but……”

Enzi sighed. The other side had swallowed their pride and admitted to a lack of preparation. Challenging them now would only paint themselves as petty.

‘I’ve heard that the annexes here are short on outhouses relative to their size……’

The thought of so many people sharing those cramped facilities made Enzi uneasy about the days to come.

However,

“Today’s dish is beans, huh?”

“No meat…… at all.”

“Damn! How are we supposed to gain strength eating just this greenery?!”

From that day on, the quality of food at the annex mysteriously declined. Once again, they had no grounds for complaint. The royal knights of the Kingdom of Hart were eating the same food.

‘Could this be…… revenge?’

At this point, Enzi couldn’t help but think so.

‘……Didn’t that worm say he’s the princess’s fiancé?’

Though it was still hard to believe, if it were true? Then this situation suddenly made sense.

‘Even so…… they’re messing with our food, sleep, and even our basic needs?’

Enzi’s face crumpled with displeasure. This wasn’t just a one-day issue, it had been going on for four days now.

“If this continues, our knights will grow increasingly dissatisfied. I’ve discreetly investigated, and the food in the other annexes is far more plentiful than here.”

“Is that true?”

Duke Veder nodded grimly.

“It seems I’ll need to go directly to the palace and lodge a complaint.”

As Duke Veder spoke, he moved to act without waiting for a reply.

“Y-Your Highness! Duke!”

A knight came rushing up the stairs to the second floor.

“What is it?”

“Y-You should come downstairs immediately.”

“……Don’t tell me there’s a fight with the Hart Kingdom’s knights? I’ve repeatedly warned you. If that’s the case……”

“N-No, that’s not it. Prince Andrew is here.”

“……!”

Both of them thought they had misheard.

“Wh-Who did you say was here?”

***