/
Kalcion nodded with no hesitation.
The servants brought the chair as Selena wished. Now, there was definitely one thing they needed to be aware of.
Selena sat down coyly.
“From now on, this is where I’m going to sit.”
“As per the law dictates, the seat opposite is more superior.”
“I prefer to stay near Duke’s heart.”
“……”
She picked the tableware, turning a blind eye to the perplexed face of Kalcion, who almost spit the juice out of his mouth.
‘I was planning to say this myself sooner or later, but she surprised me.’
She flashed a refreshing smile.
“Oh, and. I noticed that there were a lot of rooms on my way here. Can I use one of them?”
“For what?”
“What do you mean ‘for what’…… For me, of course.”
“You want to use a room….. separately?”
Surprisingly, his voice had a slight tremor in it. Selena wondered why he would do so, when he said, “Do as you please.” most of the time.
“Uhm….. Am I not allowed? I heard there are a lot of rooms. There is something called privacy.”
“I refuse.”
Once again, a myriad of question marks popped up above her head when he cut her off so soon.
“Why?”
“It’s dangerous.”
“But you said the Capital is safe.”
“Considering what happened, I cannot let my guard down only because I said it’s safe.”
‘What’s wrong with him?’ Selena glanced at the servants even though she predicted she would gather no answer from them.
The servants remained expressionless even after hearing Kalcion’s declaration.
“I’ve got escorts with me.”
“What you propose is less safe than sleeping in the same bed with me.”
“You can put a guard next to my bed.”
“Nobody can tell if someone’s hiding in the ceiling. And, there are many ways to commit a murder.”
‘That’s weird.’ She couldn’t believe it. He sounded too serious to be acting.
‘……What is wrong with you?’
First of all, there were many eyes to watch them. So, she decided to ask him when they’d be alone. She hurried to finish her meal.
***
The training ground she visited after eating breakfast was bigger than she thought.
“The number of enlisted men….. they seem more than enough.”
Selena whispered, partly counting the number of soldiers lined up at the training ground.
Thereafter, she concluded that there were fifty of them since there were more than 30 knights who accompanied them in the journey from Renbird, whereas the number of knights from the Capital’s mansion seemed to be close to 20.
“One can’t even get through the palace gate with this many guards….. What’s more, if it’s just the mansion?”
“We are Renbird’s elite squad! We can go anywhere you want us to go!”
The fifty soldiers who heard her murmur said aloud in unison.
Startled, Selena gripped Kalcion’s arm. She wasn’t acting pretentious as she was really surprised this time. They’ve been perfectly trained to answer Kalcion’s words. She was a little scared at this point.
“Quiet.”
“Understood! Sir!”
Even their response was a roar. Kalcion raised his forearm, but lowered it back when Selena, who was still holding the arm, burst into giggles.
Soon, Dion stepped in front and commanded the soldiers to start their training. Kalcion silently watched and threw out words if there was anything to point out.
It was interesting to watch such a practice in real life. However, it was not as she expected. As she sat on a chair on a platform over the ground to watch them train while eating fruits and drinks, she felt as if she was watching a game of sport.
“I thought I was going to do some exercise outside, but I’m just sitting here.”
“It’s dangerous to step in there.”
“I wasn’t planning to…… Aren’t you going to practice, Duke?”
“I’ll do it later.”
“Oh, I see….. Do they train together like this every day?”
“The elite does.”
So this is what it feels like to train. It was different from what she had imagined. She’d thought of Kalcion wielding a sword in the air under the moonlight alone, but that was just an imagination of hers.
Looking at their practice, she could roughly feel how a real battle would take place and what the atmosphere would be like on the battlefield. It would be darker than any movie screen and would occur so fast that one’s eyes would not be able to keep up. One might actually be dead in a split second.
‘Even though I’ve learned so much, it’s hard to use them in real life.’
However athletic she was, she wasn’t genius enough to catch up with these lifelong skills in an instant. She spent a few nights training with Kalcion in a room, and yet she said, “Perhaps I was born to be a swordsman in this world?” She was doubtful, but yes, it simply wasn’t meant for her.
‘It’s better to let him protect me.’
She would just go as far as finding clues or knowing the subject, in case of an attack.
So after the morning training, the soldiers dispersed into their positions. The training ground was now completely empty. Only then did Kalcion and Dion walk to the field at a slow pace.
“Will you train with me today?”
Suddenly, Kalcion asked as he turned around. There seemed to be a subtle exhortation in his tone as well. She had a confused look as she pondered on whether she was allowed to do it or not.
As she thought of it as a chance to exercise properly to maintain her health……, she jumped out of her seat.
One of the reasons Selena was able to become a top star was her desire to win in her attempts. Even if it was an area where she had no interest, she wasn’t going to give up until she attained victory.
Of course, she didn’t mean she could beat Kalcion. It was as if she could do the three sets of regression, possession, and reincarnation at the same time.
However, she greedily wanted to see Kalcion perform to a recognizable extent. His recently acquired ability to respond to her beauty and to act, and improvised wit were the only things she truly enjoyed and praised until now.
“I’ll do it!”
“The Lady?”
Dion, who was making a stance to confront Kalcion, darted his eyes at her with a grim expression. Looking proud, Selena scurried down the steps of the platform to their position.
“Yes, I will.”
“With that arm?”
“What about this arm?”
“The sword is heavy. It looks like you’re going to drop it…..”
In this world, she had never worn clothes that revealed her arms. So, it was normal for other people to think she’d have a slim pair of hands underneath the sleeves.
She grinned instead of uttering any words of explanation. The next second, she was already pulling out the sword from Kalcion’s holster with one hand.
“Huh? Ah!”
Dion recoiled, surprised more than necessary.
To warm up, she swung the blade in a complete circle. Although she practiced for more than ten days, the practice she’d done for this was certainly successful. She could now handle Kalcion’s sword with no difficulty.
Dion was the captain of Kalcion’s elite squad, so he was aware of what sword it was and how heavy it was. This sword, which resembled Kalcion, was used against evil.
Wasn’t it surprising that she only could not lift such a sword, but swing it? With that smile on her face?
“Your Excellency. Be careful.”
“That’s it. With her bare hands, she…..”
“Perhaps she performs witchcraft in human form.”
Dion blocked Kalcion’s view with his sword drawn out. Selena laughed out loud. Kalcion also followed, wondering if he was dumbfounded.
“I’ll deal with it.”
“She has just learned the basics. I don’t think she can fight…….”
Kalcion stopped mid-sentence, feeling the tension on Dion’s back. Facing Selena, he felt something similar and his smile disappeared.
“……..Are you serious?”
Dion’s sincerity was obvious.
“Calm down. That’s what I’ve taught you.”
“No. Would teaching something help me?”
Dion wasn’t complying.
“She must be very skilled.”
Selena shrugged. She couldn’t say she was, but she thought she was now better than a person who only knew how to exercise.
“So, what should we start with today?”
“Since I’ve only done the basics so far, shall we have a light duel to see how it feels?”
“Hm, so you know nothing?”
What Kalcion taught her every night was basic physical stances. How to hold a sword, how to use your shoulders to swing the sword, change the direction of the sword, etc.
He hadn’t taught her how to fight. And now, she was facing an opponent.
“Lighten it up. Ah, and keep it to one.”
Kalcion brought two wooden swords from the nearby shed in the corner of the field. Dion’s eyeballs were on the verge of popping out again when she reached out her other hand that wasn’t lifting the sword.
“There are women among the knights. So, why are you so surprised?”
“No, t-they could hold swords even before they could walk…… and you look as though you’re struggling.”
“I’ll look tired when I am.”
Selena returned the heavy sword to Kalcion and swung the wooden one. It felt so light that she felt as if she was lifting nothing.
Kalcion also came up with a wooden sword.
“Be gentle.”
Selena smiled with eyes facing the tip of the sword. At that moment, Kalcion let his guard down.
Tap.
Selena’s sword tip touched Kalcion’s forehead.
“Huh…..?”
“Hah!”
“……!”
The three of them were surprised.
Selena was surprised that she touched Kalcion inadvertently. Dion was shocked that the Duke was hit. And, Kalcion was surprised he let himself off guard.
A loud silence swept through the vast field.
“Good Lord, did my hand slip…….?”
The psychological burden over her reached its peak when she beat someone she shouldn’t be able to even touch. Selena somehow came up with an excuse to cover up Kalcion’s mistake.