After getting out of bed and changing clothes, I headed to the dining room of the Duke’s mansion.

Despite being in the residence of one of the empire’s highest-ranking nobles, the dining room felt surprisingly small. Aslin and I sat down to eat breakfast.

“You don’t eat in such a big place unless it’s for a banquet. This size is enough for the two of us, right?”

“That’s true.”

Thanks to Aslin correcting my thoughts, I understood this was a place for simple meals. Not that it mattered much to me.

‘It’s better than the banquet hall at the Sword Mansion...’

The scenes from the back alleys I used to frequent overlapped slightly with the rundown state of the Sword Mansion. In comparison, the small dining room at the Duke’s mansion seemed more elegant and pristine.

And facing this luxurious dining room made me think.

‘...I wonder if everyone is doing well.’

I suddenly worried about those left behind. Although I had no good feelings toward my biological father, who practically dragged me out of the back alleys, I couldn’t help but think about the people who saw me off when I left the Sword Mansion.

Memories came flooding back.

I barely consoled my half-sister, who knew my true identity, when she was forced to take over the family head position.

I also managed to calm the knights, who suggested staging a revolt rather than withering away, by assuring them it wouldn’t come to that.

When I left the mansion, the servants who swore to defend the Sword Mansion at all costs cried and created quite a commotion as they bid me farewell.

Although I started as a shadow and a fake, in the end, I formed strong bonds with them. Missing them and worrying about them was inevitable.

Even though I was receiving better treatment than expected, I couldn’t help but think that if they grew too concerned about my situation, they might do something rash.

‘I haven’t even been gone a month yet. Would they really do that?’

I quickly dismissed the thought but couldn’t help recalling how I struggled to calm my sister, who wanted to protest the unfairness of this marriage to the Empress.

Considering the possibility of such events, I thought, ‘I should write a letter to my sister today, telling her I’m fine and to not do anything foolish.’

I quickly ran through today’s tasks in my mind. It was a thought I could conclude in an instant without relying on any supernatural speed of consciousness.

Right after organizing my thoughts, I looked over at Aslin.

“...”

Sitting across the table, Aslin was silently staring at me. I wondered if I had wasted too much time.

“I was just closing my eyes to think for a moment.”

I quickly explained why my eyes had been closed.

“...”

But Aslin continued to stare at me with a strange expression, not saying a word.

...What’s going on? Why is she acting like this? I had washed my face and changed my clothes, so what problem could she have noticed?

“Is there something wrong with my face?”

I asked Aslin with curiosity.

“...”

She still wore that strange expression, not answering my question.

What’s going on with her?

“Aslin?”

I added a bit more strength to my voice as I gently called her name.

“…Ah!”

Finally realizing my question, Aslin let out a small gasp, and her scrutinizing gaze ended.

“A problem? Hmm… there is one.”

She seemed to have actually heard my words, and Aslin gave a proper answer to my question.

“What problem made you stare at me so intently?”

Since it was necessary to ask the person who noticed the issue to correct it, I inquired what problem she had found with me.

“Your appearance is the problem. It’s so striking that I couldn’t help but stare.”

“What? That’s nothing serious… huh?”

Blinking in disbelief at her words, I showed my confusion.

“When we faced each other on the battlefield daily, I didn’t notice it. But now that you’ve cleaned up, you’re certainly… handsome.”

Aslin’s playful laughter, full of mischief, echoed gently through the dining room as she faced me.

“I didn’t know you had such a good sense of humor.”

Thinking her comment was a joke, I tried to steer the conversation.

“I don’t like making meaningless jokes.”

With a slight puff of her cheeks and narrowed eyes, Aslin immediately denied my words, just as she had earlier this morning.

Her expression alone made it clear that her comment about my appearance was not a joke.

“Um…”

“…? What is it?”

“It’s all good, but puffing your cheeks like that in front of the servants… isn’t it a bit much?”

Though it was cute, I tried to stop Aslin from making such exaggerated facial expressions in front of others.

“Ahem.”

Realizing her recent actions were embarrassing, Aslin let out a light cough and composed herself.

Her puffed cheeks quickly returned to their normal state, and her narrowed eyes opened to reveal the green hue of her irises.

Hmm, while her puffed cheeks highlighted her cuteness, her current expression emphasized her beauty.

The rapid change was so intense that it made me wonder if her facial muscles might get paralyzed.

Tap-tap-

Aslin lightly tapped the table in front of her with her right index finger, showing a nonchalant attitude.

“The servants here have shared many hardships with me. None of them would spread rumors about my changing expressions.”

She was letting me know that she had no problem with it.

Well, if she says so, then so be it.

Oh, wait.

“That sounds like you’re telling me to keep quiet.”

“Ahaha. Exactly.”

When I asked just to be sure, Aslin laughed brightly, advising me not to share what I had just seen.

Seeing her ears blush slightly at the tips, it was more of a plea than a threat not to spread rumors.

Well, aside from my biological father, I never had a hobby of badmouthing people behind their backs.

“You don’t need to ask. I have no intention of telling anyone.”

I immediately agreed to her request.

Seeing my compliance, Aslin nodded with a look of satisfaction, and I decided to cement her relief further.

“Besides,” I added.

“...?”

“Who would believe that the Duke’s daughter, known as the Sword Demon, puffs her cheeks cutely like a pufferfish? There’s no need for me to waste my breath telling anyone.”

I spoke with confidence, assuring her that I wouldn’t spill her secret. I figured this would earn me some trust and leave her feeling more satisfied than before, so I closed my eyes, intending to draw a soft smile on my lips.

However, the rhythmic tapping of Aslin’s right index finger on the table stopped, and I opened my eyes to see her staring at me again.

“...”

Her expression was one I’d never seen before, frozen in place.

The blush that had only touched the tips of her ears now spread evenly across her cheeks. The emerald green of her eyes, which usually brought comfort, now darted around aimlessly.

Seeing her hiccup, I wondered if I had made a mistake and tensed up.

“That... no, it’s nothing. The heat must have brought on the hiccups.”

“...It’s winter right now.”

“...The heating system in the Duke’s mansion is so good that you can’t feel the season!”

Tap-tap.

Aslin explained her hiccups while tapping the table again with her right index finger. Her expression and complexion returned to normal so quickly that it felt like the previous scene had been a mirage.

‘...Did I just imagine that?’

I wondered if I had seen something wrong but decided against rubbing my eyes for confirmation. Given Aslin’s abilities, the sudden change in her appearance made sense.

She’s someone who can use her superhuman abilities to navigate through moments by creating her own space, even bypassing my accelerated perception.

She had devised her own swordsmanship, which had been acknowledged to the point where, had she been born outside the Sword Spirit’s realm, she would have been recognized as a master and received a noble title.

Changing her expressions faster than I could perceive was probably easier for her than wielding a sword.

So I decided not to dwell on her changing expressions.

“By the way, it’s been a while since we sat down. Isn’t breakfast ready yet?”

I changed the subject to the breakfast we were about to have.

“In a hurry, are we? Just wait a bit longer. You’ll be amazed by the dishes that will come out.”

Aslin, still tapping the table with her right index finger, answered leisurely. Though her demeanor was relaxed, the tapping had become slightly irregular, and the blush that had faded from her cheeks still lingered on her ears.

It seemed that she, too, was relieved by my natural change of topic.

Even though I had thought yesterday that I had seen everything there was to see of her on the battlefield, her unknown expressions still felt new and strange.

This unfamiliarity wasn’t unpleasant; it was intriguing.

...It helped that her cute and pretty appearances were part of it.

‘Given the situation, at least I have this to keep me going.’

I quickly justified my curiosity about her new sides and erased any feelings of discomfort from my mind.

...Though I felt a prick of guilt for hiding my true identity from her while observing her like this, what could I do? I had chosen to inherit the name and stay in this situation instead of fleeing.

I needed to harden my resolve and do everything possible to ensure my family’s survival.

Creak-!

With that, I watched calmly as the servants entered the dining room carrying trays of food. Managing my expressions despite my complicated emotions was something I had long been accustomed to.