Chapter 5

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: A Princess's Resolve
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#5

Lucy was already keenly aware that military life was anything but romantic. For that reason, she couldn’t deny the truth in his words.

Instead of sighing, Lucy chose her next words more carefully.

“Grand General, do you know how many princesses and princes there are currently in the royal family?”

Walter answered the unexpected question after a slight pause.

“Including Lady Arsinoe, there are ten in total.”

“And of those ten, how many were not born of the official queen?”

“…Just one.”

“That’s right. Only me. My mother was a dancer, once a desert slave. She is known only as the ‘beloved concubine,’ with no name of her own, and is forbidden from ever leaving the detached palace.”

At her blunt explanation, Walter’s expression subtly hardened. Lucy shrugged and continued in a calm tone.

“It may be luxurious and comfortable, but it’s no different from a cage. When I return to the palace, I’ll be locked away there, too. It’s the royal family’s logic that a child of a concubine must stay with the concubine.”

“But… regardless of your mother’s status, you are undeniably of royal blood.”

“No. In your eyes, Grand General, any child of His Majesty may seem like a prince or princess, but I am not a princess. In fact, no one treats me as one.”

A sigh escaped her lips. It was a sigh born not of bitterness, but of sheer weariness.

Lucy tilted her head, looking at Walter with an inscrutable gaze.

“I understand your concern. My mother still nags me to return to the palace. But I came here because I thought it would be better to learn something than to be trapped in that villa.”

“…If I may ask, why did you have to become a soldier?”

“I want to protect Parnas, and I wanted to work with you, Grand General. The only profession that could satisfy both desires was to be a soldier.”

Walter’s eyes widened slightly at the unexpected remark.

“Why did you want to work with me?”

*Because you are destined to be my guardian.*

Hiding her true thoughts, Lucy replied naturally.

“You said it yourself in the lecture hall earlier. That you don’t wish to define an individual’s character by their race. I thought a Grand General who doesn’t discriminate against people wouldn’t look down on me and would treat me simply as a professional. And also.”

“Also?”

“Well, you’re handsome.”

A small crack appeared in Walter’s stoic expression.

He looked at her with an awkward expression, unsure whether to laugh or not, before rubbing his jaw and shaking his head.

“Is… that so. If you enlisted with a purpose… yes. I understand. My apologies. In that case, please dismiss my meddling as a foolish question.”

“If you happen to see my mother in the future, please tell her not to worry.”

“I will.”

Having skillfully wrapped up the conversation, Walter looked at Lucy with a much calmer gaze. A magnanimous air, characteristic of a superior, spread across his simple features.

“You’ll graduate in two years. I will look forward to seeing how much you’ve grown by the day we meet again, Princess.”

Walter bowed deeply to show his respect, then gave her one last gentle look. He then turned quietly and disappeared into the academy grounds.

His movements, which betrayed no presence, brought to mind the titles used to describe him.

The undefeated general, the master of swordsmanship. The God of War, the Master of the Dawn.

Recalling his many titles, Lucy stared blankly at the spot where Walter had vanished.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The tolling of a bell echoed softly from the pointed steeple.

It was the bell signaling the end of the afternoon schedule and the time to move to individual training rooms. Walter, who had been gazing at the bell tower, shook off his regrets with a light exhale, turned his back on the school, and walked toward the stables.

Despite his impassive expression, his mind was awash with thoughts of her.

Arsinoe. That princess.

“To think she’s already sixteen… How time flies.”

Ansilla, the concubine confined to the detached palace due to the king’s excessive obsession.

Arsinoe was the daughter of that pitiful woman.

From the first time he saw her, the young princess had a way of sticking in his mind.

Her ambiguous position, neither commoner nor noble, and the resulting tragic circumstances, along with the pitiful reality of her mother, were all factors that warranted concern. But what bothered him most was the princess’s eyes.

Those eyes, brimming with too much life…

Her slender yet delicate frame, reminiscent of her mother’s, and her appearance, which was closer to exquisite than merely beautiful, gave an impression of fragility.

But those eyes.

Meeting the princess’s gaze made one feel that her delicate appearance was nothing more than a superficial shell.

Within her eyes was a peculiar, indescribable light—a hardened amalgam of stubbornness, obsession, and resolve.

With those haunting eyes, Arsinoe would chatter on, speaking her mind without hesitation.

“I won’t forgive anyone who is rude to my mother. That includes the First Queen.”

“If you think the detached palace is so wonderful, why don’t you live here, Your Highness? Do you have any idea how suffocating it is to live in confinement?”

“I’m not a princess. I’m just my mom’s daughter, Ansilla’s daughter.”

Her direct and somewhat audacious words had, amusingly enough, struck Walter as quite favorable.

As a nobleman and a soldier bound by rules, he found her attitude, which seemed to say ‘to hell with etiquette,’ quite refreshing in contrast to his own life.

Was that why?

Though she might not remember him, Walter had remembered Arsinoe for a long time.

However…

“Even so, there was no need for her to become a soldier.”

He had been lost in thought for some time, his brow furrowed. Just then, a gruff voice laced with amusement disturbed his thoughts.

“Grand General. How does it feel to be back at the academy after so long?”

Lifting his head, he saw a jet-black Lycan grinning, awaiting his answer.

It was his adjutant, Zen. His black ears twitched nonstop, a clear sign that he was in a very good mood.

“There’s not much to feel.”

Walter, who had been about to mount his horse, dropped the reins and turned around. Below the wooded mountain slope, the military academy buildings were scattered about like crudely arranged stone monuments.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure I have any particular memories to recall.”

“Well, you did graduate early, Grand General, so that makes sense. Before I graduated, the school would always…”

Zen let out a hearty laugh and began to ramble on, reminiscing about the food, the festivals, and so on.

Walter listened in silence for a while, waiting for the chatter to die down before he spoke in a slow tone.

“By the way, that class you held special training for today.”

Zen raised an eyebrow slightly at the abrupt change of topic.

“That class… Ah, you mean the advanced class trainees. I had high hopes for them because of their good grades, but I was a bit disappointed that their stamina seemed to be lacking.”

“Were there any noteworthy students in there?”

“Let’s see… Ah, there was a young man named Badel who was quite good. His situational judgment was quick, and he was leading his entire squad. Other than him, Gentol and Brott were decent…”

“What about Arsinoe?”

Zen tilted his head at the unfamiliar name.

After growling softly in thought, Zen let out a small sound of realization.

“Are you talking about that pretty female cadet? The one with dry straw-colored hair, pale and slender?”

“Yes. How was she?”

“Hmm. Based on her looks, I’d say she’s from a nomadic tribe in the west. I don’t know why she’d enlist in the army when she could have taken an easier path, but she had more grit than her frail appearance suggested. I heard her grades are top-tier, but…”

Walter’s lips twitched at the mention of her being from a western nomadic tribe.

*She’s from the kingdom, and she’s a royal princess.* But Walter swallowed the words and remained silent.

From the sound of it, she seemed to be intentionally hiding her background at the academy. He thought that revealing her identity might put her in a difficult position.

Even if she was the daughter of a concubine, she was still of the king’s blood, which would surely make the other cadets uncomfortable…

Walter concealed the truth and replied in a smooth tone.

“She sounds like a rather talented cadet.”

“It’s hard to say for sure. Her physical strength is a bit lacking. She’s struggling to get out of the bottom ranks in both martial arts and swordsmanship.”

“Is that so. I suppose it can’t be helped, given the difference in physique between her and the other cadets.”

“However, they say she surpasses the instructors when it comes to theoretical classes. Especially in tactics and strategy, she’s always praised for coming up with unheard-of plans…”

Zen’s voice trailed off as he glanced at Walter.

When Walter returned a questioning look, Zen scratched his head and looked away.

“Why the sudden interest in a cadet? A female cadet, at that.”

“Hmm?”

“As your adjutant, I’m glad to see this, since you’re usually as stoic as a statue around women, but isn’t the age gap quite significant? Plus, she’s still a minor, so this could be considered a crime.”

Walter, rarely flustered, waved his hands to cut off the stream of nagging. But Zen, as if he had been waiting for this moment, continued his tirade, his mouth moving nonstop.

Having been instantly branded a degenerate, Walter saw Zen’s tail wagging back and forth in amusement and realized that any attempt to argue would be futile. He gave up trying to defend himself.

Beyond his chattering adjutant, the sky of that afternoon shone an exceptionally brilliant blue.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The sound of rain hitting the window was quite loud.

The light green foliage, blossoming at the border of spring and summer, was thoroughly soaked, scattering the scent of fresh grass in all directions.

Lucy, who had been staring at her graduation certificate, slowly raised her head. Reflected in her eyes, which were fixed on the world outside, was not the watery scenery but a dark turmoil.

“Arsinoe. When are you leaving?”

Geronimo, who had been loitering in the hallway with a bag slung over his shoulder, grinned and entered the room.

Lucy placed the certificate on her bed and bumped her fist against the one Geronimo offered.

“I have to leave soon. Are you heading straight back to your estate?”

“Yeah. My father sent an escort, telling me to come back as soon as possible. Honestly, if he was going to worry this much, he shouldn’t have sent me to the academy in the first place. I don’t know what to make of this, even after graduating.”

Geronimo let out a bitter sigh.

He had enrolled with the ambition of becoming a soldier, but unfortunately, due to his older brother’s riding accident, he had become the heir to the marquessate and was now forced to return to his estate.

“What can you do? There are many soldiers, but I’m the only heir.”

The words he’d muttered with a smile were likely not what he truly felt.

Lucy opened her arms and gave him a brief hug. Then, with a bright smile, she spoke.

“Less than thirty percent of graduates become soldiers, so just accept it. Hey, what you learned here will probably be useful someday.”

“You always know what to say.”

“My stamina’s lacking, so at least my mouth has to be quick.”

Geronimo glanced around for a moment before continuing cautiously.

“Why did you say you were quitting the military and going back to the palace? Like you said, your mind is sharp even if your stamina is low. You could have served as an officer.”

“I have things to do at the palace.”

Lucy offered a vague smile and shrugged her shoulders.