"My daughter here has finally decided to choose her man among you all but on one condition."
"What?!!" Kael muttered with eyes wide open. "C-choose a husband? You've got to be kidding me!"
Weeks ago, the Queen of the Amazon Kingdom made a shocking announcement that sent ripples throughout the realms. She revealed plans to marry off her youngest daughter, causing quite the stir. The young princess was renowned for her breathtaking beauty, ranking among the top five most stunning women in the realm. Her rumored lineage only added to the intrigue.
Many were taken aback by the Queen's sudden decision, and some couldn't help but be wary. However, high families saw this as an opportunity to forge a powerful alliance with the Amazon Kingdom and were eager to make use of this rare opportunity.
What the public didn't know was that the Young Princess's story was shrouded in secrecy due to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding her birth. Unlike her sisters, she didn't share the same biological father. This had been carefully concealed from the public eye.
Among the kingdoms in the realms, twelve had expressed interest in taking the young Princess Aretha as their bride. They had been invited to the Amazon Kingdom, where they spent two weeks trying their best to impress the princess. However, Princess Aretha felt suffocated by the entire ordeal, as she had never wanted to be married off at such a tender age. Despite her rebellious acts, her mother had drummed it into her that this arrangement was necessary for her protection – though from whom, that she didnt know yet.
Feeling trapped and frustrated, Princess Aretha decided to take matters into her own hands. After enduring countless lectures from her mother, she resolved to carry out the process on her own terms.
...
"The young princess here has decided a little competition among you guys, with the winner being the chosen one."
"A competition, huh? Well, that's not bad." One muttered with confidence.
"The competition is set to begin in three days, but there's a late addition," she said with a sly smile. "A late aspirant has expressed interest in the young princess, and he's eager to join the fray." She said with a pause.
"The contender would be given a chance to challenge one among you all, with the winner claiming the spot. If he emerges victorious, he'll take the loser's place, and the defeated contender will be free to return to their kingdom."
"So, Kael, who do you wish to face?" The queen's voice echoed softly, staring at Kael intently.
His eyes lit in anger as he gazed at the queen without uttering a word. He didn't sign up for this. All he wanted was to increase his strength in this world, not get married, and be held back in achieving his goals. Even if he was to get a lady for himself, not at this early stage.
"You think you're smart, right?" Kael thought as both eyes met sending out a message understandable by both. He knew if he didn't comply with the queen, it meant his life being in danger.
Finally, he stared at the contenders before him who had a frown on their faces. "Alright, I choose him," he finally said after some time with a smile.
"What?! You dare?!! Do you think you can defeat me? I'll show you I'm not to be messed with!" Kael's finger was pointed at a young, dark-haired guy with brown eyes.
"Don't worry, I don't intend to win," Kael thought to himself. His plan was quite simple. He intended to lose the match and free himself from the bondage of marriage.
"Good." The queen muttered with a nod of her head. "Well, prepare yourselves. The fight would occur at sunset," she said before dismissing them.
Kael waited behind as the rest all left the room, quite surprised from the turn of the event. "I need this off." He raised his hands, displaying the bracelet placed tightly on his wrist.
"Oh, you don't have anything to say?" The queen was quite surprised, expecting the young guy to burst out in fury.
"What's there to say? I'll do according to your wishes, and it's even in favour. If I get to win, I'll have a princess as a wife." This made princess Aretha frown from behind, casting a fierce gaze at him.
Kael didn't pay attention to her as he shook his wrist once more. "I need this off." He repeated, staring at Princess Aretha, who surprisingly had a strange smile on her face. Kael was quite confused for a moment but quickly tried hiding the smirk about to spread widely.
Although he planned to lose, it didn't mean he was going to do that cheaply. He was going to make sure it was a close call. If the queen gets angry, he could always tell her about the potion placed in his food by the maid.
"The day is still young. C'mon, I need to prepare for the duel or whatever you call it."
"Alright," the queen raised her hands, causing the bracelet to tremble before breaking into three parts, all headed towards the queen's outstretched hand. They joined with a bracelet on her left arm, causing Kael to stare in bewilderment.
"Oh, that's true. That won't have any effect on them since the amazons have no special super powers." The amazons were warriors with superhuman strength and also good combat techniques.
"Ah, it's good to have my powers back," kael thought with a soft sigh. "Do you have a facility where I could train?" Kael asked.
"Yes, of course. Princess Aretha would lead you to the arena."
A few minutes later, they were out of the Palace heading to the aforementioned arena. They passed through the building where he had spent the night and continued further. Kael had the chance to witness the bustling activities of the city. The streets filled with women of various ages, all carrying out their daily work with female guards stationed around the area.
Kael also saw some males placed in chains that were used in construction works. Kael could only shake his head as he passed by them with a few glancing at him with envious eyes.
Finally, they arrived at a large isolated building surrounded by a river. A platform was built at the top of the river, leading to the entrance of the building. A five metres steel door stood before their path waiting to be unlocked.
Princess Aretha quickly unlocked the door and walked through. Kael was surprised by what he saw next. A large field filled with young female warriors all training diligently under the command of a fierce lady cladded in silvery armour.
"Princess Aretha," the lady, greeted while staring at Kael with a raised eyebrow. Kael, getting close, could feel her overbearing aura, causing him to become uncomfortable.
"Master Tidea, this young master requested to train under you for a few hours just for today." Princess Aretha said with a smile, which caused a slight worry in Kael's heart.
"Oh, really, he can join us." The fierce lady, called master Tidea, said with a resonating smile. Kael could sense something was wrong but was unable to say anything.
"Alright, let me prepare him so that he can join you guys." Princess Aretha continued forward with that, beckoning on the dumb looking Kael to follow her.
"What the hell was that? I told you I wanted a place to train on my own, not under someone else!"
"Don't worry, you'll thank me later for granting you such an opportunity. Master Tidea is a great warrior assigned with the task of training the young females. She was the one that trained me, so fret not, you're in safe hands."
They entered one of the rooms across the hallway containing weapons and armours. "Get dressed and pick any weapon of your choice."
Kael finally gave in after thinking about it and also a few comments from the system.
[Trust me, it's going to be beneficial for you. After all, fighting a beast and fighting a human are two entirely different things. It's going to serve as a great learning experience for you]
Sigh~
Within minutes, he was dressed in armour, which was quite heavy. "Even with my stats, I'm still affected by this?" Picking a sword from the weapon rack, he was finally prepared for his training.
"Alright, let's go," Princess Aretha said with a satisfying nod.