Chapter 32

Translated by XyeHeart Edited by XyeHeart

Meriel went for a walk in the garden on her own after a complicated tea time with Juliana. She was considering clearing her mind of her complicated thoughts.

She was deep in thought, and as she walked on, she noticed her footsteps in front of the mist.

‘Is Klaus around at this time?’

Despite the fact that he was preoccupied with official matters, she moved her foot into the mist just in case. He had been training the Knights Templar for a long time. With Meriel’s appearance, the sound of breathing could be heard all around her.

‘How could it be the same every time?’ Meriel thought as she rolled her eyes.

Klaus wasn’t around, so it’s possible he was busy.

‘Klaus will undoubtedly attend the evening training.’

It was still late afternoon, just before evening. Meriel tried to turn away from her disappointment, but seeing his wooden sword in her corner brought back flashbacks.

“Your Grace?”

Bran, the chief commander, arrived while wiping away his sweat. When Meriel noticed Bran exuding the scent of a male, she reached out her hand without realizing it.

He’d grown accustomed to avoiding her touch. He acts as if he is about to be hit, so he expertly avoids it.

“Did you just try to avoid me?”

“Not at all, Your Grace.”

“Didn’t you just try to avoid me?”

“It’s purely coincidental.”

“I don’t believe so.”

“What exactly are you doing here? What are you doing with the wooden sword?” He averted his gaze and asked a question while changing the subject.

“I wanted to learn how to defend myself.” Meriel replied, her wooden sword in hand, a prickly expression on her face.

“What?!”

“How come you’re surprised?”

“Oh, no…..That’s…why suddenly?”

“I want to be prepared to defend myself in case something else happens.”

“Why so abruptly, Your Grace?”

“It is, indeed, unexpected.”

Bran took a step back as Meriel smiled.

“First, I need to get permission from the Grand Duke.” He awkwardly replied.

“Why?”

“Wouldn’t it be risky?”

“I’ve had some practice with a wooden sword.”

“Where did you have it happen?”

“In my dreams.” She replied nonchalantly.

It was, of course, a lie. The only wooden sword she’d ever wielded was the one she swung while still living as Doyeon. However, Meriel was taken aback by the weight of the wooden sword, which was heavier than she had anticipated.

With Meriel’s frail body, wielding the wooden sword was difficult.

She wouldn’t be able to hold a wooden sword now if she was trained alongside the Knights Templar while staying in the Grand Duke’s palace before marriage.

“However, without his permission…”

“Klaus will let me if I want to.”

“That could be true, but…”

Meriel struggled to keep her laugh from escaping. She cocked her head as she took another step closer to Bran, who was keeping his distance from her.

“We can keep it a secret if it takes a while to ask permission.” Meriel said this while turning her hair to one side.

“Please accept my apologies, Your Grace!”

He bowed his head and backed away, his face flushed.

Meriel had a great time torturing the men in the Grand Duke palace. Of course, if Klaus had seen her, he would have yelled to any man to perform the desired action, but he wasn’t there.

“Commander, please teach me some self-defense.”

“No one is available to teach the Grand Duchess.”

“I’m sure the Commander can teach me.”

“I have to keep an eye on Templar training.”

“Then please assign someone to assist me in training for a while.” Meriel said with a pout on her lips.

Bran walked away with a frown on his face, but he soon dispatched a knight to Meriel.

Deacon was the knight with light brown hair and round eyes.

“Well, Your Grace, I look forward to your kind cooperation!”

Deacon, who was in a good mood, greeted her and approached her with gloves on both hands. The gloves appeared to be unsuitable for training.

“Your Grace, look at me and follow me.”

He drew his wooden sword and straightened his back. The waist, as well as both hands holding the wooden sword, were flawless.

Meriel, clutching her wooden sword, stood in a similar position to him.

“I, ah…Your Grace… Just a little more…at your back…”

“How about this?”

“No, more…”

“How much more?”

“Could you please spread your legs a little wider?”

“Um, is this enough?”

“No, more…”

“But this is my limit…”

Meriel groaned, clutching her wooden sword.

“Did I do something wrong?” Deacon asked, his head tilted.

“No, I think the discussion is a little lewd.”

“What?”

“Don’t you agree?”

“What?!”

Deacon cocked his head, as if he didn’t understand what she was saying. Then, as soon as he realized what Meriel was saying, he blushed and kept his distance from her.

She was reminded of Kiyan when she noticed his face reddening through his light brown hair.

He had completely different brown hair than him, but it was adorable to see his round eyes swaying as if there had been an earthquake.

‘Ah, I believe Klaus has developed virus that can be contagious.’

Meriel called out to Deacon, who couldn’t make eye contact and seemed agitated from a distance.

“Come on, Deacon. Aren’t you going to teach me something?”

“I…I am, Your Grace.”

“Then hurry up.”

Deacon approached her with a dying expression when she called him sternly. Meriel’s feet twisted and she leaned over as she tried to get back into position.

“Oh my God!”

When Deacon saw Meriel about to fall, he reached out his hand in surprise.

He flinched as he tried to hold Meriel up with his hands, then drew his hands away.

“What……?”

Meriel had fallen to the ground.

Deacon yelled at Bran, biting his lips and making an almost-crying face.

“I can’t do it, Commander!”

Then Deacon dashed to where the knights were gathered. Meriel stared blankly at Bran, who was awkwardly slumped.

The knights shrugged their shoulders as they comforted the crying Deacon. As he approached her, Bran sighed. He, too, donned his thick gloves and reached out to Meriel, who had fallen on the ground.

“What did I do?” she asked, perplexed.

“It’s entirely my fault, Your Grace.”

“I don’t recall seeing anything like that.”

Anyway, where is the knight who hides his hand while failing to help her when she falls? It was his fault that she had fallen, but it was difficult to understand why Deacon was crying with a wounded expression.

Meriel sighed and rose to her feet, aided by Bran. She wore a dress because she had arrived unexpectedly.

“Did I become a thorn in the side of the knights?” She asked, patting the dust from her dress.

“That is not the case, Your Grace.”

“Then?”

“……”

“Why aren’t you talking, Commander? I’m going to tell Klaus that I fell and no one helped me.”

“Because….the Grand Duke had instructed us not to touch the Grand Duchess.” Bran let out a sigh.

“Huh?” she asked, perplexed.

“Anyone who comes into contact with the Grand Duchess will be punished…”

“No, but…I fell…”

“For whatever reason, he stated that no one should come into contact with the Grand Duchess.”

Meriel creased her brow. Bran, who had avoided her outstretched hand, and Deacon, who had not assisted her in her stumble, had only come to the realization.

“Even so, it was cruel not to help me if I needed it!”

“That’s…..”

“Is there anything else? Were there any Klaus instructions that I was unaware of?!”

Bran bowed his head as Meriel put her hands on her waist and hissed. With his large stature, he has a flushed face and scratched his head, as if he is in trouble.

“The Grand Duchess is beautiful…It’s most likely because you’re beautiful, Your Grace.”

“…What exactly do you mean?”

“From a young age, the Grand Duke’s knights grow up in dormitories.”

“……”

“They’ve never seen a woman up close and personal…”

Meriel was caught off guard.

Deacon’s behavior, which resembled that of an adolescent girl, was understandable ten million times over. Meriel, who was outraged with him a while ago, raised her hand and covered her mouth. She felt as if she was about to burst out laughing.

Her eyes welled up with tears as she forced herself not to laugh. Her appearance gave Bran the impression that Meriel had been harmed by them.

“Your Grace?”

“I’ll speak with you the next time, Commander.”

Meriel burst out laughing, threw her sword, and fled, fearing the irreversible was about to happen. Her heart was racing at breakneck speed as she dashed out of her mist and into the palace.

She dashed to her own room, trying hard not to laugh. Meriel grabbed her stomach and rolled on the floor when she was left alone.

She couldn’t stop herself from laughing. It’s similar to how males who have graduated from high school are frozen in front of a beautiful woman. There was no way for them to know a woman because they were knights who had only known life through training. Even her maids, come to think of it, avoid the mist.

Meriel was perplexed as to how Klaus, the Grand Duke, could grow so pure, but there was a good reason. He was born and raised in the Grand Duke’s Palace as well. A man who has spent the better part of his life training with the Knights since he was a child.

“This is excessive.”

Measures were required.

Who is the Monster Grand Duke, and who are the most terrifying Knights? They will collapse in an instant if a woman is put forward.

“Whew…Let’s take a deep breath.”

Meriel stretched out, thinking she’d go to a formal apology the next day. She’d had a full day, with Selina’s class in the morning, Juliana’s tea time after lunch, and events at the dance hall.

Meriel stripped off her dusty clothes and went to take a bath. She vowed to dress properly the next time she went out.

Read only at Travis Translations