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 96 & 97

Chapter 96: An Unpleasant Guy

Lady Lumina was always busy, constantly walking through the royal castle.

Little by little, a map of the castle was forming inside my head.

Unlike ordinary buildings, every part of the royal castle was first-class.

Carpets that swallowed the sound of footsteps.

Pillars that reflected the light.

And countless pieces of furniture that were clearly valuable.

And more than anything else… the presence of the lady walking beside me seemed to grow stronger with each passing day.

Today as well, Lady Lumina moved forward calmly.

Gina walked beside her like a secretary, while Dame Haua led the way as her guard.

She once said her body was weak.

And yet her back never bent.

Was that the strength of royalty… or simply Lady Lumina’s own strength?

Thinking about that for a moment, I followed behind them.

Then it happened.

From around the corner ahead, another presence approached.

The air turned cold.

The density of mana shifted.

The guards on the other side instantly changed their posture.

A knight wearing the armor of the Royal Guard stopped in front of us, standing face-to-face with Haua as if testing her.

Royalty.

Without thinking, I stepped half a step in front of Lady Lumina.

The one who appeared was a tall man.

A black cloak.

A high collar.

Decorations kept to a strict minimum.

And those sharp eyes were cold—like ice.

Beside him stood another man.

Noble clothing, with a green robe.

I knew that face.

The court mage, Magnum Flabo Galactica, son of a duke.

…The man Rina chose.

The heir of House Galactica—

A family infamous for endless rumors involving women.

“Luminaria, is it? A powerless woman wandering around the castle again. Have you grown tired of playing diplomat yet?”

“No need to worry, Brother Phantom. I’m still busy with my diplomatic duties today.”

For just a moment, Lady Lumina’s expression shifted slightly.

The Second Prince, Phantom Galactica Valshrein.

Lady Lumina answered politely, but her body had clearly stiffened.

The man beside him—Magnum—looked over at us and grinned.

“Brother, look at that. She even brought along a loser dog knight.”

The way he said it made it obvious.

He knew exactly who I was.

And when his eyes met mine, he openly laughed.

“Brother Phantom, this is the guy I told you about. The pathetic man—Hort Rubel.”

“Hort Rubel?”

Prince Phantom’s gaze pierced straight into me.

At that moment, Magnum stepped forward even more.

“Yes. The man who cried and ran away after I stole his woman. And lately I hear he’s been flattering women by making bras for them?”

“Bwahaha!”

Prince Phantom burst out laughing.

“What is he, a clown?!”

…Princess Lumina’s fist tightened.

Because of me, even the princess was being mocked.

But if I pushed back here, it would only cause her more trouble.

A member of the royal family laughing at someone’s past as if it were a joke.

So this was the Second Prince…

The only small relief was that his laughter wasn’t directed at Lady Lumina.

“I serve as a Royal Guard knight. My name is Hort Rubel. I am here as the escort of the Fourth Princess. Prince Phantom, if you are in a hurry to pass, please go ahead.”

“A mere Royal Guard knight… blocking my path?”

Prince Phantom deliberately raised an eyebrow.

“You mean to stand in the way of Phantom Galactica Valshrein, the Second Prince and master of a mage tower?”

The pressure was intense.

His mana was overwhelming.

Even breathing felt heavy.

But my feet didn’t move back.

Compared to facing Daitaros, this was nothing.

And my training with Haua had definitely made me stronger.

“I have no intention of standing before Your Highness. As an escort, I am only standing between my lady and Your Highness.”

Prince Phantom’s eyes narrowed.

Then he turned his gaze toward Magnum.

“Hey, Magnum. So what happened to that woman?”

“I threw her away right away.”

Magnum shrugged casually.

“I thought she was a clever woman, but in reality she was just a boring girl who only had brains and nothing else. I even bothered to pay attention to her, and she still turned out to be the worst. A useless woman like that… honestly has no value.”

At that moment—

Something inside me snapped.

Before I realized it, my sword was already drawn.

The sharp sound of metal echoed through the castle corridor.

The air froze.

“Hey.”

Prince Phantom’s voice dropped, and the temperature around us fell with it.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

His eyes moved to the blade… then slowly returned to my face.

My sword was resting against Magnum’s neck.

If I pulled it even a little, Magnum would lose his life.

Back when Rina first broke up with me, I wouldn’t have been able to do something like this.

Magnum wasn’t weak either.

As a court mage, he had gone through proper training.

And yet… even I was surprised at how smoothly my sword had moved.

“Hort! What are you doing?!”

“My apologies, Lady Lumina.”

Lady Lumina stepped forward as well, her voice filled with alarm.

I kept my sword raised, watching the two of them without taking my eyes off them.

Prince Phantom, who had been releasing his mana earlier, now directed his anger toward me.

Meanwhile, Magnum looked utterly terrified.

“There was someone extremely disgusting standing in front of me… so I thought perhaps he might be possessed by a demon.”

“W-What?!”

Magnum’s eyes widened.

Prince Phantom, however, only smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth.

“Oh?”

I continued.

“Until recently, I served as a knight in the Third Knight Order. Your Highness should already know this, but a demon appeared in the royal capital. I was the one who defeated that demon, and because of that achievement, I was promoted to a Royal Guard knight.”

“And what of it?”

I turned my gaze directly toward Prince Phantom.

“Your Highness.”

“What?”

And then I said it without holding back.

“The man there—Magnum. It’s possible he’s possessed by a demon. The moment he saw me, he showed hostility and began throwing malicious insults. Perhaps he intends to take revenge for his comrade. May I kill him?”

The air in the corridor completely froze.

The guards held their breath.

Lady Lumina’s face turned pale.

Prince Phantom’s eyes gleamed dangerously.

“Kukuku… Ahahaha! This is interesting—very interesting! You’re saying Magnum is possessed by a demon?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, in front of two members of the royal family, he openly insulted a woman who worked hard to become a court mage. And he forced such vulgar talk upon two noble people. His intelligence is far too low. I cannot believe this is the same Magnum—a duke’s heir and court mage. The only explanation is that he’s possessed by a rather stupid demon.”

As I kept my sword pointed at him, Magnum collapsed onto the floor with a thud.

“H-Hey! How dare you! I am the heir to a ducal house!”

“Oh? That doesn’t sound like the proud Magnum who once told me, ‘What a pathetic man. I expected more backbone. You don’t even show a face of despair—how boring.’ Are you only capable of speaking when you’re in a superior position? Because right now… you look pretty desperate.”

I raised my sword, ready to strike down the “demon.”

Killing intent filled the air.

I prepared to cut down the disgusting man in front of me—the one who treated women like objects.

“Stop!”

I only needed to swing my sword down once more, and Magnum would have been cut down.

But Prince Phantom’s voice rang out.

At that instant, I stopped my blade.

Haua’s sword was already at my neck.

And between Magnum and me, one of Prince Phantom’s Royal Guard knights had stepped in, his sword blocking the space between us.

Even if I had swung, it would have been stopped… and I would have died.

“That farce is enough. Hort Rubel… I’ll remember your name. You seem far more hot-blooded than the rumors suggest.”

“Prince Phantom, I deeply apologize for my rudeness in front of Princess Luminaria.”

I placed my sword on the floor and bowed my head toward them.

“I said it was a farce. I provoked you myself. I’ll allow it as entertainment. But do not expect a second time.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“Magnum, how pathetic. Get up.”

“Y-Yes!”

“Let’s go.”

Prince Phantom left without another word.

Magnum glared at me with a face full of resentment as he followed behind.

And the moment they were gone—

Haua’s fist slammed straight into me.

“Don’t you dare put your lord in danger! That was a disgrace for a Royal Guard!”

“My apologies!”

I quickly got back up and bowed deeply to Lady Lumina.

“Sir Hort.”

“Lady Lumina, I’m truly sorry.”

Even if my blood had boiled over in that moment… I still put Lady Lumina in danger.

That wasn’t something that could simply be forgiven.

“Hort.”

“Yes, my lady!”

I braced myself.

Whatever she was about to say… it might even cost me my position.

“Bad boy!”

“…Huh?”

“Fufu. Honestly, you gave me quite a scare. But seeing that unpleasant Brother Phantom and his little follower—Magnum from the Galactica ducal house—get completely shut down… that felt very satisfying.”

Lady Lumina was laughing, clearly enjoying herself.

“Honestly, young people are so hot-blooded. Still… I don’t dislike it.”

Haua laughed loudly.

I had thought I might actually lose my position as a Royal Guard.

After all, when Magnum mocked Rina, my body had moved on its own.

“As your superior, I already gave you your punishment. And since your lord has forgiven you, the matter ends here. Though they might file a complaint later. Still… you’ve got quite the sharp tongue.”

“Sharp tongue?”

“That part about Magnum being possessed by a demon was good. And the way you said ‘in front of both royal highnesses’ wasn’t bad either. Both royals witnessed the situation themselves. Until Magnum clears that suspicion, he’ll be treated as someone the Royal Guard suspects… which means he won’t be able to approach Prince Phantom easily.”

My blood had rushed to my head earlier, and I had blurted out something ridiculous.

“Fufu. Weakening Brother Phantom’s support like that was quite nice.”

“…Huh?”

“Perhaps it’s fine to explain things to Hort now.”

“What…?”

“Yes. Since Brother Phantom most likely already sees you as an enemy.”

While I stood there completely stunned, Lady Lumina and Dame Haua were both smiling like they were having a great time.

Chapter 97: A Private Discussion

After finishing the day’s work, we returned to Lady Lumina’s private room.

But the incident in the corridor kept replaying in my mind.

My back was still damp with sweat.

Haua walked in first, then glanced back at me and jerked her chin.

“Hey, stop standing there. Sit down. Just because you’re in front of the princess doesn’t mean you have to stand there like a statue. We won’t get anywhere like that.”

Hearing that, I hesitated for a moment.

Honestly, I felt like a kid waiting to be scolded.

Lady Lumina sat down on the sofa and gave a soft smile.

“It’s fine. Hort, please come in and sit down, just as Haua said. This will be a rather long conversation.”

“…Excuse me.”

I sat in the chair she offered.

Haua dropped heavily into another seat. Even the way she sat had no openings. Somehow, even while sitting, she still looked ready to jump into a fight at any moment.

Gina quietly prepared tea for us.

Steam rose gently from the cups, and a pleasant aroma spread through the room.

Before reaching for the cup, I lowered my head.

“I’m sorry about earlier. That was not acceptable behavior for a Royal Guard knight.”

“That simply means it was something you couldn’t forgive, Hort.”

“…Huh?”

“That was the first time I’ve seen you truly angry. Gina had reported things about you before, but now I understand. When you truly become angry… it’s because you are ready to fight seriously for someone else.”

Thinking about it… I had gotten seriously angry over Rina.

To be honest, even I didn’t fully understand why.

Rina chose Magnum and threw me away.

But we had known each other since childhood. I had watched her work hard all that time. Sure, she had plenty of sloppy and pathetic moments.

But becoming a court mage had always been her dream.

And hearing someone laugh at a friend who had worked so hard for that dream… that made my blood boil.

“Even so… I’m still sorry.”

After sorting out my thoughts, I apologized again.

There was no doubt that I had acted on emotion.

Even if someone said I had failed as an escort, I wouldn’t have any excuse.

But Lady Lumina shook her head.

“It’s fine. Haua has already given you your punishment.”

Beside her, Haua snorted.

“If that wasn’t enough, I can add more later.”

“…If it comes to that, I’ll accept it.”

“Good answer. Then tomorrow morning’s training will be doubled.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Lady Lumina laughed quietly, then her expression changed.

The softness from earlier disappeared in an instant.

Now she wore the face of a princess handling diplomacy.

“Let’s change the topic. There is something I wish to tell you, Hort.”

“Something… you want to tell me?”

“Yes.”

Lady Lumina took a small sip of tea, then gently placed the cup down.

“Right now, this country is facing an unprecedented crisis.”

“…An unprecedented crisis?”

“Yes. And I believe that is the very reason demons have managed to slip into the kingdom.”

I straightened my back.

The demon incident wasn’t caused only by corruption in the knight orders.

The distortion within the country itself had created the gap that demons slipped through.

That was what Lady Lumina was saying.

“To begin with… my father, His Majesty the King, has fallen ill. Officially it is described as ‘rest and recovery,’ but in truth he can no longer continue handling state affairs for long periods. For now, my elder brother—the First Prince—has taken over most of the decisions and administrative work.”

“The First Prince…”

“Yes. However…”

Lady Lumina’s eyes cooled slightly.

“My brother has little interest in governing the country.”

“…You mean he’s indifferent?”

“Yes. His sense of responsibility as crown prince is weak. He handles the tasks placed before him, but when it comes to deciding how to guide the kingdom with his own will… that resolve simply isn’t there.”

This wasn’t something a knight from a minor noble family like me had the right to comment on.

But Lady Lumina was clearly telling me this on purpose.

“Normally, the most stable path would be for the First Prince to inherit the throne while those around him support him. For a long time, I worked through diplomacy to prepare the foundation for that future.”

“So that’s why you’ve been working in diplomacy, Lady Lumina…”

“Yes. So that when my brother ascends the throne, the country won’t fall into chaos. So that other nations won’t take advantage of the situation. I have been building pillars outside the royal family to support the kingdom.”

Banquets.

Negotiations.

Subtle threats.

Careful compromises.

Smiling while reading the intentions hidden behind every word.

Battles I couldn’t even imagine.

That was the battlefield where Lady Lumina had been fighting.

Not with a sword—

But with words.

“However, the problem isn’t only my elder brother.”

Lady Lumina paused there for a moment.

It was the kind of pause someone made before stepping into a difficult subject.

“Seeing that my brother has little interest in the throne, other people have started making their own moves.”

“You mean… other members of the royal family?”

“Yes.”

Her voice sounded like she was carefully holding her emotions back.

“The First Princess, my sister Victoris, is extremely capable. She has both ability and strong influence. However… she is leaning toward very aggressive decisions when it comes to other nations.”

I felt like this was the first time I had ever heard Lady Lumina speak critically about her siblings.

“Aggressive… meaning?”

“To put it simply—war. Her idea is that ‘before the kingdom falls into disorder, we should create an enemy outside and unite the country internally.’ In other words, victory justifies everything. Silence others with force. That is the kind of thinking she follows.”

Haua drank her tea with a bitter expression.

“She’s always been like that. Sharp mind. Strong fighter. That’s exactly what makes her troublesome. She never doubts her own strength.”

A strong person who believed their strength was absolute.

Even I understood how dangerous that could be.

You start believing you can only see wars you’re certain to win.

You stop seeing the soldiers who will die… and the civilians who will be dragged into it.

“And then there is the Second Prince—Brother Phantom. He strongly believes in the idea of ‘chosen people.’”

I remembered the cold feeling I had sensed in the corridor earlier.

Those eyes.

They were the eyes of someone judging people… measuring their worth.

“He intends to run the country in a way that favors the nobility—especially his own faction. He truly believes that only the talented deserve to stand at the top.”

“…So the common people would just be discarded.”

“He might not even realize he’s doing that. To him, people are probably divided from the start—those ‘worth protecting’ and those who are not.”

Hearing that, Magnum’s laughter from earlier echoed in my mind.

Treating women like objects.

Laughing at a lower-ranked knight like I was a clown.

If those kinds of people gathered around him, it wasn’t hard to imagine what Prince Phantom’s beliefs looked like.

“No matter which way things go…”

The words slipped out of my mouth before I realized it.

“The kingdom will end up in serious trouble.”

“Yes.”

Lady Lumina looked straight at me.

“Both paths will destroy this country. The only difference is how it gets destroyed.”

The room fell silent.

Corruption within the knight orders.

Demons infiltrating the kingdom.

And the schemes of the royal family.

Maybe the incidents I had seen so far were only a small piece of a much bigger problem.

“That’s why I believe the best option is for my elder brother—the First Prince—to take the throne.”

“The First Prince…”

“Yes. However, leaving things as they are won’t work.”

At that moment, a spark lit in Lady Lumina’s eyes.

“My brother must develop the will of a king. At the very least, he cannot become a king who is simply controlled by others. For that to happen, I must step into the position of supporting the government.”

“A supporting position…”

“I will become the Prime Minister and rebuild this country.”

Lady Lumina was trying to carry a burden far too heavy for one person.

Responsibility, enemies… she was preparing to take all of it upon herself.

“But in the worst case…”

“…The worst case?”

I was afraid to ask.

But after hearing this much, staying silent didn’t feel right either.

“In that case, I will choose another path.”

Lady Lumina lowered her eyes for a moment.

Then she looked up at me again, her expression firm with resolve.

“If I ultimately decide that my elder brother does not have what it takes to carry the throne…”

Her voice didn’t shake.

She had clearly thought about this possibility many times already.

“…then I intend to take the throne myself.”

The weight of those words didn’t just hang in the air.

They stabbed straight into my chest.

The Fourth Princess had just said she would become king.

Not as a joke.

Not in a moment of emotion.

She meant it.

For a while, I couldn’t say anything.

The throne was something far too distant for someone like me.

But the woman sitting in front of me was trying to grab that distant thing with her own hands… and take responsibility for it.

Seeing that I remained silent, Lady Lumina quietly continued.

“You probably think it’s reckless. Some people will laugh and say I don’t know my place. In fact… many already do.”

“…No.”

I shook my head.

Before I could even organize my thoughts, the words came out.

“I don’t know yet if it’s reckless or not. But I can’t laugh at it.”

Lady Lumina’s eyes widened slightly.

At that moment, I remembered my sister.

I couldn’t laugh at someone who was working hard.

And once you’ve seen the effort someone puts in behind the scenes…

You really can’t laugh at them anymore.

“I don’t know everything about how hard you work every day, Lady Lumina. But I’ve seen it. From morning to night you’re constantly moving. Even while I’m training, you’re reviewing documents. And after that you’re meeting people until late at night… yet you still keep going.”

As I spoke, I realized my voice was getting a little heated.

“When someone works that hard… I can’t just treat their words lightly.”

Haua watched me silently.

It wasn’t the look of someone testing me.

It felt more like she was confirming something.

Lady Lumina let out a small breath.

Her shoulders seemed to relax just a little.

“…Thank you, Hort.”

“But…”

I paused for a moment.

“Why tell me all this?”

That was the most important question.

This was about the struggle for the throne.

Once you heard something like that, there was no easy way to step back.

Lady Lumina answered without hesitation.

“Because I want you to become my sword.”

Her words were direct.

So direct that I didn’t even have time to look for an escape.

“Not just as a Royal Guard who follows orders. I want you to stand beside me after understanding what I see… and what I want to protect. Just like today, when you became angry for someone else—I want you to remain that kind of sword.”

My heart thumped heavily in my chest.

Protecting her as a Royal Guard… that wasn’t all.

She was telling me to stand there knowing what that sword was meant to protect.

“That is also why I told you to become a Crown Knight.”

Lady Lumina’s eyes were completely serious.

“Whether I aim for the throne myself, or place my brother on it and support him… in the end, what we will need is strength. A country cannot be protected by ideals alone. We need a sword. One strong enough to defeat my brother and sister if necessary.”

Haua spoke up.

“The princess is right. Words can move the pieces on the board. But if you don’t want the board flipped over at the end, you need strong pieces to hold the line.”

If this had been the old me, I might have hated hearing that.

But now it felt different.

Supporting someone after knowing their dream… that wasn’t the same as simply being used.

“…I…”

I started to speak, but my throat tightened.

What exactly was my dream?

I had come this far saying I wanted to marry the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.

And I meant that. Even if people laughed at it, it was still my dream.

But the dream of the princess sitting in front of me now… carried the weight of the entire kingdom.

The scale was completely different.

Even so, I couldn’t step back.

“…I still don’t understand most of it.”

I said honestly.

“I don’t understand the throne. Or politics. Or the struggles between the royal family. There’s still a lot I don’t know.”

“Yes.”

“But I do understand one thing. Lady Lumina is serious.”

I met her gaze directly.

“So I’ll become serious too. I’ll become stronger.”

The moment I said it out loud, my resolve strangely settled.

“First, I’ll properly protect you as a Royal Guard. And after that… I’ll aim to become a Crown Knight.”

Haua grinned.

“You said it now. Don’t go running away later.”

“I won’t.”

“Good. Then starting tomorrow, I’ll break you even harder.”

“I’m counting on it!”

“Heh… you’re quite the man.”

At Haua’s immediate reply, Lady Lumina let out a small laugh.

That smile wasn’t the composed face of a princess anymore.

For just a moment, she looked like a girl her own age.

“Thank you, Hort.”

Lady Lumina folded both hands gently on her lap.

But those hands were trembling.

Speaking about her resolve.

Talking about her dream.

Just how much pressure had this girl been carrying all this time?

Was becoming her sword really the only thing I could do for her?