The King Arranges a Marriage 7

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

In the backyard of the Mansion. 

"Hiss!" 

Paul leaped back, creating distance between himself and the little princess, Eileen. 

The current situation was a bit... awkward! 

Paul had initially thought he could easily make the little princess surrender; after all, what girl would be interested in swordplay? 

As for him, while he spent his days either in the office or in the lab, he occasionally practiced swordsmanship with Victor. 

Being a man and having the advantage in physique and strength, dealing with a girl who considered herself an academic shouldn't be difficult, right? 

However, he was mistaken! 

Eileen's swordsmanship turned out to be faster, more accurate, and fiercer than his! 

Every time his sword was about to hit her, she always managed to dodge in a way that caught Paul off guard. 

Then, taking advantage of the moment when Paul hadn't retracted his weapon, she would agilely strike back at him. 

Paul was certain that if Eileen had been wielding a real sword, he would have already suffered several deep wounds. 

Fortunately, they were using wooden swords, so he only had a few bruises. 

Damn it! 

"Ha ha, you... you really are Betty, right? I must not be mistaken!" 

In fact, the female guard, Lydia, standing nearby had already definitively reminded him of the girl's identity. 

"Shouldn't we sit down and reminisce about the past? Drinking tea and chatting about the time in the Northwest Bay…" 

"Cut the crap, Paul Grayman!" 

Eileen gripped her sword hilt tightly, her tone full of resentment as she said, "I used to think you were a good friend, but I never expected you to try to take my sister away from me." 

"You scoundrel, I must teach you a lesson today!" 

Paul felt troubled; what should he do? 

Shout for help? That would be too humiliating. 

Continue fighting? He felt he couldn't win. 

Wait? Hold on, he couldn't win with a sword, but what if he used other tactics… 

After all, Eileen was just a girl! 

Paul mischievously thought, Eileen, Eileen, you were the one who called for a duel earlier. 

Since it's a duel, don't blame me for using every means necessary. 

Just as Paul was formulating this plan, Eileen suddenly launched an attack. 

In less than a heartbeat, the sword tip lunged toward Paul's chest. 

Paul swung his sword to deflect the strike, but unfortunately, Eileen feigned a move. 

The sword changed direction and stabbed toward his abdomen at a speed he couldn't react to in time. 

Ouch, that hurts! Paul screamed internally. 

Eileen, remember this humiliation; I will take my revenge on your sister! You stabbed me with your sword, I… 

TLN: 🤣

Paul silently swore as he didn't hesitate to react according to his earlier thought. 

He endured the pain caused by the wooden sword and didn't back away; instead, he recklessly charged forward. 

The wooden swords they were using weren't real swords; the tips were rounded, and since Eileen wasn't using her full strength, Paul's sudden advance caused the tip of the sword to slide along his silk shirt instead of penetrating deeply. 

Paul stepped right up to Eileen, ungraciously crashing into her. 

As a woman, Eileen couldn't match Paul in strength or weight. When pressed close, her proud sword skills became ineffective, and she was knocked backward. 

Eileen did react quickly, trying to kick Paul away as he closed in on her. 

But ultimately, she was just half a beat too slow; what was meant to be a kick turned into a trip. 

The result was that Eileen fell to the ground, and Paul ended up on top of her. 

"Ah!" 

Eileen screamed in surprise; she had never been so close to a man before. 

The guards around them were dumbfounded, watching the scene unfold, both the royal guards and the mansion's guards. 

Did it work? Paul thought, although the outcome was embarrassing. 

Just then, a cold voice came from nearby. 

"What are you doing?" 

Paul jumped, recognizing the voice. 

He turned to look in that direction, and sure enough! 

Princess Catherine was glaring at him and Eileen, her face a deep shade of anger. 

Oh no! When did she come in? 

Paul quickly scrambled off Eileen and hesitated before helping the little princess up. 

He broke into a cold sweat, saying, "Your Highness, please let me explain. I was just practicing swordsmanship with your sister when I accidentally…" 

But Catherine only fixed him with a cold stare. 

Ah! It seemed she had just arrived and walked in on that embarrassing moment! 

"Big sister!" 

Eileen, with tears in her eyes, rushed into Catherine's arms and cried, pointing at Paul, "This guy bullied me!" 

Paul felt a bit anxious; Eileen, can you stop saying nonsense! 

"Cough, cough! Your Highness, let me clarify, the situation is actually like this…" 

At that critical moment, Eileen's guard, Lydia, spoke up, explaining the situation to Catherine. Paul felt immensely grateful to her. 

Understanding the circumstances, Catherine gave Eileen a light tap on the forehead. 

"Stop crying! It was all your fault for causing trouble in the first place!" 

"But… but…" Eileen said with great grievance, "Paul shouldn't have done that; he completely disregarded the rules of swordsmanship." 

"What? Do you expect to play by the rules with an enemy in a duel? You should do whatever it takes to defeat your opponent!" 

Catherine was a bit helpless with her sister's naivety. 

"Earl Grayman!" 

Catherine's tone made Paul, who thought he was out of the woods, feel tense again. 

"Although Eileen used improper words at the beginning, how did you take it seriously? That scene just now…" 

At this point, Catherine slightly frowned, "It was truly embarrassing." 

Paul felt a bit embarrassed, "I apologize, Your Highness. I was too serious and acted rudely toward Princess Eileen." 

Catherine shook her head; she felt particularly unsettled when facing Paul. 

After all, this was their first meeting since she learned about her impending marriage. 

Earlier, she had gone to find Eileen and learned from a servant that Eileen was going to find Earl Grayman to "take back" her sister. Worried that Eileen might cause some trouble, Catherine hurried to the Alden Mansion. 

TLN: I think here Alden mansion means the mansion assigned to Alden representatives in the Capital.

In fact, on the way, she had considered many things. 

When she saw Paul, all her calmness from their first meeting evaporated, and a mix of emotions surged within her. 

There was anger and fear, as well as embarrassment and anxiety, even a hint of shyness. 

Although she forcefully concealed all these emotions, to outsiders, she still appeared as a dignified princess. 

"Come back with me, Eileen!" 

She ordered her sister in a slightly stern tone, as if she were a parent catching a mischievous child who had sneaked out. 

Catherine didn't want to stay there any longer; she didn't know how to face Paul. 

"Okay, big sister." 

Now Eileen indeed looked like a child caught sneaking out. 

Completely lacking the pride she had when she came to find Paul. 

As they were about to leave, Eileen turned back to look at Paul. 

"Paul, you're actually a pretty good person. I hope you can take good care of my sister in the future!" 

The two of them blushed simultaneously, although they didn't dare to look at each other again! 

(End of the Chapter)

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