Translator: Yui
Editor: Nila

The two-day long massacre ended so quickly that I wondered if it had ever started at all.

 

Now, the loud and boisterous rejoicing of the crowd, growing in intensity, felt somewhat empty.

 

Between all the flowers, handkerchiefs, confetti, crosses, flags, and other objects being thrown into the arena, one silver-haired knight, lying in the middle of the flat ground and breathing hard, slowly raised his body.

 

His chest heaved as he plunged his sword into the dirt and leaned on it. The healers came out and hurried to reach him.

 

“Izek! Izek! Izek!”

 

“I love you! I love you, Sir knight!”

 

“The best knight in the North! The best knight in the North!”

 

The crowd’s excitement grew as mine withered. I fell back into my seat with a thud, sighing. The solemn and dull feeling in my chest came back.

 

Even if things had changed from what I knew of the original novel, it still ended exactly the same as it had been written.

 

The world’s main character, Izek van Omerta, won the Gladiatorial Match once again.

 

The cheers grew even louder. Yes, that’s how it should be.

 

“Ruby, I thought you’d be happier.”

 

Are you telling me to control my expression? I clenched my jaw, trying my hardest not to say something damning, but when I turned my head and glared at the person sitting next to me, that shameless man looked so irritatingly calm, that I couldn’t help but scoff.

 

“Should I be dancing with joy right now?”

 

“… I just thought you’d be in a hurry to meet him.”

 

“I never could have imagined what type of surprises would come out, but it’s obvious that he would have won either way, right? I don’t know who came up with the idea of bringing Cardinal Richie, but you certainly know how to make one enjoy the festival. Why didn’t you bring more?”

 

“There aren’t many cardinals who killed themselves,” Cesare smirked and leaned closer. “We were all worried about what type of entertainment would be appropriate to replace the Ice Dragon that mysteriously disappeared, since we were all expecting him.”

 

I gazed at him for a long time after that dig, trying to figure out what he meant by that. How much did he know? What was he trying to tell me? Should I just laugh?

 

He made me nervous, but I still gave him a soft smile. “You must be really happy to see your gift to him be dealt with so swiftly. Everyone would think you’re his wife, not me.”

 

The staring competition between me and Cesare continued on for a while as the whistling and cheering grew more unruly.

 

The Northerners’ patriotism must be at an all-time high. I could feel their shouts reverberating in my bones and I turned away from Cesare, watching as Izek was surrounded by healers and kneeling in front of the balcony where the King of Britannia was seated.

 

I was curious about what kind of faces they were all making. Izek, King Feanol, Duke Omerta and Ellenia too. They’d be bursting with pride, wouldn’t they? I should have been sitting right next to them.

 

“Ruby… You don’t have to worry about a single thing.”

 

My eyebrows twitched. What kind of random line was this? This jerk seemed to be very determined to capture my attention today.

 

are you

 

husband. He will… Don’t worry, I

 

and dark eyes, the color of shimmering sapphires,

 

was so speechless that I almost lost all

 

shaken and unstable, but he seemed to be really losing it this time. How could he say such a thing? What was he thinking? I already knew that Cesare was a man with no common sense and was

 

was mentioning it right here with everyone from Romagna around us, that

 

Was he trying to reassure me? Was he trying to tell

 

joking at all. It was clear in his eyes, he was telling me the truth. He

 

couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe that he was telling me this. That he was acting like he had done nothing wrong. As if it was me that had kissed him. As if it was me that was in the wrong. As

 

to the public at all? Was he not aware of the gravity of the situation? Was he not

 

was so overwhelmed with the feeling of panic, of dread and fear, that tears began to well up

 

brother, kissed me on his own, destroyed all of my dreams, my safe haven, crushed it into the dirt and stomped all over

 

trembled and I couldn’t swallow back the tears that were about to fall. I wanted to look away, but I

 

sound of hoofbeats coming

 

the North sat proudly on a pure white stallion, the

 

the holy sword that had led him to his victory, and at the end of it was a wreath of flowers, woven with golden roses and dazzling gemstones. It was the Flower of Glory

 

an instant, abruptly and suddenly, all of

 

in gold-plated and black-colored armor, sitting on his magnificent horse and I

 

familiar, beautifully red ones held an emotion I

 

My heart hurt.

 

are you making such a pained

 

so

 

Did you find out?

 

now,

 

so pretty anymore, do

 

witch in the place of someone you thought was a princess? Do you want to kill

 

won’t hold it against you. I deserve it.

 

and trembling and with my heart bleeding for all to see, but I still gave him the sweetest smile

 

like he had done during that first week that we met. I thought I

 

sweet smile of his

 

the right state of mind after all, but the wreath he dropped at my feet was,

 

over and picked it up. The golden roses and

 

sound of him sheathing his sword felt

 

ran through my head and I couldn’t answer

 

scared and wondering if this was a

 

I realized it, then.

 

to even dream of, the thing I thought I would never experience in my entire life,

 

most people spend their whole lives searching for, the thing that they write songs about, they write stories and books

 

I love him.

 

It was so clichéd.

 

at me like that, even when he knew what I did? How could he still see me as his perfect princess? How could he not hate me? How could he not be disgusted by me? How could he do that to me? How could he still make me feel like I was the only one in this entire coliseum, even when

 

he loved me

 

why was my vision blurring? How

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