Sparks flew in Kaeun hyung-nim’s eyes when he was provoked. However, he soon realized his opponent was His Highness and quickly concealed his impure gaze. Still, it seemed he didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.
‘But if I recognized it, there’s no way His Highness wouldn’t have noticed.’
I could perceive what would happen next even without seeing a vision. There was no reason to refuse since sparring with His Highness was a tremendous honor. Hyung-nim wasn’t foolish enough to cause trouble during such a precious match, nor did he lack loyalty.
‘The Sayus Family has devoted their loyalty to the imperial family for a long time, so there’s no way they’d make a big deal just because Tienas died.’
I attached various reasons to calm my anxious heart.
“If I can spar with His Highness the Crown Prince, it would be a great honor for me, but I don’t wish to approach it with personal feelings. If you’ll allow me that, I’ll do my best with my sword.”
I breathed a sigh of relief at the answer I had expected.
“Do as you please.”
His Highness took off the cumbersome outer garment he was wearing and handed it to me. When I stared at him with wide eyes, he smiled so warmly that the expressionless face from moments ago seemed like an illusion.
“Sir Aila is not yet fully recovered, so stay here and watch.”
After saying that, I unconsciously grabbed the hem of His Highness’s garment as he descended below. Though I hadn’t grabbed much of the fabric, His Highness, who was sharp, turned around just from that.
“Y-Your Highness. Um, must you spar?”
I covered my mouth with my hand at the words that came out without my knowing. I couldn’t understand that I had dared to stop His Highness from doing what he wanted to do. And it wasn’t even from seeing a vision, nor was it anything particularly threatening.
“What’s wrong?”
So I couldn’t answer His Highness’s question. Even I didn’t understand why I tried to stop His Highness from leaving.
“I-I’m terribly sorry. I spoke unnecessarily.”
His Highness approached me as I bowed my head deeply. It was when His Highness’s shadow completely covered me.
“What are you worried about? Are you worried I might lose?”
“No, I would never dare think such a thing.”
It was hard to even imagine His Highness being defeated in a one-on-one spar. Even if they brought the strongest swordsman in the empire, he would be just mediocre before His Highness. When he appeared on the battlefield, enemy forces would immediately flee. Those who hadn’t seen it directly might worry about his defeat, thinking ‘Isn’t that an exaggerated rumor?’ but I was not one of them.
“Then are you lonely being alone? I’ll leave two knights behind, so just wait a little.”
His Highness lightly patted my head. I nodded like a child who knew nothing. I only realized after His Highness left how terribly disrespectful that was.
“Your Highness! You’re personally participating in the spar?”
“It’ll be brief, so there’s no need for commotion.”
Everyone seemed shocked and unable to collect themselves at the news that His Highness wouldn’t just observe but would participate directly. Like well-trained knights, they quickly organized their surprise and promptly finished preparations for the spar, but they couldn’t hide their slight disarray.
“Tsk.”
I could clearly hear Sir Ken, who remained beside me, clicking his tongue. Perhaps noticing my gaze, Sir Ken straightened his posture.
“Sir Aila, this must be your first time seeing His Highness the Crown Prince spar? It’s not something you can learn just by watching, but if you observe carefully, it’ll help you later.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
I was pleased that Sir Ken treated me as a knight when even I couldn’t tell if I was currently a knight or an ornament.
‘It’s not my first time, but it has been a while.’
His Highness generously sparred with me from time to time. Not with real swords like now, but with wooden swords. When sparring with me, he wouldn’t use anything but wooden swords.
‘I didn’t have the courage to point a real sword at His Highness either, so it was fortunate.’
As I looked down below, unable to hide my anticipation, my vision blurred again. I barely managed to straighten myself as my body was about to topple forward. Sir Ken glanced at me as if something was strange, but when I acted as if nothing was wrong, he soon turned his gaze away.
‘What is this? Am I really not fully recovered yet, as His Highness said?’
But something felt off about that explanation. I hadn’t been poisoned, I had only suffered severe burns, yet sudden dizziness and nausea? If this had been happening continuously since I regained consciousness, I would have thought it was aftereffects of my injury, but that wasn’t the case either.
“We will begin the spar. Inflicting fatal injuries is forbidden. The spar ends when someone drops their sword or admits defeat.”
When I barely managed to clear my blurry vision, I saw His Highness checking his sparring sword. It was His Highness’s long-standing habit to maintain his sword before entering combat. Receiving everyone’s attention yet not feeling burdened by it, he slowly lowered his sword. It was a signal that he was ready.
‘I need to watch carefully.’
Perhaps because I concentrated, my dizzy vision fixed on His Highness. The first to move was Kaeun hyung-nim. After taking a vigorous running start, hyung-nim wrapped sword energy around his blade and thrust straight at His Highness. Some might say it was too aggressive without wearing protective gear, but His Highness perfectly avoided the attack by simply taking a light step back and turning his body. Even after that, movements that dodged attacks by a paper-thin margin continued.
“Is that even possible?”
“I heard he was strong, but… Sir Kaeun isn’t just any knight, is he?”
I could hear murmuring from here and there. That made sense because Kaeun hyung-nim was strong enough to be counted among the best in one-on-one spars. Those who had never directly witnessed His Highness’s martial prowess might have secretly predicted Kaeun hyung-nim’s advantage.
‘He’s conducting the match more ruthlessly than I expected.’
When sparring with me, even if he didn’t show all his skill, he would at least cross swords with me. He didn’t make me feel the difference in ability to this extent. Kaeun hyung-nim must be feeling humiliated.
“Sir Kaeun. There’s no use resenting me.”
His Highness, who had been silently dodging attacks, spoke without a single breath disturbed. The knights seemed flustered by the sudden words, but they didn’t seem tactless enough to show it.
“I don’t resent you.”
“Is that so? Doesn’t the Sayus Family think Tiel’s death is my fault?”
Hyung-nim’s attacks were becoming increasingly disorganized. I could see from afar that the sword energy that had been extending straight was losing its way.
“Tienas, my brother, died honorably while carrying out his duties, I was told.”
Kaeun hyung-nim never said my death was unrelated to His Highness. That revealed his faint resentment.
‘He shouldn’t be like that.’
If Darian hyung-nim had been beside him, he would have made him restrain himself, but Kaeun hyung-nim, a hot-blooded knight, didn’t handle such provocations well. Excluding personality, he had a thought process most similar to mine, so I knew well.
“Right. You’re correct. However, don’t you lack the qualification to mourn Tiel’s death?”
This time too, His Highness was calm. The force with which he struck down the wavering sword was growing stronger. Kaeun hyung-nim, who had lost even the leisure to respond, gradually lost his path of attack and took a defensive stance. The sword falling as gracefully as if performing a sword dance was fiercely targeting Kaeun hyung-nim. The offense and defense had naturally changed as smoothly as flowing water.
“Put your hand on your chest and think. Do you think Tiel would be grateful just because you mourn his death? Rather, he’d find it strange.”
It was a piercing remark. I wasn’t the only one surprised by words that seemed to read my mind—Kaeun hyung-nim lost his center. However, His Highness deliberately didn’t strike at that opening and took a breath. That blatantly showed he was going easy on him despite being able to end the spar at any time.
When Kaeun hyung-nim straightened his posture and gathered sword energy to attack, His Highness twisted the trajectory of the incoming sword as if he’d been waiting for it. The moment Kaeun hyung-nim staggered, His Highness swung his sword so easily it looked effortless. With a loud clang, Kaeun hyung-nim’s sword broke in two.
“Oh my.”
“How could this be.”
It was a scene that made even those holding their breath exclaim. In any case, it was the moment I breathed a deep sigh of relief that it was over. My vision rippled and dizziness rushed over me.
‘Wait. What is this…’
But dizziness wasn’t the problem. Suddenly I felt an unpleasant scent like a mixture of all kinds of perfumes hit me at once. At this sensation I’d never felt in my life, I covered my nose with my hand, but nothing changed. Rather, the situation worsened as heat surged through my body.
‘Don’t tell me…’
When I looked around at the hypothesis that flashed through my mind, everyone’s eyes were focused on me. Several people were covering their noses and mouths like me.
‘I’m screwed.’
It seemed Aila’s body had entered a heat cycle period. Moreover, experiencing a heat cycle for the first time, I seemed unable to control my pheromones and had released them in all directions. Even knowing this, I didn’t know how I should act.
“Everyone get away from him!”
The voice that had been calm even while provoking Kaeun hyung-nim during the spar trembled greatly and spread across the training ground.
