Chapter 14
They were divided into two types: **men and women.**
The men either **envied** him or sought to become his **friend**. The women either wanted to **marry** him or become his **mistress**. Of course, the latter group had a high proportion of married women.
The men who envied Ash, and the women he had refused, would sometimes spread baseless rumors. They claimed he had a violent temper, that he tried to kill people for no reason, that he was actually gay, or that he was impotent.
The Greywind Ducal family consistently ignored all such rumors, and this non-response proved effective. Now, no one remembered those claims.
“If you wait, they will fade away.”
Ash said coldly, opening the training room door. A burst of warm air rushed out.
“Well, look who the subject of the rumors is again.”
Dennis, following behind him, muttered.
In one corner, Seirena was visible, swinging her sword. Her short blonde hair, which exposed the nape of her neck, still swayed and caught Ash’s eye every time she moved.
The air shifted. Seirena noticed the fresh air entering the room. She was exhausted from being constantly tense due to the crowded training hall. Still, this was better.
Her uncle had come again early this morning to annoy her. He had only then noticed her shortened hair and raised a fuss about how a girl’s hair shouldn’t look like that. Seeing his reaction gave her a small sense of satisfaction.
When he tried to persuade her, saying that now that he had arrived, she should quit the Knights’ Order and get married, Seirena said calmly,
**“What marriage? I don’t even have the funds for it.”**
Seirena smiled faintly, recalling how wide Gale’s eyes had gotten again. She had left the mansion quickly, leaving him behind after he nearly foamed at the mouth and collapsed upon hearing that she had spent all her savings intended for marriage.
The trajectory of her sword, slicing through the air, was cleaner now. As the throbbing muscle pain subsided, she could feel her strength increasing.
Compared to her dying body before she returned, this stronger, more vibrant body felt good, and Seirena continued to swing her sword until her arms wouldn’t lift anymore.
“Hunter.”
Suddenly, someone called her name from behind. Startled, Seirena instinctively swung her sword. *Oops.* She realized her mistake, but it was too late.
Just as she thought she was in big trouble, her sword was blocked with a sharp *clang*.
“Hah.”
A gasp escaped Seirena’s lips. That was a near disaster.
Ash, who had blocked Seirena’s sword with his scabbard, met her eyes.
Ash inhaled sharply, seeing Seirena’s greatly dilated pupils. Whatever it was, she was terrified. Had she been attacked from behind before? He reached out, pushing Seirena’s sword aside, and said,
“If you intend to kill me, it would be better to do it somewhere private.”
Incredulity bloomed on Seirena’s face, which didn’t immediately understand what he meant, before it suddenly flushed deep red. She hastily withdrew her sword and bowed her head.
“I apologize.”
“No, it’s also my fault for calling you so suddenly.”
*Yes, it is his fault.* Seirena gritted her teeth while keeping her head bowed. This man had **no presence**. She hadn’t noticed him approaching from behind at all. Moreover, the training room was so crowded she hadn’t realized.
“Come to my office for a moment before you go home.”
“Why?”
Seirena snapped her head up and asked. Ash let out a bitter laugh at the wariness in her expression. She was clearly on guard because of the incident the other day.
He folded his arms and said,
“You sparred with live steel, didn’t you? Sir Hunter must be **punished** as well.”
*What?* Seirena’s eyes widened. She had to be punished for sparring with live steel?
To help the bewildered woman, Ash asked,
“Sir Lambert. What was his punishment?”
“Cleaning the training grounds for a month, sir.”
*For a month? The training grounds?* Seirena asked instinctively, flustered,
“Alone?”
Yes. Eugene nodded, his expression a mix of pride and embarrassment at having cleaned the training grounds by himself.
*I see.* Seirena nodded as well. She hadn’t known. *I shouldn’t have sparred.* She looked at Ash and said,
“Understood.”
*What kind of punishment will she receive?* The knights began to murmur.
Even though they had sparred, Eugene had been the one to pick the fight, and Seirena had won. It was expected that her punishment would be less severe.
“Why are your hands still?”
Next, Dennis put his hands on his hips and shouted,
“Aren’t you here to train?”
At his words, the knights raised their swords again. They took their stance and began to swing their swords. Ash and Dennis walked among them, correcting their forms.
***
“It’s Seirena Hunter.”
That day, before going home, Seirena visited Ash’s office.
Most of the administrative knights had already left, and Dennis was also nowhere to be seen.
*Where is he?* Seirena lightly knocked on the Commander’s door.
“Uh.”
The door wasn’t properly closed, and it opened the moment her hand touched it.
*Is he not inside?* Seirena peered inside and asked,
“It’s Hunter. I’ve come for my **punishment**.”
She felt like she was back in her Page days.
For a Page, the Knights’ Order was a sort of school, and all the knights were teachers.
Seirena had been called in by the then-Commander during her Page days for neglecting her training.
*I should have trained harder back then.*
Seirena massaged her aching arm muscles and stepped inside.
Sometime, someone had told her she had **talent**. When was that? It must have been when she was Queen. After she became Queen, she had completely forgotten about her talent.
In fact, she hadn’t thought much about her talent even before she became Queen. But the moment someone said that to her, Seirena felt **regret** for the first time.
Yes. She had talent.
Everyone used to say she would become a Sword Master. But Seirena had never been interested in becoming a Sword Master and disliked the Knights’ Order. She hated having to swing a sword every day, having to rush off to fight monsters if they appeared.
Even now, if Seirena were to take the rank-up examination, she could easily advance to the Eighth Company. But the reason she hadn’t done so—the reason she had deliberately stayed in the Twelfth Company—was because doing so meant fighting monsters.
She hated swinging a sword, running, rolling, having to stab and kill things, and getting hurt herself.
But now, it was different. She knew that if she didn’t get hurt now, if she didn’t break down severely and rise again, that miserable future awaited her.
**“You have talent.”**
Seirena recalled someone’s words once more. That phrase was somehow comforting and brought her hope. The words of someone she couldn’t even remember.
*It’s a good thing I didn’t quit the Knights’ Order,* Seirena thought.
When she was imprisoned, she had constantly worried about where her life had gone wrong. Her parents’ death was not her choice. Neither was Gale becoming her guardian.
But the Knights’ Order was something she *could* choose. The choice was between quitting the Knights’ Order or diligently attending and becoming a capable knight, a *Chevalier*.
*I won’t quit the Knights’ Order.* Then, she could live a new life.
Such hope arose within her.
“Who was it?”
Who was the person who told her she had talent? It seemed like a man. Or was it a woman?
*I don’t know.* Seirena shook her head, trying to recall who had said those words.
As Queen, she had no one around her. Only her uncle and Adriana. Thus, Seirena had no choice but to listen to them and depend on them.
So, if someone had told her she had a talent for the sword, she should definitely remember it, but strangely, she couldn’t recall who it was.
“What did the **magician** do?”
Seirena muttered to herself. The magician who sent her back. The magician had said they couldn’t send her back because she had no price to pay.
That was likely true. Magicians demand a price. Most require material things like money or jewels to use magic. But sometimes, they demand other things: life span, beauty, or love.
Before she returned, she had nothing. Not even jewels or money, let alone beauty or life span. Nothing.
“What did he take?”
Seirena looked down at her hands and pondered deeply. She had thought about it whenever she had a moment since returning, but nothing came to mind.
She was still young and vibrant. Her only remaining family, Ezra, was alive, and her friend, Moana, was still there.
The Hunter family’s finances—they were already ruined, so the magician couldn’t have taken those. You can’t take what isn’t there.
In that case…
“Ah, you’re here.”
Seirena’s thoughts were interrupted by Ash’s voice, unable to continue. She hadn’t even heard him approach. Startled by his sudden presence, Seirena spun around.
“Oh, dear.”
Ash caught the fist flying straight toward his chin. It seemed this woman had a habit of attacking when startled. Her fist was small, fitting snugly into his hand.
Though it wouldn’t hurt much, judging by the speed and position, it clearly wasn’t a gentle attempt.
“First a sword, now a fist?”
At Ash’s words, Seirena stopped her gasping breath. Her eyes were wide, perhaps from shock. *Could she really have been attacked from behind by someone?*
To Ash, who was thinking that, Seirena said,
“Don’t approach me from behind.”
“No, I was just walking into my office normally.”
Ash said that and let go of her hand. Seirena, realizing that her fist had been held in Ash’s hand until that moment, seemed startled and quickly retrieved her hand, cradling it with the other.
“Sorry I’m late. I had something to take care of.”
*It doesn’t matter.* Seirena shook her head. Even if she went home, her uncle would be ransacking the mansion anyway. Fortunately, he wasn’t interested in Ezra.
Ezra was still not coming out of his room, nor was he answering Seirena’s calls.
“Alright, Sir Hunter. You have **two choices**.”
Seirena’s expression stiffened at Ash’s words. *What kind of punishment will it be?* He said she could choose between two options.
She wanted to choose the lighter punishment, but she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to, so she braced herself.
“To **marry me** or to **get engaged** to me. Which will you choose?”
**“…Pardon?**”
A question mark appeared on Seirena’s face. *What did this man just say?* She looked at Ash’s face, wondering if he was joking.
If he was joking, she was prepared to be genuinely angry. Sh
e had no intention of indulging in such vulgar humor.
“I think engagement would be better. Sir Hunter isn’t twenty-one yet, and unfortunately, I am a Duke. If we marry, you would have to give up your title, you see.”
***
