Important
Lux’s Side
…Fourth period.
Swordsmanship class, sparring time. The last time we had swordsmanship, I was suddenly thrown into a three-on-one match and a lot happened, but today I don’t have to worry about that.
“Florence-san! Once again, I look forward to sparring with you!”
“Yes, Lux-sama… I look forward to it as well.”
That’s because today’s sparring partner is Florence-san, someone I trust so deeply that simply saying I trust her doesn’t even begin to cover it.
As Florence-san and I exchanged greetings and readied our wooden swords, we immediately closed the distance between us.
Then, as our swords clashed, Florence-san blocked one of my strikes and spoke.
“Lux-sama, I will focus on defense for this practice. Please feel free to attack me however you like.”
“Understood!”
Just as she said, I brought my wooden sword down toward her. However, she blocked every strike.
As expected, Florence-san is also very skilled with a sword. But I need to show my cool side as Siana’s master in the upcoming swordsmanship tournament. I can’t afford to lose to Florence-san either.
Fired up with determination, I raised my sword high, putting strength into my next strike at Florence-san. But then, my grip suddenly loosened.
Because of that, the wooden sword that had just been blocked slipped from my hands and fell to the floor at my feet.
“Lux-sama, it looked like your grip suddenly weakened. Are you feeling unwell? I do have some basic knowledge of treatment, so if you would tell me…”
“N-No! I’m sorry for making you worry!”
I apologized to Florence-san, who had noticed the change in my movement and was genuinely concerned. Then, I explained why my grip had weakened and why I had let go of the sword.
“When I realized I had to attack you seriously, Florence-san, I kind of hesitated… and without meaning to, I relaxed my grip. I know that’s not okay for a spar. I’m really sorry!”
After saying that, I quickly picked up the wooden sword that had fallen, and Florence-san spoke gently.
“That’s a very kind answer, just like you, Lux-sama… But if you keep holding back just because your opponent is a woman, you might be caught off guard in the real tournament. Please be careful. I would never want to see you suffer because of your kindness.”
Florence-san said that to me, but I shook my head in response.
“I-It’s not because you’re a woman… When holding a sword, both men and women have their own strengths.”
“Is that so…? Then why did you do that earlier…?”
Florence-san asked that question with pure sincerity, and I gave her my answer.
“That’s because… my sparring partner was you, Florence-san.”
“…!”
She’s always kind to me. She’s gentle and hardworking, and definitely not someone I’d ever want to hurt. She’s someone very important to me.
As I gave that answer, Florence-san looked surprised, then blushed. I didn’t let the moment linger and kept speaking.
“B-But even if I care about you, Florence-san, that doesn’t mean I should let it affect our sparring. I’m really sorry! I’ll do it properly from now on…”
“Lux-sama.”
Florence-san stepped closer to me, smiled softly, and whispered near my ear.
“I also care deeply about you, Lux-sama… Let us spend our lives together.”
“…!”
Hearing that, my face grew hot and I instinctively stepped back as I answered.
“F-Florence-san! I-I didn’t mean it like that when I said…”
“Fufu, I know… I also started feeling a little unsure about whether I could really strike at you, Lux-sama… But precisely because we care about each other, we should think of one another and give it our all to help each other grow stronger.”
“…! Yes! This time for sure, let’s do our best!”
“Yes, let’s.”
After that, Florence-san and I took our stances again with our wooden swords. This time, we truly clashed with all our strength.
Siana’s Side
After Lux returned from the noble academy and Siana greeted him as usual, she went back to her room.
“Ojou-sama, may I have a moment?”
Violet, wearing a black hood, appeared in front of Siana and addressed her.
Siana opened her mouth to respond after hearing her voice.
“Violet? It’s rare for you to approach me like this… What’s the matter?”
When Siana asked, Violet replied without hesitation.
“Based on my observations while watching over Rodwell-sama, the distance between Rodwell-sama and Florence-sama has recently grown very close. Elizalina-sama has also been quite proactive toward him. Therefore, Ojou-sama, the time has finally come for you to convey your romantic feelings to Rodwell-sama yourself, both in your role as his maid and as the Third Princess Felisiana-sama.”