Swordsmanship Tournament: Part 2
“You are… Prince Abel’s brother, am I right.”
“I’m honored to have been remembered by you, Your Highness Princess Mia.”
Abel’s brother made a rude, exaggerated bow.
“By the way, I heard that you made a lunch box for my younger brother.”
“Yes, I made it personally with care.”
While Mia declared it proudly, the first prince mocked her.
“Kukuku, that’s what it is … what a shame.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Hehe, Abel’s first match is against me. Kuku, that means this guy will lose in the first match. Which is perfect! After losing, the taste of the lunchbox you eat will be delicious. Nothing soothes a good defeat than a good lunchbox.”
He continued mocking her and laughing.
“Really… I can’t believe this really. To really fall in love with my younger brother. I guess this just shows that the so called wisdom of the Tearmoon Empire is still a child.
“Don’t be rude to Princess Mia, brother.”
Abel hastily interjected.
Abel’s brother seems to be judging Princess Mia based on his views of women from the Kingdom of Remno, but that’s a big mistake. Sure, Princess Mia is a tolerant and benevolent girl (from Abel’s point of view anyway), but she’s never a pushover.
She is a saint who dares to confront injustice (by Abel standards anyway), and a girl who has both self-esteem and high wisdom to confront rudeness (based on Abel’s twist evaluation anyway).
Therefore, Abel would not be surprised if Princess Mia got angry at her brother’s mockery. Abel immediately looked at Mia’s face.
To his surprise, Mia didn’t say anything and just gently hid behind Abel and retreated.
Princess Mia, why …?
Abel was suspicious for a moment, but soon realized Mia’s true intentions (or what he thinks are her intentions anyway).
Maybe you want me to step up…?
Knowing Princess Mia, she should be able to fight back here if she wants to. With her brilliance, she should be able to retort as much as her brother’s sarcasm.
But Mia doesn’t do that.
Mia said just one sentence.
“I will wait your winning, Prince Abel”
Mia said with a gentle face.
Does she really believe that I will win?
Certainly, if Abel beats his brother, Mia’s honor will be preserved. But …
Abel looked at his brother again. He is an older brother to whom he has never won. An older brother who is far superior to him when it comes to sword talent. As for the physique, even the older brother is one head taller than Abel.
Can I really beat him?
A feeling of anxiousness slowly crept into his heart. He is familiar with this feeling, it is despair.
“The lunchbox should taste better after winning.”
Those words from Mia blew the darkness from his heart.
Abel laughed a little.
“Oh … yes, that’s right.”
“You are… Prince Abel’s brother, am I right.”
“You are …”
What was the name? Mia bends her head a little.
As Mia tried to remember the name of the boy before her, the nameless boy launched into a verbal attack that she could hardly pay attention to. Eventually she sighed and gave up trying to remember his name.
I see that he has a lot of resentment towards me. This could be a little troubling.
Mia doesn’t have a bad impression on Abel’s brother … or rather, she doesn’t have any impression in the first place. She has forgotten that he existed in the first place!
At that time, Mia was only thinking about running away from Sion and making connections with Abel. She had no particular interest in Abel’s brother, that’s why he faded from her memory.
However, the fact that he is the first prince of the Kingdom of Remno must be taken into consideration. Originally, she approached Abel in order to get reinforcements from the Kingdom of Remno when something happened. Even if she gets along well with Abel, if he can’t get reinforcements because of the opposition from the first prince, she might still be on the way to losing her head, literally. So, Mia’s stance is that he did not have to like her, as long as he does not hate her as well.
This means that I must not display any hostility or aggressiveness.
Mia takes a step back and diverts his hostility somewhere. Most of Mia’s thoughts are made up of avoiding the guillotine after all. Her reasonings and actions are all based on calculations on how to avoid the guillotine.
It would be good if Prince Abel lost properly. Then his brother’s self-esteem will be satisfied… And also, I can comfort Prince Abel after losing, which means I can deepen our relationship. Two birds with one stone.
Mia calculated… and so…
“I will wait your winning, Prince Abel”
She noticed it too late. Her true intention was spilled. She meant to say something else, but something entirely different came out. This is because Mia remembered Abel’s hardened palm. She knew he was training hard in swordsmanship. She didn’t want to see him lose.
Oh, it’s strange. Why am I feeling this way?
Mia was confused by the words that suddenly spilled out of her mouth… and eventually came to a conclusion.
Oh, that’s right. I don’t want to him eat the lunchbox that I made with a sad feeling. If you lose and eat with a sad feeling, you will not notice how delicious the sandwich I made for you is.
Mia nodded to herself. She is confident that her analysis is correct.
“The lunchbox should taste better after winning.”
