The first event of the knights' tournament was called a martial exhibition. It was not an official competition, merely a warm-up before the tournament began. There were no hard requirements for participants in the exhibition. Anyone who wished to take part could draw lots; whoever was selected could challenge anyone present and display their skills before the Grand Duke and other important figures.
In previous years, this event had not been particularly intense. Contestants generally needed to conserve their strength, so they did not put much effort into the martial exhibition. After all, it was only a warm-up and leaned more toward performance.
But this year was different. Many seeded contestants had actually decided to draw lots! Oh, and it should be mentioned that the seeded contestants were seated relatively close to the raised platform.
Solam was sleeping so deeply that he nearly slid right off his chair.
It was not because Solam lacked sleep. In fact, he had slept quite well the previous night. But the speeches from those important figures were even more effective than magic. In just a few minutes, Solam could no longer hold on and fell asleep.
"Wake up! Wake up! Solam, wake up!" Isabella was beside herself with anxiety, but she did not dare make any large movements. She could only secretly nudge Solam with her hand while calling to him in a low voice.
Seeing the mocking, derisive looks around her, she nearly wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground. This was too embarrassing. Solam had actually fallen asleep at such a solemn occasion...
Finally, after Isabella's tireless efforts, Solam let out a snore and opened his bleary eyes. Wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth, he mumbled, "What is it? Are those bastards done talking nonsense? Then I'm