To You, Whom I Shouldn't Love - Chapter 56

Riena sat on a chair placed under the shade of a tree by a servant, observing Cassel as he instructed young apprentice knights.

‘He’s really grown a lot.’

When they first came to Count Dyke’s territory, Cass knew nothing about swordsmanship. His physical condition wasn’t good either, so he couldn’t even hold a wooden sword at first.

The Count made Cass train his basic physical strength, and when he gained some strength, he gifted him a wooden sword.

Cass practiced countless times, swinging the wooden sword up and down, diagonally, and gradually learning different techniques…

Although Cass was timid, he was always serious and even solemn during sword lessons.

‘You might not believe it now, but if you keep this up, you’ll definitely become the Empire’s best knight when you’re an adult.’ Just as the Count had said, Cass’s skills improved rapidly.

He absorbed the Count’s teachings like a sponge that soaked up everything without leaving anything behind.

Cass was a disciple who understood ten things when told just one.

Count Dyke wanted to take care of and teach the promising Cass until the end, but he couldn’t because Cass returned to his family.

Why does it feel so heartwarming that Cass has truly become the Empire’s best knight and is now passing on the teachings he received from the Count?

Riena felt somewhat overwhelmed by the fact that the young Cass had grown so much in 10 years.

It was regrettable that Count Dyke couldn’t see this. If he could see the current Cassel, he would surely be extremely proud.

“What are you thinking about so deeply, my lady?”

“Just… I suddenly realized how much time has passed. I used to watch Cass practice like this when we were young.”

“Ah, that’s right. The Duke first learned swordsmanship from Count Dyke, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

Amy looked at Cassel with an equally moved expression.

“Everyone was surprised when the Duke returned to his territory. They said that someone who was small and timid until he left had changed so much in just half a year. He grew taller, became healthier, and above all, his personality became a bit more lively.”

“I see.”

Riena pricked up her ears at Amy’s words.

Cassel had briefly told her how he had spent the last 10 years, but it wasn’t enough.

In particular, she wanted to know how he had been when he left Dyke, which he cherished more than his hometown, and returned to his territory to face his brother’s death.

“When they heard that the Duke had learned swordsmanship, Uncle Peter, who was the head of the knights at the time, was really surprised. Especially after seeing the Duke’s skills, he said it was unbelievable. He wondered how it was possible to acquire such skills in just half a year.”

“Father said that Cass was a natural talent. He said he was a genius that might appear once in a hundred years. He also said it was a shame that he hadn’t picked up a sword even once until he was 11. If he had learned earlier, he would have shone at a young age.”

“Uncle Peter said the same thing. Anyway, after that, the Duke continued to learn swordsmanship from Uncle. Uncle Peter was glad that the Duke had learned very solid basics from Count Dyke.”

Riena smiled, swinging her legs back and forth.

“Father is a kind person, but when he’s strict, he’s really strict. Actually, I thought Cass would cry and quit, but surprisingly, he endured well. You know how he would go out to practice even at night when things weren’t going well? I had to drag him back every time.”

“It was the same after he returned. However, as mere servants, we couldn’t forcibly stop the Duke.”

Amy smiled broadly.

“It seems that the Duke was able to change like that thanks to you and the Count.”

“Well, it wasn’t to that extent…”

Riena trailed off and observed Cassel again. He was now holding a wooden sword and demonstrating the posture to the children.

The basic posture of swinging the sword from top to bottom, which looks simple at first glance but is never easy.

Cassel’s posture was much better than when he was young. It was so textbook perfect that one would want to show it to every child dreaming of becoming a knight.

Riena saw the young Cass in that figure.

After some consideration, she opened her mouth.

“Amy.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“How was Cass when he first returned to the duchy?”

“When he first returned?”

“Yes.”

Riena’s smile faded.

“Cass rushed back after hearing the news of his brother Asher Winkler’s death. Even until he left the mansion, he didn’t believe his brother’s death. He kept saying it couldn’t be true.”

“…”

“He said he would just confirm that his brother was safe and then return to Dyke. But I had a feeling then that Cass wouldn’t be able to come back. And that’s what actually happened.”

Riena lowered her head, remembering the face of the child who had cried as if the world was ending.

“I was so worried about how such a child would face reality when he returned to the duchy.”

“The Duke…”

Amy also spoke in a heavy voice.

“When he first returned, he cried a lot. He couldn’t help it. Asher young master had been very good to the Duke.”

“Yes, I heard about that.”

“But soon he accepted reality bravely. Even at Asher young master’s funeral, he tried hard to hold back his tears. He said if he showed his brother that he was crying, his brother wouldn’t be able to leave in peace, so he had to show that he was doing well.”

Riena imagined Cass in black mourning clothes, trying to hold back his tears in front of the coffin where Asher lay.

It was a scene so sad that it broke her heart just thinking about it. If he had just cried his heart out, it might not have been this heartbreaking.

Not crying for his brother’s sake. It wasn’t a thought that a 12-year-old child would easily come up with.

“What happened after that?”

“As the only remaining direct descendant of Winkler, and as the heir, the Duke received rigorous education. He worked incredibly hard to catch up with the processes he had missed, as he had only received basic lessons until then.”

“…”

“The Duke, at least outwardly, endured well. He never complained once. However, according to his mother, who was the Duke’s nanny, the Duke would often cry alone at night back then.”

“Mmm.”

Amy continued in a sad voice.

“As time passed, the Duke became tougher. The number of times he cried alone at night gradually decreased, and after about a year, he stopped crying altogether, they say.”

It was clearly a good thing, but it couldn’t be seen as entirely positive.

Becoming tougher sounded like he had adapted to the harsh reality.

“That’s when the Duke changed a lot. At first, he still smiled well and showed various expressions, but his facial expressions almost disappeared, and he hid his emotions. The late Duke was pleased, saying he had become worthy of being the heir to Winkler, but I don’t know. Sometimes I miss the Duke who was honest with his emotions.”

“Me too.”

Riena smiled bitterly and fell silent for a moment, lost in thought. Amy also quietly watched the knights when she didn’t say anything.

Finally, after a pause, Riena asked more carefully than before.

“What kind of people were Cass’s parents, I mean, the late Duke and Duchess of Winkler?”

“Umm…”

Amy made a face as if she was in a difficult situation.

“I don’t think that’s something I should speak about carelessly. Especially considering where we are… There are many ears listening. Even though they’re far away, the knights have very sharp hearing.”

Amy was an employee of Winkler. Questions about how Cassel had been doing were fine as they required objective information, but asking what kind of people the Duke and Duchess were inevitably involved personal evaluation.

Even though the two were no longer of this world, it wasn’t a subject to be spoken of lightly.

‘Rather, because they’re deceased, it might be even more difficult to talk about.’

She couldn’t put Amy in a difficult position just to satisfy her curiosity.

“I understand what you mean. I asked an unnecessary question.”

“No, not at all. I’m sorry I couldn’t answer your question, my lady.”

After that, the two chatted lightly about the festival while watching the training ground, and then returned to the room.

Riena was changing out of her clothes that had sand from the training ground on them and leisurely spending time looking at the flowers Ryan had brought when Amy came in, closing the door tightly behind her, and sat across from her.

“Um, my lady.”

“Yes?”

Amy’s face was quite solemn.

“What is it?”

“Well…”

She had difficulty continuing. Riena waited patiently for her.

“About the question you asked earlier.”

“Question? Do you mean when I asked about the late Duke and Duchess?”

“Yes.”

Amy lowered her voice even though there was no one to hear them. Riena moved her chair closer to Amy and also lowered her voice.

“What about it?”

“Sigh, originally, I shouldn’t be telling you this…”

“Then it’s okay. You don’t have to say it.”

“No, I still want to tell you, my lady.”

As if her throat was dry, Amy poured a full glass of water and drank it all at once.