"Hooh."
On the terrace of the banquet hall.
Normally, smoking wouldn't be allowed, but given the circumstances, the Grandmaster had a cigarette in her mouth.
"You're beyond what I expected."
She muttered in admiration, with Isaac standing beside her.
The deductive reasoning he had just displayed was far beyond mere keen observation—it had reached a realm few could achieve.
"I had thought your knowledge of the sword was as vast as a mountain. The fact that you've never hit a bottleneck in your growth attests to that. But seeing it firsthand, it exceeds even my expectations."
"…Never hit a bottleneck, you say?"
Isaac pinched his nose at the smell.
Seeing that, the Grandmaster took a puff of smoke before awkwardly putting out her cigarette.
"You're not even trying to be subtle with your disapproval."
"You should quit. That stuff is bad for you."
"It's not as easy as you think."
"I used to smoke too. But I quit. You can do it."
"Hm? Impressive."
She had quit as well.
Once, they had smoked together, but after seeing Isaac give it up, the Grandmaster had followed suit.
"There's nothing quite like it to fill the emptiness."
A poor excuse.
Anyway.
"What do you mean by never hitting a bottleneck?"
When he asked, the Grandmaster regretfully tucked away her extinguished cigarette before answering.
"As one grows, their progress naturally slows down. This applies not just to swordsmanship but to all fields of study, wouldn't you agree?"
"It follows a kind of curve. After getting past the fundamentals, one moves on to more detailed and advanced concepts."
"Exactly. That's what makes swordsmanship so difficult. If you rely solely on physical training, you eventually hit a wall. That's when knowledge becomes necessary."
She tapped her head with a smirk.
"But in your case, you don't need to worry about that at all. You already understand it in your head—your body just needs to follow along. You've never felt like you hit a wall while training in swordsmanship, have you?"
"Uh… No, I haven't."
"That's not normal."
A crescent-moon smile.
Hearing that his knowledge served as a constant driving force for his growth, Isaac felt a little embarrassed and instinctively tried to deny it.
"I just assumed I hadn't reached a difficult stage yet. I haven't been practicing swordsmanship for that long."
"If time were the only factor, then all old men would be masters. You're already at a level where slowing down would be expected."
"..."
"You might just be—"
The Grandmaster's eyes gleamed as she gazed at Isaac, like someone eyeing a particularly enticing fruit.
Her tongue subtly flicked over her lips, and Isaac found this expression unfamiliar.
"…Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Never mind that. More importantly, why don't we have a duel? I'm interested in testing you."
"You mean right now?"
In the middle of an ongoing assassination investigation?
"The princess has granted me exclusive access to a training hall. Let's go there and cross swords."
She seemed quite excited about it.
As Isaac followed behind her, he chuckled.
"Go easy on me, please. I don't want to be knocked out in one hit."
"I don't know how to hold back."
As they walked down the corridor together, a knight approached cautiously from the opposite direction.
"Baron Logan, may I have a moment of your time?"
"No."
He was on his way to spar with the Grandmaster—unless it was an urgent matter, he had no intention of stopping.
The knight glanced at the Grandmaster before leaning in to whisper into Isaac's ear.
"Princess Adeline is asking for you."
Isaac frowned.
With a sigh, he nodded.
"Apologies. Let's postpone the duel until tomorrow."
"Hmm. Suit yourself."
And with that, Isaac followed the knight toward Adeline's chambers.
***
Princess Clarice's Bedchamber.
Unfortunately, the Grandmaster, unable to have their duel, clicked her tongue in disappointment and removed her hat.
"Hoo, how frustrating."
Although the princess vouched for her, the gazes toward the Transcendents were not kind, so she always concealed her ears and tail.
The princess, dressed comfortably for sleep, was stretching before bed. Seeing the Grandmaster arrive, her escort knight, Heirad, quietly stepped back.
"Then, I will take my leave."
"Yes, Heirad. Thank you for your hard work."
Due to the recent incident, the escort had remained even inside the bedchamber. With the Grandmaster now present, Heirad, being a man, naturally stepped away.
"You're back already? I thought you'd be talking with Isaac a little longer."
Seated on her bed, the princess stretched her body. Given the recent assassination attempt, she seemed surprisingly carefree.
"Hmm, Princess Adeline called for him, so I just came back."
Though the knight had discreetly whispered this to Isaac, the Grandmaster's ears were keen enough to catch such hushed words from that distance.
"What?!"
Clarice jumped up.
The relaxed atmosphere from just moments ago instantly turned tense with her urgency.
"My sister called for him?! W-Wait! This isn't good!"
"Hmm? Why are you so flustered?"
"I-I'll explain later! I have to go to my sister right now!"
***
Adeline Seraphia Legardia.
Unfortunately, in his past life, he had never met her.
Because she had been assassinated.
The chaos in governance, the shock of losing his daughter—all of it had led the current king to die suddenly, and only then did Clarice inherit the throne.
At the time, however, the kingdom was barely worthy of the name.
'This is troublesome.'
A woman inviting a man into her bedchamber was typically an exciting situation.
Yet, Isaac remained skeptical.
'No matter how you look at it, a princess calling a man she just met into her room…'
Technically, they had met at his baron inauguration, but this was their first real conversation.
'I need to keep my guard up.'
When he knocked, a soft voice seeped through the door, inviting him inside.
Even earlier, her voice had the power to soothe people's hearts.
Inside, Princess Adeline was seated on a sofa at the center of the room.
Her provocative silk nightgown made her look like an open temptation.
Isaac tensed at the sight.
A princess of a kingdom receiving a man dressed like that—it was enough to raise his alertness a notch.
"Baron Logan, you worked really hard today. Please, have a seat."
Isaac took a seat across from her.
Smiling, Adeline poured wine into a pre-prepared glass.
"Will you keep me company? I don't think I'll be able to sleep unless I drink."
"Well, given today's events, that makes sense."
She was the kind of woman who made you want to protect her.
His heart wavered, and though he hadn't taken a sip, he felt as if he were already intoxicated.
"Still, you could have called for someone else—"
"But it was you who protected me."
Adeline smiled softly.
"Unlike the guards in uniform, I didn't stand out in the crowd, which is why they overlooked me."
"Even so, you were the one who protected me."
She sipped her wine with a smile.
Following suit, Isaac took a sip as well.
It was stronger than expected.
'Damn.'
Having already had several drinks at the banquet, consuming such a strong liquor now was unexpectedly burdensome.
Adeline, watching him, chuckled.
"Oh my, you're weaker to alcohol than I thought."
"Ahem, I apologize."
"There's no need. I've heard quite a bit about you, actually. I wanted to have a deeper conversation."
Her voice grew softer, as if she were sharing a secret.
"Can you guess why I called you here?"
"…I'm not sure."
"Oh my? Do you really intend to make a lady spell it out?"
At some point, Adeline had moved beside him.
In the brief moment his vision blurred from the alcohol, she had closed the distance.
Her hand landed on his thigh.
A touch both skillful and intoxicating.
"Be mine, Isaac Logan."
"…Be your man, Your Highness?"
"Yes, please. The political situation is bound to remain turbulent. Clarice is planning to marry into another country to consolidate the royal authority under me."
"..."
"I'm grateful to my sister for trusting me, but I feel uneasy. That's why I need trustworthy people by my side."
And then—
"I want you to be the closest among them."
Isaac pressed his lips together tightly.
As if determined to make him speak, Adeline closed the distance between them, whispering into his ear.
"Things didn't work out with Liana, did they?"
"..."
"I don't know what kind of past you have, but it's okay. I am different."
Her gentle touch slowly drew him in. His cheek brushed against the soft curve of her chest.
"Let me be your princess."
It was, truly, a sweet temptation.
A princess of a kingdom, falling in love at first sight, confessing her feelings, and healing the wounds of his past.
A seduction straight out of a fairy tale.
"I'm sorry."
Isaac politely refused and stood up.
"...Baron Logan?"
Adeline looked up at him in surprise.
Her gaze questioned what had gone wrong in this seemingly natural flow of events.
Isaac smiled bitterly and replied,
"The problem is that I don't need comfort."
Clang!
"Sister!"
Just then, Princess Clarice burst through the door, panting.
She quickly assessed the situation before grabbing Isaac's wrist and pulling him away.
"No, Isaac can't stay! He has far more important things to do!"
"Oh my, what could be more important than staying by your sister's side?"
'She's changed.'
Was this really the same woman he had been with just moments ago?
The sudden shift in demeanor was startling—now she exuded both playfulness and a sharp edge.
She pouted slightly as she looked at Clarice, seemingly displeased by Isaac's rejection.
"Don't worry, dear sister. He just turned me down."
"...Really?"
Adeline let out a sigh and nodded before waving her hand dismissively.
"So, can you leave now? Even a princess has a sense of shame."
"Ah, yes! L-Let's go, Isaac."
With that, Clarice quickly led Isaac out of the room.
Watching his retreating figure, Adeline waved her hand playfully.
"See you next time."
"...Sleep well."
"Hurry up, will you?"
Thud.
The door closed.
As they walked past the waiting knights and down the hallway, Clarice finally spoke.
"My sister is ambitious when it comes to talent. And she has a keen eye for people."
"..."
"That's partly why I want to yield to her. I'm not very good at leading or managing people."
A king's role was not to excel in everything but to recognize and govern those who did.
By that logic, Adeline was far more suited to be queen than Clarice.
"She's good at seeing what people lack. She wins them over by either comforting them or fulfilling what they're missing."
"Hmm, so that's what it was. But wasn't that a bit excessive?"
A princess of a kingdom, dressed in nightwear, drinking with a man late at night—it didn't seem entirely appropriate.
Clarice nodded in agreement.
"I was surprised too. It's the first time I've seen my sister be so blatant in seducing someone. She must really like you, Isaac."
"Well, solving mysteries is kind of sexy." she added teasingly.
"Normally, once she sinks her teeth into someone, they become hers completely. Some even develop a blind devotion to her—it can be troublesome."
"Hmm."
Now that he thought about it, the expression of the knight who had summoned him earlier had been less than pleased.
"That's why I was surprised. She went so far as to openly seduce you, but you still rejected her! As expected of Isaac! Handsome men are different!"
"..."
That wasn't the reason.
If he had to explain it—
It simply wasn't tempting enough to make him fall.
Since ancient times, women have been compared to flowers.
And the most beautiful among them is the rose.
He hadn't fallen for the temptation simply because, to him, it wasn't a rose.