Chapter 14: Swordsmanship Competition Part 1 (1/2)
by fnovelpia
“When are you going to get married already?”
Her father said.
Hildegarde quietly lifted her head.
Her disregard toward her father made his brow twitch in irritation.
“You’re already twenty-four. You’re long past the age to get married. What are you doing if not getting married?”
“He said he doesn’t like me.”
“Isn’t that because you’re acting like a cold stone! It’s already been four years since you and Drewver started seeing each other!”
He meant they should’ve slept together.
And that was coming from a father to his daughter.
Hildegarde responded with a heart that had already gone cold.
“Our family has always upheld premarital chastity.”
“Are you really going to bring up a house law from over 400 years ago?”
“Even after a thousand years, house law is house law.”
“Is that outdated law more important to you than your brother? You know how much debt he’s drowning in!”
“That’s my brother’s problem.”
“You stubborn brat.”
Clatter!
Her father spat the curse and stood up.
He looked at her with contempt, then slammed the door behind him.
No need to see him off.
Hildegarde glanced at the door and then stood.
Once a week, her father would come and pester her to get married like this.
When he couldn’t come, her mother would show up instead.
They wanted this marriage that badly.
Drewver Falkmarck was the only son of a count.
His family was prestigious and had strong connections within the military.
They also owned a major trading company and were wealthy.
Her parents wanted her to marry him as soon as possible.
Because only then could they get the money to pay off her brother’s debts.
Even now, half of Hildegarde’s salary went toward her brother’s debt, but it barely covered the interest.
The principal remained untouched.
Hildegarde headed to Drewver’s house for the first time in a while.
He had pleaded with her to come.
“Ah… oppa, oppa…”
As soon as she stepped into the entryway, a woman’s moans greeted her.
There were two pairs of shoes.
A man’s and a woman’s.
Hildegarde didn’t show it on her face, but her heart was pounding wildly.
The woman’s moans grew louder.
She could hear the man panting too. It was Drewver.
Taking a deep breath, she entered the living room without removing her shoes.
The moaning intensified. The bed creaked. The sound of skin slapping against skin was disturbingly vivid.
She wondered if this was a dream—but the senses of a Sword Master were precise.
The disgusting gasps of the man and woman came through in vivid detail.
The bedroom door was wide open. She didn’t want to see, but she did.
“You like that, you slut?!”
Drewver spoke crudely as he swung his hand.
A loud slap rang out.
The two were tangled in a position too vulgar to describe.
Hildegarde calmed the storm of emotions within her.
She turned and walked toward the master bedroom.
From the angle of the door, the bed was clearly visible.
Only then did Drewver notice her.
But instead of being shocked, he grinned, as if amused.
“You’re here?”
“Wh-Who is she?”
“A coworker.”
What followed was a string of revolting moments.
Even after being caught cheating, Drewver was shameless.
He looked down on her while showing off his grotesque manhood.
“Come on, we’ve been dating for four years and never even kissed. Don’t you think that’s a bit much?”
“Wow, seriously? This woman’s unbelievable! Then why even date him?”
“You’re the one who asked me out, Drewver Falkmarck.”
The woman replied while covering only her chest with a towel, standing beside him.
She leaned into his arms like they were already a couple.
“That’s why I told you—we should have held the ceremony.”
“Hildegarde. You’re so damn frustrating. Before marriage, you’ve got to check if things work in bed, right?”
“Don’t make excuses. You never intended to marry me in the first place.”
“You’re the one being difficult! How long was I supposed to hold out before calling another woman over?”
“Then you should’ve ended it. Why did you call me over? And leave the bedroom door open at that?”
“Do I really have to spell it out?”
Four years of attachment vanished in an instant.
To be honest, she wondered if there had ever been any to begin with.
Drewver had asked her out first, and she had gone along with it without thinking.
His family’s name was respectable.
“…That’s enough.”
“Where are you going?”
“You don’t need to know anymore.”
Hildegarde left Drewver’s house.
Drewver followed her to the front door for a moment, flustered, then returned to the bedroom with the other woman in his arms.
It was obvious what he was going back to do.
Even though she had been blatantly cheated on, she wasn’t angry.
Maybe because she had never expected anything from the start.
She didn’t love him. So, naturally, she wasn’t angry.
She remembered how she first met Drewver at the military academy.
He confessed to her.
She had rejected him at first, but Drewver went to her parents and buttered them up.
Her parents and brother pushed her, insisting she go out with him, spitting as they urged her on—so she had.
Looking back now, her heart never fluttered while dating him.
So she wasn’t angry…
But she was disappointed.
In her parents, who had danced with joy when they heard she was dating Drewver.
In her brother, who had been thrilled that their debt might disappear.
In the man who wanted her body, not her heart.
She felt disillusioned with everything.
She had never felt so disappointed in her life.
She recalled a subordinate once saying they drank when life got hard and wandered into the entertainment district, looking for any bar.
She’d never been to a bar before, so this was her first stop.
“A Glass of Anguish.”
The name seemed to match her mood.
Without hesitation, she went in.
But contrary to its name, the inside was filled with lust, not anguish.
Men were flirting with prostitutes.
After what she had just witnessed, she was in no mood for this.
She was about to leave, but then noticed a man sitting alone in a corner.
He had pitch-black hair and blue eyes.
She could feel a similar kind of anguish in him.
She changed her mind and approached him.
After wrapping up a case involving a demonic beast, she had a conversation with Leo elsewhere.
“Let’s meet once a week like this.”
“Once a week… sounds good.”
Hildegarde really hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.
She had asked him out on a whim while drunk—and he had actually said yes.
But she couldn’t take those words back now.
And this man seemed decent. Much better than Drewver.
He didn’t boast about himself.
His movements were modest, and his words were full of consideration.
He surpassed Drewver not only internally, but externally too.
The only small problem was status.
He was a commoner, and she was a noble.
If her family found out she was dating a commoner, they would erupt.
How dare she date someone like that? Why did she throw away Count Drewver?
‘Let them rage.’
Hildegarde smiled.
In fact, just imagining their outrage made her feel better.
“Then, see you later.”
The man, Leo, waved and disappeared.
Hildegarde lifted her hand to wave back, then hesitated and lowered it.
Because of the demonic beast, she arrived home around 1 a.m.
Leo held his pounding temple, aching from the alcohol, and opened the door.
The dark living room greeted him.
The ticking clock was the only sound.
Of course, Elizabeth would be asleep by now.
Rustle.
Just as he undressed and entered the bathroom—
“Where were you?”
A cold voice came from behind.
It was Elizabeth.
She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, looking up at him.
She wore a sheer white nightgown.
He asked,
“Why are you still up at this hour?”
“You were out drinking?”
“…Yeah, just had a few drinks.”
“Drinks?”
“Yeah.”
“Was it just drinks?”
“…What else would it be?”
Elizabeth stared at Leo.
Her nose and cheeks were flushed.
She smelled like alcohol. She really had been drinking.
“Did she really just drink alcohol?”
Elizabeth felt something was off, but without proof, she couldn’t press the issue.
“If you’ve got nothing more to say, just go get some sleep. I’m going to wash up and turn in.”
I washed up.
When I came out, Elizabeth was gone, already in her room.
Ever since the day we were called to school, things had been awkward between us.
It had been over a month, but we still hadn’t returned to the playful conversations we used to share.
William, Betty, and Mr. Nodis all said time would fix it, but honestly, I wasn’t so sure.
Despite the shaky father-daughter relationship, Elizabeth’s school life had gone back to normal.
Even though she’d beaten up Beatrice pretty badly, she’d gotten sympathy because the reason had been justifiable.
Nobles, who lived and died for honor, understood Elizabeth.
They said they wouldn’t have endured such insults to their parents either.
In fact, more classmates had started talking to her than before.
Leo’s background had been exposed, but it only caused a stir at the time. Now, no one really cared.
Except for the pureblood noble students, most others gathered around Elizabeth for her character and personality.
Some people are just like that.
Even without trying, they naturally draw others in and lead them.
It’s not something you can polish—it’s inborn.
A person destined to lead others from birth.
Since that incident, Beatrice had stopped provoking or approaching Elizabeth.
She must have been feeling confident after forcing Elizabeth’s father to kneel, but she just hung out with her friends instead.
It was just as daily life seemed to be settling down again.
“Are you Elizabeth Valentine?”
Though the elderly Lady Valdeck had forgiven Elizabeth’s family, not all the Valdecks shared her sentiment.
Beatrice’s older brother was one of them—especially after seeing Beatrice’s battered face.
0 Comments