I heard about Martins Grand Duke repeatedly failing the knighthood test not from Prince Tessler, but through Kanal Adalion, who was the swordsmanship teacher of those two.

Kanal Adalion was one of the greatest sword masters in the history of the Shatonil Kingdom and the captain of the kingdom’s knights.

And he was also my secret swordsmanship teacher.

From the time I recognized the incarnation within me, I secretly started swordsmanship to relieve the burning heat inside my body.

The noble ladies of the Shatonil Kingdom learn basic swordsmanship from childhood.

Most noble ladies learn swordsmanship training halfheartedly, but the moment I held a sword, I felt a thrill throughout my body.

Master Kanal had been teaching swordsmanship to my stepbrothers due to a long-standing relationship with my family, the Trova Count family.

I lurked around the practice room of the Count’s house, secretly observing and mimicking Master Kanal’s teachings.

Then by chance, Master Kanal, who saw me swinging a sword alone in the practice room, accepted me as his disciple.

But the fact that I was personally learning swordsmanship from him was a secret, which was Master Kanal’s suggestion considering the territoriality of my stepbrothers.

Several years passed like that, and in the year I turned 16.

.

.

.

At that time, I was struggling to improve my side attack technique, so I often went into the forest connected to the Count’s house to practice all night.

That day too, when the sword wouldn’t move as I wanted, I sat down on the floor in frustration.

Master Kanal, as always, quietly watched from a corner before approaching me.

“Greed is poison, and equanimity will be beneficial. You don’t need to rush too much.”

“Master, but my side attack movement isn’t improving at all! How can I even break one of my opponent’s ribs like this?”

“Take it slow. As long as you don’t stop, it will soon go as you wish.”

“Am I the least skilled among your disciples, Master?”

When I asked dejectedly, Master Kanal laughed heartily.

“Ho ho, what are you saying? Lady Zelda, you are one of the most excellent disciples along with Prince Tessler.”

“Really, really? More than Grand Duke Martins? I thought he would be excellent in swordsmanship too.”

“Who? Grand Duke Martins Rohain? Hah, don’t even mention him.”

“Why?”

“In all my life, I’ve never seen someone so pure in swordsmanship…! Oh my, please pretend you didn’t hear what I just said.”

“Oh my, what did you just say? I didn’t hear anything?”

I smoothly lied in response.

Then the master sighed in relief and revealed the Grand Duke’s secret to me.

“He was the first disciple in history to hold a scabbard upside down. It’s truly a disgrace to my sword master life.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Yes, he only knows how to twirl a fountain pen, but when it comes to swordsmanship, he’s completely clueless! Anyway… please forget about the swordsmanship fool you just heard about.”

“I told you I didn’t hear anything?”

I picked up the sword again with a grin.

It seemed I had unexpectedly received great comfort from Grand Duke Martins.

After that, whenever I saw the Grand Duke, the words I heard from Master Kanal echoed in my ears like a round song with rhythm.

Swordsmanship fool, swordsmanship fool.

.

.

.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty the Empress? Did you… hear anything else about me from Prince Tessler?”

Grand Duke Martins asked me secretly with a very uneasy expression.

Hmm, I wasn’t going to reveal this secret, but…

I should burst it out as punishment for the Grand Duke’s unpleasant behavior towards me today.

“Let me think about it. I’ve heard so much.”

“…You’ve heard a lot?”

The Grand Duke looked more surprised than if his jewel pouch had been stolen; he seemed more afraid of his personal information being leaked.

“Oh, by the way, why aren’t you married yet, Grand Duke?”

As the topic of conversation changed, the tense expression on Grand Duke Martins’ face eased a bit.

“Well, I’ve been so buried in my studies that it’s been delayed. But it’s not that I’m picky and that’s why my marriage is late.”

“It seems so. I think the delay in your marriage might be due to your preferences, don’t you think?”

“Preferences? Your Majesty the Empress, you speak as if you know my preferences?”

Grand Duke Martins smiled, putting his hands behind his back with an interested look.

“From what I’ve heard, you had a very passionate love affair with the widow of the Elido Duke family three years ago.”

Pause. Grand Duke Martins stopped abruptly in his tracks.

I continued talking, pretending not to notice the Grand Duke’s bewilderment.

“Oh, and your first love was the wife of the Rodlo Count family, wasn’t she? I heard she had been divorced three times?”

“…Did you hear that from Prince Tessler too?”

Grand Duke Martins’ voice trembled slightly.

He’s not denying it, so it must be true.

“Of course. Prince Tessler is a much more diverse and accurate source of information than the kingdom’s newspaper, isn’t he?”

At my tone implying it was obvious, Grand Duke Martins’ face turned bright red.

Actually, I didn’t hear this from Prince Tessler either.

‘You all know that Grand Duke Martins Rohain’s ideal type is a bit unusual, right?’

Earlier this year, I overheard ladies whispering in the royal banquet hall’s lounge.

They said Grand Duke Martins’ ideal type was a pitiful woman who was alone, whether through separation or bereavement.

“Is it really true that your preference is for women who are alone? Or was it just coincidence every time?”

The Grand Duke flinched as if he had been caught secretly meeting a noblewoman late at night.

Seeing him at a loss, usually so arrogant, gave me a slightly satisfying feeling.

“It’s all… a misunderstanding.”

“My goodness, so all of Prince Tessler’s information was wrong?”

“Of, of course.”

Grand Duke Martins’ jaw muscles tensed.

I nodded, pretending to believe the Grand Duke’s words.

The Grand Duke clenched his fists. He seemed to be thinking of Prince Tessler, who he believed had revealed two of his secrets to me.

What if he asks Prince Tessler directly later?

Well, I wasn’t too scared even if my lie was exposed.

After all, I’m much better at fighting than the swordsmanship fool Grand Duke.

If you feel wronged, come at me.

“Your Majesty the Empress, this conversation just now is also a secret. You know that, right?”

Grand Duke Martins whispered to me with a pleading look, glancing at the attendants following behind us.

“We’ll see.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m joking.”

“You… make jokes in such a disappointing way.”

“Isn’t it more cruel if it’s not a joke and you’re actually disappointed?”

“…Ah.”

“It’s better if it’s a joke even if you’re disappointed. Don’t you think?”

“Well, you have a point, but… Ha!”

Grand Duke Martins trailed off glumly and hit his forehead with his hand.

I laughed as I heard a thwack sound from his forehead.

As we exchanged these meaningless words, we had already arrived in front of the Empress’s palace.

“Grand Duke, look for them here in the Lafion Empire too. Surely there are widowed noblewomen here as well? Well then, take care on your way back.”

I turned around with a bright farewell, leaving Grand Duke Martins with a dazed expression.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

Grand Duke Martins called out to me as he strode towards me.

“Thank you for the advice.”

“Don’t mention it.”

I replied in a dry tone.

“Come to think of it… it seems my preference really is as Your Majesty the Empress said. I’ll look around, and who knows, Your Majesty might end up on that list of candidates.”

Grand Duke Martins said, tilting his head slightly.

What is this swordsmanship fool saying?

[This is the timeline separator]

“There wasn’t a moment when I felt at ease.”

I closed my eyes while soaking in the bathtub, going over the events of today one by one.

I was completely drained, probably because my emotions had been going up and down all day long.

My husband, whom I had married just a few days ago, had new women.

Not just one, but four.

But of course, he’s not an ordinary husband, he’s the emperor of a country.

Moreover, I’m just a temporary empress who will stay for a while and leave.

So I shouldn’t care.

“Yes, I know. But still…”

My blood is boiling.

“Oh? It’s starting again.”

I opened my eyes at the sound of bubbles popping on the surface of the bathtub.

The water, which was very cold at first, had now risen to a temperature where steam was rising.

The water temperature changes according to my mood, and today it’s almost at hot spring level.

I poured several scoops of the now hot-spring-like bath water onto the floor using a large pearl shell ladle.

Then I scooped cold water from the wooden barrel next to me and poured it into the bathtub to make it lukewarm again.

At that moment, I heard a commotion outside the bathroom.

−”Your, Your Majesty! I’ll go in first and inform you. Her Majesty the Empress has ordered not to let anyone in. So, we don’t enter during bath time either!”

−”I’m not just ‘anyone’, am I?”

−”I’m, I’m sorry, Your Majesty! This lowly one has spoken out of turn…”

I heard Rinel’s angry voice and Sharon’s terrified voice.

−”Step away from the bathroom door and you’ll remember your place again. That’s enough. Move.”

Click.

With Rinel’s words, the bathroom door opened immediately.

Phew, it’s good I mixed in cold water beforehand.

I almost had to lie that hot spring water had burst in the bathroom.

I floundered in the bathtub, not knowing what to do at his unexpected appearance.

Meanwhile, his voice came through the translucent screen between us.

“Why are you trying to be polite in this situation? Stay seated as you are.”

At Rinel’s words, I curled up again in the bathtub.

Only then did I realize that I was in a state without a single thread on my body.

A dizzying feeling came belatedly.

What was I trying to do by standing up naked?

Even if I had greeted him as politely as possible, my attire itself was already impolite!

“Are you having a bubble bath?”

His voice came again from behind the screen.

His shadow stretched long across the bathroom floor.

“Ah, no. There are… no bubbles.”

I replied, looking down at the clear water in the bathtub.

“Then it’s impossible to have a conversation in that state.”

“…I suppose so.”

“Just a moment.”

“What? Your Majesty?!”

Rinel suddenly opened the door connecting the bathroom to the bedroom and went in.

I called out urgently to him who had entered the bedroom, raising my voice.

“Um… I was just about to finish my bath! So I can get out of the tub!”

“Stay where you are!”

Rinel shouted back at me, raising his voice just as I had.

After a moment, his voice came from near the bathroom door.

“I’m going to come in again now, and you just stay as you are. Understood?”

“What?”

“Don’t worry about my eyes. Alright?”

“Yes…”

What is he trying to do?

I hugged my knees with both arms.

Rinel came closer and closer, parting the mist-like steam.

He was dressed comfortably.

His tightly clenched fists slowly opened above the bathtub.

And from his two hands…

“This should make it a bit easier to have a conversation, right?”

Red rose petals fluttered.

The rose petals fell like snow onto the bathwater, covering my body reflected in the water.

“Did I pluck too many?”

He dusted off his hands, lowered his gaze to the bathtub, and muttered with a regretful look.

“If I had known nothing would be visible like this, I would have plucked only a handful of flowers.”

“…”

For a man who had approved bringing in four concubines this afternoon, his gaze was too shy.

At Rinel’s rose-like seductive smile, I started to turn as red as a rose.

Then the lukewarm water suddenly bubbled and droplets rose again.

Rinel glanced down at the bathtub, his eyes widening, and asked me.

“Zelda, you’re not… relieving yourself in the bathtub, are you?”

“…That, that kind of remark seems more inappropriate, don’t you think?”

I exclaimed at him with a flushed face.

He laughed, throwing his head back as if he had expected this reaction from me.

His laughter echoed loudly in the bathroom.

I glanced at the bathroom door.

I was concerned about what kind of fantasies the attendants waiting outside might be weaving from the emperor’s laughter leaking out of the bathroom.

“Your Majesty, could you lower your laughter a bit?”

“Why, are you worried about the attendants outside?”

“A little.”

“Really? Then I’ll go give an order for them to stay far away.”

Rinel turned his body towards the bathroom door.

“Wa, wait a moment!”

I quickly called out to stop Rinel.

“What.”

He turned back to me, raising his straight eyebrows high.

“If you give such an order, won’t it cause even more misunderstanding?”

“Then what should I do?”

“Just… laugh as much as you want.”

“Huh, an empress who’s mindful of the attendants’ eyes… How unusual.”

Rinel snickered and approached me again.

“What brings you here tonight?”

“Do I need a reason to come to the empress’s chambers?”

“Not necessarily, but… if you had contacted me in advance, I would have finished my bath quickly and welcomed you.”

“That’s why.”

Rinel said, putting his hand in the bathtub and stirring the water.

“What? Ah.”

He took his hand out of the bathtub again, flicked water at my face, and grinned.

“That’s why I just came.”