My Fiancée Hates Me novel Chapter 41

I tried removing my bandages early in the morning. The swelling had gone down considerably from the compress I made with some herbs I boiled down yesterday.

I have to go back with this wrist?

I must have masochistic tendencies...

"Glad to see that you have joined us, Lady Arielle," Instructor Krona Gills said.

"I am ready to learn what I can," I said.

I went through the same drills yet again. This time, I used my left hand instead and found my way easily mowing through my opponents.

Even though I won, I would be heavily criticized for not following proper stances or not using my dominant hand knowing full well that I was injured.

I was soon faced with my seventh opponent in class. Instructor Gills really wanted to break me at this point. My fifth opponent had hit my right shoulder. Only now, I am faced with the pain. It was bad timing since I was close to being done with half the class. My exhaustion finally got to me and caused me to fall to one knee.

"If you forfeit now, I will have to add the other half of class," Instructor Gills said.

This will never end until I die of exhaustion...

I tried getting back up only to fall again. My opponent seemed to stop before hitting me on the head and retracted his wooden sword.

"...What do you think you are doing?" Instructor Gills asked my opponent.

"I am unable to continue..."

Of all the students here, I least expected him to stand up for me...

"Under what reasons?" she asked.

"She has already fallen. It would be cruel to continue..."

"Finish her. If not, you will never become a Knight. I have the power to decide whether or not you become a Knight. I believe I told you all that Lady Arielle is receiving a special education because of her background."

That's the reason why they were all so compliant then...

"It's fine!" I told him. "I want to continue."

"That is the spirit!" Instructor Gills said.

"You all want to become Knights. That is your dream. My dream is to be able to protect the people I love, so it's fine," I whispered to him.

"Do not go easy on her. I will know if you do."

"I will be fine," I said with a nod. I found myself with some spare energy from that short break. Within a few minutes, I had fully regained my breath and brought my opponent down with one swing. I turned towards Instructor Gills. "I have defeated the best students in our grade level as well as our top student. That means that I have earned the right to choose my next opponent."

It was a long-standing tradition by the school. The rules were mentioned in the student handbook for anyone that managed to beat the highest ten seats within their grade level were able to choose anyone within the school as their challenger. I beat far more than ten but whatever...

"That's right..." Instructor Gills said with a slightly irritated look on her face.

"I would like to exercise my right to challenge Instructor Gills," I said.

"Impertinent Little Girl!" she screamed at me.

"It is one simple match between the only female Knight teacher and her only female student. Would it not be an exciting match for the upcoming sports festival?" I asked her.

"Very well! We shall have our match within two weeks," she said as she stormed off.

I fell to my knees afterwards and passed out.

Later, I found myself under a familiar ceiling. I was in the church again. I do not remember anything about walking here. Did Randall bring me here?

I sat up and tried searching through my memories.

Just then, the top Knight student walked in with a bucket of warm water and a towel.

"You are up?" he asked.

"Did you bring me here?" I asked him.

"Since I was on my way to the infirmary, I thought that I might as well take you with me. You kept on mentioning getting treatment here in your sleep, so I brought you here," he explained.

"I feel worse knowing that I was carried by an injured person. I apologize for leaving you to take care of me. There is nothing more embarrassing than having an opponent take mercy on me."

"That was not mercy..."

"You had multiple chances to take advantage of my weaknesses. Even talking back at the instructor...Why would you help me Dolton Grass?"

The top Knight student as well as the person who just assisted me and helped assassinate me in the first cycle is Dolton Grass.

"Dolton Grass, why would you risk your career for me?" I asked him.

This younger appearance of an orange haired fellow with red eyes was none other than Dolton himself.

This second cycle was too divergent. I have met three out of the four people beside Kaya Ouchi before she even meets them. If that were not all, I met the crazed female teacher and began attending class with Dolton Grass before when we never had class together before.

This affirms some things. One is that I am not the only one who retained their memories from the first cycle and that the other person is trying to change or influence my fate.

"I would often see you training by yourself early in the morning everyday by the yellow daffodils when I am on my morning runs."

"...You saw that?"

I thought it was a good spot to train without getting seen. I walked by there with Charlotte before and it seemed like no one would disturb me there...

"No one works harder than you. I respect your efforts. However, I feared disappointment from my family and held back my feelings. I should be apologizing for not stepping in earlier..."

"You and the rest of the class were being threatened. I would have followed her orders too if I were you. I do not blame anyone for my own stupidity," I told him sternly.

"Why not report Instructor Gills for her excessive discipline?"

"If I reported her, I would get blacklisted as being unteachable and never be able to hold a sword again. No teacher would be willing to teach me out of fear that they may be reprimanded by a fussy female noble..."

"Lady Arielle is a high Noble. Even without this–"

"What I need is strength, not some title."

"For what reason would you push yourself so far for?"

"I have someone I want to protect. He saved the wretched me before multiple times. Not once have I ever returned half of what he has given me. Even if it is just a little bit, I want to be useful to him even if I will never catch his eye."

"May I ask who this person is?" Dolton asked.

"Crown Prince Erik Arundel..."

"The Prince!"

"...I am not worthy enough to be by his side. Just watching him from afar is enough for me. If I can protect him, I would willingly give my life for his happiness."

Dolton gave a peaceful smile.

"You really are admirable..."

Why is he smiling so kindly at me?

I told Dolton to leave after that, while I would get some rest before my afternoon classes.

Dolton probably held the strongest feelings towards Kaya Ouchi in the first cycle and betrayed me for love, yet I cannot hate him now seeing as though he was a more decent person than I originally thought. I feel as though my memories condemned them more than it should have.

I just do not understand how any one of them could possibly go along with Kaya Ouchi's wretched plan to kill me.

Three out of the four, huh?

The only one I have not met yet is Channing Wells.