For a few breaths Keyla simply stood there.
The arena roared with excitement.
But inside her mind everything was strangely quiet.
Her lips still burned from the unexpected kiss.
Then realization struck.
Her eyes widened slightly.
He… kissed me.
Her expression darkened instantly.
Anger flooded her mind like fire spreading through dry grass.
Without saying a word she bent slightly, slipped her hands into her boots and pulled out two thin throwing knives.
They gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
Her arm flicked.
SHHHHT!
The knives flew across the arena like lightning.
Meanwhile the Crown Prince had already stepped down from the stage.
He walked casually toward the royal stand, still smiling to himself.
The crowd buzzed loudly around him.
Some people were laughing.
Others whispered excitedly about the shocking scene.
He climbed the steps and sat beside the Emperor.
"Hehe… Dad, how was my—"
Before he could finish his sentence—
General Don suddenly shouted from his seat.
"Brother, bend his head now!!"
The Emperor did not even question it.
Years of battlefield instinct kicked in.
He grabbed the back of his son's head and forced it downward.
At that exact moment—
SHNK! SHNK!
Two knives sliced through the air.
A lock of the Crown Prince's hair fluttered gently downward.
The blades embedded themselves deeply into the wooden chair behind him.
The entire arena gasped.
Thousands of mouths opened at once.
Some nobles nearly jumped from their seats.
Even the guards stiffened in shock.
The Crown Prince slowly lifted his head.
His hand instinctively touched his hair.
A small portion had been cleanly sliced away.
He blinked.
Then looked back toward the stage.
Keyla stood there calmly, her arms crossed again.
Her expression was cold enough to freeze water.
General Don immediately stood up and raised both hands toward her.
"Keyla! My love! My darling daughter!" he shouted.
"Calm down!"
He forced an awkward smile and continued.
"You see… your cousin was only being polite and showing appreciation for you."
"He was just being nice."
"Heh… heh… heheheh."
The Emperor slowly turned his head toward his brother.
His forehead creased.
Polite?
Nice?
He looked at his son.
Then looked at the stage where Keyla stood glaring like an angry goddess.
Even he could clearly see what had happened.
His brother's explanation was complete nonsense.
The Emperor sighed.
"Brother," he said dryly,
"your ability to spout nonsense has doubled."
Several princes nearby snorted in amusement.
The Emperor then stood and looked toward the stage.
"My dearest niece," he called out calmly.
"Let us all calm down."
"We will speak… civilizedly later."
Keyla took a slow breath.
Then another.
The anger in her chest gradually cooled.
Her sharp eyes moved toward the Crown Prince.
He was still rubbing his head where the knife had sliced his hair.
She looked directly at him and said coldly,
"Don't dare me."
"If you try something like that again…"
"I'll kill you next time."
Her voice carried clearly across the arena.
The Crown Prince blinked.
Then he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Hey… I'm sorry," he said.
"I honestly didn't think you would react this badly."
He shrugged lightly.
"It won't happen again…"
Then he paused.
"…without your consent."
For a moment the arena was silent.
Then laughter exploded like a wave across the stands.
Soldiers burst out laughing.
Even some nobles covered their mouths to hide their amusement.
Several people were nearly crying with laughter.
The Crown Prince had nearly been killed by flying knives…
…and yet he still hinted that he might try to kiss her again.
Prince Sage leaned over and whispered to his brother.
"Does he have a death wish?"
Prince Damis laughed loudly.
"He clearly didn't learn anything from that experience."
Prince Lahan shook his head.
"Our brother is truly fearless…"
"…or incredibly stupid."
Even the Emperor rubbed his temples.
"This boy…" he muttered.
General Don crossed his arms and sighed.
"He deserved those knives."
Keyla herself rolled her eyes.
She turned away and walked down from the stage without another word.
Fredda and Aldera quickly followed behind her like loyal shadows.
Once the laughter settled, General Dracona stepped forward again.
"Now that the main duel has concluded," he announced loudly,
"we will proceed with the knighting ceremony!"
The twenty victorious soldiers from earlier battles gathered at the center of the arena.
Their armor had been cleaned.
Their wounds were bandaged.
But their expressions were filled with pride.
They knelt before the royal stand.
The Emperor descended the steps slowly.
A golden ceremonial sword was brought to him.
One by one the soldiers approached.
He touched the flat of the blade to their shoulders.
"Rise, knight of Deharan."
Each newly knighted warrior stood proudly.
The crowd applauded loudly.
When it was Fredda and Aldera's turn, the Emperor paused briefly.
"These two," he announced,
"will serve as special guards of Princess Keyla Aragon."
The two women bowed deeply.
"We will protect her with our lives."
Keyla simply nodded once in acknowledgement.
After the ceremony concluded, the Emperor returned to the royal platform.
He looked across the arena.
Thousands of citizens still filled the seats.
Nobles.
Soldiers.
Merchants.
Commoners.
All of them had gathered to witness the battles.
The Emperor raised his hand.
The crowd gradually fell silent.
"My people," he began.
"Today we have witnessed strength."
"We have witnessed courage."
"And we have witnessed the pride of the Kingdom of Deharan."
Cheers rose from the crowd.
He continued speaking calmly.
"The warriors who fought today have honored our kingdom."
"They remind us that our future remains strong."
He paused briefly.
Then smiled slightly.
"And as thanks for your attendance…"
He gestured to the servants waiting nearby.
"…every person present today will receive one gold coin from the royal treasury."
For a moment the arena froze.
Then the crowd erupted into thunderous cheering.
Many commoners could barely believe what they had heard.
A single gold coin was a fortune for some of them.
People began bowing repeatedly toward the Emperor in gratitude.
The Emperor nodded once.
Then he turned and began walking toward the royal exit.
The Empress followed beside him.
The princes and princesses followed behind them.
General Don walked with Lady Dhalia and Keyla.
As they exited the arena, the cheers of the crowd echoed far into the city streets.
Thus the great dueling ceremony of that day finally came to an end.