Chapter Nineteen: Training Ground
Due to the bonfire party that day, the maids and knights gradually became familiar with each other. The confusion of adolescence often makes young people yearn for passionate love, just as female classmates always go to watch the boys play basketball. During breaks, the maids also enjoy watching the knight they admire train.
Although the maids are not allowed to enter the training ground freely, they can occasionally watch outdoor training from a distance without crossing the boundary line.
With a beloved girl watching by their side, these knights became more enthusiastic in their training, each one striving to showcase their skills, fearing that they would lose their chance at romance due to any significant gap with others.
When training against wooden dummies, they put in great effort, let alone during combat practice. These knights were brought out by Alman, so their fighting style is naturally a bit rougher.
They are not like those noble sword duelists who emphasize graceful footwork; when they don armor and lift their unsharpened iron swords, they truly pound into their opponents.
Although they wouldn’t strike too hard during practice, the clanging of metal sounds terrifyingly loud, enough to scare away many shy young girls.
As for Evelia passing by, she certainly does not belong to that category of timid girls.
Whether it’s blood or severed limbs, she has seen it all. Sometimes, when the Second Prince needs assistance, she is responsible for tormenting some disobedient little ones, so this simple combat scene feels trivial to her. In fact, if possible, she could even point out some improper movements of the knights.
“……”
Evelia stood silently by the boundary line; at a glance, she saw Alman standing among the crowd. Although he still wore his sword at his waist, he was currently holding a long bow. Evelia couldn’t quite hear what they were arguing about, but she saw Alman roll up his sleeve, revealing a deep scar on his arm. Judging by the fierce mark, the injury must have been severe enough to reach the bone.
He likely has more scars on him, all concealed by his clothing. Even his face, which attracts many girls, reveals a shallow scar on his jawline when examined closely.
Drawing up, pulling the bowstring, Alman seemed to be teaching the young men beside him how to use a bow. Every movement is in stark contrast to his carefree personality—so precise. Although he does not appear to be a bulky man, when he pulls with force, his muscles become clearly visible, and his height gives him an imposing presence compared to the others nearby.
Seeing this, Evelia instinctively touched her own arm, which felt slender and delicate, making her somewhat unaccustomed.
After becoming female, she noticed her figure became much lighter, but it came at the expense of years of training.
Though she is still stronger than other girls her age and seems capable of lifting heavy objects with her knowledge of technique, compared to her previous male self, Evelia feels she has become too weak.
But fortunately, her strength to snap a person’s neck is still intact…
Whoosh—thud!
The long arrow sliced through the air from Alman’s fingertips, flying straight at the target amid the screams of the surrounding girls, thudding into the bullseye in the center.
Thud!
Next came the second arrow, which again hit the bullseye without deviation.
The third, fourth, and fifth arrows followed suit, as if the position of the target had been predetermined; five arrows stood neatly in the center, with such force that most of the tips pierced in. If it were a person’s head, the first two arrows would likely be fatal, and the others would be mere overkill.
Evelia looked at the almost perforated target, deep in thought.
According to the distance, Alman and the target aren’t far from the archers. Although he shoots accurately, he is not a master capable of shooting a hair from a hundred paces. The only thing praiseworthy is his speed; from drawing the arrow to aiming and shooting, his movements were fluid and quick. Paired with his accuracy, it would indeed be hard to defend against him on the battlefield.
“What the, my archery is quite accurate.”
Alman exhaled, lowering the bow in his hand and passing it to the young knight beside him. Having set a good example, the knights around him became excited, rushing to challenge themselves and picking up their bows and arrows, twirling the bows in their hands as if to impress their maids instead of aiming at the target.
Evelia stood with those girls, but few knights chose to pursue her. Although Evelia hasn’t shown overt hostility towards these knights belonging to the First Prince, she maintains a lukewarm attitude of “I’ll respond if you come to me, but I won’t initiate contact.” Despite her beauty being second to none among the handmaids, few dared to approach a girl with such a cold demeanor.
Moreover, Evelia belongs to Alman, and her position is quite high. Here, the servants and knights might refer to others as “miss,” but for Evelia, it is a term of respect. In the manor, her status is second only to the Old Butler, and she does not fall under the authority of the Head Maid; only the Old Butler and Alman can give her orders.
As for why Evelia has such a high position, it’s all because of Alman’s deliberate arrangement. Evelia strives to get closer to her target, Alman, while he constantly probes her as a spy.
To prevent others from interfering, he elevated Evelia’s position to this level.
Many believe that Alman raised Evelia to this height out of personal interest, so even though some knights are attracted to her, they dare not pursue a woman close to the captain.
“Evelia? What are you doing here?”
Alman glanced toward the excited voices of the girls and caught sight of Evelia sandwiched in the middle. Upon seeing her enter the training ground, many hypotheses crossed his mind. Although this is not a closed training session that needs concealing, Evelia’s presence still made Alman feel a sense of vigilance.
“I was just passing by,” Evelia replied flatly.
That was the truth; she merely came to see what the noise of clashing weapons was about.
“Are you interested in the knights here?”
Alman led Evelia slightly away from the training ground.
“No,” Evelia shook her head. “I have no interest in those knights.”
“Oh? Then—”
“I’m interested in you.” Evelia’s expression turned serious as her golden eyes gazed upwards, locking onto Alman’s slightly stunned expression. “I want to see you.”
“You want to see me…?” Alman’s brows lowered, and a strange emotion seemed to flicker in his eyes.
“Yes, I want to see you.” Evelia reached out, hooking her fingers around Alman’s, which for her was a simple form of physical contact, like something out of a story.
