7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to His Worst Enemy!

Chapter 3: I'm asking you to become my wife

"That's right. You're not going anywhere, Rishe!"

The prince joined her. "You won't get away with treating me like trash to relieve your own injured heart."

"Ugh, enough already!" Rishe's patience was fraying. "I don't have anything else to say to you. Goodbye!"

"Knights, stop her!"

Reluctantly, the knights moved to tail Rishe as she walked briskly back down the path. She sympathized with them, but she wasn't about to let them keep her here. Rounding a corner, she sensed something uncanny. She stopped, the knights quickly catching up with her.

"My apologies, Lady Rishe. If you could please remain for just a—whoa!"

Rishe grabbed the hilt of the knight's sword. Yanking it from his belt, she spun around and stood at the ready.

Metal rang against metal as Rishe parried a blow. She glared at her would-be attacker as he stepped out of the shadows.

Arnold Hein!

"Well, what do you know." The man smiling so sweetly while their swords locked, was the very man who had ended her life. "You do have some skill."

Metal screeched and slid, before Arnold sheathed his sword. Rishe lowered hers. Neither looked away.

"Who the hell are you?" demanded one of the knights.

"Stand down, good sirs," Rishe said. "Your interference will only make this worse."

This mostly served to befuddle the knights further. Rishe absolutely couldn't allow them to come to blows with the crown prince of a friendly nation.

And they couldn't beat him—not even if they took him all at once.

Rishe had blocked his blow, but her arm was completely numb. To think he'd be even more powerful in five years.

He regarded her unabashedly. "Rishe, was that your name? Where did you learn such swordsmanship?"

"I'm afraid I cannot say. Besides, you were clearly going easy on me."

"Ha! You could tell?"

Arnold's manner was throwing her off. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

He's laughing. This monstrous prince is…actually laughing.

When she had met him in her other life, he was cold and merciless, like a genuine monster. And yet here he stood, mellow and smiling.

The Emperor Arnold Hein I knew was twenty-four years old, so he's, what? Nineteen now? This is so weird. He's grinning like a boy getting into a scrape.

That attack had been good-natured as well, almost playful. It had muscle behind it but certainly not any lethal intent. He'd just wanted to force Rishe to catch the blow. She found it unbelievable that he could exude such an overpowering air of menace when he was just messing around.

While Rishe was focused on Arnold, Mary and Dietrich caught up, seemingly recovered.

"Excuse me, my lord!" Mary squeaked. "I-I-I don't know who you are, but kindly step away from Lady Rishe!"

"Yes, do as she says! Who the hell are you, anyway?!"

Don't tell me Prince Dietrich doesn't recognize one of his personal guests?

Dietrich's interests did not lean toward diplomacy; he likely hadn't bothered to introduce himself to Arnold. Mary, for her part, seemed to grasp that Arnold wasn't ordinary. She stood up to defend Rishe, despite the tremble in her voice.