Clang, bang!

“……”

Was this truly the sound of swords clashing?

Wasn’t it thunder somewhere?

Or did a war break out?

An enormous sword aura filled the vast training ground, causing a sandstorm.

I stood among the knights at the edge of the training ground, staring blankly at the two people crossing swords.

Blaine, who was blocking Dietrich’s sword while sweating profusely, looked like he was about to collapse at any moment.

His trembling legs were visible even from afar, giving a rough idea of how strong the force Dietrich was applying was.

“…Hmm, his strength in deflecting the sword is still lacking greatly. Intensive training will be necessary.”

I quietly asked Uncle Calt, who was mumbling to himself.

“Is that so? Isn’t Dietrich, I mean, the young master, just too good?”

“That’s part of it too. In fact, there’s probably no one on this continent who could defeat the young master. The reason the Emperor is wary of the Duke Delgado’s family is all because of the young master’s extraordinary swordsmanship and the formidable forces of the Hareon Knights. Personally, I greatly respect the young master.”

“Oh. He was even more amazing than I thought.”

Uncle Calt’s gaze as he looked at Dietrich was sincere.

It was that look that only people obsessed with swords share.

“You know, I’ve often thought that Young Master Dietrich could conquer the world with his swordsmanship skills.”

I agreed as I looked at the side profile of the uncle who was muttering, ‘It’s a dream-like story, though.’

In reality, Dietrich does conquer the world with his overwhelming swordsmanship.

The problem is that Harpe breaks in the process.

“That’s right. I think so too. Although his personality is prickly and tiring, his abilities are top-notch, right?”

“That’s ri… wait, is it okay for you to say that? If the young master hears you, it’s instant death. The young master is not a merciful person.”

Uncle Calt earnestly cautioned me to be careful.

Seeing him worry about me, whom he had only met recently, he seemed to be a kinder and better person than he looked.

“That’s right. He’s not a merciful person. But Uncle Calt, you said you respect the young master, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Then if you respect him so much, why don’t you become his ally?”

“Ah, that’s… Because the Hareon Knights belong to the Duke Delgado’s family, it’s difficult to fully side with the young master. That’s why we can’t move recklessly… Wait a minute. How do you know about the young master and the knights?”

Tch. I tried to naturally extract some information, but I failed.

I shrugged nonchalantly and answered.

“The Hareon Knights are quite famous, aren’t they? And our young master is known to everyone for his swordsmanship.”

“…Well, that’s true.”

While we were talking, someone dropped their sword, and a short exclamation of “Wow” burst out.

I quickly looked at Dietrich. He seemed perfectly fine.

Even amidst the flying dust, his snow-white skin was shining without a scratch, suggesting that Blaine was no match for him.

“The young master won, didn’t he?”

“It’s an obvious result. Blaine is the least skilled among us.”

But even Blaine’s swordsmanship that I had just seen was impressive.

I realized anew why the Hareon Knights had such a high reputation.

“There’s no one in this mansion who can defeat the young master in swordsmanship. I can guarantee that.”

“Not even you, uncle?”

“Haha, I might be able to match him a bit longer than Blaine. But I could never win. Today, the young master didn’t even use 1% of his true strength.”

That was without using his strength?

I looked again at Blaine, who was sitting down, panting heavily.

Then, as I was about to look at Dietrich, he was already in front of me.

“Towel.”

This guy.

He didn’t even seem to have broken a sweat, but he was asking for a towel. Suppressing the urge to give him the finger, I handed him the towel.

Uncle Calt, who had been watching this scene with interest, said to Dietrich.

“You seem to be close with this maid.”

“No. We’re not close.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his curt response that drew a clear line.

Feeling upset, I also shouted, not to be outdone.

“That’s right. We’re not close at all.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, Vice Captain.”

Uncle, who had been watching us both deny it passionately, suddenly had a glint in his eyes.

“But you two seem to be quite familiar…”

“She’s just a maid. She does as she’s told.”

Before I could say anything, he annoyingly beat me to it and tossed the towel at me.

I barely caught the towel that almost fell to the ground and gritted my teeth.

Whether I did that or not, he strode out of the training ground with his long legs as if he had no more business there.

The Vice Captain, who had missed the timing to say goodbye, looked at me with an awkward expression.

“He left. But he seemed to be in a good mood today. He talked quite a lot. Moreover, he seems to be kind to you, Heidi.”

He was a very positive person.

I thought I should learn from Uncle Calt’s remarkably positive thinking as I gathered the towel.

“He’s not just kind to me. Although he’s a bit fussy, he actually tries to do everything by himself without ordering the servants around. He reduces the work for the servants, so it’s as good as being kind to everyone.”

I didn’t mean to praise Dietrich, but somehow I ended up mentioning his good points.

But it wasn’t forced.

Although Dietrich could be irritating at times, he wasn’t someone who hurt or bullied people without reason.

The reason I unconsciously get upset at the false rumors about Dietrich that I often hear in the mansion is probably because I know his true self.

“Surprising. Looking at your eyes, it seems you care quite a bit for the young master.”

“Eh? That’s not it. I don’t really care for him.”

I made a big X with my hands towards the uncle who had completely misunderstood.

Then, to make sure the uncle wouldn’t misunderstand again, I spoke clearly.

“The young master is indifferent in everything, doesn’t talk much, and sometimes his words can be like daggers, but he doesn’t lie. He’s honest and doesn’t hide anything. Even if he acts in a way that you can’t understand his intentions, he doesn’t act cold without reason. Of course, that doesn’t mean I care for the young master. I’m just a mere maid.”

After pouring out words that were close to a complaint, I felt completely refreshed.

However, the bearded mouth of the uncle, who had been quietly listening to my flood of words, began to twitch.

What’s this, why is he doing that?

I didn’t say anything wrong.

I didn’t tell any funny stories either.

As I watched the uncle’s strange behavior with wide eyes, he burst into laughter.

“Haha, was the young master such a caring person?”

“Eh?”

No, why is this uncle like this? He hasn’t been understanding anything I say correctly since earlier!

My chest felt tight, and the button fastened up to my neck felt like it was choking me.

“Heidi. Thanks to you, I learned for the first time that the young master has a warm side. I thought he was only interested in swords, but that’s not the case.”

“I absolutely didn’t say he was warm.”

I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding occurred, but that’s definitely not it.

Thinking that this could lead to a huge misunderstanding, I hurried to explain.

“Uncle Calt. I think you’re misunderstanding something. I didn’t say the young master was warm. If you misunderstand and start acting up, it could be a big problem.”

This is a sincere warning born from experience.

Deeply moved by my desperate attempt to save a life, Uncle Calt laughed and replied.

“Hahaha, my. You have a sense of humor too. Heidi, you’re quite funny.”

“Oh dear. This is troublesome.”

He’s not listening at all. He’s just like Dietrich, not hearing a word I say.

Blaine, who had been lying spread-eagle on the sandy ground, quickly got up and approached Calt.

“Vice Captain.”

“Oh, yes. Good work. You held out for a long time against the young master.”

“…No. I was far from adequate.”

He hung his head low, looking very frustrated about losing.

The training ground once again began to fill with the sound of clashing swords as the knights resumed their training.

I stepped back slightly to avoid interrupting their conversation.

Noticing me leaving, Calt said goodbye.

“See you next time, Heidi.”

At the mention of Heidi, I felt Blaine subtly raise his head to look at me.

The moment our eyes met, his sky-blue eyes, Blaine turned his head away incredibly fast.

I could see his ears turning red between his sky-blue hair, perhaps from the heat.

“Heidi. Why are you still standing there instead of following me? Are you planning to become a knight?”

However, that moment was brief as Dietrich, who had returned to the training ground, provoked me with a sarcastic tone.

He left first without even telling me to follow, and now this!

Words I wanted to say rose to my throat, but I swallowed them and followed him.

I thought I heard someone say, ‘Heidi? Is that woman’s name really Heidi?’, but I had no time to pay attention to it.

“Young Master Yurian.”

“……”

“Young Master Yurian!”

“Yes, yes! Mother.”

In the morning, while Dietrich and Harpe were having a heated argument.

Duchess Leriana Delgado let out a displeased sigh as she watched her son, unable to concentrate on his book.

She had come to Yurian’s room first thing in the morning to check if he was following his scheduled routine, but it seemed her efforts were in vain, causing her to sigh.

“Young master. What should we do if you waste time like this? Have you thought about what Young Master Dietrich might be doing while you’re wasting time?”

Although she was clearly speaking gently, Yurian couldn’t raise his head.

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

“There’s no need to apologize. This mother only wants you to become a great person who can lead the Delgado ducal family.”

A great person.

Leriana watched Yurian trying to focus on his book again and stood up from her seat.

Then, without taking her eyes off him as if monitoring, she slowly walked towards the window.

As she reached out to open the window for ventilation, she witnessed something and stopped in her tracks.

‘…Dietrich Delgado.’

Her face contorted as if she had bitten into a bitter persimmon when she saw Dietrich, dressed in a white shirt and wearing a scabbard, presumably returning from the training ground.

Dietrich.

A useless leech-like existence attached to the Delgado ducal family.

For her son to ascend to the position of duke, Dietrich must be eliminated.

Slowly, so that he wouldn’t even know when death approached him.

As she gazed out the window with eyes full of hatred, a woman following closely behind Dietrich entered her field of vision.

“…That woman.”

Isn’t that the maid Dietrich shielded in the reception room? At that time, she thought he was just opposing her by protecting a maid he didn’t even know.

‘Why are the two of them together…’

Dietrich, being very suspicious by nature, wasn’t the type to keep someone by his side.

Yet he keeps that maid close?

Leriana closed her eyes for a moment, lost in thought, then slowly opened her eyelids.

A meaningful smile appeared on her face as her eyes glinted with a strange light.