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Chapter 20
‘I can’t back down now.’
I attached a magic circle sticker—already activated—to my wooden sword.
It was a magic sticker that both reduced weight and increased durability, and it was also my fourth prospective patent that would support my livelihood.
“The rules are simple. Use any means necessary. Whoever surrenders first or drops their sword loses.”
“Fine.”
The moment he answered, he took his stance.
Cold dawn wind brushed past my cheeks, yet neither of us moved.
Only after exchanging a few quiet breaths did we begin to circle each other slowly, probing for an opening.
We kept at it for quite a while.
Then Rihart suddenly darted forward and thrust toward my waist.
The attack was so sudden that I couldn’t deflect it in time.
I quickly rolled backward and raised my sword to block.
Clang!
His strength traveled through our clashing blades. If I hadn’t used magic, I would’ve been sent flying.
Rihart raised one eyebrow, lifted his leg, and kicked my thigh.
“Ugh!”
You heartless—!
As my posture faltered, a strange gleam appeared in his green eyes. He aimed precisely for the hand gripping my sword.
But I didn’t just stand there.
Seizing the opening, I pulled back and twisted my upper body, swinging my leg at full speed.
My leg collided with his sword midair.
Bang!
The impact made my leg throb painfully, enough to bruise, but thanks to the reinforcement, it was still bearable.
While Rihart stared at my leg in surprise, I punched him square in the face.
With all my strength.
After that, it turned into a full-on brawl.
I climbed on top of Rihart as he rolled across the ground, and we kept flipping each other over.
One moment I was on the ground, the next it was him. Together, we swept the dirt with our hair.
Before I knew it, Rihart was on top of me, so I made up my mind and drove my knee into his weak spot.
“Ungh!”
A strangled breath escaped his lips.
His eyes widened so much they looked ready to pop out—clearly, it had been a heavy blow.
Offering a silent apology, I grabbed his shoulder and rolled us over. Now I was on top of him.
I leaned down, ready to land another hit—
And then I saw his face.
“……”
“……”
Bruised and swollen, yet still showing traces of a boyish innocence. Raw, tangled with countless emotions.
When did this become so serious?
All the strength drained from my shoulders.
It hadn’t even been this intense when I fought Lucas.
After hesitating for a moment, I raised both hands.
“You win.”
My sword had flown away long ago, and my hands were empty.
Rihart stared blankly at them, then turned his head to look at his own right hand.
It was trembling violently, gripping the wooden sword as if it were his lifeline.
“Are you satisfied?”
He looked up at me without answering.
His green eyes flickered beneath long lashes, as if trying to grasp my meaning.
“I’m asking if you’re satisfied.”
When I repeated myself, his face twisted angrily.
“……You never even planned to win.”
His voice was hoarse and heavy.
I tilted my head.
If that was the case, then he hadn’t gone all out either.
He hadn’t used sword aura or magic.
But before I could say anything, his emotions burst out like a broken dam.
Propping himself up on his elbows, he raised his upper body.
“Do you think I’m a joke? Why didn’t you fight seriously? Did you think I wouldn’t notice you dropping your sword on purpose and using your fists?”
The composed mask of the crown prince was gone.
What remained was the raw face of a boy trapped in an adult’s body.
“Are you pitying me because I’m not better than you at anything, even as crown prince?”
“Why would you think that? I’ve never said anything like that.”
All we’d ever exchanged were polite greetings and fake smiles through student council work.
But Rihart slammed his fist into the ground.
“It’s because you act like nothing matters! Like whatever I do doesn’t affect you! Am I no threat to you? Am I that useless? Damn it…!”
He covered his face with his hand after spitting out the curse. His chest heaved from pouring everything out.
Since I was still straddling him, I could feel his trembling clearly.
After waiting for him to calm his breathing, I spoke.
“Are you jealous of me?”
His fingers twitched noticeably.
“Do you feel inferior?”
No one would believe it.
That Rihart Cavandia—the empire’s pride, the perfect crown prince—was bound by an obsession to always excel.
Everyone saw him through their own illusions.
A dignified, confident prince who could cover any flaw.
But he was just human.
A teenager in the middle of emotional turmoil, needing affection and comfort.
After a long silence, he moved his hand to his forehead.
His cracked green eyes shone faintly.
“……Yeah.”
His hoarse voice barely slipped out.
“I thought I’d done well until you ruined everything. As crown prince, I have to be the best at everything. But you messed it all up.”
He slowly closed and opened his eyes.
“Even when I knew I was becoming petty and pathetic, you didn’t feel threatened at all. That made me even more anxious and angry.”
What filled his eyes was self-loathing.
Confusion over emotions he’d never felt before, and shame over his choices.
It was all painfully clear on his face.
I gently grabbed his collar.
“That’s because my goal isn’t to beat someone. And you—are you happy holding on so tightly like that?”
He followed my gaze to his hand, still gripping the sword.
“……”
It looked so hollow that my chest hurt.
“You’re just getting hurt.”
I loosened his fingers one by one.
At first, he resisted, but eventually his long fingers went limp.
Rubbing them gently, I pulled ointment from my pocket.
“You don’t have to be the best at everything. Before you’re a crown prince, you’re Rihart Cavandia. That’s already enough.”
Of course, with people constantly pressuring him and the second prince threatening his position, he wouldn’t be free anytime soon.
Still, I could at least ease his pain for now.
“Instead of hating or envying someone, why not use that as fuel to improve yourself?”
I opened the ointment and applied it to his battered hand.
The sharp medicinal scent lingered in the air.
“There’s something called a ‘rival,’ you know. Someone who competes with you and pushes you forward. Not someone you have to destroy.”
His eyes trembled as he watched me.
“……Rival.”
For someone who’d never had an equal, it must’ve sounded strange.
He repeated the word several times, lowering his gaze.
Shadows from his lashes covered his eyes like curtains.
After murmuring it again and again, he looked up.
The darkness was gone.
Clear, lively eyes had returned.
“I see.”
His stiff expression softened into a smooth smile.
Startled, I widened my eyes.
Rihart burst into unusually loud laughter.
He laughed so hard my body shook with him.
The pleasant vibration spread to me, tickling my stomach.
Before I knew it, I was laughing too.
Everything that had weighed on me felt light.
After laughing like a madman for a while, he wiped the tears from his eyes.
“Archel.”
Looking up at the brightening sky, he turned to me.
“……I’m truly sorry.”
Morning sunlight filtered through the clouds and landed on his red hair.
“……Yeah.”
As dawn faded into morning, he called my name again softly.
“Archel.”
“What.”
“You’re heavy.”
You little—
I flicked his forehead lightly and stood up.
My legs wobbled from staying in one position too long, and he immediately teased me.
“If you’re my rival, you can’t afford to get cramps like that.”
Even when I glared at him, he didn’t stop.
“Work harder.”
Seeing him giggle like he’d used up a lifetime’s worth of laughter, my fighting spirit vanished.
“Worry about yourself.”
Leaving his laughter behind, I walked out of the training ground.
My body ached, but my mood wasn’t bad at all.
