* * *

The next day, I roamed the castle again.

Just because I had been warned to leave the knight alone didn’t mean I had to obey.

This was about my life, after all.

In fact, the incident sparked a new possibility in my mind.

‘Could my eldest brother be behind my attempted murder?’

Seeing how his subordinates acted, it seemed his people were quietly keeping Klen in check.

And when Klen eventually became count, it wasn’t out of the question that lingering resentment or grudges could lead to drastic measures.

Before investigating other matters, I should first look into my brother.

“Where are you planning to go today?”

The attendant following me seemed much less confident than yesterday.

Instead of appearing eager, he now looked anxious, almost as if he were worried about my safety.

Why was he acting like this?

Klen hadn’t reprimanded him, had he?

“Where is Fabian?”

“Um, that’s…”

He rolled his eyes.

It seemed like his mind was racing just as much, deliberating whether it was okay to take me to where my older brother was.

“He’s probably sparring today.”

After reaching his conclusion, he finally spoke.

Sparring, huh.

This was a good opportunity.

Knowing my brother’s skills would help me decide whether to assist him if something happened in the future.

Besides, watching a sparring match was entertaining, especially when I couldn’t fight myself.

“Lead the way.”

I’d expected him to say that, but the attendant seemed disheartened, dropping his shoulders dramatically.

“…Are you sure about this?”

“I should at least greet my brother.”

“Understood.”

He couldn’t really argue with my intention to pay respects.

The attendant started walking ahead to guide me, while my steps behind him felt light.

The sun was warm, and the weather was perfect for sparring.

I stifled a hum of delight, covering my mouth, but when I glanced back, the attendant’s face was clouded with concern.

I gave him a reassuring smile to show I wasn’t struggling, but his expression only darkened further.

‘Acting is hard.’

Choosing a delicate image that didn’t suit me at all made this so much harder.

What if I got caught soon?

Clang–

Just then, the faint sound of metal echoed.

Clang, clang–

The repeated clanging made my heart race.

The heat of the sparring seemed to reach me even here.

I tapped my foot impatiently.

“Wait here.”

“What? No, I can’t do that.”

The attendant, now even paler than I was pretending to be, blocked my way.

“I don’t want to draw attention. Surely you’re not suggesting it’s too dangerous for me to go alone?”

“Well, during a sparring match, it could be dangerous.”

“Unless the swords fly straight at me, I’ll be fine.”

“…”

He furrowed his brows.

Of course, swords flying around during sparring wasn’t uncommon.

But ensuring they didn’t hit anyone was also part of a sparring partner’s skill.

Bringing up the possibility of getting hit would only question Fabian’s and his knights’ abilities.

“Be careful.”

Once again, he couldn’t break my stubbornness.

Leaving the attendant behind, I hurried toward the training grounds.

Without him watching closely, I finally relaxed the tense muscles I’d been using to maintain my frail expression.

If someone saw me now, they might say I looked like Klen with my silly grin.

Since it was my eldest brother sparring, quite a few knights had gathered at the training grounds.

Hiding behind a pillar to avoid being seen, I peeked out to observe the sparring.

It wasn’t hard to spot Fabian Valuncio.

He was in the center of the training ground, engaged in a duel.

But more than that, his fiery red hair—a distinctive trait of the Valuncio family—immediately caught my eye.

Unlike Klen, his hair reached past his shoulders and was left untied, flowing freely as if to showcase his confidence in his swordsmanship.

But wouldn’t that obstruct his vision when he moved vigorously?

‘Klen isn’t… here?’

Naturally, my gaze searched the area for another head of red hair, but Klen was nowhere to be seen.

It wasn’t as if he always accompanied my brother, but I had a strong hunch.

That guy was slacking off again.

Clang!

“…!”

My brother’s swordsmanship was quite impressive.

Pushing the absent figure out of my mind, I focused on the sparring match.

Valuncio’s swordsmanship felt slightly different from ours.

Where we delivered heavy strikes to overpower, Valuncio adapted quickly, shifting his attacks the moment he was blocked.

It seemed speed mattered more to him than strength.

As I leaned further forward to get a closer look—

“Ah!”

“…!”

Of all times, I made eye contact with a knight looking in my direction.

I quickly ducked back, but it was too late.

The knight walked up to me and bowed slightly.

“Well, if it isn’t the Third Young Master’s spouse. What brings you here?”

The word spouse was emphasized in such a way that it felt like a provocation.

“Are you sure you should be standing in the sun like this for so long?”

“Please don’t blame us if you collapse.”

“You could get hurt.”

The remarks of the knights who followed him were hard to distinguish between genuine concern and provocation.

Their serious expressions and tones suggested concern, but their words felt more like a challenge.

The problem was, they weren’t entirely wrong.

I was pretending to be sickly, and word of my occasional collapses had likely spread.

Even if the weapons weren’t lethal, there was no guarantee I wouldn’t get hurt.

Plus, the training grounds didn’t have much shade.

‘It’s the perfect environment for fainting.’

The commotion drew my brother’s gaze briefly in our direction, but he quickly looked away, showing no further reaction.

‘He doesn’t seem like someone with a bad personality…’

He was serious about the sparring, and his opponent wasn’t holding back, even though he was subordinate.

Was this what Fabian was like at his core?

Passing by the knights without engaging them further, I moved closer to the center.

Despite their murmurs, none blocked my path.

After all, I was the spouse of the Valuncio Count’s third son and the heir of Count Caldrich.

They could only hover at a distance.

“What brings you here?”

But not everyone hesitated.

One knight approached me directly.

“Neserr?”

It was Neserr, a knight I was somewhat familiar with.

I remembered he was my eldest brother’s knight.

Not someone I was glad to see.

Still, I greeted him with a bright smile.

Neserr’s expression didn’t change; in fact, his brows furrowed slightly.

Ignoring that, I kept my cheerful tone.

“Are you training?”

“No. I hurt my leg, so I’m resting.”

He took a step closer, his gait uneven, leaning slightly to one side.

The injured leg was the one hit by the falling book in the library.

“Oh, your leg? When did that happen? You seemed fine yesterday.”

“Yes, it happened in the library the other day.”

Feigning ignorance, I furrowed my brow in worry and looked at his leg with concern.

His response was a series of clipped words, spoken through gritted teeth.

Though he didn’t seem to notice that I had done it on purpose, the deep grudge in his tone was unmistakable.

“Oh dear, you should be more careful. Have you seen a healer yet? If not, shall I call one for you?”

Pretending not to know doesn’t mean I don’t feel a little guilty.

Honestly, I just wanted to teach the guy who spoke rudely to me a small lesson.

How could I have known the book’s power would be this strong?

“It’s fine. I’ve already been treated.”

“Is that so?”

Despite harboring a grudge as bitter as frost in midsummer, he didn’t directly accuse me of being the cause.

Is this what they call chivalry?

* * *