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97th Chapter

“So you want the newly proposed land tax law to be slightly modified?”

“Yes. The law itself is intended for the tenant farmers, but there are plenty of loopholes for the lords to exploit.”

To cut to the chase, my conversation with Helios was quite enjoyable. Contrary to my expectation of an awkward dialogue, Helios was adept at leading the conversation, and our thoughts aligned remarkably well.

‘I thought this would be a chore, but it’s actually quite fun.’

While chatting with Helios, I unconsciously found myself smiling as I observed him, who also seemed genuinely thrilled to be conversing with me.

“Yes. I truly enjoyed my conversation with my lady.”

“I’m honored to have entertained Your Majesty.”

As the clock approached four, it meant it was time to part ways with Helios. After exchanging brief farewells and preparing to leave, I suddenly looked back at him.

“If you don’t mind, may I ask you one thing?”

“Um? What is it?”

‘Okay, I understand you want me as a companion. It seems you feel the need to evaluate me. But…’

“Why did you choose me as the swordsmanship instructor for His Highness the Second Prince?”

This was the issue at hand.

The selection of a prince’s instructor was done with strict scrutiny. Only those with unwavering trust that they would not harm the prince and who possessed considerable virtue, knowledge, and dignity could become such instructors.

‘There must have been significant opposition to selecting me as an instructor… Why did he go out of his way to make me Serenon’s mentor?’

I couldn’t understand it. Helios, who had squinted slightly, let out a chuckle and said, “I didn’t do that.”

“Huh?”

I widened my eyes in surprise at the unexpected response. He looked at me with an amused glint in his eyes, his chin resting on his palm.

“That was directly requested by Serenon. There was some internal opposition, but he insisted.”

‘Serenon? Directly?’

I had assumed it was some trick of Helios, but the fact that Serenon personally requested it left me utterly baffled. I rolled my eyes, wondering what reason Serenon might have for wanting me as his instructor.

“If you’re curious about the reason, you could just ask Serenon. I tried, but he wouldn’t give me a straight answer, so I’m not sure myself. Maybe he would answer you if you asked directly.”

‘Hmm…’

Despite being puzzled by the unexpected situation, I found it intriguing. I did wonder if Serenon had picked up on something, but the thought of it being entertaining prevailed.

“Understood. Thank you for your answer. I shall take my leave now.”

“Very well. Do as you wish.”

After receiving Helios’s permission, I pulled my chair back and stood up. I bowed slightly and turned to leave when Helios’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Oh, and Kashmir. I think youthful romance should be fiery.”

I stared at him blankly, trying to process his sudden statement, and he grinned like a troublemaker.

“I wouldn’t mind if you dated both of my sons at once.”

Helios was truly a madman.

Following the guide of the attendant, I headed to a spacious area outside the palace. My gaze was drawn to someone standing slightly away.

A figure with hair so light it was almost white, fluttering in the wind like a foggy pale lavender. It looked like they had just finished a training session, and droplets of sweat were rolling down from their hair. The cloudy eyes, gazing aimlessly at the sky, slowly turned toward me.

‘Serenon.’

The Second Prince, Serenon Solatene.

“I greet Your Highness the Second Prince. I am Kashmir Crisis.”

“Ah, you’ve come, my lady.”

I bowed respectfully. A gentle smile blossomed on his previously expressionless face.

“I greatly appreciate you complying with my sudden request.”

“It’s nothing. I’m fine, but… I’m concerned if Your Highness is okay with this.”

“What do you mean?”

Serenon’s brow twitched. I exhaled lightly for a moment.

‘As for me, I could care less about marriage or the social circle, but… being a prince, it wouldn’t be beneficial for Serenon to be rumored to be meeting regularly with a girl of marrying age.’

Relationships aren’t always romantic just because they exist, and just because they meet regularly doesn’t mean they’re lovers—there are far too many people who seem unaware of this reality.

‘By that logic, I must have about ten boyfriends at this point.’

I clicked my tongue inwardly and stared at Serenon.

“First of all, I am younger than you. Moreover, you do not accurately know my swordsmanship skills. And more importantly…”

I hesitated for a moment before blurting out, “There has never been a woman who has acted as a swordsmanship master for a male prince. You know that, don’t you?”

In the history of the Empire, no woman had ever taken on the role of a male prince’s instructor. This would mark me as the first.

With all firsts come countless challenges. I could not fathom how Serenon managed to advocate for me as his mentor.

While I was deep in thought, Serenon stared at me before suddenly laughing. He shrugged.

“Well, I don’t quite see what the problem is. Age does not dictate sword skill, and while I do not know your precise swordsmanship level, I do know about your mana control abilities.”

“…Mana control abilities?”

“Weren’t you the one who created a barrier to prevent the basilisk from sensing us when we encountered it?”

‘Damn it. Did he notice?’

I had hoped he would think it was created by Reiner or Alexandros, but it seemed that Serenon had a better grasp of mana flow than I expected.

“Unless you have exceptional mana control, it would be impossible to hide our presence from a giant monster. Plus, the fact that you survived without significant injuries after sending me away proves your skill.”

While I thought Serenon wasn’t a fool, hearing it articulated directly felt rather strange. I momentarily averted my gaze and looked back at him.

“Then, you believe that being a woman poses no issue? You’ll likely find yourself caught up in some gossip.”

Though times have improved, it was still not common for women to teach men in the Empire. While not legally prohibited, societal norms certainly were. As I observed Serenon with scrutinizing eyes, he blinked and grinned.

“Does the sword care about gender? Whether you’re a woman or a man, it does not concern me in the slightest. As for the gossip… I welcome it myself.”

‘… Welcome it?’

His last remark sounded a bit odd. Those noisy rumors would surely affect his claim to the throne negatively; yet, he showed no remorse and appeared to welcome such attention.

‘What a peculiar person.’

I slowly nodded, thinking it might have been the right choice to become his mentor. I needed to understand him better.

While contemplating with my gaze directed downward, I slowly lifted my eyes.

“Still, I don’t understand, Your Highness. I do not deny my swordsmanship skill, but I’m not adept at teaching. Plus, even if you’ve predicted my skills, you haven’t seen me wield a sword, have you? You must have had plenty of other candidates for an instructor… Why choose me?”

There would be many consequences to making me your swordsmanship instructor. I could not fathom why he would choose me despite all that.

“… You’re not going to let this slide, are you?”

“You know it’s not something that can just be brushed aside.”

At my firm attitude, Serenon sighed. It seemed he had hoped to gloss over this issue, but I was not inclined to let it go.

As I stared at him with sharp eyes, he raised both hands in surrender.

“Alright, I’ll be honest.”

His cloudy, sky-colored eyes locked onto mine with an intense glare.

“My mother has wished for you to be involved with me in some way. I devised this plan to make a connection with you at her request.”

Serenon’s mother was the current Empress, Tina Cypros.

‘Tina Cypros, me?’

I blinked in surprise. Tina was an empress who wielded immense power. Understanding her involvement made it clear how this process had unfolded so swiftly and easily. She wielded influence second only to the Emperor within the palace.

‘But… until now, Tina Cypros had no contact with me…’

In the original story, she was a character who went to extreme lengths to make Serenon the Emperor. A ruthless and heartless individual solely focused on that goal, which is why she was labeled as a villainess in the original.

‘Why would such a person take an interest in me?’

I had a rough idea but no certainty and found myself troubled with questions when Serenon scratched his head, disrupting my thoughts.

“I’m sorry to involve a young lady in such matters. I feel quite guilty toward my brother… While I had to involve you in this by my mother’s command, I do hold personal interest in you as well.”

A keen glint shone in his eyes.

“How in the world did you manage to survive against a basilisk?”

Rumors about me were still buzzing throughout the social circle. The question of how I had survived was a frequent topic of gossip. For Serenon, who had faced the basilisk at my command and confirmed I was unharmed, it was only natural he’d be curious.

“So, I’ve tried to establish a connection with you in this manner. Since you didn’t refuse, it seems you also wish to learn more about me, don’t you?”

‘Sharp as ever,’

Serenon was perceptive, no doubt.

‘Diego may be the model ruler, but Serenon is surprisingly shrewd.’

A moon overshadowed by the sun. That’s how people described him.

“…Indeed.”

“Then we can be of mutual benefit to each other. Let’s not overthink this.”

Serenon smiled smoothly.

‘So, he has no ill intentions toward me.’

While I found it suspect, I couldn’t sense any malice.

‘First things first… I have to conduct swordsmanship lessons.’

Now that I had come this far, I couldn’t back down, especially since I was meant to be his swordsmanship teacher.

“…Alright then. Let’s give it a shot.”

I drew my sword from its sheath at my waist. With a swift motion, the sharp blade came into view.

“First, I’ll need to assess Your Highness’s abilities. After judging your skills, I’ll create a lesson plan by next week. A light spar would be alright, wouldn’t it?”

“Of course. But… are you sure you won’t wear any protective gear?”

Usually, during sparring with real swords, it was common practice to wear protective gear. Serenon seemed to have trained beforehand and was equipped with protective gear embedded with mana stones, while I was simply dressed in a lightweight shirt and jacket.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine.”

With that, I lightly tossed my jacket onto the nearby table. Even when hunting monsters, I always disliked the feeling of being weighed down and chose not to wear protective gear at all.

“I’m confident I won’t get hurt.”

I flashed a confident smile. Serenon, blinking in surprise, burst into laughter.

“Alright! I see you’re quite confident. In that case, I won’t press you further. I expect a serious match from you, though.”

He drew his own sword.

“I must also gauge my instructor’s abilities.”

Serenon grinned cheekily.

‘If I give it my all, you might die…’

I held back those words as I looked straight at him.

‘I’ll just not use my aura to keep things fair.’

What I was hiding was the fact that I was Mir, not that I was strong. As long as I didn’t let my aura reveal itself, I could fight as fiercely as I wished with a sword that symbolized Mir.

‘This should be fun.’

Having been quite busy of late, I started training alone as well. It had been a while since I faced a real opponent in practice. Without realizing it, a faint smile appeared on my face as I positioned my sword forward.

About two meters apart, our gazes met. His usually friendly expression transformed into one of seriousness, and in response, I returned a polite smile.

“Then, let’s begin.”

The blades sparkled under the sunlight. A gentle spring breeze surrounded us.

Clang!

Underneath it all, our swords clashed.

 

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