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Chapter 10
She helped Rune change clothes, chattering endlessly about Kylian.
“They say when he returns this time, he’ll fully take on the role of advisor for the Academy’s training.”
“Mm. So I’ve heard.”
Some people can’t even get admitted and cower in fear, Rune thought.
Marlene handed over a shirt, then covered Rune’s bare white shoulders with a nightgown. Rune untied the knot binding her chest and let the long cloth unravel. The tight pressure released, her stifled breath finally came free, and she felt lighter.
It really had been a long day.
Marlene, who received the cloth as though it were second nature, couldn’t hide her curiosity.
“Did you speak with Lord Kylian?”
“…I did.”
Though, to be honest, Sir Ethan had said more words in total than Kylian had. Rubbing her tired face, Rune walked to the bed.
“Did anything come to mind?”
“Not really.”
She did feel an unexplainable sense of déjà vu. But could she call that a memory?
“Oh, he seemed to know something about my dagger. Do you know anything?”
“Hmm…? Other than the fact you treasured it greatly, I don’t know. He never mentioned anything about it to me either.”
“That man seemed… displeased that I’d lost my memory.”
“Oh, surely not.”
Marlene followed Rune toward the bed, adding softly,
“Perhaps he was just hurt. You might not remember, but when you were little, you followed him around quite a lot.”
“Ah… yes, I’ve heard that…”
Rune nodded grimly. It was the exact same thing Baron Conrad, her tutor, had told her.
Though for her, who’d lost her memories, today was practically the first time she’d ever seen him, people always talked about Kylian.
As if it were only natural that he existed in those erased years of hers.
“Lord Kylian has become a real man since you last saw him.”
Marlene gently tucked the blanket over Rune’s slightly lifted chest, smiling kindly.
“Just as you’ve now become a complete lady.”
Rune blushed, tugging the blanket up to her chin.
“…We agreed not to call me that. If Father hears, he’ll scold me again.”
“It’s just the two of us here.”
Marlene gave a wistful smile, then cheerfully added as she straightened the bed,
“Seeing him made me realize how much you’ve grown, too.”
So much that each morning she now had to bind her chest tightly out of habit.
“…What kind of person was he?”
Rune brushed the fringe hanging beneath her brows, trying to sound indifferent. But after seeing Kylian in person, she couldn’t help her curiosity.
A lofty, perfect Sword Master—at least, in her mind. But the real man had been different. He grabbed her wrist without permission, ruffled her hair recklessly, and even flared up in anger.
So unfitting, even laughing at times…
“Rune.”
Even if he had known her as a child, how could he call her name so casually?
She couldn’t believe she’d ever admired someone so rude, let alone followed him.
“What kind of person was he, really?”
Marlene widened her eyes. Rune had always struggled to recall her memories, but she had never once asked about Kylian first.
After a long thoughtful pause, Marlene gave a surprising answer.
“Mm… he was quite dignified.”
“Dignified?”
Rune blinked, recalling the mischievous gleam in Kylian’s eyes when he looked at her earlier.
“That man didn’t seem particularly well-mannered, even when young.”
“Hehe, well, he could be a little mischievous with you.”
Of course. Rune narrowed her eyes.
“But that only made it nicer. When the two of you—both like little adults—played together, you finally looked your actual ages.”
“Little adults…? Why drag me into this? And more importantly, how could I possibly have followed someone who teased me?”
She frowned instantly, and Marlene gently stroked her hair to soothe her.
“He was lonely but very affectionate. Awkward, yes, but he cared deeply for you.”
Rune’s expression faltered. The Kylian she’d seen and the man Marlene described felt impossible to reconcile.
For the first time, the foggy, erased years of her memory weighed down on her unbearably. Seeing this, Marlene smiled kindly.
“He used to write to Jun often. Why don’t you read those letters? That boy would also tell of Lord Kylian’s days at the Academy.”
Marlene’s son Jun was two years older than Rune. Gifted in mathematics, he attended Lepium Academy’s accounting department with the Marquis of Este’s support.
“I’ve already read them.”
Just as Marlene said, the letters were filled with details about Kylian. But they hadn’t helped her regain any memory.
“If anything, it seemed Jun was the more interested one.”
Puffing her cheeks sulkily, Rune made Marlene laugh.
“Oh my, who are you jealous of now?”
“What nonsense?”
“In time, you’ll remember. Don’t rush it.”
Marlene smiled, soothing. Rune buried her face under the blanket, leaving only her eyes visible, and muttered,
“I’m not rushing.”
But she always ended up acting like a spoiled child in front of Marlene—and that embarrassed her.
“Even if you never remember, when people meet again, they make new memories anyway.”
“Memories, huh.”
As if she had the chance. She was confined to the inner castle for the time being.
It’s not like I’ll ever meet him again, not when he’s soon leaving for the duchy.
Rune shut her eyes and forced herself to sleep.
Little did she know she’d see that face again only hours later.
The early summer dawn air was cold against her skin.
Heading to the training ground at first light was part of Rune’s daily routine. She didn’t want to disturb the knights’ training, nor did she want to risk catching her father’s eye—that was troublesome enough.
Shaa—
The quiet morning was broken by the rustling wind pushing leaves against each other. Even the faint scent of monsters lurking in the forest felt refreshing at this hour.
Downward, upward, slanted, then upward again—the sword cutting through crisp air sharpened her mind awake. Like flowing water, Rune twisted the blade into the next form.
As she spun with her sword, she froze.
There he was. Kylian. She hadn’t even sensed him approach.
Ugh, seriously. Why does he always appear like this?
Rune sheathed her sword as he slowly walked closer. Wearing a black tunic, he looked far more relaxed than yesterday. Clearly he’d slept deeply, unlike her.
“Did you rest well last night?”
“Thanks to you.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
Laughing… doesn’t suit him.
Rune pressed a hand against her chest. Why did her heart stir every time he smiled? Even she didn’t know.
“You were practicing forms.”
“Yes. The basics of swordsmanship.”
Reviewing her forms before real training was routine for her.
“Have you always done this?”
What trick was he trying this time? Rune eyed him suspiciously, but Kylian only smiled harmlessly.
In fact, he seemed almost proud of her. Feeling she might have misjudged, Rune awkwardly scratched her brow.
“Cliché as it sounds, I’ve done this habitually since long ago.”
“They say you always carry a dagger around. So training habitually too, I see.”
Kylian nodded approvingly.
“A good posture.”
Why does even his praise sound like mockery?
She squinted at him, and he merely shrugged, casual as ever.
“If the head won’t remember, at least the body will.”
So it wasn’t praise after all.
Rune clicked her tongue silently. She knew it—he resented her for forgetting him.
Meanwhile, Kylian realized again that this earnest girl had completely erased him from her mind.
And yet, she kept this up all along…
A thought struck him, and he frowned.
“Do you set a number of repetitions each time?”
“One hundred times for each form.”
His eyes widened briefly before falling again. Ten basic forms—one hundred each. That meant a thousand repetitions.
Kylian rubbed his forehead, letting out a sigh. He’d thought her tenacious as a child, but this was absurd.
“You’ve a stubborn streak under that face.”
“…I’ve grown used to it, so it doesn’t take that long anymore.”
She quickly composed her grimace and answered steadily. But belittling her long years of training, even from him, annoyed her.
So what followed was impulsive, born of stubborn pride, admiration for strength, and a desire to test herself against him.
Rune raised her sword, point angled toward her left chest. Bowing slightly, she traced a half-circle upward, raising the blade to her lips.
The knight’s ritual of requesting an honorable duel—graceful, poised.
“Then, would you grant this foolish one a lesson?”
Kylian gazed into her shining eyes, then smiled faintly and drew his sword.
“With pleasure.”
