"Your brands... " Mael shouted while being between me and Ramia

I clenched my sword with all my might, while Ramia did the same on the other side.

"Ready..."

I immediately started enhancing myself with aina.

"Fight!!" He yelled as he sped away from us at a bewildering speed.

And he was correct, because Ramia and I charged towards each other as soon as he finished what he was saying.

The smooth texture of the snow piling beneath my enhanced pounding feet was palpable.

It took less than a breath for us to get to a distance of about two meters between us, and as soon as we did, she unleashed three blows full of something I would definitely describe as killing intent.

I naturally blocked each of her three attacks, which was most likely calculated by her because the moment I did, she flowed with a thrust. With Cassandra, I slightly deviated her sword from me and slid past her sword blade with the intent to land an elbow blow on her face like I did the first time we fought here for the first time.

She appeared to have learned her lesson because when I smacked my elbow into her face, she bowed her head just enough to avoid the attack.

She kicked onto my feet with a quick spin on herself, slightly breaking my posture, and wanting to take full advantage of the opportunity, she immediately sent another barrage of attacks.

I only managed to avoid them by a hair's breadth, so I retreated to a distance of around 4 meters from her and prepared her for her soon-to-arrive charge.

She rushed at me like an enraged dog, and I got Cassandra ready to receive her blows, but what flew onto me was a great deluge of snow, not her sword.

Midway through her charge, she kicked the snowy ground with her fully enhanced on aina foot, causing the snow to rain directly on me.

I knew the snow was just a diversion. Her true attack would come-

Now!

A red sword flew straight down onto me from beyond the still flailing snow.

I deflected her surprise attack, but things went a little differently than I expected.

Ramia is known for her weak and repetitive blows, and after sparring with her on numerous occasions, I became fairly accustomed to her tendencies, to the point where parrying weak but repetitive attacks became a habit for me as well.

If I had to compare Ramia to a dog, she would be the type that bites at various parts of your body rather than ripping a precise and large chunk of your body.

But this time she went for the big chunk, which is unusual for her.

I got the impression she was putting everything she had into this one blow, which caught me off guard since I was expecting something weak.

My body was immediately flung into a backyard corner.

I maneuvered and repositioned myself in midair to land on my two feet.

She didn't give me a chance to catch my breath before charging at me for the third time.

I took a quick look around me and devised a strategy.

I threw my sword at her and flashed the most cunning smile I could muster.

She didn't parry the throw because she didn't have to; after all, the sword wasn't even aimed at her.

Not on her, but somewhere else.

She averted her gaze from me, curious as to what I was trying to accomplish.

It made no sense, which was exactly what I expected while performing it.

I dashed onto her, taking advantage of her moment of inadvertence and confusion. She took notice right away and waved her sword at me, but it was too late for her; I had already gotten close enough to hear her saccaded breaths.

I grabbed her sword-wielding hand by the wrist, and with my other hand, I grabbed her thigh.

I lifted her with a swift motion and bludgeoned her body against the ground.

It was so flawlessly executed that any martial artist of a certain sport involving half-naked men hugging each other would be jealous.

The ground was snowy, so it must have cushioned the blow, yet I could tell from her face that it must have been at least slightly unpleasant since she was gritting her teeth and closing her eyes.

She slowly opened her eyes after a brief moment; the scene reminded me of a well-known story about a princess who awoke from a long coma after a frog kissed her to lift the curse that had caused her coma.

Being the gentleman that I am, I welcomed her like one:

"It is my win. What are we? " I said while pointing to her throat with the tip of the sword I had taken from her earlier.

"Forgiven." She sighed.

"Perfect!" I said as I lowered my blade and offered amy hand to her.

When she stood up, I returned her sword and proceeded to sit next to Mael, who was sitting at his regular table under an umbrella.

"Well done." He congratulated, as he slowly raised a cup of tea? Coffee? I'm not sure; all I knew was that it was something warm.

"Yes, thanks. That was a close call. She has really gotten good at this. "

I took a woolen cap that was under the table and put it on.

Ramia approached us slowly.

"What's the deal with the things on your head?" Ramia asked us a question while pointing to what was under our heads.

"What is it,...ah, that? Maa weaved it, and it's quite comfortable and cozy now that the weather has turned cold. " Mael said, while slowly caressing the woolen cap on his head.

Mael was correct about the weather; we've reached the beginning of the coldest part of the winter, not the end.

Time flew by so fast that I didn't notice the winter getting colder and colder.

Snowflakes falling from the sky piled up at our feet.

It's been three months since I first arrived at the Edouards Castle, one of the quickest three months of my short lifetime.

And now that three months have passed, my great-grandfather's arrival will be soon upon us.

There were only two days until the fateful day.

"I can have Maa weave one for you if you need one. It's actually quite sad to see that you're the only one who doesn't have one. " I proposed while showing off mine.

"Nah,... I’m fine."

I'd only known Ramia for three months, but I'd honed my ability to tell whether she was genuinely interested in something or not.

There are times when she is boldly honest, and other times when she will not say what she wants to say unless forced to.

The situation we're in now clearly belongs to the latter.

I guess I'll ask Maa to make one for her; I'm sure she'll like it if she sees it after it's been completely woven.

"Now that I think about it, won't your mother be irritated with you for being here?" I heard from Grandpa that you were no longer permitted to visit until you learned to dance. " Mael remarked.

"Guh…"

With the arrival of my great-grandfather in two days, the Ducal Castle, and indeed the entire city, has been agitated.

And this little lady over there isn't supposed to be here.

She just arrived at the castle this morning, and we haven't seen her in a week.

Though the word "arrived" isn't quite right to describe what happened.

Mademoiselle was detained in their castle for a week in order to learn how to dance.

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, you did not hear incorrectly; Ramia has been attending dance lessons for the past week; in fact, she was supposed to do so much earlier, but she was always flying here whenever the subject of dancing was brought up.

Mael once suggested that we pay her a visit to their castle, but given the very complicated situation I was in, that would be a very bad idea, and I didn't want to interfere with her dance lesson.

I suggested to Mael that we go alone, but he refused, so none of us have seen her in a week.

As a result, she paid us an unexpected visit this morning. She didn't seem to appreciate the fact that we didn't pay her a single visit.

One could argue that her rage was justified in some ways.

Like the first time I met her—no, she was even angrier then—from the way she was this morning, I could tell she was ready to kill someone if she wasn't stopped.

So, in order to appease her wrath and save the life of the unfortunate person who had irritated her slightly, I took it upon myself and offer myself as a sacrifice.

That was the source of our earlier squabble.

We agreed that I would fight her to the best of my ability, just like we did the first time we fought, but this time with our sword, without holding back or anything, and that if I won, she would forgive us for what we did, and if I lost, Mael and I would work as her attendants for one week.

Given that I felt genuine killing intent in some of her blows, it appears she was very pleased with the content of our agreement.

So, in order to save Mael from the terrible fate that awaited him, I had no choice but to win, which I did.

Her mother is forcing her to learn to dance because a banquet will be held in the ducal in two days, and the banquet will include a dance party.

And, as the eldest daughter of the ducal family and the family hosting the banquet, it was obvious that she would be forced to exhibit some of the elegance that a noble her age should possess.

Needless to say, these were beyond the capabilities of a bloodthirsty tomboy like Ramia.

I'm even resisting the urge to congratulate her for having completed one week of dance lessons.

"You know, if you don’t want to be the laughingstock of the party, you should go back to your castle and take your lessons seriously."

"I don’t care… and it’s too late for that."

"Is it really that bad? I asked.

"I...Huh...." She mumbled before finally deciding to show us the thing directly instead of conveying the things by words.

She began to strike a peculiar position with one hand still clutching her sheathed blade before slightly raising her right hand, as if a gentleman had asked for it, and saying in a very gentle and un-Ramia-like voice, "Thank you."

There was a short moment of silence in the backyard before a "pfft" came out of my mouth, immediately followed by another "pfft" coming, this time not from me but from Mael.

"What?!"

We both burst out laughing at the same time, and I was laughing so hard that I ended up on my knees on the chilly ground.

"YOU TWO!!! I KNEW I SHOULDN'T HAVE SHOWED IT-" She said before instantly and magically unsheathing her red sword from her scabbard before pointing it at my throat.

"Hey, don't get us wrong, it was a pretty good performance, but..." As I moved the tip of her sword away from my throat, I said.

"To be honest, it looks strange on you, Ramia," admitted Mael.

She glared at Mael for a moment after hearing what he had to say before returning her gaze to me.

Mael's statement was confirmed by a firm nod from me.

"Humph, I told Mama about it as well, but she didn't listen to me at all." She described it as "very elegant and lovely on me."

Dear, Stepmother, don't avert your gaze from reality.

"I mean, yes, it was very elegant, but I think without that red sword of yours in hand, it would’ve definitely looked lovely. Right, Mael? ?"

"Huh, yeah, Ronandt is right."

"Humph. Whatever! Now that I think of it, why didn’t you two visit me this past entire week, it’s always me who comes but never you two."

"Sorry, we were a little bit busy over here."

"Busy to what?"

"In any case, nothing. In either case, It's pointless to worry about it now; wasn't that part of our earlier agreement? After all, we'll be there tomorrow." I tried to avoid the subject, I said.

That was right, tomorrow will finally be the day when I will go to the ducal castle.

Beginning tomorrow, the Ducal castle will begin to receive guests for the banquet, particularly those who traveled long distances just to assist my grandfather's arrival.

And with my cover as a tourist, I was obligated to appear tomorrow if I didn't want to appear impolite.

Of course, I won't introduce myself as "Ronandt, born of a commoner and a noble," but rather as "Ronandt, a young noble who traveled a long distance to meet Beaumont's pride."

According to Lord Emilien, as long as I introduce myself in this manner, no one will dare ask who my parents are, except perhaps the Duke himself.

When I inquired about my appearance, they assured me that I would be fine as is. My crimson eyes betray me, but aside from that, no one could tell that I was the illegitimate son of Luke, much less the son of a commoner, and it's not like I could go masked to a party like that, and with Ramia and Mael knowing what I look like, that would make even less sense.

"Why must it be that annoying?" she grumbled, stomping the ground and sending a snowdrift into the air.

Despite her lack of interest in the banquet's dance party, I knew she was looking forward to it as well.

Mael told me that her Great-grandfather was a huge fan of hers.

"Just do your best." I cheered.

"Yeah," she sighed.

***

Later at Night

"The big day has finally arrived for my young Lord to return to the place you truly belong," Maa said as she gently combed my hair. "I'll return to the Ducal castle to ensure that everything is in order for your arrival."

Syrus, Maa, and I were in my room at the time.

They both accompanied me to my room after dinner, as if they had something to say to me, but all that happened when we arrived was that Syrus went silent in a corner of the room, while Maa offered to comb my hair in front of the dressing table.

It was unexpected, but I simply accepted it.

Luke had arrived earlier in the evening to take Ramia back to the castle, but he jumped at the opportunity to join us for dinner.

Mael and I will be arriving at the ducal castle as guests for the banquet tomorrow evening, and Maa will return to Luke and Ramia's castle ahead of time to prepare everything for us.

"I'll leave it to you then."

To be honest, I still have a lot of questions about how everything will go, but I think it's better to let them handle it instead of bothering them with my pointless questions.

"Please, do."

She just stood there for a while, contemplating our reflection in the mirror on the dressing table.

"Before I go, there's something I'd like to give my Young Lord," she said, pulling something from the pouches in her long dress.

She discovered a pendant encrusted with a blue jewel.

I could see a small yellow light bouncing around within the jewel.

"This is?"

"It's a lucky charm I got from my family." I want you to wear it until your coronation, at the very least."

"Why?"

"It will keep you safe. So, can you promise me you'll never take it off?" She said very seriously.

"Yes."

She immediately put the pendant on me. With the library key I was always wearing, the pendant she gave me was now the second one I wore.

" I know this is all very stressful, but once everything settles, there will be no reason for you to hide as you have for the past nine years."

I didn't say anything, but simply nodded.

"From now on, all I can do is wish you luck." She stated as she softly ruffled my hair with a pat, undoing all of the care she'd priorly given to them.

"Thanks, Maa."

She walked away and went to Syrus, where she gave him a yellow pendant similar to the one she had given me earlier. There were no words exchanged between them, just two nods.

I knew at the time that these two nods made a lot of sense, but I never imagined that these two nods would change my life forever.