Chapter 18

Swish-

The sound of wind comes from the swinging sword.

Though it’s not a special swordsmanship technique, just a simple downward slash.

Even as I repeated this simple motion, I poured my heart into each and every swing.

“You’ve been working harder lately.”

Perhaps it was strange to see me training so much more diligently than usual. Aaron, who had been watching my training from the side, spoke up.

“……Just. When I swing the sword, I can stop thinking about anything.”

“Do you have something on your mind?”

Of course, I do.

And not just a small worry, but a very big one.

But the worry I’m currently dealing with isn’t something I can share with others.

“No, I’m just feeling restless.”

I brushed it off casually.

“If it’s something bothering you, Young Master… is it because of Princess Valencia?”

“……”

Sometimes I think.

Aaron, despite his appearance, is surprisingly sharp.

He looks like someone who wouldn’t understand a woman’s heart, but when it comes to others, he’s quick to notice. Or maybe I’m just bad at hiding my expressions.

“……You’re annoyingly perceptive.”

“Was I right? I was just guessing.”

“……”

“It was a joke. Don’t get mad.”

Seeing my expression change, Aaron quickly backed down.

“Sigh.”

All I could do was sigh.

Whether it’s my swordsmanship teacher or my parents, why are they all so eager to tease me?

‘Is this karma…?’

Maybe this is the karma for teasing Rebecca.

From now on, I should try to tease the princess less. Not that it’s entirely up to me, but if I try, maybe it’ll work.

I made a resolution I knew I wouldn’t keep.

“Is that why you haven’t been visiting the Duke’s mansion lately?”

“……You could say that.”

As Aaron said.

The last time I visited the Valencia Duchy Mansion was a week ago.

It’s been a week since I spent the night wide awake in Rebecca’s room.

“……Did you have a fight with the princess?”

“No.”

“Then… what happened that made you stop visiting the Duke’s mansion, where you used to go at least once every three days, for a whole week?”

“So, what? Do you not want me around?”

“Not at all. I actually feel more at ease when you’re at the Count’s mansion.”

“……You feel at ease when I’m around?”

“When you’re here, I can always watch your swordsmanship training, so I don’t have to do my usual work.”

“……”

It seems there’s a salary thief in our family after all.

‘……Should I tell Father?’

As I seriously considered reporting this to my father, Aaron, unaware of my thoughts, asked with a puzzled look.

“Did something really happen?”

“……Nothing happened.”

“It’s just that, with my limited understanding, I can’t figure it out. Everyone in the Empire knows that the relationship between you and the princess is better than most newlyweds.”

If Aaron’s words were true, then Rebecca and I must not be from the Empire. Since we don’t seem to know that our relationship is good.

“What could possibly make you and the princess fight?”

“We didn’t fight.”

“No matter how I think about it, it doesn’t seem like you fought… Then something must have happened when you stayed overnight at the Duke’s mansion a week ago……”

Aaron, acting as if he were a great detective, stroked his chin and began to deduce.

I was first stunned by his behavior, and then doubly stunned by how accurate his deductions were.

“……Did you do it?”

“Pfft.”

For a moment, I doubted my ears.

“What did you say?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you, Young Master. But you and the princess haven’t even had your coming-of-age ceremony yet.”

“……”

“So, as a knight of the Zernias family, I hope you’ll exercise a bit more restraint for the sake of the family’s future.”

It seemed Aaron had fully accepted his own deduction that Rebecca and I had done something (?) together.

Seeing him ignore my words and just say what he wanted.

“I knew you weren’t normal, but today you’ve really lost it.”

“In our line of work, it’s called a bonus.”

“……You’re insane.”

I was left speechless by Aaron’s outrageousness.

Who’s the employer and who’s the employee here?

“You don’t seem to be in the mood to swing your sword anymore, so let’s call it a day.”

“……Anyone watching would think you’re the one teaching me.”

“I’m always learning new things from you, Young Master.”

The family knight was refusing to back down even a single word to the family’s young master.

I couldn’t hold back my frustration any longer and finally pulled out the cheat code.

“I’ll tell Father I don’t need a swordsmanship teacher for the next month.”

“……I was wrong, Young Master.”

Only then did Aaron admit his mistake and become polite.

But it was already too late. He should’ve admitted it sooner.

I immediately turned around and ran toward Father’s office.

“Young Master!!! How could you do this to me!!!”

Ignoring Aaron’s wails from behind.

You should’ve behaved when you had the chance.

***

“……So, you’ll be training alone for the next month?”

“Yes, Father.”

“Is there a reason?”

Because I can’t stand the sight of Aaron, my swordsmanship teacher.

That’s what almost slipped out, but I held it back.

“I think it’s necessary to get used to training alone for a while.”

“……Alright. I’ll let the Commander of the Knights know.”

“Thank you, Father.”

I felt a sense of relief.

The thought of Aaron, who had been slacking off while teaching me swordsmanship, finally doing his actual job.

Of course, I had learned a lot from Aaron’s teachings. But right now, that didn’t matter at all.

As I smiled victoriously, Count Zernias’s voice came up as if he had just remembered something.

“You haven’t been visiting the Valencia Duchy Mansion lately, have you?”

“……That’s right.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

“Well…”

Of course, there was a reason.

But as I said before, it’s not a reason I can easily share with others.

‘……How can I say I can’t face my fiancée?’

Even now, if I stay still, the memories of that time replay.

The delicate hands that pulled me closer, the voice that told me to be quiet.

The slight warmth I felt at such a close distance, and the clear red eyes that held only me.

Finally, Rebecca’s soft and sweet lips.

Just recalling what happened that morning made my face burn, and if I didn’t do anything, the memory kept resurfacing.

That’s why I’ve been training harder than usual.

At least when I’m swinging my sword, Rebecca’s beautiful face doesn’t come to mind.

When I swing my sword mindlessly, it feels like I can forget that memory.

So I swung my sword diligently.

“If it’s a reason you can’t say, then you don’t have to.”

As I hesitated to explain, Count Zernias smiled slightly, easing my tension.

“I was just a little worried. The boy who used to visit the Duke’s mansion every day suddenly stopped going.”

“……Thank you, Father.”

“If you’re done, you may leave.”

In the three years since I’ve been here, I’ve always felt this way.

My parents, Count Zernias and his wife, are truly good people.

They always set the basics, but once the basics are done, they don’t interfere further.

They let their child live their own life, but always educate them to maintain a certain line.

They are the kind of parents who want their child to be happier than anyone else.

I’m sure they already know something happened between Rebecca and me.

Yet, they don’t press me for details.

‘……Because they trust me.’

They trust me, their child, ‘Albert Zernias,’ the only son of the Zernias family.

I’ve always been so grateful for that.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Do you plan to visit the Valencia Duchy Mansion tomorrow?”

When Father asked if I would visit the Duke’s mansion tomorrow.

I smiled slightly and answered.

“Yes.”

“How about having dinner together tonight? It seems Charles has been preparing for quite a while today.”

“Alright, Father.”

“Good.”

That night’s dinner was truly delicious.

Whether it was because Charles, the Count’s chef, had prepared it so diligently, or because I was dining with my parents, Count Zernias and his wife, I couldn’t tell.

But I could say it was more delicious than any dinner I’d had at the Valencia Duchy Mansion.

After such a pleasant family dinner.

*

The next morning.

“It’s been a while, Prince Albert.”

“It’s been a while, Dorothy.”

I visited the Valencia Duchy Mansion for the first time in a week and a day to see Rebecca.

But there, I encountered a completely unexpected situation.

“Where’s the princess?”

As usual, I asked about Rebecca’s whereabouts as a form of greeting.

But for some reason, Dorothy, who always told me, ‘The Young Lady is in her room as usual,’ hesitated today.

And the words that followed hit me like a pot to the head.

“Miss Rebecca said… if Prince Albert comes, she doesn’t want to see you and to send you away.”

“……”

Rebecca refused to see me.

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