Chapter 72

Chapter 72 – Winley Kun Hart

“......Well, there’s no need to worry about something that hasn’t even happened yet.”

“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.

“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?”

***