Chapter 26: An Unexpected Tea Party

Amelia, the princess, threw the handkerchief, and as soon as it landed, dusting the ground with dirt, Hunt, the knight, moved.

She seemed intent on finishing quickly, before anyone else could see.

She judged it would be better for both herself and the girl that way.

Watching Hunt, Amelia thought it would be settled swiftly.

As she considered what to ask first, an unbelievable scene unfolded before her eyes.

The girl, deflecting the thrusting wooden sword with a natural ease, lightly raised her own sword.

As though swatting away a fly.

Despite the casual gesture, Amelia couldn’t help but blink at the sight before her.

Hunt’s wooden sword, having parted ways with its handle, went flying.

Spinning wildly, it landed with a thud, firmly embedded in the training ground floor.

The knight stared blankly at it, then winced as pain shot through her hand.

Looking down, she saw a scrape mark, as if grazed by something sharp.

The girl’s voice broke Hunt’s stunned silence, her eyes fixed on the mark on her hand, and Amelia’s, wide with disbelief.

“…Did I win?”

Her tone was laced with an inexplicable irritation.

Coupled with that, her expression, innocently questioning if she had truly won, was infuriating.

Though the girl’s words were plain, they sounded different to Hunt’s ears.

Hunt’s composure, fragile as a glass bead, shattered.

“…I request a rematch.”

Suppressing her emotions with superhuman effort, the knight, unable to accept the unbelievable outcome, demanded a continuation.

Surely, she had underestimated her opponent.

It wasn’t about others’ opinions anymore.

It was about her pride.

She stared at the girl, her teeth clenched.

The girl, looking bewildered, nodded slowly.

‘Right, it was a fluke.’

‘It must have been my carelessness and the wooden sword that happened to be cracked.’

‘The House’s equipment is poorly maintained, considering their status.’

Amelia, too, thought something must have gone wrong.

So she went along with Hunt’s request.

And the wound on Hunt’s hand seemed insignificant.

Thus, the second spar was arranged.

Just like the first time, the handkerchief was thrown.

In that split second, Hunt calmed her mind.

She vowed to use her full strength.

Evrys, the girl, observed her.

‘What went wrong earlier?’

‘Was it because the wooden sword broke?’

‘I should be careful this time.’

Holding the sword, the girl felt her agitated heart calm down. Then, she saw the handkerchief flutter to the ground.

Hunt didn’t rush in like before.

She watched the girl, who stood in the same stance as herself.

‘Why does she keep mirroring me?’

‘Is she mocking me?’

‘…No, that can’t be it.’

‘She looks like she’s never sparred before.’

‘If she truly doesn’t know, then her talent is frightening, beyond just impressive.’

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Hunt focused on the girl.

She started observing the girl’s movements, searching for an opening.

But there was none.

Every imagined attack ended with her own sword flying away, just like before.

The fresh wound on her hand began to sting.

Deciding this wouldn’t work, Hunt changed her stance.

The girl mirrored the change perfectly.

Hunt’s composure, already fragile, finally crumbled completely.

The shattered fragments pierced her heart.

“S-Sir Hunt, wait—”

With Amelia’s cry, Hunt lunged forward.

Ignoring the stinging in her hand, she tightened her grip.

A blue shimmer emanated from the wooden sword she held.

Unable to withstand the force, the wooden sword began to crack.

A blow filled with killing intent.

Seeing that, Amelia realized her guard’s fears had come to pass.

Forget salvaging the situation, this wasn’t the outcome she desired.

She only wanted to learn the girl’s identity and find a way to persuade her.

The thought of facing the impending doom alone once more overwhelmed her.

There was no guarantee the girl would exist in the next iteration.

But Hunt’s sword was already within striking distance of the girl.

Unable to bear witnessing the girl being cut in two, Amelia squeezed her eyes shut.

‘At this rate, I have no choice but to go back.’

‘Please, let the girl be there next time.’

‘If she exists, let our next encounter be different—’

Clang!!!

A sound too alien to be a human body being split reached Amelia’s ears.

It was the sound of metal clashing against metal.

Amelia opened her eyes.

She saw Hunt kneeling, clutching her hand.

Looking further, she saw the girl, unharmed, her wooden sword lowered.

A crimson shimmer, the same color as her eyes, emanated from the girl’s sword.

‘Crimson?’

Amelia rubbed her eyes.

The shimmer was gone, and the girl’s eyes were still the same golden hue as her own.

‘Did I see wrong?’

Such a trivial matter didn’t matter now.

She was just relieved the girl was safe, even if she felt bad for Sir Hunt.

‘…But why, with such power, does she do nothing?’

As Amelia pondered this, watching the groaning knight, the girl spoke.

“I won this time, right?”

“…Yes.”

Annoyance welled up inside Amelia for reasons she couldn’t explain. But recognizing the fault lay with them, she couldn’t say anything.

Perhaps alerted by the loud clang, the surroundings began to grow noisy.

“…Sir Hunt.”

Hunt, staring blankly at the ground, seemed to snap back to reality at Amelia’s voice, and moved behind her.

Soon, servants and some nobles, sensing the commotion, appeared at the training grounds.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

The incident at the training grounds was quietly settled with a single word from the princess.

Perhaps it was only possible because Iris and the Duke weren’t present.

The princess, looking at me with complex emotions in her eyes, turned and disappeared.

Since I won, she probably had nothing more to say.

I only stepped forward because of what Iris said, but should I say I’m glad it turned out well?

‘…What did I say to Iris again?’

Still, holding a sword did calm my mind.

It even allowed me to forget the thoughts that had been churning and tormenting me since last night.

Just a few days ago, I had tossed the sword aside because I hated it.

And now I’m relying on it.

‘But isn’t it good that my mind has calmed?’

‘Even if I couldn’t sort out my thoughts.’

‘…Maybe I should get a sword and carry it around on my waist.’

As I sighed, I heard a knock. It was Iris.

I wanted to send her away, but that wouldn’t do.

“Come in.”

I sat on the bed to greet Iris.

Iris closed the door behind her, pulled up a chair, and sat before me.

Even sitting at the same height, there was a noticeable difference in our eye level, so I had to look up at her.

But I didn’t mind.

“I received a report about the incident at the training grounds.”

“Ah… yeah.”

As expected, there was no way it wouldn’t reach Iris’s ears.

“Nothing happened.”

“Is that so?”

She didn’t ask me anything else.

“Yeah… is that why you came?”

“Not entirely.”

“There’s a dinner party scheduled for this evening.”

“Ah…”

“The other nobles will be with Father.”

Iris paused for a moment, then continued.

“We will be dining with the princess, just the three of us, at her request.”

‘…This is also sudden.’

‘But if Iris is with me, the princess won’t ask me those kinds of questions, right?’

“Is that alright…?”

“Since the princess requested it directly, there shouldn’t be a problem. Although it is a little surprising that Father agreed.”

“Are you okay with it?”

“About what?”

“Don’t you need to socialize with the other nobles, or something…?”

“Well. It’ll be a long time before I inherit the dukedom, so there’s no need to rush. No need at all.”

“I see…”

I pretended to be worried about Iris, but actually, I just didn’t want to see the princess.

“If perhaps you dislike it—”

‘Refusing would only trouble Iris.’

“No, I’ll go.”

Compared to what I’ve done, it’s a minuscule atonement.

But until then… I’ll do my best.

‘Is this also just self-satisfaction in the end?’

‘I wish this place were reality.’

‘…Now of all times?’

“Is something bothering you?”

“Huh…?”

“Your expression doesn’t look very good.”

‘Should I really carry a sword around after all?’

‘I can’t even properly hide a single emotion, as expected of my true self.’

Knowing that, I forced a smile for Iris.

Hoping she didn’t notice.

“If I eat with the princess, I’ll have to eat less, right?”

Iris’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

“I’ll inform the kitchen. Your appetite is already well-known, Lady Ev, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“…I see.”

Leaving behind the words, “I’ll see you this evening,” Iris left.

I stared at the empty space where she had been for a moment, then closed my eyes.