Chapter 28
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Spoiled Princess's Lessons
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Lea Willa Yel Ru Adea.
She was the princess of the Adea Kingdom and the only woman among the direct line of royals.
Given that the royal family currently had just two princes, if anything were to happen to them far in the future, the son she bore would rise to first in the line of succession.
Thus, even without any real power, her mere symbolic value wielded considerable influence.
Marriage proposals flowed in not only from nobles within the kingdom but from foreign dignitaries as well, and the current king had doted on Lea since her earliest years.
She had basked in the royal family's affection and care for a full fifteen years.
As in so many tales, princesses raised amid such indulgence tended to develop quite the temper.
Lea was no different.
On top of that, she even showed talent for spirit arts—a rare and precious gift.
Naturally, Lea turned into a mischievous hellion with a nasty streak, tormenting her countless tutors with pranks until they tendered resignations day in and day out.
Lea had grown up fearing nothing. But her misfortune began the day one particular woman became her etiquette instructor.
Misfortune number one.
"Aaaah!"
Lea lay sprawled on the floor, clutching her arm as she let out a piercing scream.
Her right arm was pinned tight.
Eirana had crossed her legs over Lea's right arm in a lock and was yanking on it with both hands.
It was the infamous armbar.
Lea writhed in agony, but Eirana only ramped up the pressure.
"You rotten little shit. Didn't I tell you to act with decorum outside? Did I or didn't I?"
"Aaah! Y-you did! Let go! I did!"
Lea shrieked on pure reflex amid her pain-fogged haze, but Eirana turned a deaf ear.
"What? You say you acted with decorum? Yesterday, the treasury officer came to me griping that your maid showed up with papers bearing your signature, claiming you needed to buy jewels, and threw a fit demanding cash? Is there another Princess Lea out there? Or is this what passes for decorum in your world? Is this the bullshit notion of manners rattling around in that skull of yours? Should I crack it open and rearrange the contents?"
"I-I was wrong! I won't do it again! Please forgive me!"
Misfortune number two.
"Hiiik!"
"Ha! In all my days, I've never met a more clueless brat."
Crack! Crack!
Lea pressed her back flat against the wall, staring in horror at Eirana as she cracked her knuckles.
"Wh-what did I do wrong? I didn't do anything wrong."
Eirana burst out laughing at Lea, who pleaded desperately with all the innocence of the truly wronged.
"Hey, you. You slapped the maid in charge of cleaning your room, didn't you?"
"Th-that was because she dropped the doll I love..."
"Oh? Is that right? Which doll?"
Eirana's puzzled question lit up Lea's face.
Even this queen of climax-before-violence didn't strike without cause.
"Th-this one."
Lea pointed to the teddy bear beside her princess bed.
It was clearly a master craftsman's work—adorably lifelike.
Eirana approached the pretty golden-furred doll, stroked its chin while inspecting it, then snatched it up and hurled it straight at Lea.
Smack!
"Aak!"
Lea clutched her face after the direct hit.
It was just a stuffed toy, yet it felt like a water-filled leather pouch exploding on impact.
As Lea bowed her head against the facial pain, Eirana whipped a roundhouse into her side.
"You crazy bitch! Accidents happen during cleaning. Does being a princess make you above all that? Huh? You, drowning in your own entitlement!"
Eirana mounted the fallen Lea and began pummeling her with the doll.
Highborn laying hands on underlings was commonplace, but it sure as hell wasn't refined or ladylike.
"Aaaah! I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Forgive me!"
All Lea could do was beg for mercy.
Misfortune number three.
"Aaah! Help! Hiiik!"
Crash! Bang! Whoosh!
Lea fled in terror from Eirana swinging a chair, scrambling under the bed.
Eirana, expressionless as she brandished the chair, chuckled at the sight of Lea diving beneath.
"Well, well. Our princess is getting clever. A month in, and now you predict the beatings and bolt first. I thought you had no learning curve, but look at you—coming along nicely."
Eirana crooked a finger at Lea, who knelt with her head bowed under the bed.
Come out, it meant.
Lea shook her head furiously in refusal.
The reason Lea was in for a beating today was simple.
At a social gathering, she'd dumped water on the daughter of a low noble.
Highborn humiliating lowborn was par for the course in noble society.
Power ruled all, after all—it was everyday fare.
Of course, that didn't make it polite or cultured.
Eirana, who wouldn't even tolerate slaps against maids, sure wasn't letting this slide.
It had been an unconscious slip, but Lea hated pain all the same.
Eirana terrified her.
She hit hard and spewed frightening vitriol.
The violence and verbal abuse synergized, etching deeper fear of Eirana into her psyche.
Worse still, no matter how badly she got thrashed, she never actually got hurt.
Violent as she was, Eirana had lately taken care to tone down the beatings to curb their frequency, which ironically boosted her reputation.
Misfortune piled on misfortune.
Eirana silently watched the princess cowering under the bed, refusing to emerge, then rose to her feet.
'D-did she give up?'
Just hold out like this, and class would end—no beating!
Hope flickered in Lea.
Creak!
A grinding of wood on wood rang out.
Lea went speechless.
Eirana had hoisted the bed upright into a "1."
To Lea's hopeless expression, Eirana said,
"Your Highness. Crawling under the bed is hardly befitting a lady of culture."
With deadpan delivery, Eirana closed in.
Lea crawled away on trembling limbs, but Eirana walked faster.
Grabbing Lea's ankle, Eirana dragged her out.
"You're dead meat today."
Lea could offer no resistance as she was hauled across the floor.
The pinnacle of misfortune.
Lately, the princess had changed dramatically.
The tomboy who once soaked up all the royal doting had begun acting with refinement.
No more abusing underlings or childish tantrums over trifles.
Everyone marveled at the transformation.
Naturally, attention turned to the new etiquette tutor.
Many high nobles sought meetings with her.
Clueless brats weren't exclusive to the princess, after all.
Of course, they remained oblivious to her simple policy: violence.
In any case, as Eirana's star rose, the other tutors bore the brunt.
Unable to vent externally, the princess unleashed her frustrations on them.
In arithmetic, she'd spit out absurd answers; in linguistics, craft mocking sentences.
Prideful scholar-teachers began resigning one by one.
That day marked the arrival of a new arithmetic tutor.
Lea pondered how to torment this one.
It was her sole remaining joy lately.
Then the door opened, and upon seeing the entrant, Lea dropped her ink pen with a clatter, unbidden.
"E-E-Ei... E-Ei... ra, Lady Eira... na... wh-what... b-brings... you... h-here."
Eirana smiled sweetly at Lea's quavering voice.
"Eirana here, assigned to handle Your Highness's arithmetic lessons from today."
What? What the hell was this?
The princess felt the sky turn yellow.
Of course, this was merely tragedy's prelude.
"I've also taken over all aspects of your education from the other instructors, so we'll be seeing much more of each other."
Lea foamed at the mouth, convulsed, and fainted dead away.
Lea hadn't exactly sat idle amid this nightmare.
She'd doubled the guards outside, summoned palace mages to check for hidden soundproofing spells.
Suggested classes out in the hall, stationed maids and lady knights inside.
But nothing fazed Eirana.
She always found a gap to land her blows.
And the more Lea flailed, the harsher the violence grew.
Once, after tattling, her arm went numb.
No lasting damage or bruises, though.
Realizing resistance only amplified the pain, Lea one day surrendered in despair.
The beatings eased after that.
- Some pint-sized human kid was strutting around like she'd seen it all.
Eirana paused at Silver Fang's words as he bounced on her bed, ripping at pillows and blankets to stave off boredom.
She turned to him.
Silver Fang was gnawing her pillow or quilt to kill time.
Like a kitten at play. Eirana fetched a ball of yarn from her drawer and tossed it his way.
Grrr~
Silver Fang purred happily, pouncing on the yarn.
Black Fang, perched atop the wardrobe in his tiny wingling form, eyed the spectacle with utter disdain, but Silver Fang ignored him.
To ease her own boredom, Eirana prodded Silver Fang with her quill tip.
"Never been hit growing up, so she's reeling from the sudden taste."
Eirana clucked her tongue pityingly.
Pretty brazen for the perpetrator.
Silver Fang flipped over dodging the quill, batted her hand rebelliously, and nipped lightly.
Pure play—no pain.
Eirana scooped him by the scruff and perched him on her shoulder.
- Gonna keep beating her?
"Until she gets her head on straight."
By Eirana's measure, Princess Lea was woefully immature.
Bound to happen when spoiled rotten from childhood, but she'd never mature like that.
For the record, decent nobles were rare as hen's teeth.
Households drilling proper character were the capable ones.
The princess, distant from power as direct royal, had just gotten coddled—unlike her brother and Eirana's employer, Winsor, a true gentleman.
If one had to nitpick, his woman troubles were a mess.
- With Owner's temperament, shouldn't you have clocked that prince in the face by now?
Silver Fang tilted his head, aware of Winsor's recent advances on Eirana. She smirked.
"He's not that obnoxiously pushy. No need."
Truth be told, Eirana quite enjoyed her current life.
Teaching the princess was rewarding, too.
Not the hitting itself, but watching her gradual change.
She'd bowed to violence, sure—but from a normal person's view, Lea was improving positively.
"She's shaping up nicely. Maybe a gift next time?"
Eirana smiled faintly.