Clang!
The moment the sword and spear clashed, Anna's eyes widened.
"Again."
The same feeling she had experienced several times before. At first, she thought it was just a coincidence.
But as it kept repeating, Anna had no choice but to accept it.
"He's reading all my moves."
The trajectory of her spear, where it was aimed—it was as if Isaac could read her moves at almost the same speed as she made them.
The spear techniques she had spent years mastering to serve her lady had been read within just a few exchanges.
At first, it sparked frustration and indignation, but at some point, it became awe-inspiring.
"Hahp!"
However, in contrast to that…
"…!"
Isaac had already anticipated the trajectory and moved to deflect the spear, but he stumbled backward, unable to handle the faint quiver at the tip of Anna's spear.
Not missing the opportunity, Anna spun her spear in a clean arc, aiming its blade at Isaac's neck.
"I lost."
Raising his hand in surrender, Isaac admitted defeat. Anna slowly withdrew her spear.
"…Can this even be called a victory?"
Despite winning, she timidly asked the question.
In truth, Anna felt as though she had lost.
"My spear was completely read. At some point, your sword moved faster than my judgment."
"…."
"The only reason I won was because of a slight lack of basic strength and stamina on your part. That's it."
"…."
"If you train for about a month, you'll probably defeat someone like me easily."
The thought of being overtaken by a latecomer weighed heavily on her.
Even though Anna had started as an ordinary maid and worked her way up to becoming a soldier, she had taken some pride in her skills.
But now…
"You're not expecting me to comfort you after losing, are you?"
Isaac chuckled sheepish. He had already opened his notebook—a "duel journal," as he called it—where he recorded his sparring experiences and shortcomings.
Seeing this, Anna asked awkwardly.
"You really are incredible, Isaac."
"What do you mean?"
He was writing down the reason for his defeat, summarizing his inadequate response to the final exchange. He even sketched a simple diagram of Anna's stance and his own response during the final strike.
"You seem confident even after losing. It's like you have this unshakable certainty that you'll eventually win."
"There's no such thing."
Isaac's rare, firm tone caught Anna off guard.
"The reason I'm not afraid of defeat is because I'm grateful I even have the chance to lose."
Without lifting his eyes from his journal, he continued.
"I know how painful it is to not even be given the chance. So it doesn't matter if I lose."
"…"
"I don't have time to dwell on a loss. I just want to keep swinging my sword."
Watching Isaac's gentle smile, Anna felt her heart skip a beat.
"Did you woo Lady Liana with this kind of talk?"
"What's with the sudden question?"
Isaac makes an embarrassed face.
Under Anna's expectant gaze, Isaac scratched his cheek and replied.
"I wasn't like this when I wooed her. I was much more aggressive."
"Wow."
Since the topic had shifted to romance, Anna brought up Sylverna, who was still watching them from a corner.
"What do you think of Lady Sylverna?"
"Silverna? She's a good friend. She's been a great help in shaping the direction of my swordsmanship."
"Is that all? Really?"
"Why?"
"Isaac, I'll be honest with you as someone who has been with the lady since she was young."
Anna crouched down in front of Isaac, who was already sitting on the ground. In the spacious training field's corner, the two faced each other and spoke in hushed tones.
"To the lady, there are only two types of people: enemies or comrades."
"A harsh classification."
"Exactly. It's just those two categories."
Anna raised her middle and index fingers to emphasize her point.
"But recently, the lady has been acting strange."
Her ring finger subtly lifted.
"It feels like a third category is trying to emerge. And that third category is you, Isaac."
"…."
"You're a married man, so I don't need to explain further, right? I don't have to disgrace my lady by saying more, do I?"
Anna shot him a sharp look. Embarrassed, Isaac nodded.
"I get it."
"You do?"
"I understand. I understand what you mean. You're saying I should maintain a respectful distance like Helmut and Caldias, right?"
Anna beamed at Isaac's roundabout response.
"As expected of Isaac. They say handsome men understand women's hearts well. And you've just proven it!"
"…."
"Come on, admit it. You've been in situations like this before, haven't you? Weren't you known as the 'handsome ferryman'?"
"You don't need to know."
Isaac had once run a small ferry, and it was true that his good looks attracted many female customers.
"In any case, since you're married, I trust you'll draw a clear line."
"I will."
At that moment, the sky darkened. As the two crouched figures tilted their heads up, they saw Silverna standing over them with her arms crossed, looking down.
Had she overheard them?
That question simultaneously crossed both their minds, but—
"Anna, it's time for your shift."
Silverna informed them in her usual calm tone, making it seem like she hadn't heard the conversation.
"What? My shift? I still have two hours left."
"Bolten is unwell and needs rest. He didn't look too good, so you'll be taking over as the next on duty."
"…."
Anna stared up at Silverna with her lips tightly shut. Bolten? Sick? That brute who had devoured two full portions at lunch?
'She was talking to Bolten earlier.'
Anna recalled seeing her chatting with the duty guards earlier. Letting out a sigh, she stood up.
"Well, I guess it can't be helped. I'll head off now."
After giving a polite bow, Anna departed.
As she walked away, she faintly heard Silverna's low voice behind her.
"Well, what can you do? Anna, who helped you, is gone now."
"Hmm, yeah."
"If you really need it, I can, uh, help? I've got some time. A lot of time."
"…Alright."
After a brief moment of consideration, Isaac accepted Silverna's offer for help.
"Great! Let's go right away!"
Silverna immediately grabbed her spear, her voice brimming with excitement.
Anna, who was walking away, smacked her forehead with her hand and let her shoulders droop.
"Foolish lady."
And she claims they're just friends.
Having spent her life wielding a spear and fighting beasts in the north, Anna knew all too well that her lady was clueless when it came to romance.
Though Silverna hadn't realized her own feelings yet, it seemed like it was only a matter of time.
"Still, Isaac will handle it well."
Since he was a married man, he would surely maintain proper boundaries. If Silverna tried to cross the line, he'd stop her himself.
Beautiful like a snowflake, yet destined to become a cold memory. But what could they do?
"He already belongs to someone else."
If only he weren't married. Anna sighed, thinking that if that were the case, she would have done everything in her power to help Silverna.
With such regrets weighing on her, Anna headed for the fortress wall to start her unexpected shift.
'I don't fear failure because failure is something I can overcome.'
'I have no time to dwell on defeat. I just want to keep swinging my sword.'
As Anna walked, Isaac's recent words echoed in her mind.
They were textbook statements, but hearing them from someone who truly lived by them made them resonate deeply.
Feeling a surge of motivation, Anna gripped her spear tighter and quickened her pace.
***
The Helmut estate was unusually lively today, and the reason was one person.
"Sniff…!"
In Liana's room, Alois sat with tearful eyes, feeling as though his chest was being torn apart.
It had been ten whole days.
Ten days since he had last seen Liana.
This coincided with the day Sharen had left for the Malidan Wall.
Naturally, Liana, who had defied the orders of the head of the family, would face severe punishment.
Arandel showed no mercy to anyone who disobeyed, even his own daughter.
Alois was holding back the urge to follow her, suppressing it as much as possible, while staying here and longing for Liana.
"Sisterrr!"
Lying on Liana's bed, Alois buried his face in her pillow, soaking it with tears.
***
The well-maintained carriage road stretched out ahead.
A long line of Helmut's carriages came to a stop in front of the Malidan Wall.
They had arrived later than the other nobles, and the reason was simple.
"We have to maintain our pride."
Arriving early would make it seem like they were waiting for the others.
Besides, they didn't want to appear overly eager just because Caldias had summoned them.
"Hah, all this trouble because of Isaac."
Sharen grumbled as she popped a piece of candy into her mouth.
Despite her words, she didn't seem all that upset.
Isaac was merely an excuse, while the tomboy seemed to be treating the whole ordeal as some kind of adventure.
The carriage stopped for inspection.
Kelsey, Sharen's maid, quietly stepped out of the carriage.
She politely bowed to the Helmut knights waiting outside and approached the supply wagon.
Inside, she called out softly, "Lady Liana?"
At her words, a white cloth rustled, and Liana, who had been hiding beneath it, poked her head out.
"We've arrived. This is the Malidan Wall. There are a lot of carriages here, so the inspection will probably take about two hours."
"…I see."
Liana nodded and pulled out the clothes she had prepared in advance from under the white cloth.
It was a maid's uniform.
Only Sharen Helmut was officially expected to arrive, and if it became known that Liana had come as well, it could cause issues with Caldias.
Liana intended to conceal her identity as much as possible.
Kelsey couldn't hide her concern as she watched this.
"I don't know why you've come all this way, my lady, but I'm sure you have your reasons for going to such lengths."
"…"
"If there's anything I can do to help, I will do my best to assist you."
Kelsey handed over a hairnet and a mask.
While Kelsey waited outside briefly, Liana changed into the maid's uniform.
She had tied her hair up and tucked it into the hairnet, leaving her forehead completely exposed, which made her feel a bit self-conscious.
She also wore a headband to hide her red hair as much as possible and covered her face with the mask.
"This should be good enough."
Kelsey smiled brightly and gave a thumbs-up.
Liana nodded in satisfaction and slowly looked up at the Malidan Wall.
There, a striking woman stood boldly atop the wall, gazing down at Helmut's carriages and knights.
Silverna Caldias.
Liana recognized her.
A spearmaster with exceptional skill for her age.
A woman more than capable of shouldering the future of Caldias.
Liana recalled sparring with her once.
'She's gotten stronger.'
Even from a distance, she could tell. Silverna was more powerful than when they had fought.
'It was a good match. Not just about winning or losing, but one where both of us learned something—'
At that moment.
A black-haired man appeared behind Silverna.
Liana's eyes widened.
Seeing Isaac unharmed, despite being on the frontlines, brought her relief.
But then, Silverna and Isaac smiled at each other and began talking about something.
When she saw Silverna casually sharing snacks that Isaac had brought,
'….'
Liana unconsciously clenched her fists.
Lowering her head in confusion, she muttered to herself.
"I'm sure I won that duel."
So why…
Did it feel like she had lost?