human
Ferris:  Ferris was somewhat biased in his evaluation, but Fourier was far more skilled than the average noble dilettante of his age. His desire to defeat Crusch, combined with many years of these duels, had turned him from a coddled princeling into a man who could hold his own with a blade. That he still couldn’t best Crusch spoke to her talent and how hard she had worked.
gpt
Crusch:  "Do you wish to continue, my lord? I fear my father’s heart might break if I beat you any harder."
human
Fourier:  "Of course I shall continue! You take me too lightly, Crusch! And I don’t think Meckart’s heart is as fragile as you suggest, either. Come at me with all you’ve got!" True to form, his declaration was asking a little much.
gpt
Ferris:  This battle was taking place out in the center garden, and servants with nothing else to do were spectating. There was someone else there as well, someone looking rather ill at the sight of the entire spectacle: Meckart himself. He came out every time this happened, even though the stress of it was enough to make his cheeks sunken. Well, he doesn’t have to watch.
human
Meckart:  "Oh, why are they so much more serious than usual?" Meckart fretted. "But if His Highness were to win…" Meckart grimaced from the pain in his stomach, torn between what he hoped for as a father and what he wished as a duke.
gpt
Ferris:  At that moment, Ferris knew all too well what Meckart was feeling. I don’t even know if I want Crusch to win or lose right now!
human
Fourier:  "Yaaah! Crusch, wear a dreeeesssss!" It might be too generous to call this a battle cry, but with those words Fourier rushed in again, and again he was beaten.
gpt
Ferris:  When she saw Fourier rise again after being folded double, Crusch narrowed her eyes.
human
Crusch:  "Your Highness seems less inclined than usual to concede. What is driving you?"
gpt
Fourier:  "You, of course! You make me this way… No, at the heart of the matter, I make me this way! I have foisted this on you, so now I must play my part!"
human
Crusch:  "…Your Highness?"
gpt
Fourier:  Fourier, his handsome face smeared with dirt and sweat, shook his head. "I shall not forget how foolish I was those five years ago, how little I knew my place. Not knowing my strength, I bound you to an impulsive promise. I made you swear that so long as I failed to best you with the sword, you would wear no women’s clothes but dress as a man—I know now what a cruel act that was."
human
Ferris:  Making this confession seemed to pain him greatly, but of course he was wrong about the five years. It was six. But Fourier’s words referred to the promise they had made on that day Ferris remembered so well…
gpt
Fourier:  "Do you remember your fifteenth birthday, two years ago?" Fourier asked. "You had grown up so beautifully.