Thinking about it, it seemed ungrateful to be disappointed about something like that.
No matter what, the fact that he had brought such a good sword as a gift meant that he had put some thought into it.
Asha picked up the sword again.
The smooth blade reflected the sunlight and glistened.
The flawlessly silver-cast sword seemed more beautiful than a jewel.
From the pointed tip to the blade of moderate width, the cross guard with delicate patterns, the hilt firmly wrapped in fine leather, and the pommel, also finely carved with something…
"Hmm?"
Asha, who had been looking at the patterns carved on the cross guard and pommel, tilted her head and brought her face closer to the pommel.
"Aguiles'… blessing… to Asha…"
She rubbed her eyes, thinking she had misread it, but she had definitely read it correctly.
"That's my name… right…?"
Asha read the words surrounding the Aguiles pattern several times, over and over again.
Only after reading it with her lips trembling did she finally feel a sense of reality.
"This sword… was made for me?"
Suddenly, she recalled how Carlyle had kissed her forehead when the Igram first attacked, saying, "May the blessing of Aguile be with you."
'Surely… that's not the sword he ordered then…? No, no, that can't be…'
Asha shook her head vigorously, laughing dryly.
But it was really strange.
Suddenly, she was blinded by the morning sunlight.
The whole world became brighter, and the clear air refreshed her lungs.
Her body, which had been heavy until she got out of bed in the morning, felt lighter, and she felt like blood was flowing quickly throughout her body.
Asha swung the sword in the air a few more times and then jumped lightly on the spot.
"I feel unusually good today."
She even felt like she would float into the sky if she jumped hard.
'I thought only a twelve-year-old would be excited about getting a new sword…'
She found herself smiling.
But then someone called Asha from behind.
"You're up early."
"Your Highness…?"
Asha was quite embarrassed when the person she had just been thinking about suddenly appeared.
She found herself taking a step back, involuntarily, as if he was going to look into her head.
"As you said, I couldn't get over my fatigue, so I came out to relieve it. My muscles are aching so much."
Carlyle swung the sword he had brought out and took a position opposite Asha.
"Shall I go first?"
The atmosphere naturally turned into a sparring session.
Asha lowered her stance, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly to hide her awkward feelings.
"Then, I will ask for your guidance."
"Who's teaching who? Let's just loosen up our bodies."
Asha was a little relieved by Carlyle's light attitude. It seemed that he hadn't seen her acting like a fool, staring at the pommel for a long time.
Asha exhaled a cold breath in an instant and pointed her sword at Carlyle.
Clang!
A clear and loud metallic clash echoed through the empty training hall.
"You've gotten much faster."
Carlyle smiled as he blocked Asha's sword that was thrust at him.
Then, he stretched out his clenched arm and pushed Asha's sword away, immediately swinging his greatsword to attack Asha's opening.
However, his sword only cut through the air.
Asha quickly crouched to the ground and sprang up like a spring, aiming for Carlyle's side.
Another deafening noise erupted between the two.
"I felt it when we fought before, but you're really innate."
"Is that so?"
"I heard it from Donovan too. He said that you inherited the most of Amir Pervaz's genius."
"It seems that Decker is shamelessly talking nonsense."
Carlyle laughed, chuckling.
Nonsense, she thought. Decker may have been shameless when it came to Asha, but he was cool-headed when it came to evaluating swordsmanship and combat skills. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived as a warrior in Pervaz.
However, one couldn't reach this level just by being a natural.
"How much have you trained?"
Carlyle asked, pushing Asha's sword away again and quickly clashing swords with her.
To attack this fast, her whole body had to be full of muscles, she had to have the eyesight of a beast, and she had to have accumulated a lot of knowledge about war and combat.
"Since I was young, it just came naturally."
"Naturally?"
Asha's sword brushed past Carlyle's neck.
At the same time, Carlyle kicked Asha's leg and created some distance.
Asha rolled on the ground once, quickly got up, and held her sword again, then ran towards Carlyle again.
The two of them stuck together again and pushed each other with their swords.
"My father taught me to run from a young age."
"Physical training?"
"No. He told me to run away if something bad happened."
Bang!
The two swords clashed, creating a sonic boom.
"Even if a child runs away, they will be caught quickly."
"I thought so too. So I decided to kill at least one more person and die rather than run away and die."
Asha stepped back slightly and exhaled roughly.
"You've been aggressive since you were a child."
"Is it aggressive to respond to a fight that cannot be avoided?"
"Most people choose to run away."
Carlyle swung his greatsword and turned to Asha again.
"And you can't build a body like yours unless you're quite strong. I never imagined a woman's body could be so strong."
Asha's face flushed instantly at those words.
It was because the memory of the night she spent with him came to mind at a moment she had never expected.
And as Asha blushed and became embarrassed, Carlyle also stopped.
'Are you conscious…?'
Didn't Asha clearly treat that night as insignificant as a mosquito bite?
"Asha…?"
"I think that's enough for the training. I haven't washed yet… I'll go in first. I'm sorry."
Asha knew she shouldn't have left before the prince, but she was rude enough to do so.
She remembered what her father had said, "When you can't think of a way to attack, running away is also a good option."
Carlyle's face slowly spread into a smile as he watched Asha run back to the castle.
He had no idea that someone was hiding behind the window and looking down at him.
* * *
'Are you crazy! Why did that thought come to mind at that time?!'
Asha, with her neck flushed, ran to her room and quickly locked herself inside.
She thought she had completely hidden her excitement during the duel with Carlyle, but Asha was caught off guard by Carlyle's words, as if he had been waiting for that moment of carelessness.
'How dare you leave the prince unattended and walk away first? This is an insult to the imperial family and you deserve to be punished.'
But she couldn't help it.
She felt like if she stayed there, her vain heart would be exposed. No, maybe it was already half exposed.
'What should I do? How can I fix this?'
She felt lost.
Carlyle teasing her about what happened earlier was a hopeful future in comparison. She could just play dumb and say, 'I was a bit flustered when you suddenly mentioned that.'
The more troublesome future was the one where he didn't say anything about what happened earlier and just smiled.
'Yes, I know what you're thinking.' That kind of atmosphere.
Then she wouldn't have a chance to make excuses, and she wouldn't be able to ask him what he was thinking. She could only avoid his gaze and imagine the worst-case scenario.
"Haaah..."
She sighed.
'It may just be a hunch, but if he ever finds out what I'm thinking, how much will he despise me?'
How much will he ridicule me?
She didn't expect him to treat her like a wife, and she didn't think that would ever be a problem.
'It's all because he keeps saying confusing things!'
Asha found herself blaming Carlyle for no reason.
[I wish you would stay by my side for a long time, even after the contract is over.]
Those were dangerous words to say to someone who realized that the color of his eyes was not the color of gold or moonflower, but the color of ripe pumpkins tinged with red, or the color of the sky when the sunset has just begun.
Because it would make her mistakenly believe that her wish to stay by his side even after 2 years would come true.
'Let's stop thinking about the impossible. The relationship with His Highness Carlyle must not become strange until this contract ends.'
Regardless of her feelings for him, she must not be ignored or reduced to a position where she could do nothing. Because Carlyle's feelings for her were directly linked to Pervaz's safety.
'There's no other way. I have to be shameless.'
Asha decided to act as if nothing had happened, just as she had always done.
Even if Carlyle brought up what happened earlier, she would treat it as nothing.
No, Carlyle's gifts, his strangely affectionate words, their breathtaking duel, none of it mattered. Let's pretend it didn't.
However, such determination hit a big wall the next day.
"His Highness Carlyle has brought gifts for everyone in the castle. Did you know?"
"No, I'm hearing it for the first time. Who on earth do you mean by 'everyone in the castle'?"
"Even the servants who work for the lord. I received one too!"
The news that Nina, who was helping Asha with her washing and dressing in the morning, told her in a slightly excited voice was the beginning.