Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 275: Engagement Ep - Family
274. Engagement Ep - Family
Clink— A teacup was set down as Ray, Noel Dexter, Dehor, and Rera Ainar gathered around the dining table.
A young man who had opened the door brought out simple refreshments with a pale expression. Introducing himself as a servant, he seemed to be in a daze.
Noel asked, "Is my brother not home?"
"...He, he went out to work. Please wait. I will bring him."
The young man stuttered. Despite saying he would fetch Elson, he didn’t leave immediately. Standing awkwardly, he eventually turned and exited the mansion, but it took quite a while before the sound of the front door closing was heard.
What a strange person. Rera Ainar quickly emptied her teacup and spoke with an excited expression.
“Is this the house where Ray grew up?”
“It’s the house where I was born. But I didn’t stay here long. We moved out soon after Ray was born.”
“Aha~ So there’s another house.”
Rera spoke with a hint of materialism, like a daughter-in-law assessing her in-laws’ assets, prompting Noel to smile faintly.
“Yes, there’s another one. But this mansion isn’t mine. It belongs to my brother. So don’t get any ideas about living here like a grand lady.”
“Hehe. But I heard he’s not married.”
“He adopted a son instead. The young man from earlier is probably the one my brother adopted... I don’t know why he introduced himself as a servant.”
“Maybe he doesn’t plan to inherit anything? Haha, just kidding. I’m not interested in your family’s wealth. We can earn enough on our own. And if push comes to shove, I can always ask my dad for help...”
“In your dreams. Your mom and I are going to spend it all.”
Dehor scratched his chin and said, making Rera jump.
“Hey! Dad! Don’t be so stingy! What’s wrong with passing down a little to your only daughter?”
“I’d get a boil on my butt. And once you’re married, you’re not part of this family anymore... Haven’t you heard of ‘daughter goes to another family upon marriage’?”
“You’re so mean. Mom said Grandpa left something for me...”
“Sold that off over ten years ago. Pfft. Wasn’t worth much anyway.”
Dehor picked at the crumbs stuck in his teeth with his fingernail and started bickering with his daughter.
Since this father-daughter duo constantly squabbled, Noel and Ray just watched quietly. The Dexters were not ones to laugh and chatter like this.
Dad is a fat pig. He’s not comfortable sending off the kid who used to eat poop. ─ As childish and crude insults flew, the creak of the front door opening was heard. Before Noel could even get up, Elson burst in.
“Noel! Hahaha! What’s this surprise visit without notice?”
“Brother. It’s been a long time—Off!”
Elson pulled his brother into a tight hug before Noel could even extend his hand for a handshake.
Slightly taller and stouter, Elson was unmistakably Noel’s brother. Hesitantly, Noel returned his brother’s embrace.
“My nephew is here too. Wow, you’ve grown into such a fine young man. Come, let me give you a hug. And this here must be...”
Elson’s eyes landed on Rera and Dehor. Rera bowed slightly in greeting.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Rera Ainar. Please call me Rera, Uncle. And this is my father.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m not sure how to address you. My name is Dehor Ainar. Noel has told me a lot about you.”
“Call me Elson, no need to be formal. Haha. My brother’s got himself a beautiful daughter-in-law. I’m sure it’s not easy for you to let her go. Oh, I haven’t introduced you yet. This is my son, Yuan.”
Yuan? Ray’s eyes widened. He had heard that name before.
During a forgotten engagement attempt, the fifth to be exact, ‘I’ had warned him to be wary of someone named Yuan.
He was the heir of a noble family ruined by the last civil war, and he bore a grudge against his father. It was clear why he approached Elson, though he hadn’t acted hostile lately. Caution was still advised.
Elson pulled the hesitant Yuan forward. “This is Yuan.” Yuan greeted stiffly.
“I’ll go fetch the lady of the house.”
“Ah, yes. That sounds good. Everyone must be hungry, right? Let’s eat first. By the way, Noel, there’s someone you’ll be happy to see.”
“Who?”
“You know, the one you used to follow around calling ‘sister’ when you were little...”
Shortly after, following Yuan’s lead, a woman in her mid-thirties entered. She greeted Noel enthusiastically.
“Oh my! My little lord! No, I guess it’s the young master now. How have you been?”
She was once the sole maid of the Dexter household, which had employed around five servants.
She had moved to the capital at a young age to help Noel and Elson’s mother (Ray’s late grandmother) with the household chores. She was older than Noel but younger than Elson.
The Dexter family didn’t look down on their servants, so Noel had grown fond of the maid who took care of him. After fleeing during the Nine Days War twelve years ago, she had returned. Noel greeted her warmly as they clasped hands.
They reintroduced themselves and spent time catching up. The maid brought dishes from the kitchen, mentioning, “My husband will be here soon.”
Her husband had been a servant for the Dexter family for years and was Elson’s closest friend.
Gathered once more, the people who were practically family shared joyful conversations in the Dexter household.
The only one who didn’t quite fit in was Yuan, who remained aloof, like oil floating on water. And so, the day ended.
*
“I’m sorry, but I have to go. I’ve been so busy these days. It looks like war is about to break out, and many of our mercenaries are eligible for conscription, so I have to help with the work.”
The next morning, Elson apologized as he left the mansion, and Yuan also followed his father to the mercenary office for some reason. Dexter's two-story house was now left with only Ray’s group.
“Show me around the house,” Rera demanded. Ray felt it was time to reveal the truth to her.
He couldn’t let her face Malpas without knowing anything.
But how should he say it?
To his father and Dehor, he had shown his Aura Blade and confessed that he had received a divine revelation. He explained that he had been chosen as a Sword Master by the heavens to defeat the Evil God, but he wasn’t sure if he could explain it like that to Rera.
He didn’t want to see her disappointed and dejected. Rera, who saw him as a competitor and aspired to become a knight, would surely feel crushed if he revealed that he had become a powerful figure beyond her reach.
The difference between a ‘ㅏ’ and a ‘ㅓ’ could mean everything, and it was important to find a context Rera could accept. Or perhaps it would be better to wait until she had grown to a point where she no longer compared herself to him.
Ray steeled himself and spoke brusquely to provoke her.
“Rera. Pick up your sword.”
“Huh? Why?”
“You’ve been slacking off on your sword training lately. Just practicing physical combat since you received the ‘Blessing of Mana’... You’re in for a scolding from me today.”
“Ha! How funny. Ray, I haven’t mentioned it, but do you really think you can take me on now? I’ve been going easy on you so you wouldn’t feel bad... Fine! Let’s do this. Want to make a bet? The winner gets their wish granted!”
They stepped out onto the courtyard, covered in fine sand. Rera, confidently raising her sword, and Ray, tapping his shoe heels with his sword, were watched from a distance by Noel and Dehor. Kus in the stable chomped away on a carrot.
Ray Dexter looked uninterested. Rera urged him.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to pick up your sword?”
“I’m ready, so come at me.”
“Is that so?”
Fortunately, the swords they wielded were wooden training swords. Rera, holding her sword low, swung down at Ray with fierce momentum. But with a loud
crack!
, what came back was...
“Argh!! What, what the—?”
A shooting star. Her vision went dark.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you confident? You’ve already lost once.”
“Sh-shut up!”
Rera’s face turned red.
Ray’s sword was lifted as swiftly as lightning. He blocked Rera’s sword with one hand, and before their wooden swords could clash again, he stepped forward. His parry was chilling; he slid Rera’s sword aside and struck her head with the side of his other hand.
Rera tried to block, of course. She attempted to recover her sword and turn, but her sword seemed to stick to Ray’s, refusing to move.
It was
Suction
.
It wasn’t physically stuck, but Ray’s sword followed the direction of her movement, disrupting her. It was a highly advanced technique.
When did Ray learn such swordsmanship...? There was no time to think. Ray thrust his sword. This time...
—
Whoosh!
A horizontal slash perfectly parallel to the ground. The kind of perfect level swing every swordsman dreams of cut across Rera.
There weren’t many effective ways to block this. A flawless 45-degree downward strike or a parry, but Rera could do neither. She had no choice but to hold her sword upright and take the impact head-on. Her hands on the hilt tingled.
“This, this is...!”
She was being completely outclassed. Even though she knew she had already lost, Rera attempted a desperate counter.
She felt light on her feet lately.
She was bursting with strength and flexibility.
Sweeping Ray’s sword aside, Rera spun her body. She tried to perform a full rotation using her greatly improved physical condition, but Ray stomped his back foot hard.
He’s going for a kick!
He was going to kick her to correct his stance. Realizing her spin had failed, Rera quickly tried to recover. But Ray hadn’t intended a kick in the first place.
Spin...
She was tricked! Ray pivoted on his rear foot in a tight rotation. His sword, which had flown backward, was pulled back swiftly, and Rera missed her chance.
Tap.
Ray’s sword returned as if nothing had happened. Rera had used all her breath, but Ray hadn’t expended any of his posture or stamina.
A complete defeat...
“When did you...”
“I’ve been working hard while you were gloating about feeling better.”
But that wasn’t all.
There was no way someone could achieve that level of mastery in such a short time.
Rera realized Ray had been holding back on her. He was now confronting her lax attitude, trying to snap her back into focus.
‘...Unnecessarily kind.’
“I lost.”
Come to think of it, when had Ray ever been weaker than her? Whenever she thought she’d grown stronger, he had always been one step ahead.
This time was no different.
Somehow, she had grown much stronger due to the ‘Blessing of Mana.’ She had secretly felt guilty, thinking she had surpassed Ray with talent rather than effort, but... Ray didn’t need her to feel that way.
‘Back to square one.’
Just wait. One day, I’ll definitely beat you. — Determined, Rera turned her head. She intended to replay the spar in her mind, but Ray grabbed her as if to say, what are you doing?
“What, why?”
“We said the winner gets their wish granted.”
“...Tsk. Fine. What do you want? I hope you know I don’t have any money.”
“It’s not a wish that costs money... I’ll tell you later. Our fathers are watching us right now.”
“What, what are you going to—”
—
Smooch.
Ray kissed her on the earlobe and disappeared. Rera’s face burned bright red, and in the distance, Dehor muttered.
“Isn’t that cheating? Betting on a duel with a Sword Master...”
“Hahahaha!”
Noel burst into hearty laughter.
Despite all his back-and-forth feelings about his daughter, Dehor was, after all, still a parent who had to watch over his child.
Clang.
The sound of Dehor sharpening his axe, as large as a door, at the well, grew harsher.
Chapter 275: Engagement Ep - Family
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