Though Anne’s intentions were less than pure, her diligent nature led her to prepare seriously for the exam. She believed it would be disrespectful to deceive the other examinees if she didn’t do her best.

The title “Lion of the West,” which Gareth was known for, was not earned easily. Most young people in the territory aspired to be soldiers and admired those in the military. Growing up in that atmosphere, Anne naturally held deep respect for them. Therefore, she couldn’t help but give it her all. Of course, there was a bit of calculated cunning involved—hiding her true motives.

‘Even if I don’t pass, I must avoid humiliation. If I perform poorly, the Ditche family will be mocked!’

Meanwhile, Sir Gareth found Anne Ditche’s application intriguing. The Duke of Gareth casually remarked to him, 

“There’s an age restriction, and only Gareth’s territory residents are allowed… but you didn’t restrict applications by gender.”

“Of course, since it’s officer recruitment…”

The duke smirked. “I thought you were trying to implement some kind of reform. Turns out it was just careless oversight.”

Although Sir Gareth knew the duke was right, he couldn’t easily accept it. Seeing Sir Gareth’s expression, the duke shook his head and snatched Anne’s application back.

The Duke of Gareth was also familiar with Anne Ditche—the scrawny girl with a swollen face.

‘Her personality was probably better than that boy from the Ryke family’ the duke thought.

He had been more impressed by Anne than the boy from the Ryke family, who had always hidden behind his mother’s skirts.

The duke commented, “I never heard from Baron Ditche that Anne was exceptionally talented in swordsmanship, so she’ll have a hard time passing. But she might make a good example.”

Competing against boys of the same age would naturally put Anne at a disadvantage. The Duke of Gareth didn’t want Anne to pass, either. He felt such a reform in Gareth’s military was premature.

‘Still, I’m curious to see how that spirited Anne Ditche has grown into a young lady.’

Seeing the duke return Anne’s application to its place, Sir Gareth remarked, “It’s my oversight, so I can’t deny her the exam.”

“Of course not. Just when I thought you were getting better at your work…”

The duke teased him before rising from his seat. On his way down the hallway to his office, he ran into Baron Ditche, followed by his eldest son, Pierre Ditche.

The duke said, “You didn’t have to take leave. You could’ve just come with me.”

With his father’s permission, Pierre stepped forward. “I needed to make the distinction between public and private matters. I’m here to help my sister with her final preparations. Right now, I’m just here to see my father.”

The duke asked, “And after your leave?”

The duke’s secretary, who had been following, responded, “He’ll return to us immediately. If we head back to the capital, he’ll report there. If you remain in the territory, he’ll come here.”

Pierre respectfully answered the secretary, “I’ll return without delay.”

The duke then asked Pierre, “How’s Anne’s skill? Does she stand a chance?”

Pierre smiled. “To be honest, passing will be difficult. She’s just taking the exam to see Shadow up close.”

“Oh! That’s right. She mentioned wanting to see the black warhorse.”

Baron Ditche added, “She’s using this opportunity to her advantage. But she’s training hard as well.”

“Of course. I know the Ditche family is earnest. I’m sure she’s looking forward to exam day.”

Since the Duke of Gareth would be observing and Sir Gareth was personally testing the candidates, the military academy entrance exam had turned into a festival for the Gareth territory.

***

When word spread that Anne Ditche would take the entrance exam, her broken engagement with the Ryke family became a topic of conversation again.

At a tea party hosted by Baroness Koon, the talk of the day was Anne Ditche and Wolf Ryke. Relations between the Koon and Ryke families were poor. The Ryke family, which upheld pure military values, viewed Koon’s mercenary business as a betrayal.

Conversely, the Koons hated the Ryke family, calling them hypocrites. And the Ditche family, having risen to power in Gareth without spilling blood, drew plenty of envy. This made the wives feel free to discuss both families in front of Baroness Koon.

One woman opened the conversation. “Surely Wolf Ryke will apply to the military academy as well. Since Anne Ditche is applying, the Ryke family won’t stay quiet.”

Another woman chuckled. “No way. He’s about to graduate. What a pity! Anne even delayed her academy enrollment just to wait until Wolf graduated.”

However, upon hearing that her second and third older brothers were returning to Gareth to watch her exam, Anne frowned and said,

“D*mn it! How much are they going to tease me this time?”

Anne knew her brothers adored her. Yet, she hated the way they expressed their affection.

The story was like this: When Anne was young and sickly, confined to bed, her three brothers, who didn’t know how to handle a much younger sister, often pulled stunts to cheer her up.

Their “gifts” to Anne included placing ten different types of bugs by her bedside or releasing animals they caught in the forest under her bed.

Every gift was like this. Instead of feeling grateful, Anne harbored a growing desire to pay them back someday.

Baroness Ditche tried to stop the three brothers, but they only enjoyed it more when Anne trembled with anger and plotted revenge.

Anne didn’t rely solely on her mother to resolve it. She retaliated against her brothers in unexpected places and at unexpected times.

After biting into a snack and discovering a bug, eldest brother Pierre Ditche remarked with admiration,

“Our Anne is clever. She’s so meticulous at such a young age—just like a Ditche.”

Second brother Berus, after pulling a hedgehog from his left shoe and a centipede from his right, said,

“Exactly. Anne’s truly smart.”

Third brother Animie, after shooing three skunks from under his bed, suggested,

“Let’s take turns setting traps for Anne. She’ll definitely modify our traps and send them back. It’ll be fun, right?”

They believed their antics kept Anne spirited. But for young Anne, it was a constant battle.

Rumors that Anne was fierce or cunning all stemmed from those early battles with her brothers.

Anne let out a sigh as she muttered,

“I won’t let it go. If they mess with me again, it’ll be poop next time!”

***

As Anne stepped into the exam hall, she took slow, deep breaths. All around her were towering men with sturdy builds. Being shorter than the rest, she couldn’t help but worry about running out of air.

Anne kept repeating to herself,

“Focus on Shadow! Just focus on Shadow!”

The moment Wolf Ryke entered the exam hall and saw Anne Ditche, his former fiancée, he issued a warning,

“Anne Ditche! Someone like you applying for the military academy exam? I’ll soon put you in your place.”

Anne, unfazed by Wolf’s sudden appearance, replied nonchalantly,

“Ridiculous. You’re not the examiner, so stop acting so full of yourself. The military academy probably exists to stop brats like you who rely on their family name.”

“You’re insane! Sure, anyone like you can apply, but in the end, all those who pass will be from military families like the Rykes. Just watch!”

Anne scoffed and said,

“How impressive. True to the ‘Lion’s Claw’ title—turning nearly all the applicants into enemies with just one sentence. What destructive power.”

Wolf Ryke suddenly noticed other applicants glaring at him with displeased expressions.

“Cunning Ditche! I won’t let this slide. I’ll make sure you fail!”

Sir Gareth, who was secretly observing the participants from the back, nodded after watching their spat.

“As expected, Anne Ditche’s sharp tongue has grown. To strike a blow at Wolf Ryke without using a single curse—haha! It’ll be more entertaining if Anne passes.”

***

Sir Gareth had once been impressed by Anne’s wit. However, when he later became her victim, his mood soured. Upon meeting her, Anne grabbed Parma and complained,

“He won’t talk to me all day because I said Shadow’s offspring were better than his kids!”

Parma laughed as she replied,

“You know how much Stefano dotes on the kids. No matter how special the black warhorses are, they can’t be better than his own children.”

“At least black warhorses don’t hurt themselves. Who else but an idiot jumps off a roof and breaks their leg? If they’re going to be that dumb, it’d be better if they had two more legs like Shadow.”

Parma thought she understood why her nephews ran to Stefano whenever they got in trouble.

“Even to her kids, she’s merciless. Truly the devil of Gareth!”