Wow, what a cool maze. Whoever thought of this was a real idiot, in my opinion. It totally ruined the scenery of the exotic and rare flowers only seen in the continents.
I made my way through the cottage; it was fairly simple one.
I had my food prepared there as I had ordered.
"As expected of Jane!!" I exclaimed.
All the food collected in the party were a bunch of luxurious dishes that didn't really fill my belly, but at least they were delicious! I've always wanted to try doing rich people things.
Unlike in my previous life, I never really got a chance to do these kinds of things. So, this was a momentarily bliss before my execution~
Caviar, Foie gras, truffles... Wow, is this what rich people eat? I happily munched through the food Jane gave me.
"Who are you?" A voice startled me. I didn't turn to whoever said that.
"I repeat, who are you?" The figure said as he pointed his sword towards me.
Of course, I naturally chewed my food and ignored him.
"Why aren't you answering?" he roared in a chilling tone, as if he was ready to lash out at me.
I gulped the food, wiped my mouth and faced him. What appeared to me was a handsome jerk pointing his sword dangerously close to my cheek.
"Sorry, I thought it was rude to speak while eating, but do you know what's even more rude? Pointing a sword at a lady peacefully eating her meal," I retorted.
It was Peter Edencrown, the male lead of this novel and an undeniable douchebag.
"What a shit show," I thought.
Well, he was your typical prince of a novel, an underdog of his family who, for some reason with his power, claimed the position of heir and thinks that everything is his. He was also like that in the novel. Either way, facing him now didn't feel scary at all; on the contrary…
Aside from his face, what did Josephine like from this man?
He held the sword and dared to my cheek with an expression of superiority. "This is the last time, who are you?"
"I am Josephine von Konrow, the first daughter of the Konrow Family and the outcast of the duchy," I said, standing up to him, grazing my cheek on his sword. "And you are?"
He momentarily flinched but still pointed his sword at me. "What are you doing here, you wench! This is the meeting place between me and-"
"And you are?" I repeated my question.
"How dare you talk back-" he began.
"And you are?" I said again in a firm tone.
Ugh, my appetite is now ruined due to this fucker.
"Since you are not helping, I'll just call you "Mr Nobody" from now on, okay"
"I remember now."
He placed the sword on my neck.
"You're the one that's been tormenting Adele, right? How dare you show up in front of me."
"Hah...!" What a pretentious bastard.
"So what?"
"What did you say?" His anger multiplied from before because I provoked him.
"So what if I tormented her? Will you kill me just to avenge her?" This time, I willfully grazed the sword he was holding.
"Will you solve it with violence again, Bloody Prince?" His rage reached the limit, but he took a step back because I was willfully grazing myself on his sword.
"Oh, what perfect timing." I reached through the mittens on the table, grabbed it and slapped it on his face.
"You, me, duel now."
"What?" Now he looked genuinely surprised and confused. That's a nice dumb face you're making.
"Do you not get it, Mr. Nobody? I said we'll have a duel, now."
"Hah! You think you can win against me?" He withdrew his sword and returned it to his scabbard.
"What? Are you by any chance scared that a lady will defeat you?"
"You...!!!" Although provoking him was not a good idea, it was fun nevertheless.
-
We arrived at the training grounds owned by my family. It was fairly large for its size.
I didn't change my attire either; I was already dressed in a polo shirt and pants.
"This takes me back," I thought as I took a wooden sword from the rack. I tied my hair back and swung it as a test.
"I didn't know a wench like you could wield a sword," the arrogant bastard called out from a distance.
"I didn't know Mr. Nobody was talking. Oh, I'm sorry~" I replied.
"You bitch...!"
I threw the wooden sword at him and took another from the rack. "The rules are simple. Whoever defeats the other wins."
"Fine by me," he readied his sword sloppily. "If I win, I'm having you stay away from Adele forever."
"Woah, how did you know my plan Mr. Nobody?"
"Hmph, you're all talk. Why not prove it, wench?"
Before he could realize, I had already swung my sword and aimed at his neck. He wasn't taking it seriously.
"My name is Josephine," I declared, catching the flying sword and throwing it back at him.
"Take this seriously, Mr. Nobody, or else you're going to lose. Or is your title of 'Bloody Prince' just for show?" I said mockingly.
"Don't you get carried away by a mere trick!" Now he adopted a more refined stance, indicating he was finally taking this seriously.
"You're just lucky!" he spat, and this time, he went on the offensive, attacking me head-on.
Fast. It seems his title isn't for nothing. But he's got one thing wrong. It's that Josephine wasn't weak.
I matched his pace, parrying each of his strikes precisely. Our swords clashed repeatedly, the sound echoing through the training grounds. His movements were fluid and calculated, but mine were driven by a skill and a fierce blows.
Slowly, he began to falter, and I started to push him back.
"You...!" he muttered in frustration
'Don't underestimate a samurai enthusiast, retard.'
Suddenly flooded with memories of this body. It was the figure of a young girl who trained alone, swinging her sword in the middle of the rain, eating magic stones to get stronger, and enduring pain just to gain her family's attention. Yes, this was an amalgamation of both of our efforts.
Overwhelmed, Mr. Nobody started infusing mana into his sword. I went on in defenseless, watching as he swung his sword at me with full force. But in an instant, I crushed his sword with brute strength alone, the wooden fragments scattering around us.
"…how?!?" he said in disbelief.
I pointed my wooden sword at his neck. "You lose."
He knelt to the ground and accepted defeat. "How could I lose to a mere lady?"
As I turned my back and threw the sword aside, he laid down in exhaustion. The wooden sword stuck in the ground near his head.
"Arrogance, Mr. Nobody. That's why you lost." I walked away from the training ground.
"I wonder if Jane can reheat my meal?"