Reincarnated Villainess Does Not Want Revenge - Chapter 85.2
The royal palace’s knights don’t place a strong emphasis on social status. Even a commoner could become a knight if he had a certain level of education and passed the entrance exam. Still, it is said that some people are recommended by nobles. Many pampered noble sons supposedly quit quickly due to the rigor of the training… This is what I heard from a woman who once worked as a maid in the Knights’ Corps for a while.
The black-haired young man placed the wooden sword in front of him and began practicing alone.
I thought his swordsmanship was beautiful. To put it bluntly, it was like a sword dance.
‘As expected, he’s an aristocrat recruit.’
One glance at his swordsmanship showed that he was highly skilled. But as someone who had been watching the training at the training grounds all this time, I could tell he hadn’t seen actual combat.
The sword wielded by the black-haired man shows no strength, no determination, or a desire for survival because they are sword techniques that have never been used in battle.
The reason why I, a mere maid, notice such a thing is partly because of the training I have seen at the training ground, but more so because of the knowledge I have gained from Rosemary’s memory.
Alberto, my own knight, used to say it often.
“Training and actual combat were completely different. In actual combat, there were many actions that could not be done in training. Above all, it was about being ruthless and having a fierce determination to survive.”
Aside from that, Rosemary also loved watching Alberto train.
I’ve inherited those memories from that time as well.
By the time I finished my sandwich, the man who had been swinging his sword for a long time had stopped. He’s wiping the sweat with his sleeve. Come to think of it, he doesn’t look much like a trainee knight from his attire. He may have come to practice swordsmanship for a change of pace.
I thought it would be rude to keep staring, so I put away the handkerchief I had used to wrap my sandwich and decided to leave.
However, at an unfortunate moment, a strong wind blew when I stood up, sending the handkerchief flying in the air.
The handkerchief floats in front of the dark-haired man.
The man instinctively grabbed the handkerchief that came into view. He then looked at the handkerchief and finally looked around.
Upon seeing me, his body seemed to stiffen for a moment.
“Um, thank you.”
I hurried over to the man.
I couldn’t tell from a distance, but the color of the man’s eyes was as beautiful as sapphire. The color of his eyes made me feel nostalgic for some reason.
“…. No problem.”
Although the man was a bit curt, he carefully folded the handkerchief before handing it to me. I accepted the handkerchief graciously.
I figured he didn’t want to be spoken to too much, so I thanked him again and was about to leave, but for some reason, he spoke to me.
“…. What were you doing here?”
He asked me as if trying to assess the situation. Well, that’s understandable. It’s not surprising that a woman’s presence in the training ground itself would be considered suspicious.
“I was having lunch. It’s quieter here than in the palace, and I like to watch the sword practice.”
The royal palace feels unsettling due to the overflowing number of fiancée candidates. I had made some friends, but having spent my life in the countryside, I still wanted some time alone to relax and enjoy the scenery.
“I see. Indeed, it’s quiet here, and not many people come around.”
“Yes. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”
He might have wanted to train alone. If that’s the case, I should probably leave the place.
“No, it’s not that… Um, are you also here at the royal palace as a prospective fiancée?”
“Yes, in a manner of speaking. It’s a bit overwhelming, so I’m afraid I don’t plan to work as hard as the others.”
The man seems to have understood the true meaning conveyed by the vagueness of “the others.”
He gave me a soft smile. That alone left a very calming impression on him. He has a very soft expression that draws people in.
There was also a strange feeling of déjà vu.
“So, there are others who, like you, don’t want to become the prince’s fiancée?”
“Yes, there are a few. I have a friend who has a lover back in their hometown and another who ended up with someone serving in the royal palace rather than the prince.”
As for my friend, she’s Niki Tazilia. Although she’s the daughter of Count Tazilia, she has a lover in her hometown and is a good friend of mine who devoted herself to her job as a maid with me. There were other companions as well, all of whom were seeking a marriage suitable to their status rather than becoming Prince Risel’s fiancée.
The man smiled wryly when I told him this.
“I didn’t know that. I assumed everyone was pursuing the prince.”
“Yes…. The sight of that many women chasing after the prince is frightening to me too. The prince must be quite scared.”
It must be exactly like the feeling of a small animal being targeted by hyenas.
Occasionally, there are also young ladies who would check on me. I guess they want to reduce the number of competitors as much as possible. Factions have already formed among these young ladies. It makes me wonder why they called us potential fiancées in the first place.
I heard that Duke Rose’s idea was to avoid a situation where a faction arose from a power struggle in the kingdom when selecting Prince Risel’s fiancée.
However, in reality, it seems that factions have still emerged among the numerous potential fiancées in the end.
The fiancée fiasco is bound to create ripples no matter what the outcome. It would be nice if there were a fiancée candidate who could stand firm and unwavering in all of this.
“Excuse me.”
While I was lost in thought, the dark-haired man had been gazing straight at me.
As expected, his eye color does make me feel nostalgic. Maybe he’s the child of an acquaintance of Rosemary.
But who had this eye color? I just can’t recall it.
“May I ask your name?”
“Of course, my name is Marie. Marie Edigma.”
“Are you the daughter of Baron Edigma?”
“Yes. My brother is an officer at the royal palace. If you don’t mind, may I ask your name too?”
The fact that he recognized the name ‘Edigma’ immediately suggests that this person is indeed a noble, and perhaps he serves in the royal palace.
Thinking that we might cross paths sometimes, I asked for his name.
The man hesitated for a moment and then fell silent. Perhaps there are some reasons why he can’t reveal his name.
“I apologize. I shouldn’t have asked, please disregard it.”
“No, it’s not like that…. Um, my name is…. Risel.”
Risel.
“You have the same name as Prince Risel?”
“That’s right… that’s why I’m reluctant to tell you.”
“Well….”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Certainly, since he shares the same name as the person who will become the next king of this country, there will be many comparisons. They’re of similar age, and if he messes up, he might be considered disrespectful.
“I’m embarrassed to say that I can’t share my full name, but if you don’t mind, could you call me Risel? And may I refer to you as Marie as well?”
“I don’t mind. It is a pleasure to meet you, Risel-sama.”
I felt as if I was saying the prince’s name, Risel, for the first time, even though I was the prince’s prospective fiancée.
The young man with the same name as the prince smiled happily when I called him by that name.
Oh, he has a very friendly smile.
The birds chirping as they perched in the trees.
Unlike the birds in the royal palace, their voices were very refreshing to hear and pleasant.
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