Episode 30

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The surprising thing about the Duke was that she was always attended by someone. Hilda and Annette were two maidens assigned to Christa. Both of them were of the same age as Christa, and they were the daughters of vassals of the Argonod family.

Closely aware of her waking up, Hilda came in with a basin of water for her to wash.

“Miss, how are you feeling? How would you like your meal prepared?”

By the side of the bed, Annette prepared her clothes.

“Oh, I don’t eat until I train in the morning.”

Despite the maids’ dissuasion, she visited the training grounds in a simple training suit. It was also the place she was looking forward to the most when she was introduced to the mansion by Bjorn. Even when she was in the Palmaril mansion, she had never skipped morning training. It was training, but it was also her regular morning routine.

The air at dawn was clear and cold. She liked the coolness of the training grounds with a sense of silence. The smell of dust and iron relaxes her mind.

Hilda and Annette hugged each other and stamped their feet.

“What should we do!”

“Miss, you’re pushing your body too much!”

Christa controlled her swings because they were worried about her. She couldn’t even tell them the truth because she promised to pretend to be pregnant with Ragnar. Therefore, she had to moderate her activity appropriately.

“I do this much exercise every day, so you don’t have to worry.”

“But.”

It was not until she reassured them by saying it was okay over and over again that she could lift her sword.

Christa quietly pulled out her Bastard Sword. The long and fine figure of the silver sword is revealed. These days, her body seems to have become dull due to her skipping training.

She slowly started her herbivorous diet again. Her movements were the most basic from swordsmanship textbooks she learned when she joined the Knights. It is wise to stick to the basics whenever she falls into miscellaneous thoughts.

Stabbing and slashing, blocking and shoving. It was an organic and solid movement of attack and defense. Her blade moved slowly, reflecting the morning sun. There was a slash of wind in every spot where the tip of her sword passed.

She moved four times slower than usual, so she put more strength into her stomach. This way, not a single movement would be in vain.

Her silver hair fluttered, and before she knew it, sweat flowed down her cheeks.

“Huuu…”

At the height of the sun, approximately two hours had passed. As she raised her head wiping sweat off her forehead with a towel, she was surrounded by spectators.

“You are so cool…”

“Is it because you’re a knight? How can you move like that?”

Annette and Hilda, who were worried at first, as well as the maids who came out, were watching. Everyone fell in love with Christa’s succinct and refined movements.

After her morning exercise, she took a luxurious bath with warm water. Hilda and Annette prepared various healthy perfumes to relieve her fatigue, and a maid serving in the bath began to massage her. It was quite refreshing and felt pleasant.

When she experienced a luxury that almost made her feel drowsy, this time a luxurious breakfast was prepared. And of course there was Ragnar.

“I heard from Tatiana that you were training on the training ground.”

“Yes, I was.”

“It’s my morning routine.”

Then Ragnar began to laugh again at whatever he found so amusing.

“That must have surprised everyone. Oh, I should have gotten up early and watched it. I missed an interesting sight.”

“……Do you enjoy morning training?”

“There has never been a duchess who draws a sword early in the morning.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Christa think she might have made a mistake.

“Is that a problem?”

“No way. Shall we have a match together next time?”

Training with Ragnar was highly anticipated. His sword skills were already well known in the military. Although she’s seen his sword on the battlefield, she can’t believe she now has the opportunity to receive direct guidance like this.

“With pleasure.”

“I think you like this side more.”

“Not at all.”

“Then it’s set. By the way, you’ll have to eat a lot today. There’s a lot of work to do. We have to match our clothes and choose your jewelry.”

“Is it that difficult to choose clothes?”

“Because we’ll have to measure, choose the fabric, and choose the design.”

She couldn’t quite imagine it. Christa had never dressed up properly before. The everyday clothes she had were a rough extension of what her mother used to wear. Christa was much taller than her mother, so she always had short sleeves and skirt hem.

Of course, she wasn’t the kind of person who cared about such things. She didn’t have to pay attention to her clothes because she rarely interacted with someone or went out.

At the end of the meal, as Ragnar said, the dressmaker visited the Duke’s house.

“Hello, my name is Madame Dronay.”

She was a neat woman with a small body and cute, dense features.

“Hello.”

Christa rose quickly from her seat. She was nervous because it was her first time fitting clothes for herself.

“This way, please.”

Madame Dronay’s assistants skillfully measured Christa. Christa, dressed in a thin chemise, had to stand in front of a mirror.

It was always uncomfortable for her to see her body, which is like a dry branch. But Madame Droney muttered as if she was dreaming.

“Oh, you have a very beautiful body. I’m getting inspiration.”

“Yes……?”

She thought it was too much to say that this ugly body was beautiful. But Madame quickly put a sample cloth on Christa’s shoulder.

“What color would suit you? Do you have any particular color preference? How can you have such beautiful hair? I think red would suit your eye color.”

She giggled like a babbling lark. She’d never seen anyone talk so much in her life. Nevertheless, it was surprising that the hustle and bustle was not uncomfortable at all.

“This silk is the finest from the Southern continent, and it is generously used with red dye and colorful embroidery.”

Then Ragnar entered the room. Of course, Christa covered herself over the screen.

“I’ll take it. What about the other colors? We’ll have to match at least 20 outfits.”

What do you mean by 20? Christa was appalled. She had never had more than five clothes.

“I don’t need that much.”

But Ragnar had no intention of stepping back.

“What are you talking about? Just for the social season, you’ll actually be needing more. Now that the war is over, there are many places to go to.”

The madam’s eyes were filled with brilliance.

“The Duke really knows how women feel.”

Inevitably, Christa had to keep picking and choosing clothes. Droney completed a drawing that seemed to suit Christa on the spot and it was mainly Ragnar who chose it.

A dress, or a pair of shoes, has cost her more than she has ever saved in her life. Her eyes were on the limit of luxury. But that wasn’t the end.

Hilda smiles and keeps suggesting new things.

“You have to match your hat, gloves, and shoes.”

“You also have to pick a moon-decorated ribbon on your waist and feathers on your hat.”

Annette did not lose, and joined fiercely.

Is it possible to get this tired just by putting on clothes, taking them off and choosing a design? Christa, who was confident in her physical strength, is already exhausted.

“This is why he told me to eat a hearty breakfast.”

Christa sat down on the couch, drinking the water handed to her by the maid.

“You haven’t even picked your jewelry yet. The jeweler will be here soon.”

Now, Ragnar’s words were more than burdensome and appalling.

Soon after, it was time to choose jewelry.

“You have a keen eye!”

Every time Christa looked at a jewel, the jeweler exclaimed.

“The jewel just now is the Rose of Dawn.” It’s a superlative ruby, over 140 carats of jewelry that was mined in the South last year. It has near-perfect clarity. I had a hard time winning the bid. But even after processing it like this, it’s still a large, pure gem that leaves more than 78 carats.”

It was difficult to understand his words, even with an explanation, but she could see that it was expensive.

“Doesn’t the color of the lady’s eyes go very well with it?”

The jeweler knew that the real owner of the goods was Ragnar.

“Well, I’ll take that. We need a necklace, a hair ornament, and a bracelet.”

Ragnar was about to buy all of the gemstones and accessories that the jeweler showed him as samples.

Christa found a green necklace in between.

“…….”

The green color was reminiscent of the eyes of Prince Elio. She felt a chill down her spine. The jeweler saw her and his eyes gleamed.

“You have a keen eye. This gem is of high-purity green color, including a peridot pinpoint inclusion called ‘The Spirit of Greening’.….”

However, Ragnar firmly interrupted the jeweler.

“That’s enough. Let’s clean this up.”

“Oh, I see.”

The jeweler hurriedly put the “Spirit of Greening” in a box. He didn’t want to go against Ragnar.

“I’ll choose this much for the jewels.”

There were so many gems that it was enough to last through the whole season.

“It’s an excellent choice. We will expedite manufacturing to complete it as soon as possible.”

The jeweler couldn’t hide his smile.

“All right, then I’ll be waiting. And I want to find some special gems for our wedding ring. I’ll leave that up to you.”

“Yes, please trust the eyes of this humble man.”