The nobles seated nearby startled and turned to stare as Yuta suddenly burst into loud, unrestrained laughter.
Riersha quietly covered her face and scolded him.
“…Yuta, keep it down.”
“I can’t help it, it’s too funny. What am I supposed to do?”
Tears had gathered in the corners of Yuta’s eyes as he wheezed and snickered.
The tournament had ripened to its final moments, and the crowd buzzed with anticipation.
Nobles who had watched Isierd hold his position from the very first round to this last one murmured amongst themselves. Their words drifted easily to Riersha’s ears.
“He must be physically exhausted by now, and yet — Prince Isierd really is something.”
“Even if he’s eliminated at this point, it wouldn’t matter at all. Look at His Majesty’s expression. He seems thoroughly pleased.”
“Indeed.”
The nobles who had been stealing glances at Calius in the seat of honor all nodded in agreement.
By contrast, the complexion of Karla, seated beside him, was not particularly pleasant — a stark reversal from the moment Isierd had first volunteered his impulsive entry into the competition.
“So that’s why His Majesty dotes on Prince Isierd. It’s remarkable, really.”
“Still, defeating the eldest son of Marquess Tetran’s household won’t be easy, for any number of reasons.”
The moment “Marquess Tetran’s household” was mentioned, Riersha held her breath and focused intently on the conversation.
“There’s the difference in build, for one thing… And the Marquess is famously principled to a fault.”
“Like father, like son, I’d imagine.”
Even with a prince as an opponent, it would be difficult to expect the kind of tactful concession one might hope for in a final match.
“Then again, you never know. Is there anyone here who isn’t aware of the Tetran family’s current difficulties?”
“…That’s entirely because the Marquess has always been so scrupulously clean. Living that way in times like these — you’d be penniless before long. It’s a pity, really.”
“I’ve heard the title may pass to a collateral branch soon. My husband says everyone is just waiting for their chance… watching for the right moment.”
According to the rumors circulating through high society, it would come as no surprise if the Tetran Marquessate collapsed any day now.
There were plenty of nobles who admired the Marquess’s clean and upright way of conducting business — but the problem was…
“He’s so scrupulously clean that he has no personal connections left to call in favors from.”
“Understandable, given the circumstances.”
A time of peace, with no war to speak of. Even the families with close ties to Marquess Tetran were struggling in their own right.
I’ve never heard of the Tetran Marquessate before, but… they might prove to be a great help down the road.
With a reputation this strong among the nobility, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put them in her debt.
First things first — once the tournament is over, I should look into the Tetran family’s situation.
Riersha’s expression grew serious and contemplative.
Yuta, who had been watching her quietly with his arms crossed, asked in an easy, casual tone.
“Why the sudden interest in the Tetran family?”
“Mm-hm.”
“…You’re alarmingly straightforward.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not exactly, but…”
Yuta hesitated to finish the thought.
Riersha spotted a boy rising from his seat diagonally across from her and brightened.
“Is that the eldest son of the Tetran family?”
“That’s right.”
Yuta gave a nod.
One look at the boy who had risen to his feet with perfect, upright posture told you everything — the very image of a model student.
“What’s his name?”
“Kyle.”
“I see.”
Kyle Tetran.
That, it seemed, was the boy’s name.
After that, Yuta began volunteering information that hadn’t been asked for, going on at considerable length.
“He’s a dreadfully dull one. Not the least bit humorous like me — practically lives in the training hall.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“…His taste in food is atrocious, too. He walks around with these snacks that smell absolutely revolting. I tried one bite and spat it out on the spot.”
“I see. Are you two close?”
“Hardly. I can’t stand him.”
Yuta shrugged.
There was also the fact that the Tetran Marquessate’s troubles had been caused, at least in part, by the Willias Ducal House — though that was something Riersha did not yet know.
She had been listening to Yuta with a thoughtful tilt of her head, but now she looked at him sideways.
For someone who claimed to hate Kyle Tetran, knowing his food preferences in such detail seemed like something else entirely…
“Hey. Did you try to be friends with him and get turned down?”
“…”
“It’s fine, those things happen.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Okay.”
“I said, that’s not it.”
Yuta denied it several times over, but there was a saying — the more vehemently one denies, the more certainly it’s true.
Riersha patted Yuta on the shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
Then she felt Isierd’s terrifying gaze land on her and quickly withdrew her arm.
Just then, the emcee stepped briskly up to Kyle Tetran and posed a question.
“Now then, let us proceed to the final match. Young Lord Kyle Tetran has been named as a top contender throughout this tournament — might we have a few words from you before we begin?”
The emcee had felt a surge of anxiety when it became clear the tournament would end sooner than expected.
This is a disaster. At this rate, I’ll go home without being paid what I was promised.
The schedule looked as though it would wrap up a full hour early. Facing the prospect of losing the agreed-upon fee, the emcee turned eyes full of desperate pleading toward Kyle Tetran, silently begging the boy to speak at great length.
Kyle Tetran, who had been regarding the emcee with calm, steady eyes, slowly opened his mouth.
And the answer that came back was…
“I will do my best.”
“…Is that all?”
“Yes, it is.”
As Kyle Tetran answered with the bluntness of a solid block of wood, the emcee’s fingertips gave an involuntary twitch.
But the seasoned professional still had one card left to play.
A boy this age is bound to have at least one young lady on his mind.
All the more so, if he was attending the Academy.
In all the years the emcee had been asking this question, not once had the answer ever been “no.”
“…I see. That is truly a response befitting the heir of the Tetran Marquessate. But perhaps — if you were to win — is there a young lady to whom you might dedicate the honor?!”
At that, the assembled nobles held their breath and leaned in with keen, gleaming interest.
After all, nothing was more entertaining than hearing about someone else’s love life.
But the emcee’s hopes shattered into pieces and crumbled to dust.
Kyle simply stared at the emcee with an unreadable gaze, and no answer came.
In the long silence that followed, the emcee turned to Isierd with something close to tears.
“W-well then, I’ll pose the same question to Prince Isierd. If you were to win this tournament… is there a young lady to whom you might dedicate the honor?”
The world went quiet.
Everyone was waiting for Isierd’s answer.
Among them were nobles already making their guesses about which young lady he would name.
“It must be Lady Olivia, surely.”
“Of course. Word has been spreading widely that Lady Olivia is to enter the palace as a companion — it would only be natural for him to elevate her name like this.”
“It seems Prince Isierd intends to treat Lady Olivia with proper regard.”
To the eyes of every noble present, this seemed like the obvious answer.
Being invited into the palace as a companion was tantamount to becoming Isierd’s betrothed — and beyond that…
“From Prince Isierd’s perspective, this is a golden opportunity to win favor with the Willias Ducal House.”
Anyone watching could see what an extraordinary opportunity this was for Isierd.
Riersha thought the same thing.
If she weighed it coldly and rationally…
It made every bit of sense for Isierd to say Olivia Willias’s name.
And yet, something was strange.
Why does this feel so disappointing?
When she imagined Isierd placing a flower crown on Olivia’s head, an inexplicable ache bloomed in the center of her chest.
It was a phenomenon she couldn’t make sense of, even to herself.
Riersha tilted her head and opened and closed her hand, trying to understand.
Why am I suddenly like this?
She was frowning without even realizing it when, all at once, the nobles around her let out a collective, hushed gasp — because they had just witnessed the corner of Isierd’s mouth curve upward.
A moment later, Isierd spoke.
“Of course. She’s waiting for me right now, as a matter of fact.”
Riersha’s crimson eyes flew open so wide it hardly seemed possible.
Wait for me.
The one those words had been meant for was not Olivia Willias.
It was Riersha herself.
