I showed him the most difficult part of what Suran had explained. Then Fazel brought a chair and sat in front of the desk where I was sitting.

“This is…”

Seeing his face up close, he looked even more handsome. His skin seemed covered with fine hair, and I almost lost focus without realizing it.

Fazel kindly taught me the parts I didn’t know. But when I still tilted my head in confusion, he sighed.

“I’ll do it again. So this magic formula is…”

He had a natural talent for magic. Just by looking at magic formulas, he knew how magic was applied.

When he explained it very easily, I understood more clearly.

Wow, so this is what it’s like to study with understanding.

I was admiring his intelligence when Fazel narrowed his eyes and asked.

“Lady Asnel, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“You don’t really seem not to know.”

He asked with suspicious eyes.

“You seem to understand everything.”

His gaze was growing colder, so I said I understood now. I couldn’t let my attempt to seize an opportunity bring the wrong results.

“I really didn’t know. Now that Fazel explained it, I understand well.”

Fazel’s eyes narrowed. Then he tapped the desk with his finger, looked at my book, and said with a quiet laugh.

“I understand.”

He just let it go.

I felt relieved and spoke to him naturally.

“Thanks for helping me. Actually, I worried a lot about this.”

Saying that, I picked up the book he’d explained. Then the documents about Trean underneath slightly revealed themselves.

Fazel naturally moved his gaze to the documents. I smiled subtly.

Finally, I’d shown the bait to lure my prey. I could roughly guess what kind of reaction Fazel would have.

“Trean Arnold?”

Fazel recited the name like he was familiar with it.

“Is this person coming here?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m going to have him as my swordsmanship master.”

Fazel’s eyes wavered.

“A truly amazing person is coming.”

“Fazel, do you know about him?”

“Of course I do.”

Fazel’s eyes sparkled.

Right, children who do swordsmanship couldn’t not know Trean Arnold.

“He’s someone I respect. He was vice-captain of the Imperial Knight Order, but he has skills even better than the captain.”

Well, Trean Arnold didn’t become captain only because he found organizing documents bothersome and personally took on the vice-captain position that focused on training. His skills were the best among imperial knights.

“For someone from a lower noble family to rise this far is truly amazing.”

The Imperial Knight Order was mainly filled with children of high nobles, so commoners or lower nobles had difficulty entering. Yet Trean Arnold rose to vice-captain through his own skills.

So he was an object of admiration for Fazel.

That’s how it appeared in the novel too.

Fazel couldn’t take his eyes off the documents.

‘He likes it this much.’

I hope he’ll look at me with eyes like that later.

I quickly asked him casually, “I taught you, so should I do something for you?”

Fazel shook his head.

“I don’t need any repayment. You’re already giving me plenty.”

No, that’s not true. I can do more for you. I can do more if it means possessing you.

Hmm, what bait should I throw?

While I was pondering, I saw Fazel bite his lip. His gaze still lingered on Trean Arnold’s documents. Ah, then let’s not make it difficult and just be direct.

“Fazel, do you want to take a test from him too?”

Fazel narrowed his eyes.

“A swordsmanship test? But… the one receiving lessons is you, my lady, not me, right?”

“Don’t say that, let’s do it.”

I made a common excuse.

“I’m bored doing it alone.”

Then Fazel looked at me with suspicious eyes.

“You’re bored, my lady? Don’t you have so much to do?”

That’s also true.

I studied but also helped Father with his work a lot. Sometimes I didn’t have time to change clothes, so Marlene would bring clothes and dress me.

There’s no way Fazel didn’t know this schedule.

But I decided to brazenly push through without changing my expression.

With a look that said ‘If I say I’m bored, I’m bored.’

“I have times like that too.”

But the prey wasn’t easy.

“That’s hard to believe.”

“It’s true!”

Then he sighed.

“Why should I take a swordsmanship test? It’s not like I’ll be taking lessons together.”

Ah, finally hooked.

The prey was gently poking at the bait I’d thrown.

“You never know.”

the prey that had been prowling around tasting the bait started to bite slightly. I grinned and said to him.

“If you do well on the test first, you might end up taking lessons with me. Swordsmanship teachers who teach knights need skilled students. So they sometimes teach such students for free.”

Fazel’s expression changed moment by moment as he listened to me. He had a greater desire for learning than anyone. I was touching on that.

“That may be true, but you don’t know if I have outstanding skills, do you?”

“You haven’t even tried.”

Fazel was silent for a moment. Now he’s almost caught. It was hard work hunting. I decided to say the decisive words to capture the prey that had taken the bait.

“And you know you can’t refuse, right?”

Fazel, you’re already hunted!

“I know.”

He sighed.

“So you’re using that mistake like this too.”

“Don’t hesitate.”

Fazel narrowed his eyes and looked at me.

“This part is sometimes scary.”

“What is?”

“There’s something like that.”

Fazel said that and swept back his hair.

“Even if I refuse, you’ll keep asking, so fine. It would be amazing if I really learn swordsmanship like you said, my lady.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“But that won’t happen.”

“Have you never learned swordsmanship?”

“No.”

At his words, I smiled triumphantly.

“How about this?”

“What do you mean?”

“If you end up taking swordsmanship lessons like I said, do homework with me every day.”

Fazel frowned.

“And taking the swordsmanship test isn’t a loss for you either. It’s also an opportunity to know what level your skills are at.”

Fazel was convinced.

Since he thought it would benefit him too, he obediently nodded. I could manipulate him however I wanted using what he did wrong. But if I did that, I wouldn’t win his heart at all.

I knew that well and approached Fazel carefully. He was a boy with many wounds. The more wounded, the weaker the warm emotions.

I was aiming for that.

Suran came in and the lesson proceeded. It was harder than last time, so I struggled a bit, but I could still follow along well.

Like last time, we covered a lot this time too. I listened hard and thought I should preview. But Fazel didn’t look troubled at all.

As expected, amazing. I looked at him in admiration.

“You seemed to find the lesson a bit difficult.”

“It was much harder than last time.”

“I thought so.”

He looked somewhat relieved. But what did Fazel find scary about me?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out.

* * *

Fazel was having dinner with Suran.

“Today Lady Asnel found it a bit difficult. If I preview like this and learn together, I don’t think there will be problems following the lessons.”

At Fazel’s words, Suran nodded.

“It seems we can continue receiving lessons like this.”

Saying that, Fazel sighed. Then Suran raised her head and asked Fazel.

“Is something wrong?”

“You know Sir Trean Arnold, right?”

“I do.”

Suran recalled him. He had a scar on his face giving him a scary impression, but he was a very kind person. And since he was also an academy classmate, they were close when she was at the imperial palace.

“He was also a man I was interested in.”

He was the first man Suran liked during her academy days. Then her life got twisted when she became the duke’s mistress.

No, her life got twisted not because of the duke but because of her family.

The glamorous and beautiful duke—her life was ruined, swept up by the reality that strangled her. Suran shook her head and looked at Fazel.

“That happened?”

“Because he was wonderful.”

When Suran smiled wistfully, Fazel sighed.

“But what is it?”

“He’s coming as Lady Asnel’s swordsmanship master.”

“Really?”

Since they were academy classmates, she felt glad.

“But the lady made a strange proposal.”

“What proposal?”

“She told me to take a swordsmanship test.”

At Fazel’s words, Suran was truly surprised.

“A swordsmanship test?”

“Yes.”

Could she be trying to have Fazel learn swordsmanship together?

“What was the reason?”

“She said she’s bored taking the test alone.”

Then Suran was also dumbfounded.

“I refused, but since she even mentioned what I did wrong, I agreed to do it.”

“So she’s using it like that.”

“Yes.”

Fazel furrowed his brow.

“She does force me, but she only uses it for things I want to do but hesitate about for various reasons.”

Fazel recalled Louelle looking at him with sparkling eyes. She was truly sharp and quick-witted. She noticed like a ghost that he was hesitating about the test and made it so he couldn’t refuse.

“You’re sensitive about being forced.”

“She avoids all of that.”

Fazel shook his head like even he found it absurd.

“It’s not like she’s someone who spends money freely out of curiosity.”

Would there be any benefit to Louelle from taking the test with him? None at all. Yet she was acting like this. It was frustrating not being able to figure out what she was thinking.

Even if he didn’t pass the test, he wanted to learn from him, but he knew it was impossible given his circumstances.

Thinking about that made him bitter.

“This opportunity to know what level your swordsmanship skills are at isn’t bad either.”

Suran viewed the test positively.

But for Fazel, learning swordsmanship was pie in the sky, so he didn’t want to even start. Nothing was more despairing than hoping and then being disappointed.

Time passed quickly, and one day.

“Fazel!”

Louelle smiled brightly.

“Yes, good to see you.”

Fazel found it hard to accept the current situation.

‘How exactly did things turn out this way?’

Something he thought was absolutely impossible was happening. He was learning swordsmanship with Louelle.

‘What exactly is the lady thinking?’

She said she’d punish him, then asked to study together, induced a swordsmanship test, then made him learn swordsmanship.

Fazel looked at Louelle’s small back of the head. He was curious what thoughts filled her mind.

‘Is she trying to make me a subordinate?’

Since he was outstanding, maybe she was investing thinking he’d be useful later. But was that really all?

Meanwhile, Louelle swung her sword excitedly.

She felt purely good spending more time with Fazel, whom she’d marked as her future husband. Fazel recalled exactly what happened two weeks ago and just laughed helplessly.

He was painfully realizing that there was no way she casually suggested doing it together without any thought.

It was exactly one week ago.

* * *

Early in the morning, Louelle sent a letter. It was news that Trean Arnold had arrived at the territory.

She said to come to the castle by noon today.

“It’s test day.”

Fazel changed into clothes good for moving. Since they weren’t well-off, he deliberately bought large clothes.

They were bought worrying about when he’d grow. Fazel had no complaints about his mother’s attitude. Knowing the family circumstances well, he thought wearing perfectly fitted clothes was a luxury.

Leaving the door, he looked up at the sky.

The weather was very clear.

“Well now.”

What would he do after taking the swordsmanship test? He couldn’t even take lessons. Yet the lady persistently demanded.

‘Making me dream futile dreams.’

But he had done her a great wrong. He was still receiving punishment for it. Fazel didn’t know if this punishment would ever end.

“Is this a new type of torment?”

But all the punishments she gave were nothing but sweet.

It was strange.

“I don’t know.”

Let’s not think too much.

Today, let’s just think about taking the test.

Thinking that, Fazel headed toward the castle.