Chapter 42
Like a Man!
“Haah! Tah!”
The moment the referee shouted for the second match to begin, Ximena finally tightened her grip on her sword and launched a preemptive attack on Diego.
Clang! Clang! Cl-clang!
‘Ugh! Wh-what the—suddenly?!’
Diego, caught off guard, staggered backward in confusion as Ximena dashed at him like lightning, striking, parrying, and thrusting.
‘Damn it! What’s going on?! She’s so fast!’
“Hiyahh!”
Clang! Slash!
“Urghk!”
Thud! Crash!
“Hah! He—heavens…”
“T-the prince… was knocked down!”
“And in an instant, too!”
As soon as Ximena got serious and unleashed her full offensive, Diego was forced back in a rush before one decisive strike sent him tumbling out of the arena.
‘Th-this can’t be!’
The spectators were left gaping in shock at how much quicker the match ended compared to the first, and even the deputy knight commander who acted as referee hesitated before stammering out a ruling.
“Th-the second match! Lady Silvestre wins!”
“Wahaha! She did it! Long live my lady!”
While the audience stayed silent, unsure how to react, the tactless Royce alone cheered at the top of his lungs. Diego scrambled up, gripping his sword, seething with rage.
“Your Highness, that makes it one win each—things are really heating up now. Oh! Or… did you perhaps lose on purpose for dramatic effect?”
When Ximena widened her eyes and asked in feigned innocence, Diego coughed awkwardly, glancing around.
“Ehem! Y-yes. You’re very perceptive, Lady. If I were to crush a woman without giving her a chance, people would surely see me as cruel, wouldn’t they? So I let you have this one.”
“Ah, of course! I knew it!”
“Indeed, indeed!”
“Yes, His Highness would never lose so easily!”
The spectators, who had been uncertain, finally nodded along in agreement.
“As expected, Your Highness’s magnanimity is beyond measure! Why, I even heard of a petty prince from a distant land who executed his own subordinate and annihilated his family just for losing to him in a sparring match. But you—no matter the outcome, you would never seek revenge on me.”
Ximena pressed her palms together and, with deliberately exaggerated acting, preempted Diego from making excuses.
“Ha, ha, ha. But of course, Lady. Accepting the result gracefully is the highest virtue of chivalry, is it not?”
Diego bared his teeth in a forced smile.
“How splendid of you, Your Highness. Then shall we now truly give it our all in the final match?”
“Very well, Lady.”
“The third match! Begin!”
The referee’s shout rang out, but this time both fighters circled cautiously, swords raised, watching for an opening.
“Taah!”
Eager to redeem himself after his loss, Diego attacked first, sword flashing toward Ximena.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
“Haah! Tah!”
Fueled by emotion, he put too much strength into his swings, making them heavy but slow, full of openings.
‘Hmph! Such a fragile mind!’
Ximena parried his powerful but clumsy strikes, biding her time.
“Haah! Hah!”
Clang! Clang!
Whoosh!
‘Now!’
As Diego swung in a wide horizontal slash, Ximena bent gracefully at the waist, dodging the blade, and with a swift kick sent him stumbling. His balance broken, his sword went flying as Ximena instantly disarmed him.
“Hahh!”
Thrust!
“Urghk!”
Ximena drove her sword down beside Diego’s neck as he collapsed, while his own weapon clattered uselessly into the dirt outside the arena.
“N-no way!”
The crowd fell silent as Diego’s golden hair, grazed by her blade, fluttered weakly in the breeze.
“It’s over, Your Highness. I win.”
“Ghhk…”
“Th-the third match! Lady Ximena Silvestre wins! By two to one, Lady Ximena Silvestre is the final victor!”
“Woohoo! She did it! Long live my lady!”
“Heavens…”
“S-so then what happens?”
“What else? The proposal’s… as good as canceled.”
Afraid to applaud, the crowd whispered nervously, while Royce alone cheered and jumped about.
Smiling, Ximena sheathed her sword and extended a hand to the fallen prince.
“Well fought, Your Highness. Shall we rise?”
But Diego only clenched his jaw and glared at her, refusing her hand.
“Your Highness, the people are watching. Shouldn’t you show them your noble acceptance of defeat?”
At her subtle prompting, he grudgingly grasped her hand and stood. Immediately, Ximena raised his hand high, addressing the audience.
“Thank you all! Bear witness here and now to His Highness’s honesty and boundless magnanimity as a true scion of the Imperial line!”
“W-what? Wh-what are you saying…”
“Knowing that I felt burdened by the proposal, His Highness deliberately arranged this duel and so graciously allowed me the victory! Now, everyone—let us cheer and praise His Highness’s great generosity!”
“Ahh! So that’s how it was!”
“Marvelous, Your Highness!”
“How truly noble!”
“Ehem!”
With the crowd erupting in cheers, Diego could only force a bitter smile while subtly shaking off Ximena’s grip.
“Hoho. Your Highness, may I now join you inside for a cup of tea, at ease?”
“T-tea?!”
Diego looked at her in disbelief, but Ximena merely mouthed words without sound, as if through ventriloquism.
“If we part on awkward terms now, what will people whisper? Be bold! Like a man! Show them your magnanimity.”
“…Very well.”
Diego, under the gaze of the crowd, answered reluctantly.
“Hohoho! Thank you, Your Highness!”
Clinging to his arm with feigned affection, Ximena walked beside him, while Diego gritted his teeth and shoved her away.
“P-please keep some distance, Lady.”
“Oh, why? Soon we won’t even see each other anymore. Hehehe…”
Back in the reception room, the two sat across from each other, tea prepared by attendants.
Ximena sipped happily, her smile radiant, while Diego sat with arms crossed, glaring at her, his cup untouched.
“Why don’t you drink, Your Highness? The aroma is wonderful.”
“You seem… in exceedingly high spirits, Lady.”
“Of course! When I first came here, my heart felt unbearably heavy, but thanks to you, I now feel as light as air. Haha.”
“So… marrying me was that unbearable? Not just anyone, but Prince Diego—the one every noble daughter in the Empire dreams of marrying?”
“Yes.”
Ximena answered instantly, without a shred of hesitation. Diego gawked at her, stunned into silence.
‘Heh. Of course. Pampered and worshiped all your life, this must be the first time your pride has ever been shattered.’
As she regarded his scowling face with pity, a thought struck her.
‘Come to think of it… when Emperor Xenos massacred the Niger tribes seventeen years ago, this boy prince would’ve been only three years old.’
With that, Diego seemed suddenly smaller, almost childlike.
‘The rage and vengeance of the Niger people are only natural after so much bloodshed. But you… at three years old, what guilt did you bear? If only you abandon foolish ambitions for the throne, at least your life could still be spared…’
Setting down her cup, Ximena’s smile faded, and she spoke with unusual seriousness.
“…Your Highness, I know why you proposed to me.”
Diego’s cold gaze sharpened, as though daring her to continue.
“Despite all the rumors about me, you pressed forward with this marriage for one reason only: my family’s wealth and military power. With no brothers to inherit, unless my father adopts an heir, marrying me would place everything—our forces, our fortune—directly into your hands, and thus the Imperial House’s.”
“Isn’t that obvious? Noble marriages are all political calculations. How much more so Imperial ones?”
Diego smirked, arrogance returning to his tone.
“And it’s not as if only the Imperial family benefits. Your house would gain just as much prestige by having royal blood in its line. What exactly is the problem?”
“Well… for you, and for my father, that makes sense. But for me…”
Ximena lowered her eyes to the steaming cup before her.
“…Marriage should be with someone you truly love.”
“Love? Ha! Lady, to prattle about love before a political union with the Imperial House—clearly you’ve not yet matured.”
“Heh, perhaps you’re right. But… when you grow up in a family where your parents truly love each other… you can’t help but dream of that. This is… a story about a friend of mine.”
She recalled her past life’s parents.
“My friend’s parents… they adored each other. They weren’t wealthy, but the wife always worried for her husband and cared for him, and the husband always cherished her in return. From childhood, my friend loved watching them walk hand in hand, always so tender.”
‘Dad, do you still love Mom that much?’
‘Of course! More than ever!’
‘Pfft, honey, what’s so lovable about me?’
‘Do you even need to ask? Just look at you. I’ve got refined taste, don’t I?’
‘Ugh! Gross! I can’t walk with you guys, I’m walking on my own!’
‘All the better. My dear wife, shall we enjoy a stroll without our sulky daughter?’
‘Hehe, shall we?’
‘Man, being single must be miserable.’
‘Hahaha.’
‘Hohoho.’
A wistful smile touched Ximena’s face at the memory of that once-happy time.
“When I grow up, I thought, I want to live like that too. To marry someone I truly love and spend a lifetime of happiness together… That’s what I believed. But then…”
