Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 259: Don’t Slack Off [Bonus - ]

Chapter 259: Don’t Slack Off [Bonus Chapter]

While waiting for the preparations to be completed before he could send a marriage proposal, Ferdinand met with Icarus again to have their usual bout.

They had a duel and after that, Icarus informed Ferdinand that he was planning to get married soon.

But when Icarus informed him whom he wanted to marry, Ferdinand was against it. It was because Arabella was the one whom Icarus planned to marry.

Icarus had been telling him about the woman he loved without saying who she was and where she came from and Ferdinand had rooted for him in the past. But who would have thought he would fall in love to the same person.

Ferdinand and Icarus had a fight over it and both decided to settle who gets to propose to her in the fight for her hand which her other suitors would participate in.

Ferdinand was already sure he would win it though since he knew he was much stronger than Icarus. But he remained silent since he didn’t want to give Arabella up to anyone else even if it was Icarus.

As he had already expected, Ferdinand won against everyone and thus had the right to propose to Arabella.

And through her former suitors’ thoughts, Arabella learned that her suitors had apparently helped each other to prevent her from marrying anyone who did not participate in the fight. They gave warnings to those who wanted to propose directly to her all of a sudden.

They were not planning to truly let Andrew off either as well.

Though Andrew was an exception in the fight for her hand because he was already her lover at the time, if he wanted to marry her, he still needed to defeat everyone else who wanted to propose to her.

In case marriage talks were put forward, her suitors from other kingdoms had agreed to put pressure on Lahar to withdraw from the marriage talks if Andrew tried to propose without winning the fight.

Thus, Andrew could only be her lover temporarily but never her husband. Her other suitors would not allow it unless Andrew fought against them all in a duel and won.

Ferdinand on the other hand won over them all so, they had no choice but to accept that he would be Arabella’s husband. And they cannot pressure him at all too because Ferdinand had the most power in Eliora.

After all, the fight for her hand was apparently agreed upon by her suitors since Ferdinand and Icarus formerly didn’t show any interest in women so everyone thought the two were out. But all of a sudden, the two joined the fight as well.

’Did Mother and Father know about this? Is this among the reasons why they wanted me to marry Ferdinand?’

Arabella realized this must be part of the dangers her parents were thinking about.

She learned from Icarus’ thoughts that he thought Ferdinand just wanted Arabella as a trophy which was why he wanted to marry her.

Icarus thought Ferdinand had no feelings for her at all.

Because Icarus had feelings for her, he apparently asked Ferdinand to choose another woman if he was just marrying Arabella to have an Empress. But Ferdinand refused and said Arabella would be his no matter what.

With Ferdinand’s manner of saying it, it was as if he only wanted to possess Arabella just like everyone else.

This was why Icarus was so furious with Ferdinand. He didn’t want Arabella to be kept as a trophy.

Thus, Icarus tried to keep fighting Ferdinand even when he was already heavily injured.

Icarus didn’t stop until Ferdinand broke his arm.

As a ruler, Icarus had to prioritize his life so he had no choice but to admit defeat.

Ferdinand asked Alwin to heal all of Icarus’ injuries but Icarus refused and endured the pain to reiterate in his mind and body that he had lost. And that Ferdinand had always been holding back against him.

Icarus felt betrayed when he realized that Ferdinand had always been holding back so much all the times they sparred in the past.

He felt toyed with and underestimated.

Icarus was frustrated, but he also knew that it was because he could not bring out the real strength of Ferdinand. He realized it when Ferdinand got a bit serious during their last duel.

And since that duel, Icarus and Ferdinand never spoke with each other again.

Arabella sighed. It was saddening to know their interest in her caused the two to fight. Icarus was Ferdinand’s only friend.

She wondered how Icarus had feelings for her when they have never even met before.

But she learned from Icarus’ thoughts that he had encountered her several times in events in the Hazania Kingdom since he had a cousin who was married to a prince there.

Hazania was just beside Lobelius so Arabella and her parents often attended events there just as they did in Lahar.

It was during those events that Icarus kept seeing her. He fell for her but just watched from afar since he thought he wasn’t strong enough yet to be in a relationship with her.

Arabella apparently already had dangerous suitors back then (which she doesn’t even know who) so Icarus focused on getting stronger so he would be qualified and be able to protect her.

But when Icarus was finally ready to propose to her, Arabella was suddenly in a relationship with Andrew.

Icarus had to make further preparations to divert her attention from Andrew to him. But when he was finally ready to court her too and compete with Andrew, Ferdinand got in the way and he was the one who was able to marry her.

’How did things get this complicated?’ Arabella heaved another sigh.

[That’s the second time.]

"Are you not feeling well? Are you tired? Shall we leave first?" Ferdinand asked in quick succession. He was looking for a reason to escape this place. He was dying of boredom listening to the speeches.

"I’m fine. We have to attend this whole event. Not because you are bored meant we should leave," Arabella smiled when her husband flinched.

He was eager to leave once she says she was tired or something.

"This is part of work. Don’t slack off, My Dear Emperor," Arabella said in a low voice.

"Right. Of course, I’ll do my best," Ferdinand had no choice but to stay and listen despite his boredom.