Celebrity Lady - Chapter 88

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Celebrity Lady
Chapter 88
“Cheating?”
“You don’t know which Spirit the Second Prince has a contract with?”
“Well, I do know, but…….”
Wisht raised an eyebrow and added, “His Spirit is Poze. Within a certain spatial range, it stops time.”
“So you’re saying in his previous life too, the Second Prince used his Spirit’s power to win the championship?”
“Wouldn’t that be the case?”
“But you can’t use it. That’s cheating.”
“……? That’s exactly why I said he used cheating?”
“You’re sure about this?”
“About 99 percent?”
This was too much. Even for someone as ruthless as him—a man who’d assassinated his own blood relations to become emperor—to resort to cheating in a tournament where honor-bound knights competed. I couldn’t believe it.
But I understood his motive well enough. He needed to reassure the empire’s citizens who doubted the military, to expand his political foothold.
Among the formidable knights, a championship title won through outstanding skill would serve him better than anything.
“It’s a fundamental rule that you can’t use a Spirit’s power. Can’t you just expose the cheating?”
“It depends on what kind of Spirit it is. If the Crown Prince, an earth Spirit Mage, were to use his abilities in the Jousting Arena, there’d be no need to expose anything—every one of the hundreds of spectators would immediately notice the ground warping or rising.”
“Right.”
You couldn’t exactly twist or heave the arena’s earth openly like that.
But the Second Prince’s situation was different, Wisht was saying. What if he stopped time in the arena, arbitrarily adjusted the lance’s trajectory, then let time flow again?
“Hmm, so that’s why he never took a single hit.”
“Exactly. He has to compete against different opponents, more than ten times over, yet he’s never even barely been grazed? That’s strange. The Crown Prince might manage it, but the Second Prince isn’t even known for martial prowess.”
“So what—we have to lose even though we know he’s cheating? There’s no way?”
“If there were a way, would the Crown Prince have given up so cleanly and sent you that kind of response?”
“Ah! Then…….”
I reread Lark’s letter and understood.
“He knows the Second Prince is cheating. It seems he’s dealt with this kind of situation before.”
“That would be it.”
“This is so unfair. This shouldn’t be allowed.”
It’s an official state event. Moreover, a jousting tournament of honor-bound knights. How could something so sloppy be permitted?
“What if you seal the Spirit’s power? There are Control Stones installed in the Tower of Silence to prevent Spirit abilities from being used, aren’t there?”
“The thing is, only one Control Stone was ever made when the Tower of Silence was constructed…….”
“What?”
“The Spirit King created it, but he hasn’t appeared since his first contractor died.”
“Ugh.”
Even though we were talking about the Spirit King, I clicked my tongue and glared at Wisht with disdain.
“That Spirit King—all glitter and no substance.”
“Hmm-hmm!”
Wisht, avoiding my gaze, added something else.
“If there were a Control Stone, it would actually make things worse. The empire’s jousting tournaments are always held in arenas blessed by the Guardian Spirit for protection, so no deaths occur. With a Control Stone, they wouldn’t receive that blessing either.”
“Right, that makes sense.”
“The current emperor is the Guardian’s contractor.”
“That’s true.”
An impenetrable shield. Thanks to the Guardian’s blessing—the ultimate defensive Spirit—the participants could compete with greater freedom from the threat of death.
If the Second Prince could kill his opponent without risk, he’d never miss that opportunity. For Lark, at least that was something.
“So…….”
I suddenly felt depressed and collapsed onto the desk.
“This means I have to watch the Second Prince win through underhanded means…….”
“There’s no helping it.”
“Wait!”
A sudden idea struck me and I sat upright.
“I just thought of something good!”
“What?”
“All Spirits have limits. Some require a cooldown period before they can be used again after continuous activation, and some……”
Emperor Decard XI’s Spirit, the Guardian, was one of those.
“Others—no matter how impressive their reputation—have restrictions like only three uses!”
At this, Wisht made a small noise and pressed his lips together.
I picked up the pen I’d set down and continued with a smile.
“The Second Prince said his ability only works within a certain spatial range, right? That means time flows normally outside that range.”
“So what’s your idea?”
“I need to borrow the Third Princess’s ability.”
“……Third Princess? What can she do?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I eagerly began writing a letter—my response to Lark.
[Your Highness, be confident and do as you normally would. I firmly believe you will win.
So please tell me what you’d like as a championship prize.]
“You still haven’t explained how you’ll get the Third Princess to help.”
“Well, it’s no fun if I spoil the surprise.”
“There you go again, keeping everything to yourself.”
“Hehehehe…….”
I rubbed my palms together with a mischievous grin, but then my expression suddenly darkened.
“By the way!”
I spun around sharply, and Wisht flinched.
“Why does this future keep changing so drastically? What else did I touch to move the jousting tournament from Jedo to Lyubon?”
* * *
What I’d touched was my relationship with Viego, it seemed…….
My brother, whom I wanted to see.
I have good news today. You already know the jousting tournament is being held in June, don’t you?
Since the organizer, the Third Princess, was deliberating over the venue, I suggested the equestrian grounds in Lyubon enthusiastically, and she kindly agreed.
Many ladies in Jedo are already excited about this pleasant spectacle where knights can display their prowess. It seemed such a shame that you alone would miss this fine sight.
But now that the venue has been changed to Lyubon, you’ll be able to watch the jousting tournament.
Please hold on just a little longer. I am always praying for you.
Viego.
“My brother, he…….”
I laughed while reading the letter, but immediately my expression crumpled like a fist.
“It’s not enough that he’s clueless—he has to wrap up his insensitivity in pity too.”
“I agree.”
Wisht nodded in agreement.
“Why don’t you be nice to me normally, then suddenly act like this? Did I ever bat my eyelashes at you? Did I ever ask you to take care of me? All I did was screech at you and tell you not to talk to me!”
Maybe Viego had some strange taste where he enjoyed being hit or hurt?
With this rather reasonable suspicion in mind, I shook my head back and forth.
* * *
Click, click, click.
The sharp sound of heels, and the silhouette of a captured woman.
Thanks to the dress design with a neckline that plunged a third of the way down the back, her shoulder blades against pale skin drew all eyes.
As the woman walked slowly in profile, her full figure was eventually captured head to toe.
A summer collection dress from Blanc de Ruby.
The fluttering, semi-transparent ruffled shoulder sleeves looked like an angel’s wing-dress from a masterpiece.
Soon, as the woman on screen slowly turned around,
“Gasp.”
“Ohhhhh.”
The people staring blankly at the screen released their held breath as if on cue.
Lustrous silver hair gathered entirely to the left side of her neck.
A white mask covering her entire face.
The only recognizable element was her well-proportioned figure, yet it created an overwhelmingly unapproachable atmosphere and an air of mystery.
Their choice for the highest places
The woman seated in a chair decorated with gold and jewels rested her chin on the armrest.
And as she slowly crossed her legs, pristine ankles and diamond heels were revealed.
Arrogant, aloof, and surprisingly elegant in bearing.
Soon, a male model in a black suit, also masked, appeared and placed a glittering tiara on her head.
Blanc de Ruby
* * *
Early June, summer ripening in earnest.
For days now, Jedo had been in turmoil as if a typhoon had blown through.
“I suspected she was female, but I didn’t know she’d be that beautiful.”
“My, Miss Sitten! Her face isn’t even showing—how can you tell if she’s beautiful or not?”
In a famous dessert shop in Jedo.
Daughters of wealthy families were chattering away, sipping their tea with genteel affectation.
“Is that so? Well, I’d know even if it were covered…….”
“Hmph, her body’s decent enough, but her face must be something else. If she were confident, she wouldn’t hide behind a mask.”
Not just them—99 percent of all conversations among those frequenting Jedo these days were about the same thing.
“What, Madam Ruby? Just because she’s become a little famous, her nose has gone up to the sky.”
Four days ago, the subject of all discussion finally appeared in person in a promotional video, dropping her veil—the representative of Blanc de Ruby.
The story was about Madam Ruby.
“No matter how famous she is, the fact that she won’t reveal her face means she’s no commoner, doesn’t it?”
Among them, Nora Pelcan, the young lady of the Pelcan family, added this while casting a cautious look at someone nearby.
“She could never compare to our Princess Lilia, the Swan of Dior.”
Lilia, who had been quietly sipping her tea with a composed expression, smiled faintly.
Miss Sitten and Miss Vallet, who had been with her, gazed steadily at Lilia, who had shown not a trace of reaction throughout the gossip.
Clink—Lilia set down her teacup and spoke.
“I’ve been hearing quite a lot about that shop’s madam these days.”
She was smiling like an angel, but her expression seemed somehow displeased.
That made sense. The voices that had so often praised Lilia, “the Swan of Dior,” had suddenly fallen silent.
These days, wherever you went, all you heard was gossip about that mysterious seamstress’s madam.
“Oh, that’s right. Miss Vallet, you received the Knight of the Month results from Sir Macculi yesterday, didn’t you?”
Nora hurriedly asked, watching Lilia’s expression.
The regular voting held by Miss Vallet and Imperial Knight Sir Macculi—Lady of the Month and Knight of the Month.
Since Lilia’s name had appeared on this list, she had never once lost first place.
The June voting results would surely be no different. Only then did Lilia’s uncomfortable expression find peace. Nora, too, was relieved.
“Ah, yes. Well, um…….”
Miss Vallet hesitated, her head tilted in confusion.
“I’m sure our Princess Lilia swept the knights’ votes again this month, didn’t she?”
“Hmm…….”
After deliberating for some time, Miss Vallet carefully withdrew a single sheet of paper containing the voting results from her bosom.
A familiar ballot with aristocratic ladies’ names listed down its length.
Lilia didn’t even glance at the bottom; as always, she checked the top where her name should have appeared.
2nd Place. Lilia Dior (18 votes)
What? Lilia rubbed her eyes gently and looked again. But nothing had changed.
Second place?
“Eeeek!”
Nora, sitting beside her, flinched and covered her mouth with her hand.
Lilia blinked repeatedly, continuing to verify the results, her gaze shifting to the name that had toppled hers.
1st Place. Madam Ruby (124 votes)

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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