Shuan spoke with an unwavering demeanor, as if he had expected to be met with a snub.
“I have something to say as Lethe.”
“Well, it’s been a long time since I lost touch with Lethe.”
At my words, Shuan ran his hand through his hair. He didn't look it, but it was a gesture that betrayed his nervousness. He let out a sigh so soft it wouldn't be audible unless you were paying attention.
“This place is dangerous. Withdraw all of Count Winsley’s troops.”
“It’s impossible.”
"Your Highness, Grand Duchess. Let me repeat: I speak as Lethe."
So, what that meant was that he was pouring out all his information and making a proposal. Shuan was Ari's older brother, so he would have gained information through that.
Perhaps, unlike his previous life, he participated in the expedition to stop Princess Abigail's plan.
I slowly closed my eyes, then opened them again and looked at Shuan. Shuan's eyes still looked confused.
“I want to withdraw too. But I can’t.”
The Count of Winsley leads an army west and then back? The whole world would be puzzled and ridiculed.
My father, who valued honor, couldn't possibly endure that ridicule. A death of the heart was no different from a death of life. I didn't want to navigate this predicament that way.
"You want to withdraw... Your Highness, the Grand Duchess, has always been one step ahead, observing the present. What else do you know?"
Hearing those words, the corners of my mouth twitched. I didn't hesitate for a moment to laugh at Shuan.
“If I tell you? Are you going to run to your sister again and tell her to be careful, and then run to me again and tell me to be careful?”
“That’s not it! I!”
“Otherwise! Tell me exactly what your sister is trying to do.”
Shuan remained silent again. I rose from my seat. There was no need to prepare tea. Drinking it while chatting like this wouldn't be enough to induce a pleasant aroma, and this uninvited guest would soon be gone.
“There’s nothing more to talk about, so please leave. I’ll see you off, since people watching.”
I left the reception room first. I waited outside the door, and after a long silence, Shuan finally followed me out.
I went down to the first floor without even looking back at him. I intended to send him off and go straight up to my room to chat with Marian.
Bam!
As I stepped outside the building, I saw soldiers sparring with wooden swords right in front of me. I could even see someone tossing a coin high, perhaps for a small bet. As the match was finally over, a wooden sword flew far away and landed at my feet.
“Oh, Your Majesty, the Grand Duchess!”
“Your Highness, the Grand Duchess! How are you?”
I waved to them, then nodded as I saw Shuan emerge. Shuan bowed deeply, and we were about to say goodbye.
“How about you two sparring?”
“I want to see it too!”
As the soldiers began to speak, others began to murmur and urge us on. Listening to their stories, it seemed Shuan had assisted Winsley's soldiers quite a bit during the suppression campaign. Perhaps that's why the soldiers seemed quite fond of Shuan.
'Ha, this is really ridiculous.'
Since I couldn't communicate, he may have tried to repay his debt by helping the soldiers.
Anyway, I didn't really like the way the soldiers welcomed Shuan.
I picked up the wooden sword lying at my feet and threw it at Shuan. Shuan, with a look of surprise on his face, caught the sword with alacrity.
"It would have been nice if I had gotten hit on the forehead and looked ridiculous," I said, tying up my hair.
“Yes. There have been more than a few times when I wanted to beat you up.”
My belligerent words further fueled the cheers of the soldiers. One of them approached me and offered me a wooden sword. I took it and swung it twice.
It was one of my habits before I started training. It was also a practice of weighing the wooden sword.
The soldier who had been the referee for the previous sparring session stood among us, raised his hand high, then lowered it as if cutting through the wind. But for a while, the two of us remained silent.
We just stared at each other silently. An exclamation of "Oh!" rang out among the soldiers. I glared at him, holding my wooden sword in the right posture, then sighed. I didn't want to stand against him for too long.
I circled around in a large, half-hearted circle, then suddenly kicked the ground and ran away. Shuan, confused, stepped back, wondering what on earth I was thinking.
I quickly struck Shuan's wooden sword. It flew through the air with almost inconceivable ease. I laughed in amazement, and in the meantime, the wooden sword fell to the ground.
“What do you want to do?”
I sighed in disbelief.
"Decide. Fight or not? And if you do, who will you fight? It's really out of character for you to act like such a fool."
He looked so foolish, it was hard to believe he'd created a secret information platform for his younger sister and turned the world upside down. I couldn't sense even a shred of the charm I'd felt when I first saw him.
I looked at him pitifully, but the atmosphere around me felt strange. Was it because the anticipated duel ended too easily?
Rather than a feeling of disappointment, the atmosphere felt somewhat tense and cold. I didn't think the mood would deteriorate this much just because Shuan lost to me.
I raised my head and looked around. I noticed that the soldiers who had formed a makeshift training ground by surrounding the area in a circle had left a corner clear. Standing in that empty space was a man draped in a red cloak—the man I'd longed for so desperately.
“Julian!”
I threw down my sword and ran towards Julian. He scooped me up in his arms, then gently set me down.
“Still a tomboy.”
It was a voice that appeared in my dreams every night, tickling my ear. I was so happy that its low voice teased me.
I stretched out my arms high and hugged his neck, and Julian willingly bowed his head in obedience to my actions.
I pressed my lips to Julian's. I knew there were a lot of people watching, but I couldn't resist. Fortunately, Julian didn't refuse, just held me tightly around the waist.
Someone whistled, clapped, and cheered, but I couldn't hear a thing. If I did, it was probably just Julian's heartbeat and the sound of bells ringing in the sky.
I slowly pulled away from Julian, looked at him closely, and smiled brightly.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
"How did you come? Did I ask you to do this? But you're so welcome! I've been feeling a little dreary every day since I last saw you. Did you receive the letter I sent you?"
"I've done everything you asked me to do. I couldn't stand seeing your letter again, so I came running. Did you get an answer?"
“Of course.”
Julian looked at me and caressed my cheek. I wanted him to focus solely on me, but strangely, his gaze strayed to the side of my face and looked elsewhere.
I turned my head, following Julian's gaze. Shuan was there.
Shuan must have been looking at me, as our eyes met in midair. It was an awkward encounter, as if a carriage accident had occurred.
Shuan turned his head first, and at the same time, Julian wrapped his arms around my shoulders.
“Go to your room first.”
"Is it so."
I climbed the stairs, half-carried in Julian's arms. Everyone I met along the way greeted me with a startled smile, then looked at Julian, then at me, and so on, without pause.
I quite enjoyed it, because it seemed like proof that Julian's presence here was not a dream but reality.
But Julian's mood seemed somehow unsettled. I pinched his side and asked.
“Why are you feeling bad?”
“No.”
“But you look like you don’t like something.”
Julian nodded. It was a very honest response.
“It seems like that kid has taken a liking to you.”
“That kid?”
I thought back to all the people we'd met so far. Hanson, Lily, Jack, and Port... When I gave him a look of complete ignorance, Julian sighed and said,
“The person who just crossed swords with you.”
Are you talking about Shuan? I laughed as if I were telling a joke.
“No way.”
“I am right.”
Julian seemed quite determined. What on earth had he seen in Shuan that made him think that way? He owed me a great debt, and it was clear he was chasing me to assuage his guilt.
But saying this didn't seem to make Julian feel better. I knew a much better answer.
“Even if that’s true, don’t worry, I hate men like that.”
Julian smiled with satisfaction, as if this was the right answer. We kissed again as we climbed the stairs.
After our lips parted, I felt anxious and grabbed his hand, hurrying along.
When we finally got to my room, we didn't come out for a long time.
“I have something to say as Lethe.”
“Well, it’s been a long time since I lost touch with Lethe.”
At my words, Shuan ran his hand through his hair. He didn't look it, but it was a gesture that betrayed his nervousness. He let out a sigh so soft it wouldn't be audible unless you were paying attention.
“This place is dangerous. Withdraw all of Count Winsley’s troops.”
“It’s impossible.”
"Your Highness, Grand Duchess. Let me repeat: I speak as Lethe."
So, what that meant was that he was pouring out all his information and making a proposal. Shuan was Ari's older brother, so he would have gained information through that.
Perhaps, unlike his previous life, he participated in the expedition to stop Princess Abigail's plan.
I slowly closed my eyes, then opened them again and looked at Shuan. Shuan's eyes still looked confused.
“I want to withdraw too. But I can’t.”
The Count of Winsley leads an army west and then back? The whole world would be puzzled and ridiculed.
My father, who valued honor, couldn't possibly endure that ridicule. A death of the heart was no different from a death of life. I didn't want to navigate this predicament that way.
"You want to withdraw... Your Highness, the Grand Duchess, has always been one step ahead, observing the present. What else do you know?"
Hearing those words, the corners of my mouth twitched. I didn't hesitate for a moment to laugh at Shuan.
“If I tell you? Are you going to run to your sister again and tell her to be careful, and then run to me again and tell me to be careful?”
“That’s not it! I!”
“Otherwise! Tell me exactly what your sister is trying to do.”
Shuan remained silent again. I rose from my seat. There was no need to prepare tea. Drinking it while chatting like this wouldn't be enough to induce a pleasant aroma, and this uninvited guest would soon be gone.
“There’s nothing more to talk about, so please leave. I’ll see you off, since people watching.”
I left the reception room first. I waited outside the door, and after a long silence, Shuan finally followed me out.
I went down to the first floor without even looking back at him. I intended to send him off and go straight up to my room to chat with Marian.
Bam!
As I stepped outside the building, I saw soldiers sparring with wooden swords right in front of me. I could even see someone tossing a coin high, perhaps for a small bet. As the match was finally over, a wooden sword flew far away and landed at my feet.
“Oh, Your Majesty, the Grand Duchess!”
“Your Highness, the Grand Duchess! How are you?”
I waved to them, then nodded as I saw Shuan emerge. Shuan bowed deeply, and we were about to say goodbye.
“How about you two sparring?”
“I want to see it too!”
As the soldiers began to speak, others began to murmur and urge us on. Listening to their stories, it seemed Shuan had assisted Winsley's soldiers quite a bit during the suppression campaign. Perhaps that's why the soldiers seemed quite fond of Shuan.
'Ha, this is really ridiculous.'
Since I couldn't communicate, he may have tried to repay his debt by helping the soldiers.
Anyway, I didn't really like the way the soldiers welcomed Shuan.
I picked up the wooden sword lying at my feet and threw it at Shuan. Shuan, with a look of surprise on his face, caught the sword with alacrity.
"It would have been nice if I had gotten hit on the forehead and looked ridiculous," I said, tying up my hair.
“Yes. There have been more than a few times when I wanted to beat you up.”
My belligerent words further fueled the cheers of the soldiers. One of them approached me and offered me a wooden sword. I took it and swung it twice.
It was one of my habits before I started training. It was also a practice of weighing the wooden sword.
The soldier who had been the referee for the previous sparring session stood among us, raised his hand high, then lowered it as if cutting through the wind. But for a while, the two of us remained silent.
We just stared at each other silently. An exclamation of "Oh!" rang out among the soldiers. I glared at him, holding my wooden sword in the right posture, then sighed. I didn't want to stand against him for too long.
I circled around in a large, half-hearted circle, then suddenly kicked the ground and ran away. Shuan, confused, stepped back, wondering what on earth I was thinking.
I quickly struck Shuan's wooden sword. It flew through the air with almost inconceivable ease. I laughed in amazement, and in the meantime, the wooden sword fell to the ground.
“What do you want to do?”
I sighed in disbelief.
"Decide. Fight or not? And if you do, who will you fight? It's really out of character for you to act like such a fool."
He looked so foolish, it was hard to believe he'd created a secret information platform for his younger sister and turned the world upside down. I couldn't sense even a shred of the charm I'd felt when I first saw him.
I looked at him pitifully, but the atmosphere around me felt strange. Was it because the anticipated duel ended too easily?
Rather than a feeling of disappointment, the atmosphere felt somewhat tense and cold. I didn't think the mood would deteriorate this much just because Shuan lost to me.
I raised my head and looked around. I noticed that the soldiers who had formed a makeshift training ground by surrounding the area in a circle had left a corner clear. Standing in that empty space was a man draped in a red cloak—the man I'd longed for so desperately.
“Julian!”
I threw down my sword and ran towards Julian. He scooped me up in his arms, then gently set me down.
“Still a tomboy.”
It was a voice that appeared in my dreams every night, tickling my ear. I was so happy that its low voice teased me.
I stretched out my arms high and hugged his neck, and Julian willingly bowed his head in obedience to my actions.
I pressed my lips to Julian's. I knew there were a lot of people watching, but I couldn't resist. Fortunately, Julian didn't refuse, just held me tightly around the waist.
Someone whistled, clapped, and cheered, but I couldn't hear a thing. If I did, it was probably just Julian's heartbeat and the sound of bells ringing in the sky.
I slowly pulled away from Julian, looked at him closely, and smiled brightly.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
"How did you come? Did I ask you to do this? But you're so welcome! I've been feeling a little dreary every day since I last saw you. Did you receive the letter I sent you?"
"I've done everything you asked me to do. I couldn't stand seeing your letter again, so I came running. Did you get an answer?"
“Of course.”
Julian looked at me and caressed my cheek. I wanted him to focus solely on me, but strangely, his gaze strayed to the side of my face and looked elsewhere.
I turned my head, following Julian's gaze. Shuan was there.
Shuan must have been looking at me, as our eyes met in midair. It was an awkward encounter, as if a carriage accident had occurred.
Shuan turned his head first, and at the same time, Julian wrapped his arms around my shoulders.
“Go to your room first.”
"Is it so."
I climbed the stairs, half-carried in Julian's arms. Everyone I met along the way greeted me with a startled smile, then looked at Julian, then at me, and so on, without pause.
I quite enjoyed it, because it seemed like proof that Julian's presence here was not a dream but reality.
But Julian's mood seemed somehow unsettled. I pinched his side and asked.
“Why are you feeling bad?”
“No.”
“But you look like you don’t like something.”
Julian nodded. It was a very honest response.
“It seems like that kid has taken a liking to you.”
“That kid?”
I thought back to all the people we'd met so far. Hanson, Lily, Jack, and Port... When I gave him a look of complete ignorance, Julian sighed and said,
“The person who just crossed swords with you.”
Are you talking about Shuan? I laughed as if I were telling a joke.
“No way.”
“I am right.”
Julian seemed quite determined. What on earth had he seen in Shuan that made him think that way? He owed me a great debt, and it was clear he was chasing me to assuage his guilt.
But saying this didn't seem to make Julian feel better. I knew a much better answer.
“Even if that’s true, don’t worry, I hate men like that.”
Julian smiled with satisfaction, as if this was the right answer. We kissed again as we climbed the stairs.
After our lips parted, I felt anxious and grabbed his hand, hurrying along.
When we finally got to my room, we didn't come out for a long time.
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