“No, I’ll go to the neighboring fief—”
“No, I’ll accept a marriage proposal first—”
“I’ll go to the capital and meet with some nobles I know—”
After hearing Elena’s response, the three family members eagerly proposed solutions they could undertake themselves.
What was the problem with that? When it came to grievances, Elena believed the fastest solution was “a conversation of the body.” She was convinced that when one moved physically enough to reach an understanding, nothing remained unclear. That’s how things usually worked in the Lewis fief. Watching her family’s flustered reactions, Elena gave a meaningful smile.
“I’ve already sent in my application,” she announced.
“What?!”
“Since there’s no particular reason for them to reject me, and with my noble lineage confirmed, I’m likely to be accepted. The notice of acceptance should arrive soon. It was fortunate that I applied in advance.”
The family stared at Elena, who smiled innocently, utterly dumbfounded. She, on the other hand, felt pleased with herself for acting swiftly and seizing the opportunity.
—
The blade of the sword flashed before Derrick’s eyes.
“Elena Lewis! Are you serious?!”
On his first leave in a long while, Derrick had to dodge to avoid injury, quickly pulling his face back. His expression was a strange mix of shock and frustration.
“If you’d stayed distracted like that, I could’ve cut your throat,” Elena said nonchalantly.
Ignoring her angry brother, she continued her attacks in silence. Derrick’s furious movements grew wider, more erratic.
“Are you really going to become a maid in the duke’s household?” he demanded.
“Yes. What’s the problem with that?”
Elena spoke as if she didn’t understand. Wasn’t going to the duke’s household a good thing?
She needed to earn money, and that place offered a truly substantial salary. In a single month, she could earn enough to support a common family for three months. Besides, they had told her not to reveal she was a sword lady! Elena thrust her sword toward Derrick’s left arm with precision, laced with a hint of emotion.
“Ow!” Derrick yelped. “Do you have any idea how incredible it is to be a sword lady? How many people do you think became sword masters at seventeen? Even if you counted them on your fingers, you wouldn’t find many in history!”
From what Elena knew, even the empire’s founding king hadn’t become a sword master until he was past thirty. So far, Carl Beckman, from the very ducal family she intended to join, was the youngest to achieve that rank. She recalled how every newspaper in the kingdom had trumpeted the news.
“The prodigy Carl Beckman, rumored to have surpassed the founding king, became the commander of the Second Knights at just eighteen!” Derrick continued, his words rushing out until he was nearly out of breath. “And you want to become a mere maid in a duke’s household?!”
Derrick was furious at his sister’s foolishness and their family’s excessive kindness. It was clear Elena didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of being a sword lady. That’s why she was talking about becoming a maid in the duke’s household. If it were him, he wouldn’t even utter a word about becoming a servant.
Dodging Elena’s sharp sword strikes, Derrick muttered under his breath. Most knights spent their entire lives striving without ever reaching the rank of sword master. A sword master was a truly divine talent. A single sword master could determine the outcome of a war.
“What’s the point of claiming a title?” Elena countered. “We don’t have the strength to protect it yet. People might just line up to exploit us.”
“There’s no need to think so negatively,” Derrick said.
“And will money just fall into our laps once you claim a title? Of course not,” Elena retorted.
“Why are you suddenly acting so clever? Even if you joined the palace knights, a squad leader’s salary is quite good.”
“Brother, weren’t you just complaining that a knight’s salary is modest?”
“Of course, I’d earn more than an ordinary knight like me.”
Derrick avoided her gaze after Elena’s sharp observation. Still, he believed becoming a knight commander was far better than becoming a maid in a duke’s household.
“I don’t have the confidence to live like Father or Jane, buried in paperwork,” Elena said. “Do you want me to work myself to death and then drown in documents?”
“They won’t grant you a title without a fief, so of course you’d have to work,” Derrick replied. “You’re stating the obvious.”
“No, I’ll earn money steadily and live modestly.”
“You really live so carelessly,” Derrick said, shaking his head. Was this the luxury of the privileged? He looked at Elena with eyes full of envy. If their home were just a little better off, he wouldn’t even consider going to the capital.
On the other hand, Elena’s decision to become a maid, contrary to Derrick’s thinking, stemmed from logical and rational reasoning.
She knew her personality well. She hated troublesome tasks, and sitting at a desk all day handling paperwork was unthinkable. It wasn’t a matter of ability or inability—it was a matter of desire, or lack thereof.
As the third daughter of a count’s family with a small fief, she had reached an age where she needed to solve her own livelihood issues. Moreover, she was at an age where she should earn money to support her family. She had become a sword lady, but she had no interest in standing in the spotlight.
“Hah,” Elena let out a mocking laugh. If the knights who tirelessly strived to become sword masters heard her, they might be furious. But she wasn’t particularly concerned about being a sword lady.
She had become a sword lady one day simply because she loved the sword and spent her days swinging it. For Elena, becoming a sword lady was as natural as breathing or eating.
“No one brags about breathing,” she said. “No one shouts through the neighborhood that they eat well. So why would I want to boast about being a sword lady?”
There were no noble sentiments or knightly spirit behind it. “Who would I protect? That’s nonsense,” she thought.
Elena wanted to live a quiet, peaceful life in their tranquil fief. She was peaceful in her own way. Earning enough money to support the fief and meet her basic needs for food and clothing was all she required.
“You’re lucky I’m on leave right datacurrent_date_time now,” Derrick said. “Otherwise, you’d already be a maid in the duke’s household. Join the palace knights instead.”
He claimed that with his recommendation, she could pass the test immediately, all while aiming his sword at her ankle.
“I’ve already been accepted into the duke’s household,” Elena said, coolly parrying Derrick’s sword. She recalled the acceptance letter she had recently received. She had sent her confirmation without hesitation.
“What?!”
“I told you, I’ve been accepted. We’ll go to the capital together tomorrow.”
“What?! Where are our parents? And why are you telling me this the day before we leave? And why just ‘you’? Say ‘brother’! ‘Brotheeeer’!”
Derrick exploded with anger at his sister’s decision, practically breathing fire.
“If I’d told you earlier, you’d have hounded me all through my leave and annoyed me,” Elena said with a bored tone. “I can’t ruin my peaceful life like that.”
Derrick’s frustration was palpable in the face of Elena’s exasperated words.
“This is unacceptable! Mother… there’s no way Mother would agree to this!”
Derrick clung to his last bastion of hope. Surely their parents could convince Elena otherwise. She was usually calm, but sometimes she did things that were utterly incomprehensible. And in those moments, their parents would stop her immediately.
“They told me to do what I want,” Elena said. “They said I could become a knight anytime, so there’s no need to worry. In fact, they said the royal knights would be the ones in trouble if I joined them!”
“…That’s somewhat true,” Derrick admitted, a strange feeling settling over him.
He recalled his sister’s dismissive attitude toward the knights’ formalities, her face sour and indifferent. His stomach churned at the thought of Elena standing brazenly before high-ranking nobles or even royalty. He could imagine her, with a stone-cold expression, refusing a request from a member of the royal family outside her duties, saying, “That’s not part of my job, so I decline.” A sudden pang shot through his gut. If she were under his direct command, he’d need stomach medicine daily.
Once everyone knew she was his sister, his squad leader would summon him for a scolding every day. Derrick quickly abandoned the idea. Elena was an adult now, capable of standing on her own. She’d been decisive since childhood, so she’d be fine.
*Well, since I’m home, I might as well take advantage of having a sword lady here to train with,* Derrick thought, ever the optimist.
“So, no problem then, right?” Elena asked, noticing the anger fade from her brother’s expression.
Having already received the acceptance letter from the duke’s household, there was no turning back.
“So, you’ll train every day?” Derrick asked.
“If time allows, you have to move your body daily,” she replied. “In the duke’s household, there’s dedicated time for the servants’ training.”
“And time for studying, too, right? You… you’re not going to openly declare you’re a sword lady, are you?”
Derrick asked with concern, though he didn’t expect her to do so.
“I won’t declare it outright, but I’ll train as usual,” Elena said.
*Ugh, how do I deal with this foolish sister?* Derrick let out a deep sigh. Facing her brother’s clear, exasperated look, Elena adopted a neutral expression.
“If you act as usual, they’ll figure you out sooner or later!” he exclaimed. “You have physical skill and intelligence—why do you seem so clueless? Is it a lack of social skills or a lack of empathy?!”
“Do you want to test the edge of my sword?”
At Derrick’s biting sarcasm, a faint aura began to shimmer around Elena’s blade.
“If you announced you were a sword lady posing as a maid, the duke’s household would welcome you with open arms,” Derrick said. “Imagine if a sword lady disguised as a maid entered *our* house—how would you react?”
“Do you enjoy your free time that much?”
Elena responded with confidence. Derrick looked at his sister, who lacked both common sense and social finesse, with a pitying gaze.
“You’re not stupid, but… what did you do with everything you’ve learned?”
Faced with her brother’s forlorn expression, Elena decided to stop joking. Even she could see that someone with her strength going undercover would raise suspicions.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’ll be careful,” she said.
“I don’t trust you at all, sister,” Derrick replied.
“Finally raising your sword, huh? I’ll manage. If you’re going to help, move properly.”
“Tch, if I’d known you’d become a sword lady first, I would’ve stayed home to train more instead of joining the palace knights,” Derrick grumbled.
“Would you have become a sword master if you’d stayed in the fief?”
Elena laughed mockingly at his complaints. Infuriated by her words, Derrick lunged swiftly toward her, aiming for her mouth. He had joined the palace knights to support their family, and overnight, his sister had surpassed him.
Derrick swung his sword with fury. Elena parried his strikes with cool precision.
“We can keep going until dinner, right?”
Elena told her brother she’d put him through a grueling training session. She relished the chance to cross swords with him after such a long time.
“What? Are you trying to kill me?!”
“It’s the least you deserve. It’s time I got a little fired up. Come on, novice sword master, here I go.”
Elena swung her sword in a wide arc.
“Agh! You lunatic, are you using aura?! Ah! Not aura! Ah, Mom! Dad!”
Derrick let out frantic shouts as he scrambled to escape Elena’s blade. As she’d promised, Elena didn’t let up in her pursuit until dinnertime.
“In the capital, there’ll be people stronger than me,” she mused.
A spark of joy flickered within her at the thought of her journey to the capital tomorrow. The world she’d known had been confined to the Lewis fief. Who would she meet now? Elena pondered the question with a playful curiosity.
