Chapter 39

As Lucas started visiting frequently, the Grand Duke’s visits naturally became less frequent. It might be an exaggeration to say that the Grand Duke had assigned Lucas to me in his place.

‘Well, it’s not a bad thing.’

Having gained Lucas’s favor, I was able to make a certain contract with him. On the day I went to give him a gift, when Lucas got angry with me, I thought we would never be able to get close.

I remembered the trembling moment when I handed the carefully prepared contract to Lucas.

[One, the party of the first part (Liat) must talk about Cassian with the party of the second part (Lucas) whenever he wishes. Two, in return, the party of the second part will help the party of the first part to stop training with the Grand Duke. Three, the two parties will share knowledge about Cassian as comrades who like Cassian. Four, the party of the second part will never engage in excessive training as per the request of the party of the first part.]

Even though these clauses seemed disadvantageous to Lucas, no matter how you looked at it, he readily accepted. He even took the initiative to ensure that the contract would be strictly followed.

“Is this where I should sign? ”

Thanks to Lucas keeping the contract, the sword lessons with the Grand Duke were canceled. It was surprising how it only took a few days to get the Grand Duke’s permission.

“How did you get it canceled? ”

“When I said I would reduce my training and stay by your side, he gladly gave permission. ”

I was a bit worried about him volunteering to be a pushover by signing contracts he didn’t understand.

Does he like my past life self that much?

I never thought I’d feel narcissistic about my past life self while living. Listening to Lucas’s praises of Cassian made my cheeks burn.

Today, as always, I gazed blankly at Lucas, who had come to visit.

“So I think Cassian is also physically strong.”

“…Hmm.”

“Who do you think is stronger between Cassian and Bacchus?”

Sorry. I lost to him in arm wrestling.

Bacchus, who wielded an enormously large greatsword, was the strongest among the Sword Masters of that era.

‘Let’s not shatter the illusion.’

Of course, when we clashed on the battlefield, it was hard to determine who had the upper hand. My swordsmanship, specialized in targeting the enemy’s weak points, was faster than Bacchus’s. Anyway, concluding that I was better overall, I grinned.

“Overall, Cassian is faaaar stronger!”

“Isn’t that obvious? There’s no way such a muscle-bound swordsman could match Cassian.”

As Lucas raised his head and our eyes met in mid-air, we high-fived. Lucas’s eyebrows shot up and then straightened out.

“You know your stuff, Lucas.”

“That’s my line.”

“It’s a very objective and perfect perspective.”

“It’s rare to find a comrade with matching thoughts.”

Lucas, who had been looking at me for a while, softened his gaze. Between his gently curved eyes, his pale eyelashes fluttered.

He who always wore a cold expression in front of others smiled happily when talking about Cassian. These days, he felt more like a talented junior in swordsmanship rather than the mid-boss from the original work.

‘I hope he stays like this.’

If only he could become the hero he wanted to be.

“Lucas, do you believe that the future is predetermined?”

“If there is a god, then perhaps.”

“That’s the right answer.”

Knowing that this world was a novel, I felt a pang.

As he said, I was certain that no matter how the middle changed, the Grand Duke’s rebellion would unfold as in the original work. The Grand Duke’s domain turning into a wasteland, and his two sons losing their lives in vain.

“…Is there something on my face?”

“No. It’s just a shame.”

I didn’t want to see the future where he dies, even though I hadn’t resolved to change the original story. I swallowed my bitterness and held out my palm to Lucas.

“Lucas, your hand.”

“No.”

“I saw it earlier. You flinched when we high-fived. You overdid it again, didn’t you?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Then give me your hand.”

I pulled his wrist and gently removed his glove. Unlike before, I held his bandaged hand and pressed it here and there.

When I pressed a certain part of his palm, Lucas’s shoulders flinched.

My cheeks puffed up as I carefully observed his reaction.

“Lucas. You broke your promise to swing only a thousand times and practiced more, didn’t you?”

“As I was swinging, I forgot how many times I had done it, so I did a bit more.”

“Lucas, are you an amoeba?”

“An amoeba?”

“Yeah. Small, long, and simple.”

A bit more, huh. His rolling eyes were telling me it was a lie.

“Don’t do that next time.”

Lucas watched me cautiously as I got angry. He looked like a deflated puppy, and I couldn’t scold him anymore.

Young Lucas was just like a puppy.

A very disobedient, beautiful puppy at that.

“Don’t you have any friends besides me?”

“A true knight should pursue strength without being attached to friends.”

“But Cassian had friends, didn’t she?”

“……”

It’s fun to tease him.

I wondered what would happen to us if Lucas found a friend to share Cassian stories with. I thought I might feel a bit lonely if Lucas stopped coming.

“You should make friends. Lots of them.”

Lucas blinked for a moment and then nodded obediently. The tip of his ear that peeked out as he slightly lowered his head was red, making me wonder if he had actually listened to me.

The young version of the original mad dog had a fresh and cute side to him.

***

Peaceful days continued.

After lunch, I would take a walk or read a book in my room. In the afternoon, Lucas would come to visit after finishing his training to talk about Cassian.

At night, after the day’s work was done, the Grand Duke would return and ask about what had happened during the day.

“Is Lucas treating you well?”

“Yes. Lucas comes every day, so it’s not boring. Today too, as usual, Lucas…”

Grateful for Lucas consistently keeping his promises, I showered the Grand Duke with praise for Lucas. The Grand Duke listened to my story with a languid expression.

‘Am I talking too much about myself?’

A very faint trace of satisfaction passed over the Grand Duke’s smooth face as he lowered his eyes.

“I’m glad you two get along well. I might assign someone else too.”

Someone else? Who?

The Grand Duke forced me to sleep right after saying that, so I couldn’t ask for details.

I should have paid more attention to what he said then.

The incident occurred a few days later.

“It’s terrible! Comrade!”

Lucas, who rushed to me before I could even have lunch, shouted urgently. Sweat beaded on his forehead as if he had run at full speed using magic.

“Lucas? You’re early.”

“Father told Tristan to come back!”

The response to Lucas’s urgent announcement came not from me, but from the maids. The maids who gathered around surrounded Lucas and asked:

“Didn’t the second young master say he would return next year?”

“It seems Father lifted the punishment on Tristan.”

“When is he coming back?”

“Soon, very soon. That guy overflows with magic, so he might use a long-distance portal.”

Normally, it was against etiquette for low-ranking maids to interrupt a conversation between Lucas and me. If they encountered a noble with a bad temper, they could be beaten or driven out.

However, neither Lucas nor the maids seemed to have the presence of mind to care about such things.

“Wouldn’t it be alright if we keep the Grand Princess in her room as much as possible so they don’t run into each other?”

“No. If we hide her, Tristan is more likely to try and find her.”

“Why did His Grace the Grand Duke call Young Master Tristan back to the mansion?”

“He said to try and get along well.”

Lucas glanced at me and brushed back his sweat-soaked bangs. Worry and irritation mixed on his pale face.

“With whom?”

For the maids who didn’t understand his words, Lucas personally pointed at me.

“He said for the family to try and get along well.”

“……”

As if that’s possible.

The maids and Lucas seemed to have the same thought, as a brief silence fell. Lucas gruffly comforted the visibly anxious maids.

“It’s alright. I’ll stick around as much as possible. We can’t let that idiot kill my comrade.”

Tristan would kill me?

The scariest thing was that no maid objected to Lucas’s words. Even if only nominally, I was still a Grand Princess.

It’s not just being mischievous, but talk of killing? I shook Lucas’s shoulder and asked:

“Lucas, what kind of person is Tristan?”

“A violent ruffian.”

A rather scathing evaluation came out.

When I asked the maids, they gave similar accounts with slightly different expressions.

“Young Master Tristan tends to cause a lot of trouble.”

“He was disciplined for causing many violent incidents at the academy.”

“I heard he once burned a professor’s hair with fire magic.”

“He’s a good person, but sometimes it’s hard to deal with him because you never know what he might do.”

At that point, he’s not really a good person, is he?

The Tristan in the original work wasn’t much different from the maids’ assessment.

‘An arrogant and cruel magician.’

There wasn’t much information about Tristan as he died early in the rebellion due to Lucas’s neglect. However, his power was felt even in the brief description.

[With a single gesture from Tristan, flames erupted from all directions. He was no different from a demon, breaking the enemy’s morale with overwhelming firepower.]

To think he’s such a troublemaker that even Lucas, who is as strong as a knight, is wary of him.

The maids subtly revealed their fear of Tristan. Lucas, who had managed to regain his composure, patted my shoulder.

“It’s okay, comrade. Even though Tristan is willful, he’s weaker than I am.”

“Will you fight?”

“He’s not the type to listen to words. The world would be cleaner if he disappeared from it.”

“Treating him like a germ……”

Their bad relationship is exactly the same as in the original work.

In the original work, Lucas and Tristan’s relationship was compared to that of a dog and a cat. Though from the point of trying to kill each other, it seems to be beyond that level.

I could already foresee the trouble of being caught between the two of them. Sensing the annoying situation, I decided to avoid Tristan at all costs.

“From now on, always tell me before you go anywhere. If anything dangerous happens, let me know.”

I nodded at Lucas’s request.

There was something I couldn’t say to Lucas as he warned me seriously.

‘Running away won’t help.’

A magician overflowing with magic was a very troublesome existence. Tristan’s magical power was so great that he was called the reincarnation of a great magician.

Someone once said.

Magic is a talent specialized in stalking and tracking.

“Lucas. I’m counting on you.”

“Just trust me.”

All I could hope for was that Tristan’s personality was less terrible. But judging from Lucas and the maids’ reactions, that seemed unlikely.