The shocking confession from Letia reverberated throughout the entire arena, leaving the audience frozen in place.
They must be scrambling to process what they heard, doubting their ears and trying to interpret the meaning.
Even I, who knew about her feelings, found it surreal—how much more bewildering it must be for others?
Skipping countless steps, the transition from a prisoner to the spouse of a hero was too much to grasp with a clear mind.
“Ha ha ha! This is truly extraordinary! Not even His Majesty the King could leave me so speechless, but Lady Letia, you manage it effortlessly! That’s the most shocking joke I’ve ever heard in my life.”
“It’s not a joke.”
“…Please, give me a moment to process this.”
Duke Ludbront, trying hard to maintain his composure, attempted to engage Letia in conversation
However, when she firmly declared there wasn’t a shred of falsehood in her confession, even he was left staggering.
It must have felt like being thrown into the vast emptiness of space—because that’s exactly how I felt.
“Since it seems no one believes me, I’ll say it again. I have only one wish: to marry the person I’m holding right now and build a happy family!”
“Why are you saying this now…”
“Because this is the perfect moment! Don’t you want to have a wedding blessed by everyone?”
“Do you even realize the kind of shockwave you’re causing…?”
As expected, those who regained their senses started reacting in peculiar ways.
The men erupted like enraged chimpanzees, while the women huddled together, whispering slyly.
“This is a nightmare! This is a nightmare! This is a nightmare! This is a nightmare!”
“Our idol is going to marry an Imperial bastard? I’d rather die than see that happen!”
“Could it be that he cast some vile sorcery on Lady Letia?”
“Or maybe he’s blackmailing her with something serious!”
“He must have done something improper! That’s the only explanation!”
Eventually, rumors started spreading that I had done something despicable to Letia.
The audience inside the arena was on the verge of turning into a mob.
Sensing the imminent danger, I urgently whispered to Letia.
“I understand how you feel, but talking about marriage is too much. Just say you want to start as a couple!”
“What? But how can I say that when we already have a child on the way?”
“Wh-What kind of nonsense is that?! No, more importantly, keep your voice down—!”
I should have told her to lower her voice earlier, but it was too late.
The news of her pregnancy, even more shocking than the talk of marriage, had reached the ears of others.
“That vile scumbag…!”
“The worst! He’s an enemy to all women!”
It seemed everyone believed I had assaulted Letia and forced her into marriage by using the unborn child as leverage.
Feeling utterly wronged, I grabbed Letia’s shoulders and shook her.
“It’s a lie, right? Say it’s a lie! We’ve never even had a proper relationship, so how could there be a child?”
“But we did share a bed, didn’t we? And you were awake at the time.”
“Surely you’re not saying that just sleeping in the same bed can result in having a child?”
“Is that not the case?”
Oh dear, what am I supposed to do with this woman, whose head seems to be full of flowers?
She didn’t even know what any elementary schooler—at the latest, a middle schooler—would understand as common knowledge.
Of course, Letia, who had dedicated her life to becoming a hero, probably never had the chance to receive proper education on such matters.
To her, sharing a bed meant simply sleeping together, and that was already proven beyond doubt.
The problem was how to resolve the public outrage caused by her misunderstanding.
“My son, watch closely. Even an ordinary stick, if you sharpen it at the end, can become a spear capable of felling a man in one blow.”
“Wow! I want to make one too!”
“Go ahead, make as many as you can. One spear won’t be enough, after all!”
This was bad.
The audience had started arming themselves, as if preparing to kill me.
Even if I told Letia the truth now and tried to clear up the misunderstanding, they’d only think I was threatening her.
There was only one way left for me to leave this place alive.
“Duke Ludbront.”
“Ugh…! W-Why are you calling me?”
The mention of his name made Duke Ludbront flinch, and he hastily returned the dagger he’d started to draw back into his coat.
Betrayal surged within me. I had believed he would stay rational and not join the mob.
As infuriating as it was, I needed his help to survive the immediate crisis.
“The proposal you offered me before—I’ll accept it.”
“Does this mean…!”
“You’ve heard my decision, so I’ll leave the rest to you.”
To avoid a gruesome end, I had no choice but to forsake my homeland.
From now on, I would live with the disgraceful label of a traitor who abandoned his country.
It worried me whether the people of the Empire would even accept me as a citizen.
Given I’d betrayed once, they might easily think I’d do it again and call for my execution, and that wouldn’t be surprising.
“Dear citizens! I humbly ask you to calm your anger for a moment!”
“Could it be that you too are being blackmailed by the Imperial scoundrel?”
“If that’s the case, leave it to us! We’ll kill him, hang him, and free Lady Letia and you, Duke!”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but that’s not it. I must deliver news that you all need to hear, so I’m asking for your attention.”
Duke Ludbront, as though soothing a crying child, carefully pacified the crowd’s fury and continued speaking calmly.
Indeed, putting forth someone so universally respected was likely the most reliable method to restore order.
“The newly crowned champion and knight who has reached the Master level has expressed their desire to naturalize. They have decided to forsake the Empire and join our kingdom, vowing to dedicate their life for the greater good!”
Having conveyed this through an intermediary, all that was left was to await the response.
“Sir Siyoon! Is it true? Are you really doing this just to marry me? Oh my, I feel so happy I could die!”
Letia, startled, then blushed deeply, overcome with joy, and soon appeared on the verge of fainting from ecstasy.
Her reactions were as varied as they were chaotic, from shock to bliss.
While she rubbed her cheek affectionately against my arm, I quietly observed the audience’s reaction.
“He’s planning to naturalize into the kingdom?”
“Maybe it’s just an excuse to get out of a dangerous situation?”
“Come on, everyone here is a witness. There’s no way he’d make such a big decision lightly.”
“Then isn’t this fine?”
“He’s a skilled knight who defeated the best in the kingdom and had a spectacular match with Lady Letia. This could work.”
“Even with just one arm, he’s shown incredible skill. This will definitely make the Empire grind their teeth in frustration.”
“Now we can taunt the Empire about how our kingdom’s tournament produced a superior knight, one of theirs, no less!”
“Exactly! They probably thought they’d humiliate us by winning, but they’re the ones eating humble pie now!”
The initially mixed reactions gradually turned into a more favorable sentiment toward me.
It seemed I had avoided the fate of being beaten to death by the crowd.
Why did this feel more exhausting than my duel with Letia?
“Phew…!”
There wasn’t a single person questioning my skills; everyone seemed to acknowledge my abilities.
However, no matter how skilled I was, the matter of marriage between someone from the kingdom and someone from the Empire was an entirely different issue.
It was natural for there to be strong opposition, especially when the bride-to-be was a hero revered by the kingdom.
I figured that removing the stigma of being from the Empire would help quell the fiery public sentiment, and my judgment was correct.
“Even if he naturalizes, don’t you dare think you can have Lady Letia!”
“That guy isn’t worthy of being her partner! Are you all out of your minds?”
“Right! Lady Letia is way out of his league, no question about it!”
Of course, there were still many voices opposing the marriage.
Since I also felt it was too soon for marriage, I remained silent.
Even if I held the winner’s privilege, if public sentiment remained against it, Letia might give up on the idea herself.
“This marriage, I absolutely opp—”
However, their protests were abruptly cut short by Letia.
She neither imposed nor argued with them.
She simply kissed me in front of everyone.
Once again, using the most straightforward approach, she managed to silence everyone for the third time today.
“Thank you all! I’ll live happily with him for a very, very long time!”
By now, even the most clueless observer would realize it.
Letia was neither coerced nor under any spell.
She was simply expressing her love more honestly than anyone else.
Caught off guard by her sincerity, my face burned with embarrassment, and I couldn’t lift my head.
“This is against the rules…”
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