A small recess was given, and I used my healing to bring fix my girls. Meanwhile, Carmine was allowed to recover as well. The originally cheering that had permeated the crowds had simmered dramatically after the last two fights. Mages with earth ability flattened and repaired the arena, while people mumbled. A good fight was always loved, but seeing beautiful women being beaten to death was a sight even the crowd didn't like.
"Did… you mean what you said?" I asked, thinking back to the words Lydia had suddenly revealed on the arena.
"Mm…" She nodded weakly, "Master is… my everything."
"Husband?" I asked.
A blush broke out on Lydia's face. "Ah… th-that… said I was your… w-wife… symbolically! Naturally, as your slave, I can't be your wife. It would definitely have to be another girl."
It felt almost like a rejection. I mean, it wasn't like I wanted to get married, but Lydia was the person I cared about the most. Lydia must have noticed my expression because she shook her head.
"M-master would be a wonderful husband. You should definitely get married! I mean, it must be a princess or something!"
I let out a snort at that. What kind of a princess would be interested in me?
"Deek," a voice came from behind my shoulder.
I glanced away from Lydia to see Princess Eliana standing here. Instantly, my expression turned white upon seeing the resident princess. She had come down from her box overseeing the arena. Her eyes were rimmed red and she was looking at me with a somewhat needy expression.
"What is it?" I asked over the noise.
The murmuring of the crowd was to the level that we still had to speak loudly to be heard. Even though the atmosphere was docile, a large gathering of people still made a lot of noise.
"I'm… sorry. This fight, I never wanted this to happen."
"…"
"Here… Father will be furious if he sees me giving it away, but I want you to have it."
"Here!?" I spun around, and then seeing something in her hand I calmed down. "Oh… a vial… what is this… an elixir!"
She didn't catch my slip, but it turned out to be just as surprising what she actually was offering. It was something that could be said to be even more valuable than that, although if any girl heard me say such a thing she might hit me.
"Just a few drops. Enough to heal one person. You can give it to one of your girls in a time of need."
I was surprised seeing it. It might not have been enough in the eyes of a Slave Master, but for Aberis, this was probably quite valuable. Her father had given her this bottle as a life-saving measure in case something came up.
"Thank you…" I took the bottle and let out a sigh of relief.
For a moment there, after what Lydia had said, I had some concerns that perhaps she had come for other reasons. That was just my overactive imagination getting the better of me.
I put the vial away. I didn't plan to use it here. A bottle like this was almost useless on the surface. It was best reserved for a dungeon when people are truly on the verge of life or death. I had healed both girls now, and they were awake and giving me weak, reassuring smiles.
With our interaction done, I was about to turn back to Lydia, but suddenly the Princess leaned out and grabbed my hands. Her face was flushed red, and a sudden burst of emotion seemed to flood through her.
"Deek, I must propose to you!" she declared.
Lydia behind me gasped, and my mind went numb for a second. How could it have come to this?
"I'm too young to marry!" I cried, bowing down with my eyes.
When I glanced back up with one eye open, her expression had turned angry. "You… who says I want to marry you!"
As she yelled that, the Prince had walked up on the stage and the crowds murmuring finally settled down. As a result, only five words resounded into the silence.
"I want to marry you!"
The crowds of people all gave a collective gasp. The Prince looked down at the pair of us and then laughed.
"Ah! My sister had finally found love! Then, you and I will become brothers in every sense of the word! I'm quite happy. I accept!"
"Geh!" Eliana looked like she had just been pinched, and then she hit me. "You idiot! Just defeat him, okay!"
That was what she had come to say. She had wanted to tell me to definitely defeat Lord Tibult. However, after the mistaken wedding proposal, it now sounded like she was telling me to defeat Lord Tibult so that I could be a noble and thus, eligible to marry her. When she realized what her words suggested, she exploded in red and then ran away with her hands covering her face.
"Women! So easily moved with emotion…" The Prince said helplessly, only for a shoe to fly up and hit his face a second later. "Anyway… let's start the final challenge, shall we?"