Chapter 253: I couldn’t ask for more.
From that day on, Liz began to frequently appear on the arena outside the gates of the Fransel residence, challenging Reiger time and again.
Even when Reiger no longer conceded the first move or held back, starting with his "Thunder Light Flash" and defeating her, the little princess would still show up the next day, attacking Reiger with unwavering tenacity.
This caused Liz to start accumulating a significant amount of popularity.
Originally, as a princess who lived a secluded life, Liz became famous after becoming an official swordsman. However, few had seen her, not even her siblings, let alone outsiders.
Thus, Liz’s bold and public appearances did not expose her identity. Apart from a few nobles who, through various channels, knew that this young female swordsman was the kingdom’s ninth princess, the rest assumed Liz was just a novice swordsman.
Liz’s demonstrations and performances in the arena, however, led many people to revise their opinion of this seemingly frail girl.
Her outstanding swordsmanship, surpassing that of an average swordsman, her dreamlike beauty, and her physique that seemed incongruous with her delicate appearance won over many swordsmen and even commoners, turning them into her avid supporters and fans.
Consequently, within just a few days, Liz had achieved a popularity and reputation comparable to that of Reiger, the youngest Sword Saint in history, drawing countless people to witness her grace, indirectly making Reiger’s arena two or three times busier than before.
This was a development Reiger had not anticipated, nor, presumably, had Liz.
Sometimes, just when she thought to leave in low spirits after a failed challenge, she would be surrounded by countless people as soon as she stepped off the arena, scaring the little princess considerably.
Some nobles’ sons, whose eyes shone upon seeing Liz, made no attempt to hide their desire. After Liz left, they followed her with a retinue, with intentions clear to all. But the next day, these individuals would vanish without a trace, and their families faced inexplicable suppression—some were demoted, others paid a hefty price, and in more severe cases, some were charged with crimes overnight and thrown into jail, causing quite a stir in the capital.
Nobles unaware of Liz’s identity began to realize that this young female swordsman had a background that was not simple, and they tightly restricted their unruly scions from offending Liz.
Of course, these matters had nothing to do with Reiger.
Reiger simply felt a headache coming on.
The little princess persisted in her daily challenges, leaving dejected after each defeat, only to return the next day with stubborn resolve. Reiger was well aware of her intentions.
Clearly, the princess had not given up, or rather, the royal family had not withdrawn their orders and still wanted her to strive to become his attendant.
Regrettably, the little princess seemed not to understand this. She neither pestered Reiger nor pleaded outright but silently challenged him, left in silence after losing, each time arriving with a face full of gentle determination and departing with one of despair. Once or twice, Reiger was able to harden his heart, but as it happened more frequently, he truly began to feel reluctant.
Once, Reiger even noticed the princess’s hands were raw and bloody, seemingly the result of intense swordsmanship training.
Clearly, after every defeat, Liz would return to rigorously train, pushing herself to extreme lengths.
This caused Reiger’s brows to furrow deeply, feeling an even greater headache coming on.
After half a month of this, Reiger finally couldn’t help but stop Liz after another challenge.
"Why do you put yourself through this?"
That was what Reiger asked Liz.
In response, Liz, clutching her sword and bowing her head, said in a very soft voice,
"All I know is how to swing my sword, and that’s all I can do."
With just that one sentence, Reiger found himself at a loss for words.
Undoubtedly, the royal family had not given up on their orders, allowing Liz to keep trying to become Reiger’s attendant.
But Liz didn’t know what to do to succeed and was not articulate, so in her befuddled helplessness, she had no choice but to persist in the only way she knew and was most familiar with.
She knew only how to swing her sword, and that’s all she could do.
Therefore, she could only keep challenging Reiger every day like this, returning to train with the sword after each loss, coming back for more challenges after training, in an unending cycle, persistently and stubbornly enduring.
Without a doubt, this was clumsy.
Without a doubt, this was naïvely sincere.
But it was all she could do, and all she could think to do.
Reiger couldn’t describe his feelings at the moment, so he just sighed and ended the day’s challenge on the spot.
After returning to the residence, Reiger walked along the corridor with his brow furrowed, lost in thought.
Then, he encountered someone at the turn of the corridor.
"Mr. Reiger."
Marilyn, pushing a tea cart, appeared from around the corner and curtsied to Reiger slightly.
"Marilyn?" Reiger came back to his senses, nodded at Marilyn, and said, "Did you just come out from the office?"
"Yes," Marilyn replied indifferently, "The tea supply ran out, and as the young lady was deeply engrossed in her work, I thought to clean all the tea utensils, so I came out."
Reiger acknowledged understanding.
Just as Reiger thought the conversation had ended and they would go their separate ways, Marilyn suddenly spoke again.
"Do you have time now?"
Marilyn’s unexpected inquiry took Reiger by surprise.
"I suppose I do," Reiger replied. "Why, is there something you need me to do?"
"No." Marilyn shook her head and unexpectedly said, "I just wanted to ask if you would keep me company if you have some time?"
Reiger’s expression became strange.
What does this mean?
Could this woman be trying to make a fool of me?
Reiger couldn’t help but suspect this.
Although he didn’t know the reason, Reiger knew that this maid seemed to look at him unfavorably.
The evidence was that the maid often glared at him from behind Yuri, and though her look was not exactly that of deep hatred, the discomfort in her eyes was discernible.
This maid usually had a taciturn demeanor, showing cold indifference to everyone but Yuri, as cold as ice.
Now, out of the blue, she had said such a thing, which left Reiger with no choice but to think more about it.
Perhaps Marilyn was aware of this, and after seeing the strange look on Reiger’s face, she finally glared at him again.
"I just wanted to speak with you about Princess Liz."
Marilyn revealed the reason.
"Her?"
Reiger showed a look of realization, and his gaze at Marilyn became meaningful.
Could it be that she intended to talk to me alone about that princess?
It appeared that this maid was indeed...
"Are you still not prepared to accept the position of Attendant for Princess Liz?"
As Reiger affirmed a certain fact, Marilyn posed this question to him.
Reiger looked up at Marilyn, noticing that her expression was still impassive, as if discussing the affairs of a stranger.
This made Reiger mull over for a moment before he finally spoke.
"I’ve already stated that I have no plans to take on attendants, and I don’t want to be bound by some inexplicable restraints."
Reiger had always said this and had always thought so.
Actually, the main reason was the latter.
"I don’t like the feeling of being forced into what I should or shouldn’t do by a contract," Reiger then shook his head and said, "So, I do not intend to enter into an Attendant contract with that little princess."
For this lifetime, Reiger had resolved to live not by rote, but freely, on a path of his own choosing.
In such circumstances, to be bound by the royal family through a contract, dictating what he may or may not do, instinctively made Reiger resist.
Marilyn did not quite understand Reiger’s thoughts.
"The royal family probably just wants you to make promises such as ’not to harm the kingdom,’" Marilyn responded, "That shouldn’t be too harsh a condition, should it? Do you think you will become an enemy of the kingdom in the future?"
"Who knows?" Reiger did not deny, saying, "At least, so far, these so-called royals and nobles have not done anything to win my affection, who knows what kind of disagreeable actions they might take in the future?"
By then, Reiger could very well become an enemy of this country.
If anyone thought that the presence of a contract meant Reiger would not harm the kingdom, giving them the right to probe his limits and commit acts against him that they shouldn’t, Reiger was determined not to tolerate it.
In light of this, such a contract was nothing more than a restriction on personal freedom, granting others the license to misuse him.
Given this, of course, he could not agree to any such contract, especially since the other party was using a clumsy and pitiful princess as a bargaining chip.
They probably thought they were showing significant sincerity by offering their own princess as an Attendant for Reiger, thinking it a great sacrifice.
But did they consider Liz’s feelings?
What they were selling was Liz’s freedom; they were trading someone else’s life, not their own. This act of treating others as possessions to trade was enough to prevent Reiger from feeling any fondness for them.
Therefore, although Reiger felt pity for Liz’s tenacity and diligence, he still had no intention of accepting her. All he considered was whether he should warn the royal family in person and make them back off.
"..."
Having understood Reiger’s thoughts, Marilyn seemed to have nothing left to say.
Seeing this, Reiger, on the contrary, asked a question.
"From your perspective, is that an acceptable situation?" Reiger looked at Marilyn and said, "If you were the princess, and the royal family wanted you to become someone else’s Attendant just to achieve their goals, would you be willing?"
Reiger’s question left Marilyn silent for a very long time.
After a long while, Marilyn responded with an apathetic look on her face.
"If it were me, I would ask for nothing more."