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Contrary to Allison's expectations, Samantha didn't lose her leading position on the first turn, but Emilia couldn't bring herself to gloat at all.
'F-Fuck! How could they brush so closely? What if they made contact and lost balance?!'
Cynthia chuckled. "Don't worry so much, Emilia. Hasn't this girl done this dozens of times already? Plus, you already confirmed that there have been very few accidents here, and it's relatively safe."
Emilia knew that her partner's words were true, but her heart still almost jumped to her throat when the racers made another sharp turn at a corner.
Not to mention the possibility of bumping into each other and causing a disastrous crash, the speed at which they slid towards the fence was also alarming. Wouldn't they fly right down the hill to a certain death if they were even slightly off?
Emilia thought that she had gotten quite used to the 'Iron Horse', and even got one as a gift for Sam, but looking at how dangerous it could be immediately changed her mind. 'I-I will teach her how to ride a horse. This thing should be banned!'
Although riding a horse also had certain risks, a skilled rider would almost always be able to stay alive, no matter what. It simply didn't have the same level of momentum, impact and danger as riding a bike.
Cynthia groaned. "Don't be such a pussy, Emilia. Should a villainess be scared of such a simple thing as a bike? Absolutely disgraceful."
The redhead frowned. 'What did you just call me, Cynthia?'
"Well, aren't you reacting like this because you're scared of the speed? A villainess should be brave and adventurous, not a scaredy-cat."
Emilia had no idea why the two of them had been at such odds recently, but she felt like whenever she talked with Cynthia, it would always end on a bad note. They would either agree to disagree, or one of them would refuse to continue the conversation.
This couldn't very well be allowed to go on. Emilia was someone who tried her best to keep everyone who liked her happy. Even the subordinates had to be properly rewarded for all their efforts, and none of them could be left feeling like their efforts weren't valued by the princess.
Needless to say, every time her partner expressed distaste — even if it wasn't directly aimed at herself — Emilia could feel a prickling in her heart.
Cynthia was the one who had given her the opportunity to attain happiness even after her 'failure' in the first two lives. How could Emilia fail to meet her expectations?
The redhead clenched her fists anxiously. 'I-I will prove to you that I'm not scared!'
Not only would she complete all her missions perfectly, but she would also do so while making everyone who supported her happy! This applied not only to her lovers, but also Cynthia!
There was only a way into her heart, and no way out.
Cynthia snorted. "Hmph. I'll look forward to it then."
Even she couldn't tell why she felt so confrontational every time they talked recently, but Cynthia could only chalk up her annoyance to Emilia focusing way too much on 'unnecessary' things.
For example, what exactly was the point of making Samantha happy? With how enamored that sis-con was with her… it wouldn't even matter if Emilia whipped her every time she came home. In fact, that might even make the pervert happy.
As far as Cynthia was concerned, Emilia spending time earning the favor of someone who already favored her to the limit was just a waste of time. She would still understand if this was the heroine — after all, it was still related to the mission, and it couldn't hurt being a little more thorough — but this was clearly Emilia's 'personal' project, much like Dixie.
Still, since her partner was stubborn as a mule, Cynthia knew it would be pointless to argue with her over the matter. Perhaps that was the reason she felt so frustrated. Why couldn't Emilia stop thinking with her heart, and use her head instead?
Emilia didn't speak anymore as her sight continued sticking to the screen, not even glancing at the scoreboard. Even when Sam got overtaken by someone else on a sharp corner, she didn't even look to see who it was, and only thanked the heavens that the older girl managed to turn in time, because that fence had only looked like it was a few inches away from the top-view camera.
Looking at the girl's slightly pale face and worried eyes, Allison couldn't help but chuckle. "It's really your first time here, huh? Don't worry, not many people have died here before. It's unlikely that anything bad will happen to your precious big sister."
Emilia turned a sharp glare at her. "What do you mean 'not many'? No one's died here before. I already checked."
Although the woman had been trying to annoy her for a while, she had managed to keep her temper in check, but that wasn't likely to last long if she insisted on cursing her big sister.
Allison smirked. "Oh sweetie, you're too innocent, aren't you? This place has enough money in their pockets to keep their records clean, if you know what I mean. They've only been lucky that no one 'high profile' has had an accident yet, like that big sister of yours."
Emilia frowned. It wasn't impossible for such a thing to be true, but she was sure that Noelle would have let her know if she knew. 'No, I can't let her words get to me. Anyway, the race is almost halfway through. Nothing will happen!'
"Goddang! McQueen is something else. I thought she was only slightly better than Theo, but even little Queen Sammy isn't her match?"
"Shit, she's going like her life is on the line, I almost thought she was going to fall off the cliff with that turn!"
"… I'm gonna lose this bet, aren't I?"
"Didn't you bet against Sam?"
"C'mon, I was only teasing the little girl."
Emilia gritted her teeth as she glared at the first place rider angrily. Whoever that person was, she couldn't help but worry that their recklessness would drive Sam to be rash as well. "Your friend really doesn't care if she dies?"
The speed at which she made turns, always gambling with her life, made it almost impossible for Sam and Theo to catch up with McQueen, leaving them competing for only the second and third positions. Every time they tried to cover some distance, the next turn only widened the gap further.
Allison chuckled. "Hey, she fell in love with you the moment she saw those sexy legs of yours, you know. She's doing it for your kiss."
Emilia was stunned.
Looking at the younger girl's gobsmacked face, the dark-haired woman couldn't help but laugh. "Kidding. She just really wants that money."
Although it would be hilarious to have that misunderstanding… Allison thought it might really be too much. Especially if Emilia insisted on checking who 'McQueen' really was, it was impossible to keep it hidden. Wouldn't her friend lose her job if she got 'found out'?
Or even worse, if this little girl fell in love after being impressed by her friend's 'passion', wouldn't poor old Allison become the culprit for ruining her friend's marital life?
Emilia felt a little relieved, though she still couldn't help but regret her declaration.
If she had known that the bike races in this world weren't any less dangerous than actual duels, she would definitely have never tried to 'spice things up a little' by making that bet at the start.
Thankfully, Sam passed through the last of the twisted turns without any slip ups, and Emilia finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Second place is fine. Hmm… this Theo guy seems quite intent, trying to get ahead at the last moments… why does he seem a little familiar?"
Shortly afterward, there was no longer any need to look at the screens as the riders became visible from the distance, and Emilia smiled as she saw her sister speeding in her direction, safe and sound.
Of course, the distance between McQueen and the two people behind her was significant, and the winner was already decided in advance, unlike most races, but Emilia didn't really care.
Just as McQueen passed the finish line, however, Emilia felt something strange flicker past her vision in the distance. 'What was that—'
She didn't have any more time to guess, though, because whatever it was, had caused Samantha's bike to immediately lose balance as she crashed into Theo.
The two of them zoomed off road, thankfully to the opposite side of the cliff, but the thunderous impact and the giant cloud of dust didn't make the situation look any more optimistic.
"SAM!"
Not caring about anything else, Emilia immediately rushed onto the asphalt as the others were still trying to comprehend the situation, followed shortly after by the panicked staff at the Bucherer's.
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