"Stop talking nonsense here!" Felt irritably tugged at her collar, then said in annoyance, "This damn dress is suffocating me, and that bastard Reinhard dragged me here without a word of explanation."
"Felt, why do you look so unwilling?" Natsuki Subaru asked curiously, looking at Felt who was radiating an air of impatience.
Although I know Reinhard got her to participate in the Royal Selection, she shouldn't be this resistant, right?
"Huh?" Felt pursed her lips, her tone full of disdain for Reinhard. "If it were you, dragged by this bastard to participate in such a troublesome event, would you be happy?"
"But Reinhard did get you to participate in the Royal Selection, after all. You should at least give him some face, right?" Natsuki Subaru shrugged, trying to ease the atmosphere.
"Face? Hah!" Felt sneered, her foot tapping impatiently on the ground. "If Old Man Rom hadn't been caught after that old fool broke into the Royal Castle, I would have... I wouldn't want to stay in this damn place for even a second!"
"Wait, Old Man Rom was captured?" Natsuki Subaru was taken aback, his expression instantly turning serious. "What happened?"
"Ask him!" Felt abruptly raised her hand, pointing at the red-haired knight standing nearby, and said angrily.
Reinhard still maintained his elegant smile, as if accustomed to Felt's anger.
He nodded slightly and explained in a calm tone, "Old Man Rom trespassed into the Royal Castle without permission and was discovered and detained on the spot by the patrolling guards."
"Just... like that? It doesn't sound too serious." Natsuki Subaru looked at Reinhard and blinked. "Reinhard, can't you be a bit lenient? Let Old Man Rom go."
"Regrettably, the rules of the Royal Castle cannot be violated." Reinhard shook his head gently. "However, please rest assured, Old Man Rom is unharmed and merely needs to undergo an investigation."
"I see..." Natsuki Subaru nodded, a look of realization dawning on him.
It seems Old Man Rom thought Felt was imprisoned by Reinhard.
Learning that today was the day of the Royal Selection and that Felt, as a candidate, would be in the Royal Castle, he ventured to rescue her, only to be caught by the guards.
And Felt, to save Old Man Rom, had no choice but to agree to participate in the Royal Selection.
"Tsk, what a pain!" Felt ruffled her hair in frustration. "If it weren't for that old man, I wouldn't be wasting my time here!"
"Please rest assured, Lady Felt." Reinhard bowed his head slightly, soothing Felt's irritable mood. "Old Man Rom is quite safe now, merely waiting in the duty room. You will be able to see him after the Royal Selection concludes."
"Bastard!" Felt glared at Reinhard, grinding her teeth, looking very unhappy.
"Calm down, Felt." Seeing this, Natsuki Subaru blinked and lowered his voice, teasing, "You have to look on the bright side. At least you can eat and drink for free at Reinhard's place. And I see your outfit is quite valuable; if you're short on money in the future, you can still..."
"Go to hell, you!"
Without another word, Felt lashed out with a whip kick.
Natsuki Subaru, who was prepared, easily blocked her flying kick, a smile playing on his lips. "Hey, hey, that fiery temper of yours really hasn't changed a bit."
"Hmph!" Felt bared her cute little canine tooth. "Next time, I won't let you block it so easily."
"Lady Felt, it's wonderful to rekindle friendships, but please come over here."
Seeing that the two had had enough fun, Marcos intervened at the right moment, calmly moving the proceedings along, gesturing with his hand to the position on the platform.
"What a pain." Felt pouted, reluctantly walking to the front of the platform, and asked with a look of disgust, "So, what exactly do you want me to do?"
"Although I would prefer to see Lady Felt behave in a more ladylike manner, please take this first."
Saying this, Reinhard took out the Dragon Insignia from his breast pocket and gently placed it in Felt's palm.
The insignia immediately bloomed with a dazzling red light.
"As you can all see, the Dragon Orb has acknowledged Lady Felt's qualification as a Miko." Reinhard scanned the hall, his voice strong and resonant as he announced, "Only by formally recognizing her candidacy can this Royal Selection truly begin."
At this moment, a questioning voice came from the civil officials' section: "Although she has gained the recognition of the Dragon Stones, aren't there some problems with her as a candidate?"
"Are you questioning the judgment of our Knightly Order?" Marcos immediately retorted.
"Looks like the civil and military officials are about to start bickering again..." Natsuki Subaru, standing in the knights' ranks, observed the confrontation with interest.
"I don't really care either way," Al shrugged nonchalantly.
"Ferris doesn't care either, meow." Felix looked at Crusch in the center of the platform, his cat ears twitching slightly. "Because Ferris's loyalty has already been pledged to one person only."
"The same goes for me. I have already dedicated my sword to Lady Anastasia," Julius also slowly spoke, stating his position.
"Hey, hey, why is everyone acting like it's a confession contest..." Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but retort.
Then, looking at the silver-haired girl in front, he couldn't help but raise his voice slightly, "Then I won't hide it either! I, Natsuki Subaru, am in love with Emilia! I've loved her since the first moment I saw her!"
This bold declaration immediately drew sidelong glances from those around.
"Hey, bro, you really dare to say that." Al's full-face helmet tilted slightly, his voice tinged with obvious amusement.
"If you like someone, you should say it out loud! If you want something, you should go all out to get it! That's my style!" Natsuki Subaru replied as if it were a matter of course.
In his heart, Emilia was the most special existence.
Certainly, Rem, Ram, Beatrice, Felt, and even Priscilla are all rarely seen beautiful girls.
But just as someone who has seen the ocean will no longer be amazed by a lake, and someone who has witnessed the splendor of the starry sky will not pause for a single star.
Ever since meeting Emilia in that alley, her silver-haired, purple-eyed figure has been deeply imprinted in Natsuki Subaru's heart.
No matter when compared, Emilia will always be the most beautiful scenery in his eyes.
"As a knight, such straightforward words and actions might cause unnecessary trouble for your liege," Julius, at his side, suddenly said to Natsuki Subaru.
"At least it's better than some people who beat around the bush," Natsuki Subaru retorted impolitely.
Doesn't Julius himself have feelings for Anastasia?
Otherwise, why would he willingly become her exclusive knight?
This kind of 'the more one tries to hide it, the more it's exposed' attitude is even more annoying.
Julius was momentarily speechless, his expression slightly stiff.
Meanwhile, whispers began to ripple through the surroundings:
"She has absolutely no resolve to become king..."
"No matter how she dresses up, she can't hide her crude nature..."
"Lacking basic education and upbringing..."
"..."
These harsh discussions were, without exception, all directed at Felt on the stage.
"Those present are all high and mighty nobles, while Felt is just a wild brat from the slums. It's natural she'd be criticized like this." Natsuki Subaru secretly shook his head.
What disgusting class prejudice.
"—Silence!" Miklotov, the leader of the Sage Council, tapped his scepter, then looked at Reinhard. "Knight Reinhard, could you please explain the circumstances under which you found this candidate?"
"Yes." Reinhard respectfully knelt on one knee, performing a standard knight's salute, then slowly began to recount, "About a month ago, I found Felt in the slums..."
"An orphan from the slums, really..." a tall man in the civil officials' section couldn't help but blurt out.
This sentence was like dropping water into hot oil; the area below the platform instantly erupted.
In the eyes of the upper-class nobles, Felt's appearance was practically a desecration of the Royal Selection.
They whispered among themselves, pointing fingers, their eyes full of contempt.
"Speaking of which, Felt and Emilia's situations are quite similar. One is discriminated against because she's from the slums, and the other is ostracized because of her half-elf status. The corruption of this country really runs bone-deep." Watching this scene, Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but think of the discrimination Emilia suffered due to her half-elf status.
"So I'm an orphan, is that so offensive to you all?" Felt whirled around abruptly, her golden hair drawing an arc in the air. "You're the ones who brought me here on your own accord!"
"Always chattering, utterly boring." Priscilla, at the side, lazily waved her fan, her crimson eyes filled with mockery for Felt. "It's precisely because you all only ever discuss these tedious topics that an orphan from the slums even gets a chance to be a candidate, isn't it?"
"Huh? If you want a fight, I'll take you on anytime!" Hearing this, Felt bared her small canine teeth, her golden hair bristling like a lion's mane as she glared at Priscilla.
"That arrogant woman Priscilla actually dares to bring up Felt's status. Anyone else would be angry too." Natsuki Subaru, standing below the platform, sighed helplessly, thinking to himself.
Honestly, everyone participating in the Royal Selection is a problem girl.
One is more irritable than the next, one more difficult to handle than the last.
"Insolent. Do you know who I am?" Priscilla's gilded fan snapped open with a 'shua,' and scorching magical power condensed into a vortex on its surface.
The temperature in the hall rose sharply, the air distorting from the heatwave.
"Not good, this woman is serious..." Natsuki Subaru's pupils contracted abruptly, but after glimpsing Reinhard's figure, he breathed a sigh of relief.
With Reinhard the 'cheat' here, it probably won't escalate.
And indeed—
"Pardon my rudeness, Lady Priscilla."
Almost in an instant, Reinhard, who had been kneeling on one knee, had flashed between the two girls.
Reinhard just stood there quietly, and the aura emanating from him forcibly cut off the flow of magical power.
Priscilla's magical flames, like a snuffed-out candle, instantly dissipated without a trace upon contact with Reinhard's aura.
"To show such hostility on such an important occasion..." The kind and gentle Emilia took a step forward, shielding Felt behind her, and faced Priscilla directly, a rare spark of anger burning in her amethyst-like eyes. "What are you thinking?!"
"Merely teaching an ill-bred bitch her place. However, the crime of disrespecting me can only be repaid with one's life." Priscilla lazily waved her fan, as if the previous conflict had been nothing more than a boring game.
"Can't you just say you're sorry? Do you really have no awareness that you've done something wrong?" Emilia's voice trembled with agitation.
"Oh? By that logic, shouldn't you apologize for 'being born into this world'?" Priscilla looked at Emilia, deliberately mocking, "Silver-haired half-elf—"
Priscilla's words, like a sharp sword, cruelly pierced Emilia's most vulnerable spot.
Emilia's body trembled violently, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "I... I have nothing to do with the Witch..."
As a Royal Candidate, Emilia could never shake off her insecurity about her half-elf identity.
At this moment, she was even more devastated by this blatant discrimination, on the verge of collapsing.
Thinking this, Natsuki Subaru looked at Priscilla, strode forward, and his voice resounded throughout the hall: "What's wrong with being a silver-haired half-elf? Emilia-tan is cute enough to cause an explosion, okay! Was your sense of aesthetics run over by a dragon carriage?"
"It's you again." Priscilla's gilded fan snapped open, covering half of her beautiful face, revealing only a pair of red eyes containing a dangerous smile. "A mere knight dares to be so impudent before me? You've actually made me see you in a new light."
"Yo, to be seen in a new light by a high-and-mighty Sun Princess like you, that's truly my greatest honor." Natsuki Subaru calmly walked to Emilia's side, gently took her slightly trembling hand, and gave her a reassuring look.
Then, he fearlessly met Priscilla's gaze, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips.
"I admire a man with courage." Priscilla lightly tapped her own alluring red lips with the tip of her fan, a dangerous and captivating light flowing in her scarlet eyes. "How about this: if you kneel and kiss the tip of my shoe, I shall forgive your previous impudence. What say you?"
"Well, about that..." Natsuki Subaru casually picked his ear. "I'd rather see you kneeling and begging me."
"Insolence!" The fan snapped shut with a 'pa.'
A cold glint flashed in Priscilla's eyes, yet an unusual gleam also flickered within them. "A mere knight of a half-elf dares to be so disrespectful to me!"
"What? Did I hit a sore spot?" Natsuki Subaru provocatively took a step forward, fearlessly meeting Priscilla's gaze. "It seems the so-called Sun Princess's magnanimity is only so-so."
Priscilla's red eyes widened slightly, and then she let out a string of silver-bell-like laughter. "Interesting~ So interesting! It's been a long time since I've met someone this amusing."
Her gilded fan swayed gently, her gaze shifting between Natsuki Subaru and Emilia. "Your desperate efforts to protect this half-elf from just now are both admirable... and enviable."
"I am Emilia's First Knight." Natsuki Subaru straightened his back, his voice firm and strong.
Whether as Emilia's knight or as Emilia's friend, he would never stand by and watch Emilia be insulted.
"..."
Emilia looked at Natsuki Subaru's upright figure before her, her slender fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her dress, a warm emotion surging in her chest.
"Then, tell me~" Priscilla suddenly leaned forward, staring at Natsuki Subaru's face, her red lips curling into a playful arc. "If you were to choose between me and that half-elf..."
"No need to choose!" Natsuki Subaru interrupted Priscilla without hesitation, his dark eyes shining with unwavering determination. "My answer has always been, and will always be, only one. Even if you ask a thousand times, ten thousand times, my choice will always be Emilia."
"Oh? What a surprising answer." Priscilla, instead of getting angry, smiled.
A dangerous and captivating light flickered in her gilded eyes. "I'm actually starting to like you more and more. Such loyalty, such stubbornness... it truly makes me itch with anticipation."
"Sorry, but I have absolutely no interest in you." Natsuki Subaru rolled his eyes at Priscilla.
Although Priscilla is indeed a one-in-a-million beauty, that condescendingly arrogant attitude is truly infuriating.
It's not like I have some special masochistic tendencies; I really can't stand this queenly demeanor.
"No matter." Priscilla lazily waved her fan, speaking condescendingly. "My greatest skill is taming disobedient beasts. One day, you will willingly kneel before me."
"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I, for one, have a naturally stiff backbone; I can't kneel. Besides," Natsuki Subaru grinned, looking Priscilla up and down, then deliberately showed a disgusted expression, "I'm allergic to ugly women..."
___
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