“Your legs are too low. Again.”

“Y-Yes, Instructor!”

I shifted my balance, readjusting the way I held my posture and how I weighed my foot. But, as expected, mimicking something I hadn’t seen perfected before was difficult, especially as Feyt.

“Where’s your usual composure, Feyt? Don’t tell me you’re giving up already.”

“N-No, Instructor!!”

I wasn’t sweating and nervous because I was tired. Today had all been about stance and movement, nothing too intensive. I was actually tense because every single misstep meant I had to redo the entire routine from the start.

It had been almost an hour at this point. Repeating this charade over and over again was starting to grate on my mind. 

In the distance, I could already hear the students saying their goodbyes to Father, their lessons pretty much over for the day. If I didn’t finish this fast, I might miss my lunch break.

Just move right, damn you!

This was my daily training. Ever since Mother started to train me personally, I have been given a strict schedule. Father had a hand in what kind of training I had to endure, and this was one of them. Though I believe the “starting over” part was Mother’s own design.

I adjusted to the stance I had practiced over and over and began slowly but smoothly tracing the movements of the various techniques I learned from the Sareid sword style. It was almost like a ceremonial dance for no one but Mother.

“Keep it up,” Mother said whilst circling around me, a wooden sword in hand.

If she didn’t stop me, that meant I was doing good. Just had to keep it up. I slammed my foot down to perform a downward swing, followed by a snappy jump back and then a thrust. Though my gaze remained still, I wanted to look at Mother so badly because this is the part where I kept messing up.

No comment, good… Let’s keep going—

“—You jumped too far. At that range, they could slit your throat with a stick. Again.”

Well shit.

…

Almost half an hour had passed by the time I finished my final movement. I didn’t even realize it was over. I only noticed because Mother didn’t say anything, and for a few seconds, there was only my breath and hers. I stood there, frozen in place, waiting for her to correct something, but she didn’t.

She stepped closer and tapped the tip of her sword on the floorboards.

“Good enough.”

I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I hadn’t even realized my knees were aching until that moment. Still, I kept my composure and tried my best to keep my emotions on the down low.

As I turned to face her, I noticed her gaze fixated on something underneath my neck. My eyes widened a bit, but I kept it quiet.

After a scoff, Mother turned to leave, already halfway to the door when she added without looking back, “Clean up the hall before you go.”

“Yes, Instructor!” I said, bowing perfectly even though she wasn’t looking.

I kept my bow low until the doors closed with a click. But then, something slipped out of my armor. A red colored gem floated in front of my eyes before I finally straightened myself.

It was a necklace.

I carefully tuck it back inside my clothes, trying my best to hide it from view. Still, Mother noticed that I was still wearing it. Heck, she noticed that Carine was still wearing it.

She wasn’t as reactive as she was when she noticed the first time… She mostly tolerated it now, I think. At least that was what I was hoping for. But despite what her reaction might be, I wanted to be safe with this necklace. 

Even now, I needed every advantage I could get, especially after learning so much more about myselves.

But that was a story for another time. I had something else I needed to do—More specifically, a lecture to listen to.

—

“—And that’s how Setus and Ortensia established their trade route agreement,” the old man finished, tapping his wooden stick against the blackboard for emphasis. Particles of chalk fell onto the wooden floor of the small study room.

I nodded my head and scribbled everything I gathered into my notes. Though with how focused I was on Mother’s training as Feyt, I admittedly didn’t hear much. Still, he wrote quite a lot on the board, so I got the general gist of things.

Setus helped with Ortensia’s monster problem…

They realized a good route was there… or something like that.

Despite the absolute nonsense I was repeating in my mind, I still made sure to write things “elegantly” in my book, in case Mother ever decided to go through it for reasons.

My schedule as Carine had been… “relaxed” a little bit. I was given days off more often, and now I actually have free time on each of my schedules! Neat.

As for my training, sword training was, in a way, sidelined. Father still taught other students as per usual, and Mother still teaches Feyt personally. But Mother arranged for more variations in my schedule to help prepare me for the academy better. 

This led to an increase in etiquette lessons, along with new subjects like mathematics, economics, and other academy-focused studies.

I’d been breezing through most of them, easily answering the lecturers’ questions thanks to the countless books I had read from the family library. But my dreaded enemy just had to rear its head back in.

Private tutoring. Though it was now renamed “Politics” in the schedule sheet.

It had been a while since I’d last seen the old man. Professor Karvin—my former private tutor, who had been recently busy helping the Third Prince deal with the disaster from the party—had resumed his lessons with me, or more accurately, with Carine. 

He taught me everything from geopolitical situations, the reasons why some outdated traditions still breathe, and the subtle ways I could commit treason that I should absolutely not do. Hell, lately, he was very focused on that last part whenever the topic came up.

He’d only resumed tutoring me about a month ago, and when he did, the first thing he offered was the most humble apology an old man could give. If he bowed any lower, I’d worry that his spine would break. 

He apologized for how the First Prince’s birthday party turned out. It wasn’t his fault, though. Who could’ve predicted a fireball would come flying in out of nowhere? Well, me, since I saw it being cast. But still…

He’d also relayed that the Third Prince wanted to meet with me again, no doubt to make amends for inviting me there in the first place. I never got around to it, though, whether it was because our schedules didn’t align or I was just too tired, I didn’t know for sure.

“I hate to say this, but I believe that’s all the time I have for today,” he said, already organizing his papers into his bag.

I watched him pack, then quickly set my pen down and raised a hand before he finished. “Professor Karvin?”

“Hm?” He paused mid-stuffing his bag and turned toward me. “What is it, Lady Carine?”

I lowered my hand and straightened in my seat. “I have a question regarding the Royal Knight Academy’s entrance exam.”

He widened his eyes slightly before straightening his posture.

“Oh, right. The exam is just around the corner, isn’t it?” he murmured, almost to himself. Then he gave me a warm, confident smile. “But you have nothing to worry about, Lady Carine. I’m certain you’ll pass with flying colors. And even if you didn’t—which I highly doubt—as the heiress of the Sareid House, your acceptance is practically set in stone.”

Yeah, I knew that much already.

“It still surprises me that you insist on attending the Royal Knights Academy rather than the Royal Governance Academy. That ought to catch some ears from the others,” he continued, eyes narrowing slightly. “But I suppose you’re determined to follow your father’s footsteps, aren’t you?”

In all honesty, I was confused about the whole thing for a while, too. 

The Kingdom of Setus was sometimes called the Kingdom of Academies due to how many academies we had. That nickname that usually only appeared in travel journals and gossip from travelers or visitors, but I could tell it was a title that had stuck with Setus for a while.

The two biggest academies in the kingdom were the Royal Governance Academy and the Royal Knights Academy.

I won’t jump into much detail, but if I had to explain, the former was where all the big shots go. Meanwhile, the latter was for lower rank nobles like barons or viscounts, and sometimes a commoner gets accepted by passing the exam, or by having a Magical Talent.

As the heiress of a ducal family, every common sense was screaming at me to enter the Royal Governance Academy. As a future ruler of a region, that was a given. But the decision to attend the other academy was made by both of my parents, meaning it was something I had little to no choice in. But… it worked out in my favor, not gonna lie.

Raised in a sword family and painfully aware of my lackluster interest in diplomacy and politics, I knew deep down I’d probably thrive far better at RKA.

And yes, I abbreviated the names, because why not?

Professor Karvin finished packing, his bag now closed and slung over his shoulder. He made for the door, but I wasn’t done with him yet. My main curiosity remained unanswered.

“What about the commoner’s entrance exams?“ I asked just before he grabbed the door’s handle.

He froze mid-step. His back stiffened, and he turned, his eyes narrowed.

He was silent for a few moments, then he spoke.

“Is this about your bodyguard-in-training?”

Spot on. That’s a professor for ya’. 

I gave a small nod to affirm.

I read from a book before that the entrance exam wasn’t for entry for those of aristocratic ranks. You would most likely pass no matter how you perform. The exam was there to mostly determine which class tier you would be put in, whether you’d be in the standard class or the coveted Honors. But that wasn’t what I was worried about.

Professor Karvin walked back to the table and set his bag down. He leaned against the edge, folding his arms across his chest. “I’m sure you already know, the entrance exam for commoners is… different.”

Oh, it was very different.

The entrance exam for those not aristocratic, AKA commoners, was different in tone, difficulty, and stakes. It cost an obscene amount, for commoners at least, just to register, and the exam itself was really meant to push you to your limits. Only a few ever passed each year.

That was my biggest hurdle at the moment.

I was my own bodyguard, and like I mentioned before, I needed every advantage I could get. And for that to happen, I needed to get Feyt in RKA.

I couldn’t imagine a life without my other self. It’s like sleeping in a house with doors unlocked, y’know?

“Do you know what next year’s exam entails?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Can’t say. Although the Third Prince had some hand in designing the exams, he always made sure to change things every year and keep the details hidden, even from me.”

I almost clicked my tongue. “Really?”

No easy way out of this, it seemed.

“But tell me something, Lady Carine,” Professor Karvin said, tilting his head. “How much faith do you have in this partner of yours?”

I blinked, caught off guard. 

“What do you mean?”

“If he’s earned Duchess Sareid’s approval as well as the Duke’s… then I’m most certain that boy must have something special. And if that’s the case, I’d wager he has a good chance at passing.”

I wouldn’t say Professor Karvin was the best judge of character. I mean, he picked me as the “proof” that the Third Prince was looking for, whatever that meant.

But his expression showed me that he truly meant what he said. It wasn’t just something said to ease my nerves.

But still, I couldn’t just relax myselves from one single compliment. 

“...Do you really think so?” I asked. 

Perhaps he had something else to add?

He didn’t answer right away. He straightened himself and picked up his bag. 

“You chose him yourself, didn’t you, Lady Carine?” he said gently. “I’m sure your instincts won’t fail you.”

And with that, he left.

Well, that answered nothing.

Wait, since when did I choose Feyt to be my bodyguard? That was Mother’s decision, a hundred percent. I mean, sure, I didn’t reject the notion either, but still…

I guess even professors could assume things without proof.

With a silent sigh, I placed my pen in the holder by the notebook’s cover, then closed it with a soft tap. 

I straightened my skirt’s hems, adjusted my sleeves, and made sure my necklace was still hanging around my neck and tucked under my blouse. With everything settled, I headed out of the room.

In the hallway, I looked to the right and saw Professor Karvin being led out by one of our maids to the entrance lobby, disappearing after they turned a corner. 

“Have you finished with your studies, Lady Carine?” a calm voice appeared behind me.

I wasn’t even startled by the sudden voice; I had grown far too used to it already. Turning around, I was greeted by Leila. It was a sight for sore eyes. I had had enough of lectures and Mother’s private training.

Now that the lecture was done, I contained my excitement and responded to Leila.

“Why yes. Shall we head for lunch, Leila?”

She nodded. “Of course. Your mother and father are waiting for you.”

Lunch for today was standard as always. Nothing to get excited about. My excitement lay in what comes after:

An hour of free time.

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