WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Ceaseless
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Northern Grand Duke’s Mad Son-in-Law ◈
Chapter 65: Ask and Double
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“Left, one point.”
Adrianna looked down at her right gauntlet.
A long line had been carved into the thick gauntlet.
The Princess had targeted Adrianna’s right gauntlet with perfect precision.
The problem was the ring on her right hand.
It was the ring the Princess had given Galahad.
If the Princess saw Adrianna wearing it...
‘Absolutely not.’
Adrianna bit her lip.
At that moment, her eyes met the Princess’s.
The Princess’s blood-red eyes were full of coldness.
‘Does she not remember?’
Adrianna murmured quietly.
She had spent about half a day with the Princess as a child.
In Adrianna’s memories, the Princess had been bright, warm, dignified, and composed.
She had even been happy to hear the Princess was coming.
Yet the Princess before her now was different.
She had become even more radiant, but she was no longer warm.
‘Focus on the duel.’
Adrianna lightly shook her head.
She was in the middle of a duel.
Letting her attention drift elsewhere would be discourteous.
Readjusting her grip on her sword, Adrianna recalled the Princess’s movements.
It was hard to believe the Princess could move so quickly without using aura.
Still, she was not fast enough to escape Adrianna’s sight.
The problem was that Adrianna could not use aura.
It was more than simply being unable to use it. She had to forcibly suppress it.
That was why her reactions could not help but slow down.
It felt like facing an aura-wielding knight without using aura herself.
Then the Princess took her stance again.
She stepped her left foot forward slightly and leaned in.
Adrianna took her stance as well.
Hoo...
As she exhaled, her stray thoughts vanished.
The Princess kicked off the ground, closing the distance in an instant.
Her rapier shot forward in a straight line, like a single point.
Biting her lip, Adrianna swung her sword upward.
Her blade struck the middle of the rapier.
Thung.
The rapier bent with a heavy sound.
At that moment, the Princess moved her wrist.
As if she had expected Adrianna’s response...
The bent rapier scraped along Adrianna’s sword.
It was swordsmanship that might have caught her off guard if she had seen it for the first time, but Galahad had already shown her the same technique.
Adrianna pulled back her sword and twisted her shoulder.
Her shifting center of gravity dragged the rapier along with it.
But the Princess’s sword was faster than Galahad’s.
Considerably faster.
A shock ran through her right hand, and Adrianna’s brow tightened.
Another line had been carved into her right gauntlet.
It was almost in the same place as before.
The Princess was openly targeting her right hand.
As if she wanted to cut it off.
“Left, one point!”
The corners of the Princess’s lips lifted even higher.
Adrianna shook out her right hand as she reviewed the exchange.
A knight of sufficient skill could understand an opponent by crossing swords with them.
It was more effective than conversation.
Words could be dressed up in lies, but a sword could not.
The Princess’s sword was...
‘...Vicious.’
It was like a venomous snake imprisoned in a vat of poison for years.
What in the world had happened to her?
Then the Princess pointed her rapier at Adrianna and smiled brightly.
Her smiling eyes were so dazzling that even another woman might feel overwhelmed by them.
[The Princess’s sword will be faster than mine.]
Her training with Galahad had helped immensely.
The Princess’s sword was remarkably similar to what Galahad had shown her.
Very similar.
Imitating swordsmanship to that degree was not something one could do in a day or two.
‘What kind of relationship did they have?’
Adrianna tightened her grip on her sword and brushed aside her thoughts.
This was the time to focus.
* * *
“Left, one point!”
The Princess scored again.
“Is the Princess a Sword Master?”
“What kind of thing is that for Sir Gilbert to say?”
“What?”
“Ah, it was Sir Gilbert.”
“What kind of... No, how can her swordsmanship be that outstanding?”
“Because she is of the most noble imperial blood.”
“...Are all members of the imperial family like that?”
“The ones who survive are. And she is on the weaker side.”
A grave expression appeared on Gilbert’s face. It seemed to finally sink in.
The Princess leisurely returned to her position.
Adrianna briefly shook her right hand. Bits of her gauntlet fell away.
‘Twice more, perhaps.’
A few more strikes, and the gauntlet looked ready to break.
No matter how much of a genius Adrianna was, dueling was the Princess’s domain.
The Princess was not Adrianna’s equal, but she too had been called a genius.
“Her movements are too fast no matter how I look at it. Isn’t she secretly using aura?”
“Didn’t I tell you? She’s royalty.”
“What does being royalty have to do with moving quickly?”
“Royalty is exceptionally noble.”
Gilbert narrowed his eyes. When he still did not understand, Galahad clicked his tongue and elaborated.
“Royalty must be noble. To achieve that, they eat things good for the body from childhood. A great deal of them. The money spent on the Princess could probably raise an entire battalion in the north.”
“Come on, don’t lie to me.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t lie.”
Gilbert’s face twitched.
“...Isn’t she going to lose like this?”
Gilbert asked with a serious expression.
If even Gilbert was saying that, the others were no different.
After the consecutive losses, the atmosphere around them had already become funereal.
The northerners looked grim. Those noisy people could not even cheer.
They had no choice.
The Princess had scored three points while Adrianna had not scored even one.
The first to five points won, so it would not be wrong to call it a one-sided match.
But...
“She’ll win.”
The match would not reach five points.
“Just as you said, I bet everything on Lady Adrianna.”
“Well done, Tom.”
“What do you mean, everything?”
“The Special Operations Unit’s funds. Ah, Sir Gilbert, I bet your salary too.”
“...What?!”
“Why are you shouting, Sir Gilbert? Surely you don’t doubt Adrianna?”
“That’s not it. No, what kind of madman opens a bet on a match between Her Highness the Princess and Lady Adrianna?”
“There’s one over there.”
“What kind of mad...”
Gilbert started to rise roughly, then froze.
His head turned back in jerky movements because the high-ranking Monster... no, the Grand Duke was glaring at him.
Galahad subtly hid his face behind Gilbert.
“His Grace the Grand Duke opened it.”
“Then His Grace bet on the Princess?”
“He’s a remarkably cold-hearted father.”
Gilbert let out a low groan.
“No, if His Grace bet on the Princess, isn’t that a serious problem?”
“Calm down. I’ve rarely lost a bet. You could call me a gambler.”
Gilbert relaxed a little at Galahad’s confident answer.
Then he suddenly felt something was off.
“Doesn’t that mean you have lost before...?”
At that moment, the match resumed.
The Princess kicked off the ground.
Adrianna moved her sword.
Their blades tangled once more.
The sharp clash of steel rang out repeatedly.
Adrianna knocked aside the Princess’s strikes one by one.
Adrianna’s sword was honest. There was no wasted movement.
The Princess’s sword, on the other hand, was flashy. It hunted Adrianna like a living snake.
Their swords continued to tangle.
Slowly, Adrianna deflected the Princess’s sword one strike at a time.
Sparks flew in succession.
Then Adrianna advanced for the first time.
Instead of merely knocking the Princess’s sword aside, she pressed it downward.
Then...
Clang.
Adrianna’s sword scraped the Princess’s forearm.
A small scratch appeared on the red armor.
“Right, one point!”
Cheers erupted from the northern side.
Adrianna gave a small bow and stepped back.
“Uh... Tom! Did you place the bet properly?!”
Color returned to Gilbert’s face. Tom nodded confidently.
She had only earned one point, but their faith in Adrianna seemed to rise.
She was treated as the north’s hero, after all.
“As expected of Lady Adrianna!”
Cheers poured out from every direction.
Galahad silently studied Adrianna.
Her brow was lowered.
It was not the reaction of someone who had just scored.
Adrianna must have felt it too.
The Princess had deliberately given her that point.
The enraged Princess had no intention of being satisfied with winning.
She clearly intended to savor it as much as possible.
Then the Princess swung her rapier.
As if telling Adrianna to come at her.
As if losing were not enough, Adrianna was being toyed with too, but she still politely offered her respect.
This time, Adrianna kicked off the ground.
“Right, one point.”
Cheers burst out again.
* * *
“Right, one point!”
“Three to three! She caught up! Damn it!”
Gilbert cheered as he shouted a rough curse.
Everyone burned with excitement at the suddenly tied score.
They all cheered, but Adrianna, the one who had made the comeback, wore a dark expression.
The Princess was smiling brightly.
Then the Princess looked at Galahad.
Her red eyes seemed to whisper that she was superior.
It was an obvious look.
‘This should be enough.’
Galahad openly turned his gaze to Adrianna.
Then...
“Wife, almost there! Keep it up!”
He raised his voice and shouted.
Adrianna seemed fully focused. She only readjusted her grip on the sword.
The Princess’s presence sharpened.
Even Galahad could feel it from far away.
Then a soldier announced the resumption of the match.
Unlike before, the Princess kicked off the ground twice.
The slight gap in that footwork made the Princess’s body sway.
There was one technique Galahad had not taught Adrianna.
There were two reasons.
Even if she knew it, she could not block it, and she did not need to.
Then Adrianna’s sword moved swiftly.
‘Oh.’
Rather than block the slowed rapier, Adrianna thrust her sword forward.
It was not a calculated move, but an instinctive one.
‘She handles aura better than before.’
Her skill had improved even in that short time. She truly was a genius.
Galahad was sincerely impressed.
But she had drawn an unfortunate opponent.
The Princess pushed her rapier deeper, trapping Adrianna’s sword with the guard.
Then...
She swung it upward.
It was a move difficult to anticipate.
Adrianna’s centerline was left completely open.
A wound near the heart would be worth two points.
It was a chance to end the match.
Yet the Princess targeted Adrianna’s right gauntlet instead of her heart.
Clang!
Fragments of the gauntlet flew upward with a sharp sound.
A joint from the gauntlet rolled across the ground.
A beat later, the gauntlet split apart as though it were breaking.
Thud.
The gauntlet hit the ground with a heavy sound.
Drip.
Red blood fell from Adrianna’s pale wrist and soaked the gauntlet.
The Princess’s eyes widened as though they would tear apart. The corners of her lips trembled wildly, like someone struggling to hold back laughter.
Soon, her red lips split into a wide grin.
Then...
“Ha ha ha ha!”
Violent laughter burst from her.
Her laughter was so clear and ringing that the spectators flinched.
It was a far stronger reaction than expected.
Adrianna hurriedly hid her hand behind her back. She had seen where the ring was and realized it.
‘She wore it on her ring finger.’
Galahad let out a quiet groan.
“Ha ha!”
The Princess laughed harshly and spun her sword.
Aura flared from it in an instant.
The Princess’s aura was...
“...Is that pink?”
Before Gilbert could finish asking, the Princess moved.
A pink point shot toward Adrianna.
‘It’s over.’
Aura was forbidden in the duel.
The moment one used aura, they lost regardless of the score.
But Galahad was certain of the Princess’s defeat for more than that reason.
Aura surged from Adrianna’s sword.
It was pure white aura.
The pure white aura, without even a drop of impurity, easily overwhelmed the pink formed from mixed red and white.
Aura forged by the imperial family and aura tempered over a lifetime on the front lines. It was obvious which held the firmer conviction.
If dueling was the Princess’s domain, aura was Adrianna’s.
The match ended in an instant.
Adrianna’s sword pointed at the Princess’s heart.
“Ah...”
Adrianna parted her lips.
Her impassive expression broke, replaced by surprise.
Just as Adrianna came to her senses and tried to say something...
“I concede defeat.”
The Princess dropped her sword and stepped back.
To her retreating back, Adrianna said...
“Thank you for the lesson.”
She bowed her head.
‘Pure evil.’
Adrianna meant it sincerely, which made it an even more effective provocation.
* * *
“The second match will be between Second Battalion Commander Liam and...”
“That was an impressive match. No, why are you glaring at me again?”
“This isn’t right.”
Galahad smiled bitterly at Adrianna’s rebuke.
“Using a precious gift to provoke an opponent’s emotions... It was behavior unbefitting a duel.”
“You’re right. It was quite underhanded.”
Adrianna’s eyes widened slightly when Galahad readily nodded.
“But without it, you would’ve lost.”
“That would only mean my skill was lacking, and it could not be helped. Defeat is not shameful. No one can win every time.”
It was the correct argument.
Defeat must weigh heavily on the north’s hero, yet she did not seem ashamed in the slightest.
There was a reason her aura was pure white.
“Imperial-style duels include provoking your opponent’s emotions. They do worse in the capital. There are knights who insult their opponents’ parents to provoke them. They’re remarkably good at it.”
“Other people’s wrongful behavior does not justify wrongful behavior.”
She was honest to an irritating degree.
That was why she would be the sword to stab the Demon King.
Showing the ring as a taunt was not against the rules in an imperial-style duel, but there was no need to provoke the Princess further.
“All right. I’m sorry.”
When he apologized readily, Adrianna shook her head.
“I am not the one you should apologize to.”
Her gaze turned toward the Princess. Galahad clicked his tongue and waved his hand.
The Princess silently stared at Galahad.
Her eyes were bloodshot from not blinking.
“I’ll apologize properly.”
“All right.”
Adrianna sat beside Galahad. Her glare had faded, but her brow was still lowered.
“Besides, I was at stake in that duel. I wanted you to win somehow. If you lost, I wouldn’t be able to hold your hand. I was desperate too.”
As he spoke sincerely, Adrianna’s brow rose slightly.
“A barren, cold, barbaric north with you in it is better than a capital without you.”
“...You can stop now. I understand. When you think about it, I’m partly at fault too.”
Adrianna let out a quiet sigh and nodded.
Galahad’s eyes lit up.
“That’s true.”
“...What?”
“Now that I think about it, I made the suggestion, but you were the one who carried it out, weren’t you?”
Adrianna’s brow twitched.
“No...”
“You even wore it on your ring finger. I didn’t take you for someone so calculating.”
The surroundings grew noisy. Someone must have scored a point.
Galahad looked at Adrianna.
Her eyes shook wildly.
“You really toyed with her. Sticking out your ring finger like this.”
“When did I ever do that?!”
“Raising your voice tells me you feel guilty.”
“No...”
Soon, Adrianna let out a deep sigh.
“So what do you want?”
“Someone hearing that would think I said it because I wanted something.”
Adrianna narrowed her eyes for a moment.
“Still, I can’t disappoint you. Give me your hand for a moment. It looked like you were hurt earlier.”
“Aren’t you about to duel?”
“That’s why I need it.”
He wanted to hold her hand because he needed it for the duel?
Adrianna could not understand.
The lifted corners of his lips made it seem as though he was plotting something again.
“Your hand.”
With a sigh, Adrianna held out her hand.
* * *
“Now, the final match is between Special Operations Unit Commander Galahad and Bunch.”
“Then I’ll be going.”
Adrianna blankly watched Galahad’s back as he staggered toward the arena.
He had gripped her hand so hard that it still tingled.
‘Why?’
Adrianna murmured as she looked at her reddened hand.
Galahad was intelligent. Yet before a duel, he had held Adrianna’s hand.
For longer than usual, too.
It was an act that would sap his strength.
Adrianna seriously considered why he had done it.
Then Gilbert approached.
His face looked much better than usual.
His expression practically begged her to ask, so Adrianna spoke.
“Did something good happen?”
“Ah, I won big.”
“You won?”
“The Captain bet money on Lady Adrianna’s match.”
Gilbert let out a sly chuckle.
The Grand Duke liked gambling, so he must have opened the bet.
“I was a little surprised when the Captain added my salary and bet his entire fortune, though...”
Gilbert chuckled slyly.
Judging by that smile, he had definitely won.
Galahad had bet his entire fortune on Adrianna, which meant the Grand Duke had bet on the Princess.
Adrianna’s chest felt tight at the thought of the Grand Duke betting on the Princess.
But Galahad had bet his entire fortune on her...
It felt stifling, yet strangely ticklish.
‘His entire fortune...’
Adrianna coughed softly.
Then Gilbert proudly said that he had bet all the money he won on Galahad again.
Adrianna frowned.
If Galahad intended to win, he would not have needed to hold Adrianna’s hand.
He clearly had another scheme.
Perhaps it was...
“Heh heh. I’m rich now.”
Adrianna turned away from Gilbert.
Footnotes:
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