The End of First Love - Chapter 22

“Hey, Milia. Have you ever heard of a swordsmanship tournament hosted by the Royal Guard?”

A few days had passed since the Marquis of Subaruf’s evening party. Elizabeth tilted her head as she looked at the letter delivered by Heinz.

“Oh, my lady! Please don’t move!”

“Oh, sorry.”

Elizabeth was currently having her hair done by Milia in preparation for welcoming Miranda and Iris, who were coming for afternoon tea.

“A swordsmanship tournament hosted by the Royal Guard? I haven’t heard of it either.”

“Right? If such a tournament existed, I should have known about it. I wonder if it just started recently.”

She showed the letter to Milia again for confirmation.

“Let’s see… It says they would like to invite you to a swordsmanship tournament hosted by the Royal Guard at the royal palace. My lady, isn’t the Royal Guard directly under the command of His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Yes. Now that you mention it, William despised them.”

“That’s it! That’s why you’ve never had any connection to them and didn’t know about the tournament. But it’s strange that the invitation comes from Lord Heinz, who isn’t a member of the Guard. Perhaps he’s simply inviting you to watch it together?”

“That could be the case. After all, Lord Heinz is on good terms with both the Captain of the Guard, Lord Kyle, and the Vice Captain, Lord Louis.”

“Fufu, and aren’t the two people who would know all about this tournament coming today? You must ask them everything, my lady, so you won’t embarrass yourself by not knowing!”

“Alright, alright.”

Encouraged by the curious Milia, Elizabeth decided to ask the two about the tournament in detail—

“What? Lady Elizabeth, you don’t know about the swordsmanship tournament?”

“Truly?! It’s been all the rage among young ladies lately!”

“S-Sorry. I had no idea…”

“Hey, Lady Iris, could that rumor be untrue after all?”

“Perhaps so. It does seem that way.”

Watching the two whispering to each other, Elizabeth started to feel uneasy.

(Is it really that bad not to know about the tournament?)

“Umm, Lady Miranda, Lady Iris. Is it a problem if I don’t know about this swordsmanship tournament?”

“Oh… Forgive us, Lady Elizabeth. There’s no real issue in not knowing about the tournament itself. However, the purpose of the tournament is… rather delicate. You see, it has become an event where unmarried men and women can meet and find partners.”

“What!? A matchmaking event? But how…?”

“The tournament itself is legitimate and has long been held to strengthen the Royal Guard. However, ever since His Highness the Crown Prince and Crown Princess Lilia were wed, it has been open to the public. Naturally, noblewomen and ladies without fiancés, starved for entertainment, began attending in search of potential husbands.”

“That’s right. Many young, promising men serve in the Guard, including second and third sons of noble families who may not inherit their households. So, the interests of women seeking husbands and men hoping to marry into noble families align perfectly, making the tournament wildly popular.”

“…I see.”

S-She had no idea!!

If she had known about such an event, she could have attended earlier.

Maybe it would have helped her recover from the heartbreak of her broken engagement with William much sooner. Perhaps she could have even avoided being caught up with Heinz.

Just imagining herself falling in love with a strong and gallant knight in his uniform—

But as she pictured it, the face of the knight in her mind inexplicably turned into Heinz’s. Flustered, Elizabeth quickly cut off her fantasy.

(Why does Heinz’s face appear in my daydreams?! What is wrong with me lately?!)

“Lady Elizabeth! Are you listening?”

“Huh? Oh! Sorry, what was that?”

Pulled back to reality by their voices, Elizabeth hurriedly refocused.

“We were saying, for your own good, you must absolutely not attend the tournament.”

“Yes. If you were simply an engaged noblewoman, it would be one thing. But now that you’re Lord Heinz’s fiancée, if you attend the tournament, the noblewomen looking for husbands will tear you apart with rumors!”

“Not to mention, if such rumors—true or not—reach Lord Heinz, there’s no telling what might happen.”

“O-Oh… Yes, I see. But the thing is, Lord Heinz himself invited me to the tournament.”

“”WHAT?!”

The sudden outburst from both Miranda and Iris echoed through the garden, nearly making Elizabeth drop her teacup.

“Um… Did I say something strange?”

“No, Lady Elizabeth, you didn’t say anything strange at all. It’s just… I can’t believe that Lord Heinz would personally invite you to the tournament…”

Watching Miranda nod in agreement with Iris, Elizabeth was left confused, not understanding their shock.

“Please, tell me the truth. Why is it so surprising that Lord Heinz invited me to the tournament?”

“Miranda, since Lady Elizabeth is officially engaged to Lord Heinz now, don’t you think we should tell her about the rumors?”

“Yes. It would probably save her a lot of trouble down the line.”

(Save me trouble? That means they’re about to drop a bomb on me, doesn’t it?)

Hearing their ominous conversation, Elizabeth’s heart began to pound.

And then—

The bombshell that followed would shake her to her very core.