Day Two...

"Have you had breakfast?" Nolan asked.

Evalyn nodded. "Yes."

"Good." Nolan gave a faint smile. "In that case, run around the yard. You don’t have to reach a hundred—ten laps will be enough. If you can manage that, we’ll move on to the next stage."

"I understand."

Without another word, Evalyn turned and began to run. The morning air was cold and biting.

She wore tight training clothes, leaving both arms exposed and covering only her chest and upper abdomen.

She was clearly shivering from the cold, but she didn’t complain. She knew it would be pointless. And she trusted Nolan.

Perhaps this training would make her far stronger than before.

From a distance, Nolan watched calmly.

"Ten laps... That should be possible for her," he muttered. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The Lionheart family’s grounds were vast and spacious. It took over a minute just to circle them once.

With Evalyn’s former physical strength, such a task wouldn’t have been a problem. But not anymore. Now, she was nothing more than a frail woman—no stronger than an ordinary person.

"Master, isn’t this training too strenuous?" Eira asked hesitantly from behind him.

Nolan turned toward her.

"Strenuous? Do you think running around this courtyard is strenuous?"

Eira glanced at the wide courtyard and shook her head.

"No, it doesn’t look difficult. But..."

Her gaze shifted to Evalyn, who already looked utterly exhausted.

"Sister Evalyn looks so pitiful," she said with sympathy.

Nolan smiled and gently patted her head.

"This is how she’ll become stronger."

Eira pouted but didn’t say anything. After all, she trusted Nolan.

Fifteen minutes later...

"Whew! I’m so tired! My legs feel like they’re going to fall off!"

Evalyn lay sprawled on the ground like a dead fish, gasping for breath as she stared blankly at the sky.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this exhausted—maybe when she was a child.

One thing was certain: her body was so drained that she could no longer move her arms or legs.

"This is only the beginning. There are more exercises coming," Nolan said teasingly.

He reached out his hand toward Evalyn, and she reluctantly took it.

The moment she was pulled to her feet, dizziness hit her. She rubbed her temples and frowned.

"My head feels so heavy."

"That’s because your body is in shock. It’s fine. You’ll return to normal soon."

As soon as Nolan said that, Evalyn felt her vision clear again.

"You’re right," she whispered, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, the next training is reflexes," Nolan continued casually. "Your reflexes are terrible—at least, that’s the conclusion I came to after yesterday."

Actually, that wasn’t true. Evalyn’s reflexes were excellent—perhaps even extraordinary. But in Nolan’s eyes, there was still room for improvement.

"Reflexes, huh?" Evalyn muttered, feeling both annoyed and helpless.

To be honest, this was the first time anyone had criticized her so bluntly.

Her father, her mentors, and all her relatives had always praised her abilities. Only Nolan dared to point out her flaws.

But what could she do?

The truth was, she had lost to him in yesterday’s sparring session, so she had no choice but to accept it.

"How are you going to train me?" Evalyn asked.

"Easy. I’ll attack you, and you dodge. How about that?" Nolan smiled.

But for some reason, his smile sent a chill down Evalyn’s spine.

"It’s just my imagination... right?"

She pushed the thought aside and nodded.

"Then let’s get started."

Nolan and Evalyn stood only fifty centimeters apart.

Suddenly, Nolan raised his fist and swung at her face.

His movement was so fast that Evalyn didn’t even have time to react.

The fist stopped just inches from her nose. The strike was so forceful that she could feel the rush of air against her skin.

"You’re slow," Nolan remarked indifferently.

Evalyn’s heart pounded wildly. It felt as if an invisible force had frozen her in place, preventing her from moving.

"Again! I wasn’t ready!" Evalyn gritted her teeth.

Nolan nodded. He clenched his left fist, and Evalyn was already bracing herself to dodge.

But instead of striking her face as she expected, the punch suddenly whizzed past her left side.

Evalyn froze, completely unable to react.

The fist stopped just a few centimeters from her face.

"You’re slow," Nolan said, sounding almost helpless.

"Y-You..." Evalyn was at a loss for words.

For the first time, she felt hatred toward herself.

"You’re too fixated on patterns. That’s your mistake," Nolan said calmly. "Watch the movement of my hand and predict its direction. Don’t assume I’ll only strike from the front."

Evalyn was usually highly perceptive. It was likely her frustration that had dulled her senses.

"I understand." Evalyn nodded and took a deep breath. "Do it again!"

Nolan nodded. And so, their reflex training continued for four hours.

"Hah... Hah... Hah..." Evalyn panted, her breathing heavy and uneven.

"The results are decent. But you’re still far from good enough," Nolan commented, his tone sounding somewhat satisfied.

Evalyn’s physical foundation was actually solid. But that was all.

All this time, she had relied too heavily on the center of power within her. Because of that, her raw physical abilities had developed a fatal weakness.

"That’s enough for today. If you push yourself any further, you’ll only injure your body. We’ll continue tomorrow," Nolan said gently.

He then turned and walked away with Eira.

Evalyn watched him leave with mixed feelings. She was glad to realize that Nolan had been hiding his true strength all along.

But at the same time, she felt an unfamiliar strangeness toward him. It was as if the Nolan she had known all this time was no longer the same person.

...

"So, you came to the capital to watch the Lionheart and Asbourne family contest?"

In her office, Shion looked at Nolan, who was sitting beside her, with curiosity.

"That’s right." Nolan nodded. He crossed his legs, took a sip of tea, and explained, "Elina couldn’t come because she’s very busy. The noble families in the surrounding areas have taken an interest in Virella’s timber industry. But I’m sure it’s just their way of flattering her."

His expression showed a mix of disgust and helplessness. Undeniably, the timber industry in the eastern region was still underdeveloped.

As a result, finding suppliers was rather difficult. However, that didn’t mean there were none. Merchants and noble families involved in the timber business already had their own suppliers.

Their attempts to secure a partnership contract with Elina were clearly just a way to get closer to her and gain her favor for the future.

After all, most of them were convinced Elina would become the next emperor.

"Pfft!" Shion chuckled softly. "Isn’t that a good thing? With so many buyers, Virella’s economy will grow quickly."

Nolan nodded. He gently stroked Eira, who was lying on the sofa with her head resting on his lap.

"That’s true," Nolan agreed.

As the two continued chatting, Luna’s voice suddenly came from outside the office.

"Sister Shion, you have an important guest."