Seeing the self-satisfied smirk on Elizabeth's face, Fredrick smiled. "Well done, Your Highness. You have truly shown your superiority tonight. We, the Grand Nobility, are in awe of your prowess."
Elizabeth chuckled. "No, no… It was a hard-fought battle. The Grand Nobility are worthy of their reputation."
"In that case, shall we make a wager?" Fredrick wondered.
"Wager?" Elizabeth's mind instantly calmed down as she began thinking. "What is the wager going to be then?" she asked slowly.
"If Your Highness wins, then the Grand Nobility here will apologize for all the trouble we've given you. We will not trouble you any further."
"And if I lose?"
"If Your Highness loses, then you will have to do the same. That is only fair."
Elizabeth mused over it. To be honest, she was tempted. The odds were in her favor. Think about it… She only had to win once more to win it all. Conversely, the Grand Nobility had to win all three successive rounds! The difficulty was that much greater! Judging by her current performance, to cinch another victory should not be hard, right? If she won like this and gained the approval of the Grand Nobility's youth, then her path to the crown would be all the smoother. The gains would be frightening to imagine!
She glanced at Lord Archibon and Lady Kalasena. Archibon looked unusually distracted and paid zero attention to anything happening. Kalasena maintained her cold gaze forward like a block of ice, unfeeling and unmoving. These two, along with Lord Fredrick, had not made a move yet in the competition. Granted, their speciality was not in either music or painting. Lord Archibon's primary focus was in literature, philosophy, and such. He was overwhelmingly dominant in these fields! Lady Kalasena's primary focus was in swordsmanship and was irrelevant here. Lord Fredrick's primary focus was in mathematics, science, astronomy, and strategy! He was an extremely sharp and logical fellow.
In the upcoming rounds, literature would be taken by Lord Archibon and strategy would be taken by Lord Fredrick. However, for economics… No one stood out from amongst everyone present. Elizabeth felt a surge of confidence and smiled. It was just one more victory! Why would she not gamble? Little did she know, it went all according to Fredrick's plans.
Benedict was watching and realized it. As if the Grand Nobility's schemes were so easy to guess! Elizabeth was making nothing more than a mockery of herself. He could not stand to watch any longer. He was about to make his move when Lorenzo grasped him by the shoulder. The grip was tender yet unyieldingly strong. Even without looking in Benedict's direction, Lorenzo could distinctly sense his brother's intentions. Lorenzo was already Half-Perception Realm and his senses were already undergoing a metamorphosis. Moreover, he had long since expected his brother's reaction.
Lorenzo sighed. "Benedict, you cannot interfere in this."
"What do you mean, brother? I can't sit by and watch this happen. This is all part of their trap!"
"It doesn't matter what you think. This is beyond your or my authority to deal with." He glanced at Elizabeth. "She's not your Lady Isabella."
"What?" Benedict was visibly taken aback.
"I know you see the image of Lady Isabella overlapping Her Highness. However, you must realize that Lady Isabella is dead. She won't come back to life."
"Why are you saying such things?" Benedict grew upset.
"I say them for your own benefit. Princess Elizabeth is fated to be the heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom. These are her tribulations and trials, not yours. Whether Her Highness passes them or not is up to her ability. Nothing more. You cannot interfere!"
"But…"
"There is no buts. This was something decided upon by the Grand Nobility," Lorenzo stated with a firm tone. There was no room for negotiation. Benedict realized the implications of his brother's statement and turned silent.
At the same time, Lady Christina was feeling the same. She wanted to help Elizabeth and nudge her in the right direction. However, she could not. Queen Bethnal sent her to accompany Elizabeth for other reasons. Her job was already done. Now, she could only watch as an observer. She hoped that Elizabeth would not fall for Lord Fredrick's schemes.
"I'll accept your wager," Elizabeth said, much to Benedict's and Christina's despair.
"If Your Highness has said so, then let it be so. Everyone can bear witness to this," Fredrick said. On his gesture, three youths emerged from the crowd. Fredrick continued gracefully, "My apologizes, Your Highness, but losing is not an option. I hope Your Highness can understand this."
Elizabeth initially did not recognize the trio since they were not present when she was greeting everyone! Soon though, her eyes narrowed into slits. Amongst them was the Alkor Household's heir, the extremely proficient harpist who won multiple championships. There was also the painter who created half a dozen masterpieces as a teenager and the economist who regularly helped with the finances of the kingdom under the Mistress of Finance! If these three were present during the competition, there would have been no chance for resistance. Elizabeth would have been mercilessly destroyed!
She froze stiff. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she realized the trap she fell in! It was all the Grand Nobility's sinister plan! How devious, deceitful, and underhanded! The Grand Nobles did not hide their glee. Before, they feigned their despair at losing. Now, they revealed their fangs after sinking their venom! Elizabeth felt a rising swell of anger. She hatefully glared at Lord Fredrick, who remained as cool and calm as could be. Her composure was gradually breaking down.
Pointing her finger, she furiously shouted, "You… You… You cheated me!"
Fredrick smiled. "Your Highness, when did I cheat you? There was no foul play at any time."
"Then where did these three come from? They weren't here to begin with!"
"Is it wrong to arrive late?" he shrugged nonchalantly.
"As if there was something so convenient!" Elizabeth snarled.
"Please, Your Highness. The competition is still underway. Shall we continue as planned?"
Elizabeth's chest heaved up and down in fury. Seeing Fredrick's mocking smile while he proclaimed innocence was enough to set anyone off. It took plenty of self-control to resist running up and pummelling him senseless! She took countless deep breaths to calm down. Once she did, she snorted and heard the judges' explanation for the third test. The two sides competed in economics, but her opponent was simply too strong. He was finished in a flash with zero mistakes, while Elizabeth was barely getting by. She lost the third round!
The rest was as expected. In the literature round, Lord Archibon easily swept it with his unparalleled knowledge. It was like he had an entire library's worth of content in his head. Every minor detail was recalled perfectly by his photographic memory. In the strategy round, Lord Fredrick and Elizabeth played a few rounds of chess. However, in every round, Elizabeth was effortlessly crushed. She had zero chance against the respected champion of the youth. That meant that Elizabeth managed to lose the entire competition!
Elizabeth was pale. In the end, she realized how everything went according to Fredrick's design. The first two rounds were to test her mental state and capability. It was also used to boost her confidence, making her feel cocky. Since both sides had never interacted with one another, Elizabeth had no measure of the other side's capability as well. She heard stories but seeing it firsthand was different. So, while Fredrick kept his cards hidden and bided his time, Elizabeth was using her full effort. When the field was set, Fredrick made his move and trapped her in one swift motion! The entire time, Fredrick had everything under control!