“The winner, Grand Duke Inkhart!”

Thunderous applause filled the arena. Throughout the match, Darius had shown overwhelming dominance against Count Spinel.

“Father, the sword flashed during the match!”

“Father saw it too. It must have been the sunlight.”

“No! At the end, light burst forth from the sword! How could sunlight do that?”

“Well…”

Unlike some fathers who couldn’t properly explain, the knights in the audience could recognize their level. They were filled with awe.

“So the rumors about Count Spinel being a Sword Aura user were true. His sword was seamlessly enveloped in blue energy. To think I’d see it with my own eyes!”

“That’s not the issue here. What Grand Duke Inkhart showed at the end! That thing he pulled out about an inch from his sword, that was…”

“Sword Expert…”

“My goodness, a Sword Aura user is rare enough in this day and age, but a Sword Expert?”

“The stories were true! When one can freely manipulate a sword’s mana, they can not only imbue the blade but also make energy surge from its tip!”

“I envy Count Spinel.”

“If only I could have the chance to spar with a Sword Expert user!”

“Hey now. It’s only because he’s a Sword Aura user that he could even face an Expert. If a normal sword had received that blade from the Grand Duke, it would have shattered on the spot.”

“Until now, we only knew that this castle’s Knight Commander was a Sword Aura user. But a Sword Expert? Grand Duke Inkhart’s martial prowess is even more impressive.”

“Has he been hiding it all this time?”

“Think about the Grand Duke’s age. He’ll surely become even stronger in the future.”

“Coming to Inkhart Castle this winter was an incredible stroke of luck for a swordsman. My word, to witness a match between two such powerful fighters.”

Amidst the cheers of the audience, the victor Darius helped the fallen Count Spinel to his feet.

“To think you’d make me reveal my Sword Aura… It’s truly my defeat. I’ve lost, and at great cost.”

“That’s rich coming from the Count who made me reveal my Sword Expert technique at the end.”

“Well, all swordsmen want to keep an ace up their sleeve. I never imagined the Grand Duke had reached the level of manipulating sword mana. I’m impressed.”

Count Spinel added with sincere admiration:

“Just wait. I’ll catch up soon.”

“I always welcome fellow swordsmen walking the same path.”

It was a moment when Count Spinel, who had reached a plateau after Sword Aura, found a new goal in Darius.

Darius finished the match and rushed over to present me with a bouquet.

“I’ve come to collect what I was promised.”

The valiant swordsman instantly transformed into a playful young man waiting for his reward.

“Waaah!”

Whoosh. My cheeks flushed red. Everyone was watching.

“W-Well then.”

I pulled Darius’s face closer as he knelt on one knee and kissed him.

“Just the cheek?”

Darius spoke as if dumbfounded.

That was my best effort.

His dark eyes gleamed mischievously at my evasion.

“I fought twice in your name, and this is all the reward for my wait?”

“When did you fight in my name?”

“It’s only natural for a husband to compete for his wife’s blessing and honor.”

Darius remained in his kneeling position. Laughter and cheers erupted from the audience who had been watching with interest.

This naughty puppy.

Even when I narrowed my eyes at him, he didn’t budge.

‘I could pass off a kiss on the cheek as affection, but the lips…’

The lips are special, aren’t they?

‘Oh well!’

Feeling I couldn’t delay any longer, I leaned in to press my lips against his again, almost headbutting him.

‘Huh?’

What Darius offered was the opposite cheek that hadn’t received a kiss earlier.

“I went out twice, so I should receive two. If you’re going to do it on the cheek, that is.”

He chuckled at my tense expression. Then he gently captured my lips.

“Of course, the best is receiving it on these lips.”

His thick eyelashes were above my face.

A soft, warm sensation enveloped me for a moment.

For a very brief instant, time seemed to stop.

‘What just happened?’

He had kissed me. Taking advantage of my unguarded moment.

“Darius!”

“Waaah!”

My small protest was buried in the victorious atmosphere. Darius, having stolen a kiss from my lips, merely retreated with composure.

“Lady of Inkhart!”

“Anette Inkhart!”

“The mistress of our Grand Duke’s house!”

“When can we expect news of an heir!”

Who said that last one!

I glared at the crowd, intoxicated with excitement and spouting whatever came to mind. By now, Count Spinel had approached Darius’s side.

As the honorable Lady of Inkhart, I offered her words of kind consolation. Count Spinel wore a refreshed expression.

“It was an excellent display of skill. It’s a blessing to have a swordsman like Count Spinel in the North.”

“Though I was defeated, I learned much from the Grand Duke. It’s an honor.”

A Sword Aura user, huh.

When she first learned to manipulate sword mana, did she have an excellent teacher or companion to help her find the path of mana flowing through her body? Or did she reach enlightenment on her own, despite the difficulties?

Years later, when I became close to Count Spinel and asked her about it, she answered with a very perplexed expression.

“Accepting someone else’s energy? I’ve heard stories of masters opening their disciples’ mana channels for their most cherished students, but… Isn’t the energy of others fundamentally unpleasant? Even the mana transmitted when I crossed swords with the Grand Duke made me feel quite on edge. Energy exchange, you say. How should I put it, it’s practically the same as caressing each other’s bare bodies. It requires tremendous trust.”

When Count Spinel asked why I was inquiring about this, I barely managed a smile and said it was nothing.

Something that can only be done in a very intimate relationship?

Requires tremendous trust?

Practically the same as touching each other’s bare bodies?

And he did that to me so nonchalantly?

“Darius!”

The fact that I, who had held back at the scene, shouted at Darius as soon as I met him is another story for later. After this tournament ended and some time had passed.

* * *

Rumble.

People flocked to Count Spinel’s side as she finished the match, exhausted. They were those who held an ‘anti-Inkhart’ sentiment along with Count Spinel.

“Count, surely you went easy on him?”

“How is that possible? A Sword Expert at that age? There’s no way a strong fighter like you could lose to such a wet-behind-the-ears youngster.”

Thud.

Count Spinel glared at the murmuring crowd with a look of disdain.

“Are your eyes mere knotholes?”

“At that age with that skill! My goodness, if that’s his real ability, is he even human? There must have been some kind of trick!”

“Are you suggesting that I was utterly defeated, unable to see through even a shallow trick?”

Shudder. The gossipers immediately fell silent at the killing intent Count Spinel was emitting.

“That’s, that’s not what we meant…”

“If not that, then what?”

There was no reply.

“Rejoice. With a genius swordsman like Grand Duke Inkhart in our time, the North shall be at peace.”

Count Spinel was a warrior by nature. Darius had defeated her with surprising martial prowess, and she accepted the result.

Rather, she found the petty gossip of small-minded people distasteful.

“Then, really…”

“Has the renowned swordsmanship of the Inkhart family truly revived?”

“If you have any complaints, why don’t you face him yourselves? Then you’ll know right away if his skill is real or fake.”

With Count Spinel’s acknowledgment, the ‘anti-Inkhart’ sentiment was slowly changing.

‘How troublesome. Count Spinel is treating Grand Duke Inkhart favorably.’

Someone among the whispering crowd bit their lip and retreated. They had to deliver the news quickly. To the person who was on their way here.

* * *

After Darius proved himself the strongest in the tournament, peace came to Inkhart Castle.

Count Spinel conceded, and in an instant, all the armies of the North looked at Darius with admiring eyes.

It was different from their previous loyalty.

‘These Northerners. They really do love a true strong leader.’

People who prefer someone stronger than anyone else to be at the top, rather than a wise ruler.

“Barbarossa, was it? I heard about your exploits in the recent Tiberius domain battle. I’m not trying to poach someone from the Grand Duke’s household, but I do like strong people. Let’s have a drink sometime.”

And seeing Count Spinel take a personal interest in Barbarossa, who was merely a mercenary captain, I realized something.

‘In the original story, Darius had to participate in various wars because Lady Egritte ran off with the money. I sent Barbarossa to those wars instead.’

In the original story, Darius had shone in his military exploits, sweeping through various wars.

But now, thanks to me, Darius didn’t need to participate in others’ wars, and as a result, while money wasn’t an issue, the people of the North didn’t know Darius’s true abilities.

‘I never thought meddling with the original story would manifest in this way.’

Still, thanks to my interference with the original story, Count Spinel’s son had survived.

Young Lord Emil’s inflammation was almost completely gone, but he wanted to stay at Inkhart for a while longer.

“Can’t I really raise a puppy?”

Thud.

Emil, who was suspected of having allergic rhinitis given how his nose ran after playing with furry animals, wore an expression as if the sky was falling.

“I’m afraid all we can do is tell you to eat well, build up your body, and try to boost your immunity.”

At least it wasn’t a horse hair allergy. It’s far better for rumors to spread that the heir to the Spinel family doesn’t raise hunting dogs rather than being unable to ride horses.

“My lady, there’s a tea party luncheon scheduled next.”

“I know. I’ll be there soon.”