Chapter 11
Continental Year 761, January 22nd (Friday).
The first day Kaelen came to teach swordsmanship to Muriela.
The princess couldn’t hide her excitement from the morning.
Her movements during her morning exercises were a bit more energetic.
It had been about two weeks since Solinor began serving as Muriela’s ghost trainer, and Muriela’s physical abilities had improved astonishingly! …Or not.
Naturally, someone who had never exercised before couldn’t become strong overnight, no matter how hard they tried.
It was fortunate she didn’t overexert herself and get hurt. The training had to be adjusted in terms of volume and intensity to prevent harm, which slowed down her progress.
Of course, considering the initial state of the princess, it was indeed a significant improvement.
Muriela had once been so weak that simply walking around her room made her feel fatigued. Now, she could walk around the garden for an hour without issue—a monumental improvement.
Though she still hadn’t achieved a single sit-up or push-up.
Solinor was no fool.
He didn’t expect her to be swinging a sword with mastery on her first day of swordsmanship class. Having already pushed his body to its limits in his past life, he knew well the power of consistent effort.
As promised, Kaelen arrived at Muriela’s quarters in the early afternoon. Muriela and Kaelen went straight to the garden.
“Brother, do I hold the wooden sword like this?”
Muriela had become comfortable using titles like “brother” or “sister,” no longer stumbling over them. This was progress, too!
“Yes, that’s pretty good for your first try.”
“It’s just that I saw you doing it before and copied you.”
In reality, the years Solinor had spent wielding a sword were longer than Kaelen’s entire life.
“You copied it so accurately after seeing it once? That’s impressive.”
“Wow, how are you so good?”
“Amazing! Your moves have precision!”
Solinor continued to use his past-life knowledge to pull off feats, leading Kaelen to mistakenly believe Muriela had a great talent for swordsmanship. However, Muriela’s stamina was still lacking, and even practicing with a lightweight wooden sword for children quickly tired her out.
“Muriela, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure it’s your first time? You picked up the stance and moves really quickly.”
“Yes, it’s my first time.”
In this life, at least.
It wasn’t technically a lie.
After practice, they sat at a table set up in the garden to rest. Bianca soon arrived with refreshments.
“Prince Kaelen, Princess Muriela. You both worked hard. Here’s a salad prepared by the head chef for you.”
“Thank you, Bianca. Please thank the chef too!”
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
It was a simple salad topped with fruit, nuts, and yogurt. The two enjoyed a sweet and tangy break for a moment.
“Oh, by the way, Muriela. I think I’ll be able to visit more often from now on. I’ll also be able to join you and Kasper for more meals, like before.”
“Really? That sounds great! Did something change?”
“Since a few days ago, Alfred has been less annoyed about me visiting you all. Just today, he asked if I was going to see my half-siblings again, and when I said yes, he just told me to go and come back safely!”
In reality, Alfred had referred to them as “those commoners,” but Kaelen had softened it to “half-siblings.” Polite speech, refined speech.
“What did he used to do before?”
“Well, he’d tell me not to play with kids like you or threaten to tell Mother. It was a hassle to sneak out.”
Kaelen thought he had been sneaking out, but the reality was a bit different.
He had visited his half-siblings more than a few times by now, and it was impossible not to get caught sometimes.
The servants, who wanted no part in the queens’ feuds, turned a blind eye knowingly.
“Why was it like that before? Brother, do you know why the queens don’t get along?”
“Well, I’m not sure. I just grew up knowing my mother was a queen and was taught not to play with the children of the other queens. I don’t really know the reason.”
“But you still play with us, don’t you?”
“It doesn’t make sense not to play with your siblings for no reason, even if Mother says so.”
‘Oh, look at this kid. How wise for his age.’
Solinor’s opinion of Kaelen kept reaching new heights. Betting everything on the ‘Kaelen Corporation’ wouldn’t be a loss, would it?
Anyway, after a while, they wrapped up and Kaelen left Muriela’s quarters after scheduling the next practice session.
That evening, Solinor lay in bed, deep in thought.
‘Why do the queens fight, anyway?’
Of course, disputes within royal families were common in history. Many nations had crumbled due to issues involving powerful families.
‘But Queen Elodia seemed so gentle. She even had a positive attitude toward Kaelen, who was another queen’s child.’
He pondered how to gather information about the power dynamics within the royal family. This was, in fact, something he could have asked Bianca, but Solinor didn’t know that.
Within the royal palace, it was an open secret among the servants that the queens were at odds with one another.
However, unlike other countries, only the king had the authority to appoint or discipline them.
As a result, the queens did not wield significant influence over the servants.
King Eldric, for his part, showed no interest in the conflicts between the queens. In other words, he never sided with anyone.
Therefore, the servants and maids would respond appropriately to each queen, maintaining the atmosphere without actually involving themselves in the disputes. They had no intention of joining conflicts or displaying excessive loyalty without any direct benefit.
There was also no notable animosity among the servants serving different queens.
This system, established through careful deliberation by ministers in the early days of the kingdom, had fortunately persisted without significant changes.
Of course, if King Eldric had been like the rulers of other nations and married daughters of influential local lords or high-ranking officials, creating powerful familial alliances, this system would have changed quickly.
However, Silbrenoa’s relatively short history meant there were few such power blocs.
Most notably, the second king, Eldric, fortunately (or unfortunately) had a singular preference for young, well-endowed women. He would ignore the advice of ministers and lords, touring the country whenever he desired a new woman and bringing her back to the palace.
As a result, none of the five queens were from noble families, causing the king to lose much of the aristocracy’s support.
The first and second queens were foolish women, filled with ambition to wield real power through their children.
The third queen, after her passionate love with Eldric cooled, lived simply, wishing only for her children’s happiness.
The fourth queen had died giving birth to Muriela and had no chance to build any influence.
The fifth queen, who was currently pregnant and had entered the palace three years ago, was now the king’s favorite.
***
Continental Year 761, January 26th (Tuesday).
It was Muriela’s long-awaited birthday.
The birthday gifts Muriela had received so far were mostly dolls and fairy tale books, which were neatly displayed in a corner of her room.
Muriela had always been indifferent to everything and showed no enthusiasm regardless of what she was given.
So, no one paid much attention to what kind of gift they brought. They only felt pity for her and made sure to take good care of her.
However, this time, it was the first birthday where everyone had to seriously think about what to give Muriela.
Muriela’s garden was the smallest in the palace, so it became packed as more people gathered.
“Is it too cramped? I’m sorry, everyone. Queen Elodia, I’m sorry as well.”
Solinor felt embarrassed, but no one minded.
“No, Muriela. A crowded party venue has its own charm.”
Queen Elodia, who had once held parties in barns as a country girl, found this to be nothing at all.
The head chef had poured both his effort and the leftover food budget, which had been barely used by Princess Muriela, into preparing today’s dishes.
The royals enjoyed their time with the chef’s heartfelt dishes of chicken, duck, and pork, along with fruit and nut pies.
Soon, it was time for the highlight of the birthday party: the gift-giving.
Kasper brought a set of chocolate candies.
“Muriela! Here, take this. It’s a set of candies that I think are the tastiest!”
“Kasper! Thank you! I’ll enjoy them!”
Solinor thought to himself that snacking wasn’t healthy, but he figured this much was fine. As soon as Muriela unwrapped one and put it in her mouth, it tasted just as Kasper said—meltingly delicious.
Adeline brought a book of poems with a cute cover.
“It’s a poetry book that I like! You should definitely read it, Muriela!”
“Thank you, Adeline!”
‘I’m not fond of poetry, but this should be fine.’
In truth, perhaps overthinking gifts was pointless. What mattered was the thought behind them.
Kaelen brought a wooden sword.
“Muriela, you practiced with mine before, but from now on, let’s practice with your own. It’ll be more fun that way.”
“Thank you, Kaelen!”
Surprised by this, Kasper exclaimed,
“What? Muriela, you’re learning swordsmanship from Kaelen? That’s so cool! I want to learn too!”
“You can start when you turn eight. Just wait a bit longer.”
“That’s not fair! That’s too long.”
Kasper pouted and grumbled, but the queen soothed him by patting his head.
Finally, it was Queen Elodia’s turn to present her gift.
“Muriela, this is a necklace your mother once gave me. When Reana died giving birth to you, I held this and cried so much. Now that you’re healthy, I want to return it to you.”
‘Ah! So that’s what happened to Muriela’s mother.’
Solinor was pleased to learn an important piece of information but tried to respond smoothly.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
He failed, though.
“It was originally your mother’s, so it’s only right. Go ahead and try it on.”
Muriela put on the simple round gemstone necklace and stood in the center of the garden.
The gathered crowd applauded, and Queen Elodia watched with quiet tears.
—
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