Chapter 27
March 4th, Year 761 of the Continental Calendar
Sir Hamilton was, as usual, training in his private quarters.
Although he had been moved by Princess Muriela’s speech during her last outing, life here was just too dull.
Even if serving one’s true lord was considered a glorious position, there had to be something to do, right?
It wasn’t as though the princess went out every day, nor was there any conceivable threat within the royal palace.
If that were the case, why even recruit royal guards? Who would dare infiltrate the Solineum Royal Palace?
Especially the quarters of the queens and their children—it was practically a private aquarium under King Eldric’s complete control, where even access was strictly limited.
At best, he would occasionally visit his “prized fish,” currently the Fifth Queen.
Even those visits had grown infrequent, with the palace staff whispering that it was only a matter of time before a sixth queen was introduced.
Outsiders couldn’t enter through the main gates without the explicit approval of the protocol officer, and the walls were far too tall and steep for anyone to climb.
“It’s boring! So boring! A knight in his prime can’t even spar properly—what kind of torture is this?”
Sir Hamilton, the loyal(?) knight, was on the verge of an outburst.
“Ugh… Isn’t there anything to do? Should I go swing a sword around for a bit?”
Grabbing a wooden sword, he headed out to the garden to shake off his boredom.
There, his eyes caught sight of Princess Muriela holding a wooden sword slightly shorter than her own height and assuming a respectable stance.
“Princess Muriela?”
***
“Are you saying the princess is practicing swordsmanship?”
“Yes, Sir Hamilton. My brother Kaelen has been teaching me for a while now. I’ve also been practicing on my own every day.”
Oh, could this be my chance to witness her skills? What kind of evaluation would she receive?
The idea of the princess practicing swordsmanship intrigued Sir Hamilton. Watching her might be a decent way to pass the time.
In the garden, holding wooden swords, the two had completely different thoughts in mind.
“Shall I show you my practice routine?”
“May I observe your training, Princess?”
“Uh…”
“Pardon?”
Their words overlapped.
The first to recover from the awkward moment was Solinor, who had experienced far more awkward situations in his time.
“Well, then, I’ll go ahead and start.”
“Yes, please.”
Princess Muriela moved to the center of the garden and began demonstrating her sword techniques as Kaelen had taught her.
Sir Hamilton was stunned.
Could Prince Kaelen have an exceptional talent for teaching swordsmanship? Or was Princess Muriela one of those prodigies who only appear once in decades?
How could someone so young execute such deliberate, precise movements with an understanding of their purpose?
But as he continued to observe, a peculiar unease began to creep in.
Each movement carried purpose, but they were neither quick nor powerful.
Of course, she was an eight-year-old girl, so physical limitations had to be taken into account. Even so, something felt lacking—it was as though each motion, despite being practiced, was disjointed.
Her proficiency appeared high, yet she didn’t seem capable of subduing anyone.
Ah, she must be someone who practices diligently but lacks athletic talent. Sir Hamilton, having seen many such cases, couldn’t help but feel pity.
“Huff… huff… How did I do?”
Having completed the basic stances and the fundamental strikes derived from them, Princess Muriela looked at Sir Hamilton with sparkling eyes.
What would a proper knight say? She hoped for an honest assessment.
I know I don’t have a talent for swordsmanship. I need a cold, honest evaluation to avoid wasting time and quit quickly.
But how could he respond? She clearly practiced hard—he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.
This time, their thoughts diverged completely.
Cautiously, Sir Hamilton tried to gather more information.
“Princess, how long have you been learning swordsmanship?”
“About a month and a half, I think.”
“A month and a half…”
Hearing her response, Sir Hamilton’s heart grew heavier.
In such a short time, how much effort must she have poured into reaching this level of proficiency?
Although Solinor yearned for a candid evaluation, Sir Hamilton couldn’t bring himself to deliver it.
“…It’s truly impressive. At the point where I had been training for a month and a half, I couldn’t even imagine performing movements with such precision and purpose.”
At least it wasn’t a lie.
At first glance, it sounded like high praise.
Yet what Princess Muriela had achieved through great effort was something anyone could eventually reach with time.
Ultimately, what mattered was how strong one became upon reaching that level.
In other words, no matter how much Princess Muriela tried, she would never gain the strength of a knight—
Wait, why does a princess need to be as strong as a knight?
Sir Hamilton suddenly had a realization, and his mood improved dramatically.
‘Well, if it’s just a hobby, wouldn’t it be better to praise her and keep her in good spirits?’
“This is truly impressive. If the princess doesn’t mind, I’d like to join your practice sessions. I feel I could learn a lot from you.”
Watching her train would at least add some excitement to his otherwise dull days.
“Really? If a knight like Sir Hamilton is watching me, I couldn’t ask for more! Thank you so much!”
Solinor, ever straightforward, was genuinely overjoyed at Hamilton’s compliments.
As an amateur swordsman himself, Solinor thought Muriela lacked any natural talent for swordsmanship. Yet hearing praise from a professional knight made him think otherwise!
I almost wasted my granddaughter’s potential! If practicing with her is helpful even for a proper knight, how talented must Muriela truly be?
A prodigy in spirit magic, and now a genius in swordsmanship too.
As expected of my granddaughter!
And so, Solinor’s self-love—or rather, his love for his granddaughter—intensified.
“If that’s the case, I’ll demonstrate a few techniques and then we can try a light sparring session.”
“Really? Sparring with a knight? Wow, this is so exciting!”
Have I—or rather, has Muriela—already reached that level?
Of course, Hamilton had suggested it because he was itching to move his body, but Solinor completely misunderstood Muriela’s current skill level.
That Night, at Queen Irina’s Residence
In the dimly lit room, Queen Irina sat with her daughter Katrina, engaged in conversation.
“So, Katrina, how have you been lately?”
“Just the same.”
Katrina’s expression was bleak.
“Do you still get angry often?”
“Yes. Sometimes, I feel like ripping someone apart.”
Chilling words escaped her pale lips.
“Oh dear, that’s all because of Alfred and Kaelen. Those boys are tormenting you.”
“Yes, they show up in my dreams every night to harass me. If only they didn’t exist, I could be at peace…”
“Yes, but here’s what’s important: both of them need to disappear. If even one of them remains, it’ll mean nothing. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I know that if even one survives, my dreams will remain cursed.”
“Good. I’m glad you understand.”
“Mom, are you really happy about this?”
“Yes, I’m thrilled that you’re so clear about your goal. My sweet, good daughter.”
“Oh, I’m so happy too!”
For a brief moment, Katrina’s face lit up with joy before becoming sullen again.
“I know that, but last time, when Kaelen was bothering me, I couldn’t hold back. Oh, I should’ve dealt with Alfred and Kaelen together! Instead, I let my anger get the better of me when Kaelen was alone.”
“Yes, that was a mistake. And you can’t just lash out physically in a fit of rage. You’ve learned that now, haven’t you? So, what’s the best way to deal with them?”
“I don’t know…”
“It’s fine. I’ll guide you from now on.”
Queen Irina pulled the sobbing Katrina into her arms and comforted her.
After sending Katrina back to her room, Irina fell into deep thought.
How could she use Katrina to eliminate both Alfred and Kaelen at once?
Better yet, if Katrina herself could be dealt with afterward, there would be nothing left to stand in her way.
If King Eldric’s eldest and second sons vanished simultaneously, her son, the third prince Brandon, could ascend to the throne.
Of course, the king’s direct guards and attendants couldn’t be trusted.
Poison or assassination tools were hard to obtain within the palace and even harder to use.
The security system painstakingly designed by Solinor’s old companions shone here—a tremendous obstacle to Queen Irina’s ambitions.
She had one useful card: Katrina, a princess with relatively free access to the princes.
However, Katrina, frail as she was, could never physically overpower both princes at once.
Years of brainwashing had made Katrina highly suggestible, but her unstable emotions made her unpredictable.
Her outburst at Kaelen last year, where she clawed his face, had already caused an incident.
Since then, Katrina had been confined to her quarters, but keeping her there indefinitely was driving her to madness.
That was why Irina had recently allowed her some freedom to go out.
Fortunately, Katrina’s reputation as “crazy” meant that most of her actions were excused with an “Oh, it’s just Katrina being Katrina.”
Still, time wasn’t unlimited.
Irina needed to come up with a plan to eliminate the princes as soon as possible.
Lost in thought, Queen Irina sat alone as the night turned toward morning.
—
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