“Hah!”

With a loud cry, a flash of light streaked through the air. Lila effortlessly dodged the sword aimed at her.

“Damn it!”

The knight, who hadn’t landed a single hit so far, let out a curse. Lila didn’t give him a chance to adjust his stance.

“Ugh!”

As Lila’s blade aimed for his neck, the knight quickly moved his arm, barely managing to block her attack.

Clang!

The metallic sound of swords clashing rang out. Lila swiftly withdrew her blade before he could steady himself and launched another strike.

“W-Wait!”

The knight, panting heavily, shouted. Her movements were so quick that he couldn’t keep up. But Lila paid no attention to his desperate plea and pressed on.

“Eek!”

With a sharp sound, a few strands of the knight’s brown hair were sliced off by Lila’s blade. He recoiled in shock as he saw the strands of hair falling to the ground. Quickly, he stumbled back to widen the distance between them.

“Hah, hah.”

The exhausted knight panted heavily, his chest heaving. In stark contrast, Lila showed no sign of fatigue.

“She’s a monster…”

The knight muttered in a dazed voice, his earlier confidence long gone. From the moment the spar began, he hadn’t been able to properly swing his sword. He had been entirely on the defensive, unable to mount a single attack.

“Focus.”

Lila spoke indifferently as she charged forward again. Startled by her relentless attacks, the knight stammered something in protest, but she paid no heed.

Clang! Clink! Crash!

“Argh!”

At last, the knight’s sword fell from his grasp. Only after the match was decided did Lila stop her assault. The onlookers, who had been watching the spar in silence, erupted in cheers.

“Hah… hah… I just said to wait for a moment…”

The knight panted heavily, grumbling with frustration. Lila tilted her head slightly in response.

“You said we should treat this like real combat, didn’t you? No one stops just because you ask them to in a war.”

Her words were indisputable. The grumbling knight fell silent.

“Thank you! Please spar with me again next time!”

Though his face was filled with frustration, the knight bowed toward Lila in gratitude. As the sparring match ended, Lou and Leigh, who had been watching from the sidelines, ran up to Lila.

“You were amazing, Lila!”

Their eyes sparkled with excitement as they hopped in place. Lila took the towel Lou handed her and wiped away her sweat.

“Here, take this too! I got some lemonade from the steward!”

“Thanks.”

Not wanting to be outdone, Leigh quickly offered a glass of lemonade with ice floating in it. While Lila refreshed herself with the cool lemonade, a few knights hovered nearby, watching her with eager faces.

“Um… Dame Knox, how about sparring with me next time…?”

“No, please spar with me instead!”

The knights, clearly itching for a challenge, clamored to request a match with her.

“Not today.”

At her simple rejection, the knights immediately looked dejected. Even so, they didn’t press her further and backed off.

“Then please consider tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

With that brief reply, Lila left the training grounds, signaling that she was done for the day. The knights awkwardly watched her retreating figure. Though her demeanor had initially thrown them off, they had gradually grown accustomed to her style over the past month.

After observing her for weeks, they realized that Lila was the type to speak only when necessary, wasting no words on idle chatter. Early on, her speech patterns had come across as curt and arrogant, but over time, they found it wasn’t a big deal after all.

Leaving behind the wistful gazes of the knights, Lila walked toward the mansion. Soon, it would be time to study with Huon. Before that, she planned to bathe and take a brief rest.

“Good morning, Baroness.”

“Ah, good morning.”

“Good morning, Dame Knox!”

“Morning.”

As she made her way to the mansion, everyone she passed greeted her warmly. Lila nodded lightly or gave brief replies as she continued on her way.

“Ugh.”

When Lila reached the mansion, she ran into Mau, who was just stepping out. He froze in place, letting out a strange noise when he spotted her. His face looked weary, suggesting he’d been dealing with Grand Duke Eustace’s demands.

“Greetings, Raven.”

Mau greeted her with a stiff, awkward expression. Lila glanced at him, noting the way he had pulled his hat low, and gave him a slight nod.

“It’s been a while, Rat.”

“Shh! Hush!”

Mau’s face turned pale as he frantically brought a finger to his lips the moment she called him “Rat.”

“How many times… do I have to tell you… not to call me that?!”

“Ah.”

Mau huffed and puffed, struggling to maintain his composure while speaking in a clumsy formal tone. Lila let out a soft “Oh,” as if she had only just remembered his request.

“Now that you mention it, you did say that.”

“Honestly.”

Muttering to himself about her odd obliviousness, Mau pursed his lips and gave her a dissatisfied once-over.

“You… No, I mean, Raven, you seem to have grown taller lately?”

Mau almost slipped into casual speech but quickly corrected himself, opting for formal language. Although he’d heard about her true identity from the Grand Duke’s aide, treating her with deference still felt unnatural to him.

“Have I?”

Lila tilted her head in thought at his comment. Now that she considered it, Aria had said something similar yesterday.

“My sleeves have gotten shorter.”

“You’re not going to end up taller than me, are you?”

Mau mumbled with a troubled expression.

“Is there a problem with that?”

“Of course not…! No, none at all.”

Mau was about to shout “No!” but quickly changed his tone when he noticed Elvin emerging from the direction of the stairs. It would be troublesome if that overly talkative aide reported anything to the Grand Duke. Mau cleared his throat briefly.

“Well, in any case… you’ve changed quite a bit.”

‘A true royal—she really does exude elegance,’ Mau thought to himself, impressed. Whether it was because she had received structured care or had simply regained her natural appearance, Lila had become far more beautiful and striking compared to her days as Raven.

‘How much does all that cost?’ Mau swallowed nervously as he eyed Lila’s luxurious outfit. Even the buttons on her shirt alone looked like they could sustain him for months.

“You must have been living quite comfortably at the Grand Duke’s estate,” he said, his tone laced with sarcasm.

“Probably because I’ve been eating and sleeping well,” Lila responded, unfazed by Mau’s snide remark. She truly had been enjoying an extravagant lifestyle beyond her means at the Grand Duke’s estate.

“Ahem. Well then, I’ll be off now, Raven.”

Mau stole a glance at Elvin, who was getting closer, and cleared his throat again.

“By the way, why do you keep calling me Raven?” Lila asked with a puzzled expression. Others addressed her as Dame Knox, Baroness, or Lady Lila, but Mau stubbornly referred to her as “Raven.” She couldn’t help but wonder why.

“Because someone of higher rank ordered me to do so,” Mau replied, pouting slightly. ‘As if I call you that because I want to.’

“Who?”

“Who else could it be? Anyway, I’m busy, so… until next time…”

Mau hastily turned and left before Elvin could catch onto anything. He had no intention of dealing with further complications. Without even offering a proper farewell, he disappeared in a flash.

Meanwhile, Elvin approached Lila, now standing close to her.

“Lady Lila, the Grand Duke is looking for you.”

“Got it.”

With a light nod, Lila entered the mansion. As they ascended the stairs together, Elvin cautiously asked,

“…What were you talking about with Mr. Mau?”

“He said I look taller lately.”

“Ah, I see.”

“But why does he call me Raven?”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure. Could it be because of the rumors that you’re the Grand Duke’s ‘Raven’?”

“Hm.”

Feigning ignorance, Elvin smiled slyly. As they continued their conversation, they arrived at the Grand Duke’s office.

“Grand Duke.”

“…! You’re here.”

Grand Duke Eustace, who had been deep in a serious discussion with Anseir, immediately broke into a wide smile as if nothing had happened when Lila walked in.

“What’s the matter?”

Lila casually sat on the sofa. Anseir offered a polite bow before excusing himself from the room. Once it was just the two of them, the Grand Duke stood from his seat.

“I was thinking about hosting a banquet.”

“A banquet?”

Lila blinked, surprised by the unexpected suggestion.

“Do you know much about the social season, Lady Lila?”

“Hmm… Isn’t it the time when nobles host banquets and tea parties from late spring to early autumn to socialize? And debutantes from noble families make their debuts?”

“Exactly. You’ve done your homework. Well done.”

The Grand Duke smiled in satisfaction and snapped his fingers. The closed windows swung open, letting a fresh and cool breeze into the office.

“The dreadful monsoon season just ended, didn’t it?”

The Grand Duke glanced out the window. Lila followed his gaze.

“I heard the social scene, which had been dormant due to the bad weather, has become lively again.”

As he admired the clear, cloudless sky, the Grand Duke slowly got to his point.

“With the social season nearly over, it would be inappropriate for a Grand Duke of the Empire to do nothing. So, I thought I’d host a modest banquet.”

“…Aren’t you overdoing it?”

“Pardon?”

At the sound of her voice, the Grand Duke blinked, startled. When he turned, he saw Lila’s calm face, as composed as ever. As their eyes met, Lila lightly tapped her fingers against her forehead.