The End Of Winter (7)

“……What is it?”

“Spar with me during the day.”

Spar?

My head tilted on its own in confusion.

He did not remember it, but we already crossed swords every night. Then why did he want to fight me?

“I should at least know what kind of sword defeats me every night, shouldn’t I?”

He smiled slowly. Only then did I realize he had made something like a joke.

For some reason, a warm feeling bloomed in my chest. I did not particularly enjoy sparring, but…… if he was asking, it was not something I could not do.

When I nodded, the Grand Duke’s smile widened slightly. I thought he had been smiling much more readily these days.

He lay down on the soft bedding. Then he looked up at me.

“Marion, my Grand Duchess.”

At his sweet voice, my heart lurched for no reason once again. Instinctively, I hugged the sword more tightly.

“You have no idea how glad I am that you came.”

His eyelids moved more and more slowly.

I quickly gestured for the attendant to extinguish the lights. Only after the room had become completely dark did I silently mouth the words.

Good night, Victor.

The clothes I had ordered arrived as quickly as requested. Dresses so elaborate that it was hard to believe they had been made in such a short time were carried one after another into the lady of the house’s room. The maids squealed in admiration the entire time they transported them.

“My lady, they’re truly beautiful! You like them too, don’t you?”

I stared blankly at the bodice of a party dress densely studded with pearls. Every part of it was so delicate and lovely that it seemed too wondrous to be clothing meant for a person. I was even afraid to touch it in case I damaged it by mistake.

All the other clothes were the same. There was a riding outfit decorated with splendid golden embroidery, a pale-yellow evening gown, and even the shirt ordered for nighttime had intricate pleats added so that it would be easy to move in. Every single one was something I had never even seen before.

Just then, the door opened.

“It seems the clothes have arrived.”

“Your Grace.”

The servants stopped what they were doing at once and bowed their heads.

He instructed them to continue their work, then looked at me.

Why had he come to my room in broad daylight?

He spoke to me as I stared at him with wide eyes.

“Put on your new clothes, Marion.”

He smiled.

“Let us go out.”

Victor took me by carriage to the outskirts of the capital.

As he had told me, I wore my newly tailored shirt and trousers. I sat there without knowing why before belatedly asking,

“Where are we going?”

“A little farther ahead is the training ground of my knight order. The knights who remain in the capital use it.”

“Didn’t all the knights go back to the territory?”

“Most of them did, but a few remained in the capital as escorts.”

I see. I nodded and looked out the window.

As the carriage traveled down a road where clouds of dust rose, I remembered when I had first come here.

The days when I leaned against the inside of the glass window and secretly wiped away my tears. Back then, I had only been afraid. I had never imagined I would travel down a similar road again with this man, smiling together well enough.

Soon, the carriage passed through a broadleaf forest, rattled along a gravel road, and arrived in front of the training ground. Shouts of exertion could be heard from afar.

The dozen or so sturdy men who had been training intently with swords stopped moving one by one when they saw the carriage bearing the crest of the Grand Ducal House.

The carriage stopped at the entrance, and Victor stepped down first. The knights raised their swords in unison to salute their lord. At a glance, it was clear they were a disciplined and orderly knight order. Every one of them had a thoroughly trained physique, and there were no openings in the way they held their swords.

Secretly impressed, I took the hand Victor offered and stepped down after him. Undisguised surprise appeared in their eyes.

“This is my wife, Amarion.”

Victor introduced me to them. At once, the knights’ gazes fixed on me. I could feel each of their curious eyes appraising me. Blood rushed to my face in an instant. I was not accustomed to receiving so much attention all at once.

Victor spoke encouragingly.

“Greet them, Marion. These are my knights.”

Tense all over, I stiffly bowed my head in greeting.

“G-Greetings. I am Amarion of Amari.”

When I raised my head, I became even more flustered. The knights now wore extremely bewildered expressions.

Why were they acting like that? I anxiously looked back at Victor, but he too had raised his eyebrows in surprise.

What was it? What mistake had I made?

As I nearly fell into a panic, one of the knights cautiously asked,

“Your Highness, are you a knight?”

Ah.

Only then did I realize I had greeted them like a knight. It was not that I knew so little of etiquette. Being surrounded by knights had simply caused my old habit to slip out.

My face instantly grew hot enough to burst. I quickly bent and straightened my knees in an awkward curtsy.

“Yes……. That was a mistake. I am Amarion Mort, Grand Duchess of Mort.”

“Is it true that you have sword fights with His Grace every night?”

Another knight suddenly asked.

Instead of me, who had fallen silent in embarrassment, Victor answered simply.

“Yes, it is true.”

“Then all the rumors were true!”

Clang!

They threw down their swords and suddenly swarmed toward us like a pack of wolves. Goosebumps rose naturally as the enormous men rushed over in a crowd. Startled, I quickly grabbed Victor’s sleeve.

Victor shouted irritably.

“Get back at once! You’re frightening my wife!”

“But Your Grace, we’ve been stuck out here hearing nothing but rumors.”

The knight who had asked the second question pouted in protest. His blazing red hair stuck out in every direction.

“There are rumors everywhere that Your Grace adores Her Highness the Grand Duchess so much that you won’t even let her leave the bedroom, but we can’t go see her, and you never summon us. Do you know how curious we’ve been?”

My face burning red, I lowered my head deeply.

It was obvious what kind of stories the knights had heard. Not letting me leave the bedroom surely meant that sort of thing…….

Victor sternly rebuked him.

“Do not behave so frivolously, Kaltz.”

“Do you know how much it makes our skin crawl whenever Your Grace acts like a nobleman?”

Someone else immediately grumbled.

This was followed by boisterous laughter and yet another rebuke.

I honestly could not help being surprised.

He was certainly the Grand Duke feared by everyone on the continent, yet he seemed much closer to his knights than I had expected. Contrary to their infamous reputation, the Walking Death’s knight order seemed more like a group of friends.

Their gazes quickly gathered on me again. Their eyes were plainly filled with interest as they looked at me.

“Even on the battlefield, when His Grace woke up, the knights had to attack him in a group.”

“This delicate Grand Duchess defeated him? Perhaps His Grace is already past his prime?”

How could they be so rude!

I repeatedly glanced at Victor to gauge his mood. Strangely, however, Victor looked quite pleased.

He looked down at me and smiled brightly.

“I brought her here because I was curious about that as well.”

“You mean?”

“Yes. Everyone, clear the area!”

The knights cheered and rushed toward the edge of the training ground.

A circular space opened in the middle of the clearing. Those who sat around it however they pleased shouted as though they were in the middle of a tavern.

I sighed.

It was the beginning of another marital quarrel.

There was hardly anything to prepare. Other than the fact that he was in his right mind and I was wearing outdoor clothes, it was the same as what we did in the bedroom every night.

Standing ten paces away, Victor smiled and drew his sword.

“Marion, I will not be so easy to handle during the day.”

“You are not easy to handle even when you are asleep, Victor.”

When I sighed, Victor grinned.

Outside the circle, there was utter chaos. The clapping and loud whistles made them sound more like street ruffians than knights.

What could they have experienced to turn knights who had surely undergone strict training into such a disorderly group?

Imagining the years the Grand Duke and his knight order had spent roaming the continent, I drew my sword.

It had been a long time since I had held a sword during the day. The midday sunlight shattered along the tip of the blade.

He did not ask such an easy question as whether I was ready.

Victor said cheerfully,

“Then, my lady, as the dishonorable man that I am, I shall go first.”

The next moment, he was right in front of me.