The prince must have been very happy about this. I was not prepared for the duel at all. I only recently started working out, so my muscles were still weak. My knowledge from the past wasn't enough. The soldiers moved out of the way to make space for the little duel. What type of king makes a three-year-old start fighting in a duel? A normal three-year-old wouldn't even know what was going on.

One of the soldiers handed me a wooden dagger, but it was the perfect sword for me to fight. The wooden dagger was surprisingly light in my hand. The handle was wool-based, so it was easy to have a grip on it. I looked at Albert, hoping that he would stop the match, but he rooted for me even louder. He was of no use.

I looked at Prince Cleo, who seemed pretty confident to win. He gave me a smirk. I noticed that Serena was standing near King Howard, confused at what was happening. I guess she didn't have a blank face all the time as her emotions just leaked out.

"Hey Albert, do you want to bet who is going to win?"

The king gave Albert a sly smile, edging him on to take the bet, and Albert took the challenge.

"Sure, I'll bet fifty gold coins on Alex."

Wow, so much confidence in me. Does he realize that I am only three?

"Why only fifty gold? I'm going to bet one diamond pearl on Cleo."

Everyone gasped, including me. That equated to around one thousand gold and that was expensive. I guess the prince got their confidence from their father. King Howard laughed out loud as he saw everyone's mouths wide open. Albert let out a chuckle.

"You know I am not as rich as you. Are you planning on bankrupting me?"

Albert's eyebrow reflexively shot up as he asked the question, but there was a smile indicating that he was joking.

"Fine, I bet one diamond pearl on Alex too."

Great! He put such a big amount on a three-year-old. Now I felt like I had to win or I was putting money based on trust, to waste. The captain stepped out of the crowd and shushed down the audience that had been cheering on prince Cleo. I didn't really mind at all.

"Get ready!" Prince Cleo stood in his starting pose with his wooden sword out. I just relaxed with the wooden dagger in my hand.

"You can do it, Alex!"

I knew Albert was trying to cheer me on while everybody else was cheering for Prince Cleo. I nodded and concentrated on Prince Cleo.

"Go!"

Just as the captain said the word, Cleo lunged at me with full force. His posture was full of holes as he ran toward me. I don't think he even thought about observing me. That was a big mistake. I side-stepped out of the way, just before he landed the blow. This caused him to stumble a little before regaining his balance.

"It was just a fluke!"

The soldiers were still cheering him on. This helped Cleo gather his thoughts back together.

"Yeah, it was just a fluke!" He probably just said to himself more than telling it to others.

Cleo rushed toward me again. I sidestepped him again as he went for the blow. This time I put my foot out for him to trip and fall. Before he could get up, I put one of my legs over his body and sat on his back. That's right! I sat on the prince's back, putting my dagger to the back of his neck.

Everything was going perfect until my body decided to release the gas through where I was sitting. I swear it was a pure accident. To protect my pride, I pretended it didn't happen, or I never really heard it. Though I could hear

laughter from everyone and one angry scream from Cleo.

Cleo turned around and pushed me. I got on the ground, and he jumped on over me. I closed my eyes waiting for the impact as Cleo pulled back his fist. After a few seconds, I felt Cleo's body being lifted off of me. I opened my eyes to see Cleo kicking and screaming as King Howard had him in one hand. King Howard offered his other hand to help me off the floor. He, then, turned to Albert.

"Your son might as well be a prodigy. He awakened and easily defeated my son who has been training for a year." Sorry, I have sixty years of experience with swords.

"Why don't you let him train here?"

"What? He is only three."

"So what? We have the best trainer in magic and martial art. He is going to be the next Duke, right?"

"Yes, but… I need more time to think about your offer."

King Howard was delighted with Albert's answer. Albert picked me up and smiled at me.

"Congratulations on your first victory, Alex!"

I smiled at him.

King Howard grabbed Serena's hand and began walking. We followed him until we reached the garden. It was filled

with all kinds of flowers and colors. The red Camellia bush at the entrance of the garden was very beautiful. I squirmed to let Albert know that I wanted to walk. He set me down, and I ran toward the camellia bush. I picked out the red flower and carried it toward Serena. I should probably be friends with one of the royalty if I needed somebody's help. Who would be better than the quiet and timid princess?

I put the red Camellia on her ear. Her eyes were the same color as the Camellia, so it fitted her quite well. I might as well comment on it, but what?

"Pwetty!" Would that be of the limit? I was satisfied when a nice pink color started to form on her cheeks. It suited her. King Howard chuckled as he observed the two of us.

"Well, isn't he a smooth-talker?" Great, adults always take everything wrong.

"I think your boy is getting into Serena's heart." This made her blush even more.

"How do you know that's what he meant?" Way to go, Albert!

"I have a hunch." Hunch, my ass.

A messenger came in and said something into Albert's ear. Albert looked alarmed and looked toward Kind Howard.

"I have an emergency to take care of at home."

Emergency? What emergency?