The next morning, the palace bells rang long before sunrise, their echo rolling through marble halls like a command from the heavens. Sleep clung to me stubbornly, but it vanished the instant my chamber door swung open.
Kaela entered without ceremony, a bundle of fabric in her arms. She tossed it onto my bed with the practiced ease of someone accustomed to ordering others around.
The clothes looked nothing like anything I owned. They gleamed under the flickering lamplight—formal wear, tailored sharp and severe, stitched with embroidery so intricate it might as well have declared: Don't touch me unless your coin purse could bribe a king.
"Get dressed," Kaela said, arms crossed, her body filling the doorway with quiet authority. Her posture radiated the kind of command that brooked no argument.
I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "And why, exactly?"
Her gaze sharpened, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Her Highness wants you at her side in public today."
My mind stalled on the word. "Public…? As in… the kind of public where people have eyes? And ears? And rumors that multiply like rabbits after dark?"
Kaela's smirk widened, delight sparking in her eyes. "Exactly that."
My stomach sank.
---
I Got dressed and made my way to the throne room.
The throne room was alive with restless energy. Nobles clustered together in gilded pockets, whispering and preening like jeweled peacocks. Their silks and brocades outshone even the stained-glass windows above, and the heavy perfume in the air was so thick it coated my tongue.
And there—at the very center of the spectacle—stood the princess.
She was radiant, draped in a gown that caught every shaft of morning light, shimmering like molten sunlight spilled across the dais. Her hair gleamed, her jewels blazed, and when her gaze landed on me, the corners of her mouth curled into a smile sharp enough to cut glass. Beauty, danger, and delight all fused into one expression.
"There you are," she purred, her voice carrying easily across the hall. With a single motion—graceful, effortless, impossible to refuse—she beckoned me forward.
My instincts screamed to retreat. Every rational part of me wanted to flee back into the safety of anonymity. And yet, step by step, my feet carried me forward until I stood beside her, the sound of my heartbeat nearly drowning out the court's whispers.
Then, without hesitation, she slipped her hand into the crook of my arm.
The hall froze.
Silence pressed down like a physical weight. Dozens of eyes bored into me, measuring, judging, dissecting what this meant.
> [New Status Effect: Royal Arm Candy.]
Side Effects: +50% gossip spread rate. +20% jealousy from male nobles. +???% envy from female nobles.
I swallowed.
---
We moved together through the throne room and out into the palace gardens, where the true test waited. Rows of soldiers lined the courtyard, banners snapping proudly in the wind. The air vibrated with anticipation. Beyond the guards, the city's people had gathered in swarms, craning their necks for a glimpse of their princess.
The instant we stepped into view, the crowd erupted like a storm breaking.
"There he is!"
"That's the one who fought Kaela!"
"Her Highness claimed him herself!"
"Do you think he's—"
I tuned the rest out before the words could set my brain on fire. Unfortunately, my face betrayed me, burning so hot it might as well have been lit by a forge.
"Smile," the princess whispered, her lips brushing my ear in a gesture intimate enough to send a shiver down my spine. Her words, however, were sharp as a knife. "You belong to me now, remember? Show them you're comfortable in my leash."
I tried. I really did. The result was less a smile and more a grimace dressed up as one.
---
Fate, of course, wasn't content to stop there.
"That's him?"
The voice cut cleanly through the sea of chatter.
The crowd shifted, parting like water around a blade, and through that opening strode a girl. Tall. Striking. Her armor gleamed with polished steel that caught the sunlight in a thousand sharp glints. A long spear rested against her shoulder, but it wasn't the weapon that drew every eye—it was her presence. Her stride carried a boldness that demanded attention, and her eyes burned with intensity, sharp and unyielding.
Gasps fluttered through the crowd.
"The general's daughter…"
"She wouldn't—"
"Is she challenging him already?"
Her gaze locked onto me, pinning me in place. She studied me with unnerving precision, her lips curving into something caught between mockery and amusement.
"So you're the one who everyone is yapping about," she said. Her voice was rich, resonant, tinged with challenge. "Pathetic as you look, they say you bested Kaela...but I can't ignore anyone who caught her interest."
Beside me, the princess chuckled, a sound low and dangerous enough to raise the hairs on my neck. "Oh, how delightful," she murmured. "Another dog sniffing around my toy."
> [New Potential Harem Candidate Detected: Liora, Spear Prodigy.]
Current Mood: Curious. Competitive. Mildly bloodthirsty.
My throat tightened.
The system, as usual, chose this exact moment to twist the knife:
> [New Quest: Survive Public Rivalry.]
Reward: +3 Reputation, Affection Points with ???
Failure: Broken pride. Possibly broken bones.
---
So there I stood.
Arm in arm with the most beautiful princess in the kingdom, caught under the searing scrutiny of a spear prodigy who seemed intent on testing me, while half the realm gossiped like ravenous wolves over who I might belong to.
The weight of expectation crushed against my shoulders, each stare another invisible hand pressing me down. My pulse thundered, my palms slick with sweat I didn't dare wipe away.
And all I could think was,
I should've just stayed in bed.