Chapter 16
"In our country, the appropriate age for marriage is between fifteen and twenty. The heir is often engaged from a young age, but others usually find a partner before their debut, considering family status and social ties, right?"
"That's right."
"At the spring banquets and tea parties hosted by my mother, many people with impeccable status, pedigree, and dowries gather. Since I'm likely to marry a noble daughter from a foreign royal family or a political rival, it's fine for me, but my younger siblings are fed up with those who blatantly approach them."
"It's preferable for the Second Prince to marry a domestic noble, but isn't the First Princess expected to marry into another country?"
"There are no royals of a similar age in our allied nations...!"
"However, if it's within the country, then it would be a marriage into the groom's family, so the family must be of significantly high status. Among the high-ranking nobles, I believe there were quite a few sons around the same age as the First Princess."
"That's precisely why the tea parties have become unbearable in recent years...! Even selecting candidates for my close aides is proving difficult...!"
"Ah, so even after learning you weren't a commoner, they remained wary. You don't know who the target is, but someone followed you all the way here?"
"Shamefully, I think I was being overly self-conscious... ha! By the way, Celes, why are you so composed... I'm going to take a break..."
As I glanced at His Highness, who lowered the dummy sword he had been swinging and sat down on the ground, I continued swinging my sword with both hands.
Most of the swords used in the military weigh between 1.1 and 1.4 kilograms, and the dummy weapons are made to the same weight.
However, Rick said the dummy swords he prepared for us were custom-made—same length and width, but half the weight of the real ones.
When one reaches the age to graduate military school and join the army, training focuses on enhancing strength and technique over long periods. But for bodies not yet fully developed, repetitive complex movements are better to avoid hindering growth or causing injury.
Normally used one-handed, the sword is held with both hands and swung repeatedly to ensure the blade is kept straight.
I thought it was just about swinging it up, down, left, and right, but I was surprised by how precise the movements needed to be.
"It often ends up spinning in your hands and just looks like you're hitting something," Rick also said, and I figured I'd eventually need to train my grip strength too... So I decided to take a break to rest my tingling arms and hands.
"Here, a towel. I can't lift my arms anymore, but you still look fine, Celes."
"Not really. I just have confidence in my stamina, that's all."
"You've been training here for a year and a half, so you probably have more stamina than me. And getting instruction from the Marshal? I'm jealous."
"Instruction... All I remember is Grandfather pouring water on me."
"Water? Why?"
"It'd be a nuisance if someone was collapsed nearby, right? If you splash water on someone who's unconscious, they'll wake up."
"Ah... so that's why, water..."
Was he imagining it? With an awkward smile, His Highness muttered, "Yeah, uh, water...?"—it seems he hasn't experienced that baptism yet.
"Still... you seem to be training quite seriously. Is there a reason?"
A reason... a reason, huh.
I have no intention of spreading what happened with Mirabel to someone who isn't family.
I strayed a bit from the path, but there's no rule saying I can't enroll in military school, and being a military noble, it's nothing to be ashamed of.
"...Ah—"
Maybe it's best to just dodge the question.
But... there's no crime like lying to royalty, right?
If I get glared at by royalty, I'll be seeing them for nearly two more years anyway—so maybe it's better to just be honest.
"I have less stamina and mental strength than the commoner kids. There's only a year and a half left, but I'm just doing my best not to fall behind since enrolling."
"...I can understand the mental part. But Celes, you're not taking the Knight Course, so what do you need stamina for... dance?"
"Ah, not at the academy—I plan to enroll in military school."
Dance does require stamina too... I nodded, but still corrected the misunderstanding.
I wondered if His Highness was training here to prepare for the required Knight Course? While sipping water, I turned to look at him, but quickly covered my mouth and swallowed the water in a hurry.
"...Military school?"
His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open—his face looked so dumb, I almost spit out my water.
"Um, I'm inheriting a peerage... so, well, I'm a military noble."
"Still, I've never heard of a Count family's daughter entering military school..."
I've given up being a daughter... or I'm the first one... I didn't say any of that and just replied, "That's right."
"If possible, I'd like you not to tell anyone else."
It's the same everywhere—rumors get distorted as they spread, with details added that weren't there at the start.
If the source is His Highness, the rumor will spread endlessly. If it reaches Father, that's one thing—but if it becomes a bad rumor, it could trouble not just my family but also my fiancé, Lord Floyd.
"Yeah, it's fine. I don't have anyone I'm especially close with, and I'm keeping my presence here a secret."
"In that case, it's a mutual secret."
"Yeah, a secret, huh..."
"Also, I'm the heir and engaged, so there's nothing to worry about on that front."
"...I see. That's true!"
It's important to let him know—I'm harmless! I won't be lurking around His Highness or the Second Prince!
As Rudo smiled happily, saying he'd prefer to be called by name like Rick, I shrugged and continued talking endlessly about the kinds of training and drills we were doing.
A few days after we gained more training companions, very late at night when everyone was fast asleep...
An alarm rang out within Ransheen Fortress.