The Villainess Captured The Grand Duke - Chapter 46
Chapter 46
“Hurriedly brought, it may not be a good item, but… Would you like to sit, Your Excellency?”
“Thank you for fetching it, even though you must be busy.”
Smiling brightly, Scheuer sat on the chair that the apprentice knight had brought. The chair seemed to have scratches here and there, indicating it was one of the knights’ chairs. Perhaps worried about a sword accidentally sticking out, Zelos had two knights place it for him. It was a seat close to the festival grounds.
Holding the sword at his waist, Raygrain asked,
“Did you deliberately choose a challenging place?”
“It’s far enough. Even the Duke’s eyes, nose, and mouth can barely be distinguished.”
“If Jess hadn’t stopped me, I might have grabbed my sword.”
“Beautiful things are meant to be seen from a distance.”
To Scheuer’s words, he replied with a frown,
“I’ve never heard that before.”
Of course, even if he were far away, Raygrain would automatically be distinguished in his eyes. When he nodded and turned around, the two knights guarding the sides tensed up. Without saying anything more, Raygrain moved his steps towards where many knights were gathered. It seemed like they were practicing, but instead, he was instructing the knights. There was some light sparring, but compared to what Jess and he did in the North, it didn’t even qualify as a warm-up. The apprentice knights beside Scheuer looked envious of the spectacle. Holding a bouquet of flowers, Scheuer, who stood by, seemed to be bored, watching Raygrain’s front view. One knight, perhaps tired of seeing if Raygrain would be hurt, asked in an annoyed tone,
“Aren’t you supposed to find it boring if you’re not the one holding the sword? Is it alright?”
It almost sounded like they were telling her not to bother people and stay in her room. However, Scheuer responded firmly,
“Not boring at all. My heart is pounding so much right now; the tension is higher than ever.”
Seeing him rolling up his sleeves to match the thinner clothes, Scheuer cheered,
“Did you see? Did you? The Duke’s natural appearance!”
“Uh… yes?”
“Oh, really. We need a video magic stone.”
Looking up at the knight, Scheuer asked,
“Was his name Sefic? Looks like the Duke likes swordsmanship. He’s been watching intently.”
“Ah, yes. Well…”
He responded somewhat stiffly to Scheuer’s question. Although there was a subtle sense of caution, she ignored it and asked about Raygrain.
“Looks like the knights like the Duke. Whenever there’s a banquet, he’s always surrounded by knights.”
“That… yes.”
“I like the Duke too, so I don’t mind watching.”
When Raygrain and Scheuer’s eyes met, Scheuer raised both hands above her head, making a heart shape. For a moment, he furrowed his brows and turned his head to the knight who was about to speak up.
Scheuer, feeling disappointed, continued,
“I’m sorry for bothering Sefic a little, but in the North, we have to train to survive against monsters, so I’m sorry for not being able to watch.”
“Oh, yes.”
“So, I’ll watch for a bit. Please understand.”
As Scheuer laughed and spoke, Sefic, looking somewhat confused, glanced towards Erina, who was in the distance.
Perhaps affiliated with the Second Knight Order? It felt like he was being watched as if he were monitoring Erina’s people.
To find out discreetly, Scheuer, pretending to yawn, first spoke to them who were stretching lazily.
“How did Sefic join the knight order?”
Perhaps because he thought he heard a yawn, he seemed a bit flustered, hastily spitting out his words.
“Uh, it was my mother’s wish.”
“Nice. Did I fulfill your wish? Sefic, you’re amazing.”
“It also suited my aptitude.”
Feeling embarrassed, he was fiddling with the sword tied to his waist.
While Scheuer was chatting animatedly with Sefic, the knight practicing with Raygrain felt the gaze fixed on him disappear.
Wondering what had happened, Scheuer was having a conversation with the knight who had been beside her. Laughing and chatting, she seemed to find something fun in their exchange. Occasionally, the sound of laughter reached Raygrain’s ears. It was not a very pleasant scene, but suddenly, his auditory sensitivity seemed heightened. Raygrain blamed his sensitive ears, sharpened by frequent training.
The familiar presence of demons and screams had become excessively ingrained. Even when they were separated like this, her voice could still be clearly distinguished. Amidst all the various noises filling the battlefield, only the melodious voice reminiscent of a singing canary pierced through sharply into the ears.
“Oh, so there were a lot of people in the morning!”
After a moment of clear voice, there was a dull sound, followed by the thud of a sword falling to the ground. Belatedly looking ahead, one of the imperial knights who had been receiving help was holding his injured hand, enduring the pain.
“Ugh…!”
“Are you okay?”
“No, it’s my fault for not avoiding it.”
Trying to keep composure, I unknowingly exerted force.
Raygrain, inserting the sword into the ground, said,
“That’s enough.”
As one knight clenched his arm, Scheuer’s gaze returned to Raygrain. She stood up abruptly.
“Your Grace!”
Scheuer ran a short distance in a few strides.
Momentarily startled, the heart pounded with surprise. Scheuer circled Raygrain several times.
“Where are you hurt? Where?”
“Not me.”
Only then did she exhale a sigh of relief.
Scheuer, checking the figure of another knight who had gone to call the royal physician, asked,
“What happened?”
“It’s been a while for people. It seems difficult to control.”
He was as firm as the sword. Even when training with Blengan knights in the north for half a day, Raygrain did not lose concentration, even enjoying a picnic with Scheuer and Celly on a laid-out mat. Such a person making a mistake was surprising.
“Did you get badly hurt?”
“Knights are naturally prone to injuries. Even more so for the imperial knights. If you sit down like this, it might be the end of the north.”
Some knights did not hide their displeasure at his cold response. Strictly speaking, when a knight sits down due to injury, it might indeed be the end, as they could become prey to demons.
Scheuer approached the knight receiving emergency treatment while sitting on the ground.
“How about the doctor, Your Excellency?”
“The princess has withdrawn.”
The knight performing emergency treatment turned his words carefully.
She took out a single flower. While chamomile might seem insignificant when grown in a garden, it had healing effects. While it was impractical for major injuries, it found its use in treating minor wounds or providing emergency care such as stopping bleeding.
The white blossoms bloomed slowly from her hand, spreading a refreshing fragrance, even though the flowers seemed fully bloomed, the moment you plucked them, their lives were destined to end. Despite appearing vibrant, it was merely a surface display, and in reality, the flower was gradually withering away.
However, when Scheuer touched it, the flower revived, gaining new life. Extending it to the knight, she carefully chose her words.
“My lord, I don’t have a hand to receive the flower right now.”
Clutching his injured hand, he bit his lips as if implying something.
Scheuer handed the flower to the wounded hand.
“I’m not asking you to just take it. Just hold it for a moment.”
“Smile Love”