Chapter 9: Chapter 9 - The Royal Wedding (Part 3)
The palace training grounds were rapidly filling with people.
What was started as an innocent sparring session between two young noblemen became a spectacle.
Knights.
Ministers.
Other visiting noblemen.
Servants.
Even members of the royal family observed the scene from the balconies of the palace.
Lucas stood calmly at one end of the arena with a wooden practice sword in his hands.
On the other end of the arena there was Cedric Ashbourne.
Though the boy held a wooden sword as well, he wore a smug look on his face.
The King Aldric approached.
"This is an amicable spar."
"The winner is determined by the first clean victory."
"No deadly attacks."
"No forbidden magic."
His eyes rested on Cedric.
"Do you understand, boy?"
Cedric bowed with respect.
"Of course, Your Majesty."
Lucas nodded.
"I understand too."
A royal knight lifted his hand.
"Let the duel start!"
Clack!
Both boys started moving forward at once.
Wooden swords clashed.
Cedric immediately started to strike his opponent with a series of quick moves trying to overwhelm the boy.
Lucas deftly blocked all attacks.
"His movements are so broad," Jennie thought.
"He is being overly confident."
Cedric slashed his sword again.
Lucas quickly stepped aside and hit the boy on his shoulder with his wooden sword.
Thwack!
Cedric stumbled backwards.
Several noblemen gasped in surprise.
"What?"
"It seems Lucas is winning."
Arthur smiled.
"Good."
"Just stay calm."
Cedric frowned.
He started attacking even more aggressively.
Lucas easily evaded the blows and hit his opponent on his wrist.
Crack!
The wooden sword almost flew out of Cedric’s hands.
The watching knights nodded appreciatively.
"Excellent fundamentals."
"His father definitely taught him well."
Cedric frowned in frustration.
He briefly looked towards his father.
Duke Reginald gave a slight nod.
Hardly perceptible.
Jennie caught it right away.
"Hmm?"
"So that was your plan?"
Cedric suddenly jumped backwards.
He quickly made a hand sign without anyone seeing.
A thin blue layer of mana appeared on his wooden sword.
So thin that ordinary spectators could hardly notice it.
Only the experienced knights... and Jennie... could spot the sign.
"Mana enhancement."
"To use magic in a wooden sword duel?"
"How pathetic."
Cedric charged.
His speed suddenly doubled.
Lucas widened his eyes.
"So fast—"
Bang!
Cedric’s slash crashed against Lucas’s sword with incredible force.
The wooden blade cracked.
Before the boy managed to recover...
Another hit landed on his chest.
Lucas flew backwards and rolled across the arena.
Silence.
The royal knight hesitated.
"...The winner..."
Cedric proudly raised his sword.
"...Is Cedric Ashbourne."
A few noblemen cheered.
Others exchanged awkward glances.
They felt something was not quite right...
But nobody was able to prove it.
Lucas slowly stood up.
His chest hurt.
His pride hurt even more.
"I’m..."
"...Sorry, Father."
Arthur came over and helped him stand.
"You’ve fought bravely."
Lucas lowered his head.
"But I still lost."
"No."
Arthur smiled gently.
"You’ve lost with honor."
Jennie briefly looked at Lucas.
Then...
She stepped away from Elena.
Tiny footsteps resounded across the arena.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Everyone turned.
A little four-year-old girl was walking straight to the middle of the training ground.
Her white hair was gently blowing in the wind.
She looked up at Cedric.
"I challenge you."
Total silence followed.
Then...
Laughter broke out.
Cedric held his stomach.
"Hahaha!"
"You?"
"A little girl?"
Several noblemen laughed along with him.
"What is this?"
"Have the Queens family lost its mind?"
Even Lucas seemed surprised.
"Jennie?"
Elena quickly said.
"Jennie, come back!"
Jennie did not react.
She kept looking at Cedric with her calm crimson eyes.
King Aldric frowned.
"Lady Jennie..."
"This is not a game."
Cedric wiped a tear from laughing.
"Your Majesty."
"Well, if she wants..."
"I’ll entertain the kid."
He looked down on Jennie with contempt.
"You, little girl."
"You should be playing with your dolls."
"Swords are only for those who have talents."
Jennie smiled.
Small, gentle and beautiful smile.
Then she spoke.
"I see."
"So your sword is only strong..."
"...Because of the magic which supports it."
The smiling faces around the arena vanished.
Cedric froze.
"What did you say?"
Jennie innocently tilted her head.
"Oh?"
"Was it wrong of me to think so?"
"I was just thinking..."
"...That wooden swords somehow become heavier when people add mana to them."
Cedric’s face paled.
King Aldric’s face became hard.
Several royal knights narrowed their eyes.
Jennie continued.
"I must have been wrong."
"Certainly..."
"A noble would never cheat in front of his King."
Her innocent tone of voice hurt much more than any insult.
Cedric yelled,
"I did not cheat!"
Jennie nodded thoughtfully.
"Then your swordsmanship is just terrible."
A few knights put their hands over their mouths.
Arthur hid a smile behind his hand.
Lucas blinked.
"Did... my little sister just humiliate him with words?"
Cedric’s face turned red with rage.
"You brat!"
He grabbed another wooden sword.
"I will show you your place!"
Jennie took a wooden sword offered to her by a surprised knight.
The sword seemed to be almost as high as her.
Several noblemen chuckled.
"She cannot even lift it."
Cedric rushed towards the girl.
Jennie stayed standing in place.
Three steps.
Two.
One.
Cedric slashed his sword as hard as he could.
In the last moment...
Jennie moved.
Just one step.
With no unnecessary movement.
Wooden sword in her little hands flew upwards with ease.
Clack.
Cedric’s slash was deflected with amazing precision.
His balance faltered at once.
Before he managed to understand what happened...
Tap.
Wooden sword of Jennie hit his forehead gently.
Cedric froze.
"...What?"
Jennie smiled politely.
"You have lost."
A second later...
Cedric stumbled backward, tripped over his feet and landed flat on his back.
Complete silence followed in the arena.
Not because of the power of the blow.
But because of its perfection.
All the royal knights who were watching knew.
That movement...
Was full of discipline acquired in years.
Years which a four-year-old child could not acquire.
Jennie looked down on Cedric.
"You should thank your father."
Cedric gritted his teeth.
"What?"
Jennie smiled sweetly.
"If he had not taught you to resort to cheats..."
"...Maybe you could be an excellent swordsman."
She then looked at Duke Reginald.
Her face remained innocent.
"After all..."
"Children learn from their parents."
Those words hurt even harder than any sword.
The face of Duke Reginald darkened.
Not far away, hidden behind the marble columns of the arena...
A little girl with long blond hair clapped happily.
Bright blue eyes of hers sparkled admiringly.
"Amazing..."
She leaned on the rail.
"I want to meet her!"
That was Princess Lilia.
Second princess of Seraiya.
And without even knowing it...
Jennie Queens captured the attention of the most lively princess in the kingdom.
