The Strongest Man’s Fake Wife Wants to Live Chapter 46

“Heh heh. To be honest, I’ve been worried because Jeremy seemed to have lost some of his interest in swordsmanship since returning from the academy. If an excellent knight like you were to guide him, don’t you think Jeremy might regain his interest in the sword?”

“Please don’t worry, Your Grace.”

Duke Rydell laughed heartily and raised his glass.

Jeremy’s mood improved dramatically as well, and he lifted his glass and drained his wine in quick succession.

Pesha could only swallow a sigh inwardly at the absurdity of the situation.

‘What on earth is that man thinking?’

Owen had to be busy enough preparing for the military parade, yet he had suddenly offered to teach Jeremy swordsmanship.

It might have been bait he had thrown out to prevent a family quarrel, but wasn’t this far too beneficial to Jeremy?

The dinner, which had lasted much longer than Pesha had expected, finally came to an end when Duke Rydell’s tongue began to stumble from drunkenness.

“You’re staying here tonight. It’s already late. That way, you can take a look at Jeremy’s swordsmanship first thing tomorrow morning!”

Duke Rydell’s residence was hardly a place where Pesha could relax, but since it was already so late, finding somewhere else to stay at this hour would be difficult.

Pesha reluctantly nodded, then glanced at Owen.

Even after drinking all the wine Duke Rydell had repeatedly offered him, Owen’s complexion hadn’t changed in the slightest. The moment he felt Pesha’s gaze, he turned toward her.

“You must be tired. You should go in first.”

“No…… It’s just……”

Pesha trailed off before closing her mouth.

Since things had turned out this way, she’d let tonight pass and tell Owen tomorrow to stop teaching Jeremy.

But things didn’t unfold as Pesha expected.

 

***

 

The following morning, warm sunlight squeezed through the gap in the bedroom curtains.

Pesha opened her eyes for a moment before closing them again and holding her head.

Perhaps because of the mild hangover, there was a faint throbbing in her head.

“Mm……”

Pesha slowly sat up, brushed back her hair, and pulled the bell cord.

Soon, a maid entered with a soft knock and gave a slight bow.

“My lady, did you call for me?”

“Ah, my head…… Could you bring me some warm water? What time is it?”

“Here is the water. It is a little past noon.”

“Noon? Owen…… I mean, has Count Namoi already gotten up?”

The maid politely nodded.

“Yes. His lordship has been at the training grounds for eight hours already.”

Pesha was drinking water when she was so startled that she put the glass down.

“Eight hours?”

“Yes. He is training with the Young Duke and some of the Young Duke’s friends.”

Pesha let out a disbelieving laugh.

‘Friends? Did Jeremy gather his friends too?’

She could already picture the scene.

Jeremy stood there with his shoulders puffed up, showing off to his friends, while Owen humored him just enough and passed on his expertise.

Pesha was already getting annoyed just thinking about it, but she felt she wouldn’t be satisfied until she saw it with her own eyes.

After changing clothes and neatly brushing back her hair, Pesha hurried toward the training grounds as the maid had instructed.

Countless soldiers’ footprints were clearly visible across the firmly packed sand.

In the middle of the open training ground stood Owen with his arms crossed, his imposing presence overwhelming the area.

In front of him, Jeremy and three or four of his friends were drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted.

“One, two! Forward roll! Backward roll again!”

At Owen’s cold, merciless command, Jeremy hurriedly rolled across the ground.

Clouds of dust billowed up, dirtying their faces.

“What are you doing right now? Is that all you can do?”

Owen stomped his foot and barked at them, making Jeremy roll again with heavy breaths while his friends followed with equally clumsy movements.

As the intensity of the training increased, their breathing grew rougher and rougher.

“Get in line! Keep your posture! Ten more laps to the left!”

“Ten, wha—?!”

One of Jeremy’s friends stared wide-eyed in shock, but Owen didn’t even blink.

“Do you have a complaint?”

“A-a complaint?”

“If not, start immediately. Go!”

Their faces turned pale as they dropped back onto the sand.

Under the hot sunlight, beads of sweat soaked into the rough sand.

Jeremy, who looked as though he was about to collapse from exhaustion, cried out.

“C-Can we just…… rest for ten minutes? Just ten minutes!”

But Owen rebuked him with a cold gaze.

“Ten minutes? That’s exactly enough time for an enemy to break the Young Duke’s neck and return to their camp with him as a trophy. Do enemies give you time to rest in actual combat?”

Jeremy was left speechless and lowered his head.

At the edge of the training grounds, Pesha covered her mouth to suppress the laughter threatening to burst out.

Who would have thought Owen could be such a strict instructor?

For Jeremy, who had only intended to show off his connection with Count Namoi and obtain some of his know-how, this had to be bewildering enough to drive him insane.

“Then at least let us have some water…… Please let us drink some water.”

“You seem to still have plenty of life left in you. My apologies for not realizing it. Everyone, get down!”

At Owen’s cold command, Jeremy and his friends planted their hands on the ground and began holding themselves up, almost as though they were screaming as they did so.

Their trembling arms and legs looked as though they might give out at any moment.

Among Jeremy’s friends, one finally complained while trying to keep pace with Owen’s shouted commands.

“W-What kind of swordsmanship training is this?! You said you would teach us how to become stronger, but all you’re doing is making us suffer!”

“You’re complaining when the real suffering hasn’t even started? Get down before I kick you. In your current state, without even the basic physical strength, you’re not qualified to hold a sword. Five more sets!”

Pesha bit her lip tightly to hold back her laughter.

Seeing Jeremy, who had always acted superior and looked down on her, suffering like that was immensely satisfying.

“Control your breathing! No one rests until I tell you to.”

“Count, please, just give us a little mercy……!”

“I suppose you’ll ask monsters to show you mercy as well.”

At that moment, one of Jeremy’s friends rolled his eyes back and staggered before collapsing.

Owen stared at him expressionlessly.

“Disqualified. Step aside.”

Jeremy’s friend lay face-down without moving, as though he had fainted.

But when Owen strode over and raised his boot as if he were about to kick him, the man hurriedly got back up and fled to the corner of the training grounds.

Even then, Jeremy continued to endure, trembling from head to toe.

Pesha admired him inwardly.

He didn’t drop out first. Maybe Jeremy does have a stubborn streak in him after all.

The training continued relentlessly.

By the time they had moved on to push-ups, full-speed sprints, and crawling across the ground, their faces had finally turned the color of dirt.

Pesha watched without realizing how much time had passed, and her mood gradually improved.

After what felt like an endless stretch of hellish training, it wasn’t until the sun had gone down and night had fallen completely that Owen finally spoke briefly.

“That concludes the first day’s training.”

Jeremy collapsed onto the sandy ground with his legs giving out beneath him, while his friends sprawled out with their tongues hanging out, barely conscious.

After finishing the lengthy training session, Owen walked out of the training grounds.

Their eyes met, and Pesha gave him a sly smile.

“Our Jeremy is quite the slacker, isn’t he? Please take good care of him.”

Owen was silent for a moment before the corners of his mouth lifted faintly, as though playing along with her.

“Since the Young Duke himself asked for it, I intend to live up to his expectations.”

It was exactly the answer Pesha wanted to hear.

Owen turned his gaze toward the servant handing him a towel to wipe away his sweat and spoke.

“Tell them to prepare for the next training session after they finish resting.”

Jeremy and his friends heard Owen’s voice and hurriedly lifted their heads.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Pesha quietly snickered to herself.

For today, at least, her time at Duke Rydell’s residence felt rather enjoyable.