"Alan! You cannot do this. If you treat my Chosen like a dog, then why does yours still stand there!"

    "Lord Qwass, your Chosen, made a direct threat. That is why he and his entourage were escorted to the room beside us. This doesn''t mean you will be penalised or have any punishments because of their improper conduct." Alan''s voice echoed through the room.

    He reminded Ryuji of the king with how he controlled his accent and tone to gain the support of the upper visitors.

    And he said he couldn''t take the throne... What a damn fool

    "Alan!"

    "It''s Duke Grigor to you! Lord Qwass have some manners as a high noble. We are in the presence of others."

    It was the first time for Ryuji and Yumiko to see Alan act so proud and not treat his heritage and title like a burden. While on the opposite side of the room, his sister''s face looked delighted as her lovely red lips parted.

    "I do believe Duke Grigor has a good point; rather, Alan, your wonderful action to help Lord Qwass avoid punishment is admirable. I could never treat my enemies as you do."

    Lord Qwass snapped his fierce gaze towards her. It seemed to Ryuji that although she might have had power in the past, Alan''s sister probably didn''t assert herself or seemed to wait for her brother to stand up again.

    "I concur with the lady, and we should continue the meeting and forget such barbaric heroes for now." The scruffy noble in the eastern seat spoke with a rather low, earthy voice that felt dragged out and slow.

    "Tsk... Understood." Lord Qwass could only remain frustrated, his eyes narrowing into thin slits as he glared at Alan and Ryuji.

    ***

    "Now then, the annual competition of our Chosen will happen in the near future—we must decide on the style in which they shall clash and the rules." Alan then tapped the vast map of the kingdom in front of them. "I propose they fight in the great arena in the south area of Weinberg."

    "Hmph... How simple. If we are to continue this tradition, we should let the Chosen fight in a natural battlefield rather than some human-made structure or style."

    The western noble, Lord Qwass, interjected as usual.

    Alan nodded, "That''s a good idea, Lord Qwass; how would you presume to arrange that? A mock battle of adventure groups or a mixed battle of knights and heroes against each other?" This was the brilliance of Alan, that although someone might be his enemy or insult him. He could still analyse their ideas or thoughts calmly and use them for himself.

    "Hmmm, we should keep the number of combatants low—it might get out of hand with more than six on either side." Alan''s sister added, her eyes fleeting around the room as many males instantly nodded and agreed with her. It seems she would support Alan in this kind of form for now.

    "I believe this should be interesting, a mixture of heroes and knights; however, each side should have eight." The scruffy noble tried to add his thoughts, and that left Alan and Qwass, who looked completely different.

    Princess Liana...

    "You can speak, Milady." Alan seemed to enjoy interacting with both nobles and those of the upper levels.

    "What if, for the first time in over twenty years, the royal family supports this event and promises a grand reward for the most impressive knight chosen in the competition?"

    "OHHH!?" The voices of the knights in the stands and lower floors couldn''t help but make noise because Liana lowered her hood, revealing the beautiful, fairy-like beauty she held.

    "Hmmm? Then what is your goal, My princess?" Alan didn''t let her off easily. He looked at her like any other noble. Despite being so affectionate normally Alan really worked seriously.

    A silent shock filled the room. Not only Alice but even Qwass looked stunned.

    "Ahhh... I concur with the princess." Reed from the east said with an old grunt.

    "Me too." Qwass immediately added.

    "I cannot object to this," Alice said.

    Even if they wanted to object, the look in the eyes of their princess and her coming to this meeting. If they shamed her here, it would lead to a complicated future for them. Some might see it as their plot to rise against the king, and that was something more terrifying than death!

    However, Alan looked at her with a challenging gaze until the princess shifted her gaze to Yumiko. The moment Alan saw this subtle movement of her eyes, he looked stunned, with his eyes widening.

    Before he answered, Alan turned to Ryuji and back to his little niece... "My princess, are you sure?"

    Ryuji felt the strange gaze of the princess focus on him, and he realised from Alan''s look that there was more to this than just her being selfish.

    If I become her Chosen, won''t Alan be able to make Yumiko his Chosen?

    Like that, Ryuji realised the entire plot of the princess, but it didn''t help her. The only one who benefitted from this would be him. Ryuji... and his lover, Yumiko.

    "I am completely serious, Duke Grigor."

    Ryuji looked at the beautiful, cheerful princess. That playful face and look she gave him showed no hesitation.

    Doesn''t she know that she''s playing with a fire that will burn her whole...?