Chapter 17
“There is no way a Count’s family would leave such a thing as a record.”
“Count Hunter is a knight. There is no way he would have been easily
defeated.”
If a man had done something bad to her, it meant the man was much stronger than Seirena.
Men much stronger than her came to mind and then disappeared from the two men’s minds.
“Didn’t she not particularly seem to avoid men?”
Dennis suddenly said, as if he recalled something. He had seen Seirena have normal conversations with men a few times.
Although her attitude towards Ash changed after her parents passed away, before that, she showed similar favor to him as other women.
“I wonder.”
Ash said, pretending not to know. Until last month, Seirena spoke normally with others. She treated him normally according to his standards too.
After Seirena left, he confirmed what changes had occurred in Seirena’s personal life this month. But all he found were stories everyone knew.
The death of Count and Countess Hunter.
Seirena, who seemed to have matured, was focused on training.
“Could it be that she’s lying because she doesn’t want to marry you?”
Dennis, who had reached the same conclusion as Ash, unconsciously glanced at his reaction.
“I wonder.”
Ash pressed down on the sudden unpleasant feeling and spoke as if uninterested.
There could be such a person.
A person who doesn’t want to marry a Duke who is a handsome, young Chevalier and the Commander of the Knights.
“Or it could be that she’s trying to attract your attention.”
Dennis said it like a consolation, but Ash thought there was no way. If that were the case, she wouldn’t have asked to break off the engagement.
Besides, his attention wouldn’t be drawn by such a thing.
“If she wanted to attract my attention, it would be better to concentrate on training.”
Ash said that and looked around the training ground. Knights were training for a match from early in the morning today as well. He loved the sword. And he was interested in people talented in the sword.
Or those who achieved excellent results in the entrance exam.
In that regard, Seirena had already attracted Ash’s attention. His gaze fell upon the small, blonde-haired female knight swinging a sword on one side.
• The First Battle
“Engagement?”
Moana was surprised by her friend’s words and involuntarily yelled out.
But after realizing that a passing servant was turning around to see what was happening, she shut her mouth and quickly moved her steps.
After coming to her early in the morning to commute together, this was what she suddenly said.
Moana stopped walking only after the servant was far away and asked Seirena.
“Engagement? You? With the Commander?”
“Hmm.”
A word that was neither affirmation nor denial flowed from Seirena’s mouth. Or maybe it was a groan.
Was it a groan? Moana was about to jump up and down in excitement but stopped after seeing Seirena’s expression.
“What is it? Why the expression? Was it a joke?”
“What? Ah, no. It’s real. I’m engaged to Duke Graywind.”
“How did that happen? Wait, isn’t that a good thing?”
Somehow, Seirena’s expression wasn’t good.
Moana briefly thought about what part of this news was bad. Duke Graywind is young, capable, and handsome. Just the adjectives attached to him are enough to make countless women covet him.
Moreover, since he rarely pays attention to women, there would be no worries about him having an affair after marriage.
But Seirena’s expression was not good. Come to think of it… Moana realized that Seirena didn’t like the Duke.
After her parents passed away, Seirena changed in various ways. She suddenly devoted herself to swordsmanship training and became more resolute than before. And above all, she started to dislike Duke Ash Graywind.
“Are you really having some kind of problem with the Commander?”
“Huh? What problem?”
“Suddenly disliking the Commander, and now the engagement. No way!”
Moana’s face turned white. She suddenly disliked him, and now she is suddenly getting engaged. There is only one conclusion she can draw from this.
“Did that guy do something to you?”
“What?”
“The way you suddenly dislike that guy, and your hair. You’re suddenly getting engaged? Did he? Did that guy do something that forces you to get engaged?”
Seirena looked at Moana with wide eyes at her friend’s sudden change.
What is she saying now? But Moana began to be convinced that her thought was correct.
Now the puzzle pieces fit together.
Seirena is not a child who would suddenly dislike someone. Seirena, who was the very definition of a noble young lady, raised with love and lacking nothing, easily trusted people and disliked doing difficult things. To put it badly, she was immature, and to put it nicely, she was a lady in a greenhouse.
Then, that child suddenly started to dislike Duke Graywind and cut her precious hair. Not only that, but she gave that hair to the very Duke Graywind.
The child who hated breaking a sweat was swinging a sword every morning and evening until her arms and legs trembled, and even sparred with Sir Lambert.
“What did that guy do to you? That’s why you’re suddenly devoted to swordsmanship training! To become stronger! Isn’t it?”
No. It’s not. Seirena listened to her friend’s plausible deduction with her mouth agape.
It’s true that she is doing swordsmanship training to become stronger, but she wasn’t harmed by the Commander. If anything, it’s to change the future where she will be used by the King and her uncle.
“Wait, wait. Moana.”
Seirena grabbed her friend’s arm before she could rage and run to Ash.
In fact, Moana was about to run to the Commander and point a finger at him if Seirena hadn’t held her a little later.
“No, it’s not like that. I wasn’t harmed by the Commander.”
“By the Commander?”
“Not yet.”
“Not yet?”
It’s complicated to explain. And she can’t explain everything.
Seirena sighed and explained slowly again.
“It’s not what you think. The Commander hasn’t touched a fingertip on me, and we aren’t getting engaged because of that.”
Not touching a fingertip was a lie. As soon as she finished speaking, Seirena recalled Ash holding her hand, but that was after she had already said he hadn’t touched a fingertip.
“Then why are you suddenly getting engaged?”
A question appeared on Moana’s face. Then she quickly raised her hand and corrected herself.
“Ah, of course, the Commander is a good candidate for a groom. He’s a Duke, the nephew of His Majesty, the youngest Master, and the Commander of the Knights. Plus, he’s handsome.”
Yes. Yes. Seirena gave a bitter smile. Somehow, Moana’s title for Ash had changed from ‘that guy’ or ‘that bastard’ to ‘the Commander.’
“It’s His Majesty’s order.”
The word His Majesty was too small to hear, but Moana barely understood that it was His Majesty. An order from His Majesty? Why? To her, whose eyes widened again, Seirena explained.
“He told Duke Graywind to get engaged to me. Because of what we, no, what I did.”
“What you did?”
“The hair.”
Moana’s gaze went from Seirena’s face to her shortened hair. The hair? Wondering what she meant, she soon said, ‘Oh?’
“Because you cut your hair and gave it to the Commander?”
“Hmm. That, and I also attacked him.”
“A-ttack? You did?”
Seirena nodded confidently. Duke Ash Graywind was surprisingly hard to detect. She spoke honestly.
“He suddenly appeared from behind, I was flustered, so with the sword I was holding…”
“You stabbed him?”
“I didn’t stab him, I just sort of swung it, you could say.”
That’s worse. Moana’s mouth dropped open, then she asked.
“So, the order came down to marry him before you kill the Commander?”
Rather than that… Seirena shrugged and said.
“The rumors spread too badly, so he told us to get engaged to calm the rumors.”
“Huh. So it’s an order to marry to calm the rumors.”
“Hmm, but we can break off the engagement.”
“Break off the engagement? Are you crazy, Seirena Hunter?”
Seirena’s family name even slipped from Moana’s mouth. Crazy? Why? To the bewildered Seirena, Moana calmly said.
“Why would you break it off? Duke Graywind is the best. Where can you find a better groom candidate than him?”
As a man and in terms of family background, Ash would be the best option a woman could choose. That is, if he were an option at all.
Seirena drew out the word “Hmm,” and fiddled with her hair. Because it was suddenly short, she kept touching it.
“I don’t intend to get married.”
“What? Why?”
“Well, let’s just say I don’t want to.”
What’s wrong with her? Moana’s mouth dropped open again. She had changed, she had changed, but she had changed even in this respect.
“Last month you told me you wanted to wear a dress and a veil!”
“Oh? Did I?”
“Yes!”
Moana felt like she wanted to go mad at Seirena’s bewildered attitude. What is really wrong with her? Seirena was tilting her head as if she didn’t even remember.
It was an old story that Seirena didn’t remember. It was more like light chitchat she had with a friend almost ten years ago.
Did I say that? She thought for a moment and chuckled. She must have. The old her dreamed of a wedding or romance.
She dreamed of meeting a handsome man someday and sharing a wonderful love, a man like, for example, Duke Ash Graywind.
As Ash’s face came to mind, Seirena frowned and waved her hand, erasing Ash from her mind.
Why did this man have to come to mind of all people?
“The situation has changed.”
Seirena said bitterly. Too much has changed.
The uncle and Adriana whom she trusted and thought loved her, used and betrayed her.
While she was caught up in self-pity and entrusted everything to her uncle, she lost her friends and her only sibling. She experienced all that and returned to her original place.
“Well, that’s true.”
Moana agreed, recalling the death of Seirena’s parents.
With the death of the Count and Countess, the Hunter Count family now rested on Seirena’s shoulders. She was heartbroken by the sight of her friend who had suddenly matured.
“So you’re not getting married?”
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