“Why did you use your sword like that?”
Vera turned Lian to face her, then stared at her intently.
Lian could tell from her eyes that her deliberate evasion of swordsmanship made Vera quite unhappy.
“…Because I’m not good at it. Honestly, you already know my level of swordsmanship… it’s the same as what you saw the day I sparred with Lady.”
“Didn’t that person teach you?”
“He did… but I just can’t seem to learn swordsmanship well.”
Lian began to lie.
In front of this fool who understood nothing but the sword, the only thing she absolutely had to avoid was swinging her sword earnestly.
“You’re lying to me.”
“I-It’s true!” Seeing the disappointed look on Vera’s face, Lian felt another stab of guilt.
To comfort her, she racked her brains for an excuse.
“I’m just a bit better at Spell and Martial Arts… I really can’t manage swordsmanship. I was afraid my clumsy skills would let you down, so I didn’t use them… Of course, maybe it’s also because his teaching was terrible…”
“That’s it.”
Suddenly, one of her excuses made Vera’s face light up—the quick change left Lian completely at a loss.
“Huh?”
“Right. He must have been a terrible teacher… After all, when he first started learning, he was lazy every single day… That’s why he was such a useless layabout for so long! How could a good-for-nothing like that possibly be capable of teaching anyone?”
“Y-yeah… sometimes I think he really was terrible at teaching…” At Vera’s righteously indignant criticism, Lian could only force a crooked smile and go along with it.
After all, this was a mess of her own making… and what she said was half true—when she was first summoned, she really was a powerful but completely useless waste who couldn’t do anything and was lazy to the core.
“You’ve really had it tough… little Lian. To think you managed to learn so much from such a useless teacher… From now on, let me teach you—”
“I absolutely refuse!”
Lian didn’t hesitate even for a second to reject the emotionally moved Vera.
As Vera put on a deeply wounded expression and was about to try persuading her again, Princess Nolan suddenly came over:
“Aunt Vera, what are you two chatting about~”
“Oh, nothing. I was just talking with little Lian about her match just now.”
“Hmm. The little maid really fought quite well… But that fighting style must be exhausting, right? She spends more time running and dodging than attacking. Look how much she’s sweating.”
“Thank you for your concern, Your Royal Highness, but actually I didn’t…”
Of course, this level of exercise would never make Lian sweat. The sweat was all an illusion she had created with Water Magic to make her act more convincing.
She was just about to give the princess some polite thanks, when she realized the princess’s gaze never landed on her even once.
“So, I have a suggestion… How about after the matches, we all go take a bath together? I heard there are a few rather famous Hot Spring Bathhouses in the city.”
“Hmm…” The princess’s suggestion made Vera consider it seriously.
She looked at the princess, then at Lian. Seeing that Lian’s hair was indeed drenched with “sweat,” she finally made up her mind:
“That’s a great idea.”
“Wonderful! Then let’s head out after we’re done, okay?”
Selene was beaming, even waving her fan a bit faster than usual.
Seeing how happy she was, “Your Highness” couldn’t help but find it a little suspicious:
“Selene… what are you up to?”
“Up to nothing at all. I’m simply following your plan, getting close with this woman~”
To the suspicion sent over through their connection, Selene answered evasively.
…
……
………
In the next two matches, Lian stuck to her plan, making her victories appear only “just a bit better” than her opponents, while also pretending to be drenched in sweat and out of breath.
“Congratulations on your complete victory. That means you can take part in the Final Day’s championship match.”
As soon as Lian stepped down from the stage, Feiyin came up and patted her shoulder in encouragement.
Meanwhile, Vera, sitting in the seats behind her, seemed even more displeased—
“…Never mind. Let’s go.”
But seeing the fatigue Lian was faking, she finally shook her head and stood up.
Seeing Vera about to leave, the princess, who had been yawning nearby, also sprang to her feet and suggested:
“Let’s head out? It’s not that late yet… We could grab a bite on the Street first, then go to the bathhouse.”
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
So, the group wandered the bustling Street for a while, then had their meal in a Street-side Restaurant with a festive atmosphere.
During their post-dinner break, Feiyin was the first to head back outside and, from her Carriage, checked her Map for the best Hot Spring Bathhouse nearby—
“Feiyin… Let’s just use the Palace Bathhouse.”
Vera followed her out. She seemed worried the three still sitting in the open-air seats would hear, so her voice was very low.
“But didn’t Her Royal Highness want to try a Hot Spring Bathhouse?”
“The Palace Bathhouse is much more luxurious than those on the Street. She won’t be disappointed. Besides, I want to drop in and say hello to Meliya. She should be done with her day’s schedule and back at the palace by now.”
“Understood. Then let’s return to the palace.”
Seeing Feiyin nod, Vera finally relaxed and returned to join the other three.
Hmm… besides wanting to report in, she’s probably afraid I’ll end up turning the Hot Spring Bathhouse’s water cold, right?
Feiyin put away the Map, watching Vera chat with the juniors at the table, a meaningful smile on her lips.
…
……
………
To strip or not to strip—that is the question.
Ever since becoming like this, every time Lian had to change clothes, bathe, or use the restroom, she’d have to spare a bit of time pondering this issue— but the time spent pondering never exceeded a minute, and the conclusion was always the same: strip…
Obviously! If she didn’t, was she supposed to bathe or use the restroom in her underwear? Or go knocking on her colleagues’ doors, begging those pretty girls to help her change?
“I say… You’ve been standing there thinking for ten minutes now. What on earth are you mulling over? If you don’t hurry up, Aunt Vera is going to lose her patience!”
This was the changing room of Honglian Palace’s grand bathhouse.
Princess Nolan sat on a chair, looking impatient as she glared at Lian, who was daydreaming in front of the floor-length mirror and the basket of clothes.
“Can you… can you not stare at me? It’s hard to take off my clothes with you watching…”
She really couldn’t do it. Just dealing with her own body in the mirror was already a struggle; now there was a beautiful young lady watching her, too…
How is she ever supposed to get married like this… Wait! Didn’t I already get married?
Lian imagined slapping herself hard as she thought, on the verge of tears.
Vera and Feiyin had already gone into the bathhouse ahead—Lian had deliberately waited until they went in before coming to change.
She’d thought the princess would’ve gone in with them as well, but unexpectedly, she’d stayed behind, still sitting there without any sign of changing.
Wasn’t she the one who suggested coming to the bathhouse?
“What’s so hard about it? You’re just a little maid—ashamed in front of me? If you dawdle any longer, don’t blame me if I just tear your clothes off myself!”
The princess leaned in with a wicked look. Seeing she really might follow through, Lian squeezed her eyes shut, hastily stripped off her clothes, and dashed into the bathhouse.
“Whew… That troublesome girl. Now no one will get in my way.”
At last, only Selene was left in the changing room.
She walked over to Vera’s basket and pulled out the short sword that Vera always wore at her waist.
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