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 talking

 

worry, I won’t

 

dark eyes, the color of shimmering sapphires, glistened with

 

so speechless that I almost

 

a thing? What was he thinking? I already knew that Cesare was a man with

 

mentioning it right here with

 

me? Was he trying to tell me he was going to protect me?

 

was telling me the truth. He wanted to protect me

 

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

 

at all? Was he not aware of the gravity of the situation? Was he not aware of what

 

be dreaming. This must be a hallucination. Someone must have casted a spell. I was so overwhelmed with the feeling of panic, of

 

of my dreams, my safe haven, crushed it into the dirt and stomped all over it, but he was telling me that he would protect

 

swallow back the tears that were about to fall. I wanted to look

 

the sound of hoofbeats coming

 

on a pure

 

he held 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 given to the champion of

 

abruptly and suddenly, all of

 

and black-colored armor, sitting on

 

held an emotion I knew

 

My heart hurt.

 

you making such

 

do you look so tired? What’s so

 

Did you find out?

 

now, right?

 

don’t look so pretty anymore, do

 

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

 

against you. I deserve

 

I could to give him one last true smile. Weak and trembling and with my heart bleeding for all to see, but I still gave

 

reject me just like he had done during that first week that we met. I thought I was hallucinating, that I had

 

me a sweet smile of his own

 

right state of mind after

 

and picked it up. The

 

of him sheathing his sword

 

and I couldn’t answer a single

 

and scared and wondering if this was a dream I’d soon wake up

 

me broke to pieces. I realized

 

thing I had been too scared to even dream of, the thing I thought I would never experience in

 

about, they write stories and books and

 

I love him.

 

It was so clichéd.

 

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 everything was

 

he loved

 

And why was my vision blurring? How dare he make me

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