abcnovels
Chapter 70
Chapter 70
Chapter 70 – The Delegation from the Principality of Meeke (2)
With that, Duke Herman went to find Ancelot. Like a shadow, Winley followed closely behind him.
“The delegation from the Principality of Meeke has just arrived.”
“I see.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t run into them.”
Duke Herman owed a debt of gratitude to Ancelot. Thanks to him, Winley was able to avoid an arranged marriage.
“Even if we do run into them, it’s not a big deal.”
“Huh……?”
“What are they going to do? Roast me alive in the middle of a foreign nation? Boil me?”
“……”
Duke Herman stood there stunned, his mouth agape. He knew Ancelot wasn’t normal, but how could this kid be so fearless? Winley, who was standing nearby, had a similar reaction.
“……Are you just pretending to be calm?”
“Huh?”
“There’s no way you aren’t nervous.”
“Why?”
“Aren’t you angry? You haven’t done anything wrong, but your life is in danger.”
For a moment, Ancelot’s expression became strange.
“Why does it seem like you’re more upset than I am? Have you been bottling things up?”
Winley flinched, as if struck by those words.
“Well, even though there’s a degree of difference, we’re in similar situations, aren’t we? Both our lives are at risk, and your future.”
“That’s……”
“But what’s the point of suffering alone? It’s your loss.”
“……”
Winley’s voice slipped out in a whisper, smaller than an ant.
“How could I? I’m human……”
“You’re already doing a good job.”
“……!”
Winley’s eyes widened.
“You’re already doing well. You’ve been working hard, haven’t you? You’re actually desperately struggling to fight against your predetermined fate.”
“Me……?”
“If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have even thought to come back to find me after taking such a beating.”
At that moment, something welled up inside Winley. Memories of the past came flooding back. She had learned swordsmanship instead of dancing. She had trained her eyes to see swords, not jewels.
She…… had merely wanted to become a knight, despite being a woman. How many sneers and whispers had she endured just for that?
She had given it her all, regardless.
There were times when she wanted to give up and run away, but she never did. She never doubted that her efforts would one day be rewarded.
“So just keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t change. Seeing you falter is what the people who wish for your downfall want.”
“……”
After a long silence, Winley’s lips parted slightly.
“……Thank you.”
***
The next day, at the crack of dawn, Winley headed to the training grounds. She had a lot on her mind after what happened yesterday. She was eager to work up a good sweat.
However,
“Princess?”
“……”
In the midst of it, she encountered someone she absolutely didn’t want to see.
‘Prince Enzi, was it?’
Winley forced a smile as she touched the corner of her mouth with her finger. The first prince of the Principality of Meeke was lingering nearby, as if he were out for a stroll.
“……Good morning, Prince Enzi. Did you sleep well?”
“All thanks to you, hahahaha!”
“But what brings you here so early in the morning……?”
“Oh, this is how I start my day. Just because I’m in a foreign country doesn’t mean I can skip my morning routine.”
Having said this, Prince Enzi tapped his waist. Winley’s eyes widened. Attached to his waist was a sheath.
“Have you learned swordsmanship?”
“It’s both a hobby and a specialty of mine. I’ve heard rumors that Princess Winley is also quite skilled with the sword?”
“……Skilled? How embarrassing. It’s just a hobby for my health.”
“Well, since we share the same hobby, why don’t we spend time together today?”
Though Winley still wore a smile, her insides were boiling with irritation.
‘I was feeling good today……’
But she couldn’t outright snub someone who had come all the way from another country to congratulate them.
“……Sure. Then shall we……”
Just as she was about to accompany him to the training grounds, she froze. In the distance, she saw a familiar face.
‘Ancelot? Oh, I mean— Prince Andrew.’
Winley’s pupils dilated in alarm.
If these two met now……?
‘No!’
Without thinking, Winley quickly stepped in front of Prince Enzi.
“……Princess? What’s all this about……?”
“B-Before that, how long have you been practicing swordsmanship, Prince?”
“……Why do you ask all of a sudden?”
“If there’s too much of a difference in skill, I might be embarrassed…… I-I just want to know in advance!”
Prince Enzi slightly puffed up his chest. It was a male’s instinct to want to impress a woman, especially at his age.
“When it comes to swordsmanship, I’m fairly proficient. The training grounds are just ahead, so I was thinking of showing off my skills…… Huh?”
Suddenly, Prince Enzi’s brow furrowed.
“……It seems someone has gotten here before us. I deliberately avoided the regular training hours of the royal knights to be polite……”
“There are plenty of other training grounds! Let’s go to an empty one!”
“But as a guest, I should at least say hello……”
“H-How about we have a match right here!?”
Winley blurted out anything that came to mind in her haste.
“……!”
Enzi’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Me…… and you, Princess?”
“Yes! Training should be like real combat. Just a friendly sparring match!”
“……Someone might get hurt……”
Though he didn’t specify who, Winley understood perfectly well. A faint vein appeared on her forehead.
“……That’ll be difficult. How could a man possibly injure a lady?”
“……”
Winley felt a chill of cold anger run through her, completely forgetting the situation she was in. It wasn’t anything new.
She had experienced this kind of situation countless times, so often that she was sick of it.
“……We could use wooden swords instead of real ones, couldn’t we?”
“Even so……”
“For what it’s worth, I’m attracted to men who are stronger than me. If you can teach me a lesson, Prince, I’ll grant you a wish.”
“……!”
At last, Enzi looked intrigued.
“If it’s more of a teaching session…… I suppose that could work.”
“I’ll be in your care!”
Winley even bowed her head, as if afraid he might refuse.
“Oh, please, Princess. There’s no need for that between us……”
As she lowered her head, Winley’s lips twisted into a smirk. Between us? Since when was there anything ‘between us’?
‘You’re dead today, butter number 2.’
Winley hid her murderous intent behind a bright smile.
“……Huh?”
I tilted my head, sensing a presence nearby. I was standing in the second training ground.
But off in the distance, at the fifth training ground, I noticed a pair— a man and a woman.
‘It’s rare to see such diligent kids these days.’
It was 6 in the morning. The regular training for the royal knights didn’t start until 8, so they were here two hours earlier.
“Oh? I know those kids.”
As I absentmindedly glanced at the girl, my expression grew more curious.
“I’ll let you make the first move.”
The guy, who looked pretty full of himself, spoke confidently.
“Thank you for the courtesy.”
“Hahaha, come at me whenever you’re ready. I’ll take on everything you’ve got.”
I couldn’t help but click my tongue.
You can tell a lot about a person just from their stance. It seemed like he had dabbled in swordsmanship, but the gap in skill between them was obvious.
“Well then…… here I come.”
Princess Winley murmured as she lightly swung her wooden sword through the air. And before she even finished saying the word ‘come’.
Slash!
“……!”
My eyes widened in surprise. Could a bird soaring through the sky be as swift?
She was light.
And fast.
With each step she took on the ground, her figure seemed to shoot upward as if she were trying to leap into the sky.
Bam!
“……Gasp!”
Her speed was literally terrifying. Of course, the guy was caught off guard.
Clack, clack, clack, clack!
Their wooden swords clashed repeatedly.
Due to the natural physical differences between men and women, women have a clear disadvantage in terms of physical strength.
Especially at that age, ‘weight class’ is something that can’t be ignored. However, Winley’s sword was sharp, and it even carried weight.
It meant she knew how to use her entire body at the right moment, not just her wrist.
‘Her fundamentals are solid. Her stance is good, too.’
Whack! Whoosh!
In an instant, Winley used the recoil from their swords clashing to slip back into the guy’s blind spot.
Retreating wasn’t an option.
‘Good. When you go on the offensive, you shouldn’t give them any room to breathe.’
I couldn’t help but be impressed.
‘I knew she had talent, but……’
To be honest, I was too distracted to properly gauge her skills during the knight’s exam.
But seeing her now……
‘There’s probably no one her age who can be her match.’
Harun, who I had no choice but to take in, and Kirian, who was naturally fragile, both had above-average swordsmanship talent.
Even Jan, who was more skilled than them, could be considered top-tier for their age group.
However,
‘Even they wouldn’t stand a chance against the princess.’
And it’s not just those kids.
Even in the Empire, known as the best on the continent, it would be hard to find someone of her caliber.
‘She’d definitely be worth nurturing.’
Just as I had that thought……
Crack! Whoosh!
The wooden sword flew off into the distance after a powerful collision. Of course, the owner of the sword was the poor guy.
“Phew.”
Winley let out a refreshing sigh, as if she had just cleared away years of built-up frustration.
“P-Princess. What just……?”
“I learned a lot. Thank you.”
“Huh?”
Winley bowed deeply toward the dumbfounded guy.
“Thanks to your consideration, I was able to handle the spar easily.”
“……A-Ahem.”
The guy’s face flushed red with shame. Consideration, my foot. Even a passing dog could see he’d given it his all.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
I approached them, clapping my hands together. Both of their gazes turned towards me. For some reason, Winley’s face turned ghostly pale.
“Y-You! What are you doing here……?”
“What’s with that reaction? You’re acting like you’ve been caught doing something you shouldn’t……”
“N-No, it’s not that……”
Winley glanced nervously to the side. It was only then that I understood her strange reaction.
“You……?”
The guy even pointed a finger at me.
“Worm?”
“……Worm?”
That couldn’t possibly have been directed at me, could it?
***