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Chapter 14
This is really uncomfortable. I can’t go anywhere like this.
The glances coming from all directions made my skin feel like it was being worn down.
I’d been cooped up in my office finishing up postponed work, and when I finally stepped out to get some fresh air for the first time in ages, this was what I walked into. It was the aftermath of renovating the shared bedroom.
A few hours after I agreed to consummate the marriage, Killian had completely torn the shared bedroom apart.
The servants, who had no idea what was going on as they were ordered to clear everything out, only realized the truth the next day when all kinds of craftsmen came flooding in.
Ah, so this cold, distant couple is finally consummating their marriage!
From my perspective, it was ridiculous.
Does Killian have a brain, or doesn’t he?
If he was going to make such a big deal out of it—going so far as to start a major renovation—it would look like consummation was some rare, special event. If anything, we should’ve been acting like our relationship had always been good and that something like this was no big deal at all.
That was my rational conclusion.
But honestly, deep down, I was more than happy to tear that room apart.
“I don’t like you.”
That was the room where I’d heard those words on our first night together. Just passing near it used to sour my mood.
And if I was being told I could change it however I wanted, there was no reason to refuse.
I carefully flipped through the catalogs the craftsmen handed me, personally selecting everything—from the materials of the furniture to the smallest decorative items. I chose only the very best of the best. The prices were enough to make anyone gape, yet Killian didn’t even blink.
In a smooth, pleasant baritone, he simply said:
“Excellent taste, as expected.”
“It’ll suit you well.”
“If you like it, that’s all that matters.”
That was all he kept saying. His expression was even brighter than mine.
And just like that, the shared bedroom ended up being decorated entirely according to my decisions—to the point where it wouldn’t be wrong to call it my room.
It wasn’t a matter of swapping out a few pieces of furniture, so it would take some time before everything was finished.
But the longer it took, the better for me.
That gives me more time to prepare.
Humming softly to myself, I picked up my pace.
The weather was especially nice today.
The sunlight that had been harsh against my skin had mellowed, and the breeze wrapped around me just right.
It wouldn’t look strange at all that someone who’d been wasting away in an office had come out for a walk.
Stretching lazily, I looked around. I’d come quite far—there wasn’t a soul in sight along the path.
This trail, which started from the main building, was designed to circle the entire Grand Duke’s castle.
Given how enormous the castle was—large enough to be called a small town—hardly anyone would take the time to walk around it in the middle of the day, when everyone was busy with their own duties.
Unless they had another purpose.
“Sir. Is anyone still watching me?”
At my question, Randel, who was following behind, answered in a whisper.
“No. The people who were monitoring Your Highness all day disappeared two days after I arrived.”
“Then no one knows I came this far?”
“Most likely not.”
“Good. Let’s go this way.”
I immediately changed direction and led Randel toward the eastern annex.
This area, where two-story houses resembling vacation villas stood clustered together, had been prepared to accommodate nobles staying at the castle.
After wandering quietly between the buildings a few times, I reached my destination. Randel swept his gaze over the shabby, isolated building and the wide open lot where sand blew freely, then asked:
“This is surprising. The Grand Duke’s castle even has a place like this?”
“It used to be housing for construction workers back when the castle was being renovated.”
House Hart had no history.
It was a title newly created when Killian, then the Crown Prince, became a Grand Duke.
Naturally, there was no ancestral castle passed down through generations.
The Emperor had given young Killian an old fortress once used by the founding emperor in his youth and ordered it to be renovated.
That became the main building of the current Grand Duke’s castle. And the lodgings the workers had used during construction had since fallen into nothing more than abandoned storage.
“This is my first time properly coming here too. I only heard about it from Killian.”
When I first arrived at the Grand Duke’s castle, I rode in a carriage with Killian and took a full tour along this path. Each time a new area appeared, he would stop the carriage and calmly explain its purpose, history, and any precautions.
As I said, the castle’s history was short, so aside from the main building and the massive sacred tree behind it, there wasn’t much of note.
They say the founding emperor always stopped by the sacred tree before going to war.
Anyway, according to Killian, the workers’ quarters at the far end of the eastern annex were sealed off—absent even from the castle map, with no one coming or going. The perfect place to scheme in secret.
I faced Randel with a serious expression.
“There’s something I want to ask of you. That’s why I brought you here.”
“Please speak.”
“I want to learn swordsmanship from you.”
“…Pardon?”
Randel looked completely baffled.
In a dull tone, he asked again,
“From me… swordsmanship… why?”
“Because I’ve never learned it?”
“Isn’t it a required subject at the Academy?”
“I’ve never attended the Academy.”
“I was under the impression that noble children learned swordsmanship either at the Academy or from private tutors.”
This guy really had no sense today—and talked too much.
“I’m telling you, I never learned it.”
Marquis Ramirez never sent me to the Academy that all noble children attended. Instead, he hired carefully selected private tutors who came and went from the marquis’s estate.
It wasn’t unusual among families too poor to afford tuition—or overly protective of their children—so outwardly, there was no problem.
No one cared enough about me to notice that a sword instructor had never been assigned to an illegitimate child.
And even if someone had noticed, the marquis was more than capable of casually claiming I was being trained within the Ramirez knight order.
Anyone would’ve believed him.
“Doesn’t Your Highness have siblings? The eldest son of House Ramirez is—”
“A Sword Master.”
There were only two Sword Masters in the Peraine Empire: Killian, and one of my half-brothers, Lawrence Ramirez.
With Lawrence around, there was no one who would dare question my sword training.
As I recalled the blue eyes that always glared at me and the short-cropped blond hair, I unconsciously touched my neck.
If I’d learned swordsmanship from that man, my head would’ve rolled off long ago.
That wasn’t something I wanted—and House Ramirez never wanted me holding a blade either.
It was obvious where my blade might end up pointing.
I let out a long sigh and looked at Randel.
To have two of the Empire’s greatest talents nearby, yet not be able to trust a single one of them—and to have to rely instead on Randel, whom I’d known for less than a month. How pathetic.
“So, will you teach me swordsmanship or not?”
“One more question.”
“Finding a teacher is really hard.”
“Did you think it’d be easy to hire someone as talented as me?”
Randel shot back arrogantly, then—like someone truly skilled in swordsmanship—went straight to the point.
“Are you learning this simply for self-defense, or for killing?”
For a moment, I was speechless.
I’d decided to learn swordsmanship in case Killian ever attacked me directly.
But when asked whether it was for killing, I couldn’t answer right away.
I couldn’t imagine myself crossing blades with Killian.
Not because he was too strong—but because I had no desire to harm him.
Strangely enough.
After a long pause, I replied:
“…For self-defense. Probably.”
“I understand.”
Despite how serious the question had been, his decision came almost too quickly.
“What? Then why did you even ask?”
“If I’m going to be your teacher, I need to plan your training. And I wanted to add a little tension to the idea of wielding a sword.”
Chuckling, Randel swept his gaze from the shabby training ground to the entire eastern annex.
“Shall we start with a lap?”
“A lap? Right now? Here…?”
When I asked just in case, he nodded without hesitation.
“Yes. Think of it as an entrance exam.”
“Do I really have to do that?”
“I need to assess Your Highness’s condition.”
“I’m just saying—does it really have to be today?”
Despite being the one who begged him to teach me swordsmanship, I started inching backward.
I’d taken a long, winding route to avoid being seen, and my stamina was already at its limit. At this rate, I’d be spending the rest of the day in bed.
“Go easy on me. It’s the first day.”
“It’s the first day, so please follow your sword instructor’s instructions.”
Randel deliberately emphasized sword instructor. He looked ready to drop the whole thing if I refused.
Damn it. Fine, I’ll run!
I’d planned to take a walk from the morning, so I was wearing comfortable clothes and shoes—no excuse to fall back on.
Without further complaint, I ran out onto the open lot.
“Don’t overdo it. Take it slow.”
After saying that, Randel made me run two more laps.
It was only a light jog, not a full sprint—but with my trash-tier stamina, my chest heaved up and down painfully.
As I stood in front of Randel catching my breath, I remembered when we first met.
Dragging him around the streets as a porter for three whole hours.
“Sir, you’re getting revenge on me right now, aren’t you?”
“Have you done anything that warrants revenge?”
“I won’t do it again.”
Randel smiled like a villain. His ash-gray eyes looked unusually clear today.
“One more lap.”
…It seems I may have chosen the wrong teacher.
* * *
Scratch, scratch.
The pen in his large, rock-solid hand moved without pause.
Killian, focused on clearing the piles of documents covering his desk, glanced out the window.
Beyond the wide-open view, an endless line of extravagantly luxurious carriages stretched out far enough to make his eyes ache. Every one of them carried items destined for the shared bedroom.
Judging by how empty the cargo holds were, preparations for consummation seemed nearly complete.
Without realizing it, the corners of Killian’s lips lifted—only for him to quickly smooth his expression away.
He sensed someone boldly scaling the wall and leaping onto the terrace.
“I told you not to come in through the window, Max.”
“Ah, but this is the fastest and most convenient way—”
Max stopped mid-sentence with a yelp under Killian’s icy stare.
Resting his chin on his hand, Killian asked,
“What do you want?”
“I figured it was about time for an interim report… but there’s really nothing to report.”
“Hm. I thought you’d be perfect for sniffing out anything suspicious.”
His tone made it sound as though Max had failed simply due to lack of ability.
Max bristled but kept his mouth shut.
I’m not a dog. You have to tell me what I’m supposed to be watching for if you want me to notice anything!
Several weeks had already passed since Max completed the order to bring Randel to the castle.
Since then, he’d monitored people inside and outside the castle exactly as Killian instructed, but had found nothing noteworthy—driving him nearly insane.
Even tracking dogs were given a scent before they were expected to find a target. Yet Killian remained silent.
Every time, he only said to report if anything unusual occurred in the castle.
At this point, is it that he won’t tell me… or that he can’t?
