That face?

Time flew by like an arrow, and a week had passed.

Today was the day of the friendly match between the families, where they would engage in a duel in a few hours.

Thud! Thud! Whoosh!

At this time, other knights were resting to maintain their condition.

But Aisha couldn’t stay still. The occasional anxiety that crept up on her made her swing her sword unconsciously.

She had been practicing swordsmanship since early morning, but instead of calming her mind, it only made it more complicated.

Thump!

“Hoo….”

After countless repetitions, she collapsed as if her body had given up.

Her body ached from excessive exercise, but even the pain couldn’t distract her troubled mind.

‘…Am I doing well?’

Aisha slowly raised her hands, which were covered with rough calluses from years of hard work.

People labeled her as stubborn for her efforts, but Aisha couldn’t help but question that evaluation.

She was just a coward. Like a scared dog barking louder, she worked harder out of fear of falling behind.

“I’m trying my best.”

At that moment, a voice came from behind. It was a light-hearted voice that pierced through her thoughts.

“You’re working hard from early in the morning. Isn’t it exhausting?”

“…Mind your own business.”

Aisha replied sharply to the voice.

Rebecca shrugged and approached her.

“Sorry for interrupting, but can I give you some advice?”

“….”

“Wouldn’t it be better to stop meaningless training? It’s pointless anyway. It’ll only ruin your mood.”

“What does it matter to you? Just leave me alone.”

“You know it yourself. If you don’t believe me, want to test it out? Show me the results of your training.”

Rebecca kicked Aisha’s sword that had fallen to the ground.

The sword moved as if sweeping the floor, but soon stopped under Aisha’s foot.

“You’ve been working hard lately. Have you changed a bit? But well, a worm will always be a worm.”

“Get lost.”

“Even though I’m trying to help. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you.”

“I told you to leave.”

Aisha picked up the fallen sword and stood up, pointing it at Rebecca, but it was futile.

“Want to show me now?”

“…No. Fighting you will be next.”

“Tsk. Lacking confidence, huh?”

Squirming, Aisha’s face slightly frowned.

Although she rarely showed emotions, she became particularly hostile when facing Rebecca.

“Final warning. I can’t stay still anymore.”

“Is that so?”

Their tense gazes clashed for a long moment.

Crack!

A wave of magic power emanated from Rebecca’s foot and quickly disappeared.

In that moment, she leaped towards Aisha and made her move.

“!”

Just as Aisha was about to move her arm, Rebecca had already achieved her goal.

Thud!

Aisha fell over without resistance under Rebecca’s kick.

“Ugh!”

“See? Nothing special, as expected.”

Having taken the sword from Aisha, Rebecca pointed it at her neck.

“Why bother struggling when you knew this would happen? Don’t waste your time and give up early.”

“…You.”

“Seeing you, I can guess Evan’s fate too. There’s nothing more to see. Just a bunch of losers.”

Aisha gritted her teeth. Rebecca looked down at Aisha with a mocking gaze.

“Anyway, look forward to it. Both you and Evan. I’ll crush you both properly.”

“….”

“Hehe. Worried about wetting yourself in fear? Evan, isn’t this not the first or second time?”

Rebecca’s face was filled with deep disdain.

“Well, I’ll go easy on you so you don’t embarrass yourself. Don’t be too scared.”

With those words, Rebecca turned her back and walked away.

Asha watched her retreating figure with a puzzled expression.

#

“I don’t know if the food is going in my mouth or my nose.”

The family gathered around the breakfast table.

Asha, who usually left for training, was also present for the meal today.

But something seemed off. I asked her subtly.

“Did you stay up all night? You look tired.”

“…It’s nothing.”

She seemed unusually subdued. She usually exuded confidence.

Not just her, but tension seemed to be palpable on the faces of the other family members.

Is it because of the friendly competition? It’s a serious matter since the family’s reputation is at stake.

“Brother, brother! You have to eat this because I made it!”

In the solemn atmosphere, only Mary was carefree.

She was smiling brightly as she served me food.

‘Hmm…’

Mary Elaine, energetically moving her arms to grab food.

She seemed like she should maintain her noble demeanor, but she didn’t say anything.

Mother, as well as Zait, just watched with a smile.

It makes me wonder if these people are really nobles.

Just looking at them, they seem like an ordinary family without any airs.

“Hehe. Is it delicious?”

“Yeah. It’s delicious. I might not even notice if one of us dies while eating.”

“Don’t say that! You can’t die, brother…!”

“…?”

By the way, what am I doing here?

I was supposed to just take the money and leave, but before I knew it, a week had already passed.

Time flies. Since life here is so comfortable, I unknowingly wasted time.

Might as well stay a little longer. I suffered so much in my past life, so this is fine, right?

With the New Year’s festival canceled, there’s nothing else to do anyway.

“Mary, eat some vegetables. Don’t just eat meat.”

“I don’t want to! You eat more!”

“…Speaking informally?”

Observing the family’s characteristics over the past 7 days, it’s clear that Asha and Mary don’t get along.

They seem to clash without any apparent reason.

Like water and oil, they just don’t mix.

“Say nice things when you eat. Eating vegetables will make you prettier and smarter.”

“Then you eat! I’m much prettier than you!”

“I ate a lot, though?”

“Is it your face?”

“….”

“Ugh… then I won’t eat. You eat a lot and get prettier.”

“…Just wait and see.”

A typical conversation between siblings. It feels more like a sitcom scene than nobility.

As I watched their argument for a moment,

“Evan, you don’t have to overdo it.”

Zait, who had been silently eating, spoke to me.

It was a random comment, but I knew what it meant.

‘He must be talking about the friendly competition today.’

Children who awaken their magic are obligated to become knights.

Even Mary, with her talent for magic, is no exception.

Evan and Asha must fulfill their duties as knights.

And the upcoming friendly competition is one way to fulfill that duty.

“You didn’t have much time to prepare. Understand that.”

“It’s okay. I have to earn my keep too.”

That way, I’ll have a reason to receive money.

I feel bad just taking money without doing anything.

“…Who do you take after to be so stubborn?”

“Hehe. You’re my son.”

“Ahem. I wasn’t that reckless when I was young.”

Although he said that, a sense of pride flickered on his face. It’s really regrettable to be misunderstood as a villain when you see him like that.

“Evan, don’t be too nervous. Whatever the outcome, your father won’t blame you.”

He met my eyes and offered comforting words.

“Even if you lose, there’s no need to blame yourself. Just take the defeat as a step towards growth. So don’t be too hard on yourself.”

It seems like he’s preparing for a possible defeat.

I responded by nodding my head gracefully.

“Asha, I want to say the same thing to you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. Thank you.”

With that, our brief conversation ended, and we resumed eating.

But Asha continued to look down with a worried expression.

‘She worries too much.’

She should be satisfied with the effort she put in. It’s a shame she can’t trust herself.

#

The grand arena where the duel was taking place was filled with people.

And at the center stood the children of the noble families.

“Sigh…”

I glanced at Asha, who was taking deep breaths beside me, and then shifted my gaze.

Ten knights lined up in a row. On the opposite side, ten knights from the Laurents family were facing us.

Among them, there was one who exuded a particularly strong presence.

Rebecca Laurents, except for Zait, that woman is the strongest here.

Her personality may be a mess, but her talent is undeniable.

‘But why is she like that? We’re both from the same bloodline.’

In front of me, Damian Laurents stood with a slouched posture.

“Did you sleep well?”

Flinch!

Even a light greeting made him tremble as if he had already lost without even facing a sword. ‘If he’s my opponent, then it’s a free win.’

The children of the noble families duel among themselves.

After selecting matchups that were somewhat evenly matched, Asha was paired with Rebecca, and I was to fight Damian Laurents.

And Mary did not participate in the duel. Not because she was young, but because she couldn’t hit people.

Last year, she said she was in trouble because she hit someone and then cried. Apart from her appearance, she’s not much different from the traditional Evans.

“Exchange greetings with each other while observing mutual respect.”

The knight in charge of the duel’s proceedings spoke, and the noisy crowd gradually quieted down.

Eventually, we approached our respective opponents and requested a handshake.

“Ahem.”

“Oh, right. I look forward to it.”

Evan also approached Damian and reached out his hand.

After a moment of hesitation, Damian cautiously accepted the handshake.

Once the handshakes were over, all the knights moved back to their respective sides.