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Yvonne, who was serving Bianca from behind, said with a faint smile.
—The first rose.
-Yes.
Blanche nodded slightly. Previously, she couldn't understand how noble women cried and laughed over a single rose, but now she seems like she understands that feeling a bit. Bianca's heart raced wildly, but it wasn't a bad feeling.
Of course, the roses Bianca received didn't end there. Because Sauveur and Robert, who competed in succession, won and presented him with a rose.
"To our lady the glory of victory."
“…Please accept it.
Bianca gladly accepted her roses. Unlike Sauveur, who greeted her with a witty, exaggerated nod and then disappeared, when Bianca accepted the rose, Robert's eyes widened in surprise. Sauveur's statement that he was afraid he would throw the rose away was not an exaggeration, but true. Bianca fought back her laughter and praised him decently for his work.
There were already three roses on Bianca's skirt. The eyes around her gradually flew to Bianca. Those who were resourceful noticed Bianca's identity early on. The heir to the Blanchefort family and the knights from the Arno family were the senders of the roses, so it was an easy reasoning.
Now it was Gaspard's turn. When he appeared in the arena, looking exceptionally larger than the other knights, everyone held their breath and cried for Gaspard's opponent.
Naturally, Gaspard also quickly moved on to the next round.
As the victorious man led his horse toward Bianca, neither seemed surprised. Gaspard bowed to Bianca.
Gaspard's size was so big that Bianca, who was in the stands, was close to his eye level even when riding a horse.
Gaspard opened the hull cover. His face was full of tension. Yvonne whispered as she pushed Bianca onto her back.
"Ma'am, this is the fourth rose."
But Bianca stayed still, motionless. Looking at Gaspard, she noticed that her gaze had subtly shifted away from her. As she expected.
Even at Yvonne's insistence, Bianca just smiled and didn't move. Gaspard, who was tense all this time, slowly opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.
—Yvonne.
—…? Yes?
—Accept it.
Gaspard handed a rose to Yvonne, who was standing behind Bianca. Yvonne widened her eyes and alternately looked at Gaspard and Bianca, as if she couldn't understand the situation. Of course, Sir Gaspard told his mistress...
As Yvonne stood frozen for a long time, Bianca smiled slightly and urged Yvonne.
"Yvonne, aren't you keeping Sir Gaspard waiting?"
"D-did he talk to me?"
Yvonne stammered and pointed to herself. She even felt sorry seeing her tremble. Gaspard nodded silently at Yvonne's question and held out the rose once more.
"Accept my rose, Yvonne."
Yvonne received the rose from Gaspard with a spellbound expression on her face. Gaspard smiled slightly at the sight of the rose in Yvonne's hand. And before the opponent recognized that smile, he turned his head and left the stadium.
Even Yvonne, who was usually mature, seemed confused since it was her first time in such a situation. It is not enough to be confessed, rather she received the rose of the tournament!
Although every woman dreams of receiving a rose, it is usually the noble women who receive it. It would have been unthinkable for a commoner woman to receive a rose in a tournament.
Confused, Yvonne asked Bianca, groaning.
-Mrs…. In this case, uh, what should I do? Why did Sir Gaspard give me a rose…?
"Didn't you say yourself: 'A man tends to be proud of looking good in front of the woman he likes'?"
"B-but...
"He looked proud too, so why don't you do as you wish?"
-I reffered to…
"Sir Gaspard likes you."
-That makes no sense….
Yvonne shook her head, perhaps even more confused by Bianca's determined words. Seeing Yvonne like this, Bianca clicked her tongue inside her.
The last time Yvonne told her about Zachary's participation in the tournament, she was beyond excited. In front of her, Gaspard pretended to be listening to her story in silence, and then created a plan like this from behind. It looked like a bear, but it was actually like a snake.
Still unable to believe it, Yvonne held the rose in her hand and stroked the stem of the rose for a long time. She seemed bewildered and unable to control her overwhelming emotions, but there was no sign of disgust. Bianca chuckled, giving Yvonne time to organize her head.
Some more boring matches passed. The roses of the winners went to their respective teachers. Bianca also received some roses from gentlemen she didn't know.
Some honored her as a lady out of respect for the hero, Zachary, while others saw her receive a bunch of roses and handed out their own.
If receiving a rose was the pride of a lady, giving it was the pride of a gentleman. Not every gentleman served a lady, but they still wanted to deliver the roses. It was because of the narcissistic thought of thinking that it was the perfect ending for her heroic biography.
The person they wanted to give the rose to was a lady who nodded her head. Also, they didn't want the other person to give the rose so much meaning. All they needed was a lady to admire like a parrot. And due to the succession of roses, Bianca was selected today as the opponent of such knights.
But Bianca was not the only one who was marked as such.
She was the lady of all knights from birth, and today she received as many roses as Bianca, Odelli of Sevran, the first princess.
Her figure, with her dazzling blonde hair neatly braided, was like the rising sun, and her beautiful profile was very soft, as if painted with a brush. Even though he was past his marriageable age a long time ago, he could feel the dignity and ease of being a member of the royal family who didn't need to worry about it.
Actually, it wasn't that Princess Odelli shouldn't marry, but that she couldn't. She showed her beauty even before she blossomed, and by the time she was ten years old, she had already received dozens of courtship letters. However, the king refused all courtships of Princess Odelli, and there was a rumor that it was because Princess Odelli resembled her mother, the first queen, who had died.
The king really loved the first queen. It was also said that Prince Gautier was soon appointed as the next king because he was the son of the first queen.
So Princess Odelli turned 28, but the king still didn't seem to want her to marry. It is not known if she at any time begged to marry, but she also seemed reluctant to marry.
Princess Odelli was a beautiful and noble lady that the knights could admire to the bottom of their hearts. The knights hastily handed the roses to Princess Odelli. Among those who offered roses like this, there were those who thought that only they could win the heart of Princess Odelli.
Of course, no one had made Princess Odelli smile.
When Odelli received the roses, all the other women gave envious compliments, but when Bianca received the roses, they all glared at her.
Receiving hostility was exhausting. Bianca sighed exhausted. When will the tournament end? In her heart, she wanted to get back to her quarters early, but she couldn't leave because Zachary's game was the highlight of the day.
When the match ended, the crowd began to buzz. Bianca, wondering if it was Zachary's turn, leaned forward. However, the family crest on the platform did not belong to the Arno family.
He was Sevran's patron!
At the end of the stadium, there was a knight clad in black armor holding a shield engraved with the pattern of Sevran.
It was impossible to tell who it was from the hull cover, but it was obvious that it was the member of the royal family who was not present at the tournament.
The second prince, Jacob, who was not on stage, seemed to be participating in the tournament.
Jacob raised his spear triumphantly. The horse turned from left to right with a slight hiss, showing Jacob's room for maneuver.
When he learned that his opponent was Jacob, his opponent threw down his spear, saying that he could not dare to face the prince. It would be a big deal if Jacob got seriously hurt by any mistake. The wrath of the King, and much more that of Jacob, would not let him go.
A white cloth hung over the opposite family's coat of arms. It was a sign of defeat. All the spectators understood the opposing family, and there were no boos despite their abstention.
Jacob shrugged. He assumed that it would. Maybe during the quarter-finals or semi-finals he could compete properly. After all, today's goal is not to destroy the opponent. Jacob led his horse towards the stands.
Everyone wondered who Jacob would give his rose to. Since it was a public fact that Jacob had a bad relationship with the reincarnated 1st Queen, he shouldn't be the 1st Princess or the Crown Princess. Will it be the 3rd Queen? Or someone else?
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