Chapter 56

“Victory is determined when the opponent’s back touches the ground or if they drop their sword voluntarily in surrender.”

Etias’s breathless voice rang out, and the Emperor’s eyebrow twitched violently.

“Isn’t that right?”

Etias turned his gaze toward the referee and asked calmly.

The referee glanced around, clearly flustered, nervously gauging the Emperor’s reaction.

The murmuring among the spectators grew louder.

Even if they were all pro-Emperor nobles, the rules of a formal duel couldn’t be ignored.

“Th-that is the rule, but…”

The referee mumbled reluctantly.

The Emperor’s eyes flared.

“W-what nonsense is this! I defeated Etias! Didn’t I knock him down first?!”

His voice boomed, filled with outrage.

“However… his back never touched the ground…”

The referee shrank into himself.

Just as he said, Etias’s knees and lower body had hit the ground, but his back never fully touched down—
So, technically, the duel was still ongoing.

And the Emperor had dropped his sword while covering his lower half.

“…”

Even the Imperial soldiers were now watching the Emperor.

For knights, abiding by the rules of combat was a point of pride.

Still, the Emperor refused to accept the result. His eyes burned as he glared at Etias.

He could no longer hide his rage toward his nephew.

“Y-you used a dirty trick!”

He trembled with fury and snatched his sword off the ground.

Etias had always provoked his inferiority complex—
The rightful heir to the throne he had usurped—
Just existing was enough to make the Emperor uneasy.

Whenever he couldn’t suppress that inferiority, he used excuses like this to trample Etias in public to restore his own ego.

But now, not only had Etias humiliated him, he’d done it with a clever trick—
And made the Emperor lose.

To him, the Emperor!

“You’re not even a man. Hah… hah…”

The Emperor, panting heavily, released the protective barrier on his sword.

As the bare, deadly blade gleamed before the crowd, the noise rose to a crescendo.

“His Majesty has removed the sword’s barrier!”

Etias stood firm even as the atmosphere grew more threatening, his eyes cold and unflinching.

There was no fear of death in that gaze—
No matter how much the Emperor tried to crush him, his spirit never dimmed.

And that, more than anything, the Emperor hated.

“You filthy traitor who dared deceive your Emperor—DIE, DIE—!!”

Just as the Emperor raised his blade to strike—

“……!!”

He froze.

Someone had stepped between him and Etias, arms wide open in defiance.

She stood tall, unflinching, looking directly at the Emperor with unwavering eyes.

Even the faintest trace of fear was absent from her gaze, and it made his heart lurch for a moment.

“…Lady Elemoer.”

The Emperor’s furious voice called out her name as he barely held back his swing.

It was none other than Catrin Elemoer, who had stepped in to shield Etias.

Wearing a striking red dress, she had come to the arena unarmed and now stood with arms spread, as if daring the Emperor to cut her down instead.

“…”

A murmur rippled through the spectators at her sudden appearance, and Etias’s blue eyes trembled deeply.

“Your Majesty.”

Catrin’s soft voice flowed from her lips.

She calmly walked forward, one step, then another, toward the infuriated Emperor.

“Lady Elemoer, how dare you interfere with—”

“Disgraceful.”

She leaned in close and whispered to him.

The Emperor flinched.

It was as if his brain had been rattled.
Did… did she just call him disgraceful?

As the fire of rage and shame began to rise, her voice cut through again, steady and cool.

“If you kill the Prince here, that’s what everyone will think.”

His thundering heart slowed, and now he could hear the murmurings from the crowd.

Voices filled with shock and horror—
They sounded like accusations, blaming him for his impulsiveness.

A man who can’t accept defeat is shameful.

Every knight in the arena—men of honor who valued duels fought with integrity—now had their eyes fixed on him.

“Please compose yourself, and make a choice worthy of Your Majesty.”

Catrin said calmly once again, unafraid, standing right in front of him.

The Emperor’s clenched fist trembled.

Yes. She was right.

If he were to kill Etias now… all the restraint he had shown until today in keeping him alive would mean nothing.

He would go down in history not just as the usurper Emperor,
But as the coward who killed his nephew to erase his own defeat.

Finally, he let the sword fall again.

He turned away, but the flames of anger in his chest still roared.

With his makeshift cloth skirt fluttering around his legs,
The Emperor stormed out of the arena.

***

“I crumpled the part you mentioned.”

“Well done.”

Outside the training arena, Heros, who had been waiting for Catrin, patted the young servant’s head and handed him a small pouch filled with gold coins.

The servant, thrilled to receive it, bowed deeply to Heros and ran off.

Heros’s lips curled into a faint smirk.

He had known that Lady Catrin would surely risk danger to help Prince Etias.

And based on his own assessment, Prince Etias was sharp-eyed enough to recognize the weak points of the Emperor’s armor.

That’s why sabotaging a part of the armor the Emperor would wear—
would be the best plan, for her sake.

‘I don’t know why I have to help you too, though.’

Recalling Etias’s annoyingly handsome face, Heros gave a slight frown between his brows.

Normally, Etias would’ve lost consciousness long ago—but only now did he finally black out and collapse to the ground.

The murmuring of the crowd grew louder.

“….”

I silently looked down at Etias’s crumpled figure, who had collapsed the moment the emperor left.

Messy black hair, pale skin, and long eyelashes casting shadows.

Outwardly, I remained composed—but on the inside, I was anything but calm.

‘My baby cat… my Etias… what kind of hell have you gone through because of that bastard?!’

“Attend me.”

But as a daughter of House Elemoer, my expression had to remain noble and cold.

At my command, the waiting medics approached.

“Escort His Highness the Prince and see to his condition.”

“Pardon?”

“I said treat him thoroughly. Make sure no nonsense starts circulating.”

I crossed my arms and gave the order with clear annoyance, and the medics quickly bowed their heads.

“Yes, Lady Catrin.”

Meanwhile, the crowd in the stands were murmuring with bewildered expressions.

“Impressive. Catrin Elemoer’s judgment… Well, it wouldn’t have looked good for His Majesty to spill blood here.”

“Still, didn’t the whole scene look odd? As if she were protecting Prince Etias…”

“Come on, no way. Why would an Elemoer help the prince?”

I hadn’t jumped in with any strategy in mind, but once I stepped between them, I quickly calculated what actions would provide the best justification.

‘Still, calling that emperor’s bastard “disgraceful” was incredibly satisfying.’

I watched closely until Etias was fully taken away by the medics, and then walked out of the training grounds.

My heart was pounding, like it might burst.

When Etias refused the antidote earlier, I never imagined things would unfold this way. Yet somehow, he had pulled off an unexpected victory.

But how was that even possible?

That armor the emperor wore…

There’s no way it could’ve been so weak.

A flash of suspicion crossed my mind.

‘That armor—someone tampered with it. Don’t tell me…’

There was one person I could suspect. I’d have to check to be sure.

Regardless, while the emperor might be absolutely seething from today’s events, he wouldn’t be able to retaliate easily.

Today alone was enough to ruin his honor—the rumors would spread far and wide. There’s no reason he’d want to add more fuel to the fire.

“Haa…”

As I walked down the hallway, still feeling my racing heartbeat, I stepped outside the training hall building—where Heros was waiting for me.

“Young Lady, are you all right?”

Heros looked visibly troubled.

“I heard His Majesty couldn’t accept the outcome and tried to raise his sword. I shouldn’t have interfered…”

That suspicion I had earlier was now confirmed.

I smirked faintly and tapped Heros’s shoulder.

“So it was you. Good job.”

“My Lady, please… be careful.”

Even I hadn’t expected that I’d be able to stand so boldly in front of the emperor, blocking his sword.

“I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”

Was this courage truly mine? Or was it a sort of noble pride fueled by my affection for Etias?

I didn’t know the answer.

But what was certain—was that I had successfully protected Etias again.