Celia woke up to the sound of knuckles tapping against her door.
"Celia," her father's deep voice called from the hallway, far too cheerful for this early in the morning. "Your tutor has arrived."
At first, her still-sleepy brain struggled to process the words. Tutor? Oh right, the sword tutor. The one she had been dreading. She yawned, stretched, and groaned dramatically into her pillow. "Why does doom always arrive before breakfast?"
Dragging herself out of bed, she peeked through the curtains and blinked at the sunlight. Maybe the sun would take pity on her and burn the tutor to ash.
Spoiler: It didn't.
Minutes later, she stumbled into the grand hall in wrinkled clothes and unbrushed hair, trying to act presentable. Her father stood tall near the doorway, sipping tea, while beside him was a figure that made Celia's stomach drop.
Long black hair, a sharp scar cutting across one eyebrow, and a posture so perfect it looked like she could slice someone in half just by standing near them. A dark cloak hung from her shoulders, edged in silver, and a massive sword rested against the wall beside her.
Valeria Duskvale.
The Blade of the Eclipse.
Celia immediately broke into a cold sweat. This wasn't just any sword tutor—this was the sword and magic tutor from the original story. The one who trained Seraphina Noir, the original villainess.
She gulped.
Is Seraphina with her?! Her eyes darted around the hall, expecting to see that familiar haughty expression, but no villainess in sight.
Safe. For now. Wait— her brain caught up —if Valeria is already here, then Seraphina might not be far behind. I thought I had at least a few more months before the plot caught up to me!
Valeria gave her a curt nod. "Lady Celia."
Celia smiled weakly. "Hi. Hello. Yes. That's me."
Her father chuckled. "Valeria arrived early. We were just catching up."
Valeria said nothing. Her eyes scanned Celia like a military strategist trying to decide which part of the battlefield was weakest.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Valeria turned to the duke. "Permission to begin her training immediately."
Hadrian blinked. "You haven't even had breakfast."
Valeria replied, stone-faced, "Discipline is breakfast."
Celia squawked. "I haven't even eaten toast!"
Valeria ignored her. "We'll begin with a light warm-up. Twenty laps around the estate."
Celia's jaw dropped. "TWENTY?! The estate is HUGE! That's not a warm-up, that's a mythological punishment!"
Her father stepped back, already turning. "Well, you've always wanted to grow stronger. Think of this as... character development, with cardio."
"FATHER?! Did you just break the fourth wall?!"
Hadrian waved over his shoulder. "No idea what you're talking about. Good luck!"
"You traitor!"
---
Valeria crossed her arms. "Start running."
Celia started crying.
---
First Day of Training: Death in Disguise
The sun hadn't even fully risen by the time Celia collapsed on the grass, limbs splayed like she'd just been yeeted by fate.
Valeria loomed over her. "Your physical body is simply not strong enough. You need to train more, and stop whining about it."
Celia's face contorted in a comical mixture of frustration and despair. "I think I'm in hell right now. The Blade of the Eclipse is my personal demon, tormenting me with sword training and actual exercise."
Valeria didn't blink. "You need to get used to it, because I'm going to get stricter and stricter as the days go by."
Celia clutched her heart. "I'm going to die."
"You won't die. You'll just be perfectly trained."
Mariette stood nearby holding a towel and a glass of water, eyes wide with sympathy. "Should I… call a priest? Or the undertaker? Or... both?"
"Call my lawyer," Celia wheezed.
---
Day Two: Swords and Sparkles
"Today we begin sword forms. And mana control."
Celia stared at the two wooden swords in Valeria's hands like they were venomous snakes. "We just met. Isn't this moving a little fast?"
Valeria tossed one at her.
Mariette, lounging with a parasol, added, "You showed more emotional commitment to a cinnamon bun yesterday."
Celia glared. "That bun was warm, soft, and didn't try to kill me."
Valeria demonstrated the form with machine-like precision. Celia tried to copy it and nearly slapped herself.
Then came the mana drills.
"Focus the mana into your blade, not your feet," Valeria said.
Celia glowed faintly, then tripped over her own shadow.
Mariette, watching, piped up, "Focus, my lady. Or I'll have to drag you back to the starting line again—with the wheelbarrow."
---
Day Three: Dagger and Disaster
Today, Mariette joined in.
Instead of a sword, she wielded twin daggers—swift and sharp, just like her.
Celia panted as they ran drills. "Why are you so fast?!"
Mariette beamed. "I'm an assassin, remember? Speed's kind of my whole thing."
"I hate you."
"You'll love me again when I bring cookies after training."
Valeria called, "No talking. Duel."
Mariette grinned and instantly flipped toward Celia. The spar was chaos. Celia blocked, flailed, screamed, and accidentally fell into a bush.
"Victory!" Mariette declared.
"This is betrayal!" Celia shouted back.
---
Day Four: Magic and Mayhem
"Elemental casting, chantless. Now."
Celia groaned. "What if my element is confusion?"
"Then weaponize it."
She tried. She summoned a shadow orb and it immediately zipped toward Valeria.
Valeria caught it and crushed it like a soap bubble.
"Again."
Mariette leaned in and whispered, "At least it didn't explode."
Then the second orb exploded.
"Progress!" Mariette declared cheerfully.
---
Day Five: Camouflage and Crashes
"Stealth movement. Merge with your environment."
Celia stood stiffly in the middle of the path. "I am the bush. The bush is me."
A gardener walked by. "Morning, Lady Celia."
Celia sighed. "Stealth failed."
Mariette disappeared completely into the hedges.
Valeria blinked. "Acceptable."
"Teach me that!" Celia cried.
"Grow shorter," Mariette teased.
---
Day Six: Burning Resolve
Valeria barked, "Spell and blade. Combined."
Celia slashed—and fire burst from the blade.
Mariette clapped. "She did it!"
Celia beamed—then the fire trailed up her arm.
Mariette put it out. Again.
"You're basically a walking fire hazard," she said.
"Thank you, I try."
---
Day Seven: And Then There Were Two
Celia collapsed on the grass. "I lived."
Valeria nodded. "Barely."
Mariette helped her sit. "You didn't faint. That's progress."
Valeria wiped her blade clean. "Another student joins us tomorrow."
Celia blinked. "Who?"
"Seraphina Noir."
Time slowed. Birds stopped chirping. Somewhere in the distance, thunder cracked dramatically—probably just for effect. A squirrel dropped its nut in shock. The clouds darkened ominously like nature itself had read ahead in the script and didn't like what was coming.
Celia's brain blue-screened.
She's already here?! But we were supposed to have more time! I was mentally preparing! I had a whole plan!
She stared at Valeria with a rictus smile. "Ahaha. Nope. Never met her. Who?"
Valeria raised a brow. "Get along with her. She's quite disciplined."
Mariette leaned in and whispered, "You're going to scream into your pillow."
Celia nodded solemnly. "I'm already screaming inside."