Viana sat at the table on the balcony outside her room, smiling to herself.
She had successfully increased the Love Percentage of the Crown Prince of the Valendale Empire, and she was absolutely delighted by it.
"This morning, Prince Rayne sent a gift for you, My Lady," said Sina, her face beaming with excitement, making Viana amused at her reaction.
"Oh, really? Where did you put it?" she asked, hiding her face as she giggled softly.
Sina took the gift and placed it on the balcony table, eagerly waiting for the Princess to open it.
Seeing her personal maid's enthusiasm, Viana finally opened the gift box. Inside, there was a small necklace with a light green pendant, matching the color of Viana's eyes.
"Wow, such a beautiful necklace," Sina exclaimed, clapping her hands in delight.
"It seems the Prince is interested in you, My Lady, because he never gives gifts without a reason," she chirped.
"He's a playboy," Viana replied indifferently as she closed the jewelry box again.
Sina, however, paid no attention to her dismissiveness and kept talking excitedly as she placed the box in the Princess's jewelry storage.
"If Your Highness were to become the Empress, wouldn't it be a great benefit for the Kingdom of Elysia?" she said, speaking without much thought.
She continued praising the handsome Prince, going on about how he had escorted the Princess back to the palace yesterday with such a gentlemanly attitude, among other things. Viana occasionally responded to Sina's cheerful chatter.
While listening to the chatter of her personal maid, she gazed at the rose garden below her balcony.
She used to love roses, but after her husband, or perhaps ex-husband, would often throw them at her while she lay weak and in pain on the bed, she always tried to hide her fear whenever she saw roses.
It had become a torment for her.
And she shifted her thoughts to what she planned to do for the day.
She was going to visit the Royal Knights' training ground and meet the aspiring best knight in Elysia.
***
The Princess walked toward the training grounds for the Royal Knights candidates, accompanied by Sina.
In Elysia, knights were divided into two groups: regular knights and Royal Knights.
Royal Knights were the elite, the best of the best, tasked with guarding and protecting the palace.
Among them, the finest would be assigned to protect the royal family and were personally chosen by the member of the royal family they would serve once they reached the appropriate age.
Since Viana had just turned eighteen two days ago, today she would select a Royal Knight to accompany and protect her wherever she went.
And she already had someone in mind, on who would fit that position perfectly.
With a smile on her face, she entered the training grounds, leaving the candidates, who were seeing the beautiful Princess for the first time, completely awestruck by her presence.
An instructor on the training grounds greeted her immediately, "Good morning, Your Highness."
Viana returned the greeting with a gentle nod and a sweet smile, saying, "Please carry on, I'll just observe."
Everyone on the grounds froze in awe, captivated by the beautiful Princess's smile. However, the instructor, who had met the Princess several times before, yelled at the candidates.
"Get back to your training, you lazy lot!"
The aspiring knights hurriedly resumed their exercises, though they occasionally stole glances at the Princess.
They understood the purpose of her visit, and each silently hoped to be chosen as the personal Royal Knight for the stunning Princess.
She observed each of the knight candidates one by one and noticed someone standing slightly apart from the others.
"Hmmm. That's him..."
She then sat on a chair brought over by her servant, resting under a tree with Sina.
Her personal servant was busy chirping away, "Your Highness, the one in the center with blonde hair seems quite strong."
"Oh, Your Highness! The one wearing black clothes, he seems skillful with his sword."
Sina kept giving her opinions to the Princess, while Viana simply hid her amused smile behind the fan she carried.
Her gaze stayed fixed on the brown-haired man standing slightly away from the rest.
"Reyes..."
Then she signaled the muscular instructor, who appeared to be in his thirties, to approach her.
"I want to see how they spar," she told the instructor.
The instructor nodded in understanding. "Understood, Your Highness."
He then ordered all the candidates, including Reyes, to spar.
Suddenly, Viana overheard Reyes' opponent laughing mockingly. "Hahaha, you think you can be chosen by the Princess? You're just a commoner."
Even though the distance between them was quite far, the Princess could still hear it.
"Hmmm..."
Hearing the Princess murmur, Sina glanced at her and followed her gaze.
It turned out the Princess was watching two young men facing off, with one wearing a mocking expression towards his opponent.
The man appeared to be a young noble, but she couldn't clearly see his sparring partner since he was standing with his back to them.
"Begin!"
The instructor's voice rang out loudly, and immediately everyone started attacking their respective sparring partners.
They all tried to defeat their respective opponents, including the pair that the Princess and Sina were closely observing.
The movements of the young noble were fast but seemed poorly refined, while his opponent calmly blocked every attack with skill and precision.
And shortly afterward, the young noble's sword was sent flying by a swift strike from the man.
The young noble glared fiercely at the man who had defeated him, but the man paid him no attention.
He then turned around, calmly sheathing his sword, and stood waiting for the others to finish their matches.
At that moment, Viana had already made up her mind, ensuring she didn't appear suspicious.
When the instructor turned to look at the Princess, she nodded, and his booming voice echoed through the area.
"Stop!"
He quickly approached the Princess's seat and asked, "Have you decided, Your Highness, who you will choose?"
Viana lowered her fan and smiled.
All the knight candidates held their breath, anxiously waiting to hear the Princess's decision.
She then pointed the tip of her fan at the brown-haired man who had just won against the young noble and softly said, "I choose him."
All eyes turned toward the man the Princess had chosen, filled with envy, though none dared to speak.
The man was already known for his exceptional skills, despite being just a commoner.
It was Reyes.