The young girl before him was a stark contrast to the well-made, light yellow formal dress she wore, which was clearly put on temporarily and looked out of place.
Tsukasa remembered that during their last meeting, she had been wearing an old leather vest, her hair dull, and her eyes full of the wariness and defiance left by street survival. Rather than resilient, calling her a shrewd little rascal who won't take a loss might be more accurate.
Gazing at the girl who had been forcibly dragged from the Slums, Tsukasa couldn't help but wonder, 'Is this Royal Selection a gathering of problem children?'
Although he felt that the Felt before him might shine with a little polishing, the girl's current behavior had already thrown this solemn meeting into chaos.
Felt called out, her voice devoid of any reverence for the knight, "Reinhard."
"Yes." Reinhard immediately responded, his voice still steady.
The young lady and the knight locked eyes for a second.
Then—
"You bastard! You dragged me to this place without any explanation, what exactly do you want?!"
Felt abruptly lifted the hem of her dress, her leg arcing through the air, a kick aimed straight for Reinhard's chin.
Just before her toe could connect, Reinhard raised his hand and steadily caught it.
"You startled me."
Reinhard's expression barely changed, he just tilted his head slightly. "Excuse me, what are you doing?"
"Don't act all nonchalant after catching it!"
Felt stood firm on one leg, frantically swatting at the dress on her body, the expensive fabric smacking loudly.
"This damn place! These crappy clothes! These inexplicable people! And you! What does it all mean?! I've had enough!"
The maid attending nearby turned pale at the rough treatment of the dress, almost fainting.
"You... don't like this dress?"
Reinhard's tone remained gentle. "I think it suits you very well."
"Who's talking about clothes with you?!"
Felt almost jumped. "I said I hate all of this! Not just the clothes! And you! Aren't you ashamed, a Royal Guard, to engage in kidnapping and imprisonment?!"
Reinhard replied without hesitation, as if it were an unassailable reason, "This is for the future and prosperity of the kingdom."
Felt seemed choked by the reason, supporting her forehead with her hand, an expression of splitting headache on her face.
"I thought you had changed. Fortunately, it's just a new skin."
She muttered softly, a hint of relief in her tone, "That's good. It seems I'm not the only one. What's in a person's bones really isn't that easy to change."
Watching Felt's antics, Tsukasa couldn't help but let a smile curl at the corner of his lips, hidden beneath his helmet.
That's right, keep causing a ruckus. The more chaotic the scene, the less attention would be focused on Emilia.
Although thinking this felt a bit unfair to Felt, at least it would maximize Subaru's chances of avoiding mistakes due to nervousness.
He looked towards Subaru. Sure enough, Subaru's initial shock had largely diluted her tension.
Discovering that the fifth candidate was Felt, Emilia seemed to have reached a similar conclusion to Subaru.
From a former rival for the insignia, she had now become a 'companion' vying for the throne.
The other candidates, the surrounding knights, and nobles all wore expressions of surprise, but most showed clear displeasure at Felt's rude and disrespectful behavior.
Immediately, stern gazes shot towards Felt.
Feeling these stares, Felt not only didn't restrain herself but instead let out an ill-tempered 'tsk' and deliberately glared back.
Although their contact time was short, Tsukasa could sense that her nature wasn't so perverse. This short month's experience had probably brought her quite a shock.
"Huh? Subaru, why are you here too?" Felt, who had been scanning the hall as if inspecting her territory, suddenly noticed Subaru standing in the front row of the knight formation.
Her eyes lit up, and her face instantly cleared from cloudy to bright. She pushed Reinhard, who was blocking her way, aside and, ignoring the awkward high heels on her feet, walked towards Subaru.
Seeing Felt approaching her, Subaru immediately showed a heartfelt smile. "Felt, lately things haven't been too good, have they? But it's really great to see you again."
At this moment, under Subaru's gaze, Felt quickly walked to her side, almost pressing her ear to hers, and urgently whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Can you figure out a way to get me out of here? What kind of Royal Selection is this? I don't want to participate at all."
Subaru's smile took on a hint of apology, and she lowered her voice to reply. "To be honest, if I could, I'd help you but Reinhard probably won't let you go easily."
"Tch..."
Felt made a series of annoyed clicking sounds with her tongue.
Reinhard spoke at the opportune moment, his face still bearing an impeccable smile, "Felt-sama, while reuniting with old friends is delightful, please come forward first."
Perhaps sensing a slight easing of the atmosphere, Marcos subtly moved the agenda forward, gesturing with his hand for Felt to stand at the front.
His serious expression made Felt frown again, but she grudgingly walked back.
"What exactly do you want me to do?" She asked impatiently.
"Although I'd like to discuss the matter of a lady's conduct first..."
Reinhard said, taking an insignia from his bosom—it was the royal insignia, symbolizing qualification for the Royal Selection. He gently placed it in Felt's outstretched palm.
Buzz!
The jewel in the center of the insignia immediately emitted a pure white light.
"I already felt it when I stole this thing."
Felt mumbled, looking at the glowing stone, "This stone is really weird, why does it light up on its own?"
"Stolen?" Marcos immediately caught the dangerous word, his gaze sharply turning to her.
Felt then realized she had let something slip, but she showed no remorse, instead meeting the stern gazes and clicking her tongue even more defiantly.
Reinhard immediately took over, his voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable force, "That's because Felt-sama, you have already been recognized by the Dragon."
He skillfully defused the awkwardness and brought the conversation back on track, "The Dragon Jewel has recognized Felt-sama's qualification as a Dragon Priestess. Since the Dragon has made its choice, this Royal Selection can now be considered truly begun."
At this moment, Marcos placed his hand on his chest and bowed deeply. Reinhard followed suit, performing the same action.
Immediately after, all the Royal Guards in white uniforms in the hall, except Tsukasa, uniformly bowed in salute.
This was a tribute to their mission—they had strived with all their might and finally gathered the five Dragon Priestesss mentioned in the prophecy, who were now assembled here, the future monarch candidates of Lugunica.
'This display really does seem like it's pushing the wheel of history, but it is what it is.' Tsukasa thought, observing the perfectly synchronized salute before him.
Although he still found the Divine Dragon's selection method a bit absurd, he had to admit that this method largely avoided the bloody civil strife that could erupt from a struggle for the throne.
However, at this solemn moment—
From the right-hand queue, where Civil Officials and nobles gathered, came a clearly unrestrained commotion. It was a murmur mixed with confusion, doubt, and bewilderment.
Immediately after, a middle-aged Civil Official stepped forward. His face was solemn as he raised his voice towards the Council of Wise Men, saying, "Please forgive my impudence. May I say a few words here?"