***
After the fight with the demon was over, Filina turned straight around and walked, scrambling through the grass.
Cecilia, who had been vaguely watching her, also greeted Henry and hurried to follow Filina. Their escort knights also followed along.
Henry, who until then had been standing there staring at Filina, suddenly lowered his head and took a quick look at his shoes. The black military boots were imposing and clearly marked with the shoe marks left by Filina.
“Master Henry.”
Philip, Henry’s escort knight, approached him.
“That’s Lady Filina , the eldest daughter of the Debussy family, right?”
At his question, Henry raised his head and stared at the spot where Filina had disappeared. It seemed that she had already walked far, and only the green grass was fluttering in the wind on the overgrown forest path.
“She’s much more beautiful than I’d heard rumors about.”
Philip recited in a small, admiring voice, and shortly looked back at Henry with a suspicious expression.
“By the way, did you do anything wrong to the Lady?”
At his question, Henry shifted his gaze and stared at Philip. Then Philip tilted his head and added, unconsciously.
“I think the Lady doesn’t like Master Henry very much.”
At Philip’s words, Henry opened his mouth in a low voice, frowning.
“To begin with, I’ve met Lady Debussy only three times, no, four times to date. Not once have we even had a conversation.”
When Henry said this, he asked Philip with a puzzled look.
“So, what the hell did I do wrong?”
Philip nodded quietly.
“Then I guess it was a mistake.”
Somehow Henry couldn’t answer Philip’s words easily.
For he thought of Filina’s face as she had coldly refused the handkerchief he had offered her.
Henry averted his gaze for a moment and glanced at the handkerchief in his hand.
Demon blood, with its fishy smell, was highly toxic and would cause pain if exposed to the skin for too long.
Moreover, the feeling of it coagulating and burning must have been horrifyingly eerie.
Still, Filina wiped it off roughly with her hand, a cold expression on her face.
It was both reckless and foolish of her to do such a thing with the handkerchief he had offered in front of her.
“Master Henry?”
Philip tilted his head and called Henry in a doubtful voice. Henry, who had been staring at the handkerchief like that, quickly shifted his body and moved his feet through the grass.
“What? I’m coming with you!”
Philip hurried to follow Henry as he walked without thinking.
Meanwhile, Filina, who was on her way to the Princess with Cecilia, still wasn’t holding back her anger.
Cecilia said that Henry often came here to hunt.
But that didn’t bother her at all. She was just annoyed by the look on his face as he reluctantly answered her words.
When they returned to the Princess, everyone looked surprised to see Cecilia covered in dirt.
Filina was in a fine state. Her cheeks, which were covered with the blood of the demon, were clear from how sincerely Henry had wiped them, and he had even removed all the makeup Laura did.
The back of her hand, which she had wiped off because she didn’t want to accept Henry’s handkerchief, also had demon blood on it, but Enoch had cleaned it off with the sleeve of his clothes, so it didn’t leave any marks.
She made an excuse to the Princess that she had a small accident while hunting.
She was afraid that she would get tired if it became too noisy with the story of fighting a demon.
Cecilia also tried her best to minister to Filina’s story.
Such a hectic day passed, and the next day came.
At last, the long-awaited successful applicants for the Military Academy were announced. Filina immediately got off the carriage and checked the list written in front of the academy.
Her name rose proudly to the 28th position.
“Congratulations, Miss Filina.”
Filina raised her lips slightly at Enoch’s voice.
“Thank you, Enoch.”
Her gaze turned again to the list of names. Filina’s red eyes lingered for a moment on the first name on the list.
Henry Argeny.
Next to his name, the word “Chief” was added in small letters. It was a frustrating but natural result.
Because Henry Argeny was the one who would become the “Swordmaster” at a later date.
Her gaze dropped a little further down.
There was a name she hadn’t found yet.
At that moment, a large shadow fell beside her. The stranger’s arm made an unexpected contact with Filina’s arm.
It was because the place was too small for the people who had gathered to look at the list of successful candidates.
Her gaze stared off to the side. The tall man stood, and she had to lift her head for a moment to make out his face.
A black mask hung over the sharp face line.
Filina’s eyes widened.
Leon was quietly searching for his name on the list. As he did so, he suddenly averted his gaze, which he could feel from the side.
Jet black eyes met her red irises.
Filina, however, quickly turned away.
She had called out to him on impulse before, when his sword had broken, but she had no desire to engage in any more conversation than necessary.
‘If you’re next to me, you might experience something bad again.….’
The haunting guilt has coarsened her heart and made her feel suffocated.
She knew that she didn’t deserve to be any closer to Leon.
It was all her fault that she sent him to his death.
Bringing in the rebels in her third life and kidnapping Cecilia was a bad plan. She underestimated Henry too much.
Besides, she took the story too lightly.
She thought that if she sidestepped Henry’s abduction plan, it would complicate the story. She was under the illusion that she only needed to go beyond that moment.
She explained the situation to Cecilia and hoped that she would hold out for one day.
She didn’t expect that Ian would come to Cecilia’s rescue looking so much like the original.
In addition, she never imagined that Henry would come looking for Cecilia.
In the end, that was how the fight between the Crown Prince and the mastermind to kill all the rebels began.
The bloody fight broke out less than half an hour after the rebels had abducted Cecilia.
Filina didn’t have time to explain anything to Cecilia, nor did she had time to prepare for the battle that had suddenly come.
‘It was all my fault.’
She didn’t think the story would play out that way.
‘Please, if only the sword I had Enoch make would be delivered to Leon properly… I will never get involved with him after that.’
“Enoch, will you be able to get the sword I asked for today?”
At Filina’s question, Enoch, who had been following her, bowed his head and answered.
“Yes. I was told to come and get it sometime this evening. I will also check the condition of the sword, would you like to go with me, Lady Filina?”
“No, I don’t know how to look at swords well anyway. You can check the condition of the sword yourself and bring it to me.”
“Okay.”
Filina averted her gaze and stepped away. Her firm eyes shone gorgeously as they reflected the sunlight.
At last, she could officially learn the sword.
How long had she waited for this moment.
‘This time, I will not die as easily as in my past life.’
When she returned to the mansion, she found a huge carriage blocking the entrance tightly.
“My Lady! Why have you come so late!”
Laura started running when she saw the carriage loitering in front of the mansion.
“The Crown Prince has been waiting for you for quite some time.”
The words spilled out of Laura’s mouth, and Filina frowned in revulsion.
It seemed that Ian was becoming more and more excessive.
Filina sighed and walked into the mansion. As she entered the front door, her mother, who was standing in front of the large hall, approached her.
“Filina!”
Amy spoke in an excited voice.
“Is it true that you’re accepted into the Swordsmanship Academy?”
Filina asked with a curious look on her face as the unexpected words came out of Amy’s mouth.
“How did mother know that?”
Amy shouted with an angry face .
“Because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said so!”
“…His Highness?”
“What are you doing without telling your mother?”
Amy sighed and took Filina to the reception room.
“Well, since His Highness has been waiting for a long time, we’ll talk about this later.”
Amy put her lips to her ear and continued speaking.
“Please, for the love of God, behave like a woman, so that you can take Lady Haley’s place.” (Lady Haley=Cecilia)
With that, she opened the parlor door and pushed Filina inside.
Clank!
The only sound in the deserted air was that of the door closing.
“I’m here to see His Highness.”
Filina bowed her head in formal courtesy. Ian, who was watching her, leaned back against the sofa and asked,
“Where did you go?”
“I took a walk around for a while.”
Ian laughed, twisting his lips at her words.
“A walk?”
Filina raised her gaze and looked at him. The beautiful face looking at her was somewhat disgruntled. It was a face that knew about
the list of successful applicants to the Academy.
Staring at Ian, she moved her feet slowly.
“Your Highness, why do you always visit without notice?”
“Why is it that important when you keep the Crown Prince of the Alvar Empire waiting?”
Filina, who approached Ian, reached for the fine teacup on the table.
“I don’t think Your Highness has been waiting for very long.”
Ian’s brow furrowed as he coldly replied to her words.
“How can you be sure of that?”
Filina, who was staring into his golden eyes, raised her lips at a slight angle.
“Thirty minutes at the most.”
“No, it’s over an hour.”
Filina heard the sound of dismay at Ian’s words.
“Are you joking with me now?”
Ian shrugged nonchalantly.
“Why would you think that? I was just telling you the truth.”
“No way.”
Filina stared at him with an indifferent expression as she spoke.
“When our maids pour tea into the cups, they make sure to pour exactly the right amount.”
She gave Ian a light smile.
“His Highness took only a few sips. The amount is smaller now, but half of the tea hasn’t disappeared
Filina brushed the surface of the white cup.
“The cup is still warm. It should have cooled down by now after an hour.”
Ian opened his mouth with his head tilted.
“I may have already finished a drink and poured a new one.”
Filina now pointed to the teapot on the table.
“Our maids are very well trained. The position of the kettle is also in perfect order.”
Following her finger, Ian looked at the kettle. As if explaining to him, Filina added a few words.
“The front of the kettle is placed so that it can be seen around the seat where the guests are seated, and the entrance where the water flows out is facing away from them. That’s how it looks now.”
She was right, the kettle on the table was still where the maid had first placed it.
The Crown Prince’s first cup may have been poured directly by the maid who were setting the table, but after that, it was common for him to pour the tea himself.
So, if Ian had touched the kettle, it wouldn’t look exactly the way it was.