"Y-You too! I've never met anyone who could match me like this!"
With that, we swung our wooden swords.
Both of us being poor at martial arts, our sword techniques were unstable and lacked power.
However, we thought we were having a rather intense match. At least, we thought so.
After the match, we asked Sebastian, who had been watching.
"Huff, huff... How was it?"
"It's like comparing two acorns. I think watching children play with toy swords would be more reassuring."
"Figures..."
Jurgens' shoulders slumped in disappointment.
The evenly matched battle between two poor fighters seemed to be even worse than children's play, from the spectators' point of view.
Well, this was pretty much as expected. We knew we were bad, so we just wanted to see how bad we were.
We wiped our sweat with towels and started thinking about our next move.
"Anyway, swordsmanship is no good... What else are you good at?"
"Good? I've been practicing something consistently."
"What is it?"
"Halberd."
Sebastian brought out a practice halberd from the available weapons.
The halberd, known as a poleaxe, has an axe blade attached to the tip of a spear. It's a versatile weapon but is very heavy and difficult to handle. It was developed by dwarves to compensate for their short reach.
If used well, it's powerful, but for a human novice, a regular spear would be better.
"Why the halberd?"
"When I was fifteen and proposed a marriage, I met Lady Liette directly. She said she wouldn't marry someone who couldn't use a weapon. I had anticipated this and had been practicing with a spear. But it didn't work with Lady Liette."
"Of course it didn't..."
Lady Liette is strong not only as a general but also as an individual.
She is a master with any weapon.
A weapon learned in a hurry wouldn't stand a chance against her.
"At that time, she said my strikes were too light. I was very thin back then and short as well. It was impossible for me to deliver a strike that would satisfy Lady Liette. So I chose a heavy weapon. But I kept losing my balance when I swung it."
"Really?"
"Yes, I ate a lot and gained weight. I had my limits in building muscle, though."
Poor guy...
Indeed, Jurgens with a halberd seemed more stable and powerful in his swings. His form looked good, but to think he had to sacrifice his physique for it.
Lady Liette... Your words have changed people's lives. I feel so sorry for him.
While silently talking to Lady Liette, who was far away, I looked at Sebastian.
"How is it?"
"This is quite good. Whether it will work against the princess is another matter, though."
"If we set the condition that it must work against Lady Liette, only generals or royal guards would qualify. They don't expect that much from him."
"That's true. Anyway, this is much more promising than the sword. You don't need much technique to rely on the weight, and you have the balance to handle it. You must have trained a lot. Based on your swordsmanship, your martial arts sense is probably on par with Prince Arnold's."
"Meaning it's non-existent. To bring one weapon to this level... That's impressive. I can't do that."
Jurgens studied commerce and made a poor ducal family prosperous. He must have had a talent for business. There's no doubt he was better suited for that.
Still, Jurgens continued to train. Knowing that this was his path in life, he didn't hesitate to turn his weaknesses into strengths to gain Lady Liette's approval.
" Duke Rhenfeldt"
"Yes? What is it?"
"Have you ever been attracted to other women?"
"No, I love her. Once I said that, I don't want to lie. My father was known for his honesty, and I liked that. I want to be honest too. I want to love one woman and stick to that love. I thought it was beautiful, and I don't think Lady Liette would turn to me otherwise."
"...Sebastian, I feel like we're doing something wrong..."
"It's the princess's choice whether to accept or not. If hard work guaranteed marriage, everyone would work hard. Effort is appreciated, but it's not absolute. Especially women's hearts are like the autumn sky, changing easily. There are plenty of stories about men who worked hard being rejected in favor of carefree men."
"Hey, Duke Rhenfeldt is on his knees!?"
"That's just one of the stories. Ultimately, it's up to the princess."
Probably, he has been trying not to hear the voices around him.
He has been trying not to think in a negative direction and has been working hard so far.
It's a bit harsh for such a person.
I try to approach and speak to him.
"Duke Rhenfeldt, cheer up."
"Damn! I can't be depressed like this; it's not worthy of Lady Liette! How weak am I!"
"..."
"If she likes carefree men, I'll play two roles! Prince Arnold! Teach me the secret to being carefree!"
Jurgens suddenly stood up and asked me.
I was taken aback and stepped back to Sebastian.
"You're persistent."
"Moreover, asking me for the secret to being carefree is impolite, isn't it?"
"True. There's no one in the capital who has delved deeper into the carefree path than you."
"Stop making up nonsense like the 'carefree path.' I've never walked such a path. I haven't walked any path at all."
"Got it! Don't choose at all! I've learned a lot!"
"..."
"..."
It's just...
Amazing.
Love can make people go this far. I underestimated love.
"Lady Liette generally prefers strong people. If Duke Rhenfeldt can somehow showcase his strength, there might be a chance?"
"Despite everything, the princess has been watching the duke's growth for twenty years. She probably acknowledges his strength?"
"She's only seen the results. I want to show the process of effort. Striving hard is attractive, don't you think?"
"That makes sense."
"Prince Arnold, is it impolite to ask such a question?"
"Since you're already impolite, you can ask anything."
"Ah, that's good. How did you win Lady Liette's favor?"
What a straightforward person.
While thinking this, I recall how I won Lady Liette's favor.
It was eleven years ago, when I was in jail for a week for protecting a girl.
My eldest brother, who knew everything through my father, told Lady Liette that I was in jail for protecting a girl, and she came to the jail every day.
She repeatedly said that if I told her who I protected, she would intercede with my father.
Of course, I didn't know that she already knew everything. But I insisted that I did it all along. Looking back, I might have been stubborn.
I was in jail for a week for protecting a girl. If I revealed the secret after all that, it would be meaningless.
So I kept the secret until the end and was released from jail.
Lady Liette gently patted my head.
"Of course, you're my brother..."
"Huh?"
"When I was a child, I was told that. When I was stubborn and stuck to my principles, Lady Liette praised me. Since then, she has taken more interest in me. I think my attitude was favorable to her."
"That's good news. At least Duke Rhenfeldt is on the right path."
"Right. Duke Rhenfeldt's behavior should be favorable to her. She likes people who work hard. Although her taste in men is a bit hard to understand... Maybe we should meet her once."
Saying this, I stood up.
It's wrong to handle such important matters through letters.
"Sebastian, get ready. We'll head to Duke Rhenfeldt's territory."
"Yes, I'll make the arrangements immediately."
"Prince Arnold!?"
"The duke's territory is closer to Lady Liette than the capital. If I go, she might come to see me. If she doesn't, we can go to her."
I laughed.
Dealing with Lady Liette from the capital was a bit presumptuous.