Chapter 35

After agreeing to learn the sword from Nine, my life changed slightly.

In the mornings, I handled administrative tasks, which had stabilized and were no longer urgent, and I spent the afternoons with Adel.

Up to this point, nothing was different from usual. What had changed was the time from evening until I went to bed.

My evenings had now become training time for swordsmanship with Nine.

Even though it was dark, training together on the wide-open training ground meant the rumors spread instantly.

The duel opponent, Roana, reportedly just scoffed when she heard the news of my training, claiming I was just wasting time while drunk.

Klang!

A sharply lunged wooden sword struck mine, deflecting it, and stopped right before my eyes.

“Haa, haa…”

“Again. You must be mindful of the opponent’s blade tip until the very end.”

My hand gripping the wooden sword was stinging and burning as if it were about to burst. Nine briefly lowered the sword he had just retrieved, giving me a moment to catch my breath.

I hurriedly gasped for air that had climbed into my throat and stabilized my trembling legs.

A drop of sweat gathered on my eyelashes rolled down with a blink.

The rumors about my training with Nine had been reconstructed in a romantic and intimate way.

Even if their relationship was strained, it was obvious how it would look when a married couple started spending their evenings together.

However, the reality was completely different.

I was truly being pushed around by Nine.

At first, I did feel dizzy and flustered when the man I liked corrected my posture from behind, or when he engaged in physical contact like holding my hand.

But…

“Your sword path is unstable. Again.”

“Again.”

The excitement lasted only a moment; once I fell into the ‘again’ swamp, all I could do was grit my teeth and endure.

Feeling flustered and excited was only possible when I had the energy for it.

Of course, although difficult, the training wasn’t excessive. Nine hadn’t forgotten that I was pregnant, so he adjusted the intensity appropriately.

He included sufficient rest periods in between and ensured I had warm tea and a blanket so my body wouldn’t get cold.

But, alas, during those breaks, my body and mind would relax again, and my heart would pound.

It seemed insane for my heart to race even while enduring the grueling training, but I truly couldn’t help it.

“Haa, haa…”

“The strength in your footing has weakened. With steps like that, you’ll collapse even if you block the sword.”

This handsome man, who drops a bead of sweat under the moonlight.

How could anyone not feel fluttered when this man, whose sculpted physique is visible beneath thin clothes, constantly lingers before me, casually drapes a blanket over me, and applies ointment to my blistered hands!

Anyone would helplessly fall for him. This wasn’t because I was weak; it was all Nine’s fault.

“Let’s rest a moment.”

Nine, noticing the gradually weakening grip of my hand despite my fierce endurance, put away his wooden sword.

Looking at the sky, it was about time to end the training.

I walked with him towards the resting area that Butler Van had perfectly set up again today.

Since I started training with Nine, Van had prepared a cozy resting spot on the outskirts of the training ground every day. He insisted we needed to rest warmly, even if only for a short time.

From a chair with a soft cushion to a thick blanket, warm tea, a towel to wipe sweat, and brightly flickering candlelight. The resting area thus prepared was certainly good for recovering a tired body.

Before Van started setting this up, all I did was sit somewhere convenient and receive water and a towel from Annie.

“Then, please rest comfortably.”

As soon as the two of us sat down in the resting area, Van naturally took Annie, who was supposed to be attending us, and left.

A satisfied smile, whose meaning was impossible to misread, floated across his face.

‘That’s… that’s not it! Nine is just like a gym enthusiast who’s discovered a physique that builds muscle well!’

A feeling of injustice surged, but I couldn’t scream it out and sat still, wiping my face with a towel.

‘If the atmosphere were truly romantic, I wouldn’t feel so wronged.’

I lightly brushed off the hair that was sticking to my cheeks and forehead with sweat, and as I took a breather while sipping the warm tea, my body quickly warmed up.

Nine, sitting across from me, had brought work even now, flipping through a few documents.

During the break, there was no eye contact or conversation with me.

Only the sound of my cautious tea-sipping could be heard in the resting area.

The distance between Nine and me was exactly this: a functional distance where we talked only out of necessity, not dealing with each other based on emotion.

This was already a significant improvement compared to a few months ago. It was quite a groundbreaking move considering Nine believed in the Love Potion incident.

‘I shouldn’t get greedier than this.’

I still hadn’t forgotten the resolution I made when I first possessed this body:

To live quietly and happily, and then leave. To be an extra who fulfilled her role appropriately without intervening in the original plot and then stepped off the stage for that future.

The original plot had long since been messed up, and I was deeply entangled with Nine, but there was still a chance to reverse it.

‘Because the heroine hasn’t appeared yet.’

Therefore, I wanted to revert to an even less defined relationship than the current one before the original story began.

A relationship of ‘nothingness’—one without strong feelings, not defined as ‘the male lead’s something.’

That was the direction I sought.

“Ah.”

As I set down the teacup, blood flowed from my palm. It seemed it had finally torn from being overworked in the dry weather.

I was about to take out a handkerchief to wrap it up when a large hand suddenly intercepted my right hand.

Nine, who had approached without me noticing, was kneeling on one knee in front of me.

He, who always carefully asked for my opinion even when applying medicine, took my hand without permission and examined it when he saw the blood.

My body went stiff at the sudden closeness.

“Why do you stubbornly endure until it reaches this point?”

“…”

‘Doesn’t everyone do this much when training with the sword?’

I was about to say that but realized my standard was different from that of a typical noble lady.

A normal lady would try to do only enough not to damage her hands.

A little embarrassment and awkwardness washed over me. As I subtly tried to pull my hand away, Nine quickly released my grip, perhaps realizing that he had touched me without permission.

Then, he reached for the medicine box Van had left behind, pretending that nothing had happened.

‘His ears are red.’

His expression was as usual, as if nothing was wrong, but his ears completely betrayed his inner feelings.

His appearance was so endearing that I let out a puff of laughter like a deflating balloon.

Nine tilted his head in confusion at my laugh, then opened the medicine box and scooped out some cream-type medicine with his finger.

“Your hand.”

I almost laughed again at his polite request for my hand this time. I tightly pressed my lips together to barely hold back my laughter and placed my hand in his.

The medicine that touched my palm was cold, but everywhere his hand touched felt hot.

My fingertips slightly recoiled at his gestures as he applied the medicine, almost ticklishly.

The ticklish feeling reached my heart, as if the love cells that had been hardening due to hardship were being awakened again.

Just as I hoped my pounding heart wouldn’t be heard in my ears, Nine asked, “Why are you going to such lengths?”

Despite the short question, it wasn’t hard to grasp what he was asking.

But like someone who didn’t understand the question, I couldn’t provide a fitting answer.

Was it for Adel’s emotional well-being and education? For my own comfortable life in the North? Or for Nine, who will live here after I leave?

“…”

“…There is only one week left, so please use this week only for recovery and physical conditioning.”

Since I couldn’t answer after he waited, Nine stood up and left, as if he had no intention of hearing more.

The warmth left on my hand and his retreating figure gradually faded away.

The next day, the training ground was empty.

Standing alone on the training ground, I realized that I had become accustomed to the presence of Nine, who had always been here. A hollow laugh escaped me.

Crack!

The last swing of the wooden sword cut the neck of the wooden dummy. It was a strike that exploited the weakness of the Eclipse family’s swordsmanship that Nine had taught me.

Nine did not show up at the Second Training Ground again until the day of the duel.

***

On the day of the duel, the sky was a clear blue, making it the finest weather in recent days.

Bright sunlight streamed into the castle, but everyone here, except for Annie and me, had turned deathly pale.

A few strands of black hair were cut by the tip of my sword and scattered in the wind.

Roana’s eyes widened. The end of her tied hair swung unnaturally.

Silence descended, accompanied by the shocked gazes of the onlookers.

Sparks flew in Roana’s eyes.

“You!”