***
***
“…What is it?”
“Fight me during the day.”
A fight?
Her head tilted in amazement.
He may not remember, but they already fought every day.
‘Why do you want to compete with me?’
“I should know what the sword that defeats me every night is like.”
He smiled slowly. Only then did she realize that he told something similar to a joke.
For some reason, her heart fluttered. To be honest, she didn’t really enjoy the fight every night, but… It wasn’t that she couldn’t do it.
As she nodded, the Grand Duke’s smile widened. She noticed that he was able to smile more freely these days.
He lay on the soft bed and looked up at her.
“Marion, Grand Duchess.”
Her heart pounded again. She instinctively held her sword a little tighter.
“You don’t know how lucky I am for you to be here.”
He beckoned a servant to put out the fire. It wasn’t until the room got very dark that her entire body flushed in embarrassment.
‘Good night, Victor…’
***
The clothes she ordered arrived as quickly as requested. One by one, elaborate and, no doubt, expensive dresses were carried into her bedroom. The maids were in awe.
“Madame, they are so beautiful! Do you like them?”
She stared at the pearl-studded party dress, enchanted. Everything was so delicate and beautiful that it was amazing to say that it could be worn by humans. She was afraid to touch it in fear of breaking it.
All the other clothes were the same. Equestrian robes embroidered with ornate golden patterns, pale yellow evening dresses, and even shirts decorated with elaborate ruffles for ease of movement. She had never seen clothes like these before.
Her door opened.
“Looks like your clothes have arrived.”
“Your highness.”
The servants stopped and bowed their heads.
He gestured for them to continue and looked at Amarion.
‘Why is he in my room during the day?’
“You’ll get to wear a new dress today, Marion.”
He smiled.
“We’re going on a picnic.”
***
Victor took her to the outskirts of the capital.
She sat down in the carriage, wearing her newly made shirt and pants.
“Where are we going now?”
“If we go a little further, there is a training ground for my knights.”
“Don’t all the knights train on the estate?”
“Most of them do, but some remain in the capital to escort.”
She nodded and looked out the window.
As the carriage crossed a dusty road, she remembered the day she had arrived.
The day when she leaned on the window and secretly wiped her tears.
At that time, she was just afraid.
She had never imagined that she would go down a similar road again, with this man, smiling.
The carriage passed through a forest, over a graveled and bumpy road, and finally arrived in front of the training ground.
Shouts were heard from afar.
About ten men, who were concentrating on training, stopped one by one when they saw a carriage with the Grand Duke’s insignia.
The carriage stopped at the entrance, and Victor got off first. The knights raised their swords in unison to pay respects to their master. It was clear that they were well-disciplined knights. All of their bodies looked properly trained, and there were no flaws in their posture.
With admiration in her heart, she grabbed Victor’s outstretched hand as he helped her off the carriage. She could easily see the surprise in the knight’s eyes.
“This is my wife, Amarion.”
Victor introduced his wife to them. The curious eyes of the knights were fixed on her. Blood rushed to her face in an instant. She was not used to receiving so many gazes at once.
Victor whispered to her encouragingly.
“Say hello, Marion. These are my knights.”
She bowed her head stiffly and greeted them with great nervousness.
“Ah, hello. I am Amarion of Amari.”
Raising her head, she was even more flustered. The knights looked very embarrassed.
‘What’s wrong with them?’
Looking back at Victor anxiously, he, too, raised his eyebrows in surprise.
‘What? What’s wrong?’
A knight suddenly asked her, almost in panic.
“Are you a knight of his highness?”
‘Ah…’
It was then that she realized that she had greeted them like a knight. She knew the proper etiquette, but her habits as a knight often came out.
Her face burned as if it was about to explode. She quickly bent and straightened her knees awkwardly.
“Uh… Well, that was a mistake. I’m the Grand Duchess, Amarion Morte.”
“Is it true that you fight his highness every night?”
A knight asked abruptly.
Victor answered in her stead.
“Yes, she does.”
“Then the rumors are true!”
Clank!
They threw away their swords and rushed in like a pack of wolves. When the big men surrounded her, she got goosebumps. She was so startled that she grabbed Victor’s sleeve.
Victor exclaimed in annoyance.
“Can you back off? My wife is surprised!”
“But, your highness, we were stuck here and heard only rumors.”
The knight who asked the second question protested. His fiery red hair was unkempt, sticking out in all directions.
“There are rumors circulating that his highness the Grand Duke didn’t let the Duchess out of the bedroom because he cared for her. Do you know how curious we were?”
She bowed her head with a reddened face.
It was obvious what the knights were talking about.
Since he didn’t let her out of the bedroom, of course those kinds of rumors would spread…
Victor scolded him harshly.
“Don’t be frivolous, Carlz.”
“Do you know how many goosebumps we get whenever your highness acts like a noble?”
Immediately someone else grumbled.
It was followed by loud laughter and another scolding.
She honestly couldn’t help but be surprised.
He was feared by everyone on the continent, but he had a closer relationship with his knights than she expected. The Knights of the Grand Duke of Death were like a group of friends.
Soon, their eyes returned to her. There was a hint of interest in their eyes as they examined her.
“On the battlefield, when his highness woke up, the knights had to come at him in droves.”
“Such a slender Grand Duchess? Your highness, aren’t you over marriageable age?”
‘How can you be so rude?!’
She glanced at Victor in frustration. But oddly enough, Victor seemed unperturbed.
He looked down at her and smiled softly.
“They were curious about you, so I brought you with me.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Everyone, dismissed!”
The knights cheered and rushed to the edge of the training ground.
The field was quickly cleared, giving the two enough room to duel. The knights sat around at random and shouted as if they were watching a bar fight.
She sighed.
Once again, it was time for the couple to fight.
***
The only difference was that he was sane and she was wearing outing clothes.
Victor smiled and drew his sword.
“Marion, I will not be easy during the day.”
“Even when you’re sleeping, you’re not easy, Victor.”
She sighed while Victor smiled.
Around the perimeter of the arena there was a lot of commotion. The knights clapped and whistled, almost like gangsters.
What on earth would make these knights, who had undergone such rigorous training, a crazy bunch?
She drew her sword while imagining the Grand Duke and his Knights roaming the continent.
It had been a long time since she had wielded a sword during the day. But she was prepared.
He didn’t ask such a frivolous question such as ‘Are you ready?’
Instead, Victor exhaled happily.
“My Lady, I’ll go first.”
The next moment, he came at her.
***