Chapter : 13
Before long, the two of them arrived at a quiet garden inside the mansion.
Diana ran ahead to a small fountain and looked around in awe. Everything was luxurious and sparkling—it clearly showed a lot of money had been spent.
Ersyvan followed behind, carrying a pile of luggage that would be too heavy for an ordinary adult male.
“Could you hold out your arm for a moment?”
He put the luggage down near the fountain and asked Diana to extend her arm.
After a moment, he found an arm guard in the luggage and helped her put it on.
It seemed he enjoyed being a little self-centered but occasionally kind.
“Thank you, Evan.”
“You express thanks quite often.”
Ersyvan looked up calmly and replied. For once, he seemed relaxed, as if he thought he had done nothing special.
“That just shows how considerate you are, Evan.”
“You don’t need to thank me for something so natural.”
After adjusting the arm guard one last time, he stood up.
Thinking about his words, Diana quickly grabbed his collar.
“Something natural? That’s not true.”
“You are someone who deserves respect.”
Diana tried to argue, but he was firm. His calm answer felt like the natural order of the world, and it made her feel a pang of conscience. It seemed he treated her with such respect because she was ‘Lilian Mernard.’
“Evan, I don’t think anyone deserves respect in this world.”
Diana said, moving her lips quietly in her gentle protest.
Oddly, she felt the urge to oppose him, even though he was someone she should be most cautious around.
She looked up at him. His silence and attentive stance suggested he wanted her to continue speaking.
“I’ve never thought consideration is something owed. Those who show kindness are remarkable. I’m not remarkable just for receiving it.”
Somehow, she felt embarrassed. Her words were awkward, not elegant, and she couldn’t understand why she felt the need to convince him.
Ersyvan Valencia was not someone who could be easily persuaded—so why insist so stubbornly?
“…What are you trying to say?”
“Please allow me.”
“Allow you? Allow what exactly?”
“Please don’t find it bothersome when I show gratitude. The time I spend in this mansion is more precious to me than anything else, and I hope my feelings aren’t ignored each time.”
Though it might have seemed silly, she meant it sincerely. She believed the best a fake person could do was feel genuine gratitude.
This was the first time she acted independently, without reflecting Lilian’s thoughts.
Ersyvan was momentarily stunned. Her words had trapped him in confusion.
“…Is this your own thought, or something you were taught to say?”
It was clear that a daughter of the Mernard family normally wouldn’t think this way.
‘Taught to say that?’
Diana sensed something strange and faced him directly. He, however, turned his head away.
“That was a slip of the tongue.”
A large hand soon covered his face. But in the brief expression she saw, Diana stepped back.
Sometimes Ersyvan made that expression, as if looking down on someone he despised, his red eyes narrowed.
Of course, she was the child of an enemy, so it made sense he would dislike her. But seeing his sudden sincerity frightened her.
‘If they find out I’m a fake…’
The thought alone made her dizzy. He might take revenge easily since Diana had nowhere to hide, unlike Lilian.
For a brief sense of freedom, killing might not be a problem for him.
Since the Mernard family would likely escape punishment for using a fake bride, Diana couldn’t hold him accountable either.
That’s why she had to survive by any means until the wedding. Once it was legal, Ersyvan couldn’t throw her away carelessly.
“Then would you like to try drawing a sword?”
Ersyvan wore a clear, graceful expression, as if nothing had happened. The tense silence melted away, and Diana’s worry disappeared too.
The sword he handed her was light, suitable for beginners.
“This is how you hold it.”
He explained calmly, almost terrifying in his composure.
Diana lifted the sword and assumed the stance. First, she learned how to hold it. Ersyvan showed her, holding the sword as she should.
“Hmm…”
It looked easy, but copying it was hard. Diana turned her head, observing from every angle, but it was difficult for a beginner to imitate with just a glance.
“Could you explain it in detail?”
“…Explanation?”
Ersyvan looked troubled. It must be difficult to explain something he had known since birth.
“May I guide your hands if it’s not rude?”
“That would help immensely.”
Rather than flounder in confusion, it was better to learn by doing. Diana quickly agreed.
Ersyvan came behind her, slightly bending to match her height, and positioned his face near her neck. He began correcting her stance.
First, he guided her left hand to hold the hilt. Then he positioned her right hand slightly apart. Step by step, her hand movements were corrected.
“The left hand controls the cut, the right hand controls the direction. Which hand should use more force?”
“The cutting hand?”
“Correct.”
Ersyvan’s eyes curved beautifully. Diana felt a strange sense of accomplishment.
“Now lower your stance.”
Diana bent her waist awkwardly. The more she used her core, the more her legs trembled. Even the seemingly light sword became heavy.
“Everyone struggles at first, but practice will make it easier.”
“Did you struggle at first, Your Grace?”
“…?”
Ersyvan didn’t answer immediately. Even a cold-blooded man has conscience—it seemed wrong to boast in front of a struggling beginner.
He covered his hesitation with a smile.
“Second question: When swinging a sword, what stance should you take?”
Diana thought carefully. Ersyvan stepped closer.
“What mindset should you have when swinging the blade?”
He brought his face close to the blade.
“…What!”
Startled, Diana tried to relax her arm, but the sword still trembled. She worried it might touch his face. Even a scratch on his perfect face would be a disaster.
Ersyvan didn’t budge despite her warnings. His stubbornness brought his face even closer.
Diana bit her inner lip to calm herself.
“The determination to actually cut… and… the competitive spirit to win!”
“Excellent.”
He finally moved back, giving distance.
“Your face will get pierced.”
Ersyvan was flustered by her fierce glare, but she stared even harder.
“No, Evan, you were too extreme just now.”
“Were you worried?”
“Then should I have been pleased?”
Diana asked, and Ersyvan grabbed the sword.
Startled, she couldn’t even make a sound. She closed her eyes, avoiding what she feared would follow.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
When she slowly opened her eyes, she checked his palm. Surprisingly, his skin was untouched.
“How weak I must have seemed to imagine such nonsense.”
It was luck, not just explanation.
Ersyvan laughed loudly at Diana, blinking in surprise.
“…What?”
“Why aren’t you relieved? Did you hope I’d get a scratch?”
“No, not at all…”
Diana studied her sword carefully. Was it not a real sword? Maybe just a toy.
Before she could touch it with her right hand, Ersyvan quickly added:
“It’s better to stay back. Lilian might get hurt.”
“You mean I’m allowed, but you’re not?”
Diana looked between him and the sword in disbelief.
“This sword won’t even touch me.”
“Are you a rock or something?”
“If you’re curious, want to feel it?”
“I’ll pass.”
Ersyvan playfully lifted his shirt. Diana instinctively closed her eyes and waved her hands. She didn’t want to see a half-naked Ersyvan. In daylight, her flushed face would be obvious.
Moments later, laughter came from the darker view. She saw Ersyvan dressed normally.
“…You seem to be enjoying this.”
“Of course. It’s one of the joys of my life.”
“Shall we continue?”
“If you wish, certainly.”
He still smiled as he picked up his sword from the ground.
