Chapter 16

The grand hall of the Principality of Felicity, the Flanders Hall, where Winry, Baris, and the two others arrived, was already filled with many people, as the music played softly.

"Welcome. Prince David, Prince Baris, and Princess Winry. I am Kram, the Master of Ceremonies of the Principality of Felicity."

"Thank you for your hard work, Master of Ceremonies."

As soon as they arrived at the hall, the servants and maids lined up and bowed, and Baris smiled warmly.

"We have been waiting for you."

"You're not too late, I hope."

"Not at all."

He answered politely and extended one hand quietly toward the entrance of the hall.

"Please come in. Most of the distinguished guests have already arrived."

"Then I'll leave it to you."

"Please entrust it to us."

With a calm nod, he signaled, and the servants guarding the door quietly opened it.

Then, the interior of the magnificent hall gradually came into view.

At the same time, the gazes of the people inside the hall began to turn toward them.

9. Duel

The age limit for participants in the Continental Swordsmanship Tournament is under 20 years old.

As such, most of the participants were young.

Of course, the ages of those accompanying, like me and Winry, varied, but it still felt like a gathering of quite a few young people.

Despite the sudden attention, Baris walked with a gentle smile, seemingly unfazed.

"Big brother, shall we go?"

"Yes."

Following that, Winry smiled beautifully and spoke quietly, and she slowly walked into the hall, following Baris.

Is this what they mean by being the center of attention?

People sent curious gazes at our appearance.

Among them, Baris received the most attention.

Despite his appearance, he has reached the intermediate expert level, which is quite impressive by the standards of his peers.

He must have heard some rumors.

Considering he is a potential competitor, the attention he received is understandable.

After all, he is a competitor.

"Damn, not only is he talented, but he's also good-looking."

"By the way, is that lady Prince Baris's twin sister, Princess Winry?"

"She's a stunning beauty, isn't she?"

Suddenly, I heard someone muttering from a distance.

They probably thought I wouldn't hear, but my hearing is quite good.

In reality, Baris and Winry didn't seem to hear those voices, as they just smiled awkwardly.

"Nice to meet you, Prince Baris. I am from the House of Coldium, the Duchy of Ferdisha..."

"Nice to meet you. I am from the House of Boltez, the Kingdom of Husan..."

Perhaps they saw value in befriending him despite the competitive nature.

Baris sent a look of relief as young men with seemingly friendly smiles approached him from all sides.

Of course,

"Winry, shall we dance?"

Sometimes, a clean ignore is a good choice.

"Big brother..."

I lightly ignored Baris's desperate, almost dying voice.

* * *

As the music changed and those with partners began to dance, the atmosphere of the ball started to warm up.

"Is this the first time you're dancing with your big brother?"

After the music ended, Winry, who had gracefully lowered her hand, smiled sweetly.

"Yes, it is."

"When you were in a coma, I was just an 8-year-old who hadn't even debuted in society yet."

In most countries of the Tionis continent, the debut of noble or royal women usually occurs between the ages of 14 and 15.

And royal women tend to debut a bit earlier.

So, it's safe to say that Winry's debut in society happened while I was in a coma.

Sending such a young girl to suppress bandits in a remote area...

Winry, as if reminiscing, smiled and looked at the ballroom.

"It's really fortunate. Although you are recovering now, one day everyone will recognize your true worth."

Her genuine smile made me smile involuntarily.

For someone born in the royal palace, she is surprisingly warm-hearted.

In the royal palace of the Round Kingdom, most people are cold and lack any warmth, but it's intriguing how such warm-hearted people can emerge from among them.

"Moreover, your big brother was incredibly talented in swordsmanship."

The boy seemed to recall a forgotten fact and turned his gaze to me.

"What use is a sword now?"

"Don't say that. Your big brother is still young."

"Isn't it a bit early to hear that from a 14-year-old lady?"

"Hehe."

He giggled and sipped the grape juice.

At that moment,

"Princess Winry."

It was a voice that, if described positively, was very smooth, but if described plainly, was quite sleazy.

I thought most of the attention was on Baris, who was mingling with the noble youths, but it seemed Winry was also receiving attention.

Indeed, with the male-to-female ratio heavily skewed and Winry's adorable charm, it's not surprising she received attention.

"Ah..."

However, Winry seemed to already know who the speaker was.

"Meeting you again like this."

"Ah... Yes, Prince Baltian de Boltez."

She spoke awkwardly with a stiff face and involuntarily took a step back.

But he extended his hand as if it didn't matter.

"Please, could you spare some time to converse with me?"

Winry, who usually doesn't discriminate, was clearly uncomfortable.

I became curious.

"I'm sorry, Prince Baltian, but I'm currently conversing with my big brother."

Only then did he turn his gaze to me.

Despite having seen me from the beginning, he pretended to notice me only now. Tsk.

I smiled wryly, thinking that these nobles are always smiling on the outside, even when they want to kill someone.

"I apologize for my rudeness. I am Prince Baltian de Boltez of the Kingdom of Boltez."

"I am David Ol Ron."

His eyebrows twitched slightly at my short response.

Sorry, but it's too late to make a good impression.

I thought to myself as I met his gaze head-on.

For a moment, I saw disdain in his eyes as he looked at me.

No matter how much he is a prince, looking at a foreign royal with such disdain is a significant rudeness.

But he didn't seem to care.

"By the way, what brings Prince David here?"

"I came to watch my brother's match."

"I see. I hope you see a good performance."

He smiled meaningfully and turned his gaze back to Winry, then smiled sleazily.

"Princess Winry, I will bestow the glory of winning this Continental Swordsmanship Tournament upon you. Look forward to it."

Winry's face showed clear disgust at his sleazy tone.

Even if he is a playboy, he is usually very well-mannered in public. For him to make such a face, it was clear what he was thinking.

"Are you aware that your words are disrespectful to those gathered here?"

"Yes, but if it becomes true, it won't be disrespectful."

"My twin brother is also participating in this tournament. Your words are a clear insult in this situation."

Winry's cold rebuke made it clear she had no more patience.

"Big brother, let's go."

"..."

I remained silent.

It's not difficult to step in, but I didn't want to burden Winry or Baris.

Just as I was about to turn and leave with her,

"Are you daring to ignore me?! Princess Winry!"

Perhaps he still had some lingering feelings, Prince Baltian quickly approached and reached out to her.

Up to this point.

'I've been patient enough. This is the limit of a wild brat's tolerance.'

Smack!

Crack!

"Ahh?!"

Seize the opportunity when it arises.

I always think that fighting with a knife in your mouth and a blanket over your head is not the right way.

Tolerating excessive rudeness is not my style either.

* * *

Distinguishing between public and private matters is a necessary skill for royals and nobles.

You endure bad feelings and don't laugh freely even when you're happy.

That's the life and responsibility of a noble.

Frankly, I think it's just a pretense to use people as you please.

"Ugh, ahh!"

Baltian, who had dropped to one knee, let out a painful scream. As a result, the gazes of those around him turned to us.

"Big brother?"

"Nothing else, but don't touch someone else's precious little sister lightly."

I said calmly, or with a gentle smile, and Baltian's eyes turned red with anger.

"Ugh..."

"Consider yourself lucky. I left your bones intact."

"Cough!"

When I released my firm grip, he gasped for breath and clutched his wrist.

It would be easy to break his arm with just a light twist, but that would make things too complicated.

There's a risk that Baris might be disqualified.

As long as there's no evidence, it's fine.

Even if he goes wild over this, his body will recover in time, and he won't have any grounds to protest.

He took a step back, his eyes filled with venom, and threw the glove he was wearing at me.

"I challenge you to a duel!"

Even those who weren't interested turned their gazes to me.

Including the young nobles and royal family members from various countries who came to participate, and their few companions.

Oh, the focused attention is a bit overwhelming...

Ahem.

After glancing at the glove on the floor and giving him a cold look, Winry shouted, clearly angry.