MFTR 29

29. Has His Grace the Grand Duke ever spoken about me?

 “Haha…”

Crown Prince Mikhail still couldn’t take his eyes off Anette, seemingly amazed that she was actually an adult despite looking around his age.

The Empress had asked Anette to look after the Crown Prince for a short while, so she was keeping him company—though she found herself glancing at the clock more often than she realized, wondering when the Empress would return.

Just as she had previously thought, Mikhail was a kind and adorable child, far sweeter than Raon or Brigitte. But even so… Anette was not fond of children.

Perhaps it was because she had been worn out by dealing with Raon and Brigitte for so long that she instinctively felt repulsed.

Children, with their innocent faces, had spoken cruel words and thrown her into difficult situations more than once.

“She really is a princess, Uncle’s princess!”

…Well, perhaps it was also that this kind of pure affection felt unfamiliar to her.

Anette gave an awkward smile as she looked at Mikhail, who openly and enthusiastically showed her affection like no one else had. Then, a sudden question came to mind.

“Um, Crown Prince?”

“Yes?”

“Has His Grace the Grand Duke… ever spoken about me?”

Even before she collapsed yesterday, Mikhail had called her “Uncle’s princess” with a surprised expression when he saw her.

It had felt like a reaction based on prior knowledge, and now that he had said something similar again, she couldn’t help but ask.

Anette had a feeling that the way Kardin called her “princess” wasn’t just a simple nickname and waited for Mikhail’s answer.

“Yes, he did! Uncle told me a lot about the princess!”

Mikhail replied excitedly without the slightest hesitation.

Anette paused and asked, “He did?”

When Kardin had told her that he knew her well—that he had always wanted her as his bride—she’d guessed that he hadn’t just heard rumors.

But she hadn’t expected that he’d spoken a lot about her to others.

‘Come to think of it, even when I talked to His Majesty the Emperor about the proposal letter, he already seemed to know about me.’

If that’s the case, then not only the Empress who openly supported Kardin, but possibly even the Empress Dowager might have known about her for quite some time.

Suddenly, Anette felt her mouth go dry.

Until very recently, the imperial family of the Alcan Empire had merely been a distant presence she never imagined meeting face-to-face.

The realization that such powerful figures might have been watching her for a long time made her shiver.

What on earth did he say?

Surely, he wouldn’t have spoken ill of her?

Judging by their friendly attitudes toward her—and Kardin’s demeanor—Anette thought it unlikely. But still, she couldn’t help but worry. She knew all too well what kind of rumors and looks followed her.

A seed of a beast who devoured her own mother, the late queen, and wasn’t even acknowledged by her father, the king…

Anette tried to calm her racing heart and asked with a stiff expression, “What did His Grace the Grand Duke say… about me?”

“About the princess?” Mikhail tilted his head, clearly puzzled by her question. Then his eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands.

“Oh! He said you were the person he respects the most in the world!”

Anette’s expression grew odd at that.

It would’ve been less surprising if he had said she was someone he liked.

Not that she would’ve believed that either.

She probably would’ve dismissed it as wishful thinking.

Still, since they were engaged, she had expected something along those lines. But “respect”… was not an answer she had anticipated.

“Respect…?” she muttered, unable to hide her mixed feelings—perhaps confusion, or even disappointment.

“Yes! My uncle is super smart and can do everything well. But he said the princess is the coolest, strongest, and most amazing person in the world, so she’s the one he respects the most!”

“I… see.”

Despite the flow of compliments, Anette’s response was lukewarm, but Mikhail didn’t seem to notice and cheerfully continued.

“Honestly, I didn’t really get it at first. Because my dad, mom, and grandma are all amazing too!”

And Anette agreed with that.

She was surrounded by people of impressive status, talent, and character. Why her, of all people? Kardin himself was exceptional in every way.

“But I realized Uncle was right! When I saw the princess go boom and tear apart that tree yesterday!”

“I didn’t tear it apart,” Anette quietly corrected, but Mikhail was too caught up in his own excitement to hear.

He had seen doors fly off and reattach themselves like magic, but witnessing a huge tree get obliterated in an instant was a first.

As he chatted away excitedly, Mikhail fidgeted with his fingers and finally asked, “So, um…”

“Yes? Go ahead.”

“Are you really stronger than Uncle?”

“…What?”

“Uncle said you’re the strongest knight on the continent. But my uncle is really strong too… Can you really beat him?”

Looking into those pure, curious eyes sparkling with awe and admiration, Anette took her time to find the right answer.

Perhaps it was because of that gaze filled with longing and admiration—or maybe because swordsmanship was the one thing she was truly proud of—that she didn’t want to answer vaguely.

“Well… I’ve heard that His Grace the Grand Duke is also an exceptional swordsman…”

Many knights had come from faraway lands, either curious to measure her real skills or eager to defeat her and gain fame. Some of them were even champions of the prestigious Continental Swordsmanship Tournament held annually in the Alcan Empire.

Kardin himself had been the winner of that tournament five years ago.

Yet, he had never come to challenge her.

Back then, her name hadn’t spread much, and after that, the Grand Duke was likely busy with the war against the Bayendor Empire—so it made sense.

‘Come to think of it, when did my name even become known?’

A sudden question made Anette blink.

Thanks to the king who was displeased with her very presence in the Royal Knights, she never even dreamed of entering the swordsmanship tournament.

She’d never stepped outside the Heyworth Kingdom, and had only quietly focused on slaying beasts. So how had her reputation spread so far?

She had never thought too deeply about her fame or the skilled challengers who came to her. But now, she was curious about the story behind it.

“Princess?”

Mikhail’s voice brought her back to the present—perhaps she had taken too long to answer. He was staring at her with eager eyes.

Anette gave an apologetic smile and answered honestly, “I’m sorry. I’m not sure. I’ve never sparred with the Grand Duke…”

“Princess would win.”

At that moment, a firm voice rang out from the doorway.

“Uncle!”

Turning around, Mikhail spotted Kardin leaning against the open parlor door and ran over joyfully.

Kardin spread his arms to catch his nephew, and Mikhail, unafraid of the black mask, wrapped his arms around Kardin’s neck.

“My little nephew, you’ve gotten heavier since last time.”

“Father said I’m going to get super tall soon!”

“Wow, at this rate you’ll catch up to Uncle in no time. Isn’t that too fast?”

Kardin exaggerated a troubled tone.

Mikhail giggled, rubbing his cheek against the cold mask.

If Anette hadn’t known that royal children grew slower than normal until their powers awakened—after which they rapidly matured—she might’ve thought it was just a cute joke.

She watched the two of them play and laugh and found the scene strangely unfamiliar.

Yesterday had been so tense and serious, but now she saw that Kardin could be so warm and gentle with his nephew.

Perhaps noticing her gaze, Kardin turned to look at her.

His eyes, visible beyond the mask, curved softly.

Anette quickly averted her gaze, feeling her cheeks grow warm.

Who knew being so clearly seen by someone could make her heart flutter like this?

“Hmm…”

Mikhail looked between Anette, who had just turned away blushing, and Kardin, who smiled gently at her, then tilted his head and asked:

“But Uncle, would you really lose if you fought the princess?”

“Yes. I’d lose.”

Kardin answered without a moment’s hesitation.

The blunt response snapped Anette out of her thoughts.

Even if the person asking was a child, making an untrue statement wasn’t right.

“Your Grace, you’ve never even sparred with me.”

She was certain he had lied to flatter her and didn’t hesitate to show her dissatisfaction.

Seeing her narrowed eyes, Kardin chuckled and said to Mikhail:

“How could I possibly raise my sword against the princess?”

Ah. So that’s what he meant by “losing.”

Anette understood Kardin’s meaning intellectually, but emotionally, she couldn’t quite accept it.

A duel and a battle were not the same.

Sure, the king had abruptly appointed her as a knight right before a beast subjugation, while Kardin had been officially knighted and crowned champion of the swordsmanship tournament—but still…

She had wielded a sword for a long time, and it left a bitter taste in her mouth to think he didn’t even see her as a sparring partner.

Strangely, the many knights who came to challenge her always left quietly after watching her fight the beasts.

In truth, they had witnessed her overwhelming skill and backed down to avoid humiliation. But Anette didn’t know that.

So, when she was unknowingly parched for a proper duel, stirred by unrecognized competitiveness and inferiority, Kardin leaned down and whispered in Mikhail’s ear:

“And besides… if we did fight for real, it’d be a disaster. The princess could beat Uncle with one hand.”