Two hours after the competition started...
Mr. Dredd couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear as he and his helpers grilled dozens of fishes at the same time.
Alex and Charles had caught so many rare—and mouthwatering—fishes that the judge of the competition invited some of his friends and acquaintances to join him in preparing a feast.
Thanks to Chuck’s recommendation, they had decided to hold the feast near one of the riverside villages.
But it didn’t end there.
Chuck used this opportunity to tell everyone that this special feast was sponsored by the fourth princess of the Kingdom of Avalon, Xenia Valeria.
This gave the princess mixed feelings. Although the fishing competition was her idea, the ones who actually caught so many rare fishes and won were none other than Alex and Chuck.
Her plan to thwart her marriage to Chuck had clearly failed, but before she could wallow in disappointment, the troublemaker of the academy gave all the credit to her, raising her popularity with the people.
Chuck himself avoided the limelight, allowing the princess to bask in gratitude and admiration.
Alex had given his roommate a thumbs-up after his great show of generosity towards his fiancee, who didn’t like him.
"Wow, this is so good!" Alex gasped in shock after taking a bite of the grilled fish that Mr. Dredd had personally handed to him. "This soup is also very delicious! Just how did you make this dish, Mr. Dredd?"
"Hahaha! As someone who likes to fish and cook the fish that I caught, I have learned how to prepare them in ways that will make their flavors richer," Mr. Dredd replied with pride. "Still, it doesn’t change the fact that it tastes better because the quality of the fish that you caught is that good.
"By the way, the annual fishing competition will happen in six months. Why don’t you two Master Baiters join the competition and represent the kingdom?"
Alex pondered for a bit before telling Mr. Dredd that he would think about it. That was enough to make the judge of the competition very happy because he would love to have another feast .
The villagers were also delighted to be able to eat such delicious food. They thanked the princess profusely for her generosity. In face of such gratitude, even the temperamental Princess Xenia forced out a stiff smile.
In the end, she decided to just go with the flow, telling everyone that her two "retainers" had done an exceptional job in catching the fishes for this special celebration.
Due to how delicious the grilled fishes were, Alex asked Mr. Dredd to prepare some portions that he could bring back to the academy to share with his friends.
Since they had caught so many fishes, there was no problem in getting some takeouts!
"I guess you lost this time, princess," Alphonse commented with a smirk. "Did you change your mind in using those two teenagers as fish food?"
"Godfather, please stop joking," Princess Xenia replied. "Others might think that you’re being serious."
"Oh, my bad. Then this means that you will honor your bet, right?" Alphonse kept smiling as he glanced at Alex and Chuck, who were enjoying the dishes that Mr. Dredd and his friends had cooked together.
"Since I dared to make the bet, I dare to pay the price," Princess Xenia answered. "But if his wish is to keep me as his fiancee then he is just being delusional."
The Princess wanted to control her own fate, so an arranged marriage was something that contradicted her will.
As such, she wanted to force Chuck to end it because she couldn’t openly defy her father’s arrangement that easily.
Two hours later, the Princess informed the two young men that they would now be returning to the academy.
Mr. Dredd and his friends decided to remain in the village and chat about the upcoming competition that would happen in half a year.
The middle-aged judge made sure to remind Alex and Chuck that a spot would always be open for the two of them in the competition.
As the boat moved upstream, the small village slowly disappeared from sight.
Alex and Chuck were so full that they knew that they could no longer eat dinner when they returned to the academy.
Of course, they didn’t forget to bring some food back for their friends. They planned to have a fish buffet at the clocktower.
While the two were looking at the river, Mary approached Chuck.
"Her Highness wishes to speak to you in private," Mary said. "Please follow me, Young Master."
Chuck gave Alex a glance, and the latter gave him a thumbs up in return.
"Wish for the thing you want the most," Alex stated. "It doesn’t matter if it’s realistic or not. As long as there is a possibility, you must reach your hand out to grasp it!"
Mary gave Alex a side-long glance before shifting her attention back to her Master’s fiance.
The teenage boy took a deep breath in order to calm his nerves before giving Mary a nod, indicating that he was now ready to meet the princess.
Alex watched his friend go with a faint smile on his face.
He had now confirmed that Chuck might indeed be a troublemaker, but he was a very smart troublemaker.
The teenage boy had credited the feast to Princess Xenia to boost her popularity. Alex believed that this would become Chuck’s protective talisman for the rest of the trip.
Princess Xenia might be capricious, but she still cared about what others thought. She was also too proud to leave a favor or debt unreturned. As such, there was no way she would hurt someone who had just made her look good in the eyes of her people.
’I’m sure that it’s going to be fine,’ Alex thought. ’But just in case, it won’t hurt to be prepared for anything.’
Alex had already opened his map, which showed the green blinking dots representing him and Chuck.
If his aquatically challenged roommate was suddenly tossed into the river, he would detect it right away and jump in to save him.