When the winners from each of the four brackets stood before the Emperor and ministers, the ministers couldn’t hide their agitation. One completely unexpected person was among them.

“How did His Highness Aidan…”

While some ministers openly showed their disbelief,

“As expected of his bloodline. He must have been hiding his skills all this time!”

Others cheered, claiming they had believed in Aidan.

The Emperor was equally surprised. When young, Aidan had quite enjoyed handling swords and followed instructions well in everything he was taught. However, he changed after the former Empress died. He withdrew from not only swordsmanship but also his studies. At first, they thought he was lost in grief over losing his mother and left him alone. But even as time passed, Aidan’s lethargy didn’t improve and only worsened. The only things the adult Aidan showed interest in were hunting and romance.

“Aidan.”

When the Emperor called Aidan, all eyes focused on him.

“Your skills are impressive.”

Every time cheers erupted from Aidan’s bracket, the Emperor’s eyes naturally turned that way. While Lloyd was advancing one by one on the opposite side, the Emperor’s attention remained fixed on Aidan’s side, making the Empress fidget anxiously.

“This isn’t the swordsmanship I knew. Where did you learn such skills?”

Aidan bowed his head at the Emperor’s question.

“I learned it by myself while exercising during occasional hunting trips.”

They had confirmed through servants and Kai that ‘Aidan’ frequently went hunting. The truth was that he used hunting as an excuse to meet noble ladies or common women outside the palace, but those in the palace had no way of knowing what Aidan did outside.

“Do you have a master who taught you the sword?”

It was impossible to develop enough skill to defeat all the knights participating in the tournament and become the winner of the alone. So it was reasonable to think someone had secretly taught Aidan.

“Actually, I met a foreigner by chance during a hunt several years ago. I don’t know where he’s gone now, but I learned swordsmanship from him. His method was different from ours, which I found interesting, so I continued practicing a bit by myself even after he left.”

Sitting beside the ministers, Karina inwardly clicked her tongue. He really was a con artist. It was almost admirable how well he could lie without batting an eye. Still, this was better than having to forfeit for not knowing how to handle a sword at all, or getting seriously injured. His claim about learning swordsmanship was probably true. In his original world, he must have learned their style of swordsmanship, which was why it looked strange and unfamiliar here.

She wondered if gangsters really learned proper swordsmanship. Her prejudice that gangsters just fought roughly was being shattered thanks to Aidan. At this point, she began to wonder what this man couldn’t do.

Whether it was lie or not, Aidan’s explanation seemed quite convincing. The ministers nodded, muttering that it made sense, and the Emperor smiled contentedly. The more this happened, the more the Empress’s face twisted in displeasure.

The knights’ tournament taking an unexpected turn made things interesting. Even Karina couldn’t guess who would win now. It didn’t matter if Aidan didn’t win. He had already shown far more than expected. The change in how the Emperor and ministers looked at him proved it. Having made it to the final four, no one would be able to dismiss Aidan now even if he lost.

The remaining semi-finals and finals would be held one match at a time. Lloyd’s semi-final came first. This gave Aidan a chance to rest.

“Your Highness, a moment.”

Kai approached and whispered something to Aidan. While listening, Aidan maintained his focus on Lloyd’s match without any change in expression.

“For now, don’t provoke her and let her focus on recovery. She’ll be able to calmly judge what benefits her once she’s level-headed.”

At Aidan’s answer, Kai bowed and withdrew. Meanwhile, Lloyd’s match had ended ridiculously quickly.

“What an annoying bastard.”

Watching the match, Aidan raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk. Lloyd’s opponent had clearly dropped his sword intentionally. Lloyd quickly pointed his sword at the opponent’s neck in that opening, and the opponent declared surrender disappointingly easily. Despite being able to fight properly, he withdrew as if giving up.

“They could at least try to make it less obvious.”

There had clearly been a deal. Whether it was Lloyd’s own choice or the Empress’s strategy for her son was unclear, but it wasn’t a fair match. While the ministers cheered for Lloyd’s victory regardless, the Emperor’s expression wasn’t pleased. As someone who had led armies to victory in war, he couldn’t have missed that Lloyd’s match was rigged.

Still, the Emperor didn’t stop the match and merely frowned at Lloyd’s victory without saying anything.

What an official who can’t separate public from private matters… Perhaps that’s why he turned a blind eye to the former Empress’s death too.

Aidan sneered before standing up with his sword. It was his turn now.

The Emperor’s inability to be harsh with his children and his women wasn’t necessarily bad for Aidan. The Emperor had clearly shown joy when Aidan became his bracket’s winner. His eyes showed hope, like he was seeing promise in the son he had thought only troublesome. Aidan was certain the Emperor didn’t favor Lloyd. If so, he just needed to prove himself with his skills now.

When Aidan faced his opponent, thunderous cheers erupted. These cheers hadn’t been present during Lloyd’s match. They came from where Aidan’s knights were gathered.

The Empress frowned at the sounds of their knights cheering for their lord. Since when had they followed Aidan like this? She had heard rumors of him frequenting the training grounds these past few days preparing for the tournament, but could he have become close with the knights in such a short time? Until recently, Aidan’s knights had been full of complaints about serving an immature prince. She couldn’t understand how they could so easily flip and cheer for Aidan now.

“I’ll step out for some fresh air.”

Not wanting to watch Aidan’s match, she excused herself to the Emperor and stood up. She didn’t expect Aidan to win. Even making it to the finals in each bracket must have been luck. But what if, by some chance, Aidan won? Remembering how the Emperor hadn’t taken his eyes off Aidan throughout the tournament made her chest tighten.

“Your Majesty.”

As she stood looking out at the open garden getting some air, Marquis Belmont approached. Though she wasn’t in the mood to talk with him either, she turned to him with a forced smile.

“Why did you come out? Instead of enjoying the match.”

“The result is obvious, isn’t it? Aidan’s current opponent is the most skilled among my subordinates. His Highness cannot possibly win.”

“That’s fortunate then.”

Thinking of Aidan made her mood sour again, and she answered curtly before turning back toward the garden.

“I heard about this morning’s commotion.”

The Empress’s brow furrowed at the mention of Lloyd’s disgrace.

“Thanks to that, the royal marriage with the Icinian princess is off the table now.”

Marquis Belmont seemed delighted while she was dying of anxiety.

“That’s not all. This will have reached Count Spencer’s ears, and he won’t stay quiet.”

“They’re in no position to make demands. They failed to control their daughter just the same.”

Lloyd hadn’t forced himself on Kate Spencer. If he had, someone would have noticed last night. It takes two to tango, so they couldn’t blame Lloyd alone.

“But with such widespread rumors, no other marriage proposals will come.”

This time, she bit her lower lip without reply at Belmont’s observation. This scandal had insulted the princess of an allied nation during their marriage negotiations. No decent noble family, especially those with pride and standing, would ever proceed with a marriage to Lloyd.

“As I mentioned before, I stand with Your Majesty and His Highness Lloyd.”

Belmont placed his hand on his chest and gave a slight bow. It was an unspoken pressure to accept his adopted daughter as Lloyd’s match. Given the situation, she had started to think Marquis Belmont’s house might be better than Count Spencer’s.

But it was still far inferior to Duke Hewitt’s house. Belmont’s adopted daughter wasn’t a second choice, but rather the lesser evil.

“I know you consider us inferior to House Hewitt.”

Having worked together for so long, Marquis Belmont clearly understood what the Empress was thinking.

“Couldn’t you make up for what you find lacking?”

Marquis Belmont smiled gently.

“If Your Majesty supports us enough for House Belmont to surpass House Hewitt, that would solve it.”

The Empress silently clenched her fists at his brazen demand without giving an answer. Would Marquis Belmont’s ambition really stop at power surpassing House Hewitt? Wouldn’t he aim even higher once he reached that level?

‘You know well. The one who will truly protect His Highness Lloyd isn’t His Majesty the Emperor, but me.’

‘Don’t you really understand why I’m trying to place my adopted daughter as His Highness Lloyd’s consort, going so far as to prepare an adoption? We need a solid position. One that can serve as His Highness Lloyd’s strong backing.’

She felt a chill as Belmont’s dark intentions seemed deeper and more sinister than ever. Could he have even orchestrated this morning’s incident with Kate Spencer? He would have been the one who most wanted the royal marriage with Princess Elena to fall apart.

“Don’t rush. Let’s focus on handling today’s situation first, then have a calm discussion after the knights’ tournament ends.”

Marquis Belmont raised the corner of his mouth at her deferral. His expression suggested he had achieved his goal just by her not outright refusing.

Perhaps it’s about time to cut him loose.

Though she smiled politely while facing Marquis Belmont, the Empress’s heart grew ice cold.