Finally, the speech ended. A suffocating silence followed after a brief cheer.

Ian caught his breath for a moment as he looked at Annabelle in front of him.

He had a life that she lacked from the moment she was born, and was revered as a prodigy of swordsmanship from an early age.

"Uh-huh, if this is enough, you can try to win the swordsmanship competition."

Braden, who had taught young Ian himself, said with delight.

"There are no winners at the age of 14. This would be quite possible."

Of course, Braden was not the only teacher attached to Ian.

Not only the commander of the knights, but also the teachers who taught Braden in the past that were attached to him were the best.

As if all the successors of Wade who showed talent in swordsmanship grew that much.

"It is an honor to have a sword fight with Little Duke Ian Wade."

"Everyone deserves to be tongue-tied. Thank you for your good teaching."

Those who faced him with their swords were favorable to him even after defeat.

The world was kind to him, and everyone admired him, especially when he raised his sword.

The first person to break his world was Annabelle.

Her fighting spirit was so strong as they faced each other at the same age in the final of the swordsmanship competition, and his heart sank for a moment.

And he only realized after hitting the sword once.

A 14-year-old, young boy who knew nothing but swords, was thrilled by the girl who looked at him as if she was about to kill him.

It was probably because he was a little dazed by the hostility he had encountered for the first time.

From the day he first defeated Braden, he knew he had been waiting for this feeling for a long time.

It was the thrill of seeing someone who really made you nervous.

Of course, she fell short of his skills, but she was superior to any opponent he had encountered in a swordsmanship contest.

He said it was a good match, and when he tried to ask if she was thinking of joining the Wade Knights...

"Get lost, XX. It must have been a good match for you."

After the swordsmanship contest, it was Aaron, not Annabelle, who joined the Wade Knights.

So many things had happened in the meantime, and now he liked her regardless of any feelings he had in the past.

She was the only person who made him flutter, upset, and fuss like this.

And in front of the huge crowd, which may be the last time in his life, Ian felt his whole body tense as it did 8 years ago.

He might lose.

But he wanted to win.

He didn't know how it felt to lose. During that time he had participated in countless matches, victory was always a matter of course.

Ian grabbed the sword and charged to Annabelle first.

~*~

Annabel swallowed dry saliva as she looked at Ian facing her.

She had held a sword from a very young age, but the only teacher she could remember was Leslie.

"You have to beat Ian, my daughter. That way, our family will be happy."

She was young, so she did not know the cause of her misery.

She really lived her life hating the wrong people without knowing the people who were ruining her life.

"I will never give up winning over you. Because swordsmanship is everything in my life."

Eight years of running at Ian and being horribly ignored, she once shouted at Ian in the face.

In fact, she didn't give up even when everyone else laughed.

While sticking to her ridiculous amount of practice, she was determined to beat Ian.

It was only after thinking of her past life that she finally realized what she had done to Ian, and she vowed to live a life that had nothing to do with him...

"So admit me as your opponent! I mean, don't look at me with such eyes!"

In fact, if she wasn't really good at swordsmanship, it would have been impossible for her to live her whole life like that.

And as she devoted her life to swordsmanship, Annabelle wanted to be the best and to defeat the strongest man, Ian. It was the swordsman's instinct.

Perhaps that's why she decided not to participate in the last swordsmanship competition, and she couldn't help but feel bitter for a while.

No matter how much she declared that she was quitting being his rival, the weight of the time she had struggled to beat him over the course of eight years was not light.

The moment she grabbed her sword and glared at him, Annabelle had forgotten Leslie, Marilyn, and even herself.

He was still her opponent. She knew he was a formidable opponent because they had seen each other time and time again.

She might lose.

But she wanted to win.

She didn't know how to beat him. He was an opponent that she had fought countless times during the past, but had consistently lost.

Ian took the sword first and ran towards her. It was different from Ian's way of always being considerate of his opponents in a relaxed manner and conceding his first attack.

He was also a pioneer who could see that he had the same heart as Annabelle.

And in this way, with the 'same heart', how long had she been waiting for the moment when she could be with him?

Annabelle struck Ian's sword back with more excitement than ever before.

~*~

It was a rare match.

It was longer than ever, and it was so powerful that people couldn't take their eyes off it for even a moment.

After the 912th Swordsmanship Competition, the swordsmens who postponed all their schedules and stayed in the capital until the friendly match were enthusiastic about the wonderful match that seemed to compensate for the waiting time.

How great the content of the match was, that the Emperor was so moved that he even sniffled.

He clenched his handkerchief and murmured.

"I have no regrets when I die now."

And while Robert didn't say anything, he almost said not yet.

Even if the Imperial debt was partially filled with Maiena's help, it was still quite heavy to handle it alone.

"Wow, it really can't be compared to the 912th Swordsmanship Competition."

Aaron, the winner of the 912th Swordsmanship Competition, also had his mouth open and shook his head.

"The swordsmens of the whole empire will be bowing down to Duke Wade. To see a game like this in my lifetime..."

Ian always showed perfect swordsmanship, but Annabelle's breakthrough was amazing.

If Ian seemed to have the upper hand, Annabelle started a counterattack again, and if Annabelle's attack seemed to work, Ian counterattacked.

"What should we do..."

Marilyn and Oscar muttered as they held up signs cheering for Annabelle high in the air.

"She's my daughter, but I'm so proud..."

Nick was already standing up and waving his flag with all his might.

"Annabelle! Annabelle! Annabelle!"

In the distance, their nursery school friends in the audience muttered, 'it must have been money'.

"I didn't know much about swordsmanship, and I had no interest in it before this."

The leader of the magic tower also held up a banner that read, "Victory for Annabelle!" and said with excitement.

"It's like a feast when the two of them move! I can't take my eyes off them. Hmm, am I the only one with no skill in swordsmanship here...?"

Read only at pm tl.

"It's okay. I have none either, my lord!"

Cessianne, who was sitting with Aaron, grinned, and she answered brightly.

She, too, was holding a placard with the words 'Blessings to Annabelle Rainfield'.

"I don't even know what it is, but I think it's fun. It's like a performance by a circus that's almost sold out in a slum! Oh, I'm so lucky compared to the past."

The content of the match was so great that no one could bring out the words 'Ian likes Annabelle and is only looking out for her'.

Besides, Annabelle didn't show off her skills in front of everyone as she defeated over 50 assassins a few days ago.

It was a match that had moments that made people sweat like that.

"Haa!"

Annabelle, who was going back and forth, exchanging a formidable attack, checked Ian's gap for a moment and kicked him in the stomach and jumped.

And she quickly evaded Ian's sword, which was approaching, and then she circled around in the air.

Ian did not miss the gap and slashed his sword.

"Ah, this is how it ends..."

Aaron could not hold back his sorrow for a moment and muttered.

Not only Aaron, but people with quick eyes responded at once.

"Hey, this can't be!"

The Emperor put his handkerchief in his mouth and even screamed as if he was going to fall.

"No! My 1 shiller!"

Nick cried out desperately. His fingers gripped the flagpole, and force entered.

"...1 shiller? What are you talking about?"

In the meantime, Marilyn questioned as if absurd. One shiller was the price of a meal at an ordinary restaurant used by commoners.

Annabelle's sword was spinning in the air, and at that moment, people thought it was Ian's victory.

It was because there was no way she had a chance to pick up her sword.

"Ian."

But after a while, Ian could hear a voice filled with joy ringing in his ears.

"... I... Eventually I..."

Annabelle, who quickly took the sword that Ian had slashed out in the air, pointed it at his neck as it was.

It was a finish that could not be done without a tremendous speed of reaction, daring judgment, and precise movements.

When Ian struck Annabelle's sword earlier, the people who had different reactions all closed their mouths and held their breath.

It was because everyone was stunned by the movement that followed so quickly.

"...What? I don't think I saw anything."

Cessianne, who had missed all the crucial scenes and only grasped the final situation, tilted her head.

"But that... Does that mean Annabelle won?"

Indeed, the tip of Annabelle's sword was pointed exactly at Ian's neck, and Ian remained still without being able to counterattack.

In that state, they were thinking of each of their eight years.

What significance this moment had in their long, long past.

What value did they have for each other as young swordsmen who lived together in an era apart from lovers.

After a little while, Annabelle whispered, a tiny whisper that could only be heard in Ian's ears.

"I won."

(t/n: no words can describe how I feel at the moment) (pr/n: brb I'm sobbing so hard)