Chapter 8
Sharehin stared at me for a moment before breaking the silence.
“Let’s move somewhere else for the duel.”
I frowned.
She wants to get inside the castle.
It didn’t matter.
Ahak was chained up, so there was no chance she would find him.
“There is an official training arena inside the castle.”
“Exactly. Since this is a Duel of Life, we should at least follow proper etiquette.”
Sharehin smiled pleasantly as she spun her crimson parasol.
If not for the razor-sharp blade extending from its tip, she would have looked almost charming.
“If losing in front of everyone doesn’t bother you, then have it your way.”
So we moved to the arena.
It was the place where my knights normally trained.
As soon as Sharehin and I arrived, my knights stopped their practice and gathered around.
“Are we finally going to see our Lady’s swordsmanship with our own eyes?”
“They say no one in House Stelshernin can match her.”
It was noon.
The sun stood at its highest point.
Perhaps because the blood of House Stelshernin of the Sun flowed through my veins…
I was strongest when the sunlight was at its brightest.
Golden rays scattered across my silver hair.
It sparkled as though countless grains of sunlight had been woven into it.
Sharehin silently watched as one of my maids handed me a black ribbon.
The troublesome thing about House Catobleta of Mist…
…is that they move with so many afterimages it looks as if they’re using clones.
Rather than being deceived by what I saw…
It was actually easier to fight using only my senses.
The maid gently wrapped the black ribbon around my sapphire-blue eyes.
As they disappeared beneath the cloth, the maids let out quiet sighs of regret.
The knights, however, were stunned.
“Is she really fighting a Duel of Life while blindfolded?”
“I can’t believe it.”
Sharehin clenched her teeth and glared at me.
Naturally, she didn’t appreciate being looked down on.
“So you’re saying you can defeat me without even opening your eyes?”
“You caught on quickly.”
“I’ll make you regret that arrogance.”
“…Sharehin.”
I smiled as I lowered the Rose Sword diagonally across the folds of my dress.
Even though my eyes were covered…
For a brief moment, Sharehin flinched.
Presence?
No… I must be imagining it.
My voice flowed as softly as silk.
“I’ve been thinking.”
“If all I get for winning is compensation for my broken wall…”
“I’ll feel cheated.”
“…?”
Sharehin stared blankly.
Then she realized what I meant.
Her face immediately turned bright red.
Since this was a Duel of Life…
I was openly declaring that I might take her life as well.
And I had said it in front of all of her poison assassins.
“You’re quite provocative, Lady.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll make the first move.”
Unable to hold herself back any longer, Sharehin kicked off the ground.
Originally…
She had intended to use her afterimage swordsmanship to confuse me by making it appear that her parasol was attacking from every direction.
She dodged?
Her eyes widened.
The parasol aimed at my neck sliced through nothing but air.
A moment later…
My counterattack came.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Swords collided violently in midair.
Even though I was the one fighting blindfolded…
Sharehin suddenly felt herself being overwhelmed.
Overwhelmed?
Impossible.
“Parasol Vortex!”
Using one of her techniques, Sharehin lunged toward my vital points.
I simply leaped into the air.
Then…
Smiling…
I stepped directly onto the center of her parasol with one foot.
“That attack was far too obvious.”
“What…?!”
Clang!
My swordsmanship was elegant.
Beautiful.
The roses decorating the Rose Sword revealed their thorns.
They tore through Sharehin’s clothes.
Small wounds began appearing all over her body.
The most shocking part was that no one had ever seen swordsmanship like mine before.
Not even the knights could recognize its origin.
They stared in astonishment.
“This can’t be…”
“Is that ancient swordsmanship?”
“No way…”
“That’s a legendary style that’s been lost for centuries.”
My blade moved through the air as gracefully as a flower tempting a butterfly.
It brushed past Sharehin’s face without harming her, following the smallest and most efficient path possible.
It was like watching a sword dance.
Passionate.
Brilliantly crimson.
Then—
My unbelievably fast blade cut deeply into Sharehin’s thigh.
“Ah…!”
A cry escaped her lips.
The sharp roses along my sword shredded the paper of her parasol piece by piece.
The once beautiful crimson parasol quickly became nothing more than torn scraps.
Bleeding heavily from her thigh, Sharehin gasped for breath.
She stared at me.
Unlike her…
I hadn’t suffered a single scratch.
If anything…
I looked even more radiant beneath the sunlight.
Impossible…
I’m one of the strongest warriors in House Catobleta…
How can I lose to a girl like her?!
She wanted to kill me now more than ever.
Yet…
Her sword never reached me.
What is this?
What’s happening?
Why are even my own poison assassins staring at her as though they’re enchanted?
“AAAAAH!”
Having completely lost her composure, Sharehin swung with every ounce of strength she had.
Once again…
Her blade struck only empty air.
I lightly avoided it.
Then my sword flashed.
A single cut.
Sharehin’s neatly tied black hair fell to the arena floor.
“H-Hold on… I surrender…”
Her hair had instantly become a short bob.
Her face turned pale with terror.
She knew.
If my sword had moved even a fraction farther…
Her head would have fallen instead.
But this was a Duel of Life.
Even if the loser surrendered…
The victor alone decided whether they lived or died.
Keeping the Rose Sword against Sharehin’s throat, I slowly untied the ribbon covering my eyes.
“…A goddess.”
One of the knights whispered without thinking.
The sapphire eyes revealed beneath the blindfold were simply too beautiful.
What did I just say?
Embarrassed, the knight blushed bright red.
He felt ashamed for admiring my appearance instead of my swordsmanship.
But…
Everyone present silently agreed with him.
My silver hair and dress fluttered in the breeze.
Standing there with my sword as the victor…
I looked like a beautiful poisonous flower in full bloom.
“Leave my territory.”
I spoke coldly.
Tears welled in Sharehin’s eyes from humiliation.
She silently nodded.
Without lowering my sword, I watched her turn around.
“…You idiots!”
“I was humiliated because you failed to capture Ahak!”
I blinked.
I hadn’t expected Sharehin to shout like that.
In a burst of rage, she swung her parasol.
Two poison assassins died instantly.
The remaining assassins immediately dropped to one knee.
“We deserve death, Lady.”
Blood dripped steadily from the tip of her parasol.
Watching it stain the ground, I spoke calmly.
“I’ll add the cost of disposing of those corpses to your bill for the wall.”
“…What?”
Sharehin slowly turned around like a broken doll.
Seeing my expression…
She clenched her teeth.
“Really?”
“You’re making a mess in my territory in broad daylight.”
“How uncivilized.”
“…”
Keep glaring at me like that and your eyes might fall out.
Sharehin trembled with rage.
Then somehow managed to calm herself.
“You may have protected Ahak this time…”
“But I’ll never forget today’s humiliation.”
“I already told you.”
“I don’t know anyone named Ahak.”
“…We’re leaving.”
Sharehin touched the back of her newly shortened hair.
Only then did she fully realize what had happened.
She looked as though she were about to cry.
No…
Her reddened eyes suggested she really had cried.
I made a woman cry.
The thought left me feeling strangely uncomfortable.
Still…
Sharehin eventually led her poison assassins away.
Considering this had been a Duel of Life…
I had already shown tremendous mercy by sparing her.
“My Lady… you were incredible…”
“…I’m tired.”
“I think I’ll take a nap.”
The maid who had been about to praise me understood immediately.
Her eyes widened before she bowed deeply.
“I’ll prepare everything, my Lady.”
I had gone to so much trouble protecting him.
At the very least…
I wanted to check on his face again.
Is he having a nightmare?
Ahak lay across my bed, his presence filling the entire room.
Unlike last night…
His shirt was now fully buttoned.
Cold sweat covered his tightly furrowed brow.
It was obvious he was trapped in a nightmare.
I didn’t know what he was seeing.
A burning castle…
His dead family…
Being hunted…
Perhaps something like that.
Ahak groaned softly.
His hand gripped the bedsheets so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
I looked down at him and quietly muttered,
“…You’re like Sleeping Beauty.”
Since collapsing…
He hadn’t woken up even once.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I stared at him.
He reminded me of the fairy tale from Earth.
In Sleeping Beauty…
Didn’t the princess wake up after receiving a prince’s kiss?
“…”
After watching him quietly for a while…
I slowly leaned over him.
