I Quit Being The Male Lead’s Rival

Chapter 14

Strange things I’ve believed in (2)

Leslie waved her hand at Ian, jumped up and held Annabelle, who was lying on the black horse.

Then, she looked at her son, who was still staring at her as if she were ridiculous.

“Aren’t we going to go our separate ways?”

No matter how long ago she released the sword from her hand, her former strength remained, so she easily grabbed Annabelle and went inside.

Meanwhile, Annabelle held her sword and breathed heavily.

Leslie grinned and looked at her earnest face.

She had thought nothing of it before, but now looking at Annabelle, it reminded her of her old self.

A second-place commoner who was pushed by the heir of a long-time noble family famous for their swordsmanship.

Except, Annabelle’s situation was worse than Leslie’s. Everything about her family was garbage.

Besides, she saved her son twice.

Ian and Annabelle both denied and hated to comment, but as an outsider, Leslie knew what happened.

‘How did you learn such great chivalry from a family that’s like a waste dump?’

Leslie looked at Annabelle’s body, which was lighter than expected, and sighed once.

She was so skinny that she really had no choice but to carry a sword.

‘It’s like looking back at my childhood…’

Due to her injury, Leslie could no longer wield a sword, but she still had vivid memories of herself holding a sword.

Perhaps because of the similar background, she became more empathetic towards Annabelle than to her own son, Ian.

‘I’m just a selfish parent.’

She sighed slightly and patted Annabelle’s hair.

‘Maybe it’s more of my mind to think she’s no match for my son…’

From the two previous swordsmanship competitions, and even when she saw her face him at the training ground, Annabelle’s performance was clearly lower than Ian’s.

Nevertheless, it was pitiful.

It was even worse since they were never in a fair match.

Annabelle couldn’t compete properly because she was hurt by someone other than herself.

Even though she was the daughter of the shameless Caitlyn and the irresponsible Marquis of Abedes, how could she have grown up so right?

It was regrettable that Leslie didn’t even pay attention to her because she thought Annabelle would be like her parents since she was their daughter.

Leslie had a short-term goal in her boring life.

To make Annabelle better than her.

~*~

My eyes opened wide.

As my head moved, the pattern on the ceiling I saw for the first time felt like it was floating.

The last memory I had was the ride on Ian’s horse together and going to the dukedom…

I then realized the possibility that I went unconscious while riding a horse, fell to the ground, hit my head, and died instantly.

The Ian I knew would never hold me back.

Was there a separation of souls?

I quickly got up and looked at my body, and my light purple hair streamed down.

I was also in very luxurious silk pajamas.

“What’s this? Where the hell am I?”

I was freaking out and looked around, and then the door burst open.

“Are you awake?”

“Du-duchess Leslie?”

I jumped up and came down from the bed.

“What’s going on?”

“You fell asleep in my house after you lost your mind while being drunk.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll be on my way.”

I sighed and spoke quickly, but Leslie asked while tilting her head.

“Don’t you have a hangover?”

“Yes, I do, but…”

My head was spinning while my stomach was churning a little.

While I tried to say that I couldn’t go home, Leslie threw the bait.

“Don’t you want to eat something hot?”

“…”

At Leslie’s words, my legs, which were about to move, stopped.

I immediately made eye contact with her and answered her slowly.

“Yes. That’ll be good…”

“You’re smart. Seeing you drunk last night, I had a craving for wine during the night too. Let’s have a hangover together.”

Seeing someone else drunk and lying around and drinking yourself, such a good idea!

So, I was given breakfast close to lunch with Leslie.

The menu included spicy tomato stew, and not only plenty of tender meat, but the overcooked vegetables were also delicious.

After sweating profusely and emptying the bowl, our eyes met.

Leslie said as she sniffled.

“Now, Annabelle. Tell me, what should I eat next?”

“Huh? I didn’t actually learn much about table manners…”

“You can answer according to your instincts.”

“Something sweet after all that spicy food?”

“That’s it.”

Soon after, we split the chocolate cake together.

“What’s next?”

“I need a rather bitter drink to wash my sweet mouth.”

“You’re a genius.”

That’s how I ended up drinking warm tea.

“If you’re not in a good mood, you should eat something delicious to cheer it up. But, what should I do when I feel bad?”

Having already eaten a really delicious meal three times, I answered confidently.

“Of course, you have to eat something delicious to forget the feeling.”

“That’s very good. Then what should I do with the next meal after eating something delicious?”

“I’m going to have to eat something delicious again so I don’t have to throw it away.”

“That’s right, after eating something that’s not delicious, you eat something delicious to purify your mouth.”

It was already the afternoon after having good conversations.

Even though I was still wearing pajamas that weren’t mine, I was definitely going to leave as soon as I came to my senses, but I felt I was possessed.

“Well, then… where are my clothes? I’ll get going now.”

“Oh, I’ll give it back.”

Leslie laughed playfully.

“Promise me you’ll go to one more place with me instead.”

“What? Where?”

“To a different Rainfield who’s got mad skills in handling knives.”

Hm? Was there any other Rainfield left besides Oscar Rainfield and Aaron Rainfield?

I blinked my eyes blankly.

~*~

Leslie and I arrived from a carriage and went into a dressing room without a sign.

It was so luxurious inside that I felt a little intimidated, like I was the only stain on this luxurious and colorful place.

“Good evening.”

A middle-aged woman with purple hair and green eyes greeted us politely.

“Marilyn Rainfield.”

Marilyn, the owner of such a nice dressing room, was wearing more ornate clothes than Leslie.

The makeup was thick and her impression was very strong.

‘I don’t think I should come here to get a refund.’

But unlike her impression, her voice was quiet and elegant.

“I’m sorry about the delay.”

“No, I’m sorry that I asked you so suddenly.”

Leslie, who responded kindly, introduced me.

“This is Annabelle Nadit, do you know her?”

“Yes.”

Marilyn skimmed me from head-to-toe once and nodded her head expressionlessly.

“I think we met seven times on the street by chance, but she always wore the same clothes. Leslie, did you come here because that bothered you?”

“No, but that looks too old.”

I answered while rolling my eyes.

“No, it’s not like I wear one set of clothes everyday, I just rotate between two sets…”

Marilyn’s eyes got bigger.

“You really only have two sets of clothes?”

She smiled as if she were dumbfounded.

“We’re running out of time.”

Leslie said nervously while pointing at the clock.

“It’s already afternoon.”

“That’s true.”

Marilyn looked at my face again and said.

“Then shall we begin?”

I finally realized the situation now.

So, Leslie was making money off of me!

I didn’t know why, but let’s just see!

Marilyn and Leslie then began to have an intense conversation.

“If it’s a training suit… Well, that’s not my specialty.”

“Okay? If that’s the case, I’d like to ask you for something professional. I can order training clothes from a different place, right?”

“No. Let me study a bit and I’ll make it myself.”

“That’s good. First of all, there’s already two sets of training clothes, so we’re not in a hurry. Right, Annabelle?”

“Yes, right.”

I replied coldly, and Marilyn immediately dragged me into a secluded room inside her dressing room.

Employees suddenly appeared and began to measure me.

Upon receiving the report of my measurements, Marilyn’s hand moved without hesitation.

No, to be precise, it was her hand moving while holding a knife.

I usually thought dressmakers carried scissors…

“I’m more comfortable with knives. Isn’t it special?”

Her movements were so swift that they cut through the fabrics without hesitation.

Come to think of it, Leslie did say that the Rainfield couple were both very good with knives, and that’s what she meant.

Oscar’s handling of the knife was also impressive, and Marilyn’s handiwork seemed unforgettable.

Aaron’s good use of swords was hereditary…

“This lovely color goes well with her pale purple hair. Not that mouse-like grey.”

She spoke as she put a cloth to my face.

“The people of the Marquis of Abedes all have such lavender purple hair.”

“Yes…”

I nodded sadly.

Both the Marquis of Abedes and his two sons had the same hair color as me.

Except they didn’t even treat me as part of their blood.

In other words, the two sides only saw each other as a source of money, so they could see it as a fair relationship.

“I also have purple hair, so I know, but there are many colors that go well with it except for that beggar gray color.”

It looked like she really didn’t like my training uniform.

As I looked around the splendid surroundings, I once again felt envious of Aaron.

If I had been born in a house like this, I would have done swordsmanship as a hobby.

Aaron was no longer in the tournament after being eliminated by Ian in the first round.

It just wasn’t even necessary for him to win first place, so why would there be a reason for him to live in such a hurry?

“Let’s start with a sample.”

Marilyn said while flashing her sharp knife.