I Adopted a Villainess and Got a Villain Husband

Chapter 28

Thanks to Henderson’s detailed directions, finding the training grounds was easy.

When Daphne arrived, she saw Theophanes watching over the knights’ training. Henderson’s explanation echoed in her mind:

“This is the training ground for the Duke’s personal knight order. It’s mainly used for their training, but the Duke himself also uses it from time to time.”

Since she had been called here during training hours, it was clear that Theophanes wanted to introduce her to the knights.

Hearing someone approach, Theophanes, dressed lightly for training, turned around.

He usually preferred comfortable clothing, but today, he was dressed even more casually for practice. His pink hair was tied up in a high ponytail, yet some strands still managed to fall elegantly around his face.

His hair always looks so shiny. We probably get the same treatment, but his always seems glossier. I should ask him what products he uses next time.

Smiling brightly, Theophanes walked over to Daphne and Jacquette.

“You’re here, my lady,” he greeted warmly.

At that moment, someone nearby made a gagging noise. She had heard the same sound earlier in the dining hall—so it wasn’t her imagination after all.

Daphne decided to ignore it.

Instead, she played along as a loving wife, thinking about wiping the sweat from her hardworking husband’s face.

But to her surprise, there was no sweat—his skin was completely dry.

Awkwardly, she found a speck of dust on his shoulder and brushed it away instead.

“I heard you called for me. Were you in the middle of training?”

“My students asked me to guide them for a bit,” Theophanes replied.

Jacquette, wanting attention, suddenly raised her hand.

“I’m here too!”

“Yes, I see you, Jacquette,” Theophanes replied with a chuckle before turning back to Daphne.

“How do you like the mansion so far?” he asked.

“It’s peaceful and nice,” she answered.

“They say a house changes depending on how the lady of the house decorates it. If you wish to change anything, I’ll gladly welcome it.”

He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. By now, Daphne was used to his affectionate gestures, so she continued the conversation.

“I heard you designed the courtyard yourself.”

“I have a hobby of arranging flowers.”

“For a hobby, the scale seems quite impressive.”

“If you’d like to redesign the courtyard, I’ll prepare everything for you,” he joked lightly.

Then, he effortlessly picked up Jacquette, who seemed completely used to being carried. Theophanes often carried her instead of letting her walk, so it was a natural sight.

Their interaction made them look like a perfect, happy family.

Daphne, realizing they might waste too much time, turned to the group of knights watching them with curiosity.

“And who are the people behind you?”

“I called you here to introduce them,” Theophanes explained, motioning for the knights to gather.

Among them, she recognized a familiar face.

“You’ve met Phantom before,” Theophanes said.

“Yes, we meet again,” Daphne replied.

Phantom, still looking serious as ever, gave her a respectful nod. His hair, which was neatly tied up last time, was now left loose.

Unlike Theophanes, the knights were sweaty from their rigorous training.

“This is my knight order, the Umbra Knights,” Theophanes announced.

“Umbra Knights, greet the Duchess!” Phantom commanded.

Immediately, the knights bowed their heads in unison, their voices ringing loudly in greeting.

Jacquette’s eyes widened in surprise at their powerful salute.

“The order consists of five members, including Phantom as the captain,” Theophanes continued.

“But I only see four here?” Daphne asked.

“That’s because Dante, one of the knights, is currently handling other duties,” Theophanes explained.

Daphne quickly understood—Dante was likely taking care of things while Theophanes was training here.

“I trained all the Umbra Knights,” Theophanes added. “They are both my students and my squires.”

At his words, one of the knights, a young man with large eyes, suddenly spoke up like a spring bouncing into action.

“Are you sure you should be telling her all this?” he asked.

Before he could move any further, Phantom grabbed his head and pushed him down, as if preventing him from literally jumping.

“This one is our youngest member,” Phantom explained. “He’s not yet an adult, but he’s more skilled than most knights.”

The boy, indeed looking youthful, introduced himself eagerly despite being held down.

“I’m Emil! My main weapon is a dagger!”

Even with his head being pushed down, his eyes sparkled like an excited puppy.

Next, another knight with light green hair stepped forward.

“I’m Blake. I use a bow.”

Daphne noticed she was the only female among them.

“You seem to be the only woman here, is that right?” she asked.

Blake blinked in surprise, but before she could answer, another knight with long, water-blue hair cut in.

“How did you know? Most people mistake me for a woman,” he said.

He had delicate features that could easily confuse, similar to Theophanes.

“It just looked that way to me,” Daphne replied simply, waiting for him to introduce himself.

“I’m Jacqueline. I use a longsword, just like Phantom. It’s an honor to meet you, my lady.”

Smoothly, Jacqueline took Daphne’s hand as if greeting her with a polite morning handshake. He was about to kiss the back of it when—

“Jacqueline.”

A chilling voice came from behind Daphne.

“Oh dear, I might have gone too far,” Jacqueline murmured, quickly withdrawing his hand.

Finally, Phantom formally reintroduced himself.

“You’ve already met me, but I am Phantom, captain of the Umbra Knights. My weapon of choice is the longsword.”

Daphne, having now met all the knights, lifted her dress slightly in a respectful curtsy. Though she outranked them, she wanted to show her appreciation as a knight serving Theophanes.

“I am Daphne Anaxi,” she said.

“I’m Jacquette Anaxi!” Jacquette chimed in proudly.

Despite the change in their family name, Jacquette quickly adapted and followed Daphne’s lead, making her proud. She stroked her cheek as praise.

Then, a question popped into her mind.

“By the way, why do they all introduce their weapons?”

“Ah, I forgot to explain,” Theophanes said with a smile. “I called them here because they will serve as your and Jacquette’s bodyguards.”

“Bodyguards?”

“Yes. The Duchess and the young miss shouldn’t be wandering around without protection. You may choose whomever you like.”

Daphne was stunned. She had never had bodyguards before—only people watching over her.

“And additionally,” Theophanes continued, “one of them will be your instructor in weapon skills.”

“Wait, what? Instructor?”

“Yes,” Theophanes grinned.

In this world, the abilities of supernatural beings, known as “transcendents”, were divided into two categories:

Innate Abilities (unique to each transcendent)

Combat Abilities (used for offense, varying by individual)

Spring Transcendents could purify corruption.

Summer Transcendents could foresee the near future.

Autumn Transcendents could tame divine beasts.

Winter Transcendents had the power of “gate control”, allowing them to open and close doors between worlds.

Each transcendent also had their own preferred weapon and fighting style.

“Do you remember the sword I summoned when the portal appeared?” Theophanes asked.

“The one that suddenly materialized?”

“Exactly. That’s part of my combat ability. I can create swords and manipulate plants for attacks.”

Since each transcendent’s weapon differed, Theophanes intended to help Daphne discover hers.

Of course, before that, she needed to build some basic stamina.

However, there was one thing Theophanes had overlooked—Daphne’s physical endurance was even worse than a child’s.