This princess

“No, I hope you’ll give it your all.” Maple replied without hesitation.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense.

“Then, shall we meet on the dueling grounds?”

“If you two had just exchanged a few pleasantries, it wouldn’t be so awkward. After all, a prince has his pride,” Luo Bing’ai’er remarked helplessly, watching the Second Prince’s retreating figure.

“Is there something wrong with me wanting him to give his all? How else should I have put it?”

‘Hmph, with that mouth of his, he’s guaranteed to offend every single one of my brothers by the end of this martial arts tournament,’ I thought, crossing my arms.

Maple seemed a little unconvinced. “Your empire’s social dynamics are truly complicated. Alright, I need to go prepare for my next match.”

“Then I’ll just wander around.”

Maple pointed at me, his expression anxious. “Hey, don’t go striking up conversations with strangers so easily.”

“For the sake of other people’s safety, I’ll keep my distance.”

‘Why is he so possessive? He’s like a little girl.’

On another note, just how strong is that Second Prince? To speak to Maple in such a tone, he must be quite confident in his own abilities.

Even if Maple is the strongest in Britannia, there’s always someone better out there.

‘Perhaps I’ll get to see Maple in a dress tonight~’

As I walked, I passed an alleyway between two tents and unexpectedly saw the Second Prince standing there.

I quickly hid. Wasn’t that half-elf loli talking to him Sharabelle?! I wondered what they could possibly be discussing.

Before long, the Second Prince turned and left, passing right by the tent where I was concealed without noticing me.

Sharabelle remained where she stood, letting out a soft cough. “You can come out now, Your Highness Princess.”

“So you spotted me all along? Well, even if you did, I’m not afraid, because I was planning to question you anyway.”

I emerged from behind the tent without a hint of fear, my gaze fixed on her with suspicion.

“Chancellor, would you dare tell me what you and the Second Prince were discussing privately?”

“Well—”

“Don’t you dare say it’s none of my business, because the Second Prince’s next opponent is Maple.”

“I didn’t realize you cared so much about Maple.”

“That’s not the point at all!”

She, however, remained perfectly calm. “To be frank, he approached me, asking if I had any potions that could temporarily enhance one’s strength.”

I gasped in surprise. “What? He actually wants to take performance-enhancing drugs before the match? Ugh, I can’t believe he’s that kind of brother! I thought he was so confident!”

“Indeed. I advised him that even if he lost to the Prince of Britannia, he could simply claim to have intentionally held back out of respect for you, which wouldn’t be too embarrassing. But he insisted on proving himself before His Imperial Majesty.”

“So you gave him one?”

Sharabelle gave a sly, dark smile. “I gave him a potion that will temporarily enhance his… excitement.”

I pointed at her. “Ugh, you truly are a witch! In every sense of the word!”

“You flatter me.”

Before she left, she glanced back at me, her words laden with meaning. “Prince Maple should be careful.”

‘Be careful of your head…’

‘I can’t believe I’m actually getting worried about Maple.’

There was no time to lose! I rushed straight to the contestants’ resting tent. (Being a Princess certainly had its perks; no one dared stop me, no matter where I went.)

I burst in impulsively, startling Maple considerably! At that very moment, he had just finished adjusting his breastplate.

“Why didn’t you knock!”

“It’s a tent. Where’s the door?”

“What if you suddenly burst in and… caught me changing…?”

“Oh, please! Weren’t you afraid of catching me changing when you burst into my room before? Besides, what’s there for a boy like you to be afraid of?”

“There really isn’t anything to be afraid of…” he mumbled, covering his mouth with a fist.