Chapter 74: A Princess’s Heart.
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Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 74: A Princess’s Heart.


—Marina’s POV—

I was looking down to the arena below from our private box. I had used magic to enhance my senses and as a result, I had witnessed something that made me feel jealousy for the first time in my life.

“Umm… Older sister… I think that the guardrail is already broken… P-P-Please calm down…” My little sister, Alicia, looked at me and spoke with a worried tone.

“Oh, you’re right. My apologies.” I absentmindedly apologized while still grappling the guardrail as if my life depended on it.

Due to my enhanced senses, I was able to see and also hear how several girls declared their feelings for my champion and how he had accepted them all... Those girls were none other than Neris, the daughter of Baron Estner and the daughter of Earl Gradisia. Hell, the two daughters of the bloody Viscount Oriana were also more or less fighting for him!

Naturally, the whole scene caused me to feel a myriad of conflicting emotions. I was happy for Neris since Mia had told me that Neris also had feelings for Julius, but at the same time, I was completely pissed off that her and the other girls could do something like that while I had to wait until my aunt managed to convince my father.

Though, I was not the only one feeling conflicted or pissed off…

“Neris has betrayed us… Unbelievable.” Luna said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Those newbies really stole the march from us… Unforgivable.” Liliana had the very same smile her sister had.

"They deserve punishment. They will beg for mercy, but shall receive none." The twins said in unison.

Both twins were standing beside me. They had also broken the guardrail they were holding onto.

It was mostly the three of us who were feeling like that. Everyone else seemed to have reacted well to the sudden development.

"Ah… One, two, three, four, five, maybe six… You really have no shame, do you, dear future husband of mine? You didn’t ask for my permission first.” Mia was staring at Julius down at the arena. She looked rather amused. “I should have expected this to happen. You really went beyond my expectations this time around… Oh well, I guess that the more the merrier!” Mia shook her head while giggling. She then returned to work on her drawing of Julius.

“Jeez… I really got quite a few new daughters-in-law all of a sudden, didn’t I?” The mother of the twins, Lilia, was also standing near us. She sounded very delighted.

"Jeez, just what are the odds? In the end, it seems like our little agreement will come to fruition after all." The Headmistress, Ophelia, giggled like a little girl. She was even more delighted than Lilia. “Perhaps we shouldn’t have done anything! Maybe, we would have gotten the same result.” The Headmistress couldn’t stop giggling. She certainly looked very happy. 

"Well, since Julius seems more than okay with this development, then I will just give them my blessing. I suppose that now it is time for a certain pair to declare their love before anyone else can steal the march from them again." Lilia suddenly shot a glance at their daughters.

Ah… Right… Today I was presented with the revelation that the twins are apparently madly in love with Julius. I mean I can understand why because I feel the same way about him too, but damn, that really came out of nowhere when they told me their secret… 

I mean, I am not particularly jealous of them… Or well… Maybe just a little because they can spend way more time with Julius than I can. But I genuinely support the two of them on this, even after the strange rivalry Luna and I had towards one another. They are my friends and I want them to be happy.

Though there are moments where I want to be selfish and hoard all of Julius's attention and love, I wouldn't be able to do that because I love my friends too.

Apparently, according to their mother, they are going to confess their feelings for Julius when the tournament is over to give him the shock of a lifetime. I won’t lie, I am a little envious about that too, but I can only hope that my aunt is successful in convincing my dad about a potential marriage with Julius…

"Sigh… I also want a harem of cute boys too… He just makes this seem so easy! I can't even get a nice boy to like me, for Catris's sake!" Sarana sank on her seat. She was eating a considerable amount of snacks while sulking.

“Ummm… Aren’t you the one who has rejected every single guy that has ever asked you out?” A sheepskin named Emily asked Sarana while drinking some wine. “It is not like you’re unable to get a date, you know?” She seemed really curious.

“That’s different! I have my reasons, okay! Don’t dwell too much on it, but they were simply not boyfriend/harem material!” Sarana defended herself with a very flimsy argument.

“What does that even mean? You barely met them. How can you know that they are not boyfriend material?” The catkin, Felix, looked at Sarana tilted his head.

“You can call it a fox’s intuition!” Sarana stood up and spoke with pride.

“While using your intuition is fine and all, you shouldn’t go around judging a book by its cover. It would do you well to go on a date or two, Sarana. You know, maybe some of those guys could surprise you.” A dogkin, Mark, tried to give some advice to the foxkin woman. “If you’d like, I can introduce you to a good friend of mine from another class.” Mark suddenly smiled warmly.

“I’ll pass, thanks!” Sarana quickly turned down her friend’s proposal while shaking her head. She immediately took a seat again and started munching on some snacks again.

“You sure? He’s a pretty chill and a pretty nice guy overall. I think you two could have some chemistry.” Mark tried to convince her, but he wasn’t being particularly pushy about it.

“Yep! I’m sure!” Sarana nodded before returning to her snacks.

“Just leave her be, Mark. Emily already tried to introduce someone to her once and she also rejected her friend.” The half-dwarf half-elf, Douglas, said to Mark while working on his sketchbook. “Just don’t come crying when you’re over a 100 years old and lonely, okay?” He shot a glance at Sarana and shook his head before returning to his book.

“Oi! Don’t say that to a young maiden! Are you trying to get me depressed!? Laura, please say something to this cruel midget! He’s being mean to your older sister!” Sarana was outraged by Douglas’s warning. 

“I may be cruel, but I’m being truthful.” Douglas retorted.

“Oi! At least try to comfort me or something!” Sarana got pissed off. “Laura, can you please… Laura?” Sarana looked at her sister with confusion.

“...” The elf, Laura, Lilia’s and Sarana’s younger sister, didn’t say anything. She seemed to have little to no regard for the conversations happening around her. In fact, she was also pretty focused on the arena below. “There are more spirits surrounding him than before… What should we do…? At this rate, all the spirits of the capital will be gathered in here…” Her face became a little pale as her gaze remained focused on the same person I was looking at. I wasn’t really sure, but there was also a bit of blush on her cheeks?

I wonder… What does a spirit look like? I wish I had the ability to see them too. She said something pretty outrageous, so I also wonder what Julius is planning to do with all of those spirits. I know my best friend pretty well, so I bet he has something in store to amaze us all.

“Hey Laura. Did you send your familiar to place an order with Douglas’s father? We really need those rings rather urgently.” Lilia suddenly leaned on Laura and gave her a tight hug. “Hmm? Is everything alright? You are looking kind of absentminded today.” Lilia said with a bit of worry to her younger sister.

“Ah, yeah. He accepted the order and said that he charge a little extra for the sudden request. He also said that he would bring everything by the end of the tournament, just as we asked.” Laura nodded in response. “Also, I’m good. Just a little tired of being shocked at your son’s ridiculous feats and antics.” She said while looking a bit fatigued.

“Don’t say that! Julius would get sad to hear if one of his teachers is not impressed after giving his all to master your lessons!” Lilia tried to cheer up her little sister.

“Ah… I suppose you’re right about that… Unlike a certain bunch I happen to know, he is a very good listener and an attentive student, so I suppose I could give him a bit of praise and some credit.” Laura nodded before smiling softly. Again, there was that blush on her cheeks again.

Don’t tell me… Is Laura perhaps…?

“Damn! I still can’t believe that ridiculous swordsmanship of his! What the in the twelve hells is that weapon!?” Klaus Caletro, a famous businessman, heir to Duke Caletro, and an uncle of my little sister, shouted with disbelief. His right cheek was still painted red with the mark of a hand, courtesy of the Crimson Witch herself.

“Hahahaha! You should’ve seen your face! I told you not to make assumptions about my son!” The Skull Crusher laughed in an obnoxiously loud manner, just as usual.

“I have to agree with Klaus this time around… That feat was simply ridiculous for a boy his age. That move simply puts the Viscount of the Black Steel to shame! That boy’s swordsmanship is above of the bloody head of the Shtrel family!” My aunt nodded in agreement with Klaus. There was a certain sparkle of excitement in her eyes that I had not seen in a while…

“To be fair, this is also the first time that I’ve seen this technique.” Fred said to the two of them while drinking ale from his mug. “I’ve seen about half of his style’s techniques in the last two days, and trust me, they are really a sight to behold. The one who made them really knew about beauty.” The Skull Crusher suddenly wolf-whistled while thinking of swordsmanship.

“Wait… You didn’t teach him that?” My aunt looked a little flabbergasted. The excitement in her eyes grew by the second. 

“I’m sure as hell that I didn’t.” Fred shook his head before drinking his ale. “I’m sure that it was Tiria… Or perhaps the boy developed that style on his own? Who knows? Everyone has their secrets.” He said before laughing as loudly as possible once more.

“You’re really not going to reveal anything concrete about it, are you?” My aunt frowned, though, her excitement about Julius’s skills had not diminished in the slightest.

The Skull Crusher simply shrugged before quaffing down the rest of the contents of his mug.

“Umm… Will it be alright if I try to do business with him? Judging by his mother’s temper, I don’t know if I will be alright if I piss him off… Considering how the mother is, then…” Klaus immediately grew pale as he glanced at Lilia.

“Oh my, I assume that you want another slap to even the other cheek, Mr. Klaus?” Lilia giggled in an innocent manner. “I’ve already forgiven you for your insistence of buying our family’s business, but don’t make me regret that choice by talking smack about my child.” She had a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Oh… Now I can see what the twins and even Julius meant about their mother’s temper on their letters… It does feel a bit terrifying to be honest, but it also reminds me of my own mother. I can’t wait to introduce her to Julius!

“Of course not, ma’am. My apologies, ma’am.” Klaus bowed and apologized.

“Sheesh… You’re as wimpy as usual, aren’t you, Klaus?” My aunt shook her head with disappointment. “You shouldn’t be getting intimidated by a housewife just like that, you’re the future Duke Caletro. Shouldn’t you be acting all proud and mighty like your father? Even your little sister acted with more pride than you.” She scolded Klaus.

Well, to be fair, that housewife does have a menacing title and is the only one capable of intimidating the Skull Crusher himself…

“I am aware of my status as heir, but my survival instincts as a merchant are telling me to keep my head low and not provoke a person who could turn me to dust on a whim.” Klaus said while smiling wryly. “Also, as you know, my talents when it comes to magic or defending myself are not particularly great, so that should be more than enough reasons to not anger her further…” Klaus bowed again at Lilia.

“I was just messing with you for a little. I will not turn you to ash.” Lilia smiled warmly at him. “Unless you give me a valid reason.” She whispered the last part.

“Scary… I’ll make sure not to give you a reason then.” Klaus looked completely spooked. He nodded fearfully.

“Back on the topic, you shouldn’t worry too much about little Julius. He’s pretty intelligent, reasonable, and cunning for a boy his age. He’s also pretty laid back, so I reckon you two will get along just fine.” My aunt said to Klaus. “Though, a bit of a warning, if you do somehow get on his bad side, you better be prepared because the boy does know how to hold a grudge… I speak by experience, unfortunately.” She smiled awkwardly.

“Duly noted.” Klaus said with a hint of both relief and fear in his voice.

“After hearing that, do you still want to do business with him?” My aunt asked in an easygoing manner.

“You should know that we are allowing you to have this conversation with our son only because we think your proposal is beneficial. If it was up to me, I wouldn’t even give you the time of day, especially considering how insistent you were with your letters.” Julius’s mother said with her arms crossed. She still maintained that same warm smile.

“I think I have already apologized for that, but as I said, I might not be as strong as the people in this room or the students participating on this tournament, but I do have some talents. And one of those talents is to recognize an unbelievable business opportunity as soon as I see it. If there are potential profits to be gained, you better believe that I will be there first.” Klaus fearful demeanor soon turned serious. “So, my answer is that I would definitely like to have a proper discussion with the young Julius.” He declared before taking a sip of his cup of tea.

“Very well then.” My aunt seemed pleased before getting up from her seat. “Marina, Alicia, come here for a bit, will you?” Our aunt smiled at us while beckoning us to come to her.

Alicia and I promptly walked over to her as she seemed to want something important.

“What do you want, dear aunt?” I asked with a deadpan expression.

“Wow, you seemed pissed off… Did something happen while I wasn’t paying attention?” My aunt looked at me with confusion.

“You could say that something did happen.” I couldn’t help but speak with annoyance.

“Ah, is it perhaps about those girls confessing their love to the one you like, even though some of them haven’t even known him for a full day? That must be tough.” A playful smirk suddenly appeared on my aunt’s face. She had revealed my secret to everyone around us.

As soon as she said that, everyone in the room turned their to heads to look at me. While most of the stares I received were that of shock and disbelief, quite a few were of amusement. Amongst the ones that were looking at me with amusement were Lilia and Mia, while the most shocked amongst everyone around me was most definitely my little sister.

But amongst those shocked stares, there were two particular ones that spooked me beyond words. Liliana and Luna were looking at me with fiery gazes that made me shiver almost immediately just by making eye contact with them…

“You have no idea of how much I despise you, dear aunt…” Rather than showing my embarrassment to the world, I opted to act coldly towards my annoying aunt.

“That really breaks my heart, you know? I’ll cry myself to sleep tonight.” My aunt was definitely amused by this situation. “Well, it is not like are alone in this situation, since your little sister also appears to be very infatuated with that boy.” She crouched a little and started patting my little sister’s head.

“Huh?” This time, I was the one staring with confusion. I couldn’t help but gaze at my little sister with shock.

For a moment, Alicia and I simply exchanged looks of confusion with each other… In didn’t take long for her to fully comprehend what my aunt had just revealed. In the blink of an eye, her face became fully red before she suddenly decided to hide herself behind me to cover up her embarrassed expression.

She also has… But then… But how!? When!? She only met him a few times, so it shouldn’t be possible for her to… Oh, that’s exactly what happened to me… Dammit.

“What are the odds, you two fell in love with the same champion you share. Destiny has some really weird sense of humor, doesn’t it?” My aunt giggled to herself while looking at my sister and I in the most embarrassing moment of our lives. 

Hey! Don’t blame destiny! All of this was your doing, liar!

As much as I wanted to yell at her, the embarrassment was too much for me to bear, so I remained silent while glaring daggers at my aunt.

“Marina, you definitely need to read that new book that Alicia is working on! It was so romantic and sweet that I thought my knees were going to give up, especially when that certain black-haired character appeared! What a heartbreaker! I still remember all the cute things she wrote about him on the last pages of the book! Such beautiful scenes! I really hope I can see some of them being enacted in real life soon!” My aunt had decided to make things worse for Alicia…

“Auntie! Where did you even find my manuscript!? I had hidden that in the most obscure place in my room that I could think of! You’re truly a despicable evil! I despise you beyond belief!” Alicia screamed with embarrassment while hiding behind me.

“Yep, I am truly the most despicable person in this room. I am also the person who loves your books the most, so keep up the good work, my darling.” My aunt smiled happily before she decided to walk away. “Anyway, since you two are already lively enough, why don’t you have a talk with Klaus about the man you love. There’s still a while before Julius has to fight again, so I’m going to take this opportunity to go and see my younger brother and my other nieces. After all, I need to do that thing I told you about the other day, Marina.” My aunt smiled warmly at me as she got closer to the door.

Wait… So she’s really going to ask my Father about this? She’s going to do it now!?

“You two don’t need to worry about your killjoy old father, I can assure you that I am more than enough to handle him. Especially since I got a valuable ally on my side today. After all, a certain Empress seems to be quite excited and delighted to meet the one who writes you so many letters, Marina.” Her smile soon turned into a grin before turning back and walking away. 

Wait… No… Don’t tell me… Don’t tell me that my mother already knows about how I feel… She really needed to make this more embarrassing for me!? What an evil and despicable aunt! How could she tell my mother something like that on top of telling everybody here what I feel!? I hope this is part of her plan, because otherwise I won’t speak to her ever again!  

“Marie, let’s go.” Those were my aunt’s last words as she was leaving the room.

“Understood.” Marie, the elven maid and my aunt’s lover, quickly slipped away from the corner and followed after my aunt. She had been standing there silently the whole time…

As soon as she left, the whole room fell silent due to the heavy revelation that my aunt made at our expense. Everyone was still staring at us…

“That’s my boy!” Lilia giggled while walking up to us. “Should I say welcome to the family, or is it too early for that, Your Highness?” She asked me with a huge grin on her face.

“I don’t know why everyone is so surprised. In hindsight, it was kinda obvious considering how these two act in front of Julius.” Mia suddenly got up and walked over to us. “But it became more than obvious during Marina’s surprise visit on Julius’s birthday. It was practically written all over her face whenever she talked with him.” Mia started patting my back. Just like Lilia, she had an enormous grin on her face.

“W-W-Was it really I that obvious?” I asked nervously. That was the only thing I could say due to my embarrassment.

“Crystal clear, my friend!” Mia immediately decided to burst out with laughter.

“Oh…” I immediately lowered my gaze and looked at the ground in shame. I was embarrassed beyond belief.

“While I must say that three years ago I would have been completely against something like this from happening, especially after what your aunt dearest tried to do with our children…” Lilia said with a cold tone. “If both princesses truly feel infatuated towards our son, then you two will have our blessing.” She suddenly grabbed my chin and forced me to look at her in the eyes. She playfully winked at me.

She held me like that for a while, making it utterly impossible for me to escape her playful gaze. She definitely wanted to see me embarrassed.

“But remember your deal with Julius and the Goddess, little princess. My children will not be servants of the crown, nor will they lose their freedom to live however they want just because you have feelings for my son. I really like you, Marina. But you should know by now to what lengths Fred and I will go to protect Liliana, Luna, and Julius, be it from the Laurents, the Royal Family, or even your father himself.” Lilia suddenly whispered in my ear.

I couldn’t help but remember the incident during Julius’s birthday. All the destruction his parents had caused, as well as the number of Laurent thugs they had killed for the sake of defending their children…

What would happen if both the Skull Crusher and the Crimson Witch both went on a rampage here in the capital? Apart from my aunt, there would be no one capable of stopping them.

“I-I-I know of what you’re capable… And I still remember well the deal that I’ve made.” I whispered to her, although a bit nervously. I was staring at the barely visible chain of light coiling around my hand.

“That’s good.” Lilia seemed pleased. “If you and your sister really want to be with Julius, then you should be prepared to discover things about him that you might find shocking or even something that might make you lose all of those cute feelings for him. Are you really willing to be with him, knowing that he’s hiding things of great importance from you? Something that might change your perception of him? Something that might make you want to distance yourself from him.” Lilia asked me with an inquisitive look on her face.

That’s…

Lilia’s words made me fall deep in thought. I wasn’t really sure if what I felt for Julius was actually love, or if it was just something else. I knew for a fact that I cherished him just as much as I cherished my sisters, but the same could be said about Liliana, Luna, Mia and Klein too… But, compared to all of them or even my sisters, whenever I think about him or hear his voice, everything becomes certain, just as if the world never made sense before, but then it does all of a sudden just because of him…

“I know that there are a lot of things that I don’t know about him. Things that he might not be able to tell me and things that perhaps he doesn’t want to tell…” I couldn’t help but to stop for a moment to think exactly what I wanted to say to Lilia. 

I am very aware of the fact that there are many important questions about Julius that currently don’t have an answer. Like, why is the Goddess of Knowledge speaking to him only? Why is he executing the will of the Dark Goddess? Why is the Goddess that banished herself in order to protect the Demon Race is now making an act of appearance? Is it because Julius is a demon too…? If he is, then why would the Skull Crusher and his family take him in and raise him? If not, then why did the Goddess mark him as his apostle?

But even if all those questions have been bothering me since the day we met, I still…

“I just hope that he will trust me enough to be able to tell me everything one day. I consider him more than my best friend, and it hurts that there are things that he hasn’t told me about himself, but truth to be told, I am thankful towards him. Towards everyone in your family… Towards Mia, Klein, and their parents... Towards everyone here.” I said while lowering my head once more.

Before I could continue talking, Lilia raised my chin to make me look at her once again.

“You have to look at people in the eyes when you’re opening up to someone. So please do not look down, Your Highness.” Lilia said with a compassionate look on her face.

“I apologize for that.” I was ashamed but felt somewhat happy about being corrected by Lilia. “I suppose that what I am trying to say is that… Even if Julius is not telling me everything, there’s nothing that could make me want to distance myself from him.” I steeled my resolve to show my determination to Lilia.

“Nothing, you say?” She asked.

“Indeed. After all, it is because of him and everyone in this room that I am who I am today. Because of him, I can simply be Marina and not only the dutiful Crown Princess  of the Marcelian Empire. Despite my attitude and the things my aunt and I were planning to do in the past, all of you still accepted me and showed me things that I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise. And for that, I am thankful.” I smiled at Lilia as I expressed my gratitude. I didn’t forget to take a look around the room to see all the friends I’ve made, both new and old. The people I had started to consider a second family. A family I got thanks to Julius.

Even he’s not telling me the whole truth about himself, why would I want to cut off the person that helped me become the person who I am today? Why would I distance myself from the kind boy who accepted me despite the harm my aunt tried to inflict on his family? Why would I let the person who became my first real friend to go away?

No matter what he’s hiding or how shocking it may be, I just can’t let go off him.

“Umm… Wait, does that include me?” Klaus suddenly decided to speak up, interrupting my thoughts. He looked really dumbfounded.

“Klaus, would you be so kind to shut up? You better not say another word, otherwise I’ll have to even out your other cheek.” Lilia raised her hand and threatened him. Her gentle tone only made her seem more scary…

Klaus immediately shrank on his seat while looking at Lilia with fear. For some reason, it made everyone in the room laugh a little, especially the Skull Crusher.

“That does include you, yes. Even if you’re not really my uncle, you’ve been a good uncle to me and Alicia.” I couldn’t help but giggle. “Anyway, where was I?” A soft smile remained on my face, all thanks to Klaus’s antics.

Even if he didn’t speak, I could see that Klaus’s face had suddenly lit up when I said those words.

“You said you were thankful towards us.” Lilia was smiling at me. 

“Ah, of course. I truly am.” I nodded. “But the point I was trying to make is that, I am willing to give up the crown, the throne, and even my status as royalty right now if that would please you.” I smiled warmly at Lilia.

I cannot let go of him… If I have to give up my birthright for him, then so be it. After all, I could not endure to pluck out of my life the one that made me become a better person, the one that makes me feel that my life has more meaning than just being a princess.

I thought that I had said something beautiful and captivating, at least it was to me, for everyone else, however… Let’s just say that I had managed to successfully kill the merry atmosphere that came with Klaus’s antics. Once again, everyone was looking at me with shocked expressions. Even Lilia looked slightly taken aback.

“So you would go that far for Julius?” Lilia said with a mix of amusement and confusion.

“If that’s what it takes for me to be with him, then so be it.” I said without any hesitation.

“And what if Julius had to turn against the Empire? What would you do then?” Lilia got serious all of a sudden.

“I will make sure such a situation never happens. After all, I want to protect him just as much as you, just like you’re doing right now.” Even when faced with a difficult question, I didn’t falter.

“I see…” Lilia closed her eyes and fell deep in thought for a moment. “Then I have nothing more to say. If you’re willing to go as far as to give up your birthright for him, then who am I to say anything. I can only give you my blessing to proceed.” Lilia let out a sigh of defeat.

“Thank you. I am very happy to receive your blessing, mother-in-law.” I said to her with a straight face as an attempt to tease her.

Somehow, I got even more shocked looks from everyone. Lilia and even my little sister look speechless. Before I realized, my little sister and I were wrapped in a tight hug by Lilia.

“Make no mistake, I was not threatening you before, nor did I ever intend to do so. While I did try to test your determination and your feelings for my son, I also care for you, Your Highness. After all, there’s no way I could actually threaten someone who’s definitely a precious member of our family, so it is only natural for me to try to make sure you both, my son and my new daughter are happy. I apologize for putting you in this situation, but as a mother, I needed to do it.” She said while embracing me tightly.

Her kind words were incredibly reassuring and made me feel at ease about my feelings and the situation as a whole. Though, everything about this was still very embarrassing to me… 

“Umm… What about me? I-I-I also have feelings for Julius… And you also mentioned me before… Do you also need to ask me some questions?” Alicia, who had been silent until now, suddenly decided to speak up.

“Oh, there’s no need for that, Alicia. Even if you’re a little shy, you’re the most straightforward and sincerest girl I know, so you’re good to go, okay? Just continue to be yourself and everything will be fine, my dear new daughter.” Lilia suddenly giggled before she started patting my little sister’s head.

“Hmm, that was easy… Way too embarrassing to be honest, but easy…” My sister looked at Lilia with a deadpan expression.

“Yeah, it is pretty easy now that I think about it. I just told Julius that we were going to get married, and he accepted without protest.” Mia nodded in agreement while hugging us.

“I don’t know why, but now it feels like you were trying to tease me all along…” I frowned in response to what my sister had to say in comparison to me.

“Just a little. There’s no harm in that, right? I was just trying to see how far you would go for my son, and also giving you a little push to figure out your feelings. No need for thanks or to give up your crown though, you just need to give him the shock of a lifetime when you tell him, okay?” Lilia giggled again and also started patting my head.

Once more, I had been thrown into a difficult situation by my inconsiderate mentor/ aunt and somehow, I had managed to come out unscathed and with the approval of the mother of the boy I liked on top of that. I was obviously relieved that everything had gone well, but deep down, I was sure that I was going to give my aunt the cold shoulder for the longest time for putting me in such an embarrassing situation.

I could only hope that things would go well with my father… And with Julius as well…

“Alrighty! We’re back with some more food, everyone!” Leaf suddenly flew into the room at an unbelievable speed. She stopped at the center of the room before looking at everyone. “Umm… Did something happen? Why does everyone here look as if they had seen the giant frog that swallowed Juli and Me?” She tilted her head in an adorable manner.

“Well, something shocking DID happen just a moment ago.” Lilia said while looking at me. “It was just some cute chatter I had with the two princesses here.” She suddenly hugged my sister and I even tighter than before.

“Is that so? Okay!” Leaf just accepted Lilia’s words and nodded. “Also, royal hug? Can I join!?” She didn’t wait for an answer before flying towards us and crashing against my cheek. 

For a moment, I thought it was going to hurt because of the speed in which she flew at us. I was greatly surprised when I found out how soft and squishy she was. She was also freezing to the touch for that matter, but it wasn’t unbearable…

“Leaf! I told you to wait up! My old bones can run that fast anymore, especially while carrying all this food! Though, I suppose I can forgive you since we got all of this food for free due to your cute looks and my overwhelming charisma and my silver tongue.” The legendary merchant, Bruno Mardyk, suddenly ran into the room and laughed while I was involved in a group hug. He was carrying several heavy-looking sacks of food on his fragile back. “Oi! Sarana, Laura! Move your asses and at least help your old man with this heavy stuff!” He yelled at his granddaughters.

Unfortunately for him, he didn’t receive a response. 

“Hey! I’m talking to you two! Why the hell do you… Look… So… Flabbergasted?” He continued to yell at his granddaughters until he turned his head to look in our direction… His voice immediately died out when he saw his older granddaughter and Leaf embracing my sister and I.

“What the hell did I miss, Lilia? Why are you hugging the two little princesses?” He asked with a frown on his face.

“Nothing much, just the royals asking for our blessing to become my new daughters-in-law and to give them Julius hand. Not that big of a deal, old man.” All of a sudden, even the Skull Crusher of all people was teasing me too. He had decided to respond in his wife’s stead.

Just by seeing how his family behaves in this situation, it is no wonder Julius likes to be mean and tease me whenever he can… 

“Huh… I see, I see… I guess it is business as usual, then.” The old man nodded as if this situation was the most natural thing in the world. “Just kidding! I’m so fucking proud of that boy! He learned so quickly! He’s just a natural at this, just like his great-grandpa!” He raised his arms to the air and stood victorious, even after he dropped all the sacks of food.

And so, just how it started, the second round of the tournament ended in the blink of an eye, while I was accepted into the family of the one I loved. My new second family.

Now, all that remained was for me to pray that my aunt and mother managed to convince my father and to wait for the end of the tournament to meet my champion and friend once more.


Chapter 74: A Princess’s Heart.

END


EXTRA: Marina’s Status

Name: Marina Aranela Marcel

Race: Human

Age: 15 years old 

Ability Points: 302 points

Titles: Courageous Princess / Unattainable Perfection / Hardworking Princess / Prodigy of the Academy / Apprentice of the Song of Courage / Bratty Princess / Glutton / Heir of the Conqueror / Brand of the Conqueror (Heart) / Kindhearted

Jobs: Crown Princess Lv.3 / Heir of Rokkshar’s Will Lv.1 / Future Empress Lv.4 / Warrior Princess Lv.10 / Expert Magician Lv.1

Level: 36

EXP: 1,202 / 40,498


  Attributes

HP: 3,104

MP: 11,201

DEX: 630

STR: 701

VIT:  2,000

DEF: 240

RES: 350

LUCK: 100

SPD: 500

INT: 190


 Common Skills 

Appraisal / Level 2 

Cooking / Level 2

Enhance Mind / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Hunting / Level 6

Riding / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Stealth / Level 7 


Combat

Archery / Level 6 

Armed Combat: Daggers / Level 9

Fighting Spirit / Level 8

Spearmanship / Level 6

Swordsmanship / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Throwing Weapons: Knives / Level 3

Unarmed Combat / Level 4

Second Wind / Level 6


Magic

Mana Manipulation / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Mana Perception / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Magic: Earth Element / Level 6 

Magic: Fire Element / Level 5

Magic: Wind Element / Level 7

Magic: Water Element / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL!

Magic: Light Element / Level 8

Magic: Dark Element / Level 5


Resistances

Charm Resist / Level 1

Elemental Resistance: Earth / Level 3

Elemental Resistance: Fire / Level 6

Elemental Resistance: Wind / Level 9

Elemental Resistance: Water / Level 10 - MAX LEVEL! 

Elemental Resistance: Light / Level 6

Elemental Resistance: Dark / Level 5

Pain Resist / Level 3

Paralysis Resist / Level 1

Poison Resist / Level 4


Heya! It'sa me again, back with a new chapter! How are y'all doing? I'm doing fine today, a little bit tired and really sleepy since I got absolutely hammered with my friends yesterday at a birthday party, but it is all good right now.

Anyhow, onto the chapter. I decided to completely skip most of the second round and go straight for the quarter-finals, just to speed things more. Julius's match was the only one with importance (arguably) to the story, so it isn't really an issue to skip it entirely. Though, I might have to change Chapter's 72 title due to this... I'll figure something out.

As for what this chapter's focus, Marina and Alicia (in the background) having to suffer through a difficult situation all thanks to their devilish aunt, I simply thought it was funny. Also, I wasn't in the mood this week to write another fight. I didn't have the time either, so I decided to have a bit of fun with this. Didn't put much time into the chapter, but I am happy with how it turned out.

Anyway, Imma sleep now since I am still kinda hungover from yesterday. As usual, I do hope that you enjoyed the chapter, please don't forget to comment and leave some hearts since that motivates me to continue writing the story! Also, join the discord to talk about the story and see the new picrew/NovelAI character illustrations I'm working on! Here's the link: https://discord.gg/uH6APbzrFR

Buh-bye!

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