Chapter 22

Forcing my body, which refused to get up, I was overwhelmed with regret.

What was I thinking two hours ago, using swordsmanship training as an excuse not to visit the Duke’s Mansion?

If given the chance to go back in time, I would have sealed my mouth shut to prevent such a lousy excuse.

“Did you hear all the rules?”

“…The rule that if my sword even grazes the Princess, it’s my victory, right?”

“Yes. You know it well.”

Rebecca emphasized the rules, as if not allowing any room for escape this time.

It seemed she still held onto the memory of the kiss incident and the staring contest from our first meeting.

“…Is this also a wish-making bet?”

“Yes, of course.”

I asked just in case, and as expected, it was.

“You said all future bets should be wish-making bets.”

The Princess’s eyes radiated a determined will to make me fulfill her wishes.

Moreover, since I had already made that statement, I couldn’t bring myself to say no.

“…”

“You’re not thinking of changing your mind now, are you?”

“…Understood.”

“Good, let’s start right away.”

Whoosh-

As soon as Rebecca finished speaking, one of the Duke’s knights threw a wooden sword at me.

I gripped the wooden sword as if it were a lifeline, tight enough to break it.

…It really was a lifeline. If I let go, I didn’t know what humiliation I’d face.

Anyway, one way or another.

The century’s (?) showdown between Rebecca and me for the wish rights had begun.

*

Thud- Clack!

In the Training Hall, where only the sound of someone getting hit one-sidedly had been heard, the sound of wooden swords clashing began.

“Prince Albert’s eyes have completely changed.”

“What kind of bet are they making…?”

By the way, the knights watching our sparring knew it was a bet but didn’t know exactly what was at stake.

I didn’t want to say it was for wish rights.

“What does it matter? The important thing is that the Prince, who was only getting hit earlier, is now holding his own.”

“So, do you think Prince Albert can even graze the Young Lady?”

“…No, not really.”

The knights were right.

Although I was showing a different side than before, that was all.

My sword still couldn’t touch Rebecca.

But that was enough.

The goal of this bet wasn’t for me to defeat Rebecca but for my sword to touch her.

“…It seems my training wasn’t entirely meaningless.”

“Is that so?”

Rebecca also seemed slightly surprised by my changed demeanor.

It was an obvious story.

In previous sparring sessions, I had swung my wooden sword wildly, trying to counterattack the Princess.

But this time, my mindset was different.

I didn’t swing my sword thoughtlessly but thought about the direction and path before swinging.

It might seem like just a difference in thought and mindset, but in swordsmanship, that difference was quite significant.

This was the biggest lesson I had learned from three years of swordsmanship training.

Thud-!

“…Is the Prince really going to win this time?”

“Nah, no way. It’s still Lady Rebecca.”

As proof, I could somewhat block Rebecca’s sword.

However.

“You’re too slow.”

Thwack-!

Still, it was only ‘somewhat.’

“…The Princess is just too fast.”

“Is that so? I didn’t know that.”

Rebecca was relentless, even with the penalty of not allowing my sword to touch her.

She lightly dodged attacks she could avoid and blocked those she couldn’t with her sword.

“Your openings are too obvious.”

Whenever I made a big move to attack, the sharp wooden sword of the Princess struck my body without fail.

Truly, the overpowered heroine of [The Crown Prince Wields a Sword].

At this point, a question arose.

‘…Why did she lose to Mikhail?’

How on earth did the Princess, the heroine of this novel, lose to Mikhail?

After watching Rebecca for three years, I wondered if there could be anyone as perfect as her.

Of course, she always lost to me, but that was because I used methods too shameful to put into words.

Given the protagonist’s righteous nature, he probably didn’t use such underhanded methods.

‘What did she lose in…?’

I couldn’t even remember in which event the Princess had lost.

I must have read that part at least three times, but for some reason, that part of my memory was blank.

“…Don’t get distracted.”

Wham-!

But such doubts were quickly dispelled by Rebecca’s wooden sword, which made me realize I was thinking strange thoughts.

“Focus only on me during sparring.”

If the word ‘sparring’ hadn’t been in that sentence or if the person saying it hadn’t been hitting someone with a wooden sword, it would have been the most romantic sentence in the world.

That point was regrettable…

Wait a minute. A romantic sentence?

The thought that it was regrettable was fleeting, and another thought crossed my mind.

I soon discovered a significant loophole in the rules of this bet.

“Princess.”

“Why are you calling me suddenly?”

“Do you want me to focus only on you?”

“…What?”

There was no rule in this sparring that prohibited talking.

***

“…What are you talking about?”

Rebecca reacted as if she didn’t understand what I was saying.

It must be confusing if someone suddenly asks such a question in the middle of sparring.

But using that confusion was my strategy.

“Didn’t you just say you wanted me to focus only on you?”

“…What does that mean?”

The Princess still didn’t seem to catch on to what I was saying.

But it didn’t take long for her stiff expression to crumble into embarrassment.

“Have you been thinking that all along? That you wanted me to only look at you?”

“…What are you saying?”

Rebecca, seemingly shocked by my statement, stopped the wooden sword she was about to swing at me.

But just because the sword stopped didn’t mean my words did.

“We’re not even married yet, and you’re already jealous. I’m scared of the future.”

“What… what are you talking about now!”

Jealousy.

A single word consisting of just two characters elicited such a lively reaction from the Princess.

“You don’t have to be jealous. I will always be by your side, as you wish.”

“When did I say I was jealous…”

“People call what you just said jealousy.”

“How is that jealousy…”

“Didn’t you clearly say you wanted me to focus only on you?”

Though there were some additions and omissions, the main point of me focusing on Rebecca remained.

“What… what are you…”

Now, Rebecca’s face was completely red.

Her flushed face reminded me of the strawberry ice cream I had given her earlier.

“…Did I hear wrong? I thought I heard the Young Lady say she was jealous.”

“No, I heard it clearly too.”

Moreover, the knights watching our sparring started whispering, having overheard our conversation.

Rebecca looked like she wanted to die of embarrassment.

And as I’ve said many times before, attacks are most effective when done continuously.

“You seemed upset that I hadn’t visited in a while. Were you jealous, thinking I was playing with another woman?”

“…”

“As I said earlier, you don’t need to worry. I am wholly your fiancé.”

Ooh-!

Exclamations came from the spectators, who were knights of the Valencia Duchy.

“Isn’t that a confession?”

“Exactly, shut up and watch. This is an important moment.”

“…But weren’t they sparring? Why the sudden love confession?”

“Is that important now? That’s why you don’t have a girlfriend.”

“What the hell, man?”

The spectators were on the verge of fighting, but Rebecca and I didn’t see that.

The Princess was too embarrassed to lift her head, and I felt the same.

I was trying not to show it, but I also wanted to crawl into a hole.

Unless I had a drink, spouting such cheesy lines sober in front of an audience was truly not something a person should do.

Yet, I could continue speaking because the embarrassment I felt now was a hundred times better than losing the sparring and suffering humiliation.

Considering how I had teased the Princess before, I couldn’t even imagine what she would do if I lost.

So, I braved the embarrassment and finished my words.

“Opening.”

“…!”

I swung the wooden sword at the Princess, who was caught off guard.

No matter how overpowered Princess Rebecca was, she couldn’t dodge a fast-moving sword while bowing her head in embarrassment.

Swish-

My wooden sword made a somewhat cute sound as it touched the Princess’s right arm.

“…I won.”

“…”

The swordsmanship sparring for the wish rights ended in my victory.