TCHB 22

Chapter 22

“Ah….”

I pushed myself upright, my body feeling stiff and heavy. Magic had reinforced my stamina, but my muscles still ached all over.

Ughhh. With a loud, groaning noise, I greeted the morning.

I’m eight years old—so why is my body making cracking sounds…?

Forcing myself to ignore the popping coming from my joints, I called for Heather.

“Young Lady! When did you learn swordsmanship? And magic too?!”
Heather raised her voice in shock.

Ah. So this was finally happening.

I rolled my eyes around before blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

“You made sure the information didn’t leak outside, right?”

“Of course! Ah—but it’s already spread among the high-ranking nobles. Some of the newer knights, and a few servants who absolutely adore you, already saw you while you were asleep and—more importantly, how did you change into an adult form?! That kind of magic doesn’t even exist! Young Lady!”

I’d tried to change the subject, but it was a catastrophic failure.

My ears were about to bleed…

I didn’t answer Heather. More accurately, I couldn’t.

To explain all of this, I’d have to talk about my past life—and the one before that. Who would believe it? I’d be lucky if I wasn’t branded insane.

“…Heather. Hurry up and help me change.”

“Young Lady!”

“Hm? I’ll explain later! I promise! So pleeease stop asking for now… okay?”

I deliberately dragged out my words.

Fortunately, Heather was weak to my aegyo. At least, I thought so.

She stopped questioning me and did as I asked, though her expression stayed full of suspicion while she washed me and helped me dress.

“Now you need to eat breakfast,” she said with a sigh.

Her face had relaxed compared to earlier. It seemed she had decided not to pry any further.

I followed her toward the dining room.

Coming back to the estate after so long made the interior feel slightly unfamiliar. That must mean I’d spent a lot of time with Kiel and Lotte.

I caught myself thinking about them and quickly shut the thought down.

It’s not like I’ll see them much anymore. I’ll be traveling, and they’ll stay in their territories.

“Oh? Ventus, did you sleep well?”

I spotted Ventus standing near the dining room and greeted him casually.

I expected him to say he slept fine—but his answer was the opposite.

“No. Not at all.”

“Why?”

Was the bed uncomfortable? I’d told them to prepare the best bedding…

As I wondered, Ventus spoke in an irritated tone.

“The Holy Sword. That thing kept being noisy all night.”

Ah.

Sudden enlightenment struck me.

I felt sorry for him. I was the one who handed him the Holy Sword, after all.

Half pity, half temptation to tease him—but I decided not to. He genuinely looked exhausted.

The dark circles under his eyes were obvious, and his whole face screamed I’m tired. Don’t touch me.

—Huh? Me? I don’t know about that stuff, Rel!

The problem was that even if I didn’t tease him, the Holy Sword did it for me.

Sorry. That one’s on me.

The moment Ventus heard the Holy Sword, his face twisted into a deep scowl. I wisely chose to keep my mouth shut.

—Wow! So much food!

The Holy Sword spoke brightly.

For once, Ventus seemed to agree.

So did I.

Anyone could tell the chef had gone all out. Steak, salad—everything was beautifully arranged, a harmonious spread of dishes.

Ventus and I sat down immediately. With my parents absent, I took the seat of honor—the one Alena used to sit in.

Seeing this view again after so long, I smiled faintly and lifted my spoon, taking a sip of cream soup.

It was piping hot, as if freshly made.

Every dish on the table was something I loved, and I finished breakfast in complete satisfaction.

Ah… eating too much in the morning will make me feel bloated.
No—it’s fine. As long as I’m happy.

…Hm? Why do I feel so many eyes on me today?

I glanced around quickly.

They’re hiding… but not very well.

I stared at the poorly concealed knights and pretended to stagger.

Taking the bait perfectly, four knights jumped out. As if I’d been waiting for it, I grabbed two of them by the collars with both hands.

“Ah.”

“Ugh.”

The two knights let out small groans.

I smiled brightly and tightened my grip.

Still smiling, I spoke.

“You two—let’s have a little talk!”

…Why do they both look like they’re about to cry?

Please don’t make that face. It makes me look like a villain!

Feeling awkward, I dragged the two knights to the reception room.

“Hello, Lina.”

“Young Laaadyyy! Is it true you defeated Commander Blurwin?! You’re amazing! I want to tell all the maids from other families how incredible our young lady is, but they told me to keep quiet—sniff! It’s so unfair! Our young lady is the strongest, the prettiest, and the smartest! Everyone should know this! Ah! By the way—”

“L-Lina! Please bring some tea.”

I hurriedly cut off Lina’s increasingly intense rambling.

It didn’t feel this cringeworthy when she was praising me before—but hearing it directly was unbearable!

She looked disappointed for a moment, but when I waved and told her to prepare tea, her face instantly lit up.

Simple. Cute—really cute.

“Now then, knights. Let’s talk honestly. Why were you following me?”

“Well….”

One of the knights avoided my gaze, his cheeks turning red.

He even pressed both hands to his cheeks and took a deep breath.

What…?

Suspicious didn’t even begin to cover it.

At first, I thought the butler had secretly assigned guards because he didn’t believe I beat Blurwin—but that expression told me I was way off.

“Please accept me as your disciple!”

…Excuse me?

What?

Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?

I outright rejected reality.

Asking the lady of the house to take you as a disciple—are you sane?

More importantly, I’m eight years old!

What kind of grown adult asks an eight-year-old to teach them swordsmanship?!

Even if I beat the knight commander, this is crossing a line!

Granted, an eight-year-old beating a knight commander already defies common sense, but still…!

I was stuck in disbelief when a familiar voice cut in.

“Sir Silin. Have you forgotten proper respect for your superior? Asking to become a disciple before me—ten laps around the training grounds.”

“What?! Commander, that’s unfair!”

Yes.

Blurwin had appeared right in front of me.

《Blurwin wishes to become your disciple. Your confusion has doubled.》

If this were a game, that kind of message would’ve popped up.

My head hurt.

And I was supposed to leave on a trip!

Where exactly did my opinion go?

“Miss. We followed you because we wished to receive your instruction. We apologize for failing to recognize your extraordinary swordsmanship talent until now.”

The other knight—not Silin—spoke.

Saying something that embarrassing with such a straight face… he was impressive in a different way.

But there was nothing to apologize for. I never told anyone, and I outright refused to wield a sword.

“It’s fine.”

“Miss…! Now I understand why the maid Lina praises you endlessly. Such kindness and consideration! Please—accept us as your disciples!”

I clutched my head.

Why is everyone like this?!

I couldn’t take it anymore and used magic immediately.

“I almost died….”

Teleporting back to my room, I pressed my fingers to my temples and sighed heavily.

At this rate, I’d develop wrinkles I didn’t even have.

Then I heard a knock.

Already?

“I am Heddison, Young Lady.”

Relieved that it wasn’t the knights, I told him to come in.

Even his footsteps were immaculate—the very image of a perfect butler.

“Why are you here?”

After hearing so much nonsense about disciples, I asked his purpose directly.

I had a bad feeling.

And of course—it was accurate.

Heddison spoke at length about how moved he was that I had grown so well compared to my past self—the ‘villainess’ Shurer. He said he wanted to see my swordsmanship, that those who saw it claimed it was like a painting, like art, that a portrait must be left behind…

Why am I the only one suffering from embarrassment?!

No. That’s it. I’m leaving.

Tonight. I’ll leave a letter and go.

I resolved this internally while carefully smoothing my expression.

God. Even if I don’t follow any religion, isn’t this too cruel?
Making me hear all this praise directly… are you trying to kill me from embarrassment?

Thankfully, Heddison’s speech was shorter than usual.

For the first time ever, I was deeply—very deeply—grateful that the butler was busy.

Just as I tried to relax, his voice came again from outside.

Damn it.

“The Duke of Serbia has arrived. Shall I escort him to the reception room?”

“…Yes. Bring him in. I’ll be there shortly.”

After replying quickly, I spun once in front of the full-length mirror.

My skirt fluttered with the motion.

Though I was dressed comfortably at home, the fabric, color, and quality were impeccable. Meeting a duke required self-inspection.

Satisfied, I headed to the reception room.

Countless gazes—admiration, awe, shock—clung to me.

I couldn’t complain. I brought this on myself.

Still—this is overwhelming!

Please, someone save me!

“May you always rest in the goddess’s embrace. Greetings, Duke.”

“May you do the same, young lady. I believe I saw you once or twice when you were younger—you’ve grown remarkably.”

“Thank you. Now then, what brings you here? I’m rather busy.”

I went straight to the point.

I had no desire for pointless small talk.

“…Hah. Very well. Become my disciple. You are an uncut gem—polish yourself further, and you’ll shine beyond anyone’s reach.”

Ah. Right.

This man was obsessed with discovering prodigies.

That’s why I didn’t want rumors spreading.

Heather had said the high nobles already knew…

All this trouble just because I wanted to travel.

I must’ve lived in Korea too long—my instincts were dull.

“I refuse. Swordsmanship and magic are merely hobbies to me. I do not require a mentor.”

With that, I called the butler and had the duke escorted out.

I worried he might retaliate—but contrary to my fears, he smiled even more brightly.

“I’ll return. That commanding presence that overwhelms others—I’d love to teach you even more.”

I’d only fueled his obsession.

I repeated my earlier resolve.

I’m leaving tomorrow.

“Ventus. We’re leaving tomorrow.”

After dinner, I called Ventus to my room.

“What? You said we’d leave in a week.”

“Plans changed. If this keeps up, I’ll die of embarrassment!”

Ventus’s puzzled expression shifted to understanding, then he burst into laughter, bending at the waist.

Why are you laughing?! I’m serious!

You’re a dragon—you’re used to attention! I’m not!

Today, after enduring countless stares—good and bad—I remembered something I’d forgotten.

Too much attention can kill you.

I never imagined revealing my abilities would cause this kind of reaction.

“I get it. We’ll leave tomorrow.”

“Good. Sleep well.”

I kicked Ventus out while he was still laughing.

Finally… peace.

Feels like I forgot something…

Ah! The letter!

I quickly sat down and wrote one.

A simple note: I was leaving to study magic further.

After packing my things, I lay down on the bed.

Honestly, I felt a bit of regret.

Maybe I should’ve brought an escort. Or maybe I should’ve ditched them entirely and run.

No—that would’ve ended with my parents posting missing-person notices and offering a reward.

Ugh… whatever. Sleep first.

Tomorrow, I’ll be happy, free, and stuffing my face with cake.

The first goal of my journey—

To be surrounded by delicious desserts and eat until I burst.