Chapter 20
When rumors spread that the Grand Duke’s granddaughter was looking to invest one billion gold in a business, proposals began pouring in from all over the continent.
The problem was that it was hard to find a business with a clear path to success among all the proposals.
“And there are so many scammers.”
Perhaps thinking it was funny that a young Grand Duchess would be reviewing them herself, a fair number of ridiculous proposals had arrived.
“Well, there are some plausible ones…”
What I needed was a business that had a predictable success. This was a test; one mistake would mean no second chance.
Lucas was diligently going through the proposals as well, but it seemed he had similar thoughts.
“I hope a decent entrepreneur shows up soon…”
While anxiously waiting for the scammers, Zedin’s heir training and Sishe’s dance lessons continued.
And today, there was one more.
“Please take care of me, Hedin.”
It was the day I was to learn swordsmanship from Hedin.
I wore a comfortable shirt and riding pants, tying my hair up high.
Dressed properly like this, I might look like a competent apprentice knight on the outside, even if not on the inside.
“First, I’ll teach you how to hold a sword.”
Hedin still looked reluctant, but he did his best to teach me.
His explanations were easy to understand, so even a complete beginner could follow along.
“As expected, classic method!”
“You’re keeping up quite well.”
Seeing me perform better than expected, Hedin’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Of course. I can handle even Aura now.”
I had mostly regained the power from my previous life.
Thanks to the herbs Blanche had brought, I was able to make my master’s special pills.
But I couldn’t exactly announce that. Luckily, there was a convenient excuse.
“I grew up watching swords from a young age.”
It wasn’t a lie; both my master and father had used swords.
Hedin seemed to accept this explanation.
“Now, it’s time to get to the main point.”
I hadn’t really sought Hedin’s teaching to learn swordsmanship.
I wanted to give him a small hint as repayment for saving my life.
“By the way, Hedin, you hold the sword differently from what you taught me, don’t you?”
“Oh, this?”
Hedin showed me his own hand positioning while holding a sword.
“At first, you learn the basic stance. But as you practice, you adapt it to yourself.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I grip about one hand-width lower than the basic position. It feels better in my hand.”
“Then I guess there are personalized methods for slashes and thrusts too?”
“Exactly. But initially, you must practice the basics properly. Without a strong foundation, you cannot apply variations.”
“Yes.”
I nodded and demonstrated the movements Hedin had taught me, deliberately keeping them slightly clumsy to avoid suspicion.
“Hedin, what do we learn after slashes and thrusts?”
“After that is footwork.”
“And when that is perfected?”
“You move on to proper swordsmanship.”
“Hmm. And if you master that swordsmanship?”
“Then…”
Hedin trailed off.
That was where he hit a wall.
He had fully mastered swordsmanship, but what to do next?
That was the problem Hedin faced.
“I went through the same process learning from my master.”
“So, it’s that, right?”
I smiled innocently, letting slip the answer to his dilemma.
“Adapt it to yourself! Grip, slashes, and footwork—all can be modified to suit you.”
“Uh…”
Hedin’s jaw tightened at my words.
Watching his eyes shift, I could tell he had realized something.
“I gave him the hint. Got it?”
Then the act was over.
“But I guess I’m not meant to go that far.”
I casually lowered the wooden sword I was holding and stretched.
“I thought it’d be fun, but it’s not. I won’t practice from tomorrow!”
Hedin, lost in thought, didn’t seem to notice my playful tone.
* * *
The next day, Hedin bowed with an apologetic expression.
“Miss, may I focus on personal training for a few days?”
He must have realized something from yesterday’s lesson.
“Of course. It’s good for a knight to strive for improvement.”
That was the purpose of the lessons from the start.
“By the time he returns, will he be a Sword Master?”
If he truly understood, it wouldn’t be difficult for someone of his skill.
“Then having him serve as my bodyguard would be a waste.”
Using a Sword Master as a mere noble girl’s guard was an enormous waste of talent.
Hedin was temporarily assigned as a bodyguard, so naturally, he could be replaced or the position removed altogether.
“Thank you. I’ll return as quickly as possible.”
Hedin left politely, and Marina, who had briefly left, returned.
“Miss, an enormous amount of mail has arrived again today.”
True enough, a large basket was full of letters.
“I hope there’s a usable proposal among these.”
“Bring them over here.”
I sighed as I gave instructions, and Marina reluctantly placed the basket on the table.
“Shall I prepare snacks for you while you review them?”
“No, I want to concentrate alone.”
“Understood, Miss. Call me if you need anything.”
Marina smiled and left promptly.
As soon as she left, Blanche, from her cage, opened the latch and darted out.
The cage had been prepared for her after several days of staying in the room nonstop.
Marina must have thought of Blanche as a pet bird.
The cage contained food and water, but Blanche didn’t touch either.
Since demons feed on human emotions, eating wasn’t necessary.
Consequently, I had to secretly discard the food and water periodically.
<There are humans in the annex radiating strong emotions. I won’t have to worry about hunger.>
The humans Blanche referred to were relatives staying in the annex.
They hadn’t returned home after the council, as my test delayed the next council by three months.
Thanks to them, a full Blanche tapped the stacked envelopes with her beak, teasing me in a lazy voice.
<My king, leave these tasks to the underlings and fight me instead. I’ve longed for your fists for 500 years.>
“No.”
<Why not?>
“This is a test. If I don’t handle it, there’ll be trouble later. It’s tiring, but I endure it for the future.”
Blanche just flapped her wings, seemingly unable to understand.
<Why worry about the future? The important thing is now. You could die by a blade tomorrow.>
“Such a wicked thing to say.”
I clicked my tongue, ignoring Blanche, and opened the first envelope.
It was a typical scammer’s proposal, full of ornate flourishes from the first sentence.
“So you’re eliminated.”
I pushed the rejected proposal aside and opened the next, only to find similar results.
Eliminated, eliminated, eliminated.
I sighed and glanced at the basket. Once full, it now almost touched the bottom.
Only five envelopes remained.
“Was I wrong again?”
But as I opened the next envelope, that doubt vanished immediately.
“Wait… this…!”
The proposal started with a long-winded story and led into a seemingly absurd business plan.
Anyone could call it a scam, but I was certain:
This will succeed!
“This is it! This is the one!”
I jumped up from my seat, cheering, and Blanche flapped her wings excitedly.
<My king! Finally! A marvelous event! How about commemorating it by hitting me once?>
“…What nonsense is that?”
<Tsk, so it seems it won’t work this way.>
“Of course not.”
As expected, she was not normal.
“I need to get rid of her quickly.”
