Yet, even with his rematches, the result was always the same.

It was inevitable. With Allenan handing me potions and casting every imaginable buff, how could anyone keep up with my rapid progress? Besides, Valk, despite being the captain of the guard, was growing older. He couldn’t keep pace with my stamina as I approached adulthood.

“When Euphil asked me to teach you swordsmanship, I wondered what might come of it,” Gelbart said with a deeply satisfied smile as he approached. No longer ruffling my now-grown hair, he instead gave me a respectful clap of applause.

“You could easily take down two or three vagabonds on the road.”
“Is that so?” I asked, amused.
“Of course. A knight in armour is said to have the strength of three ordinary men, you know.”
“That’s when they’re wearing full plate armour,” I retorted.
“And do you think your opponents will be without their own protection?”

I nodded, conceding his point. It meant my skills were at least equivalent to defeating a couple of ordinary men in a fight.

Good. That’s good. Now I can travel alone safely.

Recently, I have been pouring my efforts into sword training. Since I had no contact with Euphil, I had no way of knowing how much stronger he might have become.

I can’t afford to lose my head if things go wrong.

Nine years ago, Euphil had told me he loved me.
But what if that had been nothing more than a fleeting sentiment, something he felt before entering the Academy? If so, I might meet my end at the age of nineteen. I couldn’t let this life be another short one. I had to be prepared to escape.

On that note, my wardrobe had steadily filled with enough jewels to sustain me comfortably for the rest of my life. Among my most prized finds were black pearls and large diamonds.

And, of course, those treasures included…

“Myrthi.”

From a distance, Allenan approached, carrying a towel to wipe my sweat. That familiar puppy-like expression of his, face slightly flushed as he neared me, was something I had grown used to over the years. Now twenty-three, Allenan had matured into a stunningly handsome young man, his beauty almost dazzling to behold.

His wavy black hair shimmered under the sunlight like scattered grains of sand, and his blue eyes seemed to focus only on me, as though nothing else existed.

Allenan’s features had softened over time, giving him an even gentler appearance, yet he retained the strength befitting the Crown Prince. His broad shoulders and sun-kissed skin marked him unmistakably as a man of the sea, and even his slightly fuller lower lip had developed a certain allure.

He looks like a large, loyal dog, I mused.

Allenan seemed as though he had been sculpted from summer itself, an Odyssean hero come to life. His warm voice called my name again.

“Myrthi, you did well.”

He gently wiped the sweat from my hair with the towel. When the apprentice knight glanced at the gesture with envy, Gelbart promptly smacked the back of his head again.

“I told you not to look at her like that!”
“S-Sorry!”
“My apologies, Myrthi,” Gelbart said with a click of his tongue. “This sort of thing happens all the time.”
“Haha, don’t be too hard on him. It’s only natural for people to admire her,” Allenan replied with an easy laugh.

He addressed Gelbart with polite speech, likely because Gelbart was my granduncle. It reminded me of how Allenan had used honorifics when I’d mentioned Euphil was my brother—he seemed to take extra care to show respect to those around me.

“Today is your nineteenth birthday, Myrthi. Do you still want to keep practising with the sword?”

Allenan’s smile was as radiant as sunlight as he gently swept my hair to one side. It was the kind of warmth that could coax even the cloaked traveller in a fable to shed their layers.

When I matched his smile with a soft one of my own, Allenan’s face flushed red again. Even after all this time, he still hadn’t grown used to it.

Yes, today was my nineteenth birthday. That meant I had officially come of age. Yet, even now, I hadn’t heard a single word from Euphil.

Occasionally, I would receive mysterious jewels or gifts, but I could never be certain if they were from him.

“This is Euphil’s gift to me,” I said with conviction, clenching my fist and nodding fervently.

Allenan gave me a wry smile, though even that expression seemed impossibly gentle on his face.

Allenan Karten. He was, in truth, a remarkable man.

The fact that he still remained by my side was proof enough. The Queen and her relatives had done everything in their power to separate him from me, yet he had fended off every attempt. While there had been moments when he was forced to leave my side temporarily, he had always managed to maintain our engagement.

Though they had succeeded in keeping Euphil away, the rumours of what he had become still reached my ears. This led many nobles in Alkaden to view me with suspicion. The King and Queen were no exception.

“The youngest to graduate as the Academy’s top student.”
“The wielder of thunderous swordsmanship.”
“A cold-blooded demon of steel.”
“The golden-haired spectre.”

Chilling, wasn’t it? Especially “the demon of steel” and “the golden-haired spectre.”

Apparently, women were captivated and mesmerised by him, but since I had never even seen a portrait of the current Euphil, I struggled to reconcile those terrifying rumours with the boy I once knew.