Chapter 105

“Be reasonable, Vice-Head Leader Lilithia.”

The tension didn’t break. If anything, the deep furrow in Siphiel’s brow seemed carved in stone.

“Prince Siphiel, why are you being like this?”

“You are the one who should be angry, Vice-Head Leader. It is inherently wrong to regard a person as an object and treat them as a prize for a duel.”

“It’s just a joke, so it’s fine…!”

But then, Kyle spoke, and the atmosphere plummeted as if doused in ice water.

“A joke? How disappointing.”

“!”

Kyle, seemingly oblivious to the mood, threw more fuel on the fire.

“I was quite serious. About winning you, that is.”

“Haha, Sir Kyle, you certainly are a prankster,” I forced out. I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea that he actually took that ridiculous duel seriously.

“This is the worst,” Siphiel hissed.

“Are you talking to me?” Kyle asked.

“Who else would I be talking to?”

Their gazes clashed in mid-air, a literal fire igniting between them. Caught in the middle, I felt myself shriveling up like a piece of dried squid on a grill.

“If you don’t like it, Siphiel, you can just beat Kyle yourself,” Scarlet chimed in.

“Sister.”

“To my eyes, it looks like you’re just jealous of him.” Scarlet shrugged as if to say, ‘If not, then whatever,’ and completely washed her hands of the situation.

“I make it a rule not to engage in battles where the outcome is already obvious,” Kyle said, tilting his head and pouring boiling oil over the situation. This time, it wasn’t just Siphiel’s pride that was stung—the knights’ pride was pricked too.

“Are you implying our Knight Commander would lose?!”

“I’ll take the duel in his place!”

The knights, who had been maintaining a disciplined silence, suddenly erupted.

“Our Commander possesses martial prowess equal to Her Highness the Princess!”

The conversation was spiraling out of control. I couldn’t just stand by anymore. I reached out, desperate to mediate.

“Princess! It’s almost time to prepare for the banquet, shouldn’t you head inside?”

Breaking up this gathering as quickly as possible was the only way. I emphasized how late it was and how much time her preparations would take, trying to steer everyone away.

“I don’t need much time to get ready,” Scarlet replied with a mischievous grin, clearly enjoying the chaos.

“Commander Siphiel! Please, show this man a lesson for insulting us!”

Siphiel hadn’t responded to the clamoring knights, but—

“I doubt you could even keep up with me,” Kyle remarked.

At that one sentence, Siphiel wordlessly gripped his sword and walked into the center of the arena. A heavy sigh escaped my lips as a second duel broke out.

***

Siphiel had been unable to uncover the man’s identity last night. This morning, his sister had introduced him as Kyle Wright, part of an imperial delegation.

Siphiel had checked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but no one knew of his existence. He hadn’t entered through official channels.

There was another anomaly: Matte Dalman, the man who had harassed Vice-Head Leader Lilithia, had vanished without a trace.

“Knight Commander and Prince, they say,” Kyle remarked.

Now that they were away from the Princess and Lilithia, Kyle’s tone had turned sharp and informal.

“You are being impolite,” Siphiel stated coldly.

“It’s been a while since I heard the word ‘impolite.'”

Siphiel didn’t consider himself an authoritarian, but even if the man claimed to be an imperial envoy, Siphiel was still a Prince of the host nation. Everything about Kyle—his tracks, his identity, his behavior—was suspicious.

“You will regret this.”

Siphiel’s eyes held a clear warning. He drew his blade from its sheath and leveled it at Kyle.

“Let me show you a proper example.”

By nature, Siphiel didn’t like to show off or stand out, which was why he usually kept his skills hidden. In truth, he was a high-ranking knight on par with his sister. While Scarlet was technically superior in raw power, Kyle had already exerted himself in the previous duel. Siphiel had a real chance at victory.

“Your pride really was stung, wasn’t it?” Kyle smiled, gripping his sword hilt loosely.

Siphiel’s brow twitched. A red aura flared from his blade. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he lunged toward Kyle.

***

The roar of this duel was even more violent than the one between Scarlet and Kyle. Every time they collided, my heart hammered with an inexplicable anxiety.

Zzzzt—!

As the red and gold auras clashed, I must have unconsciously stepped forward because Scarlet pulled me back by the shoulder.

“Stay back.”

It was just a duel, but I couldn’t stop my hands from shaking. I gripped them tight, watching. It felt like a heavy stone was tied to my heart. Why was I so unsettled? Was it because the righteous Siphiel was fighting for me? He was the one who stepped up first… but it felt like more than that.

“Lady Lilithia. It seems you are watching the duel.”

I turned at the familiar voice to find Sir Derek.

Right. I had contacted him earlier to ask if he could deliver some necessary documents. Between last night and today, so much had happened that I had completely forgotten.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“Not too long. I was waiting in your quarters, but things felt strange. I asked a servant and was told you were at the training grounds. Also, there is something important I must ask you…”

Derek’s gaze shifted behind me, and his expression froze instantly.

“Sir Derek?”

Despite my call, Derek stood stiff, his eyes wide and fixed on the arena. When I called him again, he finally snapped out of it.

“Yes? What did you say?”

“You looked like you saw a ghost.”

“…It’s nothing. I was just a bit surprised.”

What was there to be surprised about? I looked back at the arena. I had never seen Derek look so flustered. There, I saw Siphiel on one knee, with Kyle’s blade held to his throat. Kyle was the winner.

‘He’s saying something…’

I saw a flash of bewilderment on Siphiel’s face at whatever Kyle whispered. I tried to read his lips, but I couldn’t make them out.

“I need to return to the merchant group immediately, so could I ask you to check the documents quickly?” Derek asked.

“Yes, let’s go to my room.”

I stole one last glance at the arena. The duel seemed over. I left the strange scene behind.

***

“The documents you requested are here.”

I gulped at the mountain of paperwork on the table. They covered everything: inventory at the temporary base in Pearching, income, expenditures, documents regarding ongoing wool purchases, warehouse relocation, wool processing, and the leasing of a workshop and hiring of labor for the brown sugar pack production.

Since we were sourcing brown sugar and wool from Pearching, it had been decided to do the primary processing here to reduce the hassle of transport. I knew there would be a lot, but this was overwhelming. My eyes shook.

‘I asked Winnie to look into production sites and warehouses, but…’

Winnie, clearly determined not to let another incident happen at the base, seemed to have recorded every workshop, warehouse, and laborer in the kingdom. The locations were detailed down to the minute—how long by foot or by carriage—and the laborer profiles even included the names of their family members.

“Miss Winnie asked that you review these thoroughly and give your decision by the day after tomorrow.”

“By the day after tomorrow…?”

It was nearly impossible. Even if I stayed up for two nights, I could barely get through this. But Derek nodded, and I stared at the papers with glazed eyes. I couldn’t just skim them; Winnie must have stayed up nights to prepare this. I clenched my fists.

“I’ll finish them and send them over by then.”

“Then I shall take my leave.”

It was going to be a very long couple of days. I sat on the sofa and picked up a file, but then I remembered something and called out to Derek as he was leaving.

“Sir Derek. Didn’t you have something important to ask me earlier?”

“I was going to ask if you had been in contact with His Highness.”

I hadn’t heard a word from Freyer. My eyes widened with sudden worry.

“Has something happened? Can you not reach him?”

“I was very worried because we couldn’t get in touch,” Derek said with a faint smile. “But my worries disappeared just a moment ago.”

“He seems to be doing very well.”