Chapter 144
“Ah!”
At that moment, a regretful sigh escaped Lia’s lips.
She had thrown six throwing knives at once, three in each hand, but one had narrowly missed the target and dropped to the ground.
“Was six too much…?”
No, I can do this.
Muttering to herself, Lia once again wedged the knives between her fingers, and the Grand Duchess could hardly believe her eyes.
Bianca, the knights, and even the maids who had come along all looked equally shocked.
“W-Wait a moment!”
“Yes?”
“You can’t use magic. We agreed that practical magic training would only come after swordsmanship practice.”
The Grand Duchess, as if realizing something, spoke urgently, and only then did the tension on everyone’s faces ease.
Come to think of it, it made perfect sense.
Most of the knights here were magic swordsmen, accustomed to infusing their weapons with offensive or defensive magic.
Moreover, it was well known within the Grand Duchy that the Grand Duchess’s daughter was such an exceptional mage that even the Grand Duke himself was in awe of her abilities.
It wouldn’t have been surprising if she had used magic to compensate for her lack of stamina and strength.
Even now, she had probably adjusted the trajectory of the knives and enhanced their force using magic…
“I didn’t use magic, though.”
“…What?”
The Grand Duchess, taken aback, quickly turned to Bianca.
Though she could sense mana herself, Bianca, as a magic swordsman, was the best person to confirm whether magic had been used.
And Bianca shook her head—she hadn’t detected any flow of magic.
However, given how Lia’s magic had long since surpassed her own, there was a chance that Lia had concealed the traces of her magic use.
Just then—
“…You don’t believe me?”
Lia’s voice was filled with sadness.
Seeing her daughter’s crestfallen expression, the Grand Duchess’s heart dropped.
She immediately abandoned her attempt at maintaining a stern demeanor.
“No, my love! It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just… this is so unbelievable… Mommy was wrong.”
Those watching quickly tried to soothe the dejected young lady, though they couldn’t hide their bewilderment.
“So she really didn’t use magic?” they murmured in confusion.
Lia, seemingly understanding their doubt, nodded.
“It’s true. If I had used magic, it wouldn’t have ended with just this.”
Then, as if to prove her point, she channeled mana into one of the knives she was holding.
In an instant, a massive surge of energy swept through the training grounds like a tidal wave.
At the same time, the knife in the Grand Duchess’s daughter’s hand shot forward with blinding speed.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted, sending a thick cloud of dust into the air.
When the dust finally settled…
All that remained were the scorched remnants of the trees.
***
Inside the carriage heading to Le Réje
“As expected of you, Your Highness! You excel in your studies, possess magic skills revered by mages, and even have outstanding swordsmanship! Honestly, Your Highness is so perfect, it’s almost a problem.”
The excitement of finally going on an outing faded quickly.
Listening to Jane’s praise made cold sweat trickle down Lia’s back.
Everything she had shown so far was the result of relentless effort, not because she was naturally gifted or extraordinary.
‘I’ve worked so hard just to retain what I learned in my past life…’
Since she already had the knowledge, it wasn’t terribly difficult, but balancing unfamiliar academic studies with mastering magic had still been a challenge.
‘At least the first day of training involved throwing weapons.’
Among the many things her master had taught her, two stood out: concealing her presence and attacking from a distance.
Throwing weapons, in particular, had been one of her specialties.
Even if it surprised everyone, it worked out well with her plan to reveal her skills early on.
‘That way, I can receive training that matches—or even surpasses—my level.’
Just as she had expected, after witnessing her unexpected abilities, her mother and Bianca ended training for the day and summoned her back to the training grounds a few days later.
That was when her proper swordsmanship lessons began.
She had experience handling blades before, but since she mostly used daggers, wielding a standard longsword was slightly awkward at first.
However, with her foundational knowledge, it didn’t take long to adjust.
Since she lacked physical strength, brute force alone wouldn’t work. Instead, she employed techniques she had learned in her past life—using the opponent’s strength against them, targeting vital points and joints with precise strikes.
Seeing this, her mother regretted not having taught her swordsmanship sooner.
‘Next, she said she’d teach me how to use a crossbow.’
It was the one weapon she hadn’t learned from her master, so she was particularly excited.
Of course, it made sense that an intelligence operative wouldn’t typically use a bow.
***
At the dessert shop
“It’s rare for Your Highness to go outside the castle for dessert.”
“…Is the head chef upset?”
She had heard that the castle’s head chef was deeply disappointed upon learning she was visiting a dessert shop in Le Réje.
Feeling a bit guilty, she asked Jane, who quickly shook her head.
“Don’t worry. He was so fired up that he asked me to buy every type of dessert available in Le Réje.”
“…What? I can’t believe this.”
Unintentionally, she had just boosted Le Réje’s sales.
Shaking her head, she glanced down at the invitation in her hands.
“….”
A man who was a Swordmaster yet kept it hidden, secretly running an information guild.
Someone who carried as many secrets as she did.
She couldn’t help but wonder—what kind of circumstances was he hiding?
***
As I opened the door
Ding-a-ling.
A clear chime rang out.
For some reason, the sound stirred old memories, leaving me with a strange, nostalgic feeling.
“I received an invitation.”
I held out the invitation to the lively-looking shop assistant, who welcomed me with a bright smile.
At the same time, her eyes widened dramatically.
‘So it really was just sent to me.’
A quick glance around the shop confirmed that none of the other customers had an invitation.
That was when I noticed the shop assistant sneak a glance at my hair.
I frowned slightly.
‘Did they tell her the Grand Duchess’s daughter would be coming?’
When I traded magic stones, I had revealed myself as a maid—but only to the guild leader.
Secrecy was a fundamental rule of the information guild. Even agents carrying out missions rarely knew the identities of their clients.
I doubted they would have shared details of the transaction, but just knowing that the guild’s VIP was the Grand Duchess’s daughter made me uncomfortable.
‘I even changed my hair color to brown on purpose.’
Although I had made a public appearance at the debutante ball, my face was not yet widely recognized.
Even if the invitation had been sent to the Grand Duchy, they should have ensured my identity remained undisclosed. I had dressed like an ordinary noble lady, assuming the matter would be handled discreetly.
“D-Did I make a mistake?”
The shop assistant’s face turned pale, and she looked as if she might drop to her knees at any moment.
“If I offended you in any way, please forgive me!”
I was caught off guard by her reaction.
‘I just frowned a little. Why such an extreme response?’
My family and the staff at the Grand Duchy were protective of me, but even they didn’t overreact like this.
Yet, the shop assistant was still anxiously watching my every move.
“What’s the matter, my lady?”
Jane, who had been attending to me, sensed the odd atmosphere and looked at me in confusion.
I quickly shook my head.
“It’s nothing. She was just checking my invitation.”
“…Yes! That’s right!”
I gave a subtle signal, and the near-tearful shop assistant immediately nodded in relief.
“Since you have a special invitation, I’ll guide you to the second floor.”
Her overly respectful demeanor remained unchanged as she led the way.
To an outsider, it might have seemed as if the shop owner—or even their family—had just arrived.
‘Is she planning to announce to the whole town that the Grand Duchess’s daughter is here? If this keeps up, someone’s bound to notice…’
“Your Highness, maybe they’re just being extra attentive because it’s a newly opened shop!”
Jane whispered in my ear.
‘…Good. As long as you haven’t caught on.’
Feigning an oblivious smile, I told Jane to place an order for takeaway while I went ahead to my seat.
Since I had already assessed Le Réje’s security beforehand and my hidden escorts were stationed nearby, Jane had no objections.
As I left her behind—cheerfully exclaiming, “I’ll take one of everything!”—I followed the shop assistant upstairs.
Yet, her constant, cautious glances at me made me increasingly uneasy.
It was clear she had figured out my identity.
‘The Grand Duchess’s daughter, who rarely leaves the castle, being a VIP at an information guild? That’s absurd.’
‘I need to have a word with Lucio later…’
“Did I… do something wrong?”
“…What?”
“You seem displeased.”
Leading me to the best seat on the second floor, the shop assistant bit her lip anxiously.
“Please, if I’ve made a mistake, could you tell me? I’ll correct it immediately.”
She was so tense, so disciplined—it reminded me of my younger self.
In the end, I softened.
Blocking out the surrounding noise, I glanced at the name tag on her chest and asked,
“Your name is Betty, right?”
It was likely an alias, but at the mention of it, the shop assistant flinched and whispered,
“…It’s Rose.”
“…”
“As I thought. Did I make a mistake…?”
“It’s nothing like that. If anything, I’m upset with your master, not you. You don’t need to be like this, Rose.”
“Oh…!”
“Now, take my order. For drinks…”
Casually, I selected from the menu and slipped a small envelope between its pages before handing it back.
Rose, for some reason, blushed slightly as she accepted it—almost as if she were receiving a love letter.
Watching her, I couldn’t help but sigh internally.
‘It looks like Darel needs to retrain his informants.’
