Kayden squeezed Diana’s hand once and let go, sending her to the stands before heading to the center of the training ground.
There, Rebecca, Ferand, and Carlotta, who had arrived first and were warming up, turned to look at him.
Ferand, adorned in elaborate armor with gold embellishments, twisted his lips rather than greeting him.
“Even a street mercenary would wear something better. It’s almost laughable, considering you married the daughter of Sudsfield.” It was an outright insult.
Kayden knew Ferand was deliberately provoking him, so he focused on warming up silently. Causing a commotion before the match would only drain his energy and do no good. It would have ended there if not for Ferand’s next comment.
“Well, it’s only natural for an illegitimate child.”
Kayden halted abruptly at those words, gritting his teeth silently. Insulting him was one thing—he had endured such mockery daily for the past twenty-five years. But Diana was different. She was not someone they could dare mention.
Kayden couldn’t ignore Ferand’s words and muttered. “…A man who wears the equivalent of a house’s worth of gear every time but still doesn’t place in the rankings sure talks a lot.”
“What?”
As Kayden expected, Ferand immediately bared his teeth. Compared to the insult Ferand had just uttered, this was nothing. Yet, Ferand couldn’t even let this minor provocation slide, proving his foolishness.
Kayden smirked and continued. “Isn’t it true, Older Brother? Last year, you made a big fuss but got eliminated in less than a minute.”
“You b*stard…”
Ferand, losing his temper at the blatant taunt, moved to attack him. Carlotta, panicking, struck the back of Ferand’s head hard. Smack!
“Ugh…! Are you crazy?”
“Brother, aren’t you the crazy one? Big Sis told you to provoke, not to fall for it!”
“Ugh.” Ferand glared at Carlotta after being hit on the head but regained his senses after her urgent whisper and quickly covered his mouth. He then glanced nervously at Rebecca behind him.
Rebecca was smiling. She asked in an overly kind voice. “What’s wrong, Rand?”
“N-nothing at all…” Ferand, realizing Rebecca was furious, trembled.
Foolish idiot… Kayden clicked his tongue inwardly at the sight. Then, making eye contact with Rebecca, he smiled triumphantly. Next time, try using someone smarter, Older Sister.
Rebecca’s eyebrow twitched slightly at his mocking smile.
At that moment, a loud voice echoed throughout the training ground. “We will start the matches soon! Participants, please gather here for the draw.”
Kayden, hearing the announcement through the magical device, turned his back on Rebecca’s group without hesitation and headed towards the draw. As soon as he walked away, Ferand clasped his hands together and laughed nervously.
“Uh, Older Sister.”
“…”
“Are you very angry…? I’m sorry, but that guy mocked the gift you gave—”
“Ferand.”
A cold voice cut off his groveling apology. Ferand felt a blade pressing against the back of his neck and held his breath.
Rebecca stepped forward and tapped Ferand’s temple with her finger. “If you’re not smart enough to help me on your own,”
“…”
“At least do what I tell you properly.”
“Ugh…!”
The next moment, Rebecca pressed her hand against Ferand’s cheek. His head turned as his cheek was crushed under her hand, and a sharp pain shot through him as her nails dug into his soft skin.
Rebecca looked down at him with cold eyes and muttered softly. “The second consort must be crying every day. One is stupid enough to be put under probation, and the other can’t even recognize a clear provocation.”
“…”
“It’s a shame that all her children are all this foolish.”
“Ugh…!”
Rebecca shoved Ferand’s head away, causing him to stumble and fall on his backside. Ignoring him, she walked past him coldly.
Carlotta, glancing nervously between Ferand and Rebecca, abandoned her brother and hurried after Rebecca. “Big Sis, I have something to tell you…”
Meanwhile, left alone, Ferand bit his lip in anger and humiliation. No matter what, did she really have to humiliate me this much for one mistake…?
Ferand and Carlotta’s existence was solely for Rebecca. Their mother, the second concubine, seduced the drunken emperor to bear them just to aid Rebecca. From the start, their lives were not theirs—they were for Rebecca.
Ferand had never felt resentment over this fact. Just as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, he has been taught from birth that Rebecca is their master. But whenever Rebecca showed her contempt for them, he couldn’t help but feel deeply humiliated. He clenched his fists so tightly that his veins stood out.
“…”
From the stands, Diana watched this scene with a quiet smile.
* * *
“Now, we will begin the individual matches!”
The rules for the individual matches were simple. There were no restrictions on weapons or armor or how to fight. It was purely one-on-one. The first emperor’s words that true victory was winning regardless of the means were the reason. Of course, the individual matches were more of a warm-up compared to the main capture battle, so few knights went all out except for Kayden and Rebecca.
“I suppose His Highness Kayden and the first princess will make it to the finals again…?”
“Most likely.”
Fleur and Elliott, seated next to Diana in the stands, exchanged quiet words.
Diana looked up at the bracket projected in the sky by the magical device. Fortunately, Kayden and Rebecca were in different groups, with Kayden in Group 1 and Rebecca in Group 4. Antar was reserved as a secret weapon for the capture battle and did not participate in the individual matches. They’ll meet in the finals.
Since the drawing was handled by a magical device, there was no way to manipulate it. Luckily, Kayden and Rebecca were in separate groups, so they were likely to meet in the finals without issue.
And Kayden will win.
Since Kayden started participating in the mock battles, he has always taken first place in individual matches.
Kayden is a high-level light elementalist, and Rebecca is a high-level fire elementalist. However, even among high-level elementalists, the amount of magic one possessed made a difference.
Kayden, born with an overwhelming amount of magic said to rival a spirit king, had honed his combat skills through countless assassination attempts from a young age. Thus, Rebecca always lost to him in the individual matches. In a way, the attempt to kill Kayden could be seen as karma, as it made him stronger.
Though Kayden’s victory in the individual matches was almost a given, it was more impactful for people to remember his dramatic win against Rebecca in the finals. By securing victory in the individual matches, he could capture people’s attention and then solidify his reputation with a win in the capture battle. To show that Kayden Seirik Bluebell was not a mere kite without a string but a worthy rival to Rebecca Dune Bluebell.
Ferand and Carlotta will be eliminated in the first round again.
Diana watched the matches with a slightly bored expression, resting her chin on her hand. Sure enough, the knights opposing Ferand and Carlotta were hesitant to attack aggressively because of their imperial status, but the siblings couldn’t withstand even that and were quickly eliminated.
“Begin!”
Unlike the other matches, Kayden and Rebecca’s battles were decided in less than a minute. Their overwhelming skills made the difference. Thanks to this, the wait was short. Not long after the individual matches began, it was time for the finals.
“Participants, step forward!”
The stern voice called Kayden and Rebecca to the arena. They stepped onto the platform set in the center of the training ground. With expressionless faces, they briefly shook hands.
“In the name of our god Tilia, may this be a fair and honorable match.”
As soon as the referee finished speaking, they let go and stepped back. Golden and white swords appeared in their hands. At that moment, they grabbed their spirit-forged swords.
“Begin!”
As the signal to start echoed, both of them launched themselves forward.
Wow its getting excitinh