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Yvonne, who was serving Bianca from behind, said with a slight smile.
"The first rose."
"Yes."
Bianca nodded slightly. Previously, she couldn't understand how noblewomen cried and laughed over a single rose, but now it seems she understands that feeling a bit. Bianca's heart raced wildly, but it wasn't an unpleasant sensation.
Of course, the roses Bianca received didn't stop there. Because Sauveur and Robert, who competed in succession, won and presented her with a rose.
"To our lady, the glory of victory."
"...Please accept it."
Bianca gladly accepted their roses. Unlike Sauveur, who greeted her with a witty and exaggerated gesture and then disappeared, when Bianca accepted the rose, Robert's eyes widened in surprise. Sauveur's statement that he was afraid she would throw away the rose was not an exaggeration but the truth. Bianca struggled to contain her laughter and praised him dignifiedly for his work.
There were already three roses on Bianca's lap. The eyes around her gradually turned towards Bianca. Those who were clever noticed Bianca's identity from the start. The heir of the Blanchefort family and the knights of the Arno family were the senders of the roses, so it was an easy deduction.
Now it was Gaspard's turn. When he appeared in the arena, looking exceptionally larger than the other knights, everyone held their breath and pitied Gaspard's opponent.
Naturally, Gaspard also quickly advanced to the next round.
As the victorious man rode his horse towards Bianca, neither seemed surprised. Gaspard bowed before Bianca.
Gaspard's size was so big that Bianca, who was in the stands, was at eye level with him even when he was on horseback.
Gaspard opened the helmet cover. His face was filled with tension. Yvonne whispered as if pushing Bianca from behind.
"Madam, this is the fourth rose."
But Bianca remained still, unmoving. Looking at Gaspard, she noticed that his gaze subtly shifted away from her. As she expected.
Even in the face of Yvonne's insistence, Bianca only smiled and didn't move. Gaspard, who had been tense all that time, slowly opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.
"Yvonne."
"...? Yes?"
"Accept it."
Gaspard handed a rose to Yvonne, who was standing behind Bianca. Yvonne widened her eyes and looked alternately at Gaspard and Bianca, as if she couldn't understand the situation. Of course, Sir Gaspard had told her about it...
As Yvonne remained frozen for a long time, Bianca smiled slightly and urged Yvonne.
"Yvonne, aren't you keeping Sir Gaspard waiting?"
"D-did you... speak to me?"
Yvonne stammered and pointed at herself. Bianca even felt sorry seeing her tremble. Gaspard silently nodded in response to Yvonne's question and handed her the rose once again.
"Accept my rose, Yvonne."
Yvonne received Gaspard's rose with an enchanted expression on her face. Gaspard smiled faintly as he saw the rose in Yvonne's hand. And before the opponent could recognize that smile, he turned his head and left the stadium.
Even Yvonne, who was generally mature, seemed confused as it was the first time she found herself in such a situation. It wasn't just being confessed to, but she received the tournament rose!
Although every woman dreams of receiving a rose, it is usually noblewomen who receive them. It would have been unthinkable for a common woman to receive a rose at a tournament.
Confused, Yvonne asked Bianca, groaning.
"Madam... In this case, um, what should I do? Why did Sir Gaspard give me a rose...?"
"Didn't you yourself say, 'A man tends to be proud of looking good in front of the woman he likes'?"
"B-but..."
"He looked proud too, so why don't you do what you want?"
"I was referring to..."
"He likes you, Sir Gaspard."
"That doesn't make sense..."
Yvonne shook her head, perhaps even more confused by Bianca's resolute words. Seeing Yvonne like that, Bianca clicked her tongue inwardly.
The last time Yvonne talked to her about Zachary's participation in the tournament, she was more than excited. In front of her, Gaspard pretended to listen to her story quietly and then came up with a plan like this from behind. He seemed like a bear, but he was actually like a snake.
Still unable to believe it, Yvonne held the rose in her hand and caressed the stem of the rose for a long time. She seemed bewildered and unable to control her overwhelming emotions, but there were no signs of displeasure. Bianca chuckled to herself, giving Yvonne time to gather her thoughts.
A few more boring matches passed. The winners' roses were for their respective masters. Bianca also received some roses from knights she didn't know.
Some honored her as a lady out of respect for the hero, Zachary, while others saw her receiving a bunch of roses and handed over theirs.
If receiving a rose was a lady's pride, giving it was a knight's pride. Not all knights served a lady, but they still wanted to give roses. It was due to their narcissistic thinking, believing it to be the perfect ending to their heroic biography.
The person they wanted to give the rose to was a lady who nodded in approval. Furthermore, they didn't want the other person to attach too much meaning to the rose. All they needed was a lady to admire like a parrot. And because of the succession of roses, Bianca was chosen today as the opponent for such knights.
But Bianca was not the only one who was marked as such.
She was the lady of all knights since her birth, and today she received as many roses as Bianca, Odelli de Sevran, the first princess.
Her figure, with her dazzling, well-braided blonde hair, was like the rising sun, and her beautiful profile was very gentle, as if painted with a brush. Even though she had long passed the age of marriage, one could feel the dignity and tranquility of being a member of the royal family who didn't need to worry about that.
In reality, it wasn't that Princess Odelli shouldn't marry, but rather that she couldn't. She displayed her beauty even before it blossomed, and when she was ten years old, she had already received dozens of suitors' letters. However, the king rejected all suitors for Princess Odelli, and there was a rumor that it was because Princess Odelli resembled her mother, the first queen, who had passed away.
The king truly loved the first queen. It was also said that Prince Gautier was soon designated as the next king because he was the son of the first queen.
So, Princess Odelli turned 28 years old, but the king still didn't seem to want her to marry. It's unknown if she ever pleaded to get married at some point, but she also appeared reluctant to marriage.
Princess Odelli was a beautiful and noble lady that knights could admire to the depths of their hearts. The knights hastily handed roses to Princess Odelli. Among those who offered roses, there were those who thought only they could win the heart of Princess Odelli.
Of course, no one had made Princess Odelli smile.
When Odelli received the roses, all the other women complimented her with envy, but when Bianca received the roses, they all looked at her hostilely.
Receiving hostility was exhausting. Bianca sighed wearily. When will the tournament end? In her heart, she wanted to return to her chambers early, but she couldn't leave because Zachary's match was the highlight of the day.
When the match ended, the crowd started buzzing. Bianca, wondering if it was Zachary's turn, leaned forward. However, the coat of arms on the platform did not belong to the Arno family.
It was the Sevran's emblem!
At the end of the stadium, there was a knight dressed in black armor holding a shield engraved with the Sevran pattern.
It was impossible to tell who it was due to the helmet cover, but it was evident that it was a member of the royal family who was not present at the tournament.
The second prince, Jacob, who was not on the stage, seemed to be participating in the tournament.
Jacob raised the lance triumphantly. The horse turned from left to right with a slight whinny, showcasing Jacob's maneuverability.
When his opponent learned that it was Jacob, he dropped his lance, saying he couldn't dare to face the prince. It would be a big problem if Jacob were seriously injured due to any mistake. The king's anger, and even more so Jacob's, wouldn't let him off.
A white cloth hung over the opposing family's coat of arms. It was a sign of defeat. All spectators understood the opposing family, and there were no boos despite their withdrawal.
Jacob shrugged. He supposed it would be like that. Perhaps during the quarterfinals or semifinals, he could compete properly. After all, the goal today was not to destroy the opponent. Jacob rode his horse towards the stands.
Everyone wondered to whom Jacob would give his rose. Since it was publicly known that Jacob had a strained relationship with the reincarnation of the 1st Queen, it shouldn't be the 1st Princess or the Crown Princess. Could it be the 3rd Queen? Or someone else?
Tags:
TWB (Novel)