Is it really and…

Hadn’t the duel already ended? Why hadn’t anyone blown the whistle yet? I wondered, when suddenly, I saw the Demon Youth clambering back to his feet!

‘Had he finally woken up after that concussion-inducing fall?’

He gritted his teeth in fury, and a ball of fire coalesced in his palm before he hurled it at Maple.

‘Was this… another racial skill? By now, I had grown accustomed to such surprises.’

Maple cleaved the fireball in two with a swing of his sword, and it exploded with a resounding ‘bang!’

The Demon Youth continuously unleashed fireballs with both hands, while Maple, skillfully drifting left and right on his horse, evaded the projectiles and closed in.

“Damn it, why can’t I stop him?” the Demon Youth exclaimed, a hint of panic in his voice.

At that moment, even his own mount seemed to have had enough; it gently picked him up and placed him on its back.

“Are you telling me I should go all out? Fine!”

The Demon Youth drew his longsword and charged towards Maple on his nightmare steed.

The two met head-on!

With a swift, decisive strike, Maple cut him down from his horse, determining the victor in an instant!

The Demon Youth fell from his mount.

As he struggled to rise, Maple, looking down from his horse, pointed his sword at the youth’s throat.

The victor was decided!

“Wait, I have a question,” he asked Maple. “Did you attack me first because I posed the greatest threat to you?”

Despite his defeat, he still sought Maple’s acknowledgment.

“No, not at all,” Maple replied. “I attacked you first because you tried to flirt with my fiancée. I was merely settling a personal score under the guise of public duty.”

“As for who poses a threat to me? None of you do.”

Incensed, the Demon Youth coughed up blood once more and collapsed back onto the ground.

A thunderous applause erupted, with nearly everyone in the arena cheering for Maple.

Watching him win, a weight lifted from my heart.

“Your Royal Highness, you were quite worried about him, weren’t you?” Luo Bing’ai’er whispered to me.

“Don’t misunderstand,” I retorted. “I was merely concerned that if something were to happen to him, I’d be stuck taking care of him for the rest of his life.”

In truth, my perception of Maple had shifted slightly.

It wasn’t because of his strength, but rather the fact that despite his seemingly frail appearance, he possessed such formidable power.

‘Did he, perhaps, put in far more effort than the average person?’

“Look, Prince Maple is coming!”

“You don’t need to specifically remind me…” I muttered irritably.

‘It sounds as if I’m brimming with anticipation, how annoying.’

Maple’s first words to me were, “Well? Since I didn’t lose, I don’t have to wear women’s clothes, right?” He stated it with absolute conviction.

“Yes, yes, yes,” I conceded. “Congratulations on narrowly escaping this time. But next time, it might not be so certain, you know. You’re not just competing in one match.”

“The ultimate champion will receive a laurel wreath!” Luo Bing’ai’er reminded him with a smile. “They can present it to the girl they admire most here.”

I couldn’t help but inwardly scoff, ‘So clearly manipulated.’

Suddenly, someone interjected.

“Quite a good fight, Prince, who traveled all the way from Britannia.”

“You’ve certainly stolen all the limelight today.”

I looked up at him, wondering, ‘Who was this man?’

He wore a magnificent, opulent black cloak, and his bearing was distinctly different from the other nobles in the stands.

“Second Prince,” Luo Bing’ai’er murmured, bowing slightly as her rabbit ears drooped.

‘Second Prince? Then he must be my brother!’

‘No wonder his hair was black, just like Father Emperor’s! Though his eyes weren’t purple.’

“Let me tell you some bad news,” he announced. “Your next opponent will be me.”

He stepped forward, standing before Maple, appearing significantly more robust than him.

“Considering my sister’s presence, should I go easy on you?”