The Adopted Son of House Skyroad 2

People assessed Yuria, the eldest daughter of House Arsein, like this:

The greatest beauty of the Arcan Empire.

That was praise for her beauty, and Yuria herself didn’t dislike that aspect.

But the problem was that all other facts about her were completely buried.

Her swordsmanship was so exceptional that she could hardly find an equal among her peers; she was ranked second in the Swordsmanship Department at Jeiha Academy and second in the entire academy.

She was so outstanding that even the second-ranked students from other departments had lost to her in practical duels.

But there was one wall she could never overcome.

Theodore Skyroad.

A man of unknown origin who had been adopted into House Skyroad.

And her fiancé.

Not just Yuria, but other departments also only had second-ranked students, and the reason was Theodore’s existence.

Despite barely attending classes, he always took first place in exams with overwhelming scores, and in practical skills, whether it was swordsmanship, magic, or even combat and spirit arts, he excelled in all fields.

As a result, he occupied the top position in every department except the Divine Arts Department, and to Yuria, this seemed like an outrageous act of showing off.

Because of this, she and all the students from other departments were relegated to second place, and as a result, the fact that she was the fiancée of Theodore, the top student and genius among geniuses, became far more famous than her being second in the Swordsmanship Department.

However, if that had been all, she wouldn’t have been averse to Theodore.

‘He isn’t sincere.’

Although he smiled gently at her, she sometimes felt that his smile was like a mask. And as a result of repeatedly observing him, she had figured out something about him.

He had no friends.

No, he didn’t need friends at all.

He only had followers and subordinates.

His smiles were all false, and he didn’t place much value on most people.

The only people he valued were those of House Skyroad, which meant he was terribly arrogant, treating everyone except his family with such indifference that he barely regarded them as fellow humans.

Yuria acknowledged his abilities but didn’t like this aspect of him.

Yet she was only known as his fiancée, and no matter how much she trained to improve her skills, she couldn’t overcome his wall.

Even outside, many people didn’t even know she was second-ranked.

Since the title of being the fiancée of the genius Theodore was more famous, her position was entirely that of the beautiful fiancée the genius controlled.

Even if it became known, she would face the maddening accusation that her second-place position was obtained through the support of her fiancé Theodore and House Arsein.

‘I’ll prove it by going abroad. Even if I’m overshadowed by his wall, I’ll show everyone how excellent I am.’

That’s why Yuria had decided to study abroad at an academy in the Britannia Empire to prove her abilities there.

She was determined to prove that she was outstanding even without the backing of House Arsein.

The transfer to become a second-year student had already been arranged, and she had obtained her father’s consent, so even her mother’s interference couldn’t stop her.

There was just one problem.

“Working hard again today?”

Yuria’s face frowned slightly.

It was that this annoyingly handsome man wearing a sly mask was going with her.

“Theodore.”

“Yes, Yuria. I’m well aware that my name is Theodore.”

Yuria shot him a look of displeasure, but that was it.

Since he hadn’t really done anything wrong, she didn’t hate him.

She just disliked how he treated her with a false relationship.

‘How could someone like him be born?’

Not only was he exceptionally talented to an inhuman degree, but his boundlessly arrogant attitude and fake smile were all incomprehensible to her.

But one thing was certain: at least he was a man who kept his promises.

“Your gaze is quite intense today too? Miss Yuria, that burning gaze of yours is like looking at the high sky that you cannot reach.”

If one more thing was certain, it was that he had an outstanding talent for making her angry.

“Shut your mouth.”

“Gladly.”

As he said that and actually closed his mouth without saying anything, it somehow felt even more irritating.

“Sigh, never mind. Why did you come here anyway?”

“Duke Arsein asked me a favor. I promised to protect you with my life when we go to the Britannia Empire.”

Yuria didn’t feel her heart flutter at his words.

Other female students might be captivated by this incredibly handsome man with outstanding abilities and background saying he would protect them with his life, but Yuria knew that he wasn’t placing any special meaning in it.

He was only protecting her because she was his fiancée, based solely on their relationship status.

He was protecting her because they were engaged, but if they were to break off the engagement, he would cut off all interest in her without any attachment.

“The reason you’re providing me with protection is obviously just because I’m your fiancée, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. Correct answer.”

“Then if I weren’t your fiancée, would you have provided me with protection?”

Yuria asked the question even though she knew the answer.

“Do you want an honest answer? Or a false one?”

“First, tell me the false one.”

At Yuria’s words, Theodore smiled and said:

“How could I refuse the glorious task of escorting a lady as beautiful as you? I would have fought through any danger to protect you, even at the cost of my life.”

Yuria frowned at those words.

That was a lie.

And to tell such a lie so eloquently, as if making a vow!

“What’s the truth?”

“This world revolves around me. Why should I, with my busy schedule, waste time on someone unrelated to me?”

Snap-!

Yuria felt as if one of the strings of her rationality had snapped.

Even though she had already known this intellectually, hearing it directly made her even angrier.

She deeply regretted that she had once admired this man as a swordsman and had felt her heart flutter for him as a woman.

“You really are the worst.”

“No, it’s just that I’m such an exceptional human that you’re simply blinded by that brilliance. Objectively speaking, when it comes to individual abilities, you don’t have a single thing in which you surpass me, right?”

Knowing how he wore a mask and put on airs in front of other women, Yuria found it irritating that he could so calmly say such grating words to her face.

She felt she could accept canceling her study abroad to the Britannia Empire if it meant landing a punch on that smug face.

“I really dislike you.”

When Yuria glared at him with an angry gaze, he simply looked at her with a nonchalant expression, arms folded.

Seeing his attitude, which showed no intention of becoming friendly, Yuria somehow felt wronged.

The current situation, where she was the only one getting angry, made her feel like she was the only one suffering a loss.

‘Why do I keep getting angry at that man? Haa.’

She could just not care and treat him formally, but for some reason, she became too emotional with him.

“I really hate you…”

Yuria focused on swinging her sword to forget her distracting thoughts.

She thought that if she concentrated all her senses on swinging the sword, she might be able to forget about that irritating man, even for a moment.

And Theodore silently watched her as she swung her sword.

His gaze seemed to be evaluating her level, but Yuria didn’t get angry about that.

Her skills were far below his level.

She had felt this during their previous duel when she was completely defeated.

‘I won’t always be behind. I’ll become strong enough to at least land one hit on you, and eventually, I’ll surpass you.’

With such firm determination, she continued her training with the sword.

Theodore continued to silently appreciate her figure as she repeated basic movements with her beautiful silver hair flowing.

---

So I’m going to the Britannia Empire.

Well, I’ll be reuniting with those who were once called family, but since I’ve already found my real family, I have no lingering attachment to them.

I only feel hatred.

I wonder if they’ll even recognize me, and if they do, what kind of reaction they’ll show? I’m genuinely looking forward to it.

I should slowly make them realize their place as I savor how shamelessly they behave, if they still haven’t grasped the subject.

After all, the real “Chosen One” was not that piece of trash, but me.