Dylan de Beaumon, the adopted daughter of a Duke, recalls the memories of her past-life after hitting her head. Upon realizing she was a villainess character in a novel, she decides to use her intellectual giftedness to get a good career and run awa...
"Hand-eye coordination helps you effectively and efficiently use your hands," Conan explained, his long blade glistening in the faint morning light. "Wielding a sword requires a level of coordination that takes a great deal of training."
Dylan struggled to keep several balls in continuous motion in the air simultaneously by tossing and catching. She clenched her teeth, feeling like a court jester put on display for everyone else's entertainment. The balls hit the floor, rolling away from where she stood as if they were attempting to flee.
'Take me with you.'
"Can we move on to something else?" she asked him with a tired expression. "We've been doing this all morning, sir."
"Juggling builds hand-eye coordination," Conan explained, watching her struggle with a cold expression. "It not only improves reaction time and reflexes, but it also builds spatial awareness and concentration."
After several more failures and the loss of four runaway balls, Conan finally yielded. They spent the rest of the morning practicing basic attacks and lines of defence. Although she had only been to two practice sessions, Dylan had already memorized the eight basic angles of attack with a sword and was fully capable of both predicting and outsmarting her opponent's moves.
"I'll admit it," Conan said, dropping his wooden sword onto the grass. "Although milady is lacking strength and experience, milady's mind and intelligence is incomparable."
"Which is why I only want to study," Dylan admitted, running a hand lazily through her hair. "My body isn't made for swordsmanship."
Similar to Laikin's smarts, Dylan's intelligence was a double-edged sword. She was an astute person who quickly noticed things and understood them—using that understanding to her advantage.
Her intelligence, however, is what allowed her to understand the harsh environment around her. If she was naive, then perhaps she wouldn't have to hold the weight of realization. Perhaps if she didn't understand, she would be free of burden.
"With more practice, milady could be great," he explained.
Dylan shook her head. "I don't need to be great at this."
'I just want to escape as soon as possible. I'm only agreeing to this much because it'd be nice to know how to defend myself when I run away.'
After morning practice and a light breakfast, the maids drew Dylan a bath. They filled the tub with jug after jug of warm water, decorating its surface with the finest quality petals and oils a noble could buy.
The staff was busy preparing for Dylan's depart next week. Several luggages filled with her belongings and clothes were being packed and sent ahead to the academy. Owing to this, several carriages entered and exited the estate daily—some of them belonging to the academy itself.
Since Dylan was recognized as a Red Coat student, she was treated with a great deal of importance. Faerchester sent her personalized school supplies and custom-tailored clothing with the school crest almost every day.
"Lady," a maid said with a clear frown, examining Dylan's hands with creased brows. "Just how did your hands get like this? To think His Grace expects you to learn the sword."
Dylan sighed, sinking into the warm water in the wooden tub. She watched the flower petals dance on its surface as she moved. "It's okay, my hands are gonna look like that no matter how you treat them."
Since blisters and callouses were expected with more practice, Dylan paid no attention to the state of her hands. Most noble ladies would consider it a disgrace, but Dylan didn't really care.
"It looks like Faerchester sent another carriage filled with school supplies today," Mina said, washing Dylan's hair with a soap that smelt like spring flowers. "That's the fifth carriage!"
"Lady Dylan also received an invitation"—The maid treating Dylan's blisters carefully applied a healing ointment to her torn flesh—"from Lord Frederique, the son of the Marquis."
Dylan flinched. "Lord Laikin sent me a letter?"
"It arrived early this morning," she explained. "I placed it in milady's chambers with the rest."
'Ha, just what are you aiming for?'
"Is milady perhaps interested in Lord Laikin?" Mina asked, waggling her eyebrows. "It's not everyday that milady is interested in a letter."
"No, of course not. His grandfather will be visiting us tomorrow, so I was merely interested."
'In fact, it's the complete opposite. I want to stay away from the main characters. It's not good that he's showing interest in me. He definitely has an ulterior motive.'
"It doesn't matter anyways," Dylan muttered, quietly. "When we enter the academy, his attention will be turned to Grisa."
The heroine said to be as beautiful as a gem and as lovely as a flower—Grisa Hollingdale. She was described as a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul. Her looks and charms were enough to win the hearts of several men, including both Axil and Laikin.
In the novel, Dylan tormented Grisa out of pure jealousy. Dylan, who lost her mother at a young age and was forced to act according to the Duke's wishes, was jealous of Grisa's ability to make everyone love her for who she was. Her obsession with obtaining the same kind of affection Grisa received from just breathing was what caused her downfall.
In this life, however, Dylan had already accepted the fact that she wouldn't be loved for such simple things. She wasn't as pure and lovable as Grisa, and she wasn't Marquis Ruenz. She didn't give anyone any reason to love who she truly was—and that was okay with her. In the short time she had with her mother, Dylan had received enough love for a lifetime.
Dylan chose not to show herself to the world. If all she had to do was play a part, then she would do it perfectly. The Duke only loved his daughter for the qualities that mimicked Marquis Ruenz's. If being accepted for who everyone else wanted her to be was easier, then she would choose that path.
The people she'd leave behind wouldn't be losing anyone important; because the sides of Dylan they loved didn't exist. When she leaves, they'll still be missing someone else. They'll only be missing who they wanted her to be.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hi there, thank you for reading this far!
As of right now, Dylan's personality is very bland because she is mimicking her biological father. When she leaves for the academy (in about two chapters), you'll be able to read about her real personality!
I also wanted to point out, in case it wasn't clear, that Dylan's intellectual ability is significantly higher than average. She is an exceptionally gifted strategist and is skilled with both numbers and sciences.
As such, without a strong foundation or intense training in swordsmanship, she is able to grasp and predict how her opponent moves through reasoning and calculation.
