WTSP - 59

Eventually, I left the Empress’s palace, rubbing my throbbing forehead.

It was because Bellinipe had issued a clear eviction order, saying, “I’m busy, so I’ll be going now. Why don’t you leave too?”

Questions and things I still wanted to argue about overflowed, but that damn bastard didn’t seem like he was going anywhere anytime soon. I walked blankly, taking solace in just that fact.

Like an overloaded computer, my head wasn’t working well due to the excessive information. I soon looked down at my small, calloused palm.

The story I had created, and the story that would unfold in the future. If I changed Ophelia’s life, what would come next? What would happen then?

I tilted my head back and took the scorching sun into my view. It was midday, with the hot golden sunlight shining brilliantly.

Even if I returned to the Empress’s palace as it was, it felt like my frustration would only increase.

Standing at a crossroads, I pondered for a moment before turning and heading towards the training grounds. I didn’t have a scheduled swordsmanship training session with Rovair, but I felt the need to swing a sword, even if it was alone.

I looked at Pompo, who was sitting on my shoulder.

“Pompo, I’m going to the training grounds to practice for a bit. Why don’t you go to the Empress’s palace first?”

“Poom, poo, po.”

“It’ll only take an hour. It won’t take that long. Go ahead and play.”

It didn’t readily agree, but I finally sent Pompo to the Empress’s palace first. As soon as the white fluffball disappeared from my sight, I looked down at the hem of my ankle-length dress and my flat shoes.

‘Would it be alright in this outfit?’

I worried that I might twist my ankle and it would hurt quite a bit. But my footsteps were already following my heart towards the determined destination.

As soon as I arrived at the training grounds, I took down a wooden sword hanging on the wall. The solid feel of the wood was conveyed fully to my palm.

It was a wooden sword I couldn’t even lift properly at first, but now I could wield it freely.

And all of this was thanks to Bellinipe giving me energy... The face with its eyes curving into a bright smile filled my mind.

‘......An uninvited guest. Showing up without warning and shaking up my life.’

I gripped the handle of the wooden sword and quickly stepped forward. En garde, allez. I had the illusion of hearing the fencing referee’s voice in my ear.

As if an opponent was right in front of me, I quickly extended my arm with a ‘shwook’. My upper body leaned forward, pivoting on my back foot.

Fente. The tip of the sword sharply cut through the air, stabbing an invisible opponent.

‘Too many thoughts.’

Battement, I moved my wrist as if parrying an unseen sword.

Even when I was Seo Yeon-hee, not Ophelia, I always picked up a sword whenever my head was complicated. Practicing movements all day in a large gymnasium naturally made my distracting thoughts disappear.

“......Haa.”

How long had I been swinging the sword alone? A drop of sweat trickled down my forehead. Should I rest for a moment? My soles felt numb, perhaps because I was moving in shoes.

Just as I raised my hand to wipe the sweat that had flowed to my cheek, I felt a faint presence nearby.

Who had come to the training grounds? With wide eyes, I quickly turned my head to identify the person.

A man’s figure filled my vision. At that moment, I went “Huh?” and lowered the wooden sword I was holding.

“Sir Rovair.”

Rovair, in his uniform, was looking at me from the entrance of the training grounds. He had a strange expression, as if he was feeling complex emotions.

At the sound of his name being called, Rovair bowed his head in greeting. I approached him with the wooden sword in my hand.

“Ah, there’s a lesson tomorrow, but... I suddenly felt like swinging a sword. I was practicing alone. Did Sir Rovair come to train too?”

“Your Highness the Empress.”

He didn’t answer my question but lowered his worried gaze. The place his eyes rested on was none other than the back of my hand.

Rovair slightly furrowed his brow. He, who always showed only an impassive face, was revealing his emotions so openly...

Slightly flustered, I rubbed the scratch I had gotten yesterday afternoon.

“Are you injured?”

“Ah, this... I got slightly scratched when I went outside the Imperial Palace. No blood even came out, you know? This much is alright.”

“......I heard a rough account from Cloden. I should have been more careful so that Your Highness wouldn’t be involved in such an accident.”

“Why is that Sir Rovair’s fault? Oh, don’t make that face. I returned unharmed without being swept away.”

It seemed he had heard about the incident at the bookstore from Cloden.

I already knew that Rovair was terribly concerned about my well-being, but every time, I felt that his loyalty was so deep that it was almost blind.

Even now, despite my answer, he didn’t take his eyes off the back of my hand, as if he wasn’t reassured.

“Sir Rovair, won’t you spar with me?”

“Sparring, you say? But...”

To clear my complicated mind, I had to move my body even more. I took another wooden sword and handed it to Rovair.

He received the sword in a daze and looked at my attire with a cautious gaze. He seemed to want to say, ‘Why are you training in such clothes?’

Before he could voice his thoughts, I shrugged lightly.

“I didn’t have time to change. But if I don’t overdo it, I think it’ll be alright, what do you think? I think I’ve improved quite a bit now.”

“There was something I wanted to ask you regarding swordsmanship. Perhaps...”

Rovair rarely trailed off his words.

Since when had he been watching my practice? Surely not from the beginning, I thought, and waited for Rovair to continue.

“Have you received separate training? From another knight?”

“Huh? No. Of course not. My only swordsmanship teacher is Sir Rovair.”

“Is that so? I was curious as your skills seemed to have improved noticeably in a short period. The swordsmanship you use is also not common.”

“Who else would it be but Sir Rovair? You weren’t jealous that I might have been trained by someone else, were you?”

I deliberately wore a playful expression. It was to lighten the heavy and serious atmosphere.

However, Rovair still pondered with a serious expression, then gave an unexpected answer.

“Yes.”

“......Huh? What did you just say?”

“I was jealous. I was worried that Your Highness might have kept another knight by your side.”

When a sudden, straightforward remark flew at my light joke, I couldn’t hide my bewildered expression and moved my lips.

He was really jealous...? I looked at Rovair with wide eyes, but his face was more serious than ever.

‘This is a bit embarrassing... I don’t know what to say in this situation.’

Was it an emotion stemming from a knight’s loyalty? But for some reason, I had a feeling it wasn’t such a simple and direct emotion.

Watching him silently examine the state of the wooden sword, I felt my mind become even more complicated.

Unlike me, who was openly flustered, Rovair was calmly hiding his emotions as always.

I scratched my cheek and pondered for a moment before speaking first to break the awkwardness.

“Um, alright. Shall we spar first? It would be asking too much to ask you to go all out, considering the difference in skill between Sir Rovair and me...”

“Please be at ease. I will match Your Highness’s level.”

If he was looking at me as a woman, not just his lord... As that thought reached its conclusion, it felt like the misplaced puzzle pieces were fitting together one by one.

To erase the tangled thoughts like a skein of thread, I lightly swung the wooden sword. Thwack, the wooden swords collided in the air, creating a dull noise.

Rovair was a skilled swordsman who could match my level out of consideration for me. Thwack, thwack. The movements flowed together smoothly.

The traditional swordsmanship of the Carlot Empire was clearly different from fencing, which aimed to cut and thrust at the opponent in a short instant. In the Empire’s swordsmanship, what was more important than speed was power and accuracy.

However, the point of having to anticipate the opponent’s moves and move the sword accordingly was the same as in fencing.

“Haa, you are truly...”

You’re a good teacher when it comes to swordsmanship. Just as I was about to add that, the long hem of my dress caught on my toes. At that moment, I felt my upper body tilting.

I fell forward very slowly, as if in a slow-motion video.

Rovair immediately grabbed my arm to help me regain my balance, but the speed at which I was falling was faster than that.

Thump, my knee hit the ground at the same time as the wooden sword fell.

“......Ah! Haa, that hurts.”

“Your Highness! Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Sss, it hurts a bit... I think I fell properly. I should have changed my clothes after all.”

Even without looking closely at my knee, it was obvious that it would be completely scraped. When I shook the dirt off my palms, a stinging sensation traveled up my skin.

I’ll just sit for a moment. I sat down on a bench on one side of the training grounds and slightly lifted my dress.

“It’s completely scraped... It might scar if I’m not careful.”

“Does it hurt a lot? You should show the injury to the imperial physician.”

“Eh, it’s not that bad that I need a physician. I’m alright. It stings a little... but it’ll heal enough if I apply medicine.”

“May I take a look at your injury, Your Highness?”

Rovair knelt down on one knee in front of me. He had a rather serious expression.

Feeling awkward, I nodded.

Rovair, having placed his wooden sword on the dirt floor, swept his fingertips around the wound on my knee. It was a touch that was exceedingly gentle and tender.

“It doesn’t seem like it will scar. If you are uncomfortable showing it to the physician, I will give you the wound ointment that I use.”

“Ah, thank you. That should be enough... Hmm?”

The moment I was about to answer his words, a shadow fell over Rovair’s upper body. I had the illusion that something sharp had flashed in the faint darkness.

No, it didn’t take long for me to realize that it wasn’t an illusion.

“What in the world are you doing right now? Deputy Commander of the Knights, Millein Rovair.”

The owner of the chilling voice that seemed to freeze all living things around us. I looked up, bewildered, at the man aiming the tip of his sword at Rovair.

Because he was standing against the sun, I couldn’t see the man’s face.

However, anyone would have been able to guess his identity. There was only one person within the Imperial Palace who possessed such overwhelming charisma.

“Your Majesty?”

A bewildered voice escaped my lips.

He was the Empire’s only sun, Serdelius Carlot.