The sixth prince, who had been executed in the kingdom after being betrayed by the trusted saint, was reincarnated and, in order to seek revenge, became engaged once again to the neighboring kingdom’s “Guillotine Princess.” As a result, he was adored and lived happily.

“Hey… Your Highness Gustav.”

Brigitte, her emerald eyes glistening, placed her hand on mine on the table.

“Is it possible, even now, for you to not choose my sister but, well… choose to be with me instead?”

She voiced such a request.

“P-Please wait. As you know, the engagement between Abigail and me is one of the conditions of the truce agreement between the Empire and the Kingdom. Overturning this would be a breach of contract…”

“Oh… Your Highness Gustav, your partner would merely change from my sister to me as the Second Empress. I don’t think it would cause much trouble for the Kingdom, do you?”

Brigitte wore a seductive smile and leaned forward, her hand brushing my cheek.

“Hehe… As I told you on the night you first came to the Empire, we met at the palace, and since that day, I’ve admired you, Your Highness Gustav. You know this, don’t you?”

“But, you see…”

“No, we’ve met. My feelings for you are all genuine…”

She covered my mouth with her finger and slowly brought her face closer.

Our breaths mingled, and the distance between us closed.

“Ah…”

“Please refrain from playing around. I am engaged to Princess Abigail. I have no intention of betraying her.”

I, in turn, placed my hand over her mouth and distanced myself from her.

“I apologize, but if that’s the topic of conversation, I will take my leave now.”

“…”

Brigitte gazed at me sorrowfully as she hung her head.

I decided that it might be best to wait for another opportunity to reveal the truth… or for her to clearly reject it…

“Your Highness Brigitte…?”

“Please tell me one thing… What would you do if… if my sister were not in the picture?”

She took my hand and looked at me with pleading eyes.

With her right hand, she absentmindedly scratched her slender neck.

Under her dress, which had hidden it, there were marks from previous scratches.

“I can’t answer such an irreverent question.”

“Is that so…”

Brigitte slowly released my hand and lowered her gaze.

This time, I left the terrace…

“Ahahaha♪”

“!?”

Suddenly, a chilling laugh escaped that woman’s lips.

I turned around instinctively and saw…

Brigitte, with a sinister smile on her face.

—

“…That’s it, those are the conditions from my brother.”

With the match against Glenn approaching in a week, Glenn had finally presented two conditions through Claire.

The first was that we would conduct the match seriously this time, unlike the previous one. Of course, actual swordplay was strictly prohibited, and the victory would be determined by the closest margin.

The second was that the match’s outcome would be decided when one side admitted defeat. In other words, the match would continue until one of us broke the other’s spirit.

…Of course, accidents… could happen as well.

“Claire. Let me ask you one thing. Is Glenn going to use a spear?”

“No. This time, in consideration of Your Highness Gustav, he will be using a sword.”

“Hmm…”

Glenn’s original weapon was a spear. Meanwhile, I had only learned swordsmanship.

In this case, the sword would clearly put me at a disadvantage, so Glenn was being considerate, I suppose.

“Your Highness Gustav, what is your decision?”

“I have no objections to these conditions. Please convey this to Lord Glenn.”

“Understood.”

Claire gave a respectful bow and left the scene.

She would likely go to inform Glenn that I had agreed to the conditions.

Meanwhile, Princess Abigail watched our exchange from a slight distance. She fought to suppress her desire to intervene, tightly gripping her skirt.

“But… ‘seriously,’ huh…”

“Are you afraid?”

“No, it’s not that. I’m just thinking about which sword to use…”

I shook my head in response to General Cyrus’s somewhat teasing question. In my previous life, I hadn’t put much thought into it and had used a bastard sword. It was just the right size for practicing swings.

However, this was a serious competition against the Empire’s spear. It was different from swinging it around to vent frustration.

If I made the wrong choice here, it could determine the outcome of the match.

“Hmm? General Cyrus?”

“Don’t worry. Just wait a bit.”

With those words, General Cyrus left the area.

“What do you think it is?”

“I don’t know…”

I asked the nearby knights, but they seemed just as puzzled, shaking their heads at each other.

After a while, General Cyrus returned, holding a slightly curved sword in his hand.

“General Cyrus, is that…”

“This is a saber that I prepared for Your Highness Gustav.”

“A saber…”

A saber specialized in slashing rather than thrusting, designed for one-handed use. I understood that it would be easy for me to handle given my physique, but I had never used curved swords before, unlike the regular straight swords.

Could I fully master it within the remaining week?

“First, please take it in your hand.”

“Yes…”

I received the saber from General Cyrus, feeling a bit hesitant.

“This is…”

For a one-handed sword, it felt heavier than I expected. Nevertheless, I had used training wooden swords that were five times the weight of a regular one in my daily training, so handling it with one hand didn’t seem to be an issue.

“Now, how about trying a test cut? Go ahead.”

“Alright!”

With a nod from General Cyrus, a knight prepared a target made of straw.

“Here you go.”

“Um, okay.”

I drew the saber from its scabbard and pointed the tip towards the target.

“Phew…”

I took a deep breath and calmed my mind.

And then…

*Swoosh!*

“What… is this?”

“How do you find it?”

General Cyrus raised the corner of his mouth as he watched me, surprised.

Honestly, I had never felt so comfortable with a saber, or any sword, before. It had weight, but the balance of its center of gravity was excellent, allowing me to swing it smoothly as if it were an extension of my body. Most importantly, its speed was incredible, almost like slicing through the air.

“Thank you! With this amazing saber, I feel like I can have a proper match with Lord Glenn!”

“Hahaha! That’s the spirit!”

General Cyrus grinned happily as he watched me. Now, all that was left was to win the match with the help of this fantastic saber that my mentor had prepared for me.