C71
"It looks delicious. Even more knights are drinking it."
The knights served as ambassadors for my store.
It had a similar content to a beverage company that sponsored sports drinks for athletes for free.
And today's jousting game was so popular that it could be compared to the All-Star Game in my previous life.
There was no better stage for advertising.
"It's really sweet."
"It's really hot, but won't it taste like something?"
"But the knights from high-ranking nobles are also drinking it."
The most encouraging part was that the popular event stars, Isidor and Diery, were also drinking Armand's beverages.
Thanks to both of them.
At this point, I achieved more than 200 percent of my intended purpose.
They showed the need and simplicity of takeaway food right before their eyes and also successfully introduced the new menu, "Isotonic Drink."
I watched the rest of the match with ease, but the result of the match was completely unexpected, so I tilted my head.
"Diery is struggling like this. It's rare."
Currently, the quarter-finals are being played.
Of course, I hoped Diery would win and quickly advance to the final, but a dark horse appeared.
The anonymous knight who was very active in the previous two battles was fighting quite well against Diery, so everyone's hands were sweating.
The nameless knight had a surprisingly large build, but his movements were agile, so he avoided Diery's direct attack.
He flowed flexibly through Diery's reckless lance charge.
Crash!
Another battle took place, and the nameless knight hit Diery's shoulder hard and passed by.
On the other hand, Diery's lance was struck in vain by a wooden shield and bounced off.
"Just now, that nameless knight had a higher score."
Literally, a surprising act took place, and the opponent was frozen.
For the first time today, Diery took a hit from his opponent.
It was a best-of-three, so the winner of the quarter-finals had not yet been decided, but it was shocking that the genius from the Orge family had been outperformed by an imperceptible knight.
The score is 1-1.
The final match was more intense, and after a total of five exchanges, Diery won by a narrow margin against the anonymous knight.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that the referee was a bit more generous with Diery.
Perhaps it's natural.
Diery is from Orge, the famous swordsman.
Interestingly, that nameless knight who turned out to be a loser instead of a winner is attracting a lot of attention.
"Who is he? He looks young."
"It seems he's not affiliated with the famous Knights just by looking at his armor or the worn-out horse, but he's incredible!"
"That knight will be explored in the future, and the famous knights will call him."
Diery won a victory with injuries and made it to the final.
In the remaining quarter-finals, Isidor and the third son of the Sereig family, belonging to the Blue Knights Division, faced off where Isidor won without difficulty and then moved up in rank.
Diery's condition didn't seem very good.
Diery, who is demanding and fair, sat with a hardened face as if he was concerned about the result of the previous game.
In the end, Diery couldn't show his proper skills from the first game, and he fell off his horse to Isidor's attack.
"The winner of this year is Sir Isidor Visconti, Deputy Director General of the White Knights!"
Wow!
Under the scorching heat, I was forced to cool off only after the results.
I bet on Diery.
I knew the result of the match from the novel's spoiler, so I thought it would be foolish not to bet.
Wasn't it a sure thing?
I must say it's a shame that I didn't bet much on Isidor.
"It's different from the novel's content again."
Obviously, in the novel, there was a scene where Philap was fiercely jealous of the winner, Diery.
However, under the shadow of the Montes family crest, there was no one other than the Duke and Duchess Montes.
Now that I think about it, did Philap evaporate somewhere?
As I was confused by the difference between the novel and the current situation, I heard my name from the Knights' podium in a soft voice.
"Today, I give the glory of victory to Lady Deborah, who wished me luck and success."
(Note: When he finds out that he bet on Diery, haha, poor Isidor)
Isidor released the handkerchief that was tied to the lance's handle and waved it lightly.
An enthusiastic ovation should have erupted at this point originally, but as soon as his speech ended, an uncomfortable silence took over the audience.
Everyone turned their heads towards me as if synchronized.
"Oh my God, what kind of situation is this again...?"
That the winner would give glory to the Lady was a common occurrence, but the atmosphere turned bitter because the subject was a notorious woman.
Strong doubts and absurd looks emerged everywhere.
It was the same look I felt during the dance the other day.
"If Isidor is the light, then I am the darkness itself."
Thinking of eighth-grade syndrome, I slightly furrowed my brows.
The nobles who looked at me in astonishment quickly turned their heads and covered their eyes, as if they could see my bloody expression.
A performance was held to congratulate the winner at a good time, so the atmosphere was somewhat calm...
"Since I suddenly received attention, my stomach twisted."
I was quite shy, so I had some phobia of attention.
"He just waved his handkerchief three times, right? As expected, Sir Isidor is being threatened like me."
Belreck muttered with a very serious expression, and I felt absurd inside.
I'm not threatening Isidor!
----------------------
The inside of the carriage on the way home was as quiet as a mouse.
It was because both my father and I were silent.
My father also seemed exhausted, so I kept my words.
I leaned against the carriage that looked like a limousine and rested. But as soon as we arrived home, the Duke Seymour's thin lips moved slightly.
"Deborah. That guy..."
"What?"
"Never mind."
After another long silence, he stroked his slim chin with his hand and suddenly made an irrelevant comment.
"As a husband, an excellent magician would be better. The knights and elementalists are not at the right level with you, so intellectual conversations in themselves will be impossible..."
H-Husband?
While I was tired and dazed, a word as clear as the blue sky hit my ear, and I suddenly regained consciousness.
There are still two more years of the allowed age for marriage, but I haven't collected 10 billion yet, and I still have nightmares where Louie Gazelle appears, so why did he say such a terrible word?
Since I will have a debutante soon, is he going to find me a husband?
I wanted to enjoy the Seymour family's infrastructures, which seem like a five-star hotel, for a long time, so I quickly opened my mouth.
"Well, for the time being, I'm going to focus solely on research. There's no time for anything else."
"Research?"
—Yes. Starting with the magic stone, I have a lot to study, so 24 hours are not enough for me.
When his eyes began to soften due to the size of my enthusiasm for magic, the sharp eyes of the duke widened.
—And now I'm working on something even more amazing. Uh, uh.
Since I was desperate, my mouth moved wildly, so I spoke anything carelessly.
—I didn't know you were so passionate. Well, I often heard that the servants saw you studying late into the night.
"That's probably because I stayed up all night drawing the coffee shop's design."
My undergraduate tasks were simple and uninteresting, but I thought that, since it was for my own shop, it couldn't be more exciting and fun.
—I am the blood of Seymour and the daughter of my father, so it is natural to have an infinite thirst for knowledge.
Duke Seymour seemed to misinterpret it in my favor, so I didn't forget to flatter him.
Impressed by my enthusiasm for learning, Duke Seymour no longer mentioned this marriage-related story.
Rather, he even gently stroked my hair once.
—Yes, work hard.
—Yes.
"Ah, I think it went well."
As expected, you have to pretend to be studying so that parents don't interfere with their children's future.
However, I can't help but be desperate to get 10 billion today.
At the same time, the 100 gold coins I wasted on the jousting have become very precious.
Ah, how many smoothies do I have to sell to get 100 gold?
In the original work, Diery was definitely the winner...
After I suddenly became the top student in the academy, I have a headache because the original story was twisted again.
This is because the jousting match is quite important in the original novel.
The part about service and hard work so far is recognized by everyone.
"The story that Mia is like the incarnation of the saint began to emerge from this time."
After winning the match, Diery Orge's victory speech was quite sensational.
—I dedicate the honor of this championship to Lady Mia Binoche, who spares no effort to care for patients in the medical center.
—Furthermore, I will dedicate my sword to her beautiful dedication and follow in the footsteps of Saint Nayla.
At the end of the awards ceremony, Diery's emotional speech leads to cheers from a large audience, and she becomes the protagonist of this competition.
But that's in the novel, and the atmosphere was actually ruined by my fault...
It seems that there are still beneficial situations where I will involuntarily attract attention or be ahead of the female protagonist due to Isidor's curiosity.
