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Chapter 18
“Wow…”
“No way…”
Ignoring the awe and disbelief behind me, I looked straight ahead.
The setting sun had dyed the wreckage around us in warm orange light. Bathed in that glow, I walked confidently toward the outside.
At that exact moment, the protective barrier around us faded, and we locked eyes with the attendants who had been clearing debris from a different direction.
“She—She’s here! We found the missing Lady and the Young Masters!”
“How did they manage to come out from there on their own?!”
“Call for a physician, now!”
The bustling attendants rushed toward us, particularly those from each of our houses.
The ones who reacted the most emotionally, of course, were our parents.
“Mostin! Are you alright?”
“Sion, my son!”
Duke Fredo and Duke Aglara’s wife hurried to embrace their children. The Duchess of Aglara was openly weeping.
Then, my father approached me with a stiff expression.
“Are you hurt?”
“No, Father. The barrier protected us.”
“Good. That’s all that matters.”
That was the extent of our conversation.
I glanced sideways. Mostin and Sion were resting peacefully in their parents’ embrace.
A pang of envy surged within me, but I skillfully suppressed it. Ever since Meldor was born, I’d grown used to stifling such emotions.
As I carefully composed my face, my father spoke again.
“We’re returning to the estate before things get more chaotic. The estate physician will examine your condition.”
“Yes, Father.”
I turned to follow him, but a clear voice called my name.
“Bellady.”
I turned around to see Sion had slipped away from the Duchess’s arms and was now looking at me.
“Let me thank you again. Thanks to you, we made it out safely.”
“I just did what anyone should do.”
“…And you were really cool.”
Sion’s face was flushed red in the setting sun. Beside him, Mostin jumped in.
“Yeah! You were amazing!”
Grinning brightly, Mostin suddenly extended his hand to me.
“Why don’t we become friends from now on?!”
“You want to be friends with me?”
“Yeah!”
At that, I glanced at my father. He looked at them briefly, then gave a slow nod.
I immediately grabbed Mostin’s hand.
“I might not be the most fun person to be friends with.”
Mostin just beamed.
“That’s okay! Sion is already the fun friend—now I want a cool one!”
Sion chimed in too.
“Alright, we’re friends now. So let’s meet every day! What do you say, Bellady?”
“Hm, I’ll think about it.”
Both of them laughed. And I—excited about having my very first friends—couldn’t help but smile too.
The jealousy I had been pushing down vanished in an instant, and a chuckle escaped me.
So under the setting sun, the bond we formed that day grew deep and strong over time.
“Those two were such adorable kids.”
I laughed quietly to myself, reminiscing about the young Mostin and Sion.
Back then, both were shorter than me…
Though now we’re about the same height.
That was only possible because I inherited my father’s height and was taller than most girls my age.
In any case, Mostin and Sion were my dearest, most cherished friends—the only people in this world I’d ever truly grown attached to.
A strange twist of fate. In the original story, they were barely mentioned by name and never appeared in person.
In fact, Mostin was supposed to die in the “Kennewb School Bombing Incident.”
Sion was said to have survived by sustaining his barrier with raw magic—but at the cost of losing a leg.
And yet here they were, alive and well beside me, thanks to the protective shield my mother had enchanted into that diamond.
It was in that moment, wrapped in the barrier, that I felt my mother’s love the most.
Incidentally, as soon as we returned to the estate, the diamond necklace was taken from me and handed over to Meldor.
The reason?
Because the heir needed more thorough protection than me.
The one who insisted on this the most…
“Mother…!”
Remembering that brought a wave of bitterness.
From what I read in the original, Mother herself had grown up facing enormous discrimination just for being born a girl—especially coming from a poor commoner family.
So how could she have done that to me?
…Sigh. What’s the point of thinking about this now?
Mother and the rest of her family were already gone. Blaming the dead wouldn’t change anything.
Just then, the carriage arrived at the Fredo estate. I shook off the unpleasant thoughts and dusted off my coat as I stepped out.
A hand suddenly reached toward me.
“Welcome, my lady.”
With bright blonde hair and warm brown eyes, Mostin greeted me with a big grin.
I took his hand naturally, and we began walking toward the manor.
“Where’s Sion?”
“He’s already here, waiting.”
“You’re in a good mood today.”
“Wouldn’t you be?!”
Mostin beamed even more and started humming a cheerful tune as we walked.
“Because today—I finally get to spar with you!”
His excited movements even made my arm sway. I chuckled and played along.
“You’ve really been looking forward to it, huh?”
“Of course! I’ve been waiting ever since you said you were learning the sword!”
He wasn’t wrong.
After making Zeplin and Rover my people, I had told these two the truth:
—I’ve decided to secretly learn swordsmanship. Don’t tell the rest of the family.
Their reactions?
—Seriously?
—Yup.
—No kidding?
—Totally.
—U-WAAAAAAH! Sion!
—Mostin!
They hugged each other like they’d just won a gold medal.
—We did it! Mission accomplished!
—We almost lost the prodigy of the century!
Apparently, they had been quietly taking responsibility for trying to convince me to pick up the sword. So when I finally did, they were overjoyed.
After celebrating with a dance, Mostin suddenly grabbed my hand.
—Then let’s spar!
—A sparring match?
—Yeah! Just once, I want to spar with you!
I remember how his eyes sparkled back then.
If he had a tail, it would’ve been wagging like a propeller.
Anyway, I had no reason to turn him down.
So I said:
—I’ve only just started. Give me some time, and I’ll challenge you first when I’m ready.
Mostin, being the good boy he is, waited patiently.
Now, after six months, I had finally given him my challenge.
He started learning the sword at eight, right?
Let’s see how good he really is. Not that I had any intention of losing.
Whether he knew what I was thinking or not, Mostin eagerly led me to the sparring hall.
Inside, only Sion was present. Since my sword training was still a secret, Mostin had likely cleared everyone out.
“Bellady!”
Sion put down the book he was reading and ran over.
“Hi, Sion.”
“Are you really going to spar with Mostin today? I’m kinda worried.”
Sion glanced between me and Mostin, a bit anxious.
“I know you’re a genius, but still—he’s been training for eight years…”
“You innocent fool!”
Mostin slung an arm around Sion’s neck and shook his head.
“Don’t you know Bellady by now? She calculated exactly how to beat me before she even issued the challenge.”
“…Well, that’s true.”
“You two know me too well.”
I smirked and removed my winter coat, revealing the training outfit underneath.
“So, Mostin—you’re sparring me even though you know you’ll lose?”
“I don’t care if I win or lose, as long as it’s fun~!”
He was already in training gear too, so no need for prep.
I grabbed a wooden sword from the rack and smiled.
“Good. I only enjoy it if I win.”
The wooden sword was reinforced with a metal core to match the weight of a real blade. I swung it lightly with one hand and turned to face him.
“Come at me, Mostin Fredo.”
He grinned back.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment, Bellady Alton.”
Watching us, Sion shook his head.
“Sigh… Muscle-brained people. I’ll never understand them.”
For the sake of Mostin’s honor, I’ll skip the details. Just remember this:
Mostin Fredo—utterly defeated by Bellady Alton.
“Huff… huff… huff…”
Collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath, Mostin barely raised a hand.
“W-Water…”
Sion, who had been standing by, rushed over.
“Here! Mostin!”
“Lifesaver…”
“Towel.”
At my call, Sion ran over to me this time and handed over the towel from around his neck.
“Here you go, Bellady!”
Since there were no servants, Sion had been dashing around serving both of us.
“Thanks.”
I wiped my sweat while still standing tall.
Mostin looked up at me in awe.
“Wow, Bellady Alton… You’re not just strong—you’re scary strong.”
“You weren’t bad.”
“No, no! Techniques are supposed to make up for gaps in strength. But you’re so strong, none of mine even worked!”
Sion nodded in agreement.
“She’s right. That’s not normal.”
“You have to be abnormal to be called a genius.”
I chuckled, quoting what I once told Zeplin. Sparring with someone other than him for the first time had been fun.
Too much fun—I nearly ended the match in a single strike.
I wondered if Mostin realized I was holding back to make the match last longer.
“Belladyyyy, towel please…”
With a sigh, I plopped down beside him and laid the towel on his face.
Mostin rubbed it across his face, dripping sweat. Sion neatly spread his own handkerchief on the floor and sat down—but then muttered something as he did…
