Chapter 10: Trash

“Older sister?”

Early morning, while training, the third son, Alois, discovered his older sister alone in the garden, kneeling on the ground.

‘How could she be so beautiful?’

Even from behind, her posture exuded refinement, and her crimson hair—so different from theirs—seemed to carry an air of nobility.

Alois truly loved his older sister, Rihanna.

Just taking a step toward her made his heart pound with excitement.

‘If only roses were in bloom, the atmosphere would be so much better.’

Wearing a sly grin, Alois tiptoed closer.

“Ha, slacking off so early in the morning?”

He spoke in a hushed tone so their secret rendezvous wouldn’t be overheard by anyone.

However, Rihanna didn’t answer, her head still bowed.

‘Hmm?’

Before her stood a single lilac in bloom.

The moment he saw it, Alois frowned and let out a sigh.

“What on earth are the gardeners doing?”

Annoyed, Alois spoke as if he understood why Rihanna was here.

“Haha, I’ll make sure to tell the gardeners to maintain this place properly. You shouldn’t worry too—”

“Alois.”

Alois took a step back.

Hearing that unsettling chill in Rihanna’s voice made him involuntarily shiver for a moment.

“Y-Yes? Yes? What’s the matter?”

“This flower is one I’m raising myself.”

“...You are, Huh?”

“Yes, so don’t go touching it recklessly.”

“Ah, understood.”

Even as he answered, Alois tilted his head in confusion.

The Rihanna he knew would never plant something like a lilac, let alone in the family’s garden.

“Hoo.”

Rihanna slowly rose and turned around.

“I need to go train.”

At that very moment—just as Rihanna passed by him—Alois noticed the redness around her eyes.

It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck his head, raising every hair on his body.

‘Was older sister crying?’

He had never seen anything like it before.

In utter shock, wondering if this was truly the Rihanna he knew—

“Hehe.”

Alois couldn’t help but let a grin stretch across his face, quickly covering his mouth with his hand in panic.

He was excited.

His older sister, usually an impregnable fortress, shed tears.

That sight of her drowned in sorrow and anguish—

For the first time, it gave him a thrilling rush of pleasure.

‘Is it because of Isaac?’

With sharp intuition, Alois roughly pieced together the situation.

The lilac probably had something to do with Isaac as well.

‘If I ask the gardeners, I’ll know soon enough.’

But that’s not what matters now.

Alois followed Rihanna with a feigned cluelessness, speaking as if nothing was amiss.

“Older sister, have you decided on your next marriage partner?”

Rihanna froze on the spot.

Beneath her chilly gaze, a subtle blend of murderous intent and fury shimmered.

‘She’s about to snap.’

Alois forced himself to suppress the stirring in his lower half and offered a genial smile.

“After all, staying divorced for too long isn’t ideal. Of course, rushing into another marriage right away doesn’t look too good either—”

He continued to deliberately provoke her, since it was the first time his older sister had shown such an emotional reaction.

Alois was curious what kind of response Rihanna would give.

“Still, someone of your stature has plenty of options. So just forget about Isaac.”

She had no grounds to be angry.

In that case, would she be sad?

Would she say she doesn’t want to hear it and run away?

“Honestly, he wasn’t qualified in the first place. If anything, Isaac is better off having divorced you sooner, right?”

He meant every word.

If Isaac hadn’t asked for a divorce, a terrible misfortune would’ve befallen him.

Because their family head had already permitted Rihanna to become pregnant.

‘The thought of Older sister bearing that bastard’s child is absolutely—’

Alois had been unable to stand it and had even planned to drop a chandelier on him.

Though he’d failed, Isaac had left on his own, so wasn’t that for the best?

“Honestly, it’s tough for a commoner like him to hold out in a noble family—”

“Alois.”

Her voice was toneless, devoid of highs or lows.

Rihanna, having regained her usual expression, now looked at him.

Disappointed inside, Alois watched as Rihanna calmly proposed:

“Let’s spar.”

“...Pardon?”

“Morning training. Let’s duel. Come to think of it, it’s been a while since we last crossed swords.”

“...”

“I want to see how much you’ve improved.”

“W-Wait a minute, Older sister.”

A flustered Alois called out to Rihanna.

If they sparred now, who knows what he might suffer.

He couldn’t have imagined she’d vent her anger in such a manner.

But before Alois could say anything more—

Rihanna had already drawn her red greatsword, Ragnabel, which she’d brought with her.

“Follow me, Alois.”

From Rihanna’s entire body emanated a red aura known as Red River, the unique sword energy of Helmut.

Though referred to as sword energy, this crimson power wrapped around her entire body like armor, causing her long hair to sway like dancing flames.

“...”

Alois, having gotten carried away in his excitement, now looked miserable, forced to pick up his sword and head to the training grounds.

****

‘What a pair of drunken lunatics.’

Isaac held his throbbing head as he stepped reluctantly onto the drill ground.

The northern morning air stabbed coldly into his lungs, at least easing the effects of yesterday’s strong liquor.

“Isaac, are you all right?”

Jonathan approached with a concerned expression.

Apparently, Isaac’s face didn’t look so good.

“I’m fine. More importantly, Jonathan, how did I get back to my room last night?”

He wasn’t joking—he really couldn’t remember.

He’d been having a passionate discussion about spearmanship with the Caldias father and daughter, creating a good atmosphere, when—

He’d kept drinking whatever Anna had poured him, and at some point, everything went blank.

“Honestly, it was a surprise. Miss Silverna helped you back to your quarters. I was worried, so I waited up for you, Isaac.”

“...Really? Sorry.”

Isaac pressed his palm to his forehead and sighed.

Still, the lingering scent of liquor in his sigh made him grimace.

‘I got carried away, drinking like I used to with my former master.’

But Isaac couldn’t deny that he’d been excited, too.

After all, Uldiran Caldias was a hero he’d never encountered in his previous life.

A great general who had held out for a month without any royal support against the invasion of the Transcendents.

Just the thought of matching drinks with him had stirred Isaac more than he’d expected.

“I’ll have to apologize to Silverna as well.”

He also planned to check if he’d made any slip of the tongue last night.

“Um, Isaac…”

“Hmm?”

“I’m not sure if I should be saying this… You might think it’s out of place…”

Jonathan hesitated, carefully placing both hands together and bowing his head in a gesture of earnest counsel.

“You are Lady Rihanna’s husband, right? So, um, it would be best if you kept your contact with other women to a minimum.”

“…You’re right.”

“I-I’m sorry! I’m really sorry for overstepping my bounds!”

Isaac placed a hand on Jonathan’s shoulder to calm him before the man started bowing on the ground.

“No, no. You’re right.”

“Th-Thank you!”

He intended to get divorced, but he wasn’t divorced yet.

And aside from the direct Helmut lineage and the family’s chefs, nobody else knew about it.

So Jonathan’s advice was perfectly sensible.

Isaac ran his finger over the wedding ring on his left ring finger with a bitter expression and changed the subject deliberately.

“Will you be joining training with us, Jonathan? I heard that the knights and guards who came as adjutants start their duties right away.”

Unlike the dispatched nobles—who, due to the influx of so many promising talents, required a check of their basic skills—those assigned to assist them were all skilled enough to be deployed directly to the barrier.

“No, sir. I’m scheduled for afternoon duty, so I came to attend you, Isaac-nim, and do a bit of my own personal training.”

So earnest and honest.

He had that fresh, wholesome smile of a country lad, and Isaac patted his shoulder, telling him to do his best.

Just then—

“Why should I?!”

A shrill voice, shouting from the drill ground echoed.

A group of nobles had gathered for the morning training.

One of them stepped forward, yelling at the officer acting as instructor.

“You dare disrespect the Drakemoor family?! You think handling a spear or two means something?!”

“That’s not what I meant.”

‘Drakemoor?’

They were a well-known swordsmanship family, much like Helmut.

They didn’t hold a candle to Helmut in prestige, but they certainly weren’t people to be looked down upon.

“We haven’t dispatched you noblemen merely for barrier duty. You’ll also be going outside for escort missions, reconnaissance, village support—our roles are multifaceted.”

Even when faced with what amounted to insubordination from the noble brat, the instructor remained calm.

But the noble continued ranting:

“So? What’s your point? Did I ever say I wouldn’t do that? Did I say I refuse?”

“…”

“What pisses me off is that you’re treating us like idiots by making us go through this kind of basic training again today. I tried to bear it yesterday, but… today, you’re making us do the same rudimentary drills?”

A subtle agreement spread among the dispatched nobles.

“You couldn’t handle the monster den properly, so we came here. Yet you treat us as if we’re here because of your incompetence, testing us instead of offering solutions!”

The atmosphere turned grim.

Even for nobles, this was crossing the line.

But with other high-ranking nobles silently supporting Drakemoor’s fool, the instructors couldn’t move hastily.

A misstep here could turn all the influential nobles against them.

“Hah!”

A short-haired woman snorted, snatching her spear as she strode onto the drill ground.

Silverna Caldias.

Wearing a confident, battle-hungry grin, she stood before the Drakemoor noble.

“Your name?”

“Melodic Drakemoor.”

Melodic placed a hand on his sword.

Seeing that, the corner of Silverna’s mouth twitched.

“At least you have some sense. Draw your sword. Let’s see if you truly have what it takes not to die while serving at the barrier.”

This was the Northern way.

From the moment he started causing a scene, the outcome had already been decided.

In an instant, everyone’s attention fell upon the two of them.

“Jonathan, watch Silverna’s spear technique carefully. It’ll be very instructive.”

“But I use a greatsword…”

“Don’t be ignorant. Just watch closely.”

“Yes, sir!”

Jonathan saluted, widening his eyes as he observed the match.

‘How nostalgic.’

Isaac crossed his arms and smiled wistfully.

He had first met Silverna a few years later in his previous life.

At that time,

After the barrier at Malidan collapsed under the onslaught of the Transcendents, and many sacrificed themselves so that she alone survived—

She had abandoned the name Silverna and lived as a Caldias.

The Grandmaster had brought her to him.

‘I was shocked.’

When he first witnessed her spear technique, the experience had been like welcoming an entirely new world.

He’d followed her around for quite some time, staff in hand, constantly asking questions.

“I didn’t praise her spear technique as ‘great’ for nothing.”

“Understood!”

Jonathan raised his voice excitedly, while Isaac, eager to see a good show after such a long time, wore a smile.

The spar began—

Melodic lasted barely five exchanges before he fell on his rear, dropping his sword.

At that moment, the soldiers around them erupted in cheers.

“As expected of the Lady! You’re the best!”

“Amazing! That was a perfect spear thrust!”

“Glory to the great Caldias!”

In contrast, the dispatched nobles were instantly deflated, glaring resentfully at Melodic.

Jonathan also praised her.

“A-Amazing. So that’s the famed Caldias spear technique!”

As Jonathan fussed in awe, Isaac gaped and denied it outright.

“No… That’s not right…”

“Pardon?”

“No, no, that’s not it…!”

“W-What do you mean, sir?”

Confused by Jonathan’s question, Isaac, also flustered, spoke from the heart.

“It’s not right! That was… that was trash! Just now, that was trash!”

What on earth had he just witnessed?

That?

That was really Silverna’s spear technique?

His bewildered exclamation rang out.

And then—

“What?”

Unfortunately,

The fierce northern wind carried Isaac’s voice straight to Silverna’s ears.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

[TL: From now on, the schedule will be the same as the Interspecies Wives. (Thursday & Friday 'and some random chapters in between😉')

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