Because Emilia played the lead role in the latter half of ‘The Princess, The Witch, and The Frog’, most people who hadn’t looked into it were caught completely off-guard when Prancing Media started their marketing campaign for ‘blood boiling’ polo match between energetic young girls.
Of course, the accompanying album photos from their cheerful practice sessions were enough to make most people realize that it was no joke.
With her ever-increasing popularity after her ‘debut’, Emilia’s name was already enough to attract countless people to turn to Prancing Media’s channel.
That was only to be expected.
What most didn’t expect, however, was for even her friends to be so attractive.
”It really is true that birds of a feather, flock together, right?!”
”Even when they’re sweating and exhausted from riding in the sun all day, I still feel like they’re so sweet and refreshing?! This grandma also wants to go out and ride a horse today!”
”Grandma, control your blood pressure!”
Naturally, many people discovered that Emilia didn’t appear tired or exhausted in any of the images, regardless of the status of her friends, and they couldn’t help but ‘wonder’ if the photos were ‘modified’. This wave of controversies only served to fuel the trend, however, and even those who ‘scolded’ her for being so fake continued to look a few more times through the published albums.
Of course, this newfound wave of popularity wasn’t a bad thing as far as Emilia was concerned, though she did make sure that none of her friends’ personal information would be made public.
After all, while she could personally protect a few of them if needed, it was impossible to keep an eye on everyone all the time.
This was especially so for the girls like Adele and Hazel, who only really got to talk to her once in a while. Even if they weren’t particularly close, Emilia didn’t want anyone to get hurt because of her.
Cynthia couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “By anyone, you of course mean ‘cute girls’, don’t you?”
Emilia smiled, unabashed. “Right.”
The raven-haired girl scoffed. “Double standards, much?”
Feeling her partner’s disdain, Emilia couldn’t help but rub her nose in embarrassment. “Hey, you can’t blame me like that!”
”Why not?”
The crimson-haired girl grinned. “Because… isn’t it just right for a villainess to be willful and unreasonable?”
Cynthia couldn’t help but be stunned. “I-I can’t argue with that. I guess… it’s true?”
Emilia hummed in satisfaction. “Isn’t it? And it’s not like you need to be so jealous all the time, as if you’re not cute enough? Well, although your jealousy is also adorable.”
”Who’s jealous?!”
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The venue had been well prepared by the staff, with Emilia and her friends having a luxurious room to relax in right next to the field before and after the match.
Of course, even with their preparations being over well in advance, most of her friends were still shaking from the nerves before the match, teammates and opponents alike.
Crystal and Dixie were the calmest of the bunch, while the most nervous one was their ‘smallest’ friend, Penny.
Emilia knew it probably wouldn’t help much, but she still consoled and encouraged them as best as she could before the match. “You girls don’t need to be so nervous. Just make sure you don’t get hurt, and we’ll have lots of fun celebrations afterwards even if you lose, alright?”
Thea and Adele perked right up after listening to her consolation, and Hazel also cheered up after Emilia gave her a hug.
Koko was a much tougher nut to crack, however.
With big fat tears pooling in her eyes, she clutched the beauty’s arm in despair. “Emilia, ah, what if the ball hits me on the head later? If I really get any dumber than I am right now, what if my mom disowns me?!”
Emilia couldn’t help but rub her head, feeling helpless in her heart. “Your mom only teases you, Koko. How could she bear to disown such a cute daughter? Besides, all of you will be wearing a helmet with a face guard.”
”B-But…”
The crimson-haired girl squeezed her cheek angrily. “If you keep being so squeamish, I’ll replace you with someone else, alright?”
”No no, I’ll play! Who said I won’t?!”
”Then just relax and have fun. Think about it this way… even if something goes wrong, as the one who invited you all, it’s my responsibility. If your mom disowns you, I’ll adopt you.”
”Really?!”
Looking at the little beauty’s gentle smile, Koko couldn’t help but jump for joy and run around the whole room twice, her bright grin completely devoid of any gloom from before.
It was only when Emilia was already done consoling the hypocritically ‘distressed’ Penny that Koko finally came back to her senses. ‘Wait a minute… why am I so happy that Emilia agreed to adopt me? Wouldn’t that make her my mom?!’
Of course, having such a beautiful mother would also be wonderful… no way, what was she thinking?!
Koko couldn’t help but slump down on the sofa in despair. ‘If we become mother and daughter… nonono! No wonder mom calls me stupid!’
The freckled girl decided that no matter what, she definitely couldn’t let herself be injured on the field!
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Unfortunately for Penny, she didn’t get to ‘molest’ her princess too much. Not only were there too many ‘judgmental eyes’ around, and the waiting time was also up before she really got to make a move.
As they moved to mount their horses, the petite girl couldn’t help but sigh emotionally. ‘Fortunately, with her generosity and my height, I can never come out truly empty-handed.’
Thinking of how she used to sulk about her mother’s ‘bad parenting’ in her early teens, Penny sincere apologized in her heart. ‘Thank you for always hitting me over the head. I never realized just how crucial those few inches I lost would be!’
Luckily, Crystal was far away on the opposite side of the field. Had she used her ability on the girl before, she might just suggest Penny to hire a psychiatrist.
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While the opposite team’s leader was having perverted fantasies about her, Emilia herself was making sure that Crystal, Koko, and Adele all had their helmets fastened properly.
After ensuring that there was nothing wrong, the crimson-haired girl smiled. “Okay, it all looks good. Remember, safety first!”
Although she said that, Emilia was the only one not wearing a helmet or a face guard.
Technically, it was a violation of the standard rules of the game, but this wasn’t a formal tournament.
As long as she didn’t change the core mechanics and nothing went wrong, few would have much grounds to complain if she preferred a more open field of vision to safety.
Of course, she wouldn’t let any of her girlfriends do the same. Not to mention that they were yet so proficient, but they also didn’t have the ability to regenerate if something did go wrong.
Emilia wasn’t sure how much her blood could help them recover based on the level of injury, and she had no intention of ever finding out.
They had also tried to convince her otherwise at first, but after a few rounds of ‘practice’, Emilia was soon able to convince them that there was no way the ball was ever getting anywhere close to her face, unless she wanted it to.
As they trotted to the center of the field, the crimson-haired girl could feel all the gazes from the audience stabbing into her body like pins and needles, but she didn’t let that bother her.
Naturally, it was impossible for some people not to be concerned after looking at her being the only one without protective gear, while a few secretly gloated in their hearts.
”Why is she not wearing a helmet, do they only have seven?!”
”Wouldn’t it be fine to take one of the others’ for herself? It would be too much of a pity to get that face ruined, ah!”
”Idiot, do you really think she can’t afford a helmet? She clearly decided not to wear one herself!”
Of course, no matter how everyone in the stands debated over how ‘reckless’ Emilia was to not wear protective gear, they knew that they couldn’t influence the girl’s decision at all.
Some prayed for her safety, while others hoped that something, anything, would go wrong.
After all, the stands today contained Emilia’s friends and foes alike, and there were more than just a few people who would be happy to see her humiliated.
’Look, the prideful little princess fell on her face and got sent to the hospital because of her own arrogance!’
Many longed to be able to say that out loud righteously, whether it was from their interests that she had harmed, or some form of jealousy.
Of course, knowing how ‘rabid’ her supporters were, they wouldn’t dare to say it unless they were sure they could get away with it.
Aside from these two, there was also a third, ‘special’ category. Consisting of the likes of Alexander Gray, their attention had been caught by her after the first day’s show, and they had come here today to ‘evaluate’ her worth, whether it was for cooperation or marriage.
Emilia didn’t let their heated gazes bother her at all, though, and gave her friends a gentle smile to calm them down.
With her long, wavy crimson hair freely floating in the wind, Emilia looked so gorgeously breathtaking that Crystal felt like if this girl told her to ride off and abandon the world right now, she wouldn’t even be able to think about her own mother before saying yes.
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