Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: It's Mine
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"Huff... huff...!"
"You can do it!"
"You got this, Theo!"
The Knight Commander's voice and Ravire's rang in my ears.
Am I not just seven years old?
With that thought, I raised my sword again.
"Hoo..."
I took a deep breath.
I hadn't really wanted to do this.
I wondered how it had come to this.
The Knight Commander had seen me use magic and lost his mind over my talent.
And as a result...
"You can do it!"
"This is my first time swinging a sword, though...?"
"And you swung it so coolly on your first try! Impressive, Your Highness!"
Reasoning with him was pointless.
With that in mind, I swung the sword.
Of course, if I truly hated it, I could always tell Mother and get out of it...
"...Hoo."
Honestly, even just practicing magic was starting to feel a bit stale.
Maybe it was because I was in a child's body, but I felt like I needed to get out and play some too.
And...
"Theo! You got this!"
Seeing Ravire so thrilled made me feel oddly good myself.
Ravire tended to feel a bit left out otherwise.
Lily and I shared an interest in magic.
Ravire was different.
Especially lately—it seemed to be getting worse as time went on.
So, for Ravire's sake if nothing else, putting on this show wasn't so bad...
"...Hooo...!"
No helping it.
With that thought, I swung the sword a few more times.
How many swings had it been?
"Good work, Your Highness."
The Knight Commander grinned at me.
"Your talent is something else."
"Come on, don't say things you don't mean."
I meant it.
I could tell just from watching Ravire swing her sword.
Even if her strength wasn't anything special, the speed and precision were unreal.
Despite knowing the basics of combat theory and trying to stay as calm as possible, I couldn't keep up with her.
Me, talented?
Then what did that make Ravire—a war god?
"No, really, it's different!"
The Knight Commander shook his head vigorously.
"Your gaze, your composure... it's astonishing."
"..."
"Even first-time sword wielders your age lose their cool."
You know that well enough.
Because I'm not actually a child.
With that thought, I straightened up slightly and bowed in greeting.
"Thank you for the kind words. Then..."
"You'll come again next time, right?"
"..."
Should I?
As I pondered for a moment,
someone tugged at my sleeve.
I glanced over to see Ravire looking up at me.
"...Theo, you'll come next time too, right?"
"..."
With eyes like that, what could I even say?
"...Yeah, sure. It's good exercise anyway..."
"Yay! Love you, Theo!"
Supporting Ravire as she hugged me tightly, I looked at the Knight Commander,
who gave me a thumbs-up with a big grin.
"Excellent. Then, for the finale, a spar—"
"Theo, spar with me!"
"Ah, sure."
As I reached for my sword to spar with Ravire,
"P-Prince."
A voice full of forced courage reached my ears.
I turned slightly to see a boy staring at me.
It was the one who'd mocked me earlier.
"...C-Could I... request a spar...?"
*
Brandon Eldrian.
The only son of Duke Eldrian, with dreams of becoming a knight.
He had just turned eight and was experiencing his first love.
An impossible first love.
His gaze turned to Princess Ravire.
Her lovely features and bright smile.
Her constant hard work, plus her exceptional talent.
Brandon had fallen for her the moment he first saw her.
But Princess Ravire had never once uttered Brandon's name.
There was only one man's name on her lips.
His gaze shifted to Prince Theodor.
The prince of endless rumors.
But the rumors were always the same.
Strikingly handsome, blessed with divine talent, carrying himself beyond his years, a prince of impeccable character whom everyone admired.
'I played with Theo today.'
'Theo is, like, so kind.'
'Theo always...'
And Princess Ravire talked only about Prince Theodor.
"..."
Princess Ravire's gaze turned to Prince Theodor.
Affection mingled with her usual passionate look.
"Theo, I'll take your place!"
She puffed out her chest with a smile, as if to say not to worry.
To a child in the throes of first love, it was no different from a blatant provocation.
Brandon bit his lip and glared at Theodor.
Too young yet to learn the feeling of giving up.
Meeting his eyes, Prince Theodor sighed and nodded.
"It's fine, Sis."
"..."
His gaze turned to Brandon.
Brandon knew that look.
The expression his father wore when surveying the poor during inspections.
Pity.
Before Brandon could speak, Prince Theodor opened his mouth.
"I'll go."
And then, a gust of wind blew.
Dust rose before Brandon's eyes,
"Ptoo! Ptui!"
and before he could say a word, dirt filled his mouth.
At the same time,
-Smack!
a powerful strike to his side sent him rolling across the ground without even a scream.
"..."
Soon, his eyes caught a blond child looking down at him.
Before he could speak,
"Hoo."
the boy regarded him.
For a moment, his face seemed to say he understood—then it passed.
"Get up."
He quietly helped Brandon to his feet.
Brandon stood dazed as the boy brushed the dirt from his clothes, then walked toward Princess Ravire.
"Theo!! That was so cool!!"
Princess Ravire's voice rang in Brandon's ears, but he couldn't say a word.
Because it had been cool.
"...!"
Suddenly, a chilling energy coursed through him.
Less a tingle, more a chill.
He slowly turned,
and saw two people in his view.
One was a black-haired woman in a maid's outfit, watching him quietly.
She was beautiful too.
Like a doll, perhaps. Around thirteen years old.
Just her aura and gaze didn't match her age.
And the other...
"..."
Princess Ravire was glaring at Brandon.
Her face full of fury.
Unable to speak, Brandon bowed his head,
"Theo!"
and just like that, she approached Prince Theodor, feeling him up and down.
Brandon couldn't move or speak, pinned by her gaze like a nail.
*
I watched the boy standing there quietly.
I got it. Boys want to show off from a young age.
I just had no intention of letting him win.
Glancing back at the boy as Ravire clung to me happily,
the pity was that Ravire seemed to have zero interest in him.
"Theo! You're not hurt, right?"
"Nope, Sis."
I pulled away from Ravire's prodding hands and sank into thought.
Yeah. Might as well build up some stamina while I'm at it.
Having more skills never hurts.
"When's the next lesson?"
"Prince Theodor...!"
"Theo's doing it too!"
The Knight Commander and Ravire's eyes lit up.
"Yeah. Not every day, but whenever I have time."
"It's an honor!"
"Yay!!"
And so, one more thing was added to my schedule.
After class, wiping sweat as we headed back, Clue kept staring at one spot.
"Hey, what's up, Clue?"
"Nothing. Just..."
To my question, she smiled at me like nothing was wrong.
"I was thinking Master has such a good personality."
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
She just kept smiling at me.
*
And so, a bit more variety entered my routine.
Magic practice and sword training.
That was it.
If anything else had changed...
"Theo! Magic practice today?"
...Ravire started showing up almost every day.
Lily was at the Tower, and Isfil never stayed long, so inevitably, Ravire spent the most time with me.
And another change...
"This is the sword technique I'm learning lately."
Ravire stood and swung her sword—swish, swish.
"What do you think?"
"Hmm, not sure."
Genius is genius. Her movements were a blur.
"It's fine! I'll teach you!"
Ravire grinned and was about to hand me her sword when—
"Theo!"
The door burst open as someone entered.
White hair gleaming in the light, purple eyes sparkling with joy.
Lily smiled at me.
"I came back from the Tower! I thought Theo might be alone...?"
Lily's gaze shifted to Ravire, and Ravire's to Lily.
"...What're you doing?"
Lily tilted her head, and Ravire smirked, hands on hips.
"Teaching swordsmanship!"
"Ravire... you don't get it."
Lily looked at her in bewilderment.
"Theo doesn't learn the sword. He learns magic. Like me."
"Nah, not anymore."
Ravire replied calmly to Lily's firm tone, still smiling.
"Theo, now you're learning swordsmanship too."
"..."
Lily looked at me in confusion, then back at Ravire.
For a moment, she stared at Ravire, who met her eyes steadily.
"..."
"..."
Their gazes locked in the air,
"You..."
as Lily opened her mouth—
Creak—the door opened, and someone peeked in.
It was Isfil.
"Theo..."
"Ah, yeah. Isfil."
Sensing the mood, Isfil glanced around nervously before speaking.
"Her Majesty the Empress calls for you."
"Be right there."
I stood quickly.
No, I couldn't just leave like this.
"Lily Sis, Ravire Sis. Let's talk later."
"...Okay."
"...Got it..."
After separating the two sisters, I followed Isfil.
Clue trailed after me as usual, but whatever.
Soon, the familiar throne came into view.
There sat Mother, chin propped, gazing indifferently elsewhere.
But our eyes met, and she straightened up with a bright smile.
"Theo!"
Mother rose from the throne and strode toward me.
"I heard you called for me, Mother."
"Yes."
She smiled softly, stroking my hair, then spoke.
"I heard you have unparalleled talent in both martial arts and magic."
News travels fast without wings.
She already knew.
"So... I went and bragged to the Tower Lord about it."
"..."
Why'd you do that?
As I sighed inwardly, Mother continued.
"And so, Theo. The Tower Lord says he really wants to see you and Lily this time."
"..."
"How about you, Lily, and I go to the Tower together?"
"Pardon...?"
"I want to show off how amazing my Theo is..."
She glanced at me cautiously, shrugging her shoulders as she whispered.
"Is that okay?"
"..."
Of course, I had no choice,
and so my trip to the Tower was scheduled.