"Brother!"

Ard, Eva, and the others turned around when they heard a girl's voice calling out from behind them in the lower city square. It was Adeline. She was still in her sword-training gear, accompanied by two royal guards who looked exhausted—they clearly would have rather been anywhere else than chasing after the princess.

"Adeline? What are you doing in the city? Shouldn't you be at your lessons?" Ard asked.

"Lessons are over. Why did you come to town without me?" Adeline pouted.

"I thought you were still with your instructor," Ard said, smiling as he patted his sister's head.

Adeline's eyes drifted toward the group, scanning Eva, Alicia, Milia, Beatrice, Rosalind, Pyria, Mirea, Claudia, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin one by one. Then, she suddenly bolted toward Alicia and jumped into her arms for a hug.

"Hi, Alicia! How have you been?" Adeline asked.

"Hello, Princess Adeline. I'm doing well. Look at you—you've grown so much," Alicia replied.

"Of course I have! And... who are all these people?" Adeline asked, looking at everyone except Eva.

"They're all friends of mine and Ard's from the academy," Alicia explained.

Adeline noticed Eva whispering something to Ard, and she saw Milia, Beatrice, Rosalind, Pyria, Mirea, and Claudia all standing close to him. She immediately let go of her hug and glared at Ard. But before she could get a word out:

"Wow... you're Adeline, Ard's sister? You're so pretty! My name is Milia," Milia chirped.

"Do you remember me?" Beatrice asked.

"So Ard has a little sister too. I'm Mirea," Mirea added.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Claudia," Claudia said, reaching out her hand.

"I'm Rosalind, Princess Beatrice's guard," Rosalind introduced herself.

"And I'm Pyria. Nice to meet you," Pyria added.

"And you already know me," Eva said.

Adeline looked back at the faces of the girls in front of her. Every single one of them—the eight girls including Alicia—was beautiful. She quickly turned her attention to Ard, who was talking to Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin, and nudged her way over to him.

"Oh, right. Everyone, this is my sister, Adeline," Ard said, introducing her to the guys.

"Hi, I'm Geoffrey. I'm your brother's best friend from the academy. Nice to meet you," Geoffrey said.

"I'm Ainsley, your brother's friend and classmate," Ainsley added, adjusting his glasses and looking a bit nervous.

"And I'm Irwin. I'm... a classmate of your brother's. Nice to meet you," Irwin said.

Adeline studied Irwin's face, then noticed his black hair and looked back at Ard.

"How come you look so much like my brother?" Adeline asked.

"Oh, really? I don't think so at all!" Irwin replied, starting to panic.

"Do you want to walk with us, Adeline?" Ard asked.

"Yes! I'm bored at the palace anyway, and I want to spend time with you," Adeline answered, linking her arm through Ard's with a wide grin.

Ard glanced at the two guards, whose faces practically screamed relief at being off duty. He told them they could head back to the palace. They didn't need to be told twice; they said their goodbyes and left immediately. Ard continued his walk through the city with Adeline clinging tightly to him. Behind them, Geoffrey, Ainsley, and Irwin strolled along, chatting casually. Meanwhile, Eva and the other girls watched closely as Adeline refused to leave Ard's side.

"Alicia, is Princess Adeline always this clingy with Ard?" Eva asked.

"That's how it is. She only acts spoiled around Ard. She's act completely different with her other two brothers," Alicia answered.

"Aren't you jealous? Isn't this... a bit much?" Milia asked.

"Sigh... they're siblings. It's not like anything is going to happen," Alicia replied.

"But isn't she sticking a bit too close?" Beatrice asked, her eyes fixed on Adeline.

"If we didn't know they were related, we'd definitely take them for a couple," Mirea added, observing them.

"That's true. They actually look good together... and for some reason, my chest feels a little tight," Claudia added.

"Don't start getting weird ideas. They are brother and sister," Alicia insisted.

"Still, for some reason, seeing them like that just irritates me," Pyria added.

"Hmm... alright then," Eva said.

Suddenly, Eva marched forward, passing the three men and moving right up to Ard's side. Without a word, she slid her arm through his. Adeline was stunned, and Ard whipped his head around to look at Eva.

"What's up?" Ard asked.

"I just felt like doing this. Is there a problem? I am your fiancée, after all," Eva said, making her point clear.

"Hey, Esmeralda!"

Eva turned to see Alicia, Milia, Beatrice, Rosalind, Pyria, Mirea, and Claudia all rushing forward, forcing the three men behind Ard to scramble out of the way. "Squeeze!" Milia threw her arms around Ard from behind without warning.

"Wow, you guys are cheating! I want in too. We're all Ard's fiancées here," Beatrice declared.

"Exactly... the Princess is right," Rosalind added.

"Let's take turns, everyone. No need to fight over him," Mirea chimed in.

Seeing Ard swarmed by the girls, Adeline's blood began to boil. She suddenly remembered what Arthur had mentioned the night before—that Ard had eight fiancées. She stopped dead in her tracks and yanked Ard's arm so hard he nearly tumbled backward.

"What's going on?" Ard asked, looking back at Adeline.

"My brother belongs to me," Adeline snapped at Eva and the others.

"Huh?" the girls asked in unison, Ard, Eva and Alicia included.

"I said my brother is mine! You all better back off... every last one of you!" Adeline shouted, making her stance crystal clear.

"Whoa, whoa... Adeline, what are you saying?" Ard asked, bewildered. He had never seen his sister act this way; she looked dead serious.

"What are you talking about, Adeline? Why are you being like this?" Alicia asked, stepping forward and reaching out to her.

"Slap!" Adeline swatted Alicia's hand away, leaving Alicia in shock, clutching her hand and staring at her as if she were a total stranger. Then, Adeline clung to Ard's arm once more and pulled him close. "Bweee!" She stuck her tongue out at all of them, sparing no one. Ard watched, completely unable to recognize his sister's behavior. It was like someone else was wearing her face.

"My brother is mine. I won't give him up to any of you, not even to Alicia. Got it? Now get lost!" Adeline yelled at the eight girls.

Naturally, seeing Adeline act like a spoiled, bratty little princess made something "snap" in the minds of Eva, Alicia, Milia, Beatrice, Rosalind, Pyria, Mirea, and Claudia. They all maintained their smiles, but the veins were bulging on their foreheads and the atmosphere turned incredibly tense. Alicia and Eva stepped forward and grabbed Adeline's hands, hauling her away from Ard.

"He—hey! What do you think you're doing?" Adeline screamed.

"I think it's time I taught you a lesson about your attitude, you spoiled brat," Eva said. She was smiling, but she was clearly furious.

"Exactly. You've got a lot of nerve swatting my hand and talking to me like that. It seems your education has been lacking," Alicia added, grinning with pure rage.

"I'd like to help with your 'education' too," Beatrice added with a sharp smile.

"One spoiled princess in this group is enough; we don't need a second one," Rosalind noted, also smiling.

"Who exactly are you talking about?" Beatrice snapped.

"If the shoe fits, wear it," Rosalind shot back.

"Why are you guys fighting each other? Pathetic," Pyria said with a smirk.

"Shut up!" Beatrice and Rosalind shouted together.

"Ugh... sorry," Pyria mumbled.

"This looks like fun. Count me in. Let's educate this brat together—maybe both of them if we have to," Milia said, cracking her knuckles with a grin while shooting a sharp look at Beatrice as well.

"Sorry, Ard, we're borrowing your sister for a bit. We need to teach her a thing or two," Mirea said.

"Don't worry, we don't intend to do anything bad. We're just going to provide some high-quality life lessons," Claudia added.

"Hey! What does that mean? Brother, help me!" Adeline screamed, struggling as she looked toward Ard.

"Guys, come on. Why are you taking a little kid's words so seriously?" Ard said, moving to help his sister.

"STAY OUT OF IT!" Eva, Alicia, and the others shouted in perfect, terrifying unison. They glared at Ard with such intensity that he froze in his tracks.

"Oh... okay. Sorry, Adeline," Ard muttered, instantly surrendering his sister to her fate.

Ard looked around and realized they had become a public spectacle in the middle of the square. He watched as his eight fiancées hauled a screaming Adeline away, and the crowd's attention naturally followed the chaotic group.

"What is wrong with them?" Ard sighed.

"Forget it, bro. Let's just go for a walk ourselves," Ainsley said, patting Ard's shoulder.

"Yeah, don't sweat it. Princess Eva is with them, and they're all strong. Your sister will be fine," Irwin added.

"Let's find a place to grab a drink. You know all the good spots, right?" Geoffrey said, also patting Ard's shoulder.

"What's wrong with you guys?... But actually, you're right. Whatever," Ard replied.

Eventually, they headed toward the trade district to find a bar or a tavern. Ard kept glancing back at the girls as they disappeared into the distance.

"I hope nothing goes too far," Ard thought to himself.

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