Romantic Feelings
Lux’s Side
…The fourth match.
It was finally Florence-san’s turn, and her opponent was Grayson-san, who was from the same duke’s family as Florence-san.
Since he was from a duke’s family and had entered the sword tournament, he must have studied the sword to some extent. I was really looking forward to seeing what kind of swordsmanship he would show… but.
Without moving a single step, Florence-san struck at the opening of the approaching Grayson-san with the quick movement of her rapier, then stopped that rapier right at his neck… she was truly fast.
“That’s enough! The winner, Floria Florence!”
And so, without even needing to see Grayson-san’s sword, Florence-san won in an instant.
Because of that, cheers rose up from the spectator seats, but I could also hear the voices of the swordsmen who, like me and Florence-san, were participating in the sword tournament.
“Hey, did you see that move just now?”
“I’d like to say I saw it! But I didn’t…”
“Right… she’s making full use of the rapier’s strengths, and on top of that her own ability is high.”
“So that’s the young lady of the Duke Florence household…”
Even the swordsmen seemed to find Florence-san’s movements to be more than just impressive.
Maybe because I had been training with Florence-san all this time, I was at least able to follow her movements.
And… because I have always practiced the sword with Florence-san, I could tell… compared to when she fought with a regular wooden sword, her strength had grown remarkably.
As I was thinking about just how strong Florence-san had become with the rapier, she finished replacing her rapier with a new one and returned to the seat beside me.
“Good work, Florence-san! It’s the first time I’ve seen you using a rapier, and I was really surprised at how fast your movements were!”
“Fufu, thank you very much… however, one of the advantages the rapier has over a regular sword is its speed, so of course it seems fast. This time I just happened to be fortunate enough to win quickly.”
Florence-san said that in her usual tone while smiling, but needless to say, that was humility taken beyond humility.
…After that, the matches continued, and since it was finally time for my second match, I moved to the center of the arena.
Then, the man who was my opponent, carrying a large sword, faced me and said.
“Kid, facing me means your luck’s run out… well, I’ll get disqualified if I break the rules, so I won’t deal you a fatal wound, but you’re going to lose here.”
“I’m sorry, but… I cannot afford to lose here!”
“I’ll give you credit for your guts, but you’ll regret it.”
After that, I dodged this man’s attacks as he swung his greatsword several times, then took advantage of the openings in those big swings to point my sword at him.
“That’s enough! The winner, Lux Rodwell!”
When Rezamiliana-sama’s voice rang out, we both lowered our swords.
“Not bad at all… but the next time we meet in the tournament, I’ll be the one to win.”
Saying that, the man turned his back to me and left the arena.
…That man was unique in his own way, but for now, I guess it’s good that I managed to secure the victory.
Thinking that, I walked through the arena surrounded by cheers, and entered the hallway beneath the spectator seats to change my sword… when.
“That was splendid swordsmanship, Rodwell-sama.”
There stood a tall figure dressed entirely in black, wearing a black hooded coat that covered them completely… this voice…
“Could it be, Violet-san!?”
When I asked that, the figure tilted back the hood just enough so that only I could see inside… and sure enough, it was Violet-san’s face.
Seeing that face, my feelings surged, and as I stepped closer to Violet-san, I took her left hand in both of mine and said.
“Violet-san! Did you see my first match!?”
“Ah… y-yes, I did see it, but before that, my hand…”
“I was able to win that match thanks to what you taught me, Violet-san!”
“N-No, it was only because of your own efforts, Rodwell-sama…”
“If you hadn’t also taught me the basics, Violet-san, I don’t think I could have won both matches so smoothly!”
“That’s not the case…”
“I’m truly glad that you are here, Violet-san! Thank you so much!!”
When I told her that, Violet-san pulled her hood deeper over her head with her right hand and said softly, “Yes…” …What’s the matter, I wonder?
Violet’s Side
Inside the deeply pulled hood, Violet’s cheeks were flushed red as her heartbeat quickened from Lux’s words and actions.
Rodwell-sama… to fill my heart with such romantic feelings in a place like this, it makes me want to hold you in my arms… no, if I did that, I would be no different from Ojou-sama…!
After that, Violet, desperately holding back the actions she wanted to take because of her romantic feelings, still praised Lux’s swordsmanship and talked with him.
And then, after parting ways with Lux… Violet spoke toward the gaze she had been feeling on her ever since she began talking with him.
“There’s no one around here… if you have business with me, please show yourself.”