Chapter 10
"Enrollment in the academy for noble sons and daughters is mandated by the country. Refusal is not permitted. The only ways to avoid it are to be so frail that you can't get out of bed or to enroll in a military school. Therefore, I intend to join a military school."
"...So that's how it is."
I have a feeling that if I attend the academy, things will inevitably turn out as Mirabel predicted.
If that's the case, then I just shouldn't enroll in the academy. That's why I came here.
Facing Grandfather, who keeps his gaze fixed on me without speaking, I maintain a composed expression to hide my anxiety while explaining.
I'm grateful that Uncle Ruget is responding on Grandfather's behalf, but the pressure emanating from across the table is overwhelming.
"I have no intention of leaving this land until I graduate. Therefore, my stay will be for seven years."
"No, won't your older brother object to this?"
"If it's my father, who is often called incompetent, I can deceive him until I enroll in the military school. After that, since I'll already be enrolled, even my father won't be able to do anything about it."
Even if enrollment in the military school is canceled, it doesn't mean I can be sent to the academy. If the rules were that lenient, the country's laws would collapse.
"Besides, there are women among the soldiers, aren't there?"
"Female soldiers are only commoners. There are a few nobles, but they are younger sons of lower nobles who can't afford to send them to the academy. Celestia... there isn't a single noble son or daughter who has enrolled in a military school."
"...But if funding is the issue, what do the children of lower nobles do?"
"Noble children receive financial aid from the country, and commoners have a scholarship system in place."
I nod, learning about such a system for the first time, but I have no intention of changing my path just because no noble children have enrolled.
"...Listen, Celestia. Your hands will become rough, and your fair skin will quickly turn dark. Your limbs will grow muscular, and you won't be able to wear dresses anymore. What will you do about your debut as an adult? You'll be a laughingstock... but that face tells me you have no intention of giving up..."
I feel bad for Uncle Ruget, who hangs his head after failing to persuade me, but if I stay as I am, I'll end up a laughingstock anyway.
There's no guarantee that Lord Floyd will escort me at my debut at fifteen.
By that time, Mirabel will also have enrolled in the academy, and if her prophecy comes true again, I'll be in the pitiful position of an older sister whose fiancé was taken by her younger stepsister.
"Father, don't just stay silent, say something..."
"Celestia has always admired soldiers, hasn't she?"
"That's right. She started swinging a sword around saying she wanted to become a soldier in the future, which is why my sister-in-law Lumie hastened her lady's education..."
I don't remember much, but apparently, as a child, I admired Grandfather and played soldier with a wooden sword.
It seems Grandfather found it amusing and tried to train me, but my worried mother assigned me a notoriously strict teacher.
"She was worried about Celestia's future, who takes after Father so much..."
Both my father and Uncle Ruget have hair that's more gray than silver, and their eyes are only faintly red, not bright red.
So, as the only one in the family who strongly inherited Grandfather's traits, it seems I caused concern that I might end up like him in the future.
But...
"It was you, Grandfather, who called me a genius."
Reacting to those words, Grandfather, who had been silent all this time, finally opened his mouth.
"Even with talent, it means nothing without effort. Unlike the knights who guard the Royal Capital, soldiers face environments so harsh that even well-trained men call them grueling. But Celestia hasn't said she wants to become a soldier. She only wants to enroll in a military school, right?"
"Yes."
"Then, we should respect her wishes."
"Father!"
"Do you know where the military school is located?"
"It's in Taurus, the town built for Ransheen Fortress."
"Exactly. That's why you'll have many opportunities to witness life and death. We're not at war now, but small skirmishes are commonplace. During those times, students at the military school are considered soldier trainees and may be sent to the battlefield or assigned to guard the fortress. ...Are you prepared to get injured?"
I nod without hesitation at the final words asked in a low voice.
If I get injured and bear scars, it would be a fatal blow for a noblewoman.
That's probably why Grandfather wanted to confirm my resolve.
But unless something extreme happens, my engagement won't be broken, which is exactly why I'm haunted by anxiety about life after marriage.
Even married noblemen sometimes keep mistresses outside the home.
What if Lord Floyd can't let go of his feelings for Mirabel?
If a relationship like the one we have now during our engagement were to continue for decades, it might be happier for me to get injured and have the engagement annulled.
However, it irritates me to think that getting injured and breaking off the engagement would bring joy to those two.
"Enrolling in the military school is partly to avoid Mirabel's prophecy, but it also relates to my future. Grandmother once said that sometimes you have to physically discipline your husband. So, I need to be strong, don't I?"
"..."
"...Pfft."
I flash a bright smile at Grandfather, who has fallen silent again, and Uncle Ruget, who burst out laughing.
Even Grandmother, who was deeply in love with Grandfather, said discipline was necessary, so I'm certain a day will come when I'll need to do the same with Lord Floyd.
"...If you think it's impossible, give up and come back home."
"Yes."
Grandfather, shrugging his shoulders, stands up and extends his hand toward me.
"For the next three years until enrollment, I'll train you thoroughly. Welcome to the northern lands, Ransheen Fortress."
I also stand up and tightly grip Grandfather's hand.