Act 18 Preparing
Srrrnng.
The sound of swords clashing echoed clearly. White steam billowed from the mouths of the two men sparring in the cold weather, accompanied by their rough breathing.
“Hyaah!”
With a short yell, Landt swung his sword at Evan. With the sound of the air being cut, a silver arc rushed toward Evan, leaving an afterimage.
Despite the cold weather, large beads of sweat formed on Landt's forehead.
Chaechang.
The sound of swords clashing was heard again. This time, Evan moved first. He moved as if pulling back, then immediately dove to Landt's right and swung his sword.
Landt twisted his body and barely managed to dodge Evan's fierce attack. After a few more skirmishes, the two men distanced themselves and caught their breath for a moment.
"It's cold, Miss. What if you catch a cold at this rate?"
The butler approached me before I knew it and covered my shoulders with a thick coat.
I saw Marie finally let out a sigh of relief, having been fidgeting nervously, unable to bring herself to suggest going inside and only watching my reaction.
Since we had only intended to take a quick look and go back inside, both Marie and I were still wearing the clothes we had been wearing inside. Seeing Marie, who had turned pale from the cold, I felt sorry for her.
"Go in first. I'll come in a little later."
"But..."
"Do as the young lady says."
The butler urged Marie, who was shaking her head, to go inside in a quiet tone. After hesitating for a moment, Marie soon came out, bowed deeply to the butler, and entered the building.
“What about my father?”
“He’s in the study.”
My father, who had gone down to the estate, returned only a few days ago after finishing his business. As soon as he came back, he settled into his study and handled the work that had piled up.
This was because while I could handle household affairs on my own, I could not take over matters related to the Prime Minister or the estate.
“What about meals?”
"Although he said he has no intention, he will be happy if the young lady asks him to join you."
I took my eyes off Landt, who was extending his sword toward Evan, and looked at the butler. When our eyes met, he opened his eyes slightly and smiled.
"You're getting more and more sly."
"Thank you."
“It’s not a compliment.”
“Is that so?”
The butler answered with a nonchalant smile. I shook my head at his increasingly brazen attitude.
"Phew, surely you didn't skip breakfast, did you?"
"Yes."
I rubbed my temples with my fingers. My relationship with my father was improving as time went by. The time we could talk increased, and although it was minimal, our emotional expressions toward each other became surprisingly diverse, and we grew closer compared to the past.
So much so that I even came to know downsides I hadn't known about before.
My father was a workaholic in reality, just as he appeared on the outside. He slept very little and would often skip meals. It was amazing that he had managed to maintain such good health all this time.
'It must have all been the butler's ability.'
The butler, who also serves as the father's personal secretary, has been closely observing such habits of his father by his side until now.
'The problem is that they are slowly pushing it onto me.'
The butler's smile deepened as if he knew what I was thinking.
“What should I do?”
The butler's intentions were obvious, but they weren't bad. It was thanks to his efforts that we were able to achieve even this much.
After all, my relationship with my father has improved.
"Tell my father to have a meal together."
"All right."
After the butler left, I turned my gaze back to the two men sparring. Compared to Evan, who wasn't sweating a single drop, white steam was rising from Landt's body.
"Haa, ha..."
Judging by the sound of heavy breathing and slowed movements, the sparring seemed likely to end soon.
“Ugh!”
Sure enough, with a groan, Landt's body collapsed. Evan quickly retrieved his sword and reached out his hand toward Landt, who was slumped on the floor.
"There are gaps in your lower body whenever you make a big attack. It would be good to build up your lower body strength."
"Thank you!"
Landt, holding Evan's hand and standing up, answered in a spirited voice.
"You lasted quite a while today compared to last time."
Landt, who was engrossed in sparring and unaware of who was watching him, turned towards me in surprise.
“Sister!”
The child who spotted me came running over with a bright smile.
"Why are you standing here in the cold?"
"I kept an eye on whether my puppy was doing well."
I smiled as I stretched Landt's cheek. The softness that clung to my hand felt as firm as a sticky rice cake.
"I'm hesitant to go."
Thanks to stretching out his cheeks, Landt's voice turned into a mumble, but it wasn't unintelligible.
No, it wasn't. Moreover, I could fully guess what the child was about to say just from the eyes filled with worry.
"I'm not weak enough to catch a cold at this level. I'm also wearing a thick coat."
When I let go of his cheek I was holding and patted my coat with my finger, the child finally looked relieved.
"You're more worried about me than yourself."
As I brushed back the soaking wet hair, the child smiled shyly.
"Go wash up before you catch a cold."
"Yes!"
The child who answered loudly spun around and ran toward Evan.
"Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I learned a lot."
Landt bowed deeply and greeted me with dignity, which was quite endearing. As if I wasn't the only one who felt that way, a gentle smile spread across Evan's lips as well.
" It was a delightful time for me as well, Young Master."
After Landt bowed deeply to Evan once again, he went inside. He ran briskly and looked particularly cheerful today.
After confirming that the child's figure had disappeared, I turned toward Evan and bowed my head.
"I apologize for making an unreasonable request as soon as you have recovered."
"No, not at all. On the contrary, it was good to be able to loosen up my stiff body."
A gentle smile played on Evan's lips. Perhaps because he had such a healthy constitution, his injury healed faster than expected. Anasha stopped him from diving back into the merchant guild's business as soon as he recovered.
'You need to rest. If you overwork your body like that when you're young, you'll suffer when you get old.'
Anasha, waving her finger and scolding Evan right in front of his eyes, looked like a sister worried about her younger brother.
I made an offer to Evan, who was paralyzed under the fierce watch of Anasha, that he could not refuse.
'Would you mind watching my younger brother's swordsmanship?'
I knew that Landt had recently been enjoying sparring.
Although there were knights of the family, I wanted to show other swordsmanship styles as well as the family's. In that respect, Evan was the right person.
He not only knew the swordsmanship of the Pison family, but also possessed his own unique skills acquired by traveling all over the world with my maternal grandfather.
I asked Evan to watch Landt's swordsmanship whenever he had time. Evan readily agreed to my request.
"It looks quite plausible to me, but what do you think?"
"Physically, there is nothing to criticize regarding strength and agility. Although he appears to lack experience, his fundamentals are so solid that it seems to be only a matter of time. Above all, his effort and concentration are remarkable."
A pleased smile naturally formed on my face at Evan's praise. The fact that my puppy looked satisfying in the eyes of others was much more rewarding and enjoyable than I had expected.
"Landt would be pleased to hear this. If nothing special comes up later, shall we have a meal together?"
He stared at me blankly. I smiled and continued speaking.
"Landt will really like it."
"... Yes."
He nodded a beat late.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Only the occasional sound of tableware being set echoed through the silence. In that heavy atmosphere, the ladies-in-waiting carried the food while holding their breath.
"Everyone, please eat. Landt, eat a lot."
“Yes, sister.”
Landt, who had been glaring at Sis with a narrowed look, quickly answered and picked up his spoon.
The silence that returned continued until the appetite-stimulating appetizers and hunger-soothing soup were cleared away and the main dish was served.
I was about to sigh at the sight of Landt, who never forgot to glare at Sis even while eating heartily; Sis, who was stirring his food half-heartedly with a stiff face; Father, who seemed to be silently focused only on the meal but was subtly revealing his displeasure; and Evan, who was sitting with a rigid face, lost in thought.
'I don't know how things ended up this way.'
As I headed to the dining room after nagging Landt, who appeared dripping wet as if he had rushed out of the shower, I never imagined that such an awkward situation would arise. That is, until I discovered Sis in the dining room engaging in a standoff with my father.
"I heard you dislike spicy food, so I told them to keep it as simple as possible, but I'm not sure if the food suits your taste, Evan."
"This is my favorite thing I've had recently."
"Thank god."
I spoke to Evan to try and lighten the awkward atmosphere a little. After all, he was a guest I had invited, and it was my duty as the host to be considerate so that he could eat comfortably.
"Aren't you asking me?"
Sis's curt voice cut in. It was blatantly obvious on his face that he was furious. I could only let out a hollow laugh at Sis, who was becoming more and more childish.
Back then, he was the kind of man who wouldn't engage in such childish mind games. Still, the reason he looks much better now than he did then is probably because I have changed as well.
"Do you not like the food?"
"I don't like the person I'm with more than the food."
Sis's golden eyes glared at Evan, filled with displeasure. He simply shrugged his shoulders in response to Evan's childish sulking.
'He gets so hostile whenever it involves Evan. What to do.'
Sis was my fiancée, and Evan was my knight. Both of them were inseparable from me.
There were many occasions when we met by chance, just like this time. I didn't expect them to get along well, but my wish was simply that they wouldn't growl at each other as if they were going to devour one another every time they saw each other.
Although he didn't say much, I could sense that Evan was also sharpening his guard against Sis. The sight of the two men glaring at each other made my head throb.
'Well, Evan isn't a saint, so he wouldn't be able to show kindness to someone who displays hostility toward him every time he sees them.'
"Master, may I ask you a favor?"
At Landt's sudden request, not only Evan but I also looked at the child in surprise. I was puzzled by the request of the child, who had never pestered me to do anything, ever since he was very young
"Speak, Young Master."
"Can I call you 'brother'?"
"...!"
Evan opened his eyes wide. Even without looking in the mirror, I could feel that my face was no different from Evan's.
“Why not?”
When there was no answer from Evan, Landt's face, which had been shining with anticipation, turned sullen.
I had a hallucination of the ears and tail, which had been swaying gently, hanging limply. I could sense that Evan was flustered, as if I wasn't the only one seeing such a hallucination.
"I want to call you 'brother'. Is that okay?"
"...Do as you please, young Master."
Evan eventually gave in to the sight of Landt pleading desperately, his big eyes moistening.
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