"Damnern…?"
Elyra wondered to herself.
"Why should I care about him…" she whispered softly, as if trying to deny her own feelings. Yet her body did not follow her words. Without realizing it, her feet moved slowly toward the glass window facing the backyard.
From there, beneath the dim moonlight, Elyra saw Damnern's figure. The man was sitting alone, with several pieces of wood beside him. His hands moved slowly yet carefully, carving something.
Tok… tok… tok…
The soft sound of wood being carved broke the silence of the night.
Elyra focused her gaze.
A sword.
Several small wooden swords were neatly placed beside him—clearly sized for a child.
"…For me?" Elyra immediately understood.
Her eyes widened slightly. Her chest felt strange—warm, yet heavy.
"Why… go this far?" Elyra whispered softly.
She did not understand.
Why was Damnern willing to stay up so late just to make something like that?
A strange feeling began to rise within her—not anger, not hatred… but something that made her chest feel tight.
She was touched.
Elyra gently gripped the edge of her clothes, trying to hold back that feeling.
After a few moments, she looked away, forcing herself to stop watching. Without saying anything else, Elyra went to the bathroom. The cold water touched her skin, easing the chaos in her mind little by little.
Afterward, she ran back to the room and climbed onto the bed.
Before she knew it, her eyes had closed.
The next morning…
The morning sunlight slipped through the curtains, softly lighting up the room. Elyra slowly opened her eyes.
"Mm…"
She moved her legs slightly—and then froze.
"…It doesn't hurt?"
Last night, every movement had felt as though she were being torn apart. But now… the pain was almost gone.
Elyra slowly sat up and looked at her legs.
There, a cold pack was still resting against them, neatly wrapped in a soft cloth.
"When…?" Elyra frowned.
She had not felt anything at all last night.
Her gaze shifted to the side.
There, Damnern was fast asleep at the bedside, leaning back in a sitting position. His breathing was steady, but his face looked exhausted—as if he had not slept at all through the night.
His hair was slightly messy, and the traces of fatigue were still clear on his face.
Seeing that…
Elyra fell silent.
Without realizing it, a small smile appeared on her face.
"…Idiot," she whispered softly—yet her tone was far gentler than her words.
She climbed down from the bed carefully so as not to wake Damnern, then slowly walked out of the room.
Downstairs, the morning atmosphere had already come alive.
The aroma of warm food filled the dining area—the smell of toasted bread, hot soup, and a faint pleasant fragrance of herbs.
"Oh, Elyra's awake already?" Elina's voice greeted her gently.
Elina was standing in the kitchen with two maids—Rina and Sasha—who were busy preparing breakfast.
Elyra only smiled faintly as she approached them.
"Mama…" she called softly.
Elina turned toward her, her face as warm as ever.
"Were Mama the one who put the ice on Elyra's legs last night?" Elyra asked.
Elina paused for a moment, then smiled.
"It wasn't Mama…" she answered gently.
"…it was Papa."
"Why? Do your legs hurt, Elyra?" Elina asked anxiously.
Without waiting for an answer, she immediately knelt in front of Elyra. Her soft hands quickly touched the little girl's legs, checking them with extreme care as if she were afraid of hurting her even a little.
"It's… a bit better now," Elyra answered quietly.
Elina let out a sigh of relief, though her expression still showed concern. She gently rubbed Elyra's legs, making sure there were no longer any signs of pain.
"If Elyra pushes yourself like that again during training…" Elina's voice turned slightly firm, though still full of a mother's tenderness, "…Mama won't allow Elyra to train anymore. Remember that."
Her eyes looked directly at Elyra—not in anger, but with deep worry.
Elyra fell silent for a moment, still feeling the warmth of that touch lingering on her legs.
"Okay… Mama," she replied softly.
Even so, Elina felt slightly puzzled seeing how happy Elyra seemed.
At around nine in the morning, inside Damnern's spacious and quiet study, the morning sunlight streamed through the large windows and illuminated his desk, which was neatly covered with organized documents. Damnern sat upright in his chair, his eyes focused on examining each sheet of paper while occasionally writing something in calm and orderly movements. The air felt still; only the faint sounds of paper being turned and a pen brushing the desk could be heard, adding to the serious and orderly atmosphere of the room.
In one corner of the room, Eldern and Elyra sat close together.
"What are we doing here?" Eldern whispered softly to Elyra.
"Playing, obviously," Elyra answered casually, then reached for a newspaper lying on the floor.
"Eden! Read it," Elyra said with a small smile.
Eldern opened the paper and began reading in a low voice.
"Sanro Gill, age forty, Strongest Warrior No. 9, officially retired yesterday."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"Here is the current official Strongest Warrior ranking—
1.Matthias Crae,
2.Oscar Wade,
3.Noah Holt,
4.Rayyan Bartos,
5.Bradley Conal,
6.Derrick Berwyn,
7.Galdric Erout,
8.Cedric Earl…
and two seats are still vacant," Eldern added.
After he finished reading, Eldern looked at Elyra, who was not paying attention to him at all. Instead, Elyra was staring at Damnern, who was still hard at work.
"What, you dare kick us out, Damnern?" Elyra said to herself with a mischievous grin.
Damnern, who was working, suddenly glanced in her direction—noticing the naughty smile on Elyra's face.
"What?" Damnern said inwardly, as if he felt challenged.
At the same time, however, he felt a little strange seeing Elyra like this that day—her behavior was unlike usual.
Suddenly, Elina appeared with a terrifying smile.
"Eldern… Elyra… Papa is working right now…" Elina said.
"Get out."
That words was enough for Eldern and Elyra to immediately stand up and leave the study. Even so, Elyra managed to flash a smile at Damnern, as if she were expecting something.
Damnern, still occupied with his work, lifted his gaze just in time to catch that smile.
"Has she figured it out?" Damnern thought.
That evening, around five o'clock, Damnern went to Eldern's room and saw Eldern and Elyra drawing together.
"There's no training today," Damnern said, canceling the session to give Elyra enough rest.
"Okay, Papa," Elyra answered immediately with a smile.
"Hm?" Damnern felt even more puzzled by the change in Elyra's attitude.
End of Chapter 13