“Resignation?”
I was so shocked by what Ayra said that I reflexively repeated it.
I knew full well how bad a habit it was to repeat sothing you’ve already heard. But I couldn’t help it—my ears simply couldn’t believe it. I needed to ask again to be sure.
Shff.
Ayra, seated in the chair, crossed her legs the other way. She was dressed in comfortable sleepwear. My attention was briefly stolen by her pale white legs beneath her silk negligee—when Ayra spoke again.
“You’ll withdraw from the tournant. You’re forfeiting.”
So I hadn’t misheard.
The day before the tournant was set to begin, Ayra had co to in person and was now asking to relinquish my right to compete and withdraw.
I couldn’t begin to understand why. But as if she had already anticipated my confusion—like the wise queen she was—Ayra offered a further explanation.
“Teo, this tournant isn’t for your sake. And it’s absurd for a servant of the queen to compete in a tournant ant to choose her consort. What do you think people would say?”
“......”
It was a valid argunt.
I was already rumored to be the young queen’s lover—if I were to then compete in a tournant to determine her future spouse, the gossip and scandal that would follow... it would be endless. But I had already made up my mind.
I’d overco other people’s stares and baseless rumors long ago. Those who are truly desperate stop caring about how others see them.
What confused now was that Ayra—of all people—seed to be bothered by such things.
Wasn’t she the very embodint of the cliffside flower—blossoming proudly, never once caring for what others said or thought?
Ayra said again:
“Withdraw.”
“...Why are you saying this only to ? Didn’t you declare, back when the tournant was first proposed, that any applicant would be accepted regardless of birth or gender—as long as they were prepared to face death?”
“I did. But it’s different now. I am Ayra von Tarantella, the one and only Queen of Angmar. My words beco law and rule.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“Or... don’t tell , Teo. Did you really plan to compete in this tournant and win? To win—and make yours?”
That question left montarily speechless. I hadn’t expected her to be so blunt. What would be the right answer here? Which choice would lead to the right path?
Yes / No.
I stood at the fork of those two answers—and finally, I chose one.
“...Yes. I think I’m in love with you, Your Majesty.”
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
My heartbeat pounded loud in my ears. It felt like a furious man was pounding his fist against my chest.
I said it.
Queen and servant—
But we were no longer just that. We were a man and a woman harboring love.
And thinking that way made notice things—her delicate toes, her white thighs. The scent she gave off, the alluring sound of her breathing—it all suddenly felt so vivid. Blood rushed to my face.
But Ayra’s response was subdued.
No surprise, no embarrassnt, no joy, no anger. Just a languid expression. Had I said it too shyly for her to hear?
Where I found the courage, I don’t know—but I made myself say it again, this ti more clearly.
“I... I adore you, Ayra-nim. I want you to be mine...”
I couldn’t finish the sentence.
Because I heard a long, humming exhale.
Shff.
Ayra opened her narrow eyes. Her gaze—how should I even describe it? Soon, she spoke.
“Teo, why are you saying sothing so obvious now?”
“...Obvious?”
Shff.
Ayra brought her finger to her chest.
“Feeling love and the desire to possess —that’s natural for anyone. Everyone loves . And I’ve always known how you felt. I’ve known since long ago.”
“......”
“I’m the queen of all things—so beautiful, so lovable—that falling for is as inevitable as the moon rising after the sun sets.”
This... wasn’t at all the atmosphere I was hoping for. This wasn’t how I imagined this conversation going. And yet, strangely, it also felt very Ayra.
Right—being loved by Ayra is natural. No one’s confession would seem especially noteworthy to her. It was kind of funny, honestly. Was my confession just going to be brushed off like this?
Then, Ayra let out a sigh.
“Teo, it seems I’ll have to tell you the truth.”
“The truth?”
“No one will win this tournant. I’ve spent the past few days scouting the participants throughout the city—but none of them are strong enough to defeat . I’d anticipated that, of course. That’s why I held the tournant in the first place.”
“Then... what’s the point of holding the tournant at all?”
At my question, Ayra closed her half-lidded eyes and gave a small sigh. She looked like a tutor pitying a student who wasn’t catching on.
“Teo, do you still not get it? The tournant is just a pretext. It’s an excuse to amass military force in the North. All those people—they’ll form an army to cross the barrier and reclaim Gargarta.”
It felt like I’d been struck on the head with a small hamr.
I had suspected Ayra might have so hidden motive for launching such a bizarre tournant.
But I’d chalked it up to the usual—for fun, or to relieve the boredom of everyday life. That it would turn out to be a calculated, concrete objective... it left stunned.
“So... you’re planning to use the tournant participants as an army to retake the fortress beyond the barrier?”
“Yes, Teo. I thought soone as smart as you—the second-most brilliant person in the kingdom—would have already figured it out. I guess I overestimated you.”
Ayra looked a little disappointed. No doubt because I hadn’t lived up to her expectations. But one question had started forming in my mind.
“Even if they’re brave warriors, there’s a big difference between entering a tournant and marching beyond the barrier. How do you plan to convince them?”
“If a queen cannot move people’s hearts to make the impossible possible, then she is no true queen. That won’t be a problem. In any case, that’s what this tournant is. So give up.”
In other words—
Ayra had no intention of losing to any challenger. She only intended to use them for her own plans.
Which, ultimately, ant she had no desire to marry in the first place. “Marry the queen and gain the power of Angmar”—it had all been bait to lure in bees and butterflies.
She had always been confident in solving the problem of insufficient forces for reclaiming Gargarta Fortress—but to think this was her thod...
“So, now that you understand, give up. And apologize for offending the mood of —Ayra von Tarantella, your queen and master.”
Shff.
Ayra reached out her hand to .
She probably ant for to kiss the back of her hand. If I did, then—just like always—we’d fall back into our roles: the eccentric queen and her irritating servant.
And the tournant would be over for .
But honestly, did I have any other options? Nothing imdiately ca to mind.
Shff.
I gently took hold of Ayra’s palm for now. I felt the warmth of her skin as she touched mine. While I was still holding it, Ayra pressed again.
“...Now, kiss # Nоvеlight # my hand and swear. Swear that you’ll remain my dear little fairy. And that you’ll give up on the tournant.”
“......”
Suddenly—
A question surfaced in my mind, prompted by Ayra’s insistence that I withdraw. Why was she so determined to bar from participating?
If what she said was true—that no one in the tournant could defeat her—then it would be no issue. She could just defeat every opponent with overwhelming power.
That way, there would be no winner.
And Ayra wouldn’t need to marry anyone, which she never wanted to in the first place.
But even so, she specifically wanted out of the competition—
“Could it be, Ayra-nim...”
“......”
“...Are you worried that you might lose to ? That if I were to win, everything would fall apart?”
As soon as I said it, Ayra’s hand slipped out of mine.
When I looked up, she was glaring at .
Her expression, flushed red like a boiling kettle as she scowled at —that was sothing I’d never seen before in all the years we’d known each other.
Elga spit out the green juice she’d been drinking.
“Pffft—!”
Right across from her, Mirna—who had been quietly eating—got splattered with Elga’s saliva and green liquid. Her hair bristled with fury.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?”
It was the first ti I’d seen the usually dignified and composed Mirna snap like that. But Elga didn’t even glance at her as she urgently fired off questions.
“Wait, what? You lost your spot in the tournant?! What do you an!?”
She must’ve been shocked.
I sure was.
Elga asked again, more forcefully this ti.
“Hey, answer ! What do you an you got your rights revoked!? And you're under house arrest too!? What the hell did you do? The opening ceremony is right after lunch!”
“Well...”
I began explaining to Elga and the Draco sisters what had happened last night. How Ayra had co to and asked to withdraw.
How I refused. And how, during the back-and-forth that followed, I ended up provoking her anger—and had my so-called entry rights revoked, along with being placed on disciplinary restriction.
Teo Gospel. I hereby revoke your right. Cool your head in the dorm for a while.
Honestly, it hadn’t fully sunk in until I said it out loud to them. But now, it hit . I’d seriously ssed up.
What now?
Elga was furious.
“Hey, after everything we went through for this...! God, what the hell. No wonder things were going too smoothly! If it’s co to this, then we’ve got no choice. We’re going to have to go for it.”
Her voice was firm. Serious.
“Go for what?”
“Take her. Knock Ayra up. Then, she’ll have no choice but to marry you, right? Once she’s no longer a virgin—boom, it’s settled.”
It might sound crazy, but in this land, where a woman’s chastity is taken very seriously, that sort of thing happened fairly often. Won, sobbing, forced to marry the man who had taken them...
Bite.
My chest ached. The paper spider inside bit down on my conscience. That’s right—I had already used that kind of tactic on Mirna once.
And lately, I’d co to regret it deeply. It was part of my dark past. I didn’t want to resort to that kind of coercive thod ever again.
Then, as Mirna quietly wiped green juice from her face, she cleared her throat and said,
“That wouldn’t work on that queen. Do you even think you could take her? You’d be blasted with magic before you got within reach.”
“If we all charge her together, like we did in the dream, maybe it could work?”
“Lady Leones. You know that’s ridiculous. Even if we did manage to force her into the harem like that, all it would do is cause endless discord.”
Mirna’s logic was sound. Elga scratched her head in frustration.
“Then what? What are we supposed to do? If you’re gonna sit there criticizing, then give us a real solution!”
“A solution? I do have one. That’s why I’m here.”
Shff.
Mirna raised her index finger.
“Ayra’s command applies only to Teo Gospel. So soone else can go in his place.”
At that, Elga narrowed her eyes sharply.
“What, so if Teo’s out, you or I should enter instead?”
“Nope.”
Just then, the one who had been quietly listening the whole ti—Miss Nare—suddenly clapped her hands, her big round eyes sparkling.
“Sis, you an that, don’t you!? That could actually work! Teo, you know what it is too! You know what treasure the Draco family has!”
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