The castle buzzed with tension that day.
I could hear the servants whispering through the marble halls. Even the knights stood straighter, their armor more polished than usual.
"The Grand Duke of the Dragereth is here…" "Why would Duke Zuel Silva make a sudden visit?" "And he brought his daughter…"
I didn't care much—at least I pretended not to.
I stayed in my usual corner, tucked away behind the garden pillars, bandaging my hands like I always did. After another night of secret training, they were blistered and raw. The healing helped, but only so much. I didn't want anyone to see them—especially not the nobles.
But someone did.
I looked up, and there she was.
Standing beside her father, holding her chin high with the elegance of a noble bred from flame and pride—
Seraphina Elise von Silva.
Her hair was the color of blazing rubies, tied into thick twin tails that made her look more intimidating than cute. Her red eyes locked onto mine—not with curiosity, but judgment.
She said nothing.
But her gaze lingered… not on my face.
On my bandaged hands.
---
The next morning, I slipped out of the castle again.
There was a small forest patch nearby—just outside the castle walls. It wasn't as dangerous as the Monster Forest, but wild enough that nobles weren't allowed to play there.
Which made it perfect for me.
I grabbed a worn wooden sword and trained like usual. Swing. Breathe. Step. Swing.
Every motion sharper than yesterday. Every cut through the air carrying my resolve.
My palms reopened mid-session, blood soaking through the fresh bandages. I didn't stop.
Not until—
"You're bleeding, idiot."
I froze mid-swing.
Turning slowly, I saw Seraphina—again. This time, alone.
She stood a few meters away, arms crossed, glaring at me like I just offended her ancestors.
"Did you follow me?" I asked.
"Tch. Don't flatter yourself. I was just… walking." she say
"Through the restricted forest trail?" I raised an eyebrow.
"I'm noble. I go wherever I want." she says
"Right… nobles." I says
She stepped closer, her boots crunching over leaves. My blood dripped lightly on the grass between us.
"Why are you training like a beast with a toy?" she asked.
"Because beasts get strong," I replied. "And toys can become weapons if you don't quit swinging them."
She blinked.
> "That's… kind of cool. But shut up."
Then, just as I lowered the wooden sword—my foot slipped on a rock. The sword flipped—
BOP.
The handle bonked her chest.
We both froze.
"...…You." she in angry
"W-Wait, that was—" i try to persuade her
"How dare you!" she shouted, redder than her hair.
"IT WAS A ROCK! THE ROCK IS THE PERVERT!" i try to not make her more angry
"You… You have to take responsibility for this!" she says in anger and blackmailing me
"For tripping?!" i surprised
"No, for existing!" she say with anger
I rubbed my head, groaning. "What do you even want from me…?"
She glared down at the wooden sword in my hand, then looked back at my bandaged fingers.
"That sword style… Teach me." she say with confidence
I blinked.
"Huh?" i surprised
"You heard me. You're swinging like a madman, and yet your eyes don't look dull. They're… focused. Serious."
"I want that. I want to move like that. Teach me your style." she say with determination
"Why me?" i asked
"Because you're different," she muttered, almost too quiet.
"You didn't flinch when you saw me. You didn't grovel like the others. You're… weird."
"I'll take that as a compliment."i actually don't know much about manner
She turned, arms crossed, cheeks still red.
"Just shut up and say yes already."
I smirked.
"Fine. But only if you help me carry this rock back to the castle so I can formally blame it for harassment."
"Tch. Idiot." she smile when even she angry
---
And just like that…
The feared villainess of the original game started following me around, demanding sword lessons under the trees—where no one else could see us.
Neither of us knew then…
That the future had already started to change.
---
Ok
From the next day onward, our secret sword training began beneath the forest canopy.
I didn't go easy on her.
> "We start with a warm-up. Run five kilometers around the inner forest path."
> "F-Five what!?" Seraphina choked. "That's not warm-up! That's military punishment!"
> "Welcome to my kingdom, Lady Silva."
The first day, she lasted ten minutes. Barely.
Panting. Glaring. Throwing her wooden sword into a bush.
---
Day by day, the training routine remained the same.
5 kilometers run.
50 push-ups.
25 squats.
50 sword swings.
No breaks.
While I was already halfway through my lap or calmly doing squats, Seraphina would be leaning against a tree, screaming into the sky.
> "WHY do nobles not hire instructors like NORMAL PEOPLE?!"
> "This is normal," I shrugged, wiping sweat from my forehead. "For someone who doesn't want to die with pretty hands."
Her red eyes flared.
> "Are you calling me soft!?"
> "I'm calling you noble."
> "Same thing!"
---
By the seventh day, she looked like a ghost, dragging her limbs behind me like a haunted marionette.
Then, one afternoon—it finally happened.
She threw her sword on the ground.
> "THAT'S IT. I quit. You're just playing with me, aren't you?!"
> "Nope." i keep my training swing the sword
> "There's no way a normal person trains like this! You're making this up to torment me!" she with anger
> "I don't have time to play noble games, Seraphina."
She stared at me in silence.
> "If you want to quit, then quit. I won't beg."
Without another word, she turned and stormed away, muttering something under her breath about "useless princes being insane."
I didn't follow her.
I just picked up her wooden sword, placed it by the tree, and went back to training.
---
But fate is a cruel matchmaker.
Because only ten minutes later…
> "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The scream echoed through the forest.
Seraphina had wandered farther than she meant to.
She stumbled upon a Hobgoblin—a lower-rank monster, green-skinned and snarling, twice her size and carrying a jagged bone club.
> "Y-YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE!" she shouted, stumbling backward.
"SOMEONE! H-HELP! HEY, STUPID USELESS PRINCE, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Her foot caught on a tree root and—
WHAM.
She hit the ground, her eyes wide as the hobgoblin raised its club to strike.
> "I don't want to die…!"
And just as it swung down—
> CRACK.
A loud smash echoed through the forest.
The club shattered mid-air as I came crashing in from the side, my wooden sword buried deep in the hobgoblin's skull.
> "You called?" I said, breathing evenly.
The monster reeled back with a howl, blood dribbling down its temple.
> "W-What—?" Seraphina gasped. "You—?!"
> "Stay behind me. And don't blink."
---
The hobgoblin roared, charging me in a rage.
I ducked under its swipe, sliding across the grass and slamming my elbow into its ribs before sweeping low with the wooden sword—snapping its knee. It crashed again, but still crawled forward with claws out.
> "You asked why we run five kilometers?" I said calmly as I moved to intercept.
I leapt over its flailing arm and brought the wooden blade down hard into its shoulder.
> "Because stamina is the first thing to vanish when your life's on the line."
> CRACK.
It shrieked, rolling in pain.
> "Why the push-ups?" I asked, sidestepping its grab and countering with a knee to its jaw.
"So your swings don't bounce off your enemy like a child's tantrum."
> "The squats?" I crouched low and lunged, smashing my shoulder into its chest, knocking it off-balance.
"That's so when you move, you move with purpose—and speed."
It staggered to its feet one last time.
I raised my wooden sword, panting slightly, and glared down at it.
> "And the sword swings? One hundred. Every day."
> "Because even when you think your swordplay is perfect—it's not."
With one final blow, I crushed the hobgoblin's skull into the dirt.
It stopped moving.
---
Seraphina sat frozen, eyes wide.
I turned, slinging the sword over my shoulder. "That's why I train like that."
> "Not to torment you."
> "But because if you don't push past your limits now—your limits will kill you later."
---
She didn't say anything for a while. Her pride was still there, sitting on the tip of her tongue, but her hands trembled as she looked at the corpse behind me.
> "...You... saved me."
> "Well, I couldn't let a noble die in my forest," I smirked while help her stand.
> "Hmph…" she grumbled, brushing off her knees. "…If you die before I repay this, I'll kill you."
> "Deal." i say with smile
She walked beside me in silence for a bit… then mumbled:
> "Starting tomorrow… I'll do five and a half kilometers."
---
She didn't know it yet.
But that was the first day she truly respected me.
Chapter 2 end.