The sweltering summer heat had eased a bit. After the assassin appeared, Fazel and I threw ourselves even harder into sword training.

“Swing your sword more!”

Trean shouted at me.

“Yes, sir.”

Without turning my head, I simply answered and swung my sword.

My sword swings were faster than before. Remembering how quickly that bastard used his sword when facing the assassin, I practiced to become like that too.

Trean walked toward Fazel, who was swinging his sword a short distance away from me. He watched him train and shouted loudly.

“Fazel, your hand is dropping. Can you still not use your strength?”

During the assassination attempt, Fazel had overused magic and his body wasn’t well, so he couldn’t participate in sword training for a while but had started joining again recently.

Trean seemed to be asking with this in mind.

“No, sir.”

Fazel shouted and swung his sword.

“Good, then do 100 more.”

Every time Trean ordered us to do something, Fazel and I shouted.

“I can do it all!”

“I can do it all, sir.”

Trean walked among us as we practiced and spoke.

He also knew about Fazel’s assassination attempt after hearing the story. He knew what situation Fazel was in.

“To survive, you must work hard enough to die, Fazel. There’s no guarantee something like that won’t happen again.”

He spoke coldly.

If you don’t improve your skills, you could die.

“Yes, Master.”

Fazel bit his lip and spoke like he was spitting out the words. Seemingly pleased with that attitude, Trean gave him one more task.

“As a bonus, run around the training grounds too.”

Instead of answering, Fazel swung his sword diligently. I worried whether he’d actually be able to run around the training grounds.

After the assassination attempt, Fazel had been staying at the castle. Father also took this matter seriously and was protecting him along with me to prevent assassins from coming.

“They say Fazel has nightmares.”

In the Count’s office, I spoke in a worried tone. Then Father made a serious expression.

“He must be anxious.”

At such a young age, with someone coming to kill him, there was no way he could be in his right mind. Fazel was amazing for maintaining his composure and trying to prepare.

“The investigation into the people who disappeared from those who went with you is finished. They were people working temporarily at the castle.”

They must have taken the money and disappeared. Even after poisoning the food, they’d live without a care.

It was infuriating.

“We don’t know when another assassin might come.”

Father held out a document.

“We do need to make a decision. He’s your fiancé, after all. For now, I investigated who commissioned the assassination.”

Father had mingled with various people during his Academy days. Among them was someone who worked in the assassin’s guild.

“Already?”

“Your dad’s capable, isn’t he? They say it was done by the Marquis Lucian household, the father of Duchess Zieten.”

“It would be nice if we could steal the commission document.”

But even this information was something that person risked their life to tell us.

So we couldn’t hope for anything more.

“That’s difficult. So Louelle, what will you do? Without the commission document, it’s hard to hold the Duke accountable for this matter.”

It was frustrating, but that was the truth. Without the assassination commission document, there was no way to prove the Marquis household commissioned the assassination.

“I know that much. So I think we need to approach this matter a bit differently.”

Father smiled faintly. Then he placed cookies in front of me.

Ah, my favorite cookies.

“Shall I see what my daughter does?”

Father spoke in an expectant tone. At that reaction, I grumbled.

“Father, you’re subtly testing me.”

This wasn’t the first or second time.

“I’m curious how far my daughter can go.”

I wished he wouldn’t have such curiosity.

“For now, I’ll step up. If I can’t handle it, please step in, Father.”

I needed to handle it myself first to be able to proudly tell Fazel.

“Of course. I should grant any request from my daughter.”

Father’s words stirred my heart.

“I feel reassured having you, Father.”

I was happy to have a father who loved me like this.

Now Fazel was by my side too.

“I’m jealous of Fazel.”

At Father’s words, my eyes widened. Then I immediately blushed, stood up from my seat, and drank some cold beverage.

But my heated cheeks didn’t cool down easily.

I finished talking with Father and went to Fazel’s room.

When I knocked on the door, Fazel opened it.

“Louelle, what’s up?”

After that incident, Fazel stopped speaking formally to me and naturally called me by name, treating me familiarly.

It really felt like we were an engaged couple.

“Classes won’t be held for a few days.”

Fazel’s eyes widened. He asked me in surprise.

“Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, I’m going to the Duke’s household.”

Then Fazel’s eyes turned fierce.

“You’re going to the Zieten Duke’s household? Why there?”

I quickly sat him down. It seemed like this would be a long conversation. I wanted to order tea, but Fazel wouldn’t let it go and kept asking. I quickly calmed him down and spoke composedly.

“Why? I can’t just let that guy keep sending assassins.”

Fazel shouted angrily.

“I’ll kill the assassin that moron sent!”

Fazel had excellent talent in swordsmanship, but he didn’t yet have the skill to kill assassins all at once.

Trean said it would take several years for Fazel to have skills comparable to a knight. But I felt Fazel would dislike hearing this, so I said something different.

“I’m not dismissing your skills, but still, you want to sleep peacefully, right?”

Fazel stopped what he was about to say and closed his mouth.

“…”

At his silence, I swept my hair back. Old thoughts came to mind. Before possessing this body, my life.

“You need to sleep well to be happy.”

I didn’t want Fazel to be anxious and unable to sleep.

“You’re right about that.”

At my serious words, Fazel agreed.

“No one lives to be unhappy.”

He finally dropped his bravado.

“Phew, what are you planning to do?”

He didn’t say anything about eliminating the assassin.

In fact, he knew it himself.

That he didn’t yet have the power to protect himself. That’s why he was hiding in the Count’s household, wasn’t it?

“There’s a way. If I hadn’t become royalty, this wouldn’t have happened.”

This all happened because the Emperor suddenly returned Mother’s right to succession.

This wasn’t in the original story.

“No. Either way, that bastard would have tried to kill me.”

“That’s true. Anyway, the Duke isn’t involved in this matter, so it’s not the Duke’s will.”

“How do you know that?”

“Father found out information that the Marquis’s wife attempted the assassination.”

Fazel was surprised. Well, finding out assassination information wasn’t something just anyone could do.

But there was a fact people didn’t know well—our household had a lot of money. We were a household capable enough to obtain such information.

“Surprising. I thought he conspired with that bastard of a father.”

Fazel raised one corner of his mouth.

There was no way the Duke would step in directly.

There was a reason he fathered many illegitimate children. It was because of the family’s secret, and if Fazel died, the Duke would also be in trouble.

“It’s more likely the Duchess did it.”

Fazel fell into thought for a moment. Then he made an anxious expression and looked at me with wavering eyes.

“Would the Duke move for someone like me?”

To say such a thing.

I could see the wounds he received from the Duke.

“We have to make him move. That way Fazel can sleep comfortably.”

Fazel laughed lightly and shrugged his shoulders.

“It has been a while since I went home.”

Come to think of it, it had already been over a month since Fazel stayed at our house.

“I’m glad I’m not bored since you’re here, but you want to go home, right, Fazel?”

Actually, I wished he’d stay longer, but that was my greed.

Fazel made an even darker expression.

“Mother worries so much that I don’t feel good either. If not for that bastard, none of this would have happened.”

He let out a long sigh.

“I’ll resolve it soon.”

Just trust me, Fazel!

“You’re always trying to give me something.”

Fazel looked at me with slightly curious eyes. I felt a pang in my heart, like my ulterior motives had been discovered.

“Well, because you’re my fiancé.”

I wanted to say “because you’re the man I’m taking with me,” but I couldn’t say that yet.

We were just in a contractual relationship.

“I’m going to become an amazing man. When that time comes, I’ll repay you for everything.”

Fazel boasted. Like he’d already become that kind of man right now.