As if certain of victory, Franz was already receiving the congratulations of his followers.
Surrounded by them, he was smiling coldly.
Isn't this cheating?
"Yes!"
Voices of worry and alarm came from the stands.
I turned my gaze back to the match arena.
The Knight of Spear did not care about his opponent, who was in pain and writhing bleeding.
Rather, he raised his spear confidently, celebrating his victory.
There was no one to celebrate this dishonorable victory except Franz, Eliade, and their followers.
“That knight's wound seems to be serious, will he be okay?”
Freesia's voice trembled softly, perhaps from the shock of seeing the blood.
Michael closed his eyes slightly and focused his gaze on the Knight of Spear.
“He deliberately targeted his chest. I saw that when he directed his spear, he did not mean the shield, but the chest. To completely defeat the opponent.”
“But this is cheating! For him to fight in such a vile way, this is not worthy of a knight.”
My voice raised unconsciously, excited.
How can this person be Carlex's final opponent?
What if he used a cowardly trick and got hurt?
Michael looked worried too, as if he shared the same thought.
“It is usual that injuries during the match are not held accountable, and Knight Spern is lowly to be the opponent in the final... My brother fights with honor, this is a big problem.”
The servants rushed and carried the unconscious knight Lawrence on a stretcher and carried him out of the arena.
The arena of the equestrian match shook with a wave of shock and confusion.
In the stands, a debate raged over whether Knight Spear's attack was legitimate or not.
Count Lawrence, the important person, was sitting there silent, but there was pent-up anger on his features.
Franz was smiling smugly, as if he had already won the tournament.
While Eliade was waiting with condescending looks for the return of the knight who would dedicate his victory to her.
As for Ludwig, he was sitting with his chin on his hand, just staring at the square tiredly and bored.
The match organizer whispered something in the ear of the court advisor, who in turn conveyed it to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince nodded briefly and then waved his hand.
“Knight battles are cruel by nature. Keep the match going!”
The cheerful sound of the trumpet blared high into the sky, and the cheers of the crowd echoed throughout the venue.
Finally, the final battle between the house of Duke Reinhart and Duke of Spern began.
Pffw!
The sound of the starting signal rang out.
The two knights' horses galloped powerfully, shouting with their hooves as if they were shaking the ground.
As they rushed faster than the wind, like lightning, a storm of white dust rose up.
The two knights' spears quickly passed each other, targeting the opponent's weak points.
A flash of light, accompanied by a resounding collision of spears and shields.
Kwajik!
A strong, heavy sound echoed throughout the entire arena.
One of the knights rose high on the back of his horse.
The horse could not resist the momentum and continued running, letting its master fall to the ground.
Thick dust clouds obscured the details of the scene like fog.
Out of anxiety and fear for him, I felt as if my heart would jump out of its place and climb up my throat.
No, impossible.
Match the image of the bleeding fallen knight with the image of Carlex.
I jumped up and grabbed the railing tightly.
Then, I called out to him with all my might:
“Master Carlex!”
The dust gradually began to settle, revealing a bright silver shield that sparkled under the sun.
Carlex was sitting on his horse, throwing away his helmet with a heavy breath.
His face was drenched in sweat, and his curly black hair shone like a victor's laurel wreath.
The arena, which had been quiet for a moment, was engulfed by a violent storm of cheering.
“Waaah!”
Then it was filled with standing ovations for the victor.
“Grand Duke Carlex has triumphed!”
“Long live the family of Duke Reinhardt!”
Carlex slowly led his horse towards the stands.
The court advisor tried to stop him from this sudden action, but Ludving raised his hand, waving him to stop.
He untied a handkerchief that was tied to his spear, and went up to the platform, carrying it with great care.
When he appeared, people held their breaths or swallowed expressions of admiration that were about to explode.
The armor of the hero who had been victorious for three consecutive days was dirty with mud.
But only his eyes were as clear as pure snow.
There was silence for a moment among everyone present.
Everyone was watching nervously to see who would be the lady chosen by Grand Duke Carlex.
Making a heavy creaking sound from his armor, he advanced step by step toward me.
While everyone's eyes were inevitably turned to Freesia.
Carlex passed her, finally stopping in front of me.
I heard the sound of someone gasping in surprise
The confused murmur of people began to drift away, as if coming from somewhere far away.
I felt like everything around me was suddenly separated by an invisible wall.
Even Michael, who seemed somehow sad, and Freesia, who was watching me and Carlex expressionlessly, rushed beyond that wall.
I don't see anything, and I don't hear anything. nothing.
Only him, before my eyes.
Carlex put his lips to the edge of the handkerchief.
When his thin lips touched the handkerchief, I felt as if he was kissing me.
Then he knelt in front of me without any hesitation.
Shouts of astonishment and astonishment spread among the crowd.
Carlex lowered his head as if to obey, and offered me the handkerchief in my hands.
“My savior, my friend, my lady. I give you victory for your honor.”
His low, deep voice declared bright homage and fervent pledge.
Why do my eyes shed tears?
How can I respond to what is in my heart?
“Lady Grand Duke? Who is this girl?”
“An unfamiliar face.”
“Wait, this outfit...isn't it the Royal Librarian's uniform? It can't be...”
As if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on me, my sense of reality suddenly returned.
Carlex was still kneeling in front of me.
Wait, how do I deal with this situation?
Even though I felt like I was going to suffocate under the weight of the attention directed at me, I stood tall.
In fact, I was shaking and dizzy to the point of fainting.
But after I took a deep breath, I smiled broadly at Carlex.
Then, as if I wanted everyone to hear me, I exaggeratedly shouted:
"Oh! My lord the Grand Duke. You still remember that I saved Michael! I only did what I had to do, and yet you return the favor in this way. I will consider this an honor for my family!"
The intelligent ears of the nobles picked up the important keyword in my incessant chatter.
The frozen expressions of worry, astonishment, and shock began to disappear one by one.
Some of them even let out a sigh of relief.
They looked at each other, exchanging furtive glances or nodding their heads.
“Indeed, the Grand Duke is a noble character to win the match to return the favor.”
“Oh my God, there was such a touching story. I almost misunderstood the situation.”
What a relief, I was the one who should have let out that sigh, actually.
Fortunately, there was an air of conviction among the young ladies that I was no Mrs. Carlex.
Except for the person in question himself in front of me.
Carlex stared at me with eyes full of suspicion.
'What is this trick?'
...I ignored his scrutinizing looks that were asking this question.
He stood like a statue, radiating a strong will that he would not move until he heard the answer.
Is there no one to save me from this embarrassing situation?
Michael and Freesia were not helpful, only sending admiring and appreciative glances to Carlex.
With great concern, she looked towards Crown Prince Ludfeng.
His eyes were shining as if he had found the most interesting sight.
She sent him a helpless, pleading look.
'Please, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Take the Grand Duke from here.’
Ludving's eyebrows rose and he nodded slightly.
Did he really understand what I said?
His lips moved slowly.
Even from afar, I could tell what he was saying just by the shape of his mouth.
'no. A.R.Y.D.’
Ah, I was stupid to trust this crown prince! He seems to be enjoying just watching the fire burn!
The court advisor walked up to Carlex and bowed politely.
“My lord, Grand Duke Reinhardt, you are to receive the award bestowed by His Highness the Crown Prince. Come this way.”
The one who offered me a lifeline was none other than the court advisor himself.
Carlix, who continued to stare at me to the end, rose and followed the court advisor.
Carlex stepped in front of the main seat and bowed deeply.
The Crown Prince smiled a satisfied smile and opened his arms to receive the hero.
If it weren't for the attention of those present, it would have looked like he was about to hug him.
“My faithful knight has returned bearing victory.”
“It was not my intention to dedicate the victory to Your Highness.”
Despite his decisive, sword-like response, the Crown Prince did not appear disappointed, but rather pleased.
“It doesn't matter, your victory is my victory.”
The Crown Prince fluttered his scarf and announced in a loud, loud voice to everyone in the arena of the equestrian competition:
"I declare in the name of His Majesty the Great King of Ruberia! The victor of today's match is Grand Duke Carlex Reinhardt! Glory to the victory of the brave hero!"
Carlix bowed in reverence, and the Crown Prince placed a laurel wreath on his opinion, praising his fatigue.
Carlex walked up to the podium with a straight face to show off to the audience.
Wearing the laurel wreath as protector of justice, he looked beautiful and powerful, shining under the sun.
“Long live Grand Duke Carlex Reinhardt!”
“Glory be to the Duke of the North!”
An enthusiastic chant of his name echoed in the arena for a long time.
***
With the official match over, the Knights returned to their break rooms.
Carlex also went down to the knights' break room.
But the platform was still bustling with nobles gathered to chat with the Crown Prince.
Under the supervision of the court advisor, the servants began to tidy up the place smoothly, bringing in a long table.
Then beautiful garlands, fine grape wine, drinking glasses, and various dishes began to be brought to the table.
“Mr. Michael, what are you preparing now?”
I asked Michael, who was sitting next to me, quietly.
“They are preparing a feast to celebrate the equestrian match. Sister, I am going to go say hello to someone I know for a moment. Can you wait for me a moment?”
“Yes. Don’t worry, come back.”
Michael moved toward the nobles smoothly and greeted them.
They welcomed him happily when the polite and courteous little boy appeared.
“I don’t know whose son he is, but he was raised really well.” I felt unjustified pride.
While his older brother, Duke Carlex, is aloof and antisocial, it's a good thing his younger brother, Michael, is not.
The future of the Reinhardt House is bright.
While I waited, I thought about chatting with Freesia, but she also found herself surrounded by nobles her own age.
Young nobles were competing to show their admiration and win her favor.
Freesia was chatting with them with a confused smile.
Our heroine is so good that it's worrying.
I stared nervously to watch her, fearing that annoying flies would attach themselves to her and cause her a difficult situation.
“Where are you staring at? Librarian Erica.”
A voice called out to me, and my whole body froze as soon as I heard it.
“To be continued in the next chapter”
Loving translation