I completely nailed the role of the adopted daughter. Episode 114: As expected, Princess Sena brought forth the Black Knight.

In fact, Viola had been thinking of the knights affiliated with the Duke of Mariantu or those from families closely related to the duke.

But I never thought this name would pop up.

‘Selbin Brandia?’

I checked it several times, but it was indeed Selbin Brandia.

Why is she here?’

The Duke of Mariantu must have been deep in thought.

She had to select a knight to face Princess Viola, who was the White Bellatu, without risking defeat.

Moreover, since Viola was only 12 years old, it was a very tricky situation for Mariantu.

‘Still, Selbin Brandia?’

Brandia.

Located near the Yellow Sea at the western edge of the Central Continent.

The Duke of Brandia was a martial family that had taken down the notorious lady-killer Serfon with a single punch.

‘Why?’

My head was spinning.

The relationship between the Duke of Mariantu and the Duke of Brandia wasn’t particularly close.

The Duke of Mariantu had rejected the Duke of Brandia as savage and barbaric, while the Duke of Brandia ridiculed the Duke of Mariantu as timid desk jockeys.

‘There’s no way they’d get along.’

Duel representatives usually emerge from close relationships.

There was hardly any connection between Princess Sena and Princess Selbin.

‘They aren’t even on friendly terms.’

Then why on earth was Selbin Brandia suddenly chosen?

And why did Selbin Brandia accept the offer?

‘Brandia’s youngest daughter, Selbin.’

Upon consideration, it was actually a good choice from Mariantu’s perspective.

Selbin was just a young noblewoman at the tender age of 9.

She was a full three years younger than Viola.

It would be perceived as a carefully considered choice, taking into account that Viola was the “White Bellatu.”

And since she was the legitimate heir of the martial house of Brandia, it was a fair match.

“‘They’ve chosen the best Black Knight without offending the Bellatu.’”

Knock knock.

A knock echoed.

“It’s Zeno. May I come in?”

“Come in.”

Zeno, bringing strawberry ade, smiled brightly.

“Selbin Brandia, huh? Good choice from Mariantu’s perspective. They’ve put some thought into this.”

“I suppose so.”

“Why do you think Princess Selbin accepted the Black Knight request?”

Viola closed her eyes for a moment before responding.

“No, it’s not that.”

“It can’t be that Mariantu reached out to Selbin first.”

“Princess Selbin probably made the request first.”

The incident at the Forget-Me-Not Ball had spread like wildfire across the continent.

It was highly probable that Princess Selbin was intrigued enough to extend her hand first.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because Princess Selbin is that kind of girl.”

“You seem to know a lot about Princess Selbin.”

“I do.”

Previously, Ah-rin had described the character Selbin as a Medea fanatic.

“Was there any newsletter that covered Princess Selbin in detail?”

“I really want to meet Sister Medea.

It’s been all over the place.”

“Princess Medea?”

Viola nodded.

“She’s obsessed with her strong sister.”

*

The date for the duel was set for four weeks later.

It was timed considering travel from Brandia to Winter Castle and Selbin’s rest period.

‘Here it comes.’

Viola sighed as she lay on her bed.

‘Oh, my fate.

Five years of being possessed.

I always thought something like this could happen, but now that it’s upon me, it feels overwhelming.

‘Is it common for reincarnated characters to engage in serious duels?!’

In her memories, it wasn’t very common.

In the novels Ah-rin read, female protagonists rarely walked down such thorny paths.

‘Pew! Pow! Bang! Boom! Everything gets solved.’

The heroine’s cuteness melts everything away, leading her to a flower-strewn path.

‘Marry me, my favorite character…’

These would lead to sudden, unexpected outcomes.

There was no need for logic or fear like with the Bellatu.

If you charged in just because it was your favorite character, the odds would most likely shift in your favor.

Thinking like that, Viola felt a bit resentful.

‘I want to do a sudden confession, too! “You’re my favorite! I’ve decided on you!”’

No.

That’s not even necessary.

She just didn’t want to be exposed to serious duel situations.

She wanted to live a thin, long, and happy life, so why was this thorny path unfolding before her?

‘Why me, why me?!’

She buried her face in the pillow.

What good was this fluffy magic bed?

‘In two weeks, Medea the fanatic will come charging in.’

Selbin was crazy about Medea.

She admired Medea’s strength and would often shout about it as the story progressed.

“I’m a die-hard fan of my sister.”

At that time, in the “Shadow of Bellatu,” the term ‘die-hard fan’ was coined due to Jeremy, and it wasn’t exactly a cheerful term.

Yet, Selbin proudly claimed to be a die-hard fan and respected Medea.

That meant the conclusion was clear.

“In the original story, Viola ends up killing Medea.

And Selbin harbors a grudge against Viola.

Thus, the story forms an antagonistic dynamic.”

Selbin becomes a rather difficult adversary for Viola.

“You’re weaker than Sister Medea. Why should the price of her love be death?”

She sighed again.

A cliché she was familiar with involved a father stepping in to say, “Come to Winter Castle. I’ll accept your challenge. My youngest daughter.”

‘Geez.’

She had to prepare for the duel.

Since the Duke directly mentioned his youngest daughter, it was impossible not to retrieve the Black Knight.

She had to confront it herself, yet she couldn’t fathom how to respond.

‘I’m weak.’

Without Pongpong, she would have truly felt frustrated.

In her final moments, she might have to consider making eye contact with Tundra.

Just then, a letter arrived.

‘Jeremy?’

The sender of the letter was Jeremy.

*

The letter started with this.

[To the dear Princess Viola, Jeremy, who wants to be friends.]

Viola scrutinized Jeremy’s letter.

She noticed something strange about the handwriting, regardless of the contents.

‘This is odd.’

The writing was quite beautiful.

As if someone had practiced writing diligently.

‘Jeremy is supposed to be a character with terrible handwriting.’

For terrible handwriting, this was surprisingly decent.

For some reason, it felt like he must have practiced a lot.

The letter was a whopping 14 pages long.

He detailed why he acted the way he did and why he wanted to be friends, expressing deep apologies.

[I’m truly sorry. I think my desire to get close to you made me act selfishly.]

There was also this content.

[I don’t mean to insult you, but I wanted to protect you.

If you don’t mind, would it be okay if I became your Black Knight?

Of course, you’re not weak enough to need my protection, but I think this would be a way to show my intentions.]

He also expressed a desire to meet and talk if possible.

Taking the letter in hand, Viola placed it on the desk and fell into thought.

Then, a good idea came to her.

“Zeno. Send a letter to Jeremy. Let’s meet at Winter Castle.”

“Understood.”

Zeno went outside and quickly returned.

“Why are you back so soon?”

“I think Prince Jeremy is staying at an inn in Winter Castle. I can bring him over right away.”

“Really?”

Jeremy had already arrived at Winter Castle.

“Shall I bring him?”

“Bring him.”

A little while later, a scruffy-looking Jeremy arrived at Viola’s room.

He took off his robe and then his mask.

At that moment, it felt like the surroundings brightened considerably.

‘He really is excessively handsome.’

He was indeed a prince charming with numerous fans.

Jeremy smiled brightly and made eye contact with Viola.

Perhaps he had reflected a lot in that interim; he seemed quite modest now.

“I’m glad you allowed this meeting.”

“What were you planning to do if I didn’t allow it?”

Even with the Warp Portal, it should have taken at least two weeks to get here.

“Just wanted to show some sincerity.”

He intended to meet her without delay if she permitted, and to leave quietly if denied.

He thought it was the least effort he could show to Viola.

“Have you suddenly matured?”

“Seems like it.”

On Jeremy’s face, which was beaming brightly, there wasn’t a single wrinkle to be found.

His expression was cheerful and bright.

“What about your handwriting?”

“My handwriting?”

“It’s much prettier than when you gave me that note before.”

“I…I don’t really know what you mean.”

In truth, Jeremy had taken special tutoring to improve his handwriting for this very letter.

But he felt embarrassed to admit he had practiced writing in front of the Iron-Blooded Princess.

It felt like she might laugh at him for wasting time and effort on something trivial.

Jeremy’s face flushed just a little as he redirected the topic.

“Um… Is it okay if I become your Black Knight?”

“No.”

Viola immediately rejected him.

There was simply no choice.

Since the duke had specifically mentioned “youngest daughter,” Viola couldn’t choose someone else as her Black Knight.

‘How did I come this far?’

If things went right, it was certain that warm Medea would take over the Duke’s house in a few years.

She just needed to hang in there until then.

“Instead, I have another request.”

Viola locked eyes with Jeremy.

“You said you wanted to protect me, right?”

“Yes. I hope that’s not an insult to you.”

“If I thought of it as an insult, I wouldn’t have even let you sit in front of me.”

“That’s true.”

Jeremy smiled again, looking relieved.

Perhaps some remnants of embarrassment lingered as his ears still had a faint blush.

Stop smiling.

You’re making me develop feelings.

You’re just unnecessarily handsome.

Pulling her gaze away from Jeremy, Viola continued speaking.

“There are other ways to protect me besides the Black Knight, Jeremy.

It’s a method only you can use.”

‘Only you can use.’

At those words, Jeremy’s heart began to race.

“What is it?”

His eyes lit up.

He wanted to make amends with Viola and be of assistance to her.

He believed that was the proper conduct for someone of noble responsibility.

“That is…”

Jeremy’s eyes widened.