Clang!
The moment the sword and spear clashed, Anna’s eyes widened.
“Again.”
The same feeling she had experienced several times now. The first couple of times, she thought it was just a coincidence.
But after it kept happening, Anna had no choice but to accept it.
“He’s reading all my moves.”
Isaac was predicting the trajectory of her spear, matching her speed almost perfectly.
The spear techniques she had spent years mastering to serve her lady were being read like an open book after just a few exchanges.
At first, it was frustrating, but at some point, it became awe-inspiring.
“Haap!”
But, contrary to that.
“…!”
Isaac tried to anticipate and parry the spear, but the faint shimmer at the tip of Anna’s spear pushed him back, and he eventually fell.
Not missing the opportunity, Anna spun around, rotating her spear and cleanly pointing the blade at Isaac’s neck.
“I lost.”
As Isaac raised his hand in surrender, Anna slowly withdrew her spear.
“…Can you really call this a loss?”
Even though she had won, Anna asked timidly.
In truth, Anna felt like she had lost.
“You read all my spear moves. At some point, your sword was faster than my judgment.”
“…”
“It’s just a lack of basic strength and stamina. That’s the only reason I lost.”
“…”
“If you train for just a month, you’ll probably beat me easily.”
Being overtaken by a latecomer was incredibly pressuring.
Anna honestly lacked confidence.
Even though she had gone from being an ordinary maid to a soldier by learning the spear.
She had some confidence, but…
“You’re not expecting me to comfort you after I just lost, are you?”
Isaac chuckled awkwardly.
He was already opening his book.
It wasn’t a textbook but a “Duel Journal,” where he recorded his sparring experiences, reflecting on his shortcomings and mistakes.
Watching him, Anna asked sheepishly.
“You’re really amazing, Isaac.”
“What is?”
Isaac was jotting down the reasons for his defeat, focusing on his inadequate response in the final exchange.
He even sketched a brief diagram of Anna’s posture and his own reaction to her last strike.
“You seem so confident even after losing. Like you’re sure you’ll win in the end.”
“There’s no way that’s true.”
Anna was slightly taken aback by his rare, assertive tone.
“The reason I’m not afraid of losing is that I’m grateful I even have the chance to lose.”
He continued, his eyes still on the “Duel Journal.”
“I know how painful it is to not even be given the opportunity. So, losing doesn’t matter to me.”
“…”
“I don’t have time to dwell on defeat. I just want to keep swinging my sword.”
Seeing Isaac smile softly, Anna felt her heart skip a beat.
“Did you seduce Rianna like this?”
“Out of nowhere?”
Isaac made an awkward face.
Under Anna’s expectant gaze, Isaac scratched his cheek and replied.
“I was more proactive when I was trying to win her over.”
“Wow.”
As the conversation shifted to romance.
Anna brought up Silbern, who was still watching from the corner.
“What do you think about the lady?”
“Silbern? She’s a good friend. She’s been a huge help in guiding the direction of my sword.”
“Is that all? Really?”
“Why?”
“Haah, Isaac. As someone who’s been with the lady since childhood, I’ll be honest with you.”
Anna crouched down in front of Isaac, who was also crouching.
In the corner of the spacious training ground, the two whispered face to face.
“The lady categorizes people into two types: enemies or comrades.”
“That’s a harsh classification.”
“Anyway, that’s how it is. Just two.”
Anna raised her middle and index fingers.
“But recently, the lady has been acting strange.”
Her ring finger subtly rose.
“It seems like a third category is emerging. And that’s you, Isaac.”
“…”
“Isaac, you’re a married man, so I don’t need to say more, right? I shouldn’t have to further embarrass my lady, should I?”
Anna glared sharply.
Isaac nodded awkwardly.
“I get the gist.”
“The gist?”
“Alright, alright. I get it. You’re saying I should maintain a proper distance with Helmunth and Caldias, right?”
Anna smirked at Isaac’s roundabout way of putting it.
“Isaac, you handsome men really understand women’s hearts, don’t you? You catch on so quickly.”
“…”
“Be honest. You’ve had this kind of experience before, haven’t you? You worked as a ferryman, right? Weren’t you famous as a handsome boatman?”
“Don’t ask.”
Isaac, who once operated a small ferry, indeed had many female customers thanks to his striking looks.
“Anyway, you’re a married man, so I trust you’ll keep a clear boundary, right?”
“Got it.”
Then.
The sky darkened.
As the two crouched figures peeked up, Silbern stood above them, arms crossed.
Did she hear?
The same thought crossed both their minds.
“Anna, it’s your duty time.”
Silbern informed them nonchalantly.
“Huh? Duty? I still have two hours left?”
“Volten is sick today and needs to rest. He didn’t look too good. So, you’re up next.”
“…”
Anna pursed her lips and looked up at Silbern.
That big guy who just ate two bowls of rice at lunch is sick?
‘She must have been talking to Volten.’
She wondered what Silbern was discussing with the others on duty.
Anna sighed and stood up.
“Guess I have no choice. I’ll head out then.”
After a quick bow, Anna left.
From behind her, Silbern’s faint, low voice reached her ears.
“What should we do? Anna, who was supposed to help, is gone.”
“Hmm, true.”
“Do you need help? I have some time. A lot of time.”
“…”
“Alright.”
After a moment of hesitation, Isaac accepted Silbern’s help.
“Alright! Let’s go right now!”
Silbern, grabbing a spear, instantly became excited, her voice filled with enthusiasm.
Anna, who had been trudging along, slapped her forehead with her hand and slumped her shoulders.
‘What a silly girl.’
She thought to herself, wondering how they could just be friends.
Having spent her time in the north, only holding a spear and dealing with monsters, Anna realized that her lady was severely lacking in romantic skills.
She hadn’t yet realized her own feelings, but perhaps it was just a matter of time?
‘Still, Isaac will handle it well.’
Being a married man, he would know where to draw the line.
If Silbern tried to cross it, he would surely push her away.
It would become a cold, beautiful memory, like a snowflake, but what could she do?
‘He already has someone.’
If only he weren’t married, it would have been perfect.
Anna sighed, thinking that if that were the case, she would have done her best to help Silbern.
She headed towards the wall for her forced duty.
[The reason I’m not afraid of defeat is because I can still lose.]
[If I lose, I won’t have time to dwell on it. I want to keep swinging my sword.]
On the way, Isaac’s words suddenly came to mind.
‘No time to dwell on defeat.’
It was a textbook-like, standard phrase, but seeing someone actually practice it made it resonate.
Feeling a surge of motivation, Anna tightened her grip on the spear and started walking faster.
* * *
Helmunth was unusually lively.
The reason was just one person.
“Ugh!”
In Lianna’s room.
Alois, tears streaming down his face, felt a heart-wrenching pain.
It had been ten days.
Ten days without seeing Lianna.
It was the same day Sharen left for the Malidan Wall.
Of course, Lianna, who had defied the family head’s orders, would be severely punished.
Aranel, no matter how much she loved her daughter, would not show mercy to those who disobeyed.
That’s what scared him.
Alois, suppressing his desire to follow, was here, longing for Lianna.
“Nuuuuunim!”
Lying on Lianna’s bed, burying his face in the pillow, Alois soaked it with his tears.
* * *
The well-organized carriage road.
A long line of Helmunth carriages stopped in front of the Malidan Wall.
They arrived a bit later than other nobles, for a simple reason.
“Gotta maintain our pride.”
Arriving early would make it seem like they were waiting for other nobles.
And they didn’t want to appear too eager, rushing over just because Caldias called.
“Ugh, because of Isaac, look at the trouble I’m in.”
Sharen grumbled, stuffing her mouth with snacks.
Though Sharen didn’t seem too upset.
Isaac was just an excuse; the mischievous girl seemed to be enjoying the adventure.
The carriage stopped for inspection.
Kelsey, Sharen’s maid, quietly stepped out of the carriage.
She bowed lightly to the Helmunth knights already outside and greeted the arriving baggage carriage.
Kelsey called out softly as she entered.
“Lady Lianna?”
A white cloth rustled, and Lianna peeked out from within.
“We’ve arrived. At the Malidan Wall. There are many carriages, so the inspection might take about two hours.”
“…Alright.”
Lianna nodded and pulled out clothes she had prepared in advance from the white cloth.
A maid’s uniform.
Only Sharen Helmunth was supposed to come, so if Lianna’s presence was discovered, Caldias might raise an issue.
Lianna intended to hide her identity as much as possible.
Seeing this, Kelsey couldn’t hide her concern.
“I don’t know why you’ve come all this way, but there must be a good reason.”
“…”
“If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll do my best.”
Kelsey handed over a hairnet and mask.
After waiting outside for a while, Lianna came out dressed as a maid.
Her hair was all tied up with the hairnet, revealing her forehead, which was a bit embarrassing.
She even wore a headband to hide her red hair as much as possible and a mask to cover her face.
“This should be enough.”
Kelsey smiled and gave a thumbs up.
Lianna nodded in satisfaction and slowly looked up at the Malidan Wall.
A bold woman stood on the wall, looking down at the Helmunth carriages and knights.
‘Silbern Caldias.’
Lianna remembered her.
A skilled spearman, outstanding for her age.
A woman capable of bearing the future of Caldias.
She had sparred with her once.
‘She’s gotten stronger.’
Just by looking, she could tell.
Silbern was stronger than when they had fought.
‘It was a good match. Not just about winning or losing, but learning from each other-.’
Then.
A black-haired man appeared behind Silbern.
Lianna’s eyes widened.
Relieved to see Isaac unharmed at the front lines.
Silbern and Isaac were laughing and talking.
Seeing them casually sharing snacks Isaac had brought.
‘…’
Unconsciously, Lianna clenched her fist.
She lowered her head and muttered in confusion.
“I definitely won that match.”
Why.
Why did it feel like she had lost?
