Chapter 21
“I shall hold a new event, with the Princess’s marriage rights as the prize.”
“A new event…?”
“Chamberlain, explain the rules and rewards to the people.”
At Mary’s command, the Chamberlain stepped forward.
Unlike the two men whose faces had stiffened, the crowd’s expressions quickly filled with anticipation.
The shocking novelty of the “Feeding Competition” had faded after five months.
The audience no longer went mad just to watch it.
To them, the Feeding Competition had become little different from horse racing for gambling.
There was no need to struggle for admission when they could simply place bets from outside the arena.
So the moment the Emperor mentioned a new game, the hearts of spectators starving for pleasure and excitement immediately responded.
Meanwhile, Evelyn felt the blood drain from her body.
No way.
It shouldn’t be time for that yet.
In both of her lives, there had been no other events or games besides the Feeding Competition at this point.
Contrary to her growing anxiety, the Chamberlain stood upon the platform with an almost cheerful expression.
“The game that will determine Her Highness the Princess’s marriage shall be called ‘Knight Chess’!”
Evelyn’s face turned pale.
“It’s still in the development stage, so it may be a little early, but thanks to the passionate love of these two gentlemen, Her Majesty has graciously allowed its unveiling.”
Evelyn clenched her hands together tightly, barely maintaining her composure.
“Chess? As in the chess we know?”
“But it’s called Knight Chess. What does that mean?”
“It probably uses knights somehow.”
“But Count Edenbaker doesn’t even have a knight order.”
Speculation erupted from every direction.
The Chamberlain intentionally delayed his explanation to draw even more attention.
Before long, someone in the audience shouted impatiently.
“Lord Chamberlain! Please tell us already!”
“I’m delighted to see such enthusiasm.”
The smile on his face was chilling.
His expression resembled that of a monster pretending to be human.
“‘Knight Chess’ is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of chess pieces, actual knights will be used to play the game. However, Count Edenbaker unfortunately does not possess a knight order. What a tragedy!”
The Chamberlain dramatically pressed a hand to his forehead.
After sighing theatrically, he clenched his fist.
“But do not worry! Our generous Emperor has solved that problem. Her Majesty will personally grant Count Edenbaker command of the Imperial Knights. Since he will participate alongside the Empire’s shining knights, surely the Duke’s knights will not seem so frightening!”
“Ohhh!”
Evelyn squeezed her eyes shut before hurriedly opening them again.
She had almost revealed her despair.
Knight Chess.
She never expected them to reveal that card already.
Originally, it had been created to deal with nobles who were difficult to accuse directly.
A game developed by the Chamberlain for Mary, and one in which Robert would dominate completelyāa display of power designed to crush the nobility.
In her previous life, Robert had never lost a single match of Knight Chess.
His intelligence played a role, but the greatest reason was simple:
No one could overcome the military strength of the Imperial Knights.
The Blessing of Strovana.
The First Emperor had been called the incarnation of a goddess despite being male.
He was regarded as the vessel of the faith that united the continent and the first child of the Supreme God.
The goddess, Tatiana.
Legends said she possessed the power to heal every illness in existence, and the First Emperor manifested that power as a divine blessing.
Because no one else had awakened the blessing afterward, people came to believe that the blessing was purely a healing power.
However, centuries later, Mary shattered that assumption.
Aura Amplification.
The power Mary awakened was nothing like healing.
Her blessing allowed her to push both her own aura and the aura of others to their absolute limits.
To knights who pursued strength, it was the most tempting ability imaginable.
But Evelyn knew the dark truth behind it.
Obsession of Desire.
Anyone exposed to Mary’s blessing gradually lost their humanity and became monsters driven solely by greed and ambition.
Just like the Chamberlain.
Just like Robert.
“Announce the rest later. I’m getting tired.”
Mary rose from her seat.
Everyone in the arena immediately stood as well.
As she turned toward the exit, her gaze fell upon Robert.
“Edenbaker, choose whichever knights you want and report it to me.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
Though his face was hidden, the bitterness in his voice made his anger obvious.
Soon Mary and the Chamberlain departed.
The once-quiet arena instantly exploded into noise.
“Spread the word at once!”
“Knight Chess! I wonder what the betting odds will be this time!”
Ignoring the excited crowd, Evelyn began walking away.
The plan had gone wrong.
But there was no time to despair.
She needed to prepare a countermeasure immediately.
And there are many warnings I need to give Aiden.
Unfortunately, there were too many eyes watching.
For now, the best option was to remain composed and leave.
As she hurried away, countless gazes followed her.
Then, through those fading stares, someone suddenly grabbed her wrist.
“Your Highness.”
“Count?”
“Let us speak for a moment.”
“I have nothing to discuss with you.”
Robert’s blue eyes rippled like disturbed water.
Veins bulged along his temples.
“Tell Her Majesty. Tell her that you choose me instead of Glaster.”
“Why should I?”
“What?”
“Has your tongue been cut in half, Count?”
“You must be eager to die. Otherwise, why would you want to marry a man who’s practically dead already?”
Abandoning all pretense of courtesy, Robert continued pressing her.
His long fingers gripped her shoulders tightly.
The butterfly ornament Lilia had carefully attached became twisted and crooked.
“I knew you were foolish, but not this foolish.”
“How dare you speak to Her Highness like that!”
Lilia shouted from behind.
Robert paid no attention.
He could no longer suppress his anger.
His fingers dug deeper into Evelyn’s shoulders.
Pain throbbed through her body, but she refused to look away.
“Edenbaker!”
A powerful shout suddenly echoed throughout the arena.
Everyone turned toward the source.
Yet they couldn’t immediately locate the speaker.
The person who should have been standing in the original location was gone.
When they finally discovered where the voice had come from, the crowd gasped.
“Did he just leap over that railing?”
Their astonishment focused on the railing Aiden had crossed in a single bound.
Approaching Evelyn and Robert, he seized Robert’s arm and twisted it away.
“Ugh…”
Robert involuntarily groaned.
His face twisted unpleasantly.
After forcing Robert’s hand away, Aiden moved in front of Evelyn protectively.
“You should be ashamed of yourself as a gentleman.”
“…Glaster.”
“I will escort Her Highness myself.”
“Do you even understand what you’ve done? Are you in such a hurry to die? And now you’re dragging the Princess into it as well?”
Robert mocked him again as Aiden turned away without responding.
“It’s disgusting watching the son of Frederick Glaster pretend to be a gentleman.”
Aiden froze.
Seeing that reaction, Robert continued.
“It seems you intend to follow in your father’s footsteps. You should reconsider. This time your filthy family won’t be able to touch us.”
“…”
“War hero? Don’t make me laugh.”
“Count, stop.”
Sensing that something was wrong with Aiden, Evelyn intervened.
“We can continue this conversation another time.”
“Does that mean you’ll grant me a private audience?”
“Yes.”
Though reluctant, Evelyn answered.
Only then did Robert step back.
His blue eyes slowly traced her from head to toe.
Moments later, his usual gentle smile returned.
As though nothing had happened, he spoke softly.
“I shall look forward to it.”
Instead of answering, Evelyn turned away.
At the edge of her vision she could see Aiden’s face darkened by shadow.
What should she say to him?
After much hesitation, she said nothing.
How could she possibly comfort him?
She herself was one of the reasons behind that cursed history.
* * *
Long ago, at the Glaster Ducal Estate
“Aiden, power alone is truth.”
Frederick Glaster.
A man so hateful that merely meeting his eyes filled one with disgust.
At seven years oldāan age when children normally longed for parental affectionāAiden despised his father more than anyone else.
