The old butler’s voice carried a hint of tension.Ever since staying at the annex, no matter what happened, the old man never lost his composure…Rosetta Toulon placed the book she was skimming on the table.

“What’s the matter?”

“Someone from the capital has come and requests to meet you.”

Rosetta, who had assumed it would be Turner visiting, paused at the mention of an unexpected figure.

“…From the capital? Did they not say who they were?”

“Yes. They only said you would know upon seeing them… Oh, and they were escorted by two senior priests.”

Rosetta tilted her head. Escorted by senior priests?The only time she had interacted with the servants of the gods was during her wedding, officiated by the archbishop.Even then, she recalled the archbishop was escorted by two holy knights, not senior priests, which made this visitor all the more suspicious.As she lingered in thought too long, the old butler gently prompted her.

“They didn’t reveal their identity… Shall I send them away if you’re not inclined to meet?”

Rosetta shrugged.

“They came all the way from the capital, didn’t they? I should at least see their face. Where are they?”

“They’ve been shown to the reception room on the first floor.”

Priests aside… Rosetta quickly recalled the lessons she had learned from Madame Valmont.Among her long-winded lectures, there seemed to be something relevant to this.She vaguely remembered being told to invite the parish bishop for dinner once she had settled into the estate after the wedding, or perhaps not…And something about the amount for a single donation being three chests of gold, or maybe three chests of silk.The information, crammed into her head in a short time, was all jumbled up.

Whatever it was, she could just ask in person.Rosetta headed to the first floor as the butler guided her.When she opened the door to the reception room, a woman seated there looked up.At that moment, Rosetta felt a strong sense that something was wrong.The woman stood up, letting out a lively exclamation.

“Lady Valdemar! You’ve become absolutely radiant in just a few weeks!Oh, but I suppose I should call you the Duchess now.”

“Lady Audrey?”

“That’s right! You remember me?”

…As if she could forget.Rosetta could still vividly recall the moment Lady Audrey had strutted into her wedding with the Crown Prince in tow.Seemingly oblivious to Rosetta’s openly wary gaze, Lady Audrey smiled brightly.

“We were so busy back then that I couldn’t even greet you properly.Does your good memory mean your mind is healthy?”

She grabbed Rosetta’s hands with such enthusiasm that it almost hurt, rubbing them vigorously.As she had felt at the wedding, the overpowering scent of perfume whenever Audrey moved gave Rosetta a headache.Trying not to grimace, she managed to speak.

“What brings you here?”

“Oh, there’s a summer hunting ground for the imperial family nearby, you know?I was complaining about how boring the capital was, and my dear Diego suggested I visit for a few days.I stopped by on my way.”

…Already wrapping the Crown Prince around her finger, huh?Lady Audrey was now even stroking Rosetta’s forearm, as if inspecting a fruit for blemishes.Rosetta coldly brushed her hand away.Even without such distasteful behavior, the Crown Prince and his fiancée were already irritating enough.

“Is that so? If there’s nothing else, you should probably leave. I’m busy.”

“Actually, I came to ask a favor.While I’m here, I’d love for you to join me in my schedule.”

“…Pardon?”

At that moment, Rosetta couldn’t help but scowl.Noticing her menacing expression, Audrey pouted.

“It won’t take too long.I’m a busy person too, you know.”

“….”

“Ten days should be perfect.By then, my Diego will have finished his work in the capital and come down.Oh, he asked me to pass on a message to you, Duchess, but unlike you, my memory isn’t so great…What was it again…?”

With a worried look, Audrey twirled her lush black hair around her finger before suddenly exclaiming with renewed cheer.

“Well, it’ll come to me eventually!So, I can count on you, right, Duchess?”

“….”

“Don’t say no.”

Rosetta barely swallowed the refusal that nearly escaped her lips.Something about this felt ominous.The sudden visit and overly friendly demeanor only made her more uneasy, but as the fiancée of the Crown Prince, Audrey’s request couldn’t be outright ignored.

Above all, the message the Crown Prince had asked her to deliver was what bothered her most.If luck was on her side, she might be able to pry some information from Audrey about Nick and the Crown Prince’s relationship…But to Rosetta, Lady Audrey seemed like poison disguised as something delectable.Damn it, even so, she didn’t have many options.With a thoroughly reluctant expression, Rosetta nodded, albeit late.

“…Fine.”

Rosetta had assumed that “joining her schedule” meant something grand, but Lady Audrey spent most of her days in the streets of Syclid.

Yes, literally the streets.Not some cringeworthy noblewomen’s tea party, nor an exhibition hall, nor the tiresome ballrooms Rosetta loathed.

From early morning, Rosetta was practically forced into a carriage sent by Lady Audrey and dropped off at different shops each day.Sometimes it was a dress shop, sometimes a jewelry store.Lady Audrey seemed intent on plundering every shop in Syclid.Hundreds of bills piled up in the Crown Prince’s name each day.

“Lea, come here. What do you think of this dress?”

“….”

“The color of this fabric doesn’t quite suit me, does it?”

“….”

“Oh, this craftsmanship is rather nice.”

Most of the time, Rosetta’s role was to stand like a mannequin while Audrey tried on various items.She had been asked to “join her,” but it seemed what Audrey needed was a coat rack…Each time, Rosetta inwardly scoffed.After spending such useless and utterly fruitless mornings, she would grit her teeth and head to the training grounds.

In learning swordsmanship, basic physical strength was paramount.Swinging a sword recklessly without proper fundamentals could easily lead to muscle injury.While she didn’t like following Turner’s methods to the letter, she agreed that, despite appearances, this was the fastest path.

Her goal wasn’t to regain her former level of combat prowess.Lea’s body had never trained a single muscle for swordsmanship, nor did it possess any innate talent to compensate for physical limitations.Rosetta, who had tested this body herself, knew this better than anyone.

“You should be fine to start with a real sword starting tomorrow.”

Turner said, handing her a towel and water.Rosetta, panting heavily, wiped the sweat from her neck.Her legs still trembled, but unlike three weeks ago, she wasn’t collapsing and retching on the floor.She had grumbled that her muscles were growing at a snail’s pace, but her stamina seemed to have improved.Still, a real sword already?Panting, she asked.

“Already? A real sword? Not even a wooden one?”

“Your arm strength is still lacking, but your lower body seems strong enough to handle it now.Here, try this.”

Rosetta caught the short dagger Turner tossed to her in mid-air.Though small in length, it had a solid weight in her hand.

“It’s… pretty heavy?”

“Of course. It’s forged from real iron.”

Rosetta carefully drew the dagger from its sheath to avoid cutting herself.The blade was black, likely forged from dark iron, and it slid smoothly from the sheath, well-honed.As she examined the dagger from different angles, Turner interjected.

“Swing it like that, and you’ll strain your shoulder.Warm up your body first. Start by rotating your arms widely.”

“Ugh…”

Grumbling, Rosetta followed Turner’s instructions.Compared to Kirgos’s training, Turner’s methods were so gentle they felt almost soft.Whenever she felt breathless, thinking back to those days made even this hellish training bearable.The worst of now was far better than the best of back then.

Kirgos would often abandon pirate orphans on an island.

Survive a month, and you’d get slightly better tools.Survive a year, and you’d be moved to a place like an arena.The pirate orphans were Kirgos’s property, so killing was forbidden, but everything else was permitted.Rosetta had literally rolled in the dirt there, teetering on the edge of death.

While Rosetta was lost in newfound reflections, Turner rubbed his chin and approached.

“Mind if I ask you something?”