“Well, I’ve heard that Duke Harganet is an exceptionally skilled swordsman, but…”
Many knights had come from afar, wanting to measure her true strength as the continent’s best knight or to make a name for themselves by defeating her. Among them were winners of the continental swordsmanship tournament held by the Alkan Empire every year, and Duke Harganet was the winner five years ago.
However, he never came to challenge her skills.
That time was when her fame wasn’t widely spread, and after that, the Duke was involved in the war with the Bayendor Empire, so it made sense…
‘When did my name become famous?’
Suddenly struck by this question, Anette blinked. Being well-established in the royal knights of the Hayworth Kingdom, she never even dreamed of participating in the continental swordsmanship tournament.
Thinking back, she had never left her kingdom and had focused solely on quietly hunting monsters, unsure how her skills became so renowned.
So far, she hadn’t paid much attention to her reputation as the continent’s top swordsman and didn’t make much of skilled fighters seeking her out, but now she became curious about the cause and effect of it all.
“Princess?”
Apparently, her delayed response made the prince anxious, who urged her with an expectant look.
Anette apologized with a smile and answered honestly.
“Sorry, I’m not sure. I’ve never fought with the Duke…”
“You would win.”
A decisive reply came from the doorway.
“Uncle!”
Mikhail turned his head and, upon spotting Duke Harganet leaning against the open door of the reception room, called out to him excitedly and ran towards him.
Duke Harganet, too, reached out his arms to his nephew, who was running towards him, scooping him up under his arms.
Mikhail, unfazed by the black mask, wrapped his arms around Cardin’s neck without hesitation.
“Our nephew, you seem to have gotten heavier since the last time?”
“Father says I’m going to grow really tall!”
“Wow, at this rate, you’ll soon catch up to uncle’s height. Isn’t that too fast?”
Cardin pretended to be troubled.
Mikhail, enjoying this reaction, rubbed his cheek against the cold mask, laughing joyfully.
Without hearing the Emperor’s story about the royal family growing slowly before their powers awaken, then rapidly afterward, it would have sounded like a cute joke.
Anette watched Cardin, who was playing and laughing with Mikhail, feeling strangely about it.
Considering yesterday’s serious atmosphere, she realized he could be affectionate and playful with his nephew.
Feeling Anette’s gaze, Cardin turned and looked at her, his eyes softening behind the mask.
Caught off guard, Anette involuntarily averted her eyes, feeling her cheeks warm up.
The distinct awareness of someone paying close attention to her existence was unexpectedly exhilarating.
“Um…”
Then, Mikhail, glancing between Anette and Cardin, who was smiling at her, asked in curiosity.
“But uncle, would you really lose if you fought with Princess Anette?”
“Yes, I’d lose.”
Cardin answered without hesitation.
At this, Anette snapped back to attention.
Regardless of the opponent being a child, it wasn’t appropriate to make uncertain claims.
“Your Highness, you’ve never fought with me.”
She believed Cardin was just exaggerating to elevate her.
Noticing Anette’s displeased narrow eyes, Cardin chuckled and said to Mikhail.
“How could uncle ever think of attacking the princess?”
Ah, so it was a ‘defeat’ in that sense.
Anette mentally understood Cardin’s meaning of not being able to fight her, but her heart didn’t fully accept it.
After all, fighting and sparring are distinctly different.
Perhaps to Duke Harganet, who had formally been appointed and won swordsmanship tournaments, she, hastily knighted by the king just before monster hunting, might not seem like a proper knight…
But she had been wielding a sword for a long time and felt bitter about not even being considered a sparring partner.
Those who came to challenge her often left quietly after the hunts, having witnessed her prowess and deciding to avoid potential embarrassment. Unaware of this, Anette longed for a formal duel, feeling both pride and an unrecognized sense of inferiority.
While she was internally grappling with these feelings, Cardin leaned in and whispered to Mikhail as if sharing a secret.
“And actually, if we really fought, it would be serious trouble. Princess Anette could beat uncle even with one hand.”
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
