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n

n

n“Please accept mine!”

n“Mine, too!”

n“Here you are!”

n“Don’t you have anything to give us, lady?”

nThe knights, who lined up on the field, came running and reached out to me all at once.

nI saw one of their sleeves loosened and fluttered in the wind. I was too embarrassed to respond.

nWhat should I do? Then, my father ordered them sharply, “We’re leaving now!”

n“Wait a moment, Captain!”

n“Can I give it to her before I leave?”

n“We, too, would like to hear the lady wish that we can return safely.”

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n

nI hesitated at their desperate requests. It was understandable that they felt sorry for my failure to wish them well. They had been training with my father in the training field everyday. Nonetheless, I only prayed for my father’s safe return.

n“Please come back safely, everyone!”

n“Yes, we’ll be back safely!”

n“You have to keep well, young lady. Watch out for good-for-nothing guys! ”

n“That’s right. Although Verita’s son is going to the border, you never know who else will hover around you. You should watch out, lady. ”

n“Pardon? Ah, yes. I will be careful. ”

nI nodded, overwhelmed by their excessive interest in me. Watching the knights often looking back at me after walking several steps, I smiled gently at them.

nWhen they finally disappeared, silence fell on the noisy field. I looked at the platinum cufflin in my hand for a while and turned back slowly. It seemed that I could feel my father’s warmth through the button.

nAfter my father left, I could not get by as usual for the first few days. As I had no regular trainer, I got nowhere in my fencing practice. No matter how hard I tried, I didn’t see any progress.

nI idled away 15 days, and in the end, I sent a letter to Duke Lars, asking if I could visit. The next day I received a reply, asking me to attend a tea party at his mansion. I tried not to cause any trouble to him, but I couldn’t help it.

n“I am honored to meet you, Duchess. My name is Aristia La Monique, the eldest daughter of Marquis Monique.

n“Nice to meet you, Monique. I’m Ernia Shana de Lars. Have a seat.”

nDuchess Lars wasn’t that different from how I remembered her. Unlike the duke or Sir Lars whose warm impressions stood out because of their red hair and eyes, she had dark blue hair and blue eyes and looked very chilly due to her expressionless face.

n“I heard about it. Your father asked my husband or son to teach you fencing. ”

n“Yes, that’s true.”

n“Oh, I see. I’ve sent someone to bring my son. He’ll be here soon. ”

n“Ah, thank you, Duchess. ”

nI flinched at her chilly tone, but I expressed gratitude with a smile. It wasn’t the first time I saw her chilly attitude. Wasn’t she unusually chilly to me in the past? I don’t know why, but unlike the duke, she hated me very much even though the duke’s family shared the same political faction with mine.

nWhile I was drinking tea in the cold silence, I heard the door opening suddenly.

nWhen I slowly turned my head, I noticed a boy looking like Allen walking in with a nervous expression.

n“Why have you called me here? It’s so annoying.”

n“Sit down. You have a guest here. Why are you so rude?”

n“I don’t care…”

nThe boy, who looked at me with a scornful laugh, suddenly shut his mouth. I don’t know why, but I greeted him with a smile.

n“Nice to see you, Lars. I am Aristia La Monique, the eldest daughter of Marquis Monique.”

n“… My name is Carsein de Lars. ”

nThe boy had the duke’s hair and the duchess’ eyes. He looked cold as he took after her mother more. Was it because of his cold look? The boy’s blue eyes staring straight at me seemed to remind me of someone else. I felt goosebumps at that moment.

n“Wait, Monique? So, is this the same girl you mentioned? Do you want me to practice fencing with this girl? ”

n“Watch your language, ‘Sein. Maybe you should learn manners again.”

n“No, thanks, Mom. I don’t have enough time to practice fencing for myself… ”

n“‘Sein!”

n“Oh, got it, Mom. I can be polite. ”

nThe boy, who reluctantly responded to the duchess’s calling, was very displeased. He stared at me for a long time and said in a crackling voice, “Well, shall we go, miss?”

n“Where are we going?”

n“You said you are here to practice fencing with me, right? I have to check your skills first if I can spar with you. Don’t you think so?”

n“‘Sein!”

n“Oh, why are you calling me again, Mom? I’m being respectful to her. ”

nPressing her temple, the duchess sighed deeply and told me, “What would you do? I just thought of introducing you to my son today, but if you’re going to accept his offer, I will send someone to bring you some clothes to change. ”

n“Ah, that would be kind of you. Can you do that? Thank you for your consideration. ”

n“No problem. Let’s have tea until he brings the clothes. Sit down, ‘Sein. ”

nThe boy looked dissatisfied but quietly sat down. I swallowed a sigh while drinking the almost cold tea, seated between them as they showed hostility toward me.

n‘That’s why I was trying to do it myself.’

nAs soon as the maid who went to pick up my clothes returned, the duchess ended the tea time.

nI thanked her for inviting me then changed into a training outfit. Guided by the servant, I headed to the training place. .

n“It took you a long time to change clothes.”

n“… … Sorry for being late, Lars. ”

n“My father told you to practice fencing with me?”

n“That’s right.”

n“Ha, it ‘s funny. Do you think you can learn fencing quickly? Don’t ever think anybody can learn it easily.”

nCarsein de Lars was, perhaps, fourteen or fifteen. He was the youngest knight in history with an unprecedented record, and he was called a fencing genius who had no rival when it comes to swordsmanship.

nAs I have never met him before, I imagined what kind of person he was when I was on my way to his mansion. I thought vaguely that he would be a man of few words who only focused on fencing like my father.

nBut the boy before my eyes was completely different. He talked down to me and showed no manners at all. He was a sharp contrast to Alledis, called a genius who could lead the empire, who was kind and gentle.

nWhen I saw him looking down at me arrogantly, I suddenly got enraged.

n“I didn’t say I would learn fencing as a pastime, Lars!”

n“Ha, I know you are pretending to learn fencing for a few years then quit to get married, right? What a joke!”

n“I am not…!”

n“Don’t try to make poor excuses. If it’s not a joke, show me your skills and determination, won’t you?”

nI shut my mouth slowly because he was right. No matter how much I talked, I couldn’t prove my will. It was me, not him who was asking for help anyway.

n“You are right. How can I prove it? ”

n“… Let me see if you can show me the basic skills,” said the boy, staring at me in dissatisfaction.

nI picked out what seemed to be a lighter practice sword in the corner of the empty training place. I demonstrated the basic skills that I learned so far before the boy with red hair looking silently with his arms folded. I even showed him whatever slumsy skill I learned by myself.

n“It’s terrible. You want to learn fencing with your poor skills like that? ”

n“…. ”

n“I think your basic skills seem to be solid, but what’s that you showed me at the end?”

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nI felt like crying at his scornful tone, but tried to look expressionless as best I could.

n‘Be patient, Aristia. It’s you who needs help.’

nAfter taking a deep breath, I said in a voice as calm as possible, “My skills are what you see. I tried practicing by myself, but there was no progress. ”

n“Of course. You know why? Your basic fencing posture is wrong. How can you expect to improve?”

n“Then, what can I do?”

nAs he pointed out my problems, I felt he might give me some tips on training.

nBut he replied as if he was annoyed, when I asked how I could improve.

n“I don’t care. Why should I help you practice? Take care of yourself, and don’t bother me! ”

n“… Lars!”

n“Why?”

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