Chapter : 14
“Hilt, then strike while holding the bag.”
“Which direction?”
“Try downward first.”
Ershivan went first as a demonstration. The way he held the sword and struck downward was smooth, like a move from a dance.
He focused, cut through the air, and brushed his messy hair back—everything flowed like one connected motion.
Diana, who had been watching like an audience at a play, got a nod from him to try it herself.
“Like this…?”
She gripped the sword tightly and swung it downward.
“Again.”
His expression showed he wanted her to repeat the motion.
Nervous, Diana tried again with more strength.
“Again.”
The same word was repeated.
“Again.”
“…….”
“Again.”
“…….”
“Try again.”
Her arms were starting to tingle. The heavy sword felt even heavier as it cut through the air.
Even though the sun was setting and the breeze was cool, sweat streamed down her face. With no time to rest her hands, Diana lifted her shoulders to wipe it away.
Soon, Ershivan opened his mouth to speak again.
Predicting what he meant, Diana hurriedly interrupted.
“Could you please point out exactly what’s wrong? I can’t even guess which part I’m doing incorrectly. Repeating wrong moves feels like a waste of time!”
“I think you misunderstand. I meant to say you might have more talent than you think.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You could cut flowers well enough.”
“…….”
“Just joking. The praise was sincere. I think you have more talent than it seems.”
From Ershivan’s perspective, her skill really was terrible.
Honestly, even if he had held a sword at her age, he probably would have done better.
But lowering her confidence wouldn’t help.
There’s a good teacher here, so with effort, she could improve.
He decided that even if she wouldn’t become perfect, she could at least become competent.
After that, Ershivan carefully explained posture corrections and theory.
Fortunately, Diana enjoyed the lessons.
When things got boring, his anecdotes kept her interested.
After a while, a sweet break arrived.
Diana drank the water he brought, hydrating herself. Her neck, which had been tight and stiff, finally relaxed.
“Are you very tired?”
Ershivan approached her as she rested, wiping her sweat-covered forehead.
“I’m fine. It’s actually quite fun.”
“Of course, who’s your teacher?”
“I’ll disagree, but I’ll agree.”
Diana untied her hair ribbon to fix her hair and smiled brightly. Her loose, fluffy hair made her look even more graceful.
Ershivan, holding a handkerchief, paused and continued.
“Unusually obedient today, aren’t you?”
“Could you at least show a slightly moved expression?”
“I already am.”
Even with a calm face, his words were confident. That was so typical of Ershivan Valencia.
“I’ve wondered every time during lessons, what’s the purpose? The subjects seem a little unusual.”
“You’re curious about the reason for the subjects?”
“Well, it’s not like these lessons are meant to polish a duchess’s etiquette.”
“You’re mistaken. That was never the intention.”
“……Never?”
“Yes. Why bother with useless things?”
Ershivan shook his head, clearly disliking unnecessary effort.
“But I’ll be your second face to His Highness. Everything I do represents you…”
“I’m curious what kind of big incident you’re planning. Please just keep it within my limits.”
“That wasn’t my intention…”
Diana scratched her cheek, insisting it wasn’t what she meant.
Still, could she really get into trouble?
Curious, she lightly poked Ershivan.
“By the way, how far exactly is the ‘limit’ Evan talks about?”
“You’re planning something, aren’t you?”
“……No. Just asking. I promise, nothing more.”
“Just don’t do anything that would make you summoned by the royal court. Or, even if you are summoned, don’t do anything that would require a trial. For example, killing a lady or young noble you dislike.”
That first statement shocked her.
Does he really believe Diana could commit murder?
“I won’t ask more. I get a sense of what the limit is.”
Accidentally stepping on someone’s foot at a banquet, breaking a cup, or saying something crude—he would handle these lightly.
…It might look bad, but still manageable.
“In short, you don’t need to try too hard. Don’t waste energy on unnecessary things.”
Ershivan’s words erased worries Diana had kept for a long time.
She never expected a noble raised in the palace to be so lenient about honor.
In surprise, Diana even offered her pinky finger as a sign of promise.
“So, what’s the reason for the subjects?”
She had so many questions. Plus, she had a knack for asking only the questions Ershivan seemed reluctant to answer.
He sighed quietly before answering.
“You need to take care of your body. In emergencies, you must know how to ride a horse alone and survive threats.”
Ershivan’s gaze shifted slightly. Beyond his look into the air, his usual confidence was gone.
“The duchess seems often exposed to death.”
Diana remembered the original story.
Indeed, Lilian often faced life-threatening situations—being kidnapped, or repeatedly put in danger.
It was certainly a setting where fear of death made sense.
“……Of course.”
Ershivan finally spoke, but didn’t mention that his concern wasn’t just because she was a duchess.
‘Still, if she dies, it wouldn’t be entirely unwelcome.’
Currently, Lilian was his target for revenge.
If she died without him getting blood on his hands, he should even be grateful.
Diana couldn’t understand why he would worry so much in advance.
‘She can’t die at someone else’s hands. Is that it?’
A scary thought, but he didn’t want someone else to take his target.
“Don’t worry too much. Such a situation won’t happen. This is just a precaution.”
Ershivan added the explanation, thinking Diana’s silence came from fear.
“I’m not worried.”
She tried to meet his eyes, but his gaze was elsewhere.
No matter how many times she tried, she couldn’t connect with his eyes. Finally, Diana realized he was avoiding her gaze.
“……Don’t look.”
Ershivan felt burdened by her intense stare and complained softly.
But this time, it was Diana being stubborn.
“I learned it’s polite to look at someone when speaking.”
“Damn etiquette won’t kill you.”
“No. It’s an important etiquette to me.”
He reluctantly opened a small gap between his fingers. Their eyes met briefly, then he pulled back his hand.
“As you know, this is just in case.”
“I know. You’ll protect me well, right?”
Being with Ershivan made her mimic polite phrases. She said it naturally.
“Yes. I swear.”
“…….”
“I’ll live up to your trust.”
But his voice was unusually firm, almost making her confused.
She didn’t know whether to trust or doubt his words.
“Shall we end the lesson here? It’s getting late. You should rest a bit and have dinner.”
“Already?”
“Plenty of time.”
He said it was a rest—but he clearly intended to continue the lesson later.
Diana wondered if she should comfort him or just let it be.
Worried that overdoing it might cause trouble, she chose to stay silent.
Diana gently pulled Ershivan’s wrist. He froze, ready to leave immediately.
“Evan, shall we take a walk?”
In moments like this, being gentle was ideal. Even if he didn’t seem to care, it was better than doing nothing.
“……A walk?”
“The weather is nice today. I also want to see the garden.”
“Very well.”
Just as she feared she had done something wrong, he agreed.
“Let’s finish packing and go.”
Ershivan tidied his guard and sword, then stood.
“Shall we go?”
He walked ahead, secretly thinking: people with soft hearts are easy to manage.
