Chapter 66 …
The training ground came into view, yet there was no sound of shouted commands. Normally, by this time, one would hear the sounds of soldiers rolling about.
“What’s going on?”
“I wonder. It’s quiet today.”
Rachel quickened her pace and entered the training ground. The soldiers were sitting in neat rows on the ground, their eyes fixed on a single point.
Following their gaze, Rachel turned her head. Count Beston and Enoc were clashing swords.
“Looks like the Count’s warrior instincts are kicking in.”
“Today it’s Enoc. Last time, he trailed Evelyn for five days straight.”
What Mary said was something Rachel knew all too well.
The Beston family had a long history of producing knights. There’s a saying that warriors are kind, but Rachel didn’t see any kindness here.
In particular, Count Beston had a bad habit of challenging anyone strong to a duel.
“I saw it too. He was following so closely—”
Rachel quickly covered her mouth, worried someone might overhear.
For now, Enoc seemed to be the target.
“Miss?”
One of the soldiers noticed Rachel and looked surprised. Rachel put her finger to her lips and continued watching the duel.
The two were almost evenly matched. Whether they were purposely avoiding using aura or divine power, they clashed swords purely with skill.
“Who do you think will win?”
“Enoc, probably.”
It might look evenly matched, but that wasn’t the case. Rachel could see the outcome of the duel.
On the fifteenth day since she started wearing the monocle, she could see mana even without it.
Most people with large amounts of mana in their bodies were strong, and Enoc had more accumulated mana than Count Beston.
“The winner is on our side! Win!”
Rachel turned her head at the loud, cheering voice. An excited Dayner was reaching out with a wooden sword, shouting encouragement.
“Ah, I should get him enrolled in the academy too. I’ll have to look into it.”
Rachel briefly considered her brother before returning her attention to the duel.
Enoc’s sword tip touched Count Beston’s neck—just like that, the match was decided.
“Rachel!”
As soon as the soldier declared the result, Enoc ran over to Rachel. Though he had clearly fought a fierce duel, his face was completely dry, not a drop of sweat.
“Is everything done for today?”
“No. An invitation arrived from the Nerus family. We’ll leave tomorrow.”
“I’ll prepare too. But did you prepare a dress?”
Rachel smiled faintly at Enoc’s question. She had no intention of wearing an uncomfortable dress.
After all, she was practically an outcast in high society; behaving a little differently wouldn’t hurt. Probably.
“I get nervous when you smile like that, because I never know what you might do.”
“What did I do?”
“You remember last time, you smiled and said you’d make something delicious—and then caused an explosion? I saw it all.”
Rachel felt wronged. She wasn’t actually bad at cooking. Before, she had pretended to be incompetent to get a meal from Cal’s cooking, and since then, Enoc had assumed she couldn’t cook.
Regardless, the incident he referred to was Rachel’s mistake. She had been trying to make chicken but accidentally spilled flour into the fire, causing a flour explosion.
It had almost been fatal, so Rachel had no words to defend herself.
“Yes, that happened.”
“I still get chills thinking about it.”
“Yes, yes. I admit it, so please spar with me a little.”
“Rachel, brushing things aside like this is a bad habit.”
Still, Enoc raised his wooden sword, ready to oblige Rachel’s request to spar.
“Oh, so you know how to wield a sword?”
Count Beston, who had never seen Rachel train while she stayed at Harpa Castle, showed interest.
Feeling the weight of his gaze, Rachel smiled awkwardly.
“I’m not as skilled as my mother—this is just basic training.”
Knowing she had an aptitude for magic, she had intended to focus entirely on that, but she had no teacher.
Out of necessity, she sparred with Enoc occasionally, even if her skills were minimal, to prevent them from rusting.
He was skilled enough that Rachel couldn’t get hurt no matter how much she attacked, so she could clash swords freely.
“I’ll go easy on you this time.”
“Doing this in front of so many people makes me nervous.”
“Really? Everyone, stand up! Form inspection line! Move to the training ground and run twenty laps. Go!”
“Yes, sir!”
At Rachel’s complaint, the Count sent the soldiers away. She felt a bit apologetic but nodded when he asked if she was ready.
The sparring between Rachel and Enoc began. Occasional practice didn’t improve points but kept her skills sharp.
Enoc struck exactly at Rachel’s weaknesses, and she tried to recognize and overcome them.
The spar lasted about twenty minutes, after which Enoc stopped her sword at an appropriate point.
“We’ll stop here since we have to ride the carriage tomorrow.”
Rachel nodded and reached for water.
Unlike her, soaked in sweat, he was completely dry. Facing two opponents in succession, he remained composed.
Mary, familiar with the routine, handed Rachel a water bottle and wiped her sweat with a handkerchief.
“Thanks, Mary.”
“It’s my job to serve you, my lady!”
Seeing Mary’s happy face, Rachel suddenly realized something.
‘Ah.’
Mary had been the maid who died from falling roof boards in a previous timeline. She had also appeared as a head-smashed monster in the game. Rachel had forgotten, busy with everything, but suddenly remembered.
“Why, my lady? Is there something on my face?”
“No, nothing. Just… have you had anything difficult lately?”
“Yes!”
“What is it?”
“Cleaning is hard! I thought the mansion was big, but the castle is huge.”
“You’re not cleaning alone.”
“Still. So… could you take me to the tea party tomorrow? I know you normally don’t bring maids.”
Listening to Mary chattering, Rachel realized something else.
It had been nearly a month since she became the mistress of this castle, yet Mary was the only one calling her “my lady.” Even the steward she hired still called her “miss.”
Small details like this reflected people’s perception and reinforced it subconsciously.
‘I should fix this soon.’
“All right. I can’t go alone anymore anyway.”
“Really? You promise?”
“Yes. I’ll ask the head maid for advice first to avoid mistakes.”
“Yes!”
‘Since I’ll be drawing attention anyway, as long as I don’t make mistakes, it’s fine.’
Meanwhile, Count Beston approached with his chin raised.
“You said it was basic training, but you’ve gone beyond that. You may feel like someone without talent has reached their limit, though.”
Rachel’s heart sank at his blunt words. It was true—she lacked talent and hadn’t improved much.
She felt inwardly upset that he saw right through her after just one spar.
“Yes, I take after my father. My sister Dayner inherited our mother’s talent.”
“The one you cheered for earlier?”
“Yes.”
“Huh, really?”
Count Beston stroked his chin.
‘Soon he’ll probably try to teach Dayner after checking her skills.’
It was good for Dayner to be noticed by skilled people.
“I didn’t expect anything when Prince Carion commanded, but these days, it’s fun. Lord Enoc, let’s spar again next time.”
“Yes.”
He seemed delighted to spar with a strong opponent, walking briskly toward the training ground.
As always, Enoc stayed by Rachel’s side.
“How much work is left?”
“No matter how much I do, it keeps piling up. Soon, Lord Fern will offer an abandoned coal mine for sale, and we have to buy it.”
“Isn’t a depleted mine useless?”
“Most of the coal is gone. That’s why he’s selling it cheap.”
“Then why?”
Rachel gently pressed on Enoc’s shoulder, lowering it, and whispered in his ear.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. For now, keep it between us. I told the staff we were buying it to build a steelworks.”
“I see. You’re always busy, Rachel.”
“Maybe we’ll have a bit of free time after catching the black magician?”
“In the end, we’ll have no choice but to catch the black magician.”
Enoc’s golden eyes blazed. Normally hostile toward black magicians, now his hostility seemed even stronger.
“Did everything go smoothly at the castle last time?”
“Yes. His Majesty the King publicly declared that I am the legitimate heir.”
With the crown prince dead, the existence of the hidden fourth prince had been revealed.
Since Enoc had renounced his claim to the throne, no faction would form around him.
Still, the nobles wondered what the king’s intentions were in revealing this.
“While they belong to the sect, they’ll follow God’s word, so they won’t bother us.”
“I hope so.”
Rachel thought Enoc was rather naive in some ways. Nobles would surely try to form ties with him.
After all, the king had promised the duchy’s position in the future. This was unprecedented in the history of Kudas.
And it was the first time in Rachel’s reincarnated timeline as well.
“You seem happy.”
“Of course. I can finally learn magic! Though learning is another matter.”
“Rachel never gives up.”
“No, I give up quickly when something seems hopeless!”
Enoc chuckled. It was a boyish laugh.
“Why are you laughing like that?”
“Because you’re cute.”
“I’m the one being cute. You just realized that now?”
Rachel’s response made Enoc laugh loudly, no longer hiding his emotions. In the past, he would have only lifted the corners of his mouth quietly.
Rachel didn’t mind this change in him.
The carriage arrived at its destination. The doors opened, and Enoc stepped down first. He extended his hand toward Rachel, but she declined.
“I can get down by myself.”
With that, Rachel hopped down, followed by Mary carrying the luggage.
Mary looked up at the Nerus Marquisate and was impressed.
“Wow! Harpa Castle is great, but the Marquis’ estate is on another level.”
It wasn’t just the size. Though not flashy, the historic mansion had a refined, old-world charm.
“How does it compare to the royal castle?”
Rachel laughed. The difference was too obvious to compare.
“Each has its own charm, so I can’t say one is better.”
“True. But when others ask, say the royal castle is better.”
Rachel turned her head at the voice.
The Nerus Marquis stood with his guards beside a massive tree.
Rachel immediately bowed in greeting.
“Thank you for inviting us.”
“No, my daughter invited you. I merely conveyed the message. Have you been well?”
“Yes. I’ve been busy.”
“You don’t seem to answer questions properly.”
Though it sounded like scolding, there was a playful tone. Rachel smiled, pretending ignorance.
“I’ve truly been busy.”
The Marquis’ gaze shifted from Rachel to Enoc, but he said nothing.
“My daughter is waiting. Your clothing is… unique.”
