The Actions of the Princess and Her Bodyguard
When the unexpected result of the duel came to an end, Elias, Liesel, Reiner, and the two participants went to the back room to discuss the match.
Farah and Asna were told to rest in another room until the deliberation was over and moved from the viewing area to the separate room. Initially, Eltia also moved with them, but a man from the nobility, who seemed gentle in demeanor, stopped her. After telling them to go ahead, Eltia stayed behind. Thus, Farah and Asna were resting in the separate room. Farah murmured with a worried expression.
“Will my brother and Lord Reed be alright…?”
“I think they’re fine since they didn’t get hurt. But more importantly…”
“…? More importantly?”
Asna answered Farah’s question, then asked with a slightly mischievous look.
“Which of them were you supporting, Princess? Prince Raycis, I assume?”
Surprised by the unexpected question, Farah blushed a little and answered.
“Well… both of them. They are both important to me…”
“I understand about Prince Raycis, but it seems Lord Reed has also become someone important to you, hasn’t he?”
“Huh…!? No, that’s not what I meant!”
Asna laughed, seeing Farah’s red face, while Farah denied it angrily, blushing even more. However, Asna was convinced of Farah’s feelings when she saw Farah’s ears move up and down during their conversation.
The ears of dark elves sometimes move with heightened emotions. Although there is individual variation, not everyone’s ears move. Farah, however, was a type whose emotions easily showed through her ears. Of course, she could suppress this movement if she was conscious of it, but if not, her ears would move involuntarily. When they moved up and down, it indicated joy, happiness, affection, or love.
For an ordinary dark elf, this would be considered cute. However, she was royalty and would live in a political world full of conspiracies. Showing her emotions so easily could become a weakness.
This might be why Eltia gave her such strict training. Asna thought this while teasing the blushing princess, smiling. Meanwhile, Farah, being teased, was puffing out her cheeks, clearly unhappy.
At that moment, the sliding door opened, and Eltia entered the room. The two immediately bowed to her. Eltia coldly gave her instructions as usual.
“Go and ask His Majesty Elias how long the deliberation will take. If questioned, say you were instructed by me. Understood?”
“Yes, understood.”
Nodding at Eltia’s words, they stood up and left the room. As Farah walked away, Eltia called out to her.
“Farah, if you have anything to say to His Majesty Elias, make sure you convey it properly. Understood?”
“…? Yes, understood.”
Not quite understanding Eltia’s intentions, Farah tilted her head but quickly bowed and left as she was told.
As they made their way to Elias’s room, they suddenly heard voices from somewhere. Asna quickly stepped in front of Farah, protecting her.
“Princess Farah, there is some hostility directed towards us from that direction…”
“…!? Understood.”
Shielding Farah, Asna cautiously observed the direction of the voices. There stood the dark elf man who had stopped Eltia earlier, along with another man who appeared to be from the nobility. The two seemed to be discussing something.
“What is it?”
“…It seems I was mistaken.”
It appeared that the hostility was coming from the man who was looking in their direction. Asna decided to eavesdrop on their conversation while keeping an eye on them. She signaled this to the princess, and Farah nodded in understanding.
“So, who do you intend to support? Lord Norris or His Majesty Elias?”
It seemed that the two men were discussing the factional disputes regarding the marriage. One of the men appeared older, while the other was slender. The slender man replied disinterestedly.
“Hmm. It’s hard to say. Regardless, our princess will marry into the empire. Whether it’s to the royal family or a frontier count, it doesn’t matter much to me.”
“Hmm. Short-sighted.”
The slender man looked irritated at being called short-sighted.
“…What did you say?”
“You saw the duel earlier, didn’t you? The frontier count’s son, Reed, was his name. Despite the overwhelming difference in skill, he beat our prince and showed off his strength to us, don’t you think?”
Feeling some conviction in the older man’s words, the slender man pondered and murmured.
“…When you put it that way, it does seem so.”
“Not only that. The son of the frontier count is sadistic and cruel. He has a vicious nature.”
The slender man looked even more thoughtful. Indeed, what the frontier count’s son did could be seen as a cruel act of showing overwhelming strength. However…
“Isn’t that going too far?”
Hearing the slender man’s words, the older man confidently explained.
“Not at all. The proof was in the duel. What will happen if he marries Princess Farah and inherits the frontier? The princess might become a hostage, and we would be at his mercy. Wouldn’t a member of the royal family be better than the son of the frontier count with such an unpredictable nature?”
The slender man found some truth in the older man’s words and murmured.
“Hmm… You might be right.”
“See? Lord Norris is trying to advance the marriage with the royal family for the future. It’s not about power. Please lend us your support.”
“Alright. I’ll listen to Lord Norris’s side of the story.”
“Lord Norris will be pleased. This way, please.”
With that, the two men left.
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“…It seems they’ve gone. I’m sorry, Princess.”
“No, I’m alright… But it’s really sad to hear Lord Reed spoken of like that…”
Farah trembled, her ears drooping as she responded sadly. She understood her position. However, it was painful to hear someone speak of her marriage so indifferently, even if by chance. Placing a hand on her chest, she took a deep breath to calm herself.
As her mind cleared, she recalled their conversation vividly.
“Is Lord Norris trying to use my brother and Lord Reed to marry me off to the royal family…?”
Unconsciously, she spoke her thoughts aloud. Asna, who had been watching her worriedly, also recalled the men’s conversation and replied.
“It seems so. Lord Norris has always insisted that you should marry into the royal family. From their conversation, it seems he is spreading the word that Lord Reed was cruel to Prince Raycis…”
As a swordswoman, Asna felt disgusted by Norris’s actions. Indeed, Prince Raycis didn’t admit defeat easily. But how much courage does it take to keep challenging someone stronger than yourself? What they were doing indirectly demeaned Prince Raycis as well.
In Asna’s eyes, Norris’s actions were nothing but selfish malice. While she was frowning, Farah murmured quietly.
“Is there nothing we can do to restore the honor of my brother and Lord Reed…?”
“Indeed…”
As they recalled the men’s conversation, Asna organized her thoughts and explained.
“First, we need to refute Norris’s claim that Lord Reed was cruel to Prince Raycis.”
Nodding at her words, Farah asked.
“Wouldn’t it be enough if my brother explained the situation? That might resolve the issue…”
After thinking it over, Asna shook her head and replied.
“I think that would be weak. It might have worked if he had spoken up before the rumors spread. But now that the story is out, Lord Reed’s martial arts skills have left a bad impression. Moreover, Norris might claim that your brother is just saying what he’s told or that he’s only concerned about other countries.”
“So, in addition to my brother’s testimony, we need to remove the bad impression of Lord Reed…”
Asna nodded at the princess’s words. As she wondered what to do, a flash of inspiration struck Farah.
“…Asna, can you have a serious duel with Lord Reed?”
“Huh…?”
Surprised by Farah’s words, Asna listened to her explanation and couldn’t help but laugh. The princess’s plan was astonishing. First, have her brother Reiner explain the outcome of the duel to all the nobility. Then, have Lord Reed and Asna have a serious duel to prove his true strength and dispel the bad impressions.
If Asna fought seriously, it would show that Reed wasn’t being cruel to Reiner but that there was simply an overwhelming difference in skill. And, if she fought at full strength, it would demonstrate Reed’s true abilities, improving his reputation.
In her heart, Asna also wanted to have a serious match with Reed, so this plan suited her perfectly. She smiled confidently at the princess’s suggestion.
“Hehe, that sounds good. Let’s go with that.”
“It’s decided, then. Now we just need to convince my father, my brother, and Lord Reed!”
With their plan to thwart Norris’s scheme, they headed to Elias’s room. Just then, Asna remembered the killing intent she had felt from one of the men earlier.
(That killing intent felt like it was saying, “Just stay silent and listen”… Could it be…?)
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