Chapter 46
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I kept it hidden for my brother, who would wake up.”
“No! I overstepped,” Tinya quickly shook her head at Evelyn’s apology, flustered.
“I was just worried you might get hurt. I assumed you were doing it for Lord Leonel, of course.”
With that, Tinya puffed up her chest proudly.
“Actually, I’ve been bragging about it ever since.”
“Huh? About what?”
“There were people gossiping, saying the second child with no ability would inherit the family thanks to Lord Leonel.”
She had received only a handful of invitations, but every time she attended a gathering, there were always attendants who tried to pick a fight.
At times like that, Tinya always wanted to snap back: “Do you even know how smart and skilled with a sword the young lady is?”
“Hahaha. So there were rumors among the servants too?”
“Oh, of course! I wanted to brag so badly!”
Splash.
As Evelyn sat in the warm bath, a smile formed on her face.
Listening to Tinya and the maids chatter beside her, she finally felt like she was truly home.
“Do you know what I saw on the Snowy Mountains?”
While listening to Tinya’s complaints, Evelyn’s eyes sparkled. She had gone on quite an adventure and wanted to share her thrilling tale.
“What did you discover??!”
Not only Tinya, but the other maids also looked at her with curiosity.
“We traveled all over the Snowy Mountains with the Grand Duke. Since it was just the two of us, we moved quickly.”
As Evelyn’s voice dropped with intrigue, the maids stopped moving.
Drip. Drip.
Only the sound of water dripping echoed in the stillness.
“One day, we climbed a very high peak and discovered a strange cave with an odd sound.”
It was likely to be a ruin, so they decided to investigate.
“At first, I thought it was just the wind. But the deeper we went with the torch lit, the warmer it got.”
A strange cave indeed.
A warm place in the Snowy Mountains? Even Elliot had never seen such a cave and had ventured deeper in fascination.
“But then the cave suddenly ended.”
Gulp.
The maids looked at Evelyn with wide eyes as if asking, “And then?”
“It was the most beautiful flame I’d ever seen.”
“Pardon?”
“At first, I thought it was lava. But the flame kept moving.”
At that point, the maids tilted their heads in confusion.
“Could it be a new monster you discovered?”
The ‘flame’ turned out to be the red fur of a monster.
“Yes. And the moment it sensed us and opened its bright yellow eyes, I could barely breathe.”
Despite being a monster, the pressure it exuded was immense.
“So, what happened then?”
“We ran—instantly, together.”
It was obvious without needing to say a word: if they fought inside the cave, they would die.
It was the strongest monster they had encountered in the Snowy Mountains.
“Gasp. You two actually ran from it?”
The maids clutched their hands and gasped dramatically.
“I’ll tell you the rest after I bathe. It really was an incredible creature.”
A monster unknown even to the knights. The maids, eager to be the first to hear more, bustled around efficiently.
“But if you two traveled together, did you share the same bedroom the whole time?”
“Huh? Well, there was only one tent, so of course?”
By now, sharing a space with Elliot felt normal. After spending all that time together and facing monsters side by side, he had become someone Evelyn was comfortable with.
‘It’s true—sharing a sword really changes things.’
Though Elliot had never said so, Evelyn was confident that he, too, felt more at ease with her.
They had developed a deep trust, able to watch each other’s backs.
“So love can blossom even in the Snowy Mountains?”
At Seril’s dreamy sigh, Rone poked her in the back.
“If herbs can grow there, why not love—?”
Evelyn tilted her head at the maids’ cryptic remarks.
What were they talking about?
They exchanged knowing glances and whispered among themselves.
“Love?”
Ah—Evelyn realized what the mysterious glances meant.
That’s not what it was.
But she couldn’t deny it either—not in front of Tinya.
If it were anyone else, she would have cleared it up. But since Tinya firmly believed it was love, Evelyn couldn’t bring herself to say otherwise.
Tinya, I’m sorry.
“Do you plan to keep sharing a bedroom?”
Tinya asked with a hopeful lilt at the end of her voice. Evelyn could tell exactly what she was wishing for by her twitching smile.
For Tinya’s sake, I suppose I can make a small sacrifice.
In truth, sharing a bed didn’t bother Evelyn anymore.
She’d been through intense training in the Snowy Mountains! Evelyn quietly decided to grant Tinya’s wish.
“If he wants to?”
“I’ll go ask!”
Seril bolted out the door.
A moment later, Evelyn burst out laughing at Seril’s loud return, announcing the Grand Duke had agreed to share his room.
“So, did you tell the maids about the red monster?”
When Evelyn arrived at the Grand Duke’s room, Elliot was already there, washed and reading paperwork on the sofa.
“Yes. Have you thought of a name for the monster?”
Evelyn smiled as she recalled the maids’ fascinated faces while she dried her hair.
“How about you name it?”
“Red Claws Yellow Eyes?”
“……”
Aren’t northern monsters usually named after their appearances? Evelyn tilted her head at Elliot’s silence.
“Then… Red-Furred Dragon?”
“Dragons are classified as reptiles. How could they have fur?”
“But it did.”
Its glossy scales and the fur running along its spine had been strangely mesmerizing.
Bizarre, yet beautiful enough to be captivating.
“Dancing Flame?”
Her suggestions began straying further from the monster’s nature.
“I’ll consult the knights.”
Elliot put down his papers and stood.
“Aren’t you tired?”
“I’d actually like to move around a bit.”
They had traveled nonstop on the way back, ignoring even the monsters chasing them.
The horses seemed to know they were heading home and sprinted as if flying.
“Take it easy until the weekend. From next week, you’ll join the knight training.”
“Won’t the other knights resent that?”
“Why would they?”
Elliot clicked his tongue at Evelyn, who was now worried after having begged to join knight training just days ago.
“Everyone already knows you’re a Sword Master. And that you went into the Snowy Mountains alone to find herbs and came back.”
Elliot furrowed his brow, strode over, and suddenly scooped Evelyn up in his arms. Surprised by the sudden lift, Evelyn wrapped her arms around his neck.
“E-Elliot?”
“No one would overlook a Sword Master. Especially not one who’s also the Grand Duchess. You must join the knights.”
Even if she wasn’t a hero, a Sword Master had to be put to good use, Elliot said as he pressed a kiss to Evelyn’s soft cheek.
‘W-Why a kiss now…’
Evelyn stiffened from the overly natural gesture.
She knew they had to deceive their enemies—but did that include fooling even her?
She hoped Elliot wouldn’t notice how hard her heart was pounding.
She tried to act calm, but her heart would race every time he moved close.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of those running their mouths.”
Elliot’s eyes briefly turned fierce. No one—not even northern knights—would be forgiven if they got in the way of the Hero.
Satisfied by the warmth in his arms, Elliot smiled and walked toward the bed.
Once the staff got over the shock of their marriage, word had spread that the Grand Duchess was a Sword Master.
Servants now said things like, “Of course. That explains everything.”
Tinya claimed the rumor that the Grand Duke had recognized the capable Lady Barrett at a glance and chosen her as his wife was gaining traction.
“If the truth that you’re a Hero comes out, my dedication to the North will be fully acknowledged.”
At his confident words, Evelyn rolled on the bed, laughing aloud.
Meanwhile…
“She’s coming out today, isn’t she?”
The knights gathered at the Graham training grounds kept glancing toward the entrance.
“She said she’d join this afternoon. Now get back to training.”
As the knights grew noisy, their commander, Damian, had to scold them.
The joint training between the Grand Duchess and the knight order had been announced before the wedding. Back then, no one had expected this much buzz.
Many knights who hadn’t seen the Grand Duchess’s skills were running their mouths freely.
Though the Grand Duke’s knights were wary of the capital’s rumors, they were also excited by the arrival of a new powerhouse.
