“That was excellent. You could join as a player right now.”

Ian spoke in an excited tone to Diana as she returned to the waiting area.

Diana got off her horse and stared at him before asking,

“I have something I want to ask. I heard you suddenly accepted the match invitation two days ago. Did you come here because of me?”

“Why do you think that?”

It was a direct question, but Ian didn’t seem flustered at all. Instead, he calmly asked back,

“Do I bother you?”

“……”

Faced with his sly counterquestion, Diana slowly took off her gloves, delaying her answer.

“No. You don’t.”

She hoped her answer sounded firm. Judging by the smile still on his lips, it didn’t seem to have much effect.

Right after her return, Diana had thought that if Ian so much as showed a hint of suspicious behavior, she could accuse him of any crime and expel him to Kargen at once.

But Ian was even more meticulous than she expected. Jerome’s investigation yielded no results, and Ian’s reputation was solid.

Moreover, with the powerful Leheits family involved, banishing him from the kingdom was even less realistic.

“Since Your Highness gave a wonderful performance, it’s my turn now.”

As the announcement for the main match sounded, Ian stretched lightly.

“Your Highness.”

He reached out to Diana, who was clumsily removing her helmet, and asked in a subtle tone,

“Is there nothing you want to say to me?”

With his touch, her helmet came off easily.

“…You don’t get hurt either.”

They broke eye contact as Diana spoke.

Ian’s pretty eyes curved in a smile, as if he was delighted to hear what he’d hoped for.

“Yes, as you command.”

As Diana turned and left, she repeated to herself several times.

The precarious line—giving him what he wanted without getting swept away. She had to walk that line if she wanted to find an opening in him.

***

“Your Majesty?”

After changing clothes and returning to the VIP section, Diana was startled to see the people waiting for her.

Having the queen sitting in her seat and staring intently was nerve-wracking enough, but Gilrod watching her fondly beside her, Jerome with an expression somewhere between laughing and crying, and Natasha looking at Jerome with utter exasperation—these all left Diana at a loss.

The only expected face was Lampman, who looked awkward after her performance.

“Oh, our genius, Princess Diana…! What on earth happened here?!”

“…Are you happy or angry?”

“Both!”

Jerome looked like he was about to scold her, recounting which moments in the match had impressed him most.

“Natasha. Let’s return.”

Isabella rose from her seat.

“You’re leaving already? The main match is just starting.”

Diana felt uneasy that Isabella didn’t ask her anything.

“I’ve already seen the most important match. I’ll see you at the palace.”

There was a satisfied smile on Isabella’s lips as she spoke.

“…Did I do something wrong?”

Watching Isabella and Natasha leave the stands, Diana asked Jerome anxiously.

“Someone who worries about that suddenly goes and joins a demonstration match without a word?”

“You were late. I waited forever and you didn’t come. Did you bring snacks? I prefer desserts…”

“I was so shocked earlier that I…”

“……”

Jerome sheepishly pushed the fallen food at his feet into a corner.

Fortunately, just then, the main match players began to enter the field.

Diana sat next to Gilrod and checked each player’s face.

As expected, the one who received the loudest cheers was Ian, wearing a deep blue helmet.

He was smiling at ease, stroking Yan’s neck—the horse he’d just ridden around the field with Diana.

“Our Yan is smart and even stronger. He’s truly a great horse.”

Jerome shook his head, looking at her like a doting fool.

Soon, the opposing team’s players entered.

But Ian’s expression suddenly changed. He was staring at the opposing team’s number four, who entered last.

He looked completely taken aback, as if to say, “Why are you here?”

“Is that Lord Dale Bliven? I didn’t see his name on the roster either.”

Diana, also looking at the number four who entered last, asked in confusion.

Gilrod raised his binoculars to check his face.

“Yes, it looks like Lord Dale. But it’s strange.”

Gilrod squinted, trying to get a better look.

“His complexion… looks odd.”

At his words, Diana borrowed the binoculars to examine Dale’s face.

He was indeed deathly pale.

“Maybe he’s just nervous. The queen was here earlier, and the princess is still present.”

Jerome tried to guess, but Dale looked more pained than just nervous—like someone who was terribly unwell.

Meanwhile, Ian scored the first goal of the match. As he raised his mallet high after the clean shot, the crowd erupted in excitement.

The opposing team seemed to blame Dale for failing to defend. No one seemed to care about his pale face.

As Ian scored again and again, the stands were filled with cheers for him. After his third goal, he sent a bright wink toward the VIP section.

Unfortunately, since Gilrod’s binoculars were in Jerome’s hands, it was Jerome—not Diana—who saw the wink.

“…I shouldn’t have seen that.”

Jerome handed the binoculars to Diana with a sour face.

Not knowing why, Diana took the binoculars and looked for Dale Bliven again.

At that moment, Dale’s horse, struggling to keep up with Ian, suddenly raised its front legs a bit higher. Dale lost his grip on the reins and crashed to the ground.

Diana, who had been watching through the binoculars, was the first to leap up.

“Doctor…! Dean, call the medical team! Teacher, hurry!”

She called for Lampman to summon the medical staff and rushed out of the VIP section. Gilrod followed her quickly.

Players from both teams hurriedly gathered around the fallen Dale.

“Dale!”

Ian was the first to reach him, checking on him with a shocked face. Dale was curled up, clutching his stomach in pain.

“Lord Dale!”

“He’s burning up.”

Diana arrived soon after. Ian, feeling Dale’s burning forehead, was alarmed.

Examining Dale calmly, Diana realized he was clutching his lower right abdomen in agony.

“Your Highness, it could be an infectious disease! You should keep your distance!”

Jerome tried to stop her, but Diana wiped the sweat from Dale’s feverish forehead and checked his condition more closely.

Regardless of everything, she was someone who had survived a horrific war in her previous life. With steady hands, she pressed Dale’s abdomen to check his symptoms.

“Lord Dale. Can you hear me?”

Just then, Dale vomited on Diana’s clothes.

Ian, Jerome, and everyone else who saw it turned as pale as Dale himself.

But Diana didn’t care and performed first aid to keep his airway clear. People watched her in shock.

At last, Gilrod arrived, followed by the medical team with a stretcher.

“Y-Your Highness! Are you all right?”

Gilrod was alarmed to see Diana covered in vomit.

“I’m fine. But Lord Dale—I think his appendix has burst.”

At her words, Gilrod immediately checked Dale’s condition and nodded.

“Get him to the hospital at once! He needs surgery right away!”

Gilrod hurried out after the stretcher carrying Dale, and Diana tried to follow.

But Jerome blocked her with his arms spread wide.

“Your Highness! You absolutely cannot go to the hospital!”

“But…!”

“You’ve done more than enough! You must return to the palace now!”

“I’ll go with them.”

Ian, unbuttoning the vest over his uniform, spoke up.

“Dale will be fine. Your Highness, please return to the palace.”

He draped his vest over her shoulders with a firm hand.

Diana clutched the edge of the vest, watching Ian follow Dale with a worried, grim expression.

***

“Please wait here for a moment.”

Following the nurse’s instructions, Ian waited in the hospital lounge for Dale’s surgery to finish.

He stared down the silent hallway, recalling what had just happened.

Dale had collapsed suddenly. Princess Diana had rushed over. She looked calm, but there was a hint of fear about her.

She probably didn’t even realize it herself, but she was trembling slightly. Even so, her quick thinking gave the impression of someone pulling Dale back from the brink of death on a battlefield.

“Was she always that strong?”

From what he’d heard, Princess Diana was a gentle person. She never caused trouble, rarely stood before others. It was always her brother, Louis, who appeared in public.

He’d heard she was naturally kind. There were quite a few young people who admired her, whether they realized it or not.

But he hadn’t known she could act so boldly and fearlessly.

“Is the Erden royal family just different?”

He chuckled at his own words.

Of course not. He knew better than anyone what nobles and royals were really like.

But it did seem Diana was unusual. Maybe people just didn’t know her true self, overshadowed by the brilliant crown prince.

“A strange person… just like someone else.”

Muttering into the air, Ian stared at the tightly closed door of the operating room.