Chapter 167 EPISODE 167 ENTERING THE PALACE (2)

Terms used in this chapter:

Jeon-eum

a Korean fictional martial arts term that refers to the skill of secretly transmitting your voice to your target without being heard by other people. Jeon-eum literally means sound transmission.

The present king of the Slen Kingdom, King Henry II, had many children.

He currently had three queens and seven concubines.

However, it was only the children of the queens who were the official successors of the throne, and among them, the First Queens children were the highest in the line of succession.

The first in line to the throne.

The direct descendants of the present king were higher in the line of succession than the kings siblings.

In the Slen Kingdom, there was no distinction between men and women when it came to inheriting titles, so as soon as Daphne, the eldest child of the First Queen, was born, she naturally became the first in line to the throne.

Princess Daphne.

Children of nobles in the Slen Kingdom were only recognized as adults when they reach 20 years of age.

It was very late when compared to the fact that children of commoners were treated as adults when they reach 15 years of age, but this was unavoidable.

Nobles are different from commoners.

So they had to assume more responsibility and show that they had better skills.

Naturally, there were many people who became adults because they reached the age requirement, but it was a bit different if the person was a proper noble or the firstborn child.

They really had to show a noble figure.

Anyway, about Princess Daphne.

Or rather, the Crown Princess.

She was the so-called all-around superhuman who excelled in both scholarly knowledge and martial arts.

Her innate talent undoubtedly played a big role in that, but in fact, it was more because of her efforts than her being a genius.

The next monarch is the Crown Princess.

Princess Daphne had heard that statement every day since her childhood.

Oftentimes, when people of her position hear that kind of statement, they would become lazy or spend their time idly, saying that Im the next king anyway!, but Princess Daphne was different.

Her personality was sincere, and she studied and studied every day in order to become a person fit for the monarch position.

She has a younger brother.

Prince Dion, who was also a child of the First Queen.

He was two years younger than Princess Daphne, and as he saw his older sister crazily studying hard, he thought.

Ill become the monarch if my older sister is gone. So I should study hard like my older sister!

His words didnt mean something like Ill become the next monarch if my older sister is gone, so I have to get rid of her!

He studied hard in order to prepare for the scenario of his older sister dying, and in the midst of that, Prince Dion came to learn of her tremendous efforts and nearly worshipped her.

Im the second in line, so Ill assist you perfectly!

So Prince Dion studied magic.

Princess Daphne studied so much that 24 hours a day was insufficient, and she learned about the monarchy, politics, swordsmanship, foreign languages and so on, but magic was the only thing she didnt learn.

Thus, Princess Daphne found Prince Dions efforts to be very laudable no, she thought it was cute.

A younger brother who worshipped his older sister, and an older sister who cared and loved such a younger brother.

Moreover, since they were the first and second in line to the throne, problems related to the succession of the throne did not happen in the Slen Kingdom.

Thats why Princess Darianne was able to get along with Princess Daphne and Prince Dion.

The position of Princess Daphne was so firm that Princess Darianne, who was the firstborn child of the Second Queen, was not seen as a rival who threatened her succession, but considered to be just a cute and pretty younger sibling.

Because of that, Princess Darianne was loved by Princess Daphne and Prince Dion, and though she wasnt as good as Prince Dion, she became Princess Daphnes faithful follower and spent her days happily.

Im excited because unnies tea party will be in a few days.

Princess Darianne lightly laughed, and Duke Spencer who was a leader of the aristocrats but also a moderate, smiled too.

However, Jude and Cordelia had bitter feelings amidst their happiness.

Their fates in the game.

In the game, the Lord Protectors plan to massacre the royal family had succeeded.

It wasnt only Princess Daphne and Prince Dion, but also included Princess Darianne and the children of the concubines whose names were not even mentioned in the game.

In fact, all of the children who possessed the current kings blood ended up dead.

Among those deaths, Princess Daphne and Prince Dions deaths were gruesome.

The bodies of the two, who fought hard in order to protect their younger siblings in a situation where their retreat was blocked, were torn apart by the demon followers who were angry at their strong resistance, and dumped on the streets, becoming food for the stray dogs.

It will be different this time.

The future would have a happy ending.

It would be the classic

good triumphs over evil

.

Because they wanted the good to be blessed and the evil one to be punished.

Jude and Cordelia looked at each other and simultaneously smiled. Because they realized that the other was thinking of the same thing.

Shes really nice.

Even if his insides are dark, my Jude is not an evil person.

The two smiled once more before they looked in front again and continued to chat with the excited Princess Darianne.

More than an hour passed by.

After talking for quite a long time, their chat finally came to an end.

Aside from Princess Darianne, Duke Spencer had a lot of business to attend to since he had recovered from his illness.

Then, please enjoy the Banquet of Swords. Ill look forward to meeting you again.

Thank you very much for everything.

Thank you very much.

When Jude and Cordelia courteously thanked them in turn, Duke Spencer concluded the tea party by bowing to Princess Darianne, the person with the highest rank in the group.

And ten minutes later.

Having finally left the main building of the mansion, Cordelia groaned to suppress her desire of stretching out her body.

Because Duke Spencers staff was still in front of them as the staff guided them back to the annex.

[I want to go in quickly and stretch out. And change into more comfortable clothes.]

She complained as she let out her frustrations through <Message> magic, and Jude burst into a small laugh.

[Yeah. If we were in the wild lands, I would have carried you on my back and went back to our tent.]

[Ehthats awkward. Come to think of it, the Banquet of Swords is until tomorrow, right?]

[Yes, tomorrow seems to be a time where the prospects are free to have fun or do what they want.]

[Haathats bothersome. Ill just hide behind you and watch.]

Cordelia wanted to make friends, but because this was the Banquet of Swords where only swordsmen gathered, the wizard Cordelia felt out of place.

[Anyway, we earned a lot today.]

[Duke Spencer seems like a nice guy. Hes a big spender. Ufufu~ Were rich now, were rich~]

[Exactly I feel that the scale is different.]

Count Bayers one-year income wasnt that great. It was close to the lowest ones among the 12 northern families.

But he was still a count and part of the 12 northern families.

To be comfortable with spending such an amount equal to the yearly income of Count Bayer, Duke Spencer was indeed one of the wealthiest people in the Slen Kingdom.

[And there was also the talk about our titles, right? First of all, a knighthood is guaranteed, huh?]

[Yes. After this month, youll be Dame Cordelia and Ill be Sir Jude.]

[As for the baron title Duke Spencer-grandpa said that he is working hard for us to receive it, right?]

[Perhaps well get it.]

Jude nodded pleasantly before he looked straight ahead. Because they had arrived at the annex.

The sun had already began to set, so the area around the annex was very quiet.

Most of the prospects staying in the annex were probably in their own rooms or gathered in a drawing room to chat.

And because of that, he could feel it.

The sudden piercing gaze.

[Oh, come on. I want to rest.]

Cordelia felt the gaze too and complained through <Message> magic, and Jude had a bitter smile before he turned his gaze.

Under a low tree.

A young man with dark blue hair stood there and was smiling.

[Do we still have to meet him? Do we still have to get close to him?]

[We have to get close to him. Should I meet him alone? Would you like to go in first and take a rest?]

[No, lets go together. I think that we should not be careless around him. Hes a really sly guy.]

Having said that, Cordelia ended her magic and straightened her posture, and Jude dismissed the staff before he completely turned towards the young man standing under the tree and waiting for them.

First Sword-nim.

Oh, I was waiting. Would you like to go on a short walk?

The voice of First Sword came into the ears of Jude and Cordelia like <Message> magic.

Its Jeon-eum.

Can you do that too?

Uh, perhaps its possible for me now?

Jude and Cordelia exchanged short glances before they walked towards First Sword and not prolonged their conversation further.

Did you wait for us on purpose?

Yes, I wanted to talk to you. Can we talk for a moment?

At First Swords question, Jude and Cordelia simultaneously nodded, and First Sword had a small smile again.

It would have been a dull conversation between guys, so Im glad Lady Cordelia would be with us.

Im also interested in what First Sword-nim wanted to say.

Cordelia firmly answered, and First Sword quietly smiled before he turned around and took a step.

Then Ill get to the point and talk. Its not my style to drag out a conversation.

First Sword said as he headed towards a bench in the garden which they could see.

Frankly, I was a little surprised today. I didnt think youd really make me move six times.

When First Sword naturally brought it up, Jude nodded as if he knew that to be the case, but not for Cordelia. Because she realized it again.

Come to think of it, thats true!

First Sword had defeated all the prospects within five moves except for Jude.

He taught them until the fourth time, and won within the fifth move.

In short, he had always intended to end it in the fifth move.

And there was that.

When he fought against Jude, he even changed his stance into his swordsmanship style.

As if he didnt want Jude to make him move six times.

Dont tell me he had no intention of picking a winner in the first place?

Theres no winner, so Ill be taking this sword! Did he want to say something like that?

As Cordelia looked at First Sword in suspicion, he raised and shook his hands as he said.

I think youre having a terrible misunderstanding, so to put it directly I was thinking of ending everything within five moves.

So what I had thought was true.

Cordelia thought as she frowned, before she spoke to him.

But First Sword-nim, there would have been no winner if you did that.

No, hes the winner because I decided that he was that good and no one can compare to him. He made me move six times, so your companion did a good job. I think hes the winner.

As he said that, he tapped Jude on the shoulder, and it seemed like he had picked Jude as the winner from the very beginning.

I changed to my swordsmanship style against him Even if it ended within five moves, no one would have disagreed, right?

The last question was directed at Jude, who nodded with an awkward expression before he spoke to Cordelia.

And First Sword-nim didnt lose on purpose in the first place. It would be a problem if he refused to move for a sixth time.

Well thats true.

It was correct when she heard his words.

But well, I did overdo it. Especially the sixth move.

The sixth move done by First Sword.

Heavenly Light.

It was originally a charging move, but the fact that he only released his aura and not charged towards Jude was because it was the skill of someone called the Sword Saint among the Ten Great Swordmasters.

If it had been someone other than Jude, they might have been seriously injured or lost their life.

Did it somehow trouble your mind?

Yes, youre right. I was indeed troubled. Its a bit embarrassing.

In fact, the sixth move was unnecessary.

Since five moves couldnt defeat Jude, then he was obviously the winner.

The reason why First Sword used Heavenly Light was because he himself got fired up, which was no different from the fact that he failed to control himself.

But perhaps if the same situation happens, Ill use Heavenly Light again. Ill charge this time.

Do you want to kill me?

Its not that. Im just excited by the appearance of a great prospect.

First Sword mischievously smiled before he exhaled and straightened his posture. He then asked Jude again.

I wanted to ask you this earlier but, uh, are you Landius-nims disciple?

Cordelias eyes widened in surprise at First Swords question.

Do you know Landius-nim?

Anyone who walked the path of the sword would know of Landius-nims name, right?

When First Sword replied with a question, Cordelia nodded without realizing it.

It would indeed be strange if a swordsman didnt know Landius, especially someone like him who was one of the Ten Great Swordmasters.

But there was a significant gap between knowing Landius and presuming that Jude was Landius disciple.

That was why Cordelia was surprised.

First of all, Jude is not as muscular as Landius!

Of course, it didnt mean that Jude didnt have any muscles in his body.

Judes body was similar to those of Greek statues.

But Judes muscles and Landius muscles were different. They were very much different.

Judes body is cool, splendid and beautiful? B-but Landius body is scary.

It was her really honest impression.

Landius body was really scary.

He was 2.3 meters tall, and his forearm was thicker than Cordelias own waist. He was almost ten times bigger than her, though it was a bit exaggerated, so it wouldnt be strange if she was scared of him.

I can tell what youre thinking by looking at your face but I didnt think of that by looking at his muscles. It was a hunch since I saw him not using a sword but claiming to be a swordsman.

A swordless swordsman.

But someone was the strongest in the world.

Anyway, it seems like Im correct that youre Landius-nims disciple.

Yes, I am Master Landius disciple.

It was pointless to hide it since he had already figured it out.

Moreover, from the point of view of Jude who wanted to make First Sword their ally, the more things he had that would attract First Swords interest, the better.

Thats a relief. So it was Iron Man Landius disciple that made me move six times. If its like that, then its less embarrassing for me.

First Sword reverted to his mischievous face and put his hands in his pockets as he said.

I originally wasnt supposed to attend this Banquet of Swords. Until Cornwell told me to see you at least once. I was planning to go back to the Sword School after just seeing you.

At First Swords words, Cordelia swallowed hard.

First Sword didnt appear at the founding anniversary celebration in the game.

But Ive changed my mind. Perhaps Ill attend the founding celebration this time.

That is it because of me?

Well its because of this and that? I want to see how youll fight in the tournament, and I want to see your girls skills too. After all, shes the daughter of Count Chase, the Red Storm, and the younger sister of Adelia Chase, the youngest commander.

Cordelia unconsciously puffed out her chest at First Swords words.

Because she was proud of hearing about her father and older sister.

Of course, Im looking forward to the ball the most.

First Sword winked at Cordelia, and her lips squirmed.

But Jude had a very proud face.

Please look forward to it. Youll see the most beautiful woman in the world.

Hey!

Cordelia wanted to kick Judes shin at that moment no, she did try to kick it, but Jude quickly dodged it before he said to First Sword while looking at him.

You must come. Please.

Haha, okay. Ill look forward to it. Not just Lady Cordelia but you too.

First Sword winked again before he turned around as if he had nothing more to say. He then waved his hand to say goodbye and began heading towards the main building.

What the- is he going to leave just like that?

Because hes said everything that he wanted to say.

He apologized for what happened today, and said that he would attend the founding anniversary ball.

I dont like him even though he said that.

Well, it still worked out for us, right? Weve achieved what we wanted despite not putting in much effort.

Thats true.

First Sword would participate in the founding anniversary ball.

The Lord Protector should feel nervous now.

Just the presence of First Sword himself would put him under pressure, right?

Yes, and even if the First Sword belonged to the aristocrats its not in his nature to ignore the royal family dying in front of his eyes. Hell probably fight against the Lord Protector.

Hohoho, does that mean we got rid of our biggest headache?

We still need some fine adjustments to it.

But it was true that they were relieved of a heavy burden.

They had been looking for a way to get First Sword to attend the founding ball, so their problem had been solved now.

HaaIm tired. Lets go in and rest.

Yes, lets go back and get some rest today. We have to do a lot of preparations starting tomorrow.

Preparations? For what? For Princess Daphnes tea party?

Because there are only three days left. In addition, its a tea party where all the popular young ladies in the royal capital will be gathered. So we have to be prepared.

In a way, it was a prelude to the founding anniversary ball.

Hehehe Ill show them. The angel-like beauty of my Cordelia

Cordelia unconsciously flinched when she saw Judes sly smile, and she pulled on his sleeve.

Hey, do you know that you like a pervert now?

But we need to promote our shampoo and conditioner. Yes, thats right. From today on, Ill be supervising it properly. With Cordelias beautiful face, Ill make them forget about Princess Daphne.

As Jude clenched his fist, Cordelia narrowed her brows and said.

Princess Daphne is a woman too, okay?

Is there a problem with that?

When Jude tilted his head, Cordelia shook her head and sighed.

Anyway, you keep thinking about dressing me up, but Ill dress you up too, okay? Im going to be a Prince Maker, okay?

Sure. Lets improve ourselves by learning from each other.

Jude smiled and extended his hand to Cordelia, and she automatically held his hand.

Then, let me escort you back to your room, my beautiful lady.

Cordelia smiled when Jude politely spoke to escort her, and she shrugged her shoulders before heading back to their rooms.

And that night.

Under the night sky where the moon and stars very brightly shone.

Something that Cordelia didnt expect to happen then happened.