You think you're worthy of saving the world?

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up... Uh, you used to play chess?"

The Grand Duchess was somewhat surprised.

After all, chess was only popular among nobles, and they often used it for gambling. She had never heard that the Holy Son also enjoyed noble entertainment.

However, Cecilia seems to be quite obsessed with this lately.

“Your daughter taught me last week,” Yuri explained.

The Grand Duchess sighed, "What exactly did that child teach you? Now that you understand, let me play the next game with you."

Although she didn't know what kind of misunderstanding the Holy Son had, Rosalia had no intention of using her daughter as a stake; she was just playing along with the child.

Rosalia shook the bell on the coffee table to summon the maid.

Half a minute later, the maid placed the black and white chessboard between the two of them and set it up.

Both in terms of rules and appearance, the chess in this world is the same as the chess in Yuri's previous life.

"What level is the Holy Son at in chess?"

Yuli, who played white first, moved a "soldier" first, and then shyly told the truth.

"To be honest, this is the first time I've played against someone other than Cecilia.

Rosalia raised her long, lace-covered left hand, using the back of her hand to hide the smile at the corner of her mouth.

A complete newbie, I suppose so... So who gave you the courage to challenge me?

"Well."

Euryphus pursed his lips, his expression filled with unease as he stared intently at the chessboard.

As expected of the most handsome young man in the Holy See, he is truly adorable... Rosalia licked her red lips.

"Your Holiness, shall we make a bet?" A stirring deep within her chest made her change her mind on the spot.

Yuri exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? But I'm still a beginner..."

Rosalia held up three fingers: "Three sets. If you can win even one out of three sets, I'll let Cecilia stay in the Knights."

If you don't win a single game—of course, there's no loss, how about that?

Yuri's face was filled with shock: So I only win small wins, medium wins, and big wins?!

The Grand Duchess noticed a spark of hope igniting in the boy's eyes.

"I'm willing to take the gamble! Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Your Highness! I will do my best!"

Euryphus was too young; he didn't know that every gift bestowed by fate had already been secretly priced.

Rosalia's desired reward—

That was Euryphus helplessly defeated by himself, losing his companions due to his own incompetence, and sobbing miserably, "I can't do anything."

I've always wanted to see this expression on your face!

The Grand Duchess's cheeks flushed a seductive blush as she began to fantasize about the beautiful boy's mournful face, consumed by regret, annoyance, and remorse—a far more exciting image than the boy in drag.

Yuri has already made his second move and moved another "soldier". It's Rosalia's turn now.

Hehe... Add more water, so that this kid feels like he's just a little bit away from beating me.

Rosalia, with a wicked thought in mind, methodically moved her "soldier" forward two spaces.

"...?"

The Grand Duchess, having made her second move, suddenly opened her eyes wide—

An indescribable, intense sense of unease coursed through my entire body like an electric current.

She looked up in surprise and found Euryphus staring at her.

That once harmless and adorable boy's face had long lost its previous tension and timidity, and looked so unfamiliar.

Its golden pupils gleamed with a cold light, reminiscent of ancient serpents in religious paintings, gazing intently at their prey.

"Wait……"

"Checkmate."

Yuri placed the "Queen" on the board, revealing a genuine smile.

"I am dying. Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness."

On his third move, just ten seconds into the game, Yuri won the game against "Empress".

003 Madam, you probably don't want your daughter to know about your side business, do you...?

"This...how is this possible? Your Highness has only taken two steps!"

The maid watching the game suddenly widened her eyes, letting out a shout that echoed throughout the reception room.

She had witnessed countless nobles suffer crushing defeats at the hands of their masters, and Rosalia's chess skills were undoubtedly top-notch.

Although I haven't played chess much, I at least know the rules.

A game of chess usually takes an hour or even several hours, so how could the outcome be decided in just two moves or ten seconds?

She said discontentedly, "Lord Euryphus, even if you are the Child of Prophecy, you cannot speak carelessly in front of His Highness..."

"Fool's Mate".

Under the maid's surprised gaze, Yuri explained calmly, "This is the move in chess that leads to checkmate as quickly as possible."

Being checkmated after only two moves—as the name suggests—is a foolish mistake that only beginners make in a game.

Incidentally, if the player is checkmated on the fourth move of the opening, it is called the Scholar's Mate, a classic tactic.

Almost every chess grandmaster has been checkmated in four moves when they first started learning chess; it can be considered a common childhood trauma for chess learners.

"This is foolish..."

Under the slightly provocative gaze of the black-haired boy, the maid looked at her silent mistress, then hurriedly covered her mouth.

"No! Your Highness, I absolutely... I absolutely didn't mean that!"

“I didn’t take it to heart. You were tricked by that wicked Holy Son, Patty.”

Rosalia had already calmed down and waved her hand with a composed smile: "Go outside and calm down first."

"Yes, Your Highness."

After bowing, the maid walked towards the door, giving Yuri a deep look before leaving.

Rosalia said wistfully, "When I was a little girl, my father also teased me like this on the chessboard. I really miss it."

Haha, it seems men of all ages are keen on bullying young girls... and smugly gloating over their annoyed expressions. How childish.

Yuri wanted to ask, "Auntie, the young girl you're talking about must be Miss Patty, right?", but she chickened out under the Grand Duchess's cold and beautiful gaze.

"I saw it in an introductory book, and I never expected it to actually work."

"Your Highness, you actually went easy on me, didn't you?"

From the moment he awakened his memories, Yuri began to consider whether this might be the only chance he would ever have in his life.

At this very moment, no one has yet noticed that a subtle change has occurred within the cowardly saint.

With the Empress's abilities and knowledge, she will surely notice the anomaly soon.

Therefore, he absolutely could not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he chose to take a gamble here.

Then, Yuri succeeded, defeating the strongest enemy who seemed impossible to defeat—in a near-instantaneous manner.

"I have no intention of going easy on them."

The Grand Duchess frowned.

She accepted the outcome of the bet, but found it hard to believe that she had made such a basic, beginner's mistake.

In the instant he realized he had made a mistake, what exactly was the sharp glint in the eyes of the Holy Son?

Ultimately, why did I so rashly place Cecilia into this game-like chessboard?

Rosalia suddenly felt that there was an invisible hand controlling the situation behind all of this.

The Grand Duchess raised her face, trying to read something from Yuri's expression.

Euryph simply smiled calmly, and Rosalia felt a slight chill run down her spine at the sight of his youthful, handsome face.

The boy in front of me is someone I've watched grow up since he was a child.

The prophesied child, who always inspired the urge to humiliate him, now appears so unfathomable and inviolable.

And it's a bit scum-free!

Rosalia was convinced that something strange must have happened to Euryphus that she was completely unaware of!

The Grand Duchess said calmly, "Your Holiness, let Cecilia remain in the Knights as agreed."

"As expected of Your Highness, you truly keep your word."

After the maid left and closed the door, the air in the drawing room instantly became several times denser.

Rosalia raised the corners of her eyes and stared intently at Yuri with her amethyst-like pupils.

"I was really surprised. The Holy Son seems like a completely different person today, he's so assertive..."

Was it Cecilia's situation that moved you? If so, I'm really sorry.

I forgot that you two are as close as siblings, and I have acted in such an insensitive way. Please allow me to sincerely apologize to you.

After saying this, Rosalia grabbed her long dress with both hands and stood up to apologize.

Normally, Yuri should have gotten up immediately to stop her.

The other party was a Grand Duchess who held the reins of the empire's military and political power, while he was just a commoner who had been raised by the Papacy and relied on the support of nobles.

Even a savior with divine intervention should maintain basic courtesy towards royalty.

The boy, being in a lower position, remained unmoved.

He didn't ignore Rosalia's actions, but he also showed no arrogance, simply nodding indifferently.

After curtsying, the Grand Duchess lifted her skirt and sank deeply back into the sofa.

Whether it was admiration or genuine surprise, Rosalia curled the corners of her lips into a smile.