At Anxi's invitation, everyone present except the Knights moved to the Royal Palace's state guest reception room and took their seats.
Lumya and Merika seemed extremely uneasy. They sat stiffly, their faces filled with nervousness and apprehension. Let alone speaking, they hardly dared breathe too loudly.
Shien and Vivian sat down as well. Across from them sat Anxi and Roxie. Behind those two, the burly knight Aridia stood like a guardian deity, watching over them. His expression remained as firm and unmoving as stone, making him seem like a weapon dedicated solely to protecting the royal family. Yet his presence was anything but insignificant.
Under such circumstances, Tier did not sit with the others. As though she wanted to distance herself from the group, she leaned against the wall in a corner of the reception room with her arms folded, looking utterly unapproachable.
By then, Roxie had already explained the general course of events to everyone.
Anxi nodded thoughtfully.
"So, because of Vivian's introduction, Roxie got to know Sir Shien and learned that he was highly capable. Her competitive spirit was stirred, so she invited Sir Shien to spar with her in the Royal Palace Arena?"
Anxi confirmed the entire sequence of events.
"That was exactly what happened."
Roxie nodded. Her breathtakingly beautiful face was stern and cool, completely in Princess mode.
Roxie's presence was equally astonishing, even more so than Aridia's. Even Anxi, the King, was overshadowed by her, making everyone unable to help but glance at her.
In fact, ever since earlier, Lumya and Merika had been secretly stealing glances at Roxie from time to time. Their pretty faces were slightly flushed, and their eyes were full of admiration. They had clearly become her fans already.
Before outsiders, Roxie always appeared as flawless as she did now.
However...