Chapter 76
Three days had passed since my sister came to the estate.
In the end, my sister left the estate soon afterward. She had come to train the new recruits in the first place. She said she would return once she had finished that task, so we had been making preparations.
Then, last night, a messenger arrived to tell us that she would come to see us tomorrow morning.
At last, the time had come to settle this.
"H-how does it look? Do you think I can do this?"
"You'll be fine. Don't lose your nerve. Let's go."
"Y-yes."
The courtyard of the estate.
There, Jürgen was preparing a halberd. It was a practice weapon, of course, but this was what Jürgen would be fighting with.
His opponent, of course, was my sister.
The plan was to duel my sister here and get her to acknowledge that he had at least the requisite strength.
"Judging from our last exchange, my sister doesn't dislike the duke. If anything, she seems to like him. If you show her your strength, there shouldn't be a problem."
I encouraged Jürgen with those words.
This whole affair had even drawn the Emperor into it.
Depending on the outcome here, the marriage negotiations would move forward. But if he failed, Jürgen would lose a major opportunity. Perhaps for that reason, Jürgen looked somewhat tense.
After coming this far, I really wanted him to seize this opportunity. In fact, I needed him to.
If I could arrange my sister's marriage, family matters would be more likely to be brought to me for advice from then on. Since I was merely a supporter in the struggle for the throne, not a participant, Father would find me convenient to use. I didn't want any troublesome matters dumped on me, but if I wanted things to go my way, it couldn't be helped.
I had to find some way to earn Father's trust.
Jürgen's interests and mine were aligned.
"You don't need to win. If you show her your strength, she should acknowledge you."
"Yes. She is that sort of person."
As Jürgen said this, footsteps approached from the entrance.
Liese, my sister, appeared with those measured footsteps.
When my sister saw Jürgen standing in the center of the courtyard with his halberd ready, she sighed in exasperation.
"I had a feeling when no one came to greet me... Again?"
"Again, Your Highness."
"You never learn."
As she said that, my sister took the practice sword the butler had prepared.
She tested its feel with a few swings, then assumed a casual stance.
"Come. Show me the results of your efforts."
"Yes!"
It was like watching a teacher and her student.
And to think one had proposed to the other, only to be rejected. It was exasperating.
For a man and woman in their mid-twenties, they had remarkably little romantic chemistry.
Still, you never knew where a spark might catch—and starting that spark was my job.
"Then I'll give the signal to begin. Shall we say that Duke Rheinfeld wins if he lands even one blow on my sister?"
"I have no objection. Though I doubt he can."
"Carelessness doesn't suit you, Marshal."
Jürgen gave her an unusually provocative smile.
The gap in their skill was difficult to overcome, so I had suggested that Jürgen provoke her.
Jürgen himself had balked at using such a tactic, but I convinced him that it was strategy.
And it worked beautifully.
"Oh? You've learned to talk back. To call me careless... You must be very confident."
"It isn't confidence. It's a calm assessment, Marshal."
"Very well. If you say I'm being careless, prove it. I'll fight using only my off hand."
With that, my sister switched the sword to her left hand and put her right hand behind her back.
At that moment, I nearly pumped my fist. If someone provoked my sister, whose competitive streak was second to none, I knew she would absolutely rise to the challenge and impose some strange condition.
Even the strongest fighter would be somewhat slower fighting one-handed. The effect would be even greater with her non-dominant hand. The gap between Jürgen and my sister's skill was still difficult to overcome, but this increased his chances of landing a blow and made it easier for her to acknowledge his ability.
If he gave her even a little trouble, she would have to acknowledge him, and she wasn't so small-minded that she would use the handicap she had imposed as an excuse. Though she still wouldn't give him any sweets.
"Sister, just to confirm: even if Duke Rheinfeld lands a blow that satisfies you..."
"Of course I'll acknowledge him. If he has grown into a man of that caliber, I'll become his wife."
I had her word.
I replied that I understood, then extended my right arm between them.
Once I saw that both of them were ready, I gave the signal.
"Begin!!"
"Raaaaaaaah!!!!"
Jürgen launched an all-out attack the instant the duel began.
My sister didn't try to evade it. Using her non-dominant hand and a sword that was lighter than the halberd, she moved to block the blow.
A tremendous clash rang out.
My sister had stopped the halberd cleanly.
"What happened? Is that all you've got?"
"Of course not. I expected you to block it. You're not one to run away."
With that, Jürgen put his full strength into both arms and pushed forward.
Even my sister appeared to be at a disadvantage in a simple test of strength. She had used her whole body to stop the first blow, but once they locked weapons, Jürgen used his weight to keep pressing forward.
"Hmph! This was Al's coaching, wasn't it? You've become somewhat more tactical."
"And what will you do now?"
"You think you have me cornered? Remember this well: the moment of attack is when you are most defenseless."
With that, my sister suddenly relaxed and spun around.
With nothing left to support its weight, the halberd dropped straight toward the floor. Beside it, my sister completed an elegant spin and used that momentum to strike Jürgen.
This is bad.
Just as I thought that, another clash rang out.
Jürgen had caught my sister's sword on the shaft of the halberd.
"Oh?"
"I didn't choose this weapon for its weight alone."
"Well, well. You've certainly grown. But are you satisfied with merely blocking an attack?"
The two of them put some distance between themselves.
Jürgen slowly began spinning the halberd.
Was he planning to use centrifugal force to blast through her guard and send her flying?
Perhaps wary of that, my sister didn't enter Jürgen's range.
But Jürgen wouldn't allow that. He slowly closed the distance himself.
"You're quite skilled with that."
"I've grown heavier myself, you see. That makes it easier."
"What a strange man. Do you want to make me your wife that badly?"
"Not at all. I only want to stand by your side."
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"Unfortunately, it's very different. If you can't understand that, Your Highness, you still have a long way to go."
"Tch... What a cheap provocation."
As she spoke, my sister stopped retreating.
She was going to meet Jürgen's challenge head-on. Honestly, with her future on the line, why would she put herself at a disadvantage?
She probably wouldn't do this if she were commanding the army as Marshal, but this was a personal battle.
And so my sister stayed true to her principles.
He really did understand my sister. Impressive.
"Haaaaaaah!"
Jürgen swung the halberd in a wide arc and closed the distance.
Then he skillfully controlled its rotation and shifted into a thrusting stance.
Impressive.
He should have caught her completely off guard.
Or so I thought.
"Too obvious."
My sister used her thrusting sword to pin the tip of the halberd before it could build up momentum.
A masterful feat—meeting point with point.
But more importantly, how had she known he would thrust?
He had spent the whole fight drawing her attention to the halberd's power. Jürgen had chosen the halberd in the first place because he valued its weight and power. Knowing that, my sister should have expected him to make a hacking attack, and yet...
"How...?"
"Hmph. You have nothing to say for yourself now, do you?"
"Don't tell me... You gambled on it?"
"I would never do anything so foolish. I simply read you. You're a romantic, after all. I knew you would definitely come at me with the thrust I once dismissed as too light. Just as you know my personality, I know yours."
"Damn..."
Jürgen pulled away again.
But it was clear from his expression. That had been his secret weapon, his trump card.
And she had completely shut it down.
He had no moves left.
"It's over. I've won again, Jürgen."
"...Yes. I lost..."
Jürgen hung his head and admitted defeat.
My sister gave the crestfallen Jürgen a small, triumphant laugh.
"Well, you weren't bad."
"Then does that mean you're satisfied?"
"That is a separate matter. You never landed a blow that satisfied me. Therefore, there will be no marriage negotiations between us."
My sister delivered the cruel verdict.
Jürgen listened in a daze.
"Sister...! What is it you dislike about me...?!"
"What is this? You're taking his side rather strongly."
"Of course I am. He's worked so hard, so please stop treating him so dismissively. It's obvious that you like him. If there's a reason, tell him what it is. It's cruel to leave the duke being jerked around like this."
When I pleaded with her, my sister thought for a moment, then gave a faint, lonely smile.
It was a kind of smile I'd never seen on her face before.
Then my sister gave a small nod.
"Very well... Jürgen. Listen carefully."
"Yes..."
"Don't involve yourself with me anymore. You're a nuisance."
She uttered words I could never have imagined hearing.
For a moment, I doubted my own ears.
What had she just said?
Jürgen looked shocked, too.
But then.
"...I see... I'm a nuisance to you...?"
"Yes."
"...I'm sorry for failing to know my place. I won't presume to propose marriage again."
With that, Jürgen bowed deeply.
I looked at my sister irritably for a moment, but my irritation soon evaporated.
Her expression was more dejected than I had ever seen it.
"I'll be going. Al, look after Jürgen."
"Huh? Wait! Sister!"
My sister walked away, with none of her usual vigor.
When I looked back, Jürgen was on both knees, staring blankly into space.
What was going on?!
Which one was I supposed to look at?!
Wishing Leo were here, I looked back and forth between the two of them for a while...
Then I went after my sister.
I was certain there had to be some reason for this.
If he really were a nuisance to her, she wouldn't have looked like that.