Find the One Who Abandoned Me - Chapter 53

Swordsmanship lessons were held twice a week, and since today was Tuesday, there was still one more class left on Thursday. Two days wasn’t much time, and Bellona was quite busy. That meant she had very little time to find someone willing to spar with a young noblewoman.

“I doubt she’ll manage it this week. She’ll probably bring in a sparring partner for next week’s class.”

After a quick bath, Calliope stepped out to prepare for her next lesson. Susan followed behind her, holding two thick history books. Calliope’s pace was slow as they walked—she wasn’t exactly eager for history class.

Truth be told, she was starting to get tired of endlessly repeating the same basic sword movements. The idea of finally sparring was a welcome change. The other lessons—especially those covering topics she already knew—were even more dull. Compared to that, swordsmanship, which was completely new to her, was a hundred times more exciting.

And so, time crept by… until Thursday arrived.

Calliope, who had been eagerly awaiting her lesson, now stood in front of a massive mansion with a reluctant look on her face, escorted by Jack. She gazed up at the grand estate—easily twice the size of the Anastas house—with a face that seemed to ask, Why am I even here?

“Lady Calliope Anastas!”

“Lady Bellona.”

Her sword instructor, Bellona, approached quickly and offered a warm smile.

“I managed to arrange it, but since I couldn’t exactly summon a duke’s daughter, I had no choice but to bring you here. I hope that’s alright.”

“I mean, I understand… but still, this feels like a lot.”

Calliope was standing in front of the Duke of Dylas’s estate. And surprisingly, her sparring partner was none other than the duke’s only daughter—Lady Berchia Dylas, whom she had only briefly met once at a tea party.

“You know the Dylas family?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say we’re close. But I thought I could make this happen, and the duke agreed quite readily. A marquess’s daughter around the same age as his own daughter? I imagine you’re quite the promising connection to him.”

“I don’t think I’d call myself promising…”

“It’s just a figure of speech.”

“You don’t even pretend to flatter me, do you?”

“A teacher should always be objective.”

“Dora didn’t think I was that bad.”

“And I would say… that sounds about right.”

“Oof. Harsh.”

Even as she playfully grumbled, Calliope walked alongside Bellona. As they turned a corner, the Dylas knights’ training grounds came into view. The knights had already begun their drills, moving in perfect sync. Their movements were so precise that they looked less like a group of individuals and more like a single, massive body in motion.

It was a little overwhelming, but Calliope chose not to be intimidated. She had already gotten a decent read on Lady Berchia’s true personality during the last tea party, so she didn’t think they’d clash. Still, her mind wandered.

How long has Lady Berchia been training with a sword?

“She’s been training since she was six, as far as I know,” Bellona answered, as if reading her thoughts.

“Really? Then she’s way ahead of me.”

“There’s no better way to learn than training with someone stronger.”

In Calliope’s memories, there had been no mention of Lady Berchia studying swordsmanship. Of course, the Dylas family was known for its military strength, so she had assumed Lady Berchia had learned the basics. But she had never openly presented herself as someone who practiced swordplay.

Maybe she trained as a child but stopped later on? That seemed like the most likely explanation. Noble ladies who learned swordsmanship were often seen as eccentric. Maybe she had simply lost interest. Then again, if she really started at six and had continued until now, that meant she’d been training for over ten years. Surely, if she was going to give up, she would’ve done so long ago.

Soon, Calliope and Bellona reached the sparring field, and there she saw Lady Berchia Dylas, dressed in similar training clothes. Her purple hair was tied high, swaying with each movement.

“Lady Berchia,” Calliope greeted as she stepped forward.

With no skirt to lift, she raised her hand slightly in place of a curtsy. Lady Berchia frowned slightly and shook her head.

“No need for formalities.”

Her cheeks were flushed, likely from warming up. Seeing that, Calliope quickly understood what was expected.

“Well then, let’s start with five laps, as usual.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The Dylas training field was larger than the one at House Anastas, so even though the lap count was lower, the distance she’d be running was longer than usual.

Without complaint, Calliope started jogging around the training field, just like always. Behind her, Lady Berchia watched her with narrowed eyes. Nearby, Valt, the knight captain of House Dylas and Lady Berchia’s sword instructor, spoke in a low voice.

“Would be nice if she made a real friend this time.”

“Hmph.”

As Lady Berchia turned her head away, Valt, the knight captain, watched her with growing concern.

She’s never really gotten along with other noble girls her age. It’d be good if she could make a friend in Lady Calliope.

Although Lady Berchia’s discomfort with noble society remained a closely guarded secret, it was well known among the inner circle of House Dylas.

The Dylas estate, known for accepting knights based purely on skill, had many knights of commoner origin. Even the noble-born knights tended to have blunt, forthright personalities. It was a practical, no-nonsense environment, and Berchia had grown up to reflect that same straightforward nature.

When she was younger, Valt hadn’t worried too much. But as she grew older and still hadn’t adapted to noble social life, unease had begun to settle in. She had never once invited a noble lady to the estate. Even with carefully selected ladies-in-waiting from loyal vassal families, there were limits to what they could offer.

The Duke said Lady Calliope is quite capable when it comes to social matters…

Valt thoughtfully rubbed his chin. Lady Calliope could learn swordplay from Lady Berchia, and in turn, Lady Berchia might learn the finer points of social etiquette from Lady Calliope. It wasn’t a bad exchange.

Second Lady Circe gave excellent advice after all.

The meeting between the two had been arranged through Lady Circe Dylas, the second daughter of the family. Though she had lost the succession battle and married out, she was still a proud and capable member of House Dylas.

Calliope returned after five full laps around the wide training field, her face flushed red from exertion. She walked slowly, steadying her breath, and was soon handed a wooden training sword after Bellona reviewed her basic form.

“Focus on defending yourself. That’s your best bet.”

“That was my plan too.”

These no-nonsense instructors clearly didn’t believe in easing someone into a first match. Calliope took a deep breath and glanced toward Lady Berchia, who was still in conversation with her own teacher. Berchia was slightly older and a bit taller than her. Through the fitted sleeves of her uniform, Calliope could see that her arms were stronger than they looked.

“All right. Off you go.”

Bellona gave her a firm pat on the shoulder and gently pushed her forward. Lady Berchia stepped up as well, meeting her at the center. Valt stood nearby and gave a brief rundown of the rules.

“This is your first session together, so please avoid any excessive strikes. If it looks dangerous, we’ll stop immediately.”

In truth, there weren’t any formal rules—just instructions to Lady Berchia to go easy on her. Calliope didn’t take it personally. It was only natural. After all, she had only been training for a few months, while Lady Berchia had been wielding a sword for over a decade.

Smiling, Calliope said politely, “I look forward to learning from you, Lady Berchia.”

“Do your best.”

The tone was curt, but Calliope sensed no malice in the words. They were simply direct—like everything else about her. Wooden sword or not, getting hit would still hurt. Her only focus now was to block well and dodge smart.

The two of them stepped back to create distance. Valt moved to stand beside Bellona, both of them observing closely.

Calliope braced herself, thinking, She’s the stronger one. I’ll let her take the first move—

“Hey! What was that?!”

Thwack! Their wooden swords clashed sharply. While Calliope was still lost in thought, Lady Berchia had closed the distance in an instant and swung down at her. Calliope quickly raised her sword to block the blow.

“Isn’t it custom for the stronger person to let the other make the first move?”

“What kind of rule is that? Never heard of it.”

Letting the weaker party take the lead was more of a courtesy than an actual rule—and not even a required one at that. Besides, both of them were technically students under instruction. Lady Berchia wasn’t wrong.

While Calliope scrambled to maintain her block, Berchia stepped back—only to lunge forward again, aiming a thrust straight at her chest. It was a perfect strike. Calliope didn’t even try to block it; she twisted her body to avoid it entirely.

So she’s not planning to hold back at all.

Calliope cast a glance toward the two instructors. Both had their arms crossed, clearly considering this level of intensity well within expectations.

As she dodged, Calliope struck upward at Berchia’s incoming blade from below to push it aside and retreat. Berchia didn’t flinch or lose balance; she recovered her stance instantly and stepped in again with her opposite foot.

Her wooden sword traced a clean arc, slashing toward Calliope’s side. With no time to dodge, Calliope raised her sword vertically to block it and pushed back. Fortunately, her physical strength seemed to hold up.

She threw away her passive stance and charged forward. Berchia didn’t have any obvious openings—but not that it mattered. Calliope didn’t have the skill to find weak points anyway. So instead, she chose a straightforward approach. Win or lose, she wouldn’t die from it.

As Calliope rushed in, Berchia tightened her grip on the hilt and took a solid defensive stance.

Thwack! Another sharp clash echoed across the field.

Their arms trembled slightly as their swords locked. From the feel of it, they were surprisingly even in strength. Lady Berchia frowned slightly, as if puzzled.

Then, with their swords still pressed together, she subtly angled her blade, intending to slide Calliope’s off and throw her off balance. She assumed Calliope, still a beginner, wouldn’t be able to respond to an unpredictable shift like that.

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