"Magic!?" she shouted, stunned beyond words.

  She had been living in this world for a decent time, yet never imagined magic truly existed.

  "W-Why didn't you tell me beforehand!?"

  Leo tilted his head. "Because you didn't ask," he replied.

  Diana pressed her lips together, fists clenching in frustration. After a few tense seconds, she exhaled sharply.

  "T-T-That's not the p-point here!" Shoulders dropping in defeat, she muttered,

  "Anyway, I want to see the duel as soon as possible!" Her mood shifted in an instant, eyes sparkling like stars in the night sky.

  Leo studied her for a moment, a faint smile forming.

  This girl…sure is interesting, He thought.

  As they walked toward the training ground, the air grew heavier with each step.

  Diana felt her body resisting the pressure surrounding the area, as though an unseen force weighed her down.

  When they finally reached the center, her eyes widened in stunned.

  Both swords clashed with intense force, the impact sending ripples through the air and making it feel heavier around them.

  The two men fought earnestly, their faces lit with exhilaration, enjoying the battle despite being perfectly matched in strength, speed, and style.

  Diana's eyes sparkled brighter, her mouth falling open in pure excitement.

  One fighter leapt into the air, extending his hand toward his opponent.

  A glowing magic circle flared to life before his palm.

  "Fireball!"

  A searing orb of flame surged forth, swelling with heat as it hurtled toward its target.

  But his opponent only smiled, unfazed by the deadly attack. With swift precision, he pressed his hand to the ground.

  "Ice Wall!"

  The temperature dropped sharply; Diana could feel the chill prickling her skin.

  In an instant, a jagged wall of ice erupted from the earth, intercepting the incoming fireball with a deafening hiss of steam.

  The impact triggered a massive explosion, sending a blast of wind so strong that shards of ice scattered through the air like deadly shrapnel.

  Diana instinctively shut her eyes against the icy gust, but the moment she opened them again, a large chunk of ice hurtled toward her at terrifying speed.

  Her eyes widened in shock.

  It's too fast… I can't dodge it in time!

  Everyone on the training grounds noticed her peril at the same time, their faces frozen with horror, mouths agape, knowing there was no way to save her in time.

  Just as the shard was about to strike, a transparent golden barrier flared into existence around her, the impact shattering harmlessly against it.

  Diana gasped, realizing she had been holding her breath far too long. Slowly, she turned to Leo, who was watching her with a faint chuckle.

  "Why are you so scared?" he asked, his tone teasing.

  "I-I thought I-it was going to h-hit me," she murmured while her voice was trembling, face pale as she drew in shaky breaths.

  Leo smiled even more. "As if you'd ever get hurt while I'm around," he said, his voice calm yet reassuring, before walking forward with slow, deliberate steps.

  Diana felt a sudden warmth bloom inside her chest. Her eyes followed his back, broad, strong, and steady.

  There was a quiet strength in the way he moved, and she found herself smiling.

  I feel safe around him… She thought.

  Leo clapped his hands sharply, drawing the attention of his men.

  At once, their heads turned toward him, but their gazes quickly shifted to the trembling figure of their Queen behind him.

  Shock and guilt crossed their faces before they rushed forward and dropped to their knees.

  "We deeply apologize for failing to secure your safety, Your Majesty," one man said, his voice heavy with remorse.

  Diana recognized him, the one who had cast the fireball earlier.

  "If only we'd known of your sudden visit, we would never have taken this duel so seriously," another added, the one who had created the ice wall. His brow furrowed, his face drawn tight with guilt.

  Diana quickly waved her hands, feeling a pang of guilt of her own.

  "T-There's no need to apologize. If anyone should be saying sorry, it's me… for not informing you of my visit beforehand." She let out an awkward little laugh, trying to ease the tension.

  They shot a synchronized glare towards Leo before turning their eyes back to her.

  Then, a teenage boy with messy yellow hair, leaning lazily against the man beside him, raised both hands in the air.

  "She's got a point, though!" he said with a blunt expression.

  In an instant, another teenage boy with short black hair chopped him on the head twice while frowning.

  "Y-You idiot! You're talking to Her Majesty right now!"

  "Ouch!" The yellow-haired boy rubbed his head, wincing.

  "I-I know, but she did say it was her fault. I'm just agreeing with her!"

  The black-haired boy bit his lip and clenched his fist.

  "I know, but it's not your place to agree with Her Majesty. If it was Leo-san's fault, then fine but this is the Queen we're talking about!"

  Without a word, Leo brought the tip of his spear down lightly on both their heads.

  Thunk!

  "You two talk too much!" he said, then turned to Diana with an apologetic smile.

  Stolen story; please report.

  "Sorry you had to see that. But they're good kids…they're just idiots."

  Diana's eyes widened in surprise. Then, without warning, laughter burst out of her loud and unrestrained echoing through the open area.

  She clutched her stomach, wincing as it began to ache.

  "Y-You guys' a-are so funny!!" she managed to say it between breaths.

  Everyone's eyes widened in surprise at her sudden act; they never really thought that she acted so childish, especially when they thought of her as a mature one.

  Then suddenly, the yellow-haired boy stepped forward with a cheeky grin.

  "My name is Fin," he said, extending his hand with a carefree.

  "It is nice meeting you, Your Majesty."

  The black-haired boy panicked and grabbed his shoulder.

  "O-Oy, don't be so casual with her!"

  Leo stayed silent, observing closely.

  She hates this kind of thing, right? … like showing no respect toward her. He muttered to himself.

  What will she do? Will she punish him? His heartbeat slowly quickened.

  But then his eyes widened. Diana took Fin's hand and shook it, smiling brighter than usual.

  A small smile formed on Leo's lips. She sure is…interesting.

  "Nice to meet you, Fin. I assume you already know my name, but I'll introduce myself again. I'm Towa!" She gently took his hand and shook it with a bright smile.

  Then, turning to the other one, she asked,

  "How about you, What's your name?"

  "I'm Alaric," he replied with seriousness.

  "I see." Diana smiled warmly and took his hand as well.

  "Nice to meet you, Alaric!"

  Alaric and Finn stared at each other, their faces somewhat surprised, and then they nodded in unison as they shifted their gaze to Diana.

  Her smile carried such warmth that everyone around her felt it bloom in their hearts.

  In an instant, they began forming a line, each one eager to introduce themselves, hoping she would remember their names.

  Leo stood nearby, tapping his finger against his arm while watching the scene with a sharp glare. He let out a quiet sigh.

  "I was hoping they'd be motivated to train harder in her presence… but instead, it backfired."

  A man in his fifties laughed and patted Leo's shoulder three times.

  "Can you blame them? A beauty like her, rivaling a goddess. of course, they'd want to talk with her."

  At those words, Leo's face tightened in irritation, a deep frown forming instantly.

  That somehow… irritates me.

  But before he could retort, the man began strolling toward the line while grinning before joining in to introduce himself to Diana.

  "Not you too, Spence!" Leo barked, his growl echoing across the field.

  It took them nearly an hour to finish introducing themselves to Diana.

  Leo's frustration simmered beneath the surface, but he couldn't bring himself to show it. Her wide radiant smile made him feel an unexpected pang of guilt.

  They settled on the stone stairs, the safest spot in the training ground, while Leo maintained a perfect, enormous circle of transparent barrier around her.

  The duel resumed, but everything felt different now.

  He noticed the shift immediately: the fighters' expressions had hardened, their movements sharper, their attacks more precise as if their lives depended on it.

  A low chuckle escaped him.

  He glanced at Diana, captivated by how her eyes followed every move with sheer fascination.

  "You look so happy," he said finally, his voice soft but amused.

  "Of course," she replied, her smile lighting up her face.

  "It's my first time seeing anything like this. It's… exciting."

  "By the way, how was your first interaction with your mother?" he asked

  "She's… quite manipulative," Diana sighed, leaning back slightly.

  "It's exhausting to speak with her for too long."

  Leo let out a short laugh.

  "True, but you have to admit, she's a beauty."

  Diana's eyes snapped to his.

  "Ah, I see! She's your type!"

  His eyes widened in surprise, and he shook his head vigorously.

  "Not even a little!"

  "But you like her!"

  "I never said that!"

  The two bickered back and forth for a few minutes, neither willing to yield, until they finally paused.

  "Do you know what she asked me to do, Leo?" Diana said, her tone dropping slightly.

  "What?"

  "She asked me to hand over the crown to the Duke of the North," she said, letting the words hang.

  "Isn't that… strange?"

  He arched an eyebrow, leaning closer.

  "She had an affair with the duke, after all. Did you know that?"

  She nodded sharply. "Yup! And I've read a document on the Duke of the North's recent actions. He's secretly leading the rebels himself. So when Selene told me to hand over the crown to him, I became convinced that she's involved with the rebels too." I let out a chuckle.

  "That's why I forcibly ordered her to stay in the palace for a week, to monitor her every move."

  Leo rested a finger against his chin, frowning in thought.

  "That's a good start, but the Duke is head over heels for her. If she's stuck here too long, he'll surely come to the palace himself."

  Diana's lips curved into a small, determined smile.

  "Then we can interrogate him and see if he's truly the one who's leading the rebels."

  "What if he refuses to reveal anything?"

  Her expression hardened, eyes narrowing with steel.

  "Then Selene will spend the rest of her days behind iron bars." Her shoulders tensed as she clenched her fists.

  "But that's only an assumption. If the Duke truly is the mastermind of the rebellion, he won't hesitate to act violently, and he could start attacking the capital if he wants to." She paused, letting the tight atmosphere linger.

  "If that happens, I don't know if I can protect the citizens… or if our army is even strong enough to stop the rebels." She pressed her hands together, frustration flickering across her features.

  Suddenly, Diana felt something warm that was gently touching her shoulder, and when she looked at her back.

  She saw Fin and Alaric with a smile on their faces.

  "You don't have to worry, Your Majesty! I'm here to protect you!" Fin exclaimed, puffing up his chest like a hero from a storybook.

  Alaric rolled his eyes and smacked his forehead lightly.

  "Yeah! Don't hog the spotlight all by yourself!!"

  They bounced around the stone stairs all the way to the training ground, stretching and warming up with energetic enthusiasm.

  "Let's do this!"

  "W-What just happened?" Diana's voice was barely above a whisper.

  She turned to Leo, only to freeze at what she saw. His golden eyes gleamed sharp yet filled with excitement, and a faint smirk tugged at his lips. While golden embers flickered in his surroundings.

  "He can try," he said, his tone daring, almost taunting. "As if he has the guts to attack the Kingdom openly."

  Leo then looked at her, his fingers brushing hers as he took her hand gently.

  "As long as I'm here, your army will never taste defeat. We are ready to carry out your orders and crush any rebels who dare cross paths against you."

  Diana's gaze locked with Leo's, her heartbeat quickening under his intense stare. Then, without warning, he pressed a soft kiss to her hand.

  "W-What are you—d-doing all of a sudden?!" she stuttered while cheeks flushing a deep shade of red.

  Leo chuckled. "What are you, a kid? Getting flustered over a hand kiss."

  "I-I'm still fifteen!" Diana instantly replied while frowning.

  Leo's eyes widened.

  "You're… young."

  "O-Of course! You think I'm already that old?"

  "I thought you and Towa were the same age." He tapped his chin, frowning thoughtfully.

  Diana's eyes widened instantly. "H-How old is Towa?"

  "She's twenty."

  Diana blinked, genuinely surprised, then pointed at him.

  "W-What about you?"

  "I'm twenty-one this year."

  "W-Whaaaaaaat!?" Diana shrieked, her hands flying to her cheeks in disbelief.