My Childhood Friend Told Me to Go Marry the Most Beautiful Woman in the Kingdom, So I Seriously Started Improving Myself—and Somehow Ended Up Making Women Fall Hard - Chapter 92 & 93

Chapter 92: Together Into the Battlefield

Side: Luminaria Edelstein Valshrein

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Yes. Sir Hort, please come again tomorrow.”

After finishing his first day, Sir Hort left my room and returned to the chamber prepared for him inside the castle.

Watching his back as he walked away, I finally released the breath that had been trapped deep inside my chest.

“Phew…”

Even I was surprised by how tense my shoulders had been.

Receiving a Royal Guard knight in the royal private chambers.

It should have been something simple.

And yet today, I found myself checking my heartbeat again and again.

It was fast.

Warm.

Even though it was my own heart, it refused to calm down.

I had never felt this sensation during diplomatic meetings.

“Gina, do you think Sir Hort thought I was strange? Asking for a brassiere the very first time we met.”

“I cannot say for certain what Sir Hort thinks. However… he was certainly surprised.”

“Yes… that’s true.”

I covered my lips with my fingers.

Because I was about to laugh.

It was exactly the reaction I expected.

But at the same time, it was even more wonderful than I had imagined.

“Fufu… that embarrassed expression he made. It was very adorable.”

The moment I said it out loud, my cheeks felt even warmer.

This wouldn’t do.

A princess shouldn’t get carried away like this.

And yet…

If the prince from your daydreams suddenly appears right in front of you—

I think anyone would feel a little excited.

“I’ve only met Sir Hort once… but I’ve imagined him many times since then.”

Gina quietly nodded.

She always listened without interrupting.

“The stories you reported to me. The newspaper clippings. And his real achievements…”

Every time his name appeared in the papers, I carefully cut out the article.

It was strange.

I simply felt happy.

And proud.

The knight who appeared that day without asking for any reward… kept rising higher and higher.

High enough to eventually reach me.

…Was this fate?

If we had never met that day, I would never have supported him.

“Following his journey every day became something I truly enjoyed. That’s why I finally decided.”

I turned my eyes toward the window.

From here I could see the entire city below.

But I didn’t know how long this peaceful sight would last.

The Kingdom of Valshrein was standing on the edge of a crisis.

The king had fallen ill.

For now, my older brother—the First Prince—had taken over the kingdom’s duties.

But his beliefs… would not guide this country in a good direction.

Carefully choosing my words, I held the feelings deep inside my chest.

“I wonder… will Sir Hort walk the path of hardship with me?”

It was a question that sounded almost like a wish.

“Lady Lumina.”

Gina called me by my nickname.

It was a signal.

She only used that name when we were about to speak about matters that couldn’t be said publicly.

Normally, Gina called me “my lady” and never used my name.

So hearing it now changed the atmosphere instantly.

It meant Gina had something she wanted to say.

“What is it?”

“Sir Hort is the type of person who never gives up, no matter how difficult the situation. He will not bow down. He will continue pursuing the truth behind any incident.”

It was her usual calm evaluation.

But between those simple words, I could clearly feel Gina’s trust in him.

“Even if the truth turns out to be something very tragic… Sir Hort will still make his own judgment and decide for himself.”

The wraith incident involving Sister Natasha.

Sir Hort never told her the truth about her father.

Even now, I still don’t fully understand that kindness.

Truth can save people someday.

With enough time, people can overcome even painful things.

And yet, Sir Hort chose not to tell her.

He buried the truth deep inside his own heart… and kept it from her.

“Sir Hort… is the kind of person who decides based on what he believes is right, isn’t he?”

“Yes. If Lady Lumina speaks from her heart, I believe Sir Hort will accept it.”

“…You really think so?”

I traced the rim of my teacup with my fingertip.

The thin porcelain felt cool against my skin.

Would he truly accept it?

Even though I am the Fourth Princess… I am planning to do something outrageous.

I intend to change the shape of this kingdom.

To shake the balance within the royal family itself.

I have no idea how many people this might trouble.

Even so… I have already decided.

Because there is no one else who will act.

My older brother and sister are both brilliant.

And precisely because they are so brilliant… they cannot understand the hearts of others.

My eldest brother, Prince Schwarz.

My eldest sister, Princess Victoris.

Both of them are perfect—gifted in both talent and appearance.

They are powerful enough to serve as Crown Knights of this generation.

And on top of that, my eldest sister’s husband is also a Crown Knight.

It wasn’t because they were royalty or nobles.

They were Crown Knights because they were truly talented and powerful.

Then there was the Second Prince, my brother Phantom.

His skill as a mage had been recognized, and he now owned his own mage tower and held the rank of professor.

A Crown Knight.

A master of a mage tower.

To me, they were dazzling figures—people who felt impossibly far away.

Standing beside that brilliance…

I was always the weak one.

My body was frail.

I couldn’t wield a sword.

I couldn’t stand in places that smelled of blood.

So I chose a different path.

A path where I fought with the sword of words, protected with the shield of documents, and wore my smile as armor.

While my older sisters—the Second and Third Princesses—married into foreign countries…

I was given a different role by my father, the king.

I became a diplomat.

Instead of marrying away, I traveled between nations as the kingdom’s negotiator.

Banquets.

Negotiations.

Compromises.

Pressure.

Deals.

Reading between the lines.

Repeating those things again and again, I slowly built a political foundation.

Believing that would become my weapon.

But a kingdom cannot be protected with words alone.

Even inside this castle… demons had infiltrated.

I received reports that demons had been found within the First Knight Order.

Even the knight orders had begun to rot.

If that was the case—

Then I needed a sword at my side.

A sword that could turn my ideals into reality.

And today, I finally welcomed that sword.

Hort Rubel.

Still inexperienced…

But the man I personally chose.

“…Hey, Gina.”

“Yes, Lady Lumina.”

“What if… he refuses my request?”

The moment I said it out loud, my chest ached a little.

If he refused…

I was afraid of that.

In diplomacy, I was used to being rejected.

And yet…

The thought of Sir Hort rejecting me frightened me.

Gina lowered her eyes slightly before speaking.

“So even the cunning Lady Lumina has worries.”

“G-Gina! Even if you use my nickname, there are still things you shouldn’t say!”

“I think that bold attitude suits Lumina much better.”

“Hey!”

“You were the one who forced open my heart, Lumina.”

“Honestly, Gina… you can be so mean.”

But her words gave me a small push forward.

Right now, I was being weak.

Pathetic, even.

Just watching Sir Hort walk away had made my heart race like this.

I gently placed my hand over my chest.

My heartbeat was still fast.

“First, Sir Hort will need to become stronger… strong enough to defeat the Crown Knights. And it seems I’ll need to convince my cousin to finally get serious as well.”

“So you will bring her to your side after all.”

“Yes. She’s someone I need. That’s why I brought Haua over to my side.”

Sir Hort and I would walk toward hell.

It would surely be a brutal path full of thorns—

A true road of hardship.

But…

I had already decided to walk it.

Chapter 93: The Weight of What Was Lost (11)

Side: Rina Carhoi

His name was printed across the front page of the newspaper.

Hort Rubel.

Hero who defeated the demon that appeared in the royal capital!

Promoted five ranks at once.

Appointed High Knight.

Selected for the Royal Guard!

As my eyes followed the words, something strange stirred deep inside my chest.

“…No way.”

He used to stand beside me, always smiling gently.

Whenever I gave him an order, he would reply, “Yeah, sure!” and carry it out like a servant.

A baron’s son.

Unreliable.

Someone who never stood out.

And now he was a Royal Guard knight?

One of the special knights chosen from among all the others?

It sounded so ridiculous that I should have laughed.

But I couldn’t.

The ink on the newspaper had already dried.

Yet my fingertips felt strangely damp.

“Hmph… so he’s coming to the royal castle now. Maybe I should go see his face. The moment he sees me, he’ll probably be happy and cling to me again.”

(Are you sure about that? He doesn’t look like someone who has a master anymore.)

“Shut up!”

If I saw him… something might change.

Ever since I separated from Hort, everything had been going wrong.

So if I saw him again—

Maybe things would return to how they used to be.

♢

The castle corridors had always felt cold to me.

The stone floor reflected the sound of my footsteps perfectly, leaving nowhere for the noise to escape.

I stood hidden behind an unnoticeable pillar.

The cloak of a court magician hung over my shoulders, its sleeves slightly worn at the cuffs.

I wasn’t good at laundry.

I wasn’t good at cleaning either.

Little by little, my appearance had grown more shabby.

And yet… no one noticed me.

No one cared.

I had successfully summoned a spirit.

I had written a paper about it—and that succeeded too.

Because of that, I was recognized as a court magician and given my own research room.

But that was all.

Since then… I hadn’t produced a single result.

No matter how quietly I held my breath behind the pillar, people simply passed by me.

The newspaper had said it.

Once Hort recovered from his serious injuries, he would enter the royal castle as a Royal Guard knight.

For a moment, I thought about visiting him while he was recovering.

But I had my own work to do.

So I waited.

I knew waiting like this felt childish.

But I couldn’t help it.

Because right now…

I had no plans.

No one I wanted to meet.

Not even a room I could proudly return to.

And yet, I still wanted to keep up appearances.

The floor of my room was covered with piles of paper, bottles, and stacks of unsorted magic books.

Every time I thought about cleaning it up, my head grew heavy and my hands stopped moving.

The window stayed closed.

If I opened it, the voices from outside would come in.

And in the corner of the room—

Leaning back against a chair with his legs crossed sat a shadow with a mocking smile.

The demon.

Asmo.

(The great court magician is hard at work again today, huh? In a room where you can’t even see the floor. What are you researching? Talent? Or excuses?)

When I stayed silent, Asmo laughed even more, clearly enjoying himself.

(Hey, master. You want someone to save you, don’t you? But you’re not even used to being saved. How funny.)

I could only grit my teeth.

I couldn’t drive him away.

If I did, it would mean admitting that my spirit summoning had failed.

So… if it were Hort—

Just like back then, he would face things directly.

He would choose me.

He would support me.

Maybe… he could change something.

The moment I thought that, I felt my heart grow a little lighter.

A faint hope.

A foolish hope.

But even so… I wanted to cling to that foolishness.

Footsteps approached.

Steady. Heavy.

I held my breath.

The moment the figure turned the corner, my heart almost stopped.

Hort Rubel.

He looked taller than when we last parted.

His posture was confident, his armor fitting him naturally like he had truly become a knight.

Royal Guard equipment.

A polished breastplate.

Perfectly crafted metal fittings.

A firm belt that didn’t sway.

And that ridiculously large sword… resting on his back as if it weighed nothing.

He walked straight forward.

Even the way he walked had changed.

He wasn’t the Hort who used to stand behind me, gentle and soft.

Maybe he had experienced many battles as a knight.

Now he looked sharp.

Manly.

My throat grew hot.

My chest tightened.

I knew I had to say something.

But no words came out.

Before I realized it, my feet had already started moving.

“…Hort.”

My voice came out hoarse.

Even to me, it sounded like someone else’s voice.

Hort stopped walking and turned around.

The moment his eyes met mine, the hope deep in my chest swelled.

But that hope quickly faded.

Cold.

So distant.

He wasn’t angry.

He didn’t hate me.

It was simply the look of someone who no longer thought I mattered.

His eyes weren’t truly seeing me.

The Hort who used to snap back at me, like he was biting at my words—

He was gone.

“…Rina.”

He said my name.

But hearing it didn’t make me happy.

His voice was flat.

Just confirming who I was.

I tried to smile.

I tried to form a proper smile.

But my cheeks stiffened.

“It’s been quite a while.”

My own voice sounded fake.

Hort only gave a short nod.

“Yeah. It has.”

That was it.

Panic rose inside me.

If this ended here, nothing would change.

No—

If it ended like this, then everything I had done to come here would lose its meaning.

So my mouth moved before I could stop it.

“So you became a Royal Guard knight? Looks like you’ve been doing pretty well.”

Even I knew it sounded unpleasant.

But if I didn’t speak like this, I wouldn’t be able to keep talking to him.

Hort’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“I haven’t forgotten what you told me that day, Rina. About marrying the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. That’s why I came this far.”

“…What?”

“As a Royal Guard knight, I’ll become a man worthy of being chosen by the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. Well then.”

Did my words really change him?

Heh…

So after all—

You still like me, don’t you?

“Wait a minute!”

“Is there something else?”

“There’s no way someone like you could marry the most beautiful woman in the kingdom!”

My voice came out louder than I intended.

It echoed through the castle corridor, and even I was surprised by it.

Hort stopped and turned around.

But this time, his eyes were even colder than before.

“Yeah. Right now I’m still weak and pathetic. I only made it this far because of the people around me. But I’m moving forward to become a man who’s strong enough to be recognized.”

And with that, Hort walked away without turning back again.

Not for me.

Not because of me.

He was already walking his own path.

As if there had never been any place for me in it.

Impossible.

“…You could just choose me.”

I was left standing behind the pillar.

The cold stone corridor suddenly felt painfully real.

Something inside my chest tightened.

That faint hope—that maybe he would help me—

Shattered the moment I saw his cold attitude.

Among the scattered pieces of that broken hope, one thing became painfully clear to me.

He had grown strong enough to become a Royal Guard knight because of my words.

So in the end—

The one you choose will be me.