Chapter 64: The Courtroom Tides

The sharp ring of steel echoing off the stone walls of the arena died down instantly, replaced by a sudden gasp from the crowd. Prince Felipe’s blade cut through nothing but empty air, his body stumbling forward slightly from the sheer momentum of his missed strike.

Before the prince could even realize his target was gone, Leo was already standing directly behind his exposed back. Moving with absolute, effortless speed, Leo swung his broadsword in a fast, clean counterattack.

Felipe’s blue eyes contracted with pure panic. Driven by pure survival instinct, he threw his upper body to the side in a clumsy, desperate scramble, the edge of Leo’s steel blade grazing his shoulder guard with a loud scrape. He barely managed to dodge the blow, his boots sliding roughly across the dirt as he scrambled back to create space.

Up on the topmost royal balcony, an absolute, jaw-dropping shock wave hit the royal family. The King and Queen surged slightly out of their seats, their faces turning completely pale. Alistair Roslav’s hand froze tightly on the marble railing, a genuine, reality-shattering shock twisting his features as he stared down at the sand.

Standing right beside them, Eleanor’s breath caught sharply in her throat. Her violet eyes widened in total surprise, but as she saw Leo’s tall, unyielding body standing completely unharmed, a soft, genuinely sweet smile slowly traced her lips, her heart hammering with a sudden surge of pride.

Down on the arena floor, Prince Felipe gritted his teeth so hard his jaw ached, a deep, furious red painting his face. "You... you absolute street rat!" he roared out in pure humiliation. He lunged forward again, aggressively driving his rapier into a flurry of fierce, demanding thrusts.

Leo didn't even push back. He simply kept his body perfectly relaxed, shifting his weight smoothly from left to right as he casually dodged every single oncoming blade with total ease. He played entirely defensive, moving across the sand like a shadow.

Felipe was growing completely crazy, his strikes becoming wild and frantic as a terrifying thought hit his brain. How is this possible? How can a primitive commoner dodge my elite royal swordsmanship so effortlessly?!

Leo tracked his messy movements, a thoroughly amused, mocking smirk tracing his sharp face. He stopped his feet, calmly lowering his broadsword, and raised his left hand. Moving his index finger in a slow, deliberate motion, he signed Felipe to come at him again.

The blatant mockery completely destroyed Felipe’s remaining sanity. "Die!" he screamed out, his face twisted in rage as he threw his entire weight into a full-fledged, desperate downward strike meant to split Leo in half.

Leo didn't dodge this time. He planted his boots firmly into the dirt, swung his heavy broadsword upward with immense physical strength, and slammed his steel directly against Felipe's blade.

BANG!

The sheer force of the impact vibrated through the air. The rapier was ripped entirely out of Felipe’s grip, flying high into the sky before crashing uselessly into the distant sand.

Felipe stumbled back, falling flat onto his hands as a wave of pure terror filled his blue eyes. Before he could even scramble away, the cold, sharp edge of Leo’s broadsword was resting directly against the sensitive skin of his neck.

Leo stood tall over his defeated body, his dark eyes looking down with absolute dominance as he delivered a quiet, cold rumble. "Don't ever underestimate a common person, Prince."

With a relaxed flip of his wrist, Leo pulled the weapon back and casually threw his own broadsword onto the ground with a thud.

For a long three seconds, an absolute, dead silence gripped the massive arena. Thousands of citizens stared down with wide, unblinking eyes, completely frozen by the sight of their champion kneeling in the dirt. Even the King and Queen stood paralyzed on the balcony block.

Then, a sudden explosion of wild cheering and frantic applause detonated from the stands. The thousands of voices who had been booing him minutes ago were now screaming his name in pure admiration. Leo offered an effortless grin, calmly waving his hands in the air as he turned his chin upward to lock his gaze straight onto the royal balcony.

Eleanor stood right at the edge of the marble railing, her face glowing with intense happiness and a deep pink blush as she excitedly clapped her hands, her eyes glistening with absolute joy.

.....

A short while later, the heavy atmosphere shifted inside the grand, marble-lined dining hall of the palace.

A massive feast had been organised across the long table, with dozens of quiet royal maids moving smoothly through the room to set down premium plates of food. Leo sat near the center row, with the King, Queen, Alistair, and Eleanor sitting right beside him.

The King took a deep drink from his golden chalice, his previous furious frustration completely gone, replaced by a look of deep respect as he looked at Leo. "I must admit, Leo... you are an exceptionally brave and incredibly strong young man. In the entire history of our kingdom, not a single vanguard warrior has ever managed to win against Prince Felipe in pure swordsmanship. Yet you... you dismantled his defense so easily. Tell me, where exactly did you receive such elite combat training?"

Leo hesitated for a fraction of a second, his fingers tightening against his fork as he calculated a quick lie to protect his hidden system. "I... I simply used to get private lessons from an old wanderer when I was young, Your Majesty. It was nothing special."

Sitting right across the table, Alistair Roslav kept his posture perfectly calm and disciplined, but his sharp violet eyes were completely filled with an intense, burning disgust and furious hatred as he glared at Leo’s chest.

Eleanor, however, looked exceptionally happy. Her face was painted in a cute, melting blush as she kept peeking at Leo’s profile, her usual high-and-mighty pride completely missing.

The King suddenly stood up from his grand chair, a wide, proud smile on his face as he gestured toward the couple. "I am truly, deeply pleased with your performance today, Leo. A warrior of your caliber deserves the absolute highest honors of our house. Therefore, I am officially dissolving the previous contract with Felipe. From this moment on, you will become Eleanor's official royal fiancé!"

COUGH!

An absolute shockwave hit the table layout instantly. Eleanor, Alistair, and Leo all froze, their eyes stretching wide in total, jaw-dropping shock.

"Father, wait!" Eleanor squeaked out frantically, her face turning a white-hot shade of crimson as she waved her hands in panic. "That... it is completely entirely too early for such an official announcement! We need time for it!"

Alistair slammed his hand against the wood, his voice snapping with furious authority. "This is completely ridiculous, Father! He is an absolute street rat from the outer world! How can a common person be allowed to become a formal member of our sacred royal bloodline?!"

"Silence! Enough!" the King boomed authoritatively, stopping their arguments instantly as he straightened his royal coat. He gave them a cold, unyielding look. "My decision is absolute. On the fifth day from now, I will formally announce their engagement to the entire kingdom during the grand festival."

Without waiting to hear another word, the King turned on his heel and walked out of the dining hall, followed closely by the Queen. Leo and Eleanor were left sitting at the table, staring straight into each other's shocked faces in total silence.

.....

An hour later, the door of a private side room clicked shut.

Leo and Eleanor stood alone inside the quiet space, the tension between them incredibly thick. Eleanor turned to face him, her long purple hair casting a shadow as she lowered her head, her voice dropping into a soft, deeply vulnerable whisper filled with genuine guilt. "Leo... I am so incredibly sorry. You are experiencing entirely too much trouble and danger right now, and it is all because of my foolish actions."

Leo let out a long, grounded sigh, shoving his hands deep into his pockets as he looked at her flustered expression. "Look, Princess, the arena fight was fine. But what the hell are we supposed to do about this sudden engagement announcement? Five days is not a lot of time before your father locks me into this family permanently."

Eleanor looked up at his handsome face, her violet eyes trembling with an intense, frantic fear as she clutched her sleeves. "We... we cannot tell the King and Queen the truth, Leo! If they find out that we manufactured a fake boyfriend story just to bypass my marriage papers, they will realize they were completely humiliated in front of the entire kingdom. They will definitely execute you this time without a single second of hesitation!"

Leo let out another heavy breath, his mind in a complete storm as he rubbed his temples. Great. I'm trapped between a forced engagement and an actual execution.

CREAK.

Without a single warning knock, the heavy wooden door violently swung open. Both Leo and Eleanor instantly panicked, freezing dead in their tracks as their hearts hammered wildly against their ribs.

Stepping out from the threshold, his purple hair catching the low light and his handsome face twisted into a cold, dangerous smirk, was Alistair Roslav. He slowly closed the door behind him, locking his icy violet gaze dead onto their pale faces.