CHAPTER 061
“Whoa……!”
“Gasp…… Oh, my!”
“Huh……!”
Exclamations and voices filled with awe and horror erupted from all around. In the vast training grounds of the Imperial Guard, carved out of the hill behind the Imperial Palace, a tense showdown was unfolding.
Beneath the fluttering imperial flags, those reenacting a fierce scene that could rival a real battlefield were not the famed Imperial Guard knights of the continent, but the six candidates for Empress.
This was the third Empress selection contest.
It was a competition to evaluate the martial skills of the Empress candidates. The coveted position of the Empire's Empress was fraught with danger. The number of assassins who had attempted to take the Empress's life by breaking through the Imperial Guard's ironclad defenses was not small.
Most attempts had fortunately ended in failure, but sadly, the fifth Empress was kidnapped, and the twelfth Empress lost her life.
The eighteenth Empress and her newborn Crown Prince were almost kidnapped by assassins but managed to fend them off thanks to the Empress's exceptional sword skills.
Since then, martial arts competitions have been included as part of the Empress selection contests, continuing to this day. It was a means to prove that the Empress could aid in ensuring the safety of not only herself but also the Emperor and their offspring in any crisis.
The swordsmanship of the candidates, who had honed their skills from a young age to be selected as Empress, surpassed that of many veteran guards.
While the families knew nothing about the other segments of the contest, they were aware that the evaluation of martial skills was a mandatory part. The candidates began learning to ride racehorses and handle swords and bows as soon as they could toddle.
Daily self-defense lessons were the only freedom the candidates had outside the palace, among noble scions. At least, this was true for five of the candidates.
While five candidates dazzled with their skills, flying around the training ground, the eleventh candidate, Arabelle, was struggling as their prey.
The first match, where points were gained by snatching the cloth tied to the opponent's waist, ended in a landslide victory for Princess Lilibet and a crushing defeat for Arabelle, whose hair was even grabbed and torn.
As soon as the horn sounded to signal the start of the match, the five noble ladies charged at the weakest-looking Arabelle and seized the blue cloth hanging from her waist.
Though there were many fouls, the noble ladies were so rough and fierce that the three judges couldn't approach and had to just watch. With skills that made elbows and kicks seem like knives, Lilibet captured the remaining three clothes and scored 5 points, ending the first match.
After the “warm-up” first match ended, the “real” second match with wooden swords began, and the Emperor's sharp eyes glinted ominously as he watched the training ground.
When the Emperor, seated on a hill separate from the audience, placed his hands on the armrests, the veins on the back of his hands seemed about to burst out.
He couldn't intervene because he promised not to help Arabelle. Moreover, it wasn't just Arabelle; all the other ladies were viciously fighting each other.
If the Emperor had stepped in to end the match because it was disadvantageous to Arabelle, she would have suffered from his biased action.
The resentment from those who couldn't openly complain to the Emperor for abruptly ending the match without a valid reason would undoubtedly fall on Arabelle.
The public opinion, which had started to acknowledge Arabelle for her proud victory in the first match, would turn against her again.
Now, he could only watch. The sight of Arabelle being thrown to the wolves made the Emperor's mouth go dry.
It was no wonder, as the other five candidates were the best sword fighters among the two hundred women participating in this contest.
All five remaining candidates excelled in physical activities rather than academic subjects.
The five candidates were loosening up by swinging their wooden swords in the air, looking disappointed that they weren't real swords.
On the other hand, Arabelle, holding a long and heavy wooden sword as tall as she was, looked like a young page who had entered the training ground to deliver the sword to a knight.
Six buckets filled with red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo paint were brought and placed in the center of the training ground.
“The candidate who strikes their opponents the most with the paint-covered wooden sword assigned to them will be the winner.”
At the judge's words, the eyes of the five candidates gleamed sharply, while the eyes of the remaining candidate wavered.
Although it wasn't possible to cut with the blunt wooden swords, they could certainly cause bruises by striking. Each time the paint-covered sword touched an opponent, it would leave a mark, and the number of marks would determine the winner.
The six candidates dipped their swords into the buckets of paint assigned to them and waited.
Arabelle's sword was covered in green paint, while Lilibet's was covered in orange.
Lilibet, holding her orange-painted sword lightly with one hand and spinning it three times with her wrist, sneered at Arabelle. It was as if she was imagining how to strike to cause the most pain.
When the horn sounded to start the second match, the training ground turned into a rainbow of colors.
Unfortunately, among all the colors, green was nowhere to be seen.
As expected, the wolves attacked the deer first, and the defenseless deer was soon covered from head to toe in every color except green.
“I didn't realize the Empress candidate contest was this brutal.”
“This match is mild compared to the selection of Crown Princess for Prince Luca. During that contest, two young ladies were carried out on stretchers.”
“But it looks like Lady Arabelle might also be carried out if things go wrong. Still, she's holding up surprisingly well.”
“This is quite severe. Five candidates attacking such a small-framed lady…… You can't even see Lady Arabelle anymore.”
“Whoa……! The force of that downward strike is stronger than most knights'!”
“Look, the referee who went to intervene is knocked down!”
As three large referees pulled the five candidates away, Arabelle's small frame reappeared. Initially watching with interest, the spectators began to frown and look at the eleventh candidate with pity.
Realizing that there was nowhere left on Arabelle to strike, the wolves began fighting each other with their wooden swords.
“It's strange. Lady Arabelle has a chance to strike, but she's not attacking……?”
One noblewoman tilted her head and pointed at Arabelle, prompting the others to watch closely and nod in agreement.
“That's true. The five candidates are so busy fighting each other that they're exposing their backs to Lady Arabelle, but she's not attacking?”
Just as the nobles said, the five candidates were so engrossed in attacking each other that they left themselves open to Arabelle. Arabelle could easily smear them with paint if she wanted, but she stood with the tip of her wooden sword resting on the ground.
Arabelle, standing with a red, swollen cheek, either from a palm or the handle of a wooden sword, received a signal from Deputy Commander Peter, who was close to the sidelines, with a raised eyebrow.
"Now’s your chance. Attack."
Even if she couldn’t win, scoring a few points would save her face compared to having zero. If she could just sneak up and paint a few of them from behind, she could potentially score higher without being noticed.
Arabelle, seemingly unaware of Deputy Commander Peter’s frustration, stood still until the end of their duel. The emperor, seeing Arabelle’s swollen cheek, was boiling with rage, on the verge of declaring the end of the match.
But then, the emperor noticed something that made his brows furrow.
Arabelle was… demonstrating the spirit of chivalry. In a formal duel, one doesn’t attack an opponent who shows their back. Despite not having formally learned this, she deemed it dishonorable to strike unexpectedly from behind in a duel.
"Ha…"
A shallow sigh escaped the emperor’s lips. How far would this small girl shake his resolve...?
Many knights observing the duel alongside the emperor deepened their gaze.
The girl in front of them was embodying the very essence of chivalry that they had forgotten. They felt ashamed of their own voices, which had earlier been advising the candidates to attack from behind.
Buh-buh-buh! The horn signaling the end of the second duel sounded.
Lilibet, who left the most orange marks on the candidates' faces and clothes, won with 10 points, while the other candidates scored between 5 and 9 points each.
The eleventh candidate… still had zero points.
“The final competition is an obstacle course. The best way to escape danger is to run away safely. The winner of this round will receive 20 points.”
The eyes of the four remaining candidates, excluding Lilibet, sparkled with anticipation. Though Lilibet led with 15 points, winning this round would guarantee an automatic victory.
The princess from the Principality of Qubul, who was two points behind Lilibet, clenched her teeth firmly. Of course, if Arabelle, who had maintained zero points so far, were to win the final round, she could also become the overall winner of this competition.
However, no one expected her to win. Even the emperor was more concerned about how Arabelle could finish the race without getting hurt, rather than winning.
In essence, this competition was as good as a match between Princess Lilibet of Sevilles and Princess Raine of Qubul. The six candidates, looking like they had returned from a battlefield, stood at the starting line.
“Passing through various obstacles…”
The referee pointed his palm towards the distant hill. The emperor was seated under a tent on that hill.
“The candidate who reaches His Majesty the Emperor first will be the winner.”
The six candidates’ eyes widened as they looked up at the rather distant hill.
“And all candidates…”
The referee paused for a moment, and six maids approached the candidates.
Each held a small, round bundle.
“Must safely protect this cotton doll, the size of a newborn baby, and reach His Majesty the Emperor. Dropping it means disqualification. If the fabric tears, you lose 5 points. If it gets dirty, you lose 2 points.”
Each of the six candidates cradled a cotton doll the size of a newborn baby.
The emperor, watching, complained under his breath with obvious displeasure.
“Are they really the same size? Why does Arabelle’s cotton bundle look twice as big as the others? It looks like a child holding a child!”
“That’s because the lady is so small and thin… Ugh!”
The secretary, answering honestly, grabbed one leg and groaned. Both Secretary Kyle and Secretary Antonio had kicked him simultaneously in the shin.
The five candidates, who flaunted their long legs, held the cotton dolls in their arms, making the dolls look cute and newborn-like due to their superior physiques.
In contrast, despite all the dolls being the same size, the cotton bundle in Arabelle’s arms looked at least one or two years old. It even seemed questionable if she could run while holding it.
“And to the candidate who wins today…”
The referee’s voice trailed off as the candidates’ faces brightened considerably.
“You will have the opportunity to go boating on the lake with His Majesty the Emperor!”
The faces of Lilibet and the other five candidates lit up with excitement. It was an opportunity they couldn’t afford to miss.
Even Arabelle’s round eyes, usually drooping, widened momentarily, looking towards the distant emperor.
Her delicate nostrils flared, and her pink lips pressed together firmly. She clenched her fists around the cotton bundle she was holding.
Buh-buh-buh, the horn signaling the start of the final competition sounded wide. The five candidates dashed forward like lightning.
However, Arabelle’s two feet remained on the starting line as she untied the strings of the skirt she was wearing over her pants and swiftly took it off.
Though it was expected she would wear loose pants that tightened at the ankles for the competition, everyone was shocked by Arabelle’s sudden action of removing her skirt.
The emperor, watching from the hill, leaned forward in disbelief.
Arabelle carefully wrapped the cotton bundle in her skirt, placed it against her chest, and secured it tightly around her shoulders and waist with the strings.
She then gently stroked the comically drawn face on the cotton bundle and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.
Rubbing the tips of her small shoes against the dirt floor, she dashed forward. The small figure swiftly flew past the candidates, kicking up dust.
One, two, three… Arabelle overtook the candidates at an incredible speed. She skillfully navigated the low and high obstacles, rolling, crawling, and climbing without hesitation.
She gracefully hopped across narrow sections, balancing on one foot and leaping over.
Rather than escaping from an assassin, she moved with the grace and precision of a highly trained assassin weaving through the imperial palace. The spectators stood up simultaneously, jaws dropping in disbelief at the incredible scene before them.
The noble ladies, who had never carried anything in their lives, were struggling. The cotton bundles initially dismissed as light, felt heavier as they ran, making it hard to figure out how to hold them.
Some narrowly avoided dropping the bundles, only to tear the fabric or get them dirty.
As Lilibet and Raine reached the base of the hill where the emperor was seated, a breeze whizzed past them… a pair of heels vanished from their sight in an instant.
The two princesses, panting heavily, sprinted up the hill.
“Uwaaah!!!!”
“Buh-buh-buh!”
The thunderous cheers of the crowd and the horn signaling victory echoed in their ears.
Their disoriented eyes locked onto Arabelle, who was shyly smiling next to the emperor.
The two princesses, breathless and exhausted, looked on as the victor stood comfortably, holding the perfectly clean cotton bundle.
The competition committee, the candidates, and even the emperor hadn’t realized that the eleventh candidate, who was ridiculed as a country bumpkin, had grown up playing in the rugged and wild Cander estate, known for being the harshest terrain in the empire.
Running across flat ground and small hills was child’s play for Arabelle, and the animals she had rescued and carried through the forest in her father’s lab were much bigger and heavier than the cotton bundle.
The judges looked at Arabelle, who had set a record for the fastest time, with eyes filled with admiration as they received the spotless cotton bundle from her.
The head judge placed a golden wreath on Arabelle’s head and announced in a loud voice:
“Thus, the winner of the third competition is… Lady Arabelle of the Delsancre family!”
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