I observed the expressions of the people around me. Some looked shocked, while others—surprisingly—seemed to show signs of support. I turned my gaze toward Alicia; clear fear was written on her face. On the other hand, Alfred stared at me with anger he didn't bother to hide at all.
I've always believed that every action has a reason. If someone acts without a reason, it only means they're either stupid or insane. And Alfred, as the sole prince of the Kingdom of Celestra, was clearly neither.
So… what was his reason?
As far as I knew, Alfred's mother was nothing more than a commoner. She died when Alfred was only one year old. Because of that, he was engaged to Charlotte, the daughter of Duke Seravelle, in the hope that Charlotte could help stabilize and control the kingdom.
The king himself had two wives. His first wife was taken for political reasons, but she was rumored to be unable to bear him a child. His second wife—the one he loved the most—gave birth to a son and a daughter, but died not long after giving birth to the daughter.
With no rivals at all, Alfred's position as crown prince was extremely solid. There were no competitors. And precisely because of that, no one dared oppose him as the future king.
So this announcement… might be his form of rebellion.
He knew his father and Duke Seravelle would never approve. By making it public now, he was also trying to gather loyal followers—sycophants who would side with him alone, without interference from the royal family or Charlotte's family.
Even so, one thing still bothered me.
Why was he so determined to push Charlotte aside?
Maybe he simply hated her. But what if he truly loved Alicia?
If that were the case… wouldn't he someday kill me?
I glanced toward Charlotte. Her hands were clenched tightly, her face tense as she struggled to suppress her turbulent emotions. If I could help her this time, she would owe me a favor. And with the backing of Duke Seravelle's family, there were many things I could do.
I stepped forward.
"Prince Alfred," I said calmly, "I hope you're not acting too impulsively. A declaration like this will clearly provoke dissatisfaction among many nobles."
I paused briefly, then continued, "I can understand that you're infatuated with Lady Alicia. However, you can't simply cast aside Lady Charlotte. If you insist… you could still take Lady Alicia as a concubine."
Alfred's face hardened instantly.
"This is my decision," he said coldly. "And I don't care about the opinions of other nobles. Besides, what right do you have to speak to me?"
"As the heir of the Valcaryn family," I replied without hesitation, "I have a responsibility toward the political stability of this nation. Seeing your attitude, I can't simply remain silent. This is for the good of the Kingdom of Celestra."
I looked around. Several nobles were quietly nodding, clearly agreeing with me.
"Heir of the Valcaryn family?" Alfred snorted, then laughed mockingly. "Who are you trying to fool? I know you were expelled from the Valcaryn family."
The hall immediately buzzed with murmurs of disbelief.
"Oh, now I remember," he continued, his eyes narrowing. "That day, you tried to harass Alicia. Was all of this planned by her?"
His threatening gaze shifted to Charlotte.
Charlotte bit her lip, her eyes shining with anger, then shot me a look filled with hatred.
"I think you're misunderstanding," I said quickly as I stepped in front of Charlotte. "That incident had nothing to do with Lady Charlotte. So could you stop looking at her like that?"
"And then what?" Alfred sneered. "You want me to burn you and make you run naked again?"
Several people gasped. The commotion began to grow.
Even though my expression remained calm, his words still irritated me.
"At the time, I didn't expect you to barge in and witness my embarrassing behavior," I said shamelessly. "Besides, Lady Alicia is a beautiful woman. Seeing her working at a bar, anyone would assume she's done that sort of thing many times. So I hope you won't make too big a deal out of how I treated her a few days ago."
If he wanted to drag me down, then I'd drag him down with me.
Whispers began filling the hall.
"Is that woman really going to become queen?"
"A prostitute like that?"
"She must have done something to the prince."
Alicia, now the center of everyone's stares and ridicule, clenched her hands tightly. Her lips trembled, her eyes glassy, as if she were holding back tears.
"SILENCE!" Alfred shouted.
The hall fell quiet again.
His gaze returned to me, filled with anger on the verge of exploding.
"Fine," he said coldly. "If you want to interfere in my affairs, then let's settle this the noble way."
He stepped forward."We'll duel. If I win, you leave Orion Academy. If you win… I won't cancel my engagement with Charlotte."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Why would I need to do that?" I asked casually. "Wasn't your engagement never officially canceled to begin with?"
The crease between Alfred's brows deepened."Then what do you want?"
I glanced at Charlotte briefly, then looked back at him.
"If I win," I said quietly but clearly, "you'll spend two hours every day getting closer to Lady Charlotte."
Silence.
From the start, I wasn't afraid of Alfred. What I feared were his subordinates—the people who would come after me if I truly crossed him. On top of that, he could order powerful followers or even hire assassins to target me.
But as long as I stayed under Charlotte's wing, at the very least, she would have to protect me, right?
Alfred's face stiffened, then he snorted.
"Fine," he said at last. "Then tomorrow… we duel."
Alfred turned away, grabbed Alicia's hand, and left. I watched the scene, and a small smile formed on my lips. Ever since he humiliated me, I had already decided—I would do whatever it took to bring him down. Steal his partner, strip him of his power, even… kill him.
I recalled my mentor's words.If you intend to make an enemy of someone, you must already have a way to kill them.
The hall erupted into noise once Alfred left. Some people looked excited, eagerly anticipating tomorrow's duel, while others began gossiping about my relationship with Alicia.
I felt a touch on my wrist. When I turned around, Charlotte was standing there, looking at me with a mix of emotions.
"You," she said shortly. "Come with me."
Charlotte pulled me away to somewhere else, and I followed without saying much.
Eventually, we arrived at a balcony. She turned to face me. I took out a bottle from my storage ring and slowly drank its contents. The night air greeted my skin with a gentle chill, carrying the distinct scent of evening. Pale moonlight hung in the sky, while the party lights behind us faded into a distant murmur of light and sound—as if the world itself was deliberately making space for the conversation about to happen.
Charlotte frowned when she realized what I was drinking, then let out a quiet sigh."It's already too late to increase your strength now," she whispered in disbelief.
"I know you're trying to gain your father's recognition so you can be accepted back into the Valcaryn family," she continued in a more serious tone. "But your efforts are pointless. You can't defeat Alfred. I suggest you cancel the duel. If you lose and are expelled from the academy, I'm sure someone will kill you."
"Who wins or loses hasn't been decided yet," I replied shortly.
Charlotte sighed."I don't know where your confidence comes from. But Alfred's power isn't ordinary fire—it's sunfire."
She looked at me, then continued, "Sunfire is far stronger than normal fire. It's almost impossible to extinguish and has extremely high regenerative ability. Combined with your wind element, it would only make his flames grow larger. From the very start, Alfred is your worst possible opponent. You cannot win this duel."
I frowned. I hadn't expected Alfred to be that strong.
"Do you understand now?" Charlotte stared at me seriously. "If so, go apologize to Alfred immediately and cancel the duel."
I studied the girl in front of me. From her behavior, it was clear she was a good person. Then why did Alfred hate her so much? My curiosity about their relationship only grew—and about why Charlotte could be so obsessed with him, even when rumors about his behavior had already reached Lucian's ears.
"What if I win?" I asked.
"Are you stupid?" Charlotte frowned. "You don't stand a chance against him."
I smiled."Then how about this. If I win, you'll agree to help me whenever I need it. Of course, I won't ask for anything excessive."
Charlotte looked even more frustrated."You—" She let out a long sigh. "Do whatever you want. I've already warned you. Your life has nothing to do with me."
She turned around and walked away.
"Then I'll take that as a yes," I said.
"Whatever," Charlotte replied without looking back, leaving me alone on the balcony.