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Chapter 4
That day, and the day after that…
The Grand Duke spent every meal with me—including dessert time—because I stubbornly insisted that he do so.
Since I ate all three meals and every snack without fail, I even started putting on a healthy amount of weight.
Fortunately, Eileen had been so skinny to begin with. Otherwise, I might have become chubby. Why was the food here so delicious?
I always claimed that just watching my favorite character eat was enough to make me feel full, but once I actually started feeding him, I found myself eating enthusiastically too. Both of our faces looked so healthy and radiant that no one would ever guess which one was the kidnapper and which one was the hostage.
By the way, today was the day of the soldiers’ large-scale combat training.
The training ground was the mansion’s front courtyard. The original novel never mentioned the exact location where Eileen was held captive, but I figured it was probably somewhere in a quiet rural village within the Grand Duke’s territory. Judging by the sheer amount of open space, that seemed about right.
Training itself appeared to be part of the soldiers’ everyday routine—except during meals or when they were plotting strategies together—but this session was special because Grand Duke Ruslo himself would be participating.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
After finishing breakfast, the Grand Duke left those words behind before heading down to the courtyard.
Since I had stubbornly insisted on watching, he escorted me to a place overlooking the training grounds.
It was a small room on the third floor of the mansion. Sitting in the chair on its terrace gave me a perfect view of everything below.
“Wow! There are so many!”
Shielding my eyes from the bright sunlight with my hand, I looked down.
Hundreds of soldiers stood in orderly rows across the enormous training field.
Come to think of it, my wrists hadn’t been tied up since the first day.
They probably believed that a frail noble lady posed no threat and had no chance of escaping from a heavily guarded mansion.
Of course, I had absolutely no intention of running away.
This place was paradise because my favorite person was here. Why would I ever leave?
Clang! Clang! Clang!
At that moment, the ringing of swords colliding echoed through the air.
I hurriedly looked down.
The soldiers had already paired off and were pointing their swords at one another. It seemed they were taking turns sparring one-on-one.
“Oh my!”
A gasp escaped my lips.
Among the countless soldiers, one person stood out unmistakably—
My Raymond Ruslo.
Today, too, his alluring black hair and sapphire-blue eyes made him shine brighter than anyone else.
Instead of his usual crimson uniform, he wore an all-black training outfit today, giving him an effortlessly cool appearance.
Of course, he was properly armed as well, wearing light armor and carrying a sheathed sword at his waist.
The moment he drew his sword, the blade flashed brilliantly under the sunlight.
Perhaps because of his lighter clothing, every movement radiated energy and vitality.
Ah…
He was already dazzling enough. Did he really have to look even better?
I squinted.
The Grand Duke began swinging his sword gracefully.
Whoosh! Swish!
Veins bulged along the hand gripping the sword, and the muscles in his arms swelled with each powerful strike.
His thighs shifted subtly as he watched his opponent, packed with firm, well-trained muscle.
“Ah…”
A helpless sigh escaped me.
It was such a waste to experience all of this with only my own eyes.
I needed to record it… I absolutely needed to record it…!
Unfortunately, this was the world of a novel.
There were no smartphones.
No camcorders.
Grabbing my hair in frustration, I silently screamed while stamping my feet.
What was I supposed to do?
If I could upload a video of this scene online, the entire world would lose its mind. Humanity would unite as one, and Earth’s collective screams would probably reach all the way to Mars.
Naturally, our fandom would explode.
The comments would flood in.
AAAAAH!! My nose is bleeding!!!
He’s unreal.
He’s ridiculously handsome and amazing with a sword. Is there anything Raymond can’t do?
The only thing our Grand Duke can’t do… is be bad at anything. ♡
Pride welled up inside me, warming my chest.
It was a shame that no one else could witness this moment, but at least I could.
That was enough to comfort me.
The long sword sliced cleanly through the air.
Moving as though it were an extension of his own hand, the blade never missed an opening in his opponent’s defense.
“Straighten your shoulders and raise your sword.”
“Urgh!”
“If you keep shrinking back like that, you’ll only give your enemy an opening.”
“I-I’m… sorry!”
The subordinate struggling to keep up with his movements received a harsh scolding.
The Grand Duke lowered his sword and addressed the entire formation.
“This isn’t nearly good enough. If you don’t do it properly…”
“…don’t expect dinner.”
“Yes, sir!”
Wow…
Look at his charisma.
He’s so cool.
Watching him, I nearly started drooling.
According to the novel, his swordsmanship ranked among the finest in the Empire.
Not only was his technique exceptional, but his overwhelming strength gradually exhausted every opponent he faced.
However, because someone with his status could easily threaten the Emperor’s throne, he deliberately concealed roughly half of his true ability.
Like a tiger crouching silently in the grass, waiting patiently for the perfect moment to strike.
Afraid of missing even the smallest detail, I watched his every movement.
If only I could install cameras in my eyes right now…
I’d almost be willing to sell my soul to the devil.
…No, never mind.
If I sold my soul, I wouldn’t be able to see him anymore.
The training session flew by.
Even spending an entire night watching videos of my favorite wouldn’t be enough for me, yet after nearly two hours of relentless practice, the soldiers were completely exhausted, drenched in sweat.
The Grand Duke, on the other hand, looked almost perfectly fine.
He had only broken a light sweat.
A body blessed from birth apparently came with incredible stamina as well.
Taking a towel from one of his subordinates, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Ah…
That was truly a wonderful sight.
My legs suddenly gave out, and I collapsed into the chair.
Apparently, concentrating so intensely for two straight hours had exhausted me as well.
A pleasant weariness, similar to what one feels after exercising, washed over me.
Normally, I’d replay the videos I’d recorded and take screenshots…
Feeling slightly disappointed that I couldn’t, I decided to replay everything inside my head instead.
After all, I wasn’t just an idol fan anymore.
About three minutes passed.
Suddenly, I heard hurried footsteps.
The glass door leading to the terrace burst open.
Startled from my daze, I jumped to my feet.
“Lady Eileen.”
“…”
I stared blankly at him as if I were dreaming.
The Grand Duke was still wearing his sweat-soaked training clothes.
Whatever had happened, he must have rushed here immediately, because even his normally steady breathing had become ragged.
…Did he seriously get here from the training grounds in only three minutes?
Was that even physically possible?
As I pondered the question, my eyes drifted to his impossibly long legs.
Well…
Maybe people with legs that long really could run that fast.
While I was admiring those perfectly sculpted muscular legs, I suddenly noticed his eyes.
They burned with worry.
“Are you alright?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
What did he mean?
Was he asking whether I enjoyed watching his training?
If so…
Of course I did!
It was incredible!
But his next words completely shattered my assumption.
“It looked like you collapsed a moment ago…”
“Huh?… Ah.”
So that was it.
After training ended, he’d seen me sink weakly into the chair and mistaken it for me fainting.
Quickly waving my hands, I corrected the misunderstanding.
“No, Your Grace. I just suddenly felt tired, so I sat down.”
“…I see. That’s a relief.”
He still looked a little unconvinced, but he decided to believe me.
Only after clearing up the misunderstanding did I truly notice the Grand Duke standing before me.
His entire body was damp with sweat.
His scent…
I remembered hearing somewhere that the smell of sweat contained pheromones capable of attracting others.
At this very moment…
That theory felt frighteningly real.
A strange urge to throw myself at him quietly began rising from somewhere deep inside me.
Without a shred of shame, I slowly crept closer, flaring my nostrils.
Even my favorite’s sweat smells wonderful.
Like a puppy catching the scent of a delicious snack, I instinctively sniffed the air before looking up.
Had the training been more exhausting than it appeared?
Although he had seemed perfectly fine earlier, his face was noticeably flushed.
Well, exercise naturally made the blood circulate faster.
“If you’re feeling alright, then that’s good.”
“I’ll wash up, and then we’ll have our meal.”
“Yes!”
I nodded enthusiastically.
Now it was time to admire my favorite up close after watching him from afar.
Yahoo!
By the time the Grand Duke arrived for the meal, he had finished bathing and changed back into his formal uniform.
It was a little disappointing that the intoxicating scent from earlier had disappeared.
In its place was the pleasant blend of his natural scent and fresh soap.
The fragrance drifted over on the breeze, tickling my nose—and somehow making my heart flutter too.
Perhaps training had made him especially hungry.
The Grand Duke focused entirely on eating.
I popped a cherry tomato into my mouth with my fork.
Naturally, my eyes remained fixed solely on him.
Then, all of a sudden, I became curious.
What was he thinking right now?
I had read the original novel dozens of times and prided myself on understanding Raymond better than anyone.
But honestly…
Even I had no idea what was going through his mind at this moment.
The situation was completely different from the original story.
In the novel, Eileen had rejected the Grand Duke at every turn.
She refused to eat with him.
She wouldn’t even touch the meals delivered to her room.
Eventually, on the fourth day, the Grand Duke sent her home.
But what about me?
Reject him?
What a joke.
Not only had I torn down the walls between us, I’d practically rolled out a red carpet.
Like a curling player furiously sweeping the ice, I was doing everything I could to make it easier for the Grand Duke to approach me.
Since everything had turned out so differently, I couldn’t begin to guess what he was thinking.
Still…
Surely this wasn’t enough to change the overall course of the story… right?
“Does the food not suit your taste?”
Having eaten his fill, the Grand Duke looked up and asked.
“No. It’s delicious.”
Afraid he might worry, I deliberately ate even more enthusiastically.
He looked visibly relieved.
Then…
The moment the cherry tomato burst inside my mouth…
An incredibly important fact struck me like lightning.
Something so important that I’d completely forgotten because I’d been too distracted by the Grand Duke!
“Ah! That’s right!”
I was so startled that I shot to my feet.
