Chaptor 07 …

“Marie, hello.”

“Elena, hi!”

A maid with her long hair neatly pinned up warmly returned Elena’s greeting. Around her, male servants lingered nearby.

“Are you already heading to work?”

“Yeah. I’ve got training in the afternoon, so I need to finish my work early in the morning.”

“Take care.”

“Right. You too.”

Even in her maid uniform, Marie’s slender figure stood out as she exchanged greetings and headed toward the main building.

“Marie is in charge of the young master’s room, right?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“No reason.”

As Marie passed by, Elena’s nose twitched. That strange scent was coming from Marie again. As far as she knew, this wasn’t the first time she had noticed that peculiar smell. Judging by how her energy reacted, it didn’t seem like a good sign.

Well, the young master is a Sword Master, so he won’t go down easily. The less you know, the safer you are. Pushing aside her thoughts about Marie, Elena focused on the meal in front of her.

“See you tonight.”

“Ruin, good luck.”

Elena waved as she saw Ruin off. Thinking of the quiet annex compared to the busy main building, she couldn’t help but smile. If things got busier, she might be called to the main building, but not yet. Spending her days taking extra naps in the annex, Elena’s complexion was steadily improving.

With good food, moderate exercise, and enough sleep guaranteed, life couldn’t be better. Starting tomorrow, she’d be able to hold a sword again. The thought that she might soon be able to spar lifted her spirits.

A week later, the duke and duchess arrived in the capital. For three straight days, parties were held to welcome them, and the servants were worked to exhaustion.

Elena couldn’t avoid it this time either. After hurried additional training, she spent her days running around the banquet hall. Every night, she barely managed to greet Ruin after returning to her quarters before collapsing.

The parties went on late into the night, while the training schedule remained unchanged. Under such a brutal routine, dark circles formed under the servants’ eyes. Only after that did the parties finally end.

Afterward, each servant was given a day of leave as a reward. Ruin and Elena promised to take their day off together, so they spent the entire morning lounging around their quarters.

“Sigh, are you two really going to spend your whole day off inside?”

“Yes, I think we should rest today.”

Bessie came to visit their room, and Elena greeted her while leaning against the bed.

“Ruin, don’t you want to go there?”

“There? Ah! There?! Elena, you’ve never been there before, right?”

Bessie gave Ruin a subtle signal. Realizing what she meant, Ruin suddenly sat upright.

“Where is that?”

“There’s a place with an incredible view. Come on, let’s go.”

Ruin jumped up and hurried Elena along. As they walked, Elena looked around in surprise at the familiar path they took every day.

“Wait… is this the knights’ training ground? Isn’t it training time right now?”

“That’s right.”

Trying to hide her excitement at the thought of seeing swordsmanship, Elena spoke carefully. Bessie nodded with a serious expression.

“Um… aren’t outsiders not allowed in during training?”

“They don’t really mind if you just watch from afar. The knights actually kind of like being watched.”

“I’m not going.”

“Oh, don’t be so naive. There are plenty of others sneaking around to watch too.”

Elena recoiled at Ruin’s words, but the two grabbed her arms and started running.

“Shh.”

Soon, they reached a corner of the training ground. Ruin put a finger to her lips. The three crouched low behind some bushes.

“Ruin, won’t the knights notice us already?”

Elena asked nervously, seeing some knights glancing toward the bushes.

“As long as we’re not caught openly, it’s fine. See? There are people hiding behind that window and those trees too.”

“There really are a lot of people here on their day off.”

Ruin and Bessie pointed out the hidden maids and settled down. Seeing the other heads peeking out, Elena eventually hid behind the bushes as well.

The knights were deep in training. It was a time meant solely for them, without servants. The heat filling the training ground was intense. Every time a knight swung a sword, their thin training clothes clung to their bodies, revealing glimpses of solid muscles.

“Eek—”

Soft squeals could be heard from afar. Maids were hiding all over the place, secretly watching the knights. Being senior maids, the three were bolder than the others. They sat comfortably near the bushes, observing the knights’ movements.

“What better view could there be? This is the real scenery. No need to go far.”

“True.”

Elena’s eyes followed the knights’ movements. She carefully observed how their shoulders moved when their swords came down, how they handled sparring.

To be able to watch others train so openly… this was an unexpected gain. As Elena spoke with satisfaction, the other two, cheeks flushed, continued watching.

Oh, the duke’s knights are pretty capable.

As hidden spectators began reacting openly, the knights started chasing away the maids who had been secretly watching.

Among those being chased off, Elena spotted Marie. Even as she was driven away, Marie maintained her bright, smiling eyes. The knights couldn’t help but glance at her face and figure even while ushering her out.

However, they didn’t come as far as where Elena was hiding.

“Is it really okay for us to stay here like this? Even Marie got chased out, and she’s in charge of the young master’s room.”

“Are we the same as her? We’re senior maids who attend the duke’s chambers.”

Bessie answered casually. Feeling uneasy since she seemed to run into Marie often, Elena shifted her attention elsewhere.

“Ah, it’s the young master!”

Ruin suddenly exclaimed. Light seemed to gather at the entrance of the training ground. Elena blinked blankly at the radiant figure.

“Wow… a person can be that handsome?”

Elena muttered without realizing it. Hearing the two snickering beside her, it seemed she had spoken out loud.

She swore this was the first time in her life she had seen someone who seemed to glow. He had looked handsome before from afar, but not to this extent.

“Is the young master… perhaps a fairy?”

“What?”

Ruin whispered, lowering her voice completely. Even though he wore the same clothes as the other knights, why didn’t he look human? Elena’s thoughts tangled at the overwhelming sight of him.

“Is it really okay for us to stay here?”

She asked again, barely containing her excitement. Ruin and Bessie looked at her curiously.

“You’ve totally fallen for the young master.”

“Well, he is quite a charming man.”

Ignoring their teasing, Elena nodded absently, focusing on him. Long limbs, a solid inverted-triangle upper body, and strong lower body to support it. He had the physique she had always dreamed of.

What a body blessed by the heavens.

She wasn’t dissatisfied with her own body, but compared to Karl, there were many shortcomings. If they fought, she’d clearly lose in strength. She’d have to rely on speed and technique to win. As Elena drifted into her own thoughts, the two beside her exchanged meaningful glances.

The knights finished clearing out the hidden maids and re-formed their ranks. From their formation, it seemed they were preparing for group combat rather than individual sparring.

At a signal from the knight at the front, they moved swiftly. Their movements were smooth and unified, like a single body.

“Wow, that’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“You’ve never watched group training before?”

Elena kept admiring the coordinated training. Bessie’s eyes sparkled at her reaction.

“No. My territory is small, so we don’t have knights. Soldiers train in groups, but it’s definitely different from what knights do.”

Elena slightly downplayed the truth. The Lewis territory was often invaded by enemies. Though made up of commoners, their guard force trained systematically. Her father couldn’t afford knights but knew how to manage his people well.

“Ah, right, you’re from the Lewis territory. It’s pretty rural. But since it’s near the border, doesn’t the imperial knight order stay there?”

“The knights sent by the imperial family are mostly stationed in the Heiron territory. They rotate every couple of months, visiting briefly for training.”

Ruin nodded in understanding.

“Lewis territory is small.”

“I’m just glad it’s safe.”

Ruin and Bessie expressed relief, having thought border areas were always dangerous.

“But wait, you’ve never come to watch knight training even while working? Seriously? Elena, you can’t just work all the time! You have to enjoy life!”

“Ruin! Shh!”

Bessie quickly pulled her down as Ruin raised her voice. The knights’ gazes swept coldly over the bushes.

“That was close.”

“We came on purpose today because we heard the young master would be training. We can’t get kicked out now.”

Holding their breath, the three peeked out again as training resumed. Bessie spoke proudly.

“Usually they’d joke around a bit, but today they’re really serious.”

“Right, they act all reserved even though they like us squealing.”

“Does the young master not come often?”

“Not really. He mostly trains on his own now.”

Ruin added that ever since he became a Sword Master, he rarely joined group training. In other words, today might be their only chance to see his swordsmanship.