Though it happened spontaneously, I felt satisfied with my agreement to change the location for our showdown.

Aslin’s faint but soft smile, directed at me, was incredibly powerful.

Even if it wasn’t an intentional act on her part.

Despite knowing she had leveraged my life through a marriage of convenience, I couldn’t help but feel a slight impulse to see that smile for just a little longer.

Thinking about it, it’s infuriating. This marriage is closer to a form of abduction than a strategic alliance.

The duchess, who holds the absolute upper hand, showing such a smile to someone like me, who is utterly inferior, is just unfair.

“…Why are you smiling?”

“Nothing, just your smile is beautiful.”

Of course, these thoughts were best kept to myself. So, when Aslin noticed my gaze and asked, I hid my true feelings and replied.

“…!!”

Seeing Aslin quickly collect herself as if she realized something from my answer, my feelings of annoyance only grew.

No matter how much I think about it, her smile was crafted with the certainty that it would stir my heart.

The fact that she could recover her expression immediately upon hearing my words showed her cunning nature.

On top of her ability to command a large force and her overwhelming martial prowess, she also possessed the shrewdness to effectively use her looks.

That smile reminded me of my first impression when I saw her on the battlefield.

This woman is too beautiful to be called a sword demon, someone who is obsessed with the blade and unhesitant in killing.

If only she had lived a life unrelated to the sword….

But it seemed she wouldn’t wait for my thoughts to continue in this secluded place.

Srrrng-!!

Aslin swiftly sheathed the sword that had been resting on her shoulder, placing it into the scabbard at her waist.

It was such a quick sheathing, reflecting the teachings of imperial swordsmanship that emphasize the importance of drawing the sword swiftly to counter an opponent, rather than swinging it in an unguarded state.

Perhaps it was just my imagination, but if I were to say that her sheathing of the sword exuded the poise and dignity of a victorious warrior, would I be accused of exaggerating?

“It’s fortunate that you can duel if we change locations. Follow me.”

Whether she knew my thoughts or not, Aslin, her faint smile now gone, spoke with a stern voice and turned her back to me, leaving none of the lingering warmth from earlier.

“Where are we going?”

Though it made sense to follow her, the disappointment of having witnessed such a sight vanish so quickly made me mutter under my breath.

“To the training grounds.”

Aslin answered curtly, brushing past me as if she had been waiting for my response.

It seemed she wanted to preempt any excuses I might make after my offhanded agreement.

I could choose to stay here or take a different path, but…

I couldn’t even imagine what the consequences of such actions might be.

“Let’s go together.”

Without further thoughts, I followed Aslin’s back with a brief remark.

Her long, blue hair, shimmering under the night sky now cleared of clouds, adorned with stars and the moon, was a pleasing sight to my eyes.

It would have been better to consider that scene the last one I’d see today, head to my room, and get some sleep.

But judging by her demeanor, it was clear that Aslin wouldn’t be satisfied until we crossed swords at least once and declared a victor.

“You seem to be enjoying this.”

“Of course. Even though it’s not a fight to the death, I finally get to finsh the unfinished business from before.”

As soon as I tried to say something to lighten the mood, Aslin responded in a stiff tone that still conveyed her excitement.

Unfinished business, huh?

I recalled Aslin’s offhand comment and mulled it over in my mind.

I had a rough idea of what she was referring to.

She must have been talking about the times I faced her in my brother’s stead, our duels ending inconclusively.

I didn’t quite understand it. In the literal sense, it was unfinished business.

But to me, it seemed like she had been merciful to me, someone barely holding on in an overwhelmingly dire situation.

It might have been called an unfinished duel, but every time we crossed swords, it quickly turned into a chaotic battle, leaving no room for a proper duel.

Was she really dissatisfied with that and considered it unfinished business?

“Hmph, I remember conceding defeat every time we dueled. Do you really consider that unfinished business?”

Curious about her true feelings back then, I probed with a remark.

“How strange. This duel also aims to prove whether my thought back then—that you might have beaten me if we had enough time—was right or wrong.”

Aslin seemed slightly surprised by my words but expressed her thoughts nonetheless.

“That’s surprising. I always thought you were going easy on me. Despite the chaos, you had more than enough power to turn the tide by yourself if you wanted to.”

“Quite the contrary. It’s odd hearing that from someone who easily handled the elite knights sent to prevent our duels from turning into one-on-one battles.”

Her response sparked a debate that continued as we made our way to the training grounds.

It was hard to discern her true feelings behind her words, not being a mind reader.

Yet, the phrase “unfinished business” kept echoing in my head.

From the moment I was dragged into learning the sword by my father’s hand,

Trusting only in the hastily learned swordsmanship, I was thrown into the fiercest battles in the southern Zakharat mountain range during the succession war.

I had countless duels with Aslin, but we never reached a conclusion.

Even when my face was covered by an iron mask and I was a hidden hound of the Sword Duke, my attempts to assassinate her repeatedly failed.

When I took up the sword for my brother, whose swordsmanship was shockingly poor despite being from the Sword Duke, our duels still ended inconclusively.

Just when it seemed a conclusion might be reached, allies or enemies would always intervene, ensuring our duels remained unfinished.

Well, I couldn’t be sure how Aslin remembered her duels with me, the one wearing the iron mask.

“I realized how vast the world is when I faced your sword. It was astonishing to see a genius like you come from the fallen House of Swords. Surviving countless duels with you, I felt like I was growing, like climbing a staircase step by step.”

She reminisced about the days she thought she was dueling with my deceased brother, without stopping her stride. I couldn’t ask her how she remembered her duels with the iron-masked assassin.

“If my late father heard that, he’d be quite pleased.”

I matched her tone with words I didn’t mean.

They were truly words I didn’t mean.

But knowing my father, who dreamed day and night of reviving our family and its swordsmanship, he’d probably rise from his grave, applaud, and then lie back down upon hearing those words.

“You don’t seem very moved, despite it being a compliment.”

Noticing the tepidness in my response, Aslin questioned.

“Maybe I’m just bewildered, receiving such high praise from someone who recently pointed a deadly sword at me.”

Despite being a hastily concocted excuse, I tried to make it sound sincere.

“I don’t hold back compliments for my people. Especially for those I’ll be working closely with from now on.”

“Your... what did you say?”

“Nothing, just the people I’ll be working closely with.”

Aslin’s unexpected words jolted my senses repeatedly.

…When will we arrive at the training grounds? If we keep talking like this, I might end up exposing myself, and ten lives wouldn’t be enough to survive that.

Though it felt a bit unfair to call myself a fraud, standing in for my brother in this marriage made my heart race with anxiety.

On the battlefield, our conversations were only ever the song of clashing steel.

At the wedding a few hours ago, our vows were mere formalities, maintaining a dry distance between us.

This was our first real conversation.

Aslin led me to the training grounds at the Mansion, just as she had mentioned earlier.

The training grounds were not far from the mansion and were said to be crafted from the rich marble of the Zakharat Mountains, the largest mountain range on the continent. The smooth surface reflected the moonlight, sparkling from a distance.

“You’ve invested quite a bit into this training ground. Typical of a ducal family, I suppose.”

Though my words carried a hint of sarcasm, I tried to suppress it as I assessed the training ground. Aslin shrugged her shoulders in response.

Seeing that made me realize that despite her beautiful appearance and unmatched reputation as the undefeated swordswoman of the Empire, she was still a human being like the rest of us.

“It’s not comparable to the royal guards’ training grounds.”

“Of course. If it were more luxurious, the royal family would have been outraged.”

“Is grandeur really important for a training ground?”

“Agreed.”

“And...”

“And?”

“If you take a closer look, you’ll see that this training ground isn’t just about luxury.”

“...?”

I focused my gaze on the surface of the training ground, trying to understand her last words.

As she said, the distance was too great for me to see anything but the smooth, gleaming marble surface.

What could be on that sleek surface that would make it more than just luxurious...?

“Ah.”

“You see it, don’t you? And from a much farther distance than I expected.”

Hehe.

A light chuckle that didn’t suit her serious and cold appearance reached my ears.

“...”

Without stopping my approach to the training ground, my eyes were drawn to the countless marks etched into its surface.

They were marks left by those who had dedicated countless years to mastering their swords, carving the essence of their skills into the ground, creating a tapestry of brilliant sword marks.

I remembered something my father once said to me.

He used to say that there was nothing more shameful for a family that prided itself on its swordsmanship than a smooth surface on the training ground.

The number of sword marks on the training ground, imbued with the struggles and triumphs of those who trained there, determined the prestige of a family renowned for its swordsmanship.

He was a man with exceptional sword skills, an acute understanding of the political landscape, and the worst disposition of treating family members as mere expendables.

Even though I had little affection for the sword, having learned it hastily, I couldn’t help but recall my father’s mutterings now.

“I thought it was just a superficially elegant training ground….”

Anyway, seeing those marks made me feel oddly sentimental, prompting me to upgrade my previous assessment.

“Ordinary people usually see those marks only when they step onto the training ground, so it just looks luxurious to them.”

Aslin continued to speak calmly, not showing any particular emotion towards my evaluation.

It wasn’t a problem as long as she kept talking about herself, but it became tricky when she asked about my story.

“How was the training ground at your house?”

Such questions required careful consideration. My mind raced. The rationality that had helped me protect so many in dire situations advised me not to tell clumsy lies.

That’s right. Unless it was a secret related to my true identity, I didn’t want to lie.

Given Aslin’s status, she likely knew a bit about the Sword Mansion without needing me to tell her everything.

“Would you believe me if I said it was a training ground with scarecrows made of straw and wood enchanted to never break?”

I spoke plainly about my experience with our family’s training ground.

Despite the Sword Mansion being one of the Empire’s dual swordsmanship families, its current state was shocking. I was curious about how Aslin would react.

Even though she claimed that the grandeur of the training ground didn’t matter,

I wondered what kind of reaction she would have to hearing about a training ground that went beyond simplicity to sheer poverty.

“A good training ground without unnecessary embellishments. No wonder someone as skilled as you emerged from it.”

Contrary to my expectations, Aslin responded with surprising simplicity and continued her brisk walk toward the training ground now coming into view.

…At this point, I was bewildered.

It felt strange to see this sword demon, who had demanded a duel, now continuing a normal conversation without showing any hostility.

‘Get a grip, you fool. She might change her demeanor once you step into the training ground.’

I mentally scolded myself, trying to resist the friendliness she was showing.

The night felt long. The escape through the window to avoid my suddenly sword-wielding bride seemed so distant, and it felt like dawn would never break.