I Have No Intention Of Training The Male Leads - Chapter 12 Part 4

12. The Rough Emperor, the Anxious Grand Duke, and the Nobles Who Are Watching Them (4)

Translated by: ???

“In the elite troops guarding the northern border, I heard there are quite a few female soldiers, right?”

“Haha. That’s correct.”

Somehow, the man seemed to be casually brushing off each response. Sensing something amiss, Eve cautiously asked what she had been curious about.

“I heard Your Highness is an expert marksman. Will you be attending the hunting event in early summer?”

“To be honest, this banquet itself is an unprecedented event, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to stay in the capital until the time of the hunting event.”

“I see. I find guns a bit difficult. I don’t really know how to handle them properly, and I’m not good at shooting. I’d rather carry a dagger and throw it if needed.”

“Wouldn’t that damage the skin?”

“That’s true. Alternatively, I could throw rocks and hit the target.”

“That’s… quite a sight to behold.”

Disguising their casual chat as a nonchalant exchange, Eve added more questions about various firearms and hunting. However, the man continued to respond with a gentle smile, skillfully deflecting the topic. Despite the character setting of him winning championships at hunting events since a very young age, his demeanor was modest to the point of making it seem incongruous.

‘How strange. If he were a typical arrogant noble, he would have boasted about himself at least once by now…’

Capturing his cold gaze, Eve subtly changed her steps, deliberately leading their path in a different direction. Before they knew it, their footsteps were heading towards a promenade that connected the imperial palace to a small palace.

If this man truly was ?William Hugh Lancaster?, he would never bother looking in the direction of this promenade.

The distance narrowed little by little. Twenty steps, ten steps, five steps. Finally, when Eve set foot at the entrance of the promenade, she was certain.

The man wearing the guise of William by her side was not the character she had familiarized herself with while playing the game as Ju-yeong.

The casual exchanges that had been going back and forth between the two suddenly disappeared. As if no one else dared to set foot on this promenade except for them, the vigilant gazes of those who had secretly kept an eye on William’s every move were nowhere to be seen.

The detached palace that could only be reached through the imperial palace had long ago been a place that had been occupied by the woman whom the late emperor took away from his son, and her young son who resembled her. It was a situation driven not by emotions but purely by political decisions, making the old man’s actions extremely cold and ruthless.

The late Emperor left the woman and her son who could be considered his grandson, in the detached palace as if he were imprisoning them and abandoned them there. It was a cruel scheme to crush the two lovers thoroughly, so that his son would not harbor any futile thoughts. Unable to bear the continuing shame, the desperate Lady Hestia tried to kill her young son but failed. In a half-crazed state, she ended her life by hanging herself on the promenade of the abandoned detached palace.

Later, when Frederick III ascended to the throne, he sealed off the detached palace that brought back dreadful memories and ordered that no one should ever touch it. The madman’s rage, boiling like lava, naturally turned the detached palace into the most secretive and forbidden place in the imperial grounds, even without guards.

There was no way that William, of all people, wouldn’t know this fact. If this man was truly William, he would never have crawled on his own feet into the abandoned detached palace, where he had been secluded with his mother in his childhood, and onto the promenade stained with her blood.

Wasn’t there an explanation in the game that his mother’s fate had become a trauma, leading him to avoid getting close to women for a long time? As Eve recalled the man’s character setting, her face turned cold.

A heavy silence settled between Eve and William. Suddenly, as if sensing the cold atmosphere, William too tensed up, his muscles tight. He didn’t know the reason, but he easily noticed the abrupt change in the mood.

The man subtly started to distance himself from Eve. In response to his cautious movements, Eve smirked and twisted her lips mockingly.

It was precisely at that moment her body shot out like lightning. Eve’s new footwork closed the distance in an instant, and she aimed for the man’s midsection, swinging her leg.

As if he had anticipated it, William calmly evaded Eve’s attack with his forearm and swiftly swung his hand with sharp force toward her ankle.

Eve, like a venomous snake, twisted her body to avoid the man’s reaching hand and quickly lowered herself, this time aiming for his leg and kicking it away. William swiftly countered the incoming attack, smirking slightly as he met Eve’s leg with his own.

Bam!

Their legs collided forcefully in mid-air before quickly pulling back. A momentary expression of ?Pretty good, aren’t you?? flickered across their faces.

Eve’s attacks gradually became faster and more powerful, as if she was examining her opponent’s weaknesses. Starting with the martial arts she learned from Margaret, the attacks began lightly but soon became more overt, attempting to draw out the scent of blood. These deadly movements were skills Eve had acquired through her past experiences aimed at killing.

The man also seemed to sense the intensity of her martial arts, narrowing his eyes as he managed to fend off Eve’s attacks. The forceful sound of impact, ‘thud’ and ‘bam,’ repeatedly erupted as their bodies clashed against each other.

?William? has never properly learned swordsmanship or martial arts. As a member of the royal family who had to be cautious of his brother’s watchful eyes and owed his life to the emperor, he only focused on acquiring skills related to firearms and such.

Therefore, this was the official setting for Archduke William, and naturally, he shouldn’t have known anything about martial arts.

As Eve fiercely drove her attacks at the man, she suddenly gathered her strength, swiftly stepping back and creating some distance. Despite allowing Eve’s fierce punch to hit his side, William lowered his stance without showing any sign of discomfort, clearly preparing for her next attack.

He was not just an aristocratic gentleman with some casual knowledge of sports; his skills were far beyond that. He had mastered movements that would take most people several years to learn. The man was a seasoned fighter familiar with bloody battles. Eve’s gaze became even colder. But that wasn’t the only problem.

His movements were familiar. More precisely, the way he engaged and countered with Eve was incredibly familiar. Even though the joint techniques she attempted were not from this world’s martial arts, the man seemed at ease, effortlessly evading her attacks and swiftly attempting to counter.

It wasn’t just a matter of highly developed reflexes to react quickly. It felt like a confrontation with an opponent she had been working with for a long time.

William, too, sensed something strange and was cautiously guarding against her while also struggling to hide his puzzled expression.

“… Young lady, that martial art…”

“Who are you? Are you even William himself?”

Eve cut through William’s words and asked her own question. Eve’s question was met with a sharp glare from William.

“Are you even the esteemed daughter of the Count? You’re nothing more than a thug from the East.”

“You, it’s not like you’ve learned these skills in just a year. What are you?”

“You dare to ask?”

“Who taught you?”

“I could ask the same. Who’s your master?”

Both of their expressions contorted strangely. It felt as if their minds were spinning rapidly, producing a tense atmosphere as they fiercely examined each other. Just before unrefined speculations were about to spill out, a sudden sense of presence was felt from nearby.

“Your Highness!”

Both of them turned their heads simultaneously towards the direction where the voice came from. It was William’s aide, with brown hair and gold-rimmed glasses.

“What on earth are you doing here! The banquet is about to start!”

“… Cedric.”

“What on earth is this sight! My goodness! These creases! What have you done!”

Faced with the voice that was almost a scream, Eve and William faced each other. Then the two quickly closed their mouths.

“What were you doing! Ah, this side… Ahem.”

“We’ve met before. I’m Evelyn Vermell.”

“Nice to meet you, young lady. I’m Cedric Lancer. By the way, young lady, how did you…”

“Ah, while coincidentally running into His Highness, I was asked to accompany and chat… It seems that we have been too engrossed in our short walk. His Highness helped me when I almost tripped on a rock, but it seems like I accidentally ended up tearing His Highness’s clothes when he reached out to me. I beg you to understand that this was an accident while helping a lady.”

“… Tripped on a rock?”