The next day.
As soon as the day broke, Lizbeth, as usual, held her sword and rode in a carriage to the main road leading to the Frenzel residence, where she got off.
Perhaps to keep her true identity hidden or for some other reason, the carriage never drove directly into the Frenzel residence but would stop a distance away, let her get out, and she would walk the rest of the way.
She walked along the road that had gradually become familiar to her and arrived at the bustling gate of the Frenzel residence.
Her arrival was immediately noticed by keen observers.
"She's here! She's here!"
"It's Miss Lizbeth!"
"Miss Lizbeth is back to challenge again today?"
"Aah, awesome, we get to see Miss Lizbeth shaking in the arena again—err, I mean, bravely taking on the unbeatable opponent in the arena again!"
"I hear ya, buddy."
In the crowd, the excited voices of the people sounded almost animalistic, though they spoke human words, there was something oddly dehumanizing about it.
"Miss Lizbeth!"
"Miss Lizbeth!"
Many others shouted Lizbeth's name as if they were her fervent fans.
"Hello, everyone!"
Although Lizbeth was a bit scared by the unusual enthusiasm and felt like she might want to run away, she had somewhat gotten used to it by now. She pushed down her nervousness and bewilderment, bowing to the cheering crowd as a gesture of politeness.
However, she might never know just how much her bowing was 'appreciated' by some of these overly enthusiastic fans.
""OOOOOOHHH!""
"Yes! Miss Lizbeth bowed again today!"
"Wow, she's so polite! Keep it up, but maybe bow a bit deeper and hold it a little longer?"
"Seriously, do we really need to make a big deal about this? It's kinda embarrassing to point it out."
"Anyway, Miss Lizbeth is truly wonderful!"
At this moment, the crowd's howls were so intense that it almost felt like a throwback to some primal instinct. Some people even looked blissful, as if they had no regrets left in their lives even if they died now, causing nearby women to scowl and distance themselves.
Lizbeth didn't know if she had done something wrong again but only knew that every time she greeted these enthusiastic people (by bowing), they got especially excited, which left her puzzled.
However, seeing their happy faces, it didn't seem like a bad thing, right?
Apparently, this was somewhat touching for Lizbeth, who often felt neglected at the royal palace.
'Everyone here is a good person...' Lizbeth thought with a warm expression. 'Since everyone is so nice to me, I have to perform even better today.'
Following this, she showed a determined look on her face.
As the cheers from the enthusiastic crowd gave her a lot of strength, the little princess, clenching her small fists, walked up to the arena.
However, since Riezel hadn't arrived yet, she needed to sign up first.
Due to the constant flow of challengers and to avoid conflicts and arguments, anyone wanting to challenge Riezel had to sign up with Ain or Ian, who rotated in shifts. They had to wait until their names were called before they could enter the arena and fight him.
Lizbeth clearly hadn't arrived too early.
Although she had come here just after dawn, some people, eager to challenge Riezel and receive his guidance, arrived even before dawn to secure a spot. If they waited until dawn, they often had to wait through dozens of people before their turn came.
When she first arrived, it had been like this too. Even though she came as soon as it was dawn, she still had to queue up, ending up far behind among dozens of others.
All this made her admire Riezel even more.
'Indeed, Lord Sword Saint is highly respected.'
Lizbeth truly felt genuine admiration for Riezel.
However, after coming here a few times, she suddenly realized that she didn't seem to have to wait in line anymore.
It was simply because there were so many warm-hearted people around!
"Miss Lizbeth, you go ahead."
"Yeah, let her go first."
"C'mon, we're talking about Miss Lizbeth. She should go first."
"See her early, enjoy it early!"
A group of male swordsmen, who were signing up in front of the arena, immediately showed friendly expressions and made way for Lizbeth when they saw her coming.
'See her early, enjoy it early?'
Lizbeth sometimes didn't quite understand these warm-hearted people's strange remarks, but she still thanked them sincerely.
"W-Well, I'm really sorry for always making you let me go first."
Upon hearing her words, the group of male swordsmen smiled refreshingly.
"No, no, not at all! We should be the ones apologizing!"
"Yeah, thanks to you, we get to come here every day. Without you, I might've given up a while ago."
"Totally! We haven't gotten pointers from Lord Riezel yet, and it kinda makes us lose confidence, you know."
"For us, the reason to keep coming here every day is seeing Miss Lizbeth jumping around in the arena—I mean, your hard work in the arena!"
"Exactly, exactly!"
Upon hearing their words and seeing their smiles, Lizbeth almost cried with emotion.
"Did I really make such a positive impact on others too?"
Saying this, she couldn't believe it, and her eyes almost filled with tears.
In response, the group of male swordsmen gave her a thumbs-up.
"Yeah, Miss Lizbeth is everything we've hoped for!"
"Every time I hit the bed and think about Miss Lizbeth, I'm instantly recharged!"
"Exactly! You always give it your all in the arena. Your hard work is the best motivation for us!"
"We want to see you sweating and giving it your all in the future!"
"Don't ever give up, no matter what!"
All of these passionate encouragements from each of the male swordsmen filled Lizbeth's once-timid heart with a stronger determination.
"Yes! I'll do my best!"
With a determined look in her eyes, Lizbeth approached the arena and registered her name. Of course, she only gave the name 'Lizbeth' and left out her surname. Otherwise, her true identity might be revealed immediately.
Today, Ain was in charge of maintaining order during the challenge.
Holding a sheaf of parchment and a quill, Ain looked coldly at the friendly and enthusiastic male swordsmen, as if they were nothing more than a pile of trash.
"Thank you for your hard work."
After registering, Lizbeth politely thanked Ain.
"No, it's nothing."
Ain quickly returned the courtesy.
She knew well who this young swordswoman really was, and she was not brave enough to accept this young swordswoman's thanks casually.
"Please wait a moment. Mr. Riezel should be here soon." Ain said respectfully.
"Alright." Lizbeth replied quickly and stood in place, waiting quietly.
At this moment, the people around her chattered excitedly and looked at her with eager eyes as if they couldn't wait for her to get into the arena.
Before long, the main event finally arrived.
Riezel, empty-handed, walked out from the mansion and arrived at the front gate of the Frenzel residence.
"Lord Sword Saint!"
"Sir!"
Everyone, including Lizbeth, immediately bowed their heads and greeted Riezel respectfully, showing their utmost respect for the undeniably esteemed Sword Saint.
"Umu, hello everyone."
Riezel gave a nod to everyone present before turning his gaze toward Lizbeth.
"Huff…"
Just as Lizbeth took a deep breath, readying herself to fight Riezel, he suddenly turned his gaze back to everyone.
"Today's challenge is postponed for now. I have some important matters to attend to."
Riezel announced calmly before turning his gaze back to Lizbeth.
"Come with me. I'd like to talk to you."
With that, Riezel turned and walked away.
"Eh?" Lizbeth was left stunned, her expression one of confusion.
"Your Highness, hurry up and catch up." Ain whispered softly.
Lizbeth snapped out of her daze.
'Could it be…'
Realizing a possible reason, Lizbeth's eyes lit up before she quickly jogged to catch up with Riezel.
However, as she moved away from the arena, she faintly heard wails of despair behind her.
"NOOO—! My daily dose of spiritual nourishment!"
"Why?!"
"Just let us see one match, please!"
"I can't live without Miss Lizbeth's lively presence in the arena!"
"Oh, God! Why are you being so cruel?!"
Seeing the departing Lizbeth, the male swordsmen and the other men who weren't swordsmen broke down in tears, their anguished cries almost as if they were shedding blood.
Unfortunately, they were soon ruthlessly expelled by a group of women led by Ain, with some even receiving harsh beatings, causing pained cries to ring out.
Lizbeth wanted to look back, but seeing Riezel's unyielding figure, she could only silently apologize in her heart.
'I'm sorry, everyone. I'll find a way to make it up to you all in the future.'
With this thought, Lizbeth followed Riezel into the mansion.
===
Frenzel Residence, Reception Room.
Today, only Riezel and Lizbeth were present and no one else was around.
"Sorry, Your Highness, Marilyn isn't here, and I'm not very good at making tea, so you'll have to put up with me."
Riezel invited Lizbeth to sit down and apologized to her.
"I-It's okay!" Lizbeth quickly shook her head, looking extremely nervous. "I-I don't really like tea anyway, so this is fine!"
"Alright..." Riezel nodded calmly. "In that case, I won't beat around the bush. Your Highness, may I ask you a question?"
Lizbeth nodded heavily, her hand instinctively gripping her sword tighter as she watched him.
Under such circumstances, Riezel continued.
"What do you think about being my attendant?"
Riezel looked directly into Lizbeth's eyes as he asked.
"Don't think about the royal family, nor the person who instructed you to do this."
"I want to know your own thoughts."
"Do you really want to be my attendant?"