That was never my intention, but an unexpected side effect occurred.
In fact, this was not the time to stop.
It's been nearly three months since I moved into this world.
The last thing I wanted was to waste time and suddenly find myself at the beginning of the original story.
At first, after his divorce from Camille and remaining single, Ethan was tired of those around him repeatedly suggesting that he marry again.
He would say: “Wouldn’t it be easier to solve this problem by adopting an heir?”
Thus, he rashly chose to adopt Elodie, the heroine of the original novel, for some reason while selecting a child.
If I keep stalling without divorcing Ethan, he might adopt another child instead of Elodie. Because I'm a fan of the original story, I couldn't bear the thought of causing this deviation.
“This is the perfect excuse to pressure him again,” I thought, and headed for Ethan's office. But he wasn't there.
And then I went to Ethan's room, but he wasn't there either.
This is strange. He said he would go home today.
I shook my head in confusion, and ordered a passing maid to call Victor. Soon I saw Victor approaching quickly.
“You called me ma’am?”
"Yes. Do you know where Ethan is?"
“The master is in the knights’ training ground.”
"Why is he there? Is he inspecting?"
“No, I think he's training.”
“…ah”
If we thought about it, we would find that Ethan was very good at swordsmanship, and he enjoyed the physical training very much.
Unlike other nobles, he preferred dueling with his knights to riding or hunting.
Today was a rare cloudy and cold day. After weeks of blazing sun, he seemed to have seized the opportunity.
“He should be back before dinner... Is it urgent?” Victor asked.
“No, it's no big deal. Thank you, Victor,” I smiled and left.
At first, I was planning to go back to my room and wait for dinner.
But as I walked, my steps gradually slowed down. In the end, I stopped.
After I divorce Ethan, I won't have the chance to see such things again, right?
correct. I'm just curious as a fan of the original story.
I don't have any ulterior motives, I explained to myself, unsure of who I was trying to convince.
With this thought, I changed my direction, heading towards the knights' training ground.
***
The knights had formed a long ring around the training grounds, immersed in watching the sparring match in progress.
The air was filled with thundering footsteps and excited cheers, making it almost deafening.
I looked around for a loophole, but I could not find it; The tall riders blocked any view I would have been able to see standing on my tip-toes.
At that moment, a passing knight noticed me and was showing a shocked expression.
"Duchess? What brings you here?"
It was the young knight who had previously undertaken the task of buying lemonade.
"Oh, it's you. What's your name again?"
“B-Bertrand Nahon, Duchess”
"Okay, Monsieur Bertrand. Can you make room for me? I can't see from here."
Bertrand looked confused for a moment, then quickly took notice, "Yes, of course. Everyone! Make way for the Duchess!"
“What? Ah...” one of the knights turned around, frowning, but his eyes widened when he saw me. This outburst was repeated several times, causing a stir around us.
“Shh,” I said, raising my finger to my lips.
The knights immediately fell silent, some of them even clapped their hands over their mouths.
I moved through the gap they created and finally found a place where I could see into the training grounds.
In the middle, Ethan and another knight stood facing each other, holding two wooden swords. They were both topless.
Oh my God, what negligence, I thought in amazement as I involuntarily covered my eyes. Of course, I'm still peeking through my fingers.
Ethan's figure was more impressive than I had imagined based on my previous glimpses.
His body was perfectly sculpted into it. It was hard to believe that a body with such a sturdy build wasn't just an appearance.
At that moment, the opposing knight let out a scream and rushed towards Ethan.
“Ha!”
The attack was so violent that I trembled, but Ethan easily repelled it. After three blows, they broke up again.
Ethan, holding his wooden sword with one hand, slowly moved to the side, his intense eyes fixed on his opponent, completely focused.
“Is this knight training with Ethan strong?” I asked Bertrand, who was standing next to me.
“Yes, he is among the top five in our knight rankings. However, he never won a single fight against the Duke.”
“Really?”
I knew that already.
Ethan's skill with a sword is on par with that of elite knights.
After keeping their distance for a while, Ethan and the knight clashed again. They fought fiercely closely, their legs almost intertwined.
I watched their duel with bated breath.
“Oh!”
With a groaning sound, the opponent knight's sword flew into the air.
The match is over.
Ethan won.
Ethan breathed heavily, and pointed his wooden sword at the knight. Then he put it down and extended his hand. The knight took Ethan's hand and got up, and suddenly loud cheers rang out in the place.
“Awesome!”
“The Duke has won again!”
I finally exhaled the breath I'd been holding.
I felt my face heat up from tension.
Honestly, it was impressive.
Although it was annoying, I had to admit it.
Well, that was a great show.
Now, before anyone notices me, I have to disappear quietly...
While I was thinking about this and looking for a way out, I heard a voice next to me.
“Duke! The Duchess is here!”
I turned around in shock and saw Bertrand, his eyes shining as he screamed.
He caught my attention and gave me a look that seemed to say: “Did I do well?”
Ethan noticed me too and stared at me with interest.
“...oh no”
Cheers and whistles rose from the knights.
“Here, Duchess, give this to the Duke,” said one of the knights, handing me a towel. The chants got louder.
Camille never seemed to come here.
Most maids are well aware of Camille's mood and avoid her even if they look at her.
Of course, over the past few months, the servants' perceptions and attitudes had changed significantly. Perhaps the knights heard the same thing.
In any case, the knights seemed happy to have a young and beautiful duchess among them.
I couldn't hold them back.
So, I took the towel and walked over to Ethan.
Ethan looked at me with an indescribably complicated expression.
When I was a few steps away, he suddenly said: “Stop.”
"…What?"
“Stop here. Don’t come any closer.”
I was surprised by his sudden command, so I stood up awkwardly and furrowed my eyebrows.
“How about this then?” I asked as I picked up the towel.
His response was equally surprising,
“Throw it here”
“……”
I was completely upset.
Does he think I'm doing this because I want to?
I threw the towel at Ethan.
He grabbed it and wiped the sweat from his face and neck, his gaze still fixed on me.
“What are you doing here?”
“I needed to talk to you, but Victor said you were here.”
“What do you need to talk about?”
“Not a topic for discussion here. Let's talk later.”
“So there was no need to come all this way, right?”
“How was I supposed to know you would be half naked in broad daylight?”
"…What?" Ethan narrowed his eyes at me. I responded with a challenging look.
Another round of cheers erupted from the riders, who seemed to have completely misinterpreted our interaction.
If we had been a little closer, they probably would have been cheering for us to kiss each other.
I never imagined that adult men would be interested in another couple's relationship.
At that moment, a familiar voice spoke.
“Duchess, you are here.”
I turned to see Mile approaching.
“Ah, Mr. Mayle,” she greeted him with a smile.
“You must have witnessed the Duke’s courage. I don’t know if you are aware, but the Duke has exceptional swordsmanship. Bruno, who just fought him, is one of our most prominent knights.”
“Oh, really? But then again, would he really be able to show his true skills against the Duke? In situations like this, they usually lose intentionally, right?”
“……”
At this point, Ethan's eyes narrowed sharply.