Chapter 3

Chapter 3

ALL RIGHT! What about this, Lucius?!”

Something sliced through the air in concert with Sven’s shout. Dressed as a boy, Rishe clapped, her eyes sparkling. Sven’s sword drew beautiful lines in the air.

“That’s amazing, Sven! Your form was perfect just now!” Rishe was always excited to watch people improve.

Sven’s face lit up at her praise before he schooled his expression and straightened up. “It’s only natural for me, really… Heh.”

He swung again and again, tracing the same lines he’d drawn before. Repetition was one of the best ways to learn—she was happy to see him being so proactive about it.

Rishe put her own wooden sword down, gauging the hour from the position of the sun. “It’s about that time—let’s take a break and then clean the training grounds.”

“Hmph, I won’t let you clean better than me either. I’m gonna go drink some water first.”

Rishe watched Sven head toward the well. She spun around. “Hey, Fritz. In that sparring match, you—”

“Wagh!” Fritz, who was doing practice swings behind her, dropped his sword.

“Sorry! You were concentrating, huh?”

“Oh, n-no, not really! Er, I mean, yeah! I was!”

Fritz reached for his sword, fingers brushing against Rishe’s as they went for it at the same time. They only touched for a split second, but Fritz yelped and leaped back like he’d been electrocuted.

“Huh, did I shock you? That’s strange… It shouldn’t be dry enough in this season for static electricity.”

“No, Lu! Why are your fingers so slender and dainty?!”

“M-my fingers?!” Rishe jumped, remembering a time in her knightly life when someone had found out she was a woman from her build. She smiled to cover up her reaction as best as she could. “Mine are normal, don’t you think? You two train a lot, so yours are probably sturdier than most people’s.”

“R-right… Yours are normal… They’re normal…”

She found herself worrying about Fritz again as he muttered to himself. He’d said he hadn’t slept well the day before; maybe he really was feeling under the weather.

“D-don’t worry about me. What about you, Lu? Are you okay?”

“Hmm? I’m fine. My muscles are a lot less sore than before.”

“That’s good—though you do seem kind of down. Normally, you never let training get to you, no matter how tough it is, but you were hanging your head and sighing earlier. I was just a little concerned.”

Rishe was surprised that Fritz had been paying so much attention to her. He really does have the makings of a knight. He keeps a watchful eye on everything around him, and he looks out for others even during his own training. That’s not easy. Knights like this tended to be suited to leadership positions.

Basking in her renewed appreciation for Fritz, she apologized for worrying him. “I’m sorry. I’ve just had a lot on my mind.”

“I get it. I won’t ask you what it is you’re worried about, but let me know if there’s anything I can do. Sometimes just talking about something can help.”

“Thanks, Fritz.”

“Don’t mention it. You should sit and rest for a bit longer. Want me to get you some water?”

“No, I’m fine,” Rishe said. “Watch your own hydration levels, though.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ll be right back.”

Rishe waved to Fritz as he headed to the well, then slowly sank onto the bench. There’s no way I can tell him my worries.

She couldn’t say she needed to change the future and prevent a war from breaking out several years from now, nor could she explain her current task of improving Galkhein’s relations with Coyolles. How would Fritz react to, “Hey, how would you put two countries on an equal bargaining footing?”

Moreover, Rishe hadn’t spoken to Arnold since she’d overheard his conversation on the balcony last night. Well, they’d talked, but not about anything significant. Under scrutiny of the party guests and their own guards, she couldn’t mention important matters. Even if they had been alone together, she would’ve been at a loss over how to bring up his discussion with Kyle.

I wonder if last night’s events happened in my other lives too. She could barely sleep after witnessing it. Rishe hugged her knees, resting her forehead on top of them, and thought. Prince Kyle’s pretext for coming to this country was to celebrate my engagement to Prince Arnold. That makes me think this might be the first time.

And even if the princes’ conversation had occurred in her past lives, Galkhein and Coyolles had never been allies. In other words, the talks never went well. She really couldn’t let this opportunity pass by.

As her thoughts went in circles, she was approached by a presence she recognized.

“Alcott. You’re early.”

“Lord Lawvine!” Rishe’s guard went up at the sight of him; he shot her an odd look as he entered the training grounds. She didn’t think she’d been that obvious, so he really was observant. She couldn’t very well say, “I spent all last night fleeing from your presence—this was just reflex!”

“I heard Fritz Knowland yelling, so I came to see if there was trouble. Are you not feeling well?”

“I was just resting!” Rishe hurriedly brushed the dust from her clothes. “I was brooding over something pretty pathetic, and the guilt really got to me. I couldn’t help my knee-jerk reaction when I saw you.” She was trying to play off her suspicious behavior, though it wasn’t even a lie.

“Something pathetic, you say?”

Rishe hesitated for a moment, then said, “When we cadets become knights, and we end up going to war, then…they’d all have to fight in that war, wouldn’t they?”

“I suppose they would.”

“I was thinking how everyone here might have a dangerous future in store for them…and that kind of scared me.”

In truth, she’d been thinking that for some time now. In her life as a knight, Galkhein was the enemy. Their knights were truly powerful and a terrible threat on the battlefield, but it wasn’t as if none of them ever died. Looking at Fritz and the other cadets, she wanted them to achieve their dreams. But at the rate things were going, those dreams would lead them to war.

“My son lost his life in the last war,” Lawvine said with a soft smile. “As much as I would like to praise him for fighting with pride and meeting an honorable end, I deeply wish he were still alive.”

“Oh, Lord Lawvine…” Rishe could say nothing more, so Lawvine continued.

“I want the young people of today to grow up strong. I want their futures to be full of hope. I long for it, having lost my own son.” His voice was kind but forlorn. Rishe realized for the first time why he watched over the trainees with such sympathy in his eyes. “War steals people’s futures. To conquer that fear, you have to stand against it.”

“Stand against it how?”

“You must not deny your hopes or your emotions. Rather, let them be the fuel that drives you forward. Find your mission and complete it.”

Rishe considered his words. My hopes…and my mission.

Rishe had been a knight herself once. She had a lord she respected, and she’d sworn to protect him and his family. Even now, she didn’t regret giving up her life for them. At the same time, she balked at the thought of those she treasured being in danger. She didn’t want to watch her comrades lose their lives the way she had.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Well, it appears there’s nothing to worry about here, so I’ll be on my way. See you later.” With that, Lawvine dipped his head politely and left the training grounds.

Watching him go, she thought, I want to be free. I don’t want to die. For this, I need to stop the war. And I don’t want Coyolles to be destroyed either. But that’s not all…

She squatted down again and squeezed her eyes shut, digging deep. Right now, Galkhein’s military might is feared the world over. Because of its overwhelming power, it has no favorable equal relationships with other countries.

Before, Rishe assumed it was Arnold’s father—the emperor—who ruled with such warlike ferocity, but last night Arnold had said he and the emperor were of the same mind. Rishe recalled Arnold’s words and self-deprecating tone. He said, “I’d rather conquer a country than ally myself with one.” Does he really believe that? It had been a month and a half since she’d come to Galkhein. Having observed Arnold from up close, she just couldn’t see it.

If Prince Arnold thinks of himself that way… She slowly opened her eyes. I need to tell him it’s not true. He might not even realize. And she couldn’t just say it—she needed to make him see it for himself.

There must be countries that Galkhein didn’t annex, that they don’t yet have hostile relationships with. If it wasn’t just Coyolles, but many others—maybe Prince Arnold’s future actions would change as well.

Rishe slowly stood up. She took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks, then looked ahead. I have to think hard and charge forward to bring my hopes to fruition! Time’s going to keep moving. Nothing will change if I don’t act!

While she gave herself a pep talk, Sven and Fritz returned from their water break.

“Sorry that took so long, Lu. Huh? You look like you’re doing better.”

“Yeah. I realized I just needed to think, and there’s no point in worrying.”

When training was over, she would plan her next moves. As Fritz had said, her head was clearer, and she felt much better.

“Observing your training today is the very lord you will serve with your lives: the crown prince of this nation.”

After training began, the sight of the man before them sent a great stir through the knight cadets. They all knew they shouldn’t get too excited, but they couldn’t help themselves. Fritz, who was standing next to Rishe, was so surprised by the guest appearance that he almost toppled over.

Rishe alone was trying desperately to keep the grimace off her face. She yearned to clutch her head in her hands. Lawvine went on with his introduction, oblivious to her plight.

“His Highness, Arnold Hein!”

Right in front of Rishe, the man with the most beautiful eyes in the world glowered down at her.