A Battlefield Of Flowers (3)

When I was young, Mother tried to raise me like a count’s daughter. She attempted to teach me embroidery despite not having much thread to spare, and forced me to memorize things such as noble speech and the rhythm of ballroom dances. No one else there did such things, and even I considered them useless, but I could not defy Mother, who had become exceptionally sharp-tempered after marrying into a foreign land.

To her, who had been born and raised in a wealthy, warm territory, Amari was hell. As though she did not even want to know about the territory’s circumstances, she never left the castle and always embroidered flowers, suns, and similar things onto handkerchiefs.

When she discovered that I was learning swordsmanship, she flew into a rage and mercilessly whipped the servants. How could they allow a young lady to hold a sword? Could they still call themselves servants of a noble house after doing such a thing?

The knights heard me crying and rushed in to stop Mother.

‘Would you rather have the young lady die after encountering a goblin on the road? That is what Amari is like!’

At their words, Mother collapsed as though she might faint. After that, she never taught me anything again.

That was the end of my education as a noble lady. I remembered a few things, but they were nowhere near enough for me to adapt to high society in the Imperial capital. I began urgently studying social etiquette and refinement by going back through the etiquette books I had read so far.

However, social etiquette was not only extensive but also full of confusing rules. Madam Sermona, who had temporarily taken the role of my etiquette instructor, taught me how to hold a fan, how to lower my gaze and swirl a cup to signal my intentions, and how to address people from families I was close to and those I was less familiar with, but honestly, I could barely follow any of it.

How was anyone supposed to distinguish between placing the index and middle fingers on a fan and placing the index finger and thumb on it? It seemed easier to identify what kind of monster was flying over a mountain.

Around the time I was groaning in misery, Dideric brought a knight into the room.

“As you already know, my lady, a noblewoman must be escorted by a knight during the social season.”

I nodded enthusiastically.

A knightly escort was essential for noblewomen of high rank. I remembered reading that women from knightly houses brought several family knights with them to show off to the other ladies.

Dideric bowed and admitted the knight into the room.

“This gentleman will escort you during this social season.”

My eyes widened.

He was a knight I had seen before at the training ground. The cheerfully spiky red-haired knight knelt gracefully on one knee and kissed the back of my hand.

“I greet Your Highness. I am Kaltz of Dnion.”

“P-Please rise, Sir Kaltz.”

Flustered, I withdrew my hand. An unmistakable gleam of mischief shone in Kaltz’s eyes.

“Sir Kaltz is His Grace the Grand Duke’s chief of staff. He is also a knight renowned throughout the Empire.”

At Dideric’s explanation, Kaltz nodded with satisfaction.

“That is correct. That is why I was appointed as my lady’s escort. You must have a famous knight accompanying you if you wish to maintain your dignity, mustn’t you?”

I smiled ambiguously. It had been a long time since someone had spoken to me so casually. Perhaps that was why I did not know how to respond.

However, as though my reaction did not bother him at all, he seriously stroked his chin.

“But for me to escort my lady……. That is a rather strange expression.”

“?”

“If my lady and I were to travel together, it would probably be more accurate to say that I was being escorted by you.”

That was another joke…… right?

When I looked up at him in confusion, he smiled like a mischievous boy again. Perhaps he had no intention of explaining in detail, because he soon craned his neck and peered at the etiquette manual I had been reading.

“Ah, you are studying ladies’ etiquette? This is terribly troublesome, isn’t it?”

I quickly nodded. In any case, I was presently suffering greatly, so I wanted to complain about it to anyone who would listen.

“No matter how much I read, I still do not understand…….”

When I spoke in a dispirited voice, he laughed heartily.

“Do not worry, my lady. I will help you from now on as well.”

“You will, Sir Kaltz?”

“Of course. I may not look it, but I am quite popular among the ladies.”

Sir Kaltz smiled slyly. The corners of his mouth lifted enough to show his canine teeth, forming a pleasant smile.

I narrowed my eyes and examined his face. Now that I looked at him…… perhaps he was somewhat handsome.

In truth, I had recently begun having difficulty distinguishing whether people were attractive or not. After seeing Victor by my side every day, everyone else looked more or less the same.

This was probably handsome enough…….

However he interpreted my expression, Sir Kaltz jumped in alarm.

“It is true, my lady. I really am popular, you know?”

“I am not saying I do not believe you, Sir Kaltz.”

“Do not lie! You just looked at me with an extremely suspicious expression.”

“N-No, that was not it…….”

When I waved my hands in embarrassment, Dideric and Madam Sermona covered their mouths to suppress their laughter.

He truly was unbearably cheerful.

That was the moment my first impression of Sir Kaltz settled into something resembling a rampaging cockatrice.

Thus began the full-scale preparations for the social season, now with Sir Kaltz joining in. I took etiquette lessons in the morning, practiced dancing in the afternoon, and put Victor to sleep at night. It was a grueling schedule.

Using the excuse that he was helping me, Sir Kaltz skipped training each time and came and went from the residence. If Madam Sermona taught me the ‘official’ rules of etiquette, then what Sir Kaltz taught me were the ‘unofficial’ ones.

For example, it went like this.

“When a man tugs the end of a noblewoman’s left sleeve, it means he wishes to go out into the garden.”

“Why would they go to the garden?”

“Why do you think?”

He gazed steadily at me with a suspicious smile. As I stared back with wide eyes, Madam Sermona coughed behind us. Ahem, ahem. The next moment, I understood what he meant.

“!”

My face reddened instantly.

“Why are you teaching me something like that……!”

“You need to know as well, my lady. I do not wish to witness a sword fight in the middle of the capital.”

Sir Kaltz shrugged.

“If that ever happens, push him away quickly before His Grace the Grand Duke sees. Understood?”

Avoiding the gaze of the red-haired knight, which dripped with mischief, I turned my head.

He was worrying about the most ridiculous things. Who would ever court me in such a way? Even Victor’s affectionate gaze was incomprehensible and overwhelming to someone like me. That was precisely why it melted me like ice before a flame.

Madam Sermona sternly admonished Sir Kaltz as he kept snatching cookies.

“Sir, do not embarrass my lady. Who would dare make such an insolent proposal to the Grand Duchess of Mort?”

“That is true. Her Highness has someone resembling a dragon for a husband.”

Sir Kaltz drained his tea in one gulp as though it were liquor, then rose from his seat.

“There should be nothing to worry about. Now then, shall we continue practicing?”

I nodded and rose from my chair after him. The long indoor dress I wore for dance practice fluttered around me.

I learned dancing quite quickly. I mastered the basic four-beat dance, the lively dances of the southern Empire, and even the dance with slow, complicated footwork that was said to be common at the Imperial Palace before long.

Come to think of it, people had always said I was good at anything involving physical movement from the time I was young.

For once, I caught my breath while feeling proud of myself.

Sir Kaltz’s help played a large part in my progress. As he himself claimed, the ‘best dancer in the knight order’ willingly became my practice partner. Kaltz truly was skilled at dancing and led me with considerable expertise.

Although I stepped on his feet several times, I managed to perform the dance reasonably well, and both Kaltz and Madam Sermona showered me with praise.

“Splendid, my lady. There is almost nothing left to criticize.”

“Watching from the side, you looked just like an elegant swan.”

The problem was that they always went too far. Pretending to cool my sweat, I vigorously fanned myself.

They truly were kind people. The people of my homeland were certainly good people as well, but simply surviving there was difficult, so gentle conversations like these were rare. I had far more memories of splinting broken legs and sewing leather than laughing and chatting. That was why I liked this place. This gentle atmosphere, and kind Victor.

At the thought of Victor, heat rose to my cheeks again. My thoughts naturally wandered.

If I continued like this, would I become a wife who suited him even a little? Could I become a lady worthy of him, who was always so splendid and graceful?

Just then, the sound of the door opening came from behind me.

“I heard you were practicing dancing?”

“Victor!”

Victor approached me with a gentle smile. He seemed to have returned from outside only moments ago, and the scent of the spring breeze still lingered on his collar.

He looked with amusement at my hair, which had been braided and wound into a round bun.

“Were you practicing a court dance?”

“Yes. Sir Kaltz was acting as my partner.”

The Grand Duke’s gaze turned toward Kaltz. As his yellow eyes narrowed like a griffin’s, Kaltz swiftly retreated about five steps.

Why was he acting like that?

I cast a puzzled glance over my shoulder, then looked up at Victor again. He spoke with exceptional tenderness.

“If you needed a practice partner, you should have called for me. I was nearby.”

“Ah, but…….”

Even if it was merely dance practice, I had heard that it violated etiquette for a married couple to cling closely together in broad daylight.

When I turned to look at Madam Sermona, she wore a troubled expression, apparently thinking the same thing. Kaltz’s gaze, on the other hand, was slightly different. The best way to describe it would be, ‘Has that man lost his mind?’

At that moment, a large hand turned my face forward again.

‘!’

I could feel his breath from only inches away.

Cupping my cheek, Victor pleaded in a sweet voice.

“Marion, hm?”

My face heated in an instant.

Could it be that he knew I was weak against his face?

I hesitated, unsure where to look. Since it was a rare request from him, the desire to grant it naturally rose all the way to my throat.

However.

I squeezed my eyes shut and blurted out,

“I-I will simply practice with Sir Kaltz!”

No matter what, I could not break the etiquette I had learned only yesterday.