Chapter 142
“It’s been on my mind… I feel like they might look a bit alike.”
It had been nearly ten years since Allen had last seen Lia after they were separated as children.
Her face was already fading from his memory.
And considering that even the face he remembered wasn’t her real one, his curiosity only grew stronger.
‘I’ve heard she looks a lot like Her Grace, the Grand Duchess…’
Allen had seen a portrait of the Grand Duchess once at the Diapel Marquisate, but for some reason, he couldn’t quite picture it.
That was when he learned about Clara Amber, Lia’s maternal cousin.
Since Clara’s mother, the Countess of Amber, was the Grand Duchess’s younger sister, there had to be some resemblance.
In his hazy memory, Lia had the same brown hair as Clara, making the connection seem even more plausible.
“They don’t look alike! Not even a little!”
“…Really? Even though they’re family?”
“Yeah! Not at all!”
Allen, who had secretly been hoping to catch a glimpse of Lia’s face through Clara, let his lips drop in disappointment.
“And Lady Amber isn’t even really part of my sister’s family.”
Diana smirked triumphantly, raising one corner of her mouth.
Seeing Allen’s confused expression, she swung her legs playfully and explained,
“She didn’t even know my sister had her debutante ball! They don’t exchange letters like I do, and they don’t even know what’s going on in each other’s lives. How is Lady Amber family?”
“But she’s still a cousin, so that makes her—”
Just as Allen was about to argue, he shuddered at the dangerous aura Diana suddenly exuded.
Diana had once proudly stepped into the training grounds, declaring her dream of becoming a knight. But unlike himself, Jack, and Aiden, she had absolutely no talent for swordsmanship—so much so that it was almost despair-inducing.
Despite her determination and rigorous training from dawn, her skills never improved. Eventually, she had become utterly discouraged and abandoned the dream.
Yet here she was, a mere non-swordsman, making even a Swordmaster like him feel threatened. In a way, that was even more impressive.
“Just because they share blood doesn’t make them family. Diana, you’re much closer to Lia than she is! No doubt about it.”
Allen quickly changed his tone, keeping a wary eye on her reaction.
The eyebrows that had almost reached the ceiling of the carriage finally settled back in place.
However, her stubbornly pursed lips suggested she wasn’t entirely satisfied yet.
“Diana, come on, cut me some slack. I always come to pick you up, don’t I?”
Whether it was today, a small gathering, or a salon event, Allen had always gone to retrieve Diana at her request.
It was her way of escaping unpleasant social situations a little faster.
Allen wasn’t particularly fond of attending ladies’ gatherings either, but his embarrassment wasn’t enough to outweigh Diana’s requests.
“But if you don’t want to go, why do you even attend?”
It wasn’t like she particularly enjoyed spending time with noble ladies or had any ambition of becoming the queen of high society.
Diana shrugged in response.
“I need to secure a place now so my sister can have an easier time later. And I have to keep an eye out to make sure no nonsense spreads.”
“Huh? Nonsense? What are you watching for?”
“You don’t need to know. Just don’t pay any attention to Lady Amber. It really annoys me every time you do… well, not that much, but still.”
Her last words were so quiet that Allen didn’t quite catch them.
But he didn’t dwell on it and simply nodded.
Diana’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re really not going to acknowledge her?”
“Of course. Why?”
“I was just checking if you were actually interested in her.”
“Interested? Not at all. Besides, Diana, if you don’t like someone, then I don’t like them either.”
Diana was younger than him, but she was sharper and more intelligent than anyone he knew.
When it came to judging people, he trusted her instincts even more than his own swordsmanship.
And besides, though it still didn’t quite feel real, his sister was supposedly the reincarnation of a ‘saint.’
Just as she had seen through Lia’s true nature, Diana could perceive the purity of a person’s soul. That alone was enough for him to trust her judgment.
“But about Lia… if she had her debutante, that means people can see her real appearance now, right?”
So, was that illusion magic finally dispelled? What about the sealed mana?
As Allen murmured to himself, Diana bit her lip.
The recent letter from the Principality only mentioned her debutante ball. There was no word on whether her mana seal had been lifted.
So she could only assume that perhaps only the illusion magic had been undone.
They had kept their distance from her due to the risk of her mana running wild, but more than that, because of the illusion.
Now, there was a chance that everyone but herself would meet Lia before she did.
The thought made her inexplicably sad.
“…When will you awaken?”
Allen cautiously asked the now deflated Diana.
She let out a deep sigh and shook her head.
***
“Aiden!”
The moment their carriage stopped inside the Elard ducal estate, Diana flung open the door and jumped out, shouting.
But the boy with dark blue hair didn’t react, lost in thought as he stared blankly into the distance.
“Hey! Can’t you hear me?”
“Huh…? Diana? When did you get here?”
Aiden jolted in surprise as he noticed her standing right in front of him.
“Tsk. Where have you left your mind?”
For someone predicted to become a Swordmaster like Allen or Jack, he was completely unaware of his surroundings.
Diana shot him a jealous glare before following his gaze.
There, a group of maids carrying cleaning supplies bustled toward the annex.
“Hah… a kid like you, already—”
“It’s not like that!”
Allen clicked his tongue teasingly, and Aiden protested in frustration.
“I was just thinking about Lia…”
Allen’s eyes widened in surprise.
Diana, however, already seemed to know and turned her gaze away awkwardly.
“She was so good to me when I was little. She read me fairy tales and even played house with me.” (Aiden)
“Hey, I played with you too!” (Diana)
“Diana, you just bullied me all the time! Lia had to stop you!”
Aiden huffed in frustration.
“When she suddenly disappeared while I was away, I was so shocked… It really hurt, you know? And she never even wrote to me afterward.”
Though he was glad she had found her family, he still couldn’t help but feel abandoned.
Aiden had no idea about Lia’s true identity or circumstances. His words were simply his honest feelings.
Allen was taken aback by how clearly Aiden still remembered her after all these years.
“Ugh, shut up! What’s the point of remembering someone who’s gone?”
Diana suddenly shouted, looking oddly flustered.
Allen sighed, closing his eyes.
She was terrible at lying, just like their mother. It was painful to watch.
But Aiden didn’t seem to notice at all and grinned.
“What, are you jealous?”
“Are you insane? Should I give you a matching bruise to go with your violet eyes?”
As Diana and Aiden resumed their usual bickering, Allen shook his head and walked toward the training grounds.
“I wonder if Jack is still there. It’d be nice to spar for the first time in a while.”
Lately, their duels had become so intense that they had to hold back to avoid damaging the training grounds.
Maybe that’s why he felt so pent-up.
“Oh my! He’s not wearing a shirt!”
“Look at those broad shoulders and muscles.”
“I wish I could be held in those arms just once…”
Suddenly, Allen overheard some rather embarrassing whispers.
Blushing, he glanced around.
A group of maids, their faces red, were peeking through their fingers at the training grounds, giggling.
Turning his gaze to the training field, he spotted a man bathed in the scorching sunlight, swinging his sword.
Tall, broad-shouldered, and muscular, his once-scrawny childhood frame was long forgotten.
His sharp, stoic features gave off a serious yet strikingly handsome aura.
Jack Sedian.
***
“Hoo…”
Jack took a deep breath, focusing his mind.
At that moment, everything around him seemed to slow down, and all sounds faded into silence.
It was a phenomenon he experienced when his senses became razor-sharp.
In this state, he could even perceive the movement of the wind and the trembling of the air.
Jack wanted to completely internalize this moment.
Only then could he anticipate his opponent’s gaze and the direction of their blade before they even moved, allowing him to react first.
Even after breaking through multiple barriers and achieving the title of ‘Swordmaster,’ Jack continued to push beyond his limits for one reason alone.
Because he had a clear goal.
“Jack!”
At that moment, a red-faced Allen came rushing toward him from the entrance of the training grounds.
“Hey, put on your shirt!”
“Huh?”
“I said, put on your shirt! There are maids outside!”
Jack tilted his head in confusion as Allen suddenly threw clothes at him.
“So?”
“So what? Do I really have to explain this to you?”
It was common for knights to train shirtless during the sweltering summer heat.
Seeing Jack’s indifferent reaction, Allen, who had been trying to shield him with his own body, suddenly smirked.
“Oh? Is that so? Then go ahead and let them feast their eyes.”
“Feast their eyes…?”
“I had no idea you were the type to enjoy being stared at. My bad for meddling.”
Allen chuckled, teasing him, and only then did Jack finally understand what he meant.
As he turned his head in realization, a loud scream erupted.
“Kyahhh!”
