Knowing that Jed was stronger than me and attempting a direct assault would lead to an immediate defeat, I pretended to charge straight at him but twisted my body to the side, evading his sword.

Shing!

The sound of his sword slashing through the air struck my eardrums sharply.

If that had hit me, I would’ve been seriously injured…

Feeling terrified, I maintained my composure and used the power of magic to jump nearly 4 meters into the air and brought my sword down from above, making it seem as if the sword was ablaze with magic.

However, Jed extended his arm upward, blocking my strike with his sword.

Shiiiing!

The clash of the two silver energies sounded like the scraping of metal on metal.

I gathered all my strength and exerted force from above, but I couldn’t overcome Jed’s power and was knocked back.

As I landed on the ground, the strong wind pushed me backward, but I kept my balance by putting strength into my feet, making sure not to step out of the circle.

Just 3 centimeters more backward, and the duel would have been over right there.

I immediately rushed forward to attack him.

Clang, clang, clang!!

Every strike I made was parried by Jed, and he even had more strength to counter, causing my body to be pushed back continuously.

Look at this. I can’t win by attacking head-on.

Instead of trying to withstand his sword with mine, I crouched down, making my body flat.

Before Jed could bring his sword down, I attacked his thigh and quickly moved back to the center.

The knights sitting in the stands let out sounds of admiration.

“She crouched down to attack the thigh and then quickly moved back. Her agility is impressive.”

Jed immediately charged again, but I blocked and evaded his attacks repeatedly.

In the end, the duel was inconclusive, and the instructor blew the whistle.

Beep-

“We will stop the duel. Take a 20-minute break.”

I took deep breaths and returned to the stands. Jed called my name to ask if he was okay, but I pretended not to hear and swiftly turned away, walking in the direction away from him.

Perhaps it was because I properly demonstrated my skills after a while, but my shoulders, arms, thighs… There wasn’t a single part without muscle soreness. I wanted to go and rest my body for a while.

As Diego approached, he handed me a white towel, and I wiped off the sweat.

“You did well. I thought the duel would be over quickly, but you fought well.”

While wiping off the sweat on my temples, I squinted my eyes.

“Why didn’t you fight properly? They asked us to spar, and you barely put up a fight.”

Of course, I didn’t have anyone else to spar with if he hadn’t approached me in the first place.

“…I was worried I might hurt you.”

At his serious response, I let out a sigh.

“I’m not that weak, you know? If we have another duel in the future, don’t go easy on me.”

I opened the lid of the water gourd and brought it to my mouth. My throat was dry, and I wanted to drink water, but only a few drops came out.

“What’s this… Looks like it’s all gone.”

Diego seemed to take the opportunity and exchanged his water gourd with mine.

“Drink this. I’ll get some more.”

In the blink of an eye, the water gourd in my hand turned into his, and while I was taken aback, Diego headed towards the water source.

Watching his back, I muttered to myself.

“Well… Not bad.”

I quenched my thirst with the water from the gourd he gave me.

Diego came back with the refilled water gourd and handed it back to me. I did the same with his water gourd.

“Next time, don’t do this. I can fill my gourd on my own.”

“You were making sounds like you were exhausted, so I helped.”

“I didn’t even ask you to, but you came up with it on your own.”

Diego looked at me with a sharp gaze and then seemed relieved.

“Still… I’m glad you seem to dislike me less than before.”

“…Well, you’re not doing things that would make me dislike you as much as before.”

Actually, seeing him come to me, worried and crying, softened my heart. It seemed like he genuinely liked me, and besides, he had saved my life, so I couldn’t keep pushing him away and complaining.

“Now I won’t do things you dislike. I disbanded Nine too.”

I was so surprised that my eyes widened like a rabbit’s.

“You…? You disbanded Nine? Why?”

“Because you dislike it.”

His answer was so simple that it caught me off guard.

Of course, I didn’t particularly like Nine, but… was my dislike enough reason for him to disband it?

I couldn’t fathom Diego’s intentions.

“Your Highness, is there something you want from me?”

I thought Diego disbanded Nine, not simply because he liked me. If that were the case, there must be something he wanted from me, leading him to take the step of disbanding Nine.

“Of course, there is.”

As I suspected, Diego had something he wanted.

“I want to be in a romantic relationship with you.”

“…What?”

Once again, my eyes widened, and my body froze like a halted machine.

A romantic relationship? With Diego Stacia? It was beyond my imagination.

“I’m not saying we should start dating right away. It’s not a forced relationship, and I won’t do any actions you dislike. I want you to be able to like me. So just tell me what you dislike. I’m confident I won’t do any of it.”

I was taken aback by his sudden confession. He was confident that he wouldn’t do anything I disliked. It sounded too good to be true, but I took the opportunity to speak.

“I don’t like it when you get drunk. Especially, I really don’t want you to get drunk in front of me.”

“I’ll quit drinking.”

… Just like that? His answer was so quick that anyone would think he wasn’t someone who enjoyed alcohol.

“But you like drinking, don’t you? It might be hard for you to quit. Just don’t get drunk in front of me, or it’d be better if you didn’t show up when you’ve been drinking.”

It was because I didn’t want to see him spill whiskey all over again. His twinkling eyes seemed to recall the incident, and he glanced away at my words.

“I’ll drink in moderation. What else?”

I thought about what else I wanted to say. As I pondered, I noticed our colleagues stealing glances at us.

“We’re attracting attention since we’re together.”

Upon hearing that, Diego immediately furrowed his brows.

“Who is it?”

The guardian knights who were glancing at us quickly looked away.

Without hesitation, I covered Diego’s face with my hand.

“And this expression. I don’t want you to get angry with such a scary look. I prefer someone gentle and kind.”

Diego’s expression softened immediately, and he smiled.

“Got it. I’ll be gentle.”

Although there was awkwardness in his smile, I somehow found it more endearing.

“Smiling suits you much better.”

At my compliment, Diego’s neck turned red.

* * *

It was after the training when May was sitting alone on the bench. She closed her eyes for a moment to rest.

Jed, who had been watching her all along, followed her to where she was. He didn’t want to disturb her while she rested, so he kept a certain distance and just observed.

Perhaps she’s giving all her heart to Diego.

I wanted to know what she was feeling right now, but I couldn’t read her.

Right after Hestia’s death, the Mirocagon judged that Jed no longer needed the power and immediately took it back.

The wind blew, and a small leaf fell onto May’s cheek.

Not sure what to do, Jed hesitated for a moment before walking closer to take the leaf off.

At that moment, May opened her eyes and caught Jed’s wrist.

“What are you doing?”

Jed, who didn’t expect her to wake up, was surprised and replied a beat late.

“… A leaf fell.”

In his hand was a small leaf that he had just taken off. May let go of his wrist.

“It would have fallen off on its own. You didn’t have to do that. We’re not that close.”

Jed looked at May with pitiful eyes.

“… You might think I’m not a bad person who played with your feelings, but I liked you. But you know I can’t date a commoner. To someone like you, who’s no longer a noble, I couldn’t accept your feelings.”

He spoke sincerely, but May didn’t believe him.

“Jed, can I ask you if what you just said is true or not? I became friends with the Mirocagon.”

“….”

But Jed remained silent.

There was only one reason he couldn’t answer. It’s because he was lying. He didn’t like her, that’s why.

Of course, she could look cute or lovely at times, but he had never liked her.

“… Liking you? Not a chance.”

May’s resigned tone struck Jed’s heart.

“Going on like this until the end, you really seem clueless about human feelings.”

“….”

May got up from her seat and didn’t meet his wavering gaze.

“Or maybe it’s just my feelings that are ridiculous.”

And she walked past Jed.

I knew exactly why she was acting so distant now.

Because she became the Flotina’s Lady. The fact that she became the daughter of the Duke  Flotina due to the Hestia incident has become widely known.

Now that she has become a suitable match for him, it was only natural that she would keep her distance.

“That scoundrel….”

As her expression darkened, someone walking in the distance caught her eye. The two people she had wanted to meet for the past few days made her light up instantly.