Martial Arts Tournament

I stared at the black-haired youth draped in black imperial robes, utterly aghast!

This person was my father? The emperor who had swept across the lands and conquered all eight directions was this young?

“Princess, why are you staring at your imperial father so intently?” Luo Bing’ai’er whispered from behind me.

I feigned composure. “It’s nothing. I’m just checking if his eyes are truly identical to mine.”

“Didn’t I tell you? Only you inherited your imperial father’s eyes.”

‘Alright, I initially couldn’t imagine how my eyes would look paired with a weathered, middle-aged man’s face.’ But if they belonged to a slender, profound, and handsome youth… they certainly exuded an unfathomable depth.

I offered a weak smile. “Imperial Father doesn’t seem to age at all.”

“Actually, your imperial father has been taking an elixir of immortality…” Luo Bing’ai’er murmured into my ear.

“Such a medicine truly exists?”

As I continued to observe Imperial Father, I suddenly noticed the dark silhouette of a cat-eared girl lurking within the shadows of his black imperial robe!

“There seems to be someone in his shadow?!”

“That’s his Shadow Warrior,” Luo Bing’ai’er replied. I was the only one making a fuss; she was completely accustomed to it.

“A Shadow Warrior?”

“Yes, she hides in your imperial father’s shadow to protect him. It’s a secret art of the Cat-eared Tribe.”

“Does someone so powerful still need protection?”

Luo Bing’ai’er gave a wry smile. “After all, your imperial father needs to sleep too.”

I didn’t dwell on it, for at that moment, Maple made his grand appearance.

“Look quickly! Your fiancé is entering the arena!”

“Don’t call him my fiancé; call him Maple!” I emphasized, crossing my arms with a serious expression.

Initially, I had no particular expectations for Maple’s attire. Yet, when he appeared in my sight, clad in silver armor and a sky-blue cape, I was utterly stunned.

He was unexpectedly… handsome.

‘It was that kind of ‘woman surpassing men’ feeling, you know?’ (I chuckled inwardly.)

“Wow~ The Prince of Britannia is so handsome~” some noble young ladies exclaimed.

I shot them an annoyed glare. ‘Is he your fiancé or my fiancé? Why are you more surprised than me?’

‘Forget it, I, the Princess, don’t need to bother with them.’ I asked Luo Bing’ai’er, “Are these duels supposed to be on horseback?”

“Of course, duels between noble knights are conducted on horseback. But don’t worry, your fi— Prince Maple is said to be very skilled at riding!”

‘Hmph, if he loses, he’ll have to wear women’s clothes anyway!’

At the same time, the other four contestants also made their appearances.

I noticed that the demon youth who had tried to flirt with me earlier was among them. To encounter him and Maple in the same arena felt like an incredibly narrow escape from fate.

When I saw the black horse he was riding, its hooves seemingly treading fire, I couldn’t help but be astonished!

“Isn’t he riding a Nightmare? Isn’t that against the rules?”

“Nightmares are their racial mounts, so it’s not a foul,” Luo Bing’ai’er replied with a smile.

I pointed incredulously at another contestant, a dwarf swaggering forth on a mechanical scorpion. “Then what about him? What he’s riding can’t even be called a ‘horse,’ can it!?”

“That’s also their racial mount.”

‘Ugh, what kind of martial arts tournament is this? What happened to the promised duels between noble knights? Maple, oh Maple, what you’re riding is just a My Little Pony compared to theirs!’

‘Why didn’t you equip your mount with some weapons or something? You’re going to be at a huge disadvantage like this!’

“So you are the Prince of Britannia? You’re even smaller than I imagined,” the cat-eared youth, mounted on a wolf, said coldly.

“It’s long been said that the Prince of Britannia is the finest in Britannia. In a free-for-all, it’s common sense to eliminate the most threatening person first. Therefore, you’re out of luck,” the elf man, riding a land dragon, declared, pointing at Maple.

“To meet you in the qualifying round is truly troublesome. Fortunately, I specifically prepared this to deal with you.” The mechanical scorpion, steered by the dwarf youth, brandished two large pincers, and its venomous tail stinger could even breathe fire!

“If you lose shamefully in the first round, I wonder if the Emperor will reconsider Princess Fubai’s fiancé? Perhaps it will be me,” the demon youth, riding a Nightmare, taunted.

Maple merely stated coldly, “Enough with the chatter. All of you, come at me.”