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“That stings…”

I muttered as I looked at my right arm, dripping with blood.

Even though it was a sparring match with a dull blade, the people wielding those swords were experts who could slice through ancient trees as if they were twigs, so some small injuries were inevitable.

However, this time was different.

As I swung my sword, carried away by the flow of overflowing emotions, the original skill failed to emerge; I was swinging the sword solely with the raw power of my body rather than technique.

But the purpose of this spar was never just to improve my skills.

It was about pouring out all the emotions I held inside.

Since I was focused only on that, I didn’t care about the quality of my swordsmanship. My father understood this, so instead of scolding me for the messy sword path, he quietly accepted it.

As I began to release the pent-up emotions, it felt like I was setting down the heavy stone weighing down my chest.

If I had tried to deal with these feelings alone by swinging the sword, I wouldn’t have felt this relief. People want someone to listen when they release the burdens within.

Yelling out alone would only drop me deeper into the valley of those emotions, without providing any real solution.

The clumsy sword, devoid of any finesse, could be easily deflected by the simple movements of a master at the peak of swordsmanship.

Nevertheless, I poured my emotions into the sword and swung it once more.

After several repetitions, the sword in my hand couldn’t withstand my father’s razor-sharp sword techniques and broke.

A shard of the broken sword grazed my right arm and stuck into the ground.

A thin line of blood was drawn where the shard passed, and blood began to flow out, but instead of pain, it felt refreshing.

A broken sword.

And the blood flowing from my own arm.

Seeing those two things, I finally began to regain my senses. In my vulnerability, my father’s gentle voice reached my ears.

“Have you calmed down a bit?”

“Yes…”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through enough. I assumed both you and Alphonse were more mature than your age warranted, and I neglected to give you the attention you needed. I should have reached out to you first. I’m sorry for being an inexperienced father.”

I couldn’t find the words to respond to my father. I felt the same way about Alphonse.

“Both of us seem to lack communication.”

Certainly, it hadn’t always been this way. When Mother was alive, instead of clashing swords whenever something was wrong, we often resolved issues through conversation.

The decline in our communication began after Mother passed away. She had always been the one guiding family conversations.

Having memories from my past life, I grew up without much trouble, and Alphonse, unlike other children, was quiet and kind. Perhaps that’s why we didn’t feel the urgency to communicate more.

Thinking the proximity meant trust, we ended up neglecting each other.

“So now, I’m going to try talking a bit more. Thank you for the spar, Father.”

Having expelled all the emotions that had clouded my mind, I felt no lingering self-hatred. My thoughts were now solely focused on being a better brother for my younger sibling.

I bowed my head to my father and left the room.

As I exited the training grounds, I headed straight back to my room and glanced at my reflection in the full-length mirror beside the wardrobe. My previously stiff face had relaxed into a gentle smile. However, the white sleeves that had once been pristine were now stained red with blood flowing from my arm.

Turning my head to look out the window, I noticed the sky had darkened, and only the moonlight and starlight illuminated the world.

By now, Ken and Maria had likely returned to their rooms, and the other attendants must be preparing for the evening, so I should probably take care of this myself.

“Ugh… How bothersome… Where did I put the bandages and ointment?”

This had become a habitual issue since I was reincarnated as a young noble.

After a few years of attendants taking care of most tasks, I had grown accustomed to thinking of calling them for even the simplest things I could manage on my own.

It’s truly frightening how a mere five years of reincarnation can overshadow twenty-five years of life as an ordinary citizen.

I took off my outer coat and rolled up my blood-stained sleeve while rummaging around my room for medical supplies. Yet, no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find any bandages or ointment.

Thinking about it, there couldn’t be any in my room.

‘Ah, I’m bleeding.’

‘Aaah! Young master!!! Bring potions and holy water for disinfecting right now!!’

‘No, it’s just a paper cut…’

‘Even that can become infected!’

Even the tiniest injury prompted everyone around me to fuss and rush about, making me feel no need to keep medicine on hand. Besides, aside from this sparring match with my father, I didn’t get hurt often. Plus, I could always call my attendants if needed, which likely contributed to my lack of concern.

There was a silver bell on the desk in my room.

If I rang this bell, I could call for the attendants at any time, but I didn’t feel like doing that right now. If I caused a fuss, word was bound to reach Elena, and she would likely rush over as soon as she heard.

Even though it was just a minor injury, I didn’t want to show her my wounded self.

Would I have to go outside and find a potion? Potions and similar items are commonly used during training at the Knights Order, so if I searched any nearby storage, I was sure to find one.

“Damn it. Thinking back, I was at the training grounds just now. I should have just grabbed a potion before coming here…”

In hindsight, it was a mistake to return to my room without thinking just to shed one piece of baggage. What kind of fool forgets that they’re injured?

As I was about to step out, a familiar smell wafted from beyond the door. I instantly recognized it as the aroma of meat stew, my favorite dish. Since I would miss dinner today, it seems someone was bringing a meal to my room.

Judging by the footsteps that weren’t familiar, it didn’t seem to be Ken or Maria. Someone must have told the other attendants in advance. Thanks to that, I could probably receive potions and bandages without too much fuss.

Knock, knock—

“Come in.”

As soon as I heard the short knock, I instructed the person outside to enter.

“Is today’s dinner meat stew? The smell wafting over is delicious. But I apologize for asking, but can you also bring bandages and ointment…”

I casually tried to start a conversation in case they were surprised by my injury, but when the person entered the room, it was I who was taken aback.

The attendant I thought was bringing my meal turned out to be Elena, someone I didn’t want to show my wounds to.

“Elena? Why is Elena here?? No, wait! Please go back…”

“Your arm…”

She whispered softly, looking at the wound on my arm, and it made me recall our conversation from this morning. I had merely suggested thinking a bit more about the engagement, and yet her tear-streaked face came to mind. I had hoped to hide my injury from her, but judging by her expression, she wouldn’t let it slide easily.

“Why, how did you get hurt? I thought when your father… I assumed he was just joking at the dinner table, but really…”

“E-Elena? This is just… I made a mistake, so please, calm down!”

Seeing my injury, Elena seemed excited; she began wiping the blood flowing from my arm with her handkerchief while muttering various things. Suddenly, she shot up, exclaiming she would go fetch a potion and dashed out of the room.

“No, how would you know where a potion is in our house…”

“Damian! I found it!!”

“Excuse me??”

To my surprise, just a few minutes after leaving my room, Elena returned with a potion. I wondered if she had brought it from her personal stash, but the emblem engraved on the potion bottle was the seal of the workshop in Sarham with which our Kraus family had a contract, raising even more questions.

However, Elena seemed unfazed as she applied the potion to my wound.

As the red potion touched the injury, the flow of blood started to cease. However, in this world full of swords and magic, a single potion couldn’t completely heal a wound.

Such treatments were closer to the miracles performed by priests who worshipped gods, whereas potions were items that helped with recovery, such as basic medicine and health restoratives. Even so, the fact that the bleeding stopped so quickly and that it enhanced natural healing was quite impressive.

She seemed worried about the injury worsening and whispered “Clean” over the handkerchief she had used to wipe my blood, delicately tying it around the wound. Perhaps it was the proximity, but her gentle breath brushed against my skin.

“Elena, um…”

Focusing on her task, she might not have heard me, so I bowed down slightly and approached her, trying again to call her name.

“Elena?”

“Yes? Damian, just a moment. This… is more complicated than I expected… Huh?!”

“You tied it too tight.”

She looked up at my question and stepped back in surprise when her face was inches from mine. The serious expression she wore moments ago turned beet red as she panicked, making it impossible for me not to smile.

I loosened the knot she had tied a bit and offered my arm again.

“Could you please tie it a little more gently this time?”

“Uh… y-yes.”

This time, as she began to tie my arm, her grip was much softer compared to before, and moments later, her handkerchief was transformed into a beautiful bow on my arm.

“That looks nice. Thank you, Elena. But why did you bring my meal…”

“Well, um…”

I looked at the tray she brought, noticing one was the meat stew for my meal, while the other was dessert that didn’t suit me since I couldn’t eat sweets. She must have figured out by now that I couldn’t eat sweet things, so why was it there?

I smiled at her, and it seemed Elena understood the meaning of my smile, causing her face to redden even more. Her blushing expression had a charm that made me want to tease her.

Without saying anything, I started to move closer to her.

As before, my face drew nearer until it was almost touching her nose. However, this time, there was a difference: while her face was extremely flushed, she didn’t back away like before. Instead, she seemed to be waiting for something.

As she closed her eyes, I paused my approach. Instead,

Poke—

“Huh?!”

I poked the soft-looking cheek of hers with my finger. It was even softer than I had anticipated. Even more so than Alphonse’s cheeks!

Elena opened her eyes and looked at me with a confused expression, clearly wondering what was happening. I smiled back at her.

“I just wanted to touch it once.”

Elena momentarily wore a dazed expression before coming back to her senses.

“Damian!!!”

She shouted my name with all her might.

 

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