Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: TempWane
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However, if I acted too obvious, it would be suspicious.
I decided to block Adele's attack first.
As expected, Adele immediately followed up with another swing of her sword. That much was predictable.
And simultaneously, I noticed Diane charging at me.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, Diane was gritting her teeth, giving it her all as she rushed towards me, and Adele’s strikes seemed full of genuine intent.
If that’s the case, a slip-up on my part wouldn’t seem out of place.
Good.
I focused on blocking Adele’s successive strikes. Having blocked continuous blows, it would be reasonable to claim I couldn’t defend against a strike coming from my blind side.
Thwack!
The sound of swords clashing echoed. While Adele was slightly caught off guard, not expecting her next attack to be blocked—
Thunk.
A blade touched my waist.
It wasn’t exactly a light tap. A normal person might have cried out in pain. Naturally, Diane had been charging at me with all her strength.
“Ah!”
Diane gasped loudly, her eyes widening as if shocked by the fact that she had struck a person with a solid blade.
“…….”
And for a moment, the training ground fell silent.
“……Ah.”
A beat later, Diane let out a soft exclamation.
“Wow!”
Her face was soon filled with pure joy.
Was this the expression of someone who had thought they could never achieve something, only to finally succeed after persistent effort?
However, Diane’s elation quickly faded.
It’s only natural; it’s not easy to be happy after hitting someone, unless you're a professional athlete who competes regularly. For ordinary people, celebrating such a thing isn’t easy, especially when they have to face that person in class the next day.
“I’m fine. My body can handle much more than this.”
I reassured her, glancing at Amelia, only to freeze momentarily when I saw her staring at me wide-eyed.
Wait—no, there was no need to look at me like that.
Feeling like I had to prevent this situation from escalating further, I spoke more assertively to emphasize that I was truly unharmed.
“Really, I’m okay. A Delkis person wouldn’t be called one for nothing, right?”
“Oh, um, well…”
To Diane, who was fidgeting nervously, I offered a small smile.
“You’ve succeeded in landing a hit on me for the first time since attending this lesson. Well done.”
I had initially intended to say, Congratulations, but I adjusted my wording. Saying congratulations might have made me seem… arrogant.
“Wow…!”
And upon hearing my words, Diane’s expression finally brightened fully.
“I did it!”
She began bouncing in place, unable to contain her excitement.
To be honest, it wasn’t the most aristocratic behavior. But it was far more pleasant to watch. Rather than putting on an ill-fitting facade of seriousness, her innocent exuberance suited her far better.
“Well done, Lady Hoover.”
Diane extended her palm, and Adele gave her a hearty high-five with a smack.
“No, this wasn’t something I achieved alone—”
And just as Diane said that, she suddenly froze, as if the power had gone out.
Her face, which had been still with her mouth slightly open, gradually turned red.
“……”
When Diane, who had been bouncing moments earlier, clamped her mouth shut, the room fell into silence.
Adele was still smiling faintly, but that wasn’t what mattered now.
What mattered more was how Diane had been hopping around in a decidedly un-aristocratic manner and how she had given a high five to Adele—someone she had claimed to dislike so much.
If she hadn’t snapped out of it, she might have ended up hugging Adele in celebration.
“Well then, shall we end today’s class here?”
I carefully opened my mouth.
“I hope Lady Carlins succeeds next time.”
“Yes, next time, definitely.”
Adele responded to my words confidently, without any hint of regret.
Then I’ll make sure Adele succeeds next time.
I was also curious about how Diane would react then.
“Well then, Lady Grattanmount, that concludes today’s swordsmanship training.”
“Yes, understood.”
Amelia responded with a faint smile before beginning to rise—
“Ah.”
With a small groan, she sat back down.
Huh?
“Oh, sorry. Just a moment. I think I twisted my ankle—”
“Are you alright?”
Before Amelia could even finish speaking, I was already walking toward her.
I knelt in front of Amelia and gently took hold of her foot.
“A-ah, w-wait a moment…!”
Without hesitation, I removed her shoe and then her sock.
Even her toes looked as if they had been carefully sculpted by someone on purpose. Well, it was likely that the author of this novel had intended for them to be described that way.
“Where does it hurt?”
But that wasn’t important right now. What mattered was that Amelia was in pain.
“Uh…! N-no, it’s not that… um.”
Was she really in a lot of pain?
I carefully held her ankle and foot, turning them gently as I tried to assess where she might be injured.
At a glance, there didn’t seem to be any major injuries.
“It might just be that the muscle is strained.”
“Ugh!”
When I lightly pressed on her foot with my hand, Amelia flinched and let out a groan.
“Does it hurt here?”
“N-no… That’s not it.”
“Then, how about here?”
“Ah!”
“Perhaps your toes are—”
“W-wait, Elsie.”
Amelia placed her hand on my shoulder and spoke softly, prompting me to turn my head back toward her.
Amelia’s face, flushed red and her breathing uneven… Though it wasn’t the most appropriate thought at the moment, she looked incredibly alluring.
Moreover, her damp hair, still sticking to parts of her face, only heightened the atmosphere.
“I’m fine… really. I think I just lost my balance. It’s not pain, just that my legs gave out—”
“In that case, it’s even more dangerous. If you try to walk and collapse, you could seriously injure yourself. I could carry you if you’d like.”
“T-there’s no need to go that far, is there…?”
Amelia’s gaze flickered toward something, so I followed her line of sight.
There stood Diane, her face bright red as she covered her mouth, and Adele looking unsure where to direct her eyes.
Why?
Could it be that touching her foot was embarrassing in noble society? At the very least, Amelia wouldn’t blush simply because she’d removed her shoes. After all, dresses in this world often exposed the back, shoulders, or even cleavage quite openly.
Still, wasn’t it normal to examine someone’s foot if they might be injured?
“……”
Hmm.
The silence now was heavier than after Diane’s celebratory hopping.
Perhaps it was because I didn’t fully understand the intricacies of noble society.
Slowly, I released Amelia’s foot, refraining from putting her sock and shoe back on for her.
Instead, I tucked her sock haphazardly into her shoe and helped her to her feet.
Amelia leaned against me, unable to place her unshod right foot on the ground.
Despite the situation, my mind couldn’t help but register the softness of Amelia’s body. Not too firm, yet supple—the very body I often struggled with thoughts about in the morning.
If Amelia ever realized what I was thinking right now, she would undoubtedly be disgusted.
Even I found myself exasperating, entertaining such thoughts while my friend was injured.
“Well then, let’s clean up and have a brief conversation before heading back.”
That’s how we always did things.
“Ah, y-yes!”
Adele exclaimed hurriedly before turning away. She then jabbed Diane, who was still staring at us with her mouth covered, in the side.
“Eep!”
Diane let out a comical sound, glared at Adele momentarily, and then, realizing why Adele had nudged her, quickly turned around and followed her out.
What on earth was their problem?
“……”
Even Amelia, leaning against me, didn’t say a word.
It felt like I had done something wrong.
I tilted my head repeatedly, but in the end, unable to pinpoint my mistake, I escorted Amelia out of the room.
*
Ah, seriously…
I didn’t expect Elsie to react so intensely.
No, of course, I had hoped for it to some degree. I wanted to know that among the three of us, she cared for me the most, that she worried about me.
But to rush over like that, disregarding the eyes of others…
It felt good. Honestly, it did.
But still, to let out a cry like that in front of everyone…
…Well, maybe they’d just think I groaned because my foot hurt.
After all, I did say my foot was in pain.
So now, I’m just pretending that’s all it was.
…Still, Elsie’s embrace is always warm and comforting, no matter the circumstances.
Hmm. Well.
Even if it was a little embarrassing, I think I can endure it for this kind of benefit.