Odette's breathing was heavy as she said back. Pressing her toes against the ground, she prevented herself from going further backwards. Sweat glistened on her fair skin.
Raising her head, Odette stared at her opponent. Those green orbs of hers showed excitement. The corner of her lips was curved up.
Her hair that was once pulled into a neat ponytail was now disheveled, and perspiration wet her messy bangs, causing them to stick against her forehead. Her cheeks were flushed red.
Odette has wounds on her body, and blood oozed out from them. Her clothing had tears in them. However, no signs of pain was shown on her feature.
After a long time, Odette faced someone challenging, and that gave her the thrill. Because of that, she overlooked that she was a mere seven year old now. Her injured palm was also forgotten by Odette.
The sword she used was heavy for her seven year old self; she changed her sword, finding the one she used as a seven year old to be too fragile and blunt. Nonetheless, although it was hard for her to maintain her stability in the beginning, she started to get the hang of it.
Odette wished to be strong, so that she could be at the top and trample on everyone. There was no limit to how much power she wanted to gain. She wanted to make it so that the strings were controlled by her or else how would she be able to have fun.
Those eyes of hers shone due to her unadulterated ambition.
Opposite to her was Nicholas. Unlike Odette, who had difficulty in standing up and catching her breath, he remained stable. There was a wound of his cheek, but it didn't hold a candle to the injuries Odette received.
One might consider this training to be completely ruthless for a seven year old, but in the Albinius Dukedom, this is the basic you need to go through for survival. From very young age, everyone is taught to struggle to live.
With a swift movement of his sword, Nicholas pushed Odette back and then said, "Lady Odette, that would be enough for today. You already trained for seven hours today without a break; your body wouldn't be able to carry on. You will collapse at this rate."
Odette did feel the physical exhaustion but didn't feel satisfied yet. She craved more of this excitement and thus, felt disheartened at how weak her body was.
"Oh, has it been that long?" Her voice didn't hide her disappointment.
She hardly noticed the time pass by due to how engrossed she was.
As Odette looked up at the sky, she immediately averted her eyes due to the bright light from the sun. She was starting to feel lightheaded. Her knees trembled.
Odette felt excited at the thought of challenging the limits of her body. She wanted to go on to the point she collapsed, but unfortunately, Nicholas was a resolute man.
"An hour more?" Odette suggested.
"Lady Odette, your determination to improve is impressive, and you have been putting that at the right direction as well. Because of that, you improved by an amazing extent. You are incredibly talented, surpassing your peers by a large extent.
However, you have to bear in mind that your health is as important. You can't improve if your condition deteriorates. That's why, take care of yourself."
"Are you worried about me, Sir Nicholas?" Odette's tone was teasing.
If truth be told, Odette never understood the motive behind his care for her? Was it because he was genuinely concerned about her or could it be due to the sense of responsibility he had as her instructor?
Her question startled Nicholas. His eyes widened for a second before he was about to give Odette an answer. But as he parted his lips, Odette brushed it off by saying, "Never mind."
Albeit asking that question, Odette was hesitant to learn of the answer. She was sure that a man like Nicholas wouldn't say 'no', but the sincerity frightened her. In a way, it was amusing yet troubling how Odette could be a coward.
This was one of those instances she didn't wish to force herself.
Nicholas frowned.
"Lady Odette—"
Without giving him a chance to continue, Nicholas brought up, "I will be taking a break then. Sir Nicholas, I have to bother you with training both of them. Although they are slaves, it would be helpful if they had some skills."
Nicholas's eyes went towards the boys. Both of them stood under the strong sunlight, and discomfort was visible on their features.
Dennis stood straight, trying his best to maintain his composure.
Adrian, on the other hand, had his eyebrows knitted. A pout was there on his face as he shifted his weight from one feet to another repeatedly. His eagerness to get away from there was clear.
"It wouldn't be a problem," Nicholas said, "but if you are worried about your safety, it is better to have trained knights."
Odette had knights assigned to guard her in her last life, and they made her feel suffocated. Not only did they keep a close eye on her, they took away her chance to face the opponent directly.
Moreover, taking in her temper, she was sure none of the knights would survive past a day.
Maybe this would make the seven year old her vulnerable, but Odette didn't care for that. When was she afraid of danger after all?
Odette shook her head. "There is no need for them."