On that day, Treya discovered that he seemed to care a lot about her left eye.
Her eye that could see others’ “injuries,” the eye that symbolized the “beauty” of elves.
“One day later—perhaps a year from now, Emperor Edward, the strongest in Entak, will also pass away from illness.”
“Then…”
“What will happen?”
Will pointed to the royal power map he had personally drawn on the table and posed this question to Treya.
“If he doesn’t have time to leave a ‘will’…”
Treya looked at Eugenie’s portrait on the paper. Her face, half-covered by the shadow of Will’s finger, appeared as cryptic as her usual speech.
“We siblings will undoubtedly engage in unstoppable infighting. We will spare no expense to fight for the throne.”
“A very common answer—in simple terms, you said everything, but you said nothing.”
“Teacher Will, are you criticizing me?”
“No. I’m just pointing out the flaw in the answer; it has nothing to do with you.”
Will gave an awkward laugh and then drew lines connecting things on the paper.
“Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that the Seventh Princess, due to her concealment of the Fourth Prince’s collusion with foreign enemies—for example, accepting bribes during the war and pocketing them—withdraws from this contest along with him.”
He placed an ‘X’ over the portraits of both individuals.
“Hmm.”
“Then, among the rest of you, what will everyone do?”
“This… I believe Eugenie and the Fifth Prince will do nothing.”
She drew an ‘X’ over their portraits.
“Oh? Why?”
“The Fifth Prince is her younger brother and relies on his sister for all resources. And Eugenie herself is now as good as useless.”
“Alright. This is indeed something I didn’t know before…” Will said in a tone like a ‘prophet’. “Ahem, this is indeed outside of the assumption. Good, what’s next?”
“I don’t know…”
“First, it’s the ‘Proponent of Force’ duel,” Will pointed to the Seventh Prince and the Eighth Prince. “Both are practitioners of Entak Sword Style, and their skills are quite good. At the same time, you must understand, right? They have deeper, irreconcilable conflicts.”
“Mm. Although their mothers are the same person, the Seventh Prince was an illegitimate child discovered before his mother married into the royal family. The Eighth Prince, however, was born after their mother had completely joined the royal family.”
Actually, this story wasn’t something Treya had discovered on her own. If she remembered correctly, it was something Will had mentioned in a previous lesson called “Top Ten Royal Secrets You Absolutely Cannot Miss.”
“It’s too complicated. In one sentence, the latter is more like ‘the crystallization of successful love’ compared to the former, while the former is like ‘an unwanted, failed accident’.”
“Mm. It’s no wonder the Eighth Prince is more favored.”
“However, the favor of the old fox Edward is rather superficial. Don’t you understand that yet?”
Will smiled and lightly tapped the forehead of the upright Treya, who was looking up at him, with his pen.
“The most favored Ninth Princess~”
This was not uncommon in Treya’s private lessons. When she appeared too serious and aloof, Will would give her a “wake-up call”—with the pencil in his hand.
To make her realize…
That she was a member of the “Royal Family,” a sibling locked in a deadly struggle on paper, a chess player who needed to survive in this darkness until the very end.
In such a royal family, there was no kinship; there was only everything that could be sacrificed for the sole “desire.”
Treya let out a soft groan and then stubbornly raised her head.
“Teacher Will is right. I understand. After all, Mother died by their hands, and I almost fell for their false affections. I will remain clear-headed until the very end.”
“Don’t be so obedient,” Will scratched his head, his voice incredibly low in the latter half. “It’s addictive to tease you like this…”
“Hmm?”
“Nothing, let’s get back to the topic,” Will tapped the two he had just mentioned on the paper with his pen. “Because of the irreconcilable conflict we mentioned. After Edward’s death, they will find various excuses for ‘duels.’ To showcase their ‘superior abilities’.”
“In the royal family, duels for sparring are not uncommon. We do, after all, value martial prowess. Moreover, most duels are for practicing Entak Sword Style.”
“No. Not that kind of friendly duel…”
Will paused and looked up.
In the past, Treya was not very sensitive to others’ gazes. However, after gaining demonic power, she could sense where the other person’s gaze was fixed on her.
He was looking at her left eye.
With a gaze that was very ‘fond,’ yet seemed to carry a hint of regret.
Will… cared about her left eye?
Was it because it was the “left eye” that symbolized the purity and beauty of elves?
“Teacher Will? Is something wrong with my left eye?”
“No, no, nothing. Back to the duels, those are… duels where one deliberately injures the other, severely injures them, to force them out of the duel and the competition. From their purpose, it’s not a fair spar.”
“…It’s something ‘dangerous’ that could even kill someone.”
…
Treya sat in the stands of the royal “Duel Arena,” coldly gazing at the “absurd” events unfolding in the arena—
Her seventh “brother” and eighth “brother” were fighting fiercely in the Duel Arena. Their swords flashed, creating streaks of light across the ground, and their shouts could be heard.
“You brat… why you, of all people, always get Father’s favor?!”
“A hot-tempered, brainless brute like you should look for reasons within yourself, shouldn’t you?!”
After the Fourth Prince’s downfall, the biggest suspense shifted from whether he had committed the dirty deeds exposed by the Seventh Princess to who would inherit the crucial power he left behind.
If there were no accidents, everyone, except the Sixth Princess who was too ill to leave her chamber, should receive a small share.
However, two princes couldn’t sit still—they hadn’t just invited their opponent; they had challenged everyone, but only the two of them had shown up.
The Seventh Prince, known for being the “best fighter,” having served in the military, though perhaps not the sharpest tool in the shed…
And…
The Eighth Prince, who was the most favored, so much so that some believed Emperor Edward might even directly pass on the throne to him out of affection.
Despite his greatest virtue being “being highly favored,” he was a “Proponent of Force” who had publicly demonstrated the standard Entak Sword Style many times.
They stepped onto the “Duel Arena” for this matter. Of course, the outcome of the duel in the arena couldn’t represent how much power they would ultimately gain. This wasn’t a duel sanctioned by Emperor Edward, who was gravely ill.
However, the victory or defeat in the arena might represent a surge in arrogance for one of them, causing subordinates to lean more towards one side.
Like peacocks displaying their feathers to their father, they wouldn’t miss any opportunity to showcase their plumage, seeking a moment of respite in the struggle.
Therefore, almost all the royal family members who could leave their chambers were present.
“Treya…”
“On the outside, please address me as ‘sister’.”
“Why aren’t you participating? You’re smart, you… understand demons, and you’re proficient in Entak’s sword style. To win a duel, you’d surely be the most suitable.”
“Will… Will once told me it was very dangerous…”
There was no tremor in Treya’s voice—after all, she always spoke in such a cold, toneless manner.
However, from her pauses and repeated mumbles, and the slight tremble in her right hand gripping the sword, one could sense she was different from her usual self.
“Why do you always listen to him…”
Eugenie’s words were cut short by the sounds of the duel below—
“See, see, see—with sword skills like yours, a sword style lacking real combat experience, you think you can defeat me?”
It was the Seventh Prince’s voice, much louder than when they had exchanged threats before.
Even more terrifyingly…
Eugenie, who had experience with Entak Sword Style, could tell at a glance that the Seventh Prince’s sword style was infused with too much anger. His swings were extremely fast, completely…
A method aimed at absolutely killing the opponent!
“He’s furious, fueled by revenge, longing, and resentment; this will ultimately bring…”
“Ah—!!!”
“Someone’s injured!”
Treya’s words remained unfinished. With a scream, the Eighth Prince, unable to defend himself, was struck by an upward sweep from his opponent, a fierce slash across his left eye, sending blood flying.
“They should have stopped it.”
“The Seventh Prince gave explicit instructions that this duel would not be paused. Just as he said.”
“… ‘Someone’ wanted to cripple the other. Any minor skirmishes during the duel were to be treated as ‘accidents’…”
In the vast Duel Arena, the Seventh Prince slowly approached the Eighth Prince, who was kneeling on the ground, clutching his eye.
“Hahahaha, see? You’re useless trash, aren’t you? Someone like you wants recognition from Father?! Impossible. Before he dies, I must prove…”
“That I’m stronger than you, you spoiled brat…?!”
However, the moment he got close, the sword from the opposite side, from bottom to top, at an angle that was difficult to block, flashed across his right arm.
He saw an expression in the other’s eyes that was rarely seen: one of utter refusal to give up, refuse defeat, and refuse weakness.
“Is… is that so? Then what does this mean? Brother…”
“Stop them! Don’t let them fight anymore!”
“Yes, yes, yes, where are the priest and physician?!”
The scene descended into chaos. The princes and princesses watching from the sidelines of the royal family also found opportunities to stand up and declare their positions.
Only confusion remained in the Duel Arena. Everyone now knew that in this fratricidal battle, both combatants were leaving injured.
And only Eugenie’s eyes widened as she looked at Treya beside her.
Eugenie felt something was very wrong with her.
As if she was emitting a dangerous aura of “fragility.”
“Just as… Will said… it’s dangerous…”
“One should not approach.”
