Chapter 23

When my last sword strike gently touched Rebecca’s right arm…

The knights who were eagerly watching this situation voiced their disbelief.

“What? Did the Young Lady really lose?”

“Even though Prince Albert’s conditions were favorable…”

That statement was wrong.

‘…It was practically handed to me on a silver platter.’

The conditions weren’t just slightly favorable—they were overwhelmingly in my favor to the point of embarrassment.

Just a slight touch or graze from my sword would mean my victory. It was nearly impossible to have better conditions for a duel.

If it were a duel between people of similar skill, there was no way someone with my conditions could lose.

Even though Rebecca and I weren’t exactly on the same level.

Looking back now, the conditions for Rebecca to win the duel didn’t exist from the start.

Perhaps the knight who proposed this bet, or even Rebecca herself, thought I would collapse exhausted without even grazing the Princess’s hair.

Or maybe Rebecca intended to defeat me so thoroughly that I wouldn’t be able to move.

If not for these thoughts, the clever Rebecca wouldn’t have set such a condition for her victory.

This seemed to be the accurate opinion.

Anyway, even if I used a somewhat cowardly (?) method, my sword successfully touched the Princess, so objectively, this duel was my victory.

Recalling that fact once more, I approached Rebecca, who was still trembling with shame.

“Princess.”

“…”

“Do you remember what was at stake in this duel?”

“…A wish…”

Rebecca, as if reluctant to say it herself, grimaced and barely managed to answer.

Seeing that expression, the wounds I got from her earlier seemed to heal on their own… Well, not really.

The places where I was struck by the wooden sword still ached.

It seemed like I needed to wish for something stronger.

“Then, do you know what kind of wish I might make?”

“…How would I know?”

“This time, I’m thinking of wishing for a kiss in front of the knights.”

“…”

Rebecca glared at me with murderous intent, as if she would kill me if I made that wish.

Given her naturally cold demeanor, a weaker person might have fainted from that glare.

But after three years of receiving such looks countless times, it now felt as cute as a cat glaring.

“Aren’t you ashamed?”

“Of what?”

“Getting beaten up and then declaring victory after barely touching my arm.”

“If I were ashamed, would I have made such an embarrassing statement earlier?”

“…”

The Princess, having no retort, tightly sealed her lips.

Her slightly reddened face suggested she was replaying the earlier situation in her mind.

“Then, I’ll make my wish now.”

“What is it?”

“Please treat my wounds directly.”

“…What?”

Rebecca looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“The places where you hit me earlier hurt too much.”

“…”

I was completely serious.

The places where I was struck earlier hurt unbearably.

*

In conclusion, my statement about the pain wasn’t a lie.

Returning to the Princess’s room and checking the throbbing areas, they were already turning blue with bruises.

Some places even had actual wounds.

Though not bleeding heavily, a few drops of blood kept trickling down.

Just how hard did she have to hit me with a wooden sword to cause this level of injury?

Truly, the strength befitting a monstrous Princess.

“…What is this?”

Even the Princess, who had brushed off the bruises, stiffened upon seeing the bleeding wounds.

I almost felt touched by Rebecca’s concern for me.

“Your handiwork, isn’t it?”

“…”

But remembering that she was the one who caused these wounds, the warmth quickly faded.

“After being hit by you with a wooden sword, it’s a miracle I don’t have more injuries.”

“…I didn’t think it would be this bad…”

Rebecca genuinely seemed sorry, her voice trailing off.

Her guilt-filled red eyes pitifully gazed at my wounds.

Her expression, like a pet looking at its injured owner, made me smile involuntarily.

“That’s why I wished for you to treat me.”

“…I’ve never treated anyone before.”

Rebecca muttered in a small, uncertain voice.

“It’s fine.”

I was okay with it.

“Receiving treatment from you is more important than the treatment itself.”

What I wanted wasn’t good treatment, but treatment from Rebecca herself.

That’s why I made the wish in the first place.

“What… do you mean?”

Rebecca’s cheeks slowly reddened as she asked in a low voice.

Only after seeing her reaction did I realize what I had said.

‘…I messed up.’

Unintentionally, my true feelings had slipped out in the heat of the moment.

If this strange, heart-pounding atmosphere continued, it was only a matter of time before the Princess caught onto my feelings.

“What meaning are you thinking of? It’s obviously to get treated by the person who hit me.”

“…”

“Were you thinking of something else?”

I blurted out the exact opposite of my true feelings.

Naturally, Rebecca’s expression soured, and the sweet atmosphere vanished instantly.

“…I’ll start.”

With a small sigh, the Princess suppressed her anger and began applying medicine to my wounds.

“…It stings.”

“Endure it.”

During the treatment, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Rebecca was deliberately applying more disinfectant to the more painful areas.

Really.

***

When her fiancé’s sword touched her arm…

Rebecca was extremely frustrated.

She couldn’t bear the shame of being outwitted by his silver tongue and losing again.

However, the overflowing irritation and shame began to fade…

– Please treat my wounds.

…when her fiancé wished for her to treat his injuries.

“…What is this?”

Upon seeing the wounds she had inflicted on her fiancé, those feelings disappeared entirely.

There were already blue bruises and wounds trickling with blood.

“Your handiwork, isn’t it?”

“…”

“After being hit by you with a wooden sword, it’s a miracle I don’t have more injuries.”

As Albert said, this was entirely her fault.

If anything, Albert’s only mistake was indulging her insistence on the duel.

She was the one who started the duel and caused the injuries.

This realization made her earlier irritation and shame vanish, replaced by overwhelming guilt.

“That’s why I wished for you to treat me.”

Albert spoke as if it were no big deal, but…

Seeing the blue bruises and bleeding wounds, it was clearly a big deal.

She had never experienced such injuries herself, and though from a Count’s family, Albert, having been raised delicately, likely hadn’t either.

Though her fiancé wished for her to treat him, she had never done such a thing before.

This made her feel even more sorry, as her treatment likely wouldn’t help much.

“It’s fine.”

Yet, her fiancé said it was okay.

“Receiving treatment from you is more important than the treatment itself.”

As if he didn’t care about the treatment itself, only that she was the one treating him.

Thump-thump-

From that moment, her heart began racing wildly again.

It was always like this.

The man before her was clearly her annoying, teasing fiancé whom she often wanted to hit.

But when he spoke with such sincerity, her heart always raced.

Even during the duel earlier, hadn’t it been the same?

– Don’t worry. I am entirely your fiancé.

His words, as if declaring himself entirely hers, had made her let her guard down.

Originally, this duel was one Albert couldn’t possibly win.

Though she hadn’t set specific victory conditions, realistically, Albert had a 0% chance of even grazing her.

But she had let her guard down and allowed his attack.

The result was now her treating her fiancé’s wounds, meaning she had lost a duel she absolutely couldn’t afford to lose.

Yet, why was it that her mood wasn’t as bad as it usually was after a loss?

Even after losing a duel she absolutely shouldn’t have.

“What… do you mean?”

Asking the meaning of his words was impulsive.

She wanted to know why he had said that, why she felt this way.

Why her mood wasn’t as bad as it should be.

“What meaning are you thinking of? It’s obviously to get treated by the person who hit me.”

“…”

Though Albert’s following words cooled her down…

“…I’ll start.”

She still did her best to treat him.

“…It stings.”

“Endure it.”

Of course, partly out of annoyance at her fiancé ruining the mood, she might have used a bit too much disinfectant.

But she sincerely applied the medicine and bandaged his wounds.

Every time her hand touched his bare skin, she tried to ignore the tickling sensation.