After the young lord left, the three quietly slipped away from the training grounds to avoid disturbing the knights, who had resumed their drills.
“Want to go explore the city now?”
“I’d rather rest in the room,” Elena replied, immediately rejecting Rowen’s suggestion. She planned to mentally replay the young lord’s training.
“No refusals allowed,” Rowen said, mimicking the young lord’s tone as she grabbed Elena’s arm. She glanced at the garden clock. It was still early for a day off.
“It’s only three in the afternoon! You can’t spend the whole holiday in bed! Come on, Elena, let’s go shopping!”
“I have enough clothes.”
“Really?”
Bessie whispered with a serious expression, having once glimpsed Elena’s wardrobe by chance.
“Isn’t that enough? I’m not invited to any parties, and I have some elegant dresses and comfortable clothes.”
Elena paused as she saw Rowen and Bessie’s serious expressions, as if they were asking, *“Are you serious?”*
“With *that* seriousness?”
They nodded in unison.
“Asceticism is fine, but you’re still a noble lady. Shouldn’t you have more dresses?” Bessie asked cautiously.
“I have no interest in social events.”
“Even so, you need a proper dress!”
Rowen was already dragging Elena’s arm, heading out of the palace.
“Come on! Our goal today is to buy a dress for Elena!”
In the end, Elena bought two dresses and a pair of shoes that day.
—
“You deliberately came to the training grounds in the daytime today, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Carl replied.
“Do you have someone… no, a suitable maid in mind?”
As Mikhail stood beside the young lord’s desk, he recalled the maid with Rowen and Bessie and asked.
“Yes. I received a report that she might be useful.”
“You mean Rowen’s friend?”
“Yes.”
The knight commander doubted the slender Elena’s ability to wield a sword properly when he saw her physique and muscles. But he had no choice but to trust Rowen’s precise and keen observations in all matters.
“Is she good enough to warrant showing off the knights’ training on purpose?”
“The training knight’s evaluation of her is good too.”
When Carl gestured, Robin, standing behind him, handed Mikhail a file on Elena.
“I’ve heard about her too, but she doesn’t seem worth *that* much attention yet,” Mikhail said.
“It’s not just fencing—her results in all other subjects are excellent. Her classroom behavior is average, but she seems to exceed the basic level in everything. She’s the most outstanding among the recently hired servants, and it’s interesting that no one noticed it before.”
At Carl’s words, Mikhail reviewed the file with seriousness. The report contained basic information about Elena and a comprehensive assessment of her activities since joining the duke’s household.
“Surrounding relationships: good. Fencing: excellent. Academic subjects: excellent.”
Below that, detailed notes elaborated on these aspects.
“Overall, everything is excellent. Yet those around her don’t notice her brilliance? Is that even possible?”
Mikhail scratched his chin, puzzled by this oddity. Usually, when someone was exceptional, everyone noticed. They might not at first, but eventually, their value would shine through.
“That’s why I say she’s strange. She doesn’t draw excessive attention, nor does she attract envy or resentment. Yet her results are clearly superior. She’s either a genius or a spy,” Carl said.
“If we recruit her, would it be for the Shadow or the knights?”
“I’m still thinking. We need to verify her skills further first.”
“Maybe we’ll finally get someone skilled for the knights,” Mikhail said, showing a hint of anticipation. In recent years, the Shadow had claimed all the talented recruits, so he was eager for fresh blood in the knights’ ranks.
“I don’t know if she’s truly worth it.”
“I’ll assume the best.”
After completing his task, Mikhail bid farewell and left.
“It seems the commander is a bit intrigued this time,” Robin remarked.
“There aren’t any good trainees in this batch.”
“But he’s never shown this much interest before, has he?”
“The last guy he liked was snatched by the Shadow.”
A look of regret crossed Robin’s face at Carl’s words.
*Elena Lewis*—the name on the first page of the file on the table clearly caught Carl’s attention. He didn’t yet know if she was truly talented or a spy sent by the Empress Dowager. He needed a chance to observe her closely.
—
The sun had passed its zenith. Elena was strolling alone around the side wing.
Her thoughts were entirely consumed by the sword techniques she’d recently seen from the young lord. It was the first time in her life she’d been so captivated by someone else’s swordsmanship. Carl’s fencing style was completely different from hers.
Elena’s sword was light and swift. But defeating a man by relying on strength alone was difficult. Of course, thanks to her continuous muscle-building training, she had decent strength compared to an average knight. However, against a man of her skill level, she’d certainly be at a disadvantage in terms of raw power.
Especially in battles against opponents who relied on overwhelming strength, depending solely on muscle power drained her energy quickly. So instead of clashing head-on, Elena had developed a fencing style that used her opponent’s strength against them.
Her sword was elegant and flexible. But when she recalled Carl’s overpowering sword, which she’d seen during the knights’ training, she felt intense frustration at her body’s limitations.
“Instead of regretting what I can’t achieve, I should focus on what I *can* do.”
She quickened her pace toward the depths of the garden. If she couldn’t achieve something, she’d find a way to make use of it differently. From that perspective, she admired the technique the young lord had used recently—a technique that could overwhelm a strong opponent with a single strike!
Excited by a technique so different from what she was used to, Elena’s steps grew faster.
She extended her senses to ensure no one was around. The servants in the side wing were resting in the lounge, and no one was wandering behind the wing at this time. As she scanned the garden, she broke off a straight branch from a tree.
“Sorry, I’ll borrow you for a bit.”
The branch bent gracefully in her right hand. Elena slowly raised the “sword”—or rather, the branch—upward.
*Swish, swish!*
She repeated the light striking motion. It was similar, but slightly different. The strikes were a bit deeper… How did he do it exactly?
Elena tried to mimic the young lord’s stance over and over, moving tirelessly to internalize the technique. *Here… I need to go a bit deeper—*
“Move your left foot more to the side.”
Startled by the sudden voice, Elena spun around quickly, placing the branch against the neck of the person who had appeared beside her.
“Ah…”
Under the orange glow of the setting sun, the young lord stood by the tree, his hair shimmering red in the light.
“I’m sorry, my lord.”
Elena quickly dropped the branch to the ground and bowed in greeting. The young lord waved his hand, as if to say, “No need for formalities.”
“Continue the movement. I’ll guide you.”
“Yes, no… there’s no need. I’m just practicing sword techniques the trainer taught me.”
She corrected herself quickly after her tongue slipped. Derrick had warned her repeatedly:
*“If they discover your true skill, your life will be hell.”*
It was better to be just a maid with a slight interest in swords.
“It doesn’t look like you’re practicing ordinary sword techniques, but rather the technique I used during the demonstration. Am I right?”
“Oh, I could never mimic something that complex! I’m just a beginner in swordsmanship. Unexpectedly, I found swords fun… haha!”
Words spilled from Elena’s mouth nervously, like rushing water. She tried desperately to distance herself from the world of knights, but it seemed the truth had revealed itself too easily. Why did this have to happen now? Especially when the duke’s household offered the best benefits for servants!
She felt the young lord’s eyes narrow as he observed her. Desperately, she tried to divert his attention:
“What you do, my lord, is light-years beyond my ability! Maybe if I stay in the duke’s service long enough, I might one day try to mimic even a small part…”
“Still, your movements were suspiciously similar to my techniques.”
Carl slowly raised his arm, mentally replaying the way Elena had moved. *He’s caught me!* But how? She’d been checking the whole time to ensure no one was around!
Of course, it was impossible to detect a sword master who completely concealed his presence. She tried to mask her despair with a forced smile. Fortunately, she’d been moving slowly, like a beginner.
*Could I hit him on the head to erase his memory?* The thought crossed her mind for a second before she immediately dismissed it. She didn’t know how to handle an opponent who might be her equal—or even superior—in skill.
“Haha… you must have seen it wrong!”
“And what makes you so sure?”
“How could a beginner like me mimic the techniques of a master like Your Grace? Your techniques were so fast my eyes couldn’t even follow, let alone my hands!”
The corner of Carl’s lip twitched upward slightly. Her movements had been an exact match for those he’d shown during the training session. This little maid was skillfully lying to hide her true ability.
“If you say so… Anyway, your stance was good, so I wanted to comment. I’ll teach you a useful technique, so practice it.”
“T-Thank you…?”
Elena found herself reluctantly accepting his offer.
“Is this your first time holding a sword?”
“Yes.”
*In truth, I’ve been wielding a sword since I was five…* But she decided to bury that fact deep.
“Even so, your stance is excellent.”
“Really? Thank you!”
She accepted his praise coolly, causing Carl’s eyebrow to rise slightly.
“I’ll teach you how to deflect an attack from an opponent physically stronger than you.”
He spoke deliberately, with kindness. If this maid was a genius unconnected to the Empress Dowager, he needed to recruit her at any cost—whether her talent was natural or carefully honed skills in disguise.
