After watching the ‘training clips’ that the Prancing Media had used for marketing purposes, most of the audience was actually quite curious about how the girls would perform on the field.
Of course, Emilia’s athleticism was already clear from the first day’s show, but a polo match wasn’t really about one’s physical fitness. That was just one of its requirements.
What really mattered in this type of game was one’s ability to communicate and work with others. If they couldn’t remain in sync with both their steed and teammates… it would be all too clear in a match of polo.
Moreover, because there had been quite a few rumors about the White Deer’s little princess being arrogant, willful, and extremely hard to get along with recently, people were eager to start nitpicking on the details now that the opportunity was right in front of them. As for where these rumors came from, who knows?
If she couldn’t perform well with her teammates here, wouldn’t that show that the training clips were all ‘faked’? And if that was true, what else was really true about her? How much of what everyone just ‘knew’ was a meticulous lie woven using the power of money?
For many people, being able to figure this out in real time was much more exciting than watching a movie.
Emilia’s team was called the ‘Crimson Princess’, which included herself, Crystal, Koko, and Adele. Penny’s team, on the other hand, was referred to as the ‘Golden Knight’, and included herself, Dixie, Hazel, and Thea.
Under their heated gaze, the two groups of four girls each reached the center of the field, guiding their horses to stand in neat lines facing each other.
They had actually been quite nervous in the waiting room before, but now that they were actually in the field, using the same formation that they had every time for practice, it actually felt quite familiar and thrilling instead.
When the umpire rolled the ball between the two teams, the match officially started with a bang.
Knowing their nature, Emilia didn’t want her friends to slack off and play ‘gentle’ with each other for this match. She wanted them to have fun, but they couldn’t look too fake in front of the audience! So she took the lead to take away the ball and dash straight for the goal.
Thea couldn’t help but be stunned when she felt Emilia whoosh past her just like that.
She had never seen a horse react so fast without even needing any signals from the rider.
Of course, the ‘Golden Knights’ didn’t want to lose face in front of their princess by being unable to provide her with fair competition, so they jolted into almost immediately after.
With the right of way on her side, however, Emilia was easily able to maintain her lead, and the score started with one point in her lead less than one minute into the game.
Even some of the veteran players in the audience couldn’t help but be stunned. Forget about Emilia’s skills, what was that horse being fed to be able to react like that?!
Of course, Emilia had no idea about their discussions. The two teams returned to their original positions after the goal, with their sides switched, and the umpire threw the ball between them once more.
This time, the crimson-haired girl naturally wasn’t able to catch her opponents off-guard, and the two teams competed for the ball fairly.
Those who had been wondering if all the other girls were completely clueless, and this would be a one-woman show by Emilia, quickly corrected their thoughts.
Not only did the opponents fight back, but their momentum and teamwork could also be called both thunderous yet wonderful, as if they all had only a single goal in mind!
With two consecutive goals in a row by her opponents, Emilia barely managed to outmaneuver both Hazel and Dixie by herself to score one for her team, tying out the score before the first horn blew.
And just like that, the first play of seven minutes was over, and they could all catch their breath for the next three minutes.
Emilia quickly approached her team to console them. It was just a game, after all, and what mattered most was that they had fun.
Unfortunately, things didn’t get any better for the ‘Crimson Princess’ in the next play.
By the end of the first play, the score had still been tied at two-two, with Emilia scoring another goal after her first one, while Dixie scored two.
At the end of the second play, however, it actually changed to five-six, with Penny’s team all scoring once each after the short break, while Adele, Koko, and Emilia all managed to score once each.
Not only was the ‘Crimson Princess’ not at an advantage, but it was being faintly suppressed instead!
It was clear at a glance that except for Emilia herself, most of her team wasn’t exactly what one would consider experienced.
Their opponents, on the other hand, were clearly used to handling horses, and were also more familiar with the common tactics used in the game.
Crystal and Koko, for example, never seemed to expect it when their mallets were hooked by Thea, Hazel, or Penny, and the frustration of being treated ‘unfairly’ was clear on their wronged little faces.
Of course, while it was cute, those who knew how the game worked could only shake their heads ruefully. Not only was that kind of move allowed, but it was only to be expected. It wasn’t unfair at all.
The fact that the girls weren’t giving body checks was already quite generous to these novices, but considering they were just young girls in a friendly match, most people thought it was normal.
After all, they wouldn’t want each other to get hurt. Maybe that was why there didn’t seem to be any signs of fouls, either. Forget about the mallet reaching too high up, had they not seen the strength of their hits, the audience would think they were just too heavy for these girls to lift properly, which clearly wasn’t the case.
Of course, if things went on like this, the ‘Crimson Princess’ was still bound to lose.
Some of the audience couldn’t help but shake their heads. “Well, looks like the little princess and her team are going to lose for sure.”
”Yeah, probably? It’s not like they’re just bad, though. Their opponents are just… better?”
In fact, the term that they actually wanted to use was ‘freaks’. After all, Dixie’s strikes on the ball were so hard that sometimes the audience wondered how the plastic ball hadn’t yet exploded to pieces.
Maybe if it hit someone’s head, the helmet wouldn’t be able to protect them at all, either. Thankfully, the rest of her team wasn’t so abnormal, or they would really have to start doubting their life.
Things didn’t change much in the last play before the fifteen minutes break, though the momentum of the match only got more fiery, with nine more goals added to the total.
Koko managed to get lucky and got two goals for Emilia’s team, while the opponent team continued their shockingly consistent performance of getting one goal per member in their second consecutive play.
With Emilia adding three goals of her own in the last half before the break, their scores were once again tied, with both teams having ten goals each.
At this point, only the faintly depressed heroine was left without a single goal to show.
With three plays over, the mounted umpire signaled for them to take a short break, and Emilia quickly pulled Crystal aside.
The blonde heroine looked pitiful, covered in a thin layer of perspiration, and her eyes slightly red with distress.
Emilia couldn’t help but press a kiss against her cheek. “Why do you look so unhappy? Not having fun by my side?”
Crystal’s face went red from shame as she covered her cheek. “N-No, no, I just… I just don’t want to be the one to pull you down…”
The crimson-haired girl sighed as she pulled the girl into a gentle embrace, completely ignoring her struggle.
”D-Don’t! Don’t hug me, I’m sweaty!”
Emilia just rolled her eyes and pulled her in tighter. “I just tasted it on your cheek, why are you acting like I would be disgusted?”
Crystal froze for a full minute before she felt her face exploded into a furious blush. “A-AHHH! You shouldn’t have done that!”
To think that Emilia would be able to see such a disgraceful version of herself today!
Had it been anyone else, they would think she was a loser who couldn’t play well, and also someone with a weak mentality, who couldn’t even accept that.
Moreover, with her disgraceful performance today, was it possible for anyone to continue feeling attracted? At the very least, they would think that she was too arrogant to bite off what she couldn’t chew.
Of course, Crystal knew that none of this was true when it came to the crimson-haired beauty in her embrace.
At this moment, all she could feel from Emilia… was a gentle warmth from her heart, free of judgment and derision.
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