Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Princess Eliza (2)
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Baron Kimberly was in a bind. Among the liberal arts subjects he taught, today was history class, and unfortunately, right when he was explaining the history of the Leon Kingdom, the princess from Leon who had come as a hostage was sitting in on the lesson.
He first greeted her politely and asked why she was there. Princess Eliza explained in detail what had happened, but that didn't change his predicament.
'What the hell? I didn't even hear about this... Talk about a bolt from the blue. Damn it. Should I just ship her off to the Dragon Kingdom right away? Sigh, I can't do that either. This is driving me insane.'
"Ahem, Princess Eliza? Might I ask how long you'll be joining us for class...? Haha, His Highness the Prince's lessons progress a bit slowly... I could arrange a separate instructor if you'd like..."
"It's fine, Baron Kimberly. His Majesty the Emperor ordered me to attend classes with Prince Yuno, so I'll have to stay until further notice."
'Sigh... No helping it, then. I'll just have to teach with the most neutral historical perspective possible...'
"Well then, today's history lesson is on the Leon Kingdom. Please turn to page 241 of your history textbook."
The books Prince Yuno used all belonged to the palace, so no textbook had been prepared for Eliza yet. For the time being, she had to share with him.
Even after Baron Kimberly asked him to turn the page, Yuno didn't budge, so Eliza flipped it herself while thinking.
'Is he seriously treating me like some page-turning servant? His attitude's completely different from earlier.'
But that thought didn't last long. A snoring sound came from beside her, and when Eliza glanced over, she was dumbfounded. Yuno had propped his chin on his hand and fallen asleep. His face looked positively angelic, but the stark contrast to his training session earlier ignited her anger.
'He pushed me so hard during training, and now he's sleeping? You jerk!'
Thwack!
"Mmph!! What... what the hell?"
"Oh my~ I didn't realize Your Highness Prince Yuno was dozing off. Sorry~ I was just trying to turn the page, teehee."
"Hahaha, it seems Princess Eliza accidentally poked the person next to her while turning the page?"
"Oh dear~ That's just how it happened. Teehee."
Yuno and Eliza's gazes clashed in midair, sparks practically flying between them.
Watching this, Baron Kimberly's heart shrank even further. He was the one stuck teaching these two highborn children. If they got into a fight and someone got hurt, his head could roll.
'No... Getting fired would be lucky. My head might actually fly off... A landless noble like me...'
Baron Kimberly swallowed hard and carefully intervened.
"Hahaha, Your Highness Yuno... Princess Eliza just woke you up from your nap, so be a man and let it slide."
"..."
"And Princess Eliza, please promise to turn the pages more carefully next time."
"..."
Despite Baron Kimberly's mediation, the two glared at each other for a moment. But Yuno thought, 'What am I doing bickering with a kid like this?' and apologized first. Eliza graciously accepted.
'Phew~ Even just Prince Yuno is a handful... Oh man, my head...'
Baron Kimberly resumed the lesson.
Whether because he'd been woken up or because Eliza was there, Yuno actually focused on the class for once. Eliza, on the other hand, wasn't paying attention to the lesson at all—she was staring at Yuno beside her.
'Tch... He even apologizes right away... He's got some manly qualities, huh? And damn, he's seriously handsome. Looks aside, I'd give him 200 out of 100 just for his face.'
She hadn't gotten a good look at his face yesterday amid the chaos, and though she'd noticed his looks during morning training, it had been too grueling to really appreciate them. This was the first time Eliza was properly taking him in.
"What're you staring at? Something on my face?"
"Wh-who said I was staring? You wore me out so much this morning my neck's stiff, so I just turned that way!"
"Oh yeah? Fine, whatever..."
Caught off guard by Yuno's sudden call-out, Eliza sputtered excuses. Yuno seemed to buy them at face value, but her face had turned beet red, ready to explode.
'Ughhh, you little punk!! Embarrassing me like this!!'
Watching Eliza fume to herself like a one-woman show, Baron Kimberly could only sigh, thinking he'd gained yet another headache.
Still, Eliza had received a solid education back home, so much of Baron Kimberly's lesson was already familiar to her. She offered to assist Prince Yuno's studies for the time being, lightening the baron's load a bit.
At 11 a.m., morning study time ended, and maids came in to serve lunch.
"During training, you drill me, so during study time, I'll oversee your lessons. Got it? Baron Kimberly agreed too."
"Wh-what? You're the same age as me, Eliza! What makes you think you can tutor me?"
"Hmm? You're better than me physically and you've trained hard, so I take lessons from you. Studies should be the same, right?"
"No way! What makes a kid like you think she can teach me?"
"We're the same age, you know? Fine, I'll ask Her Majesty the Empress. If she objects, oh well."
Yuno knew Empress Yuria would applaud and welcome it, so he was speechless.
"Fine! If you're that unhappy, Yuno, the moment you beat me on an exam even once, I'll stop tutoring you. And I'll grant you any one request. That work?"
'No matter what, with my past life included, I've lived nearly 40 years. There's no way I can't beat a kid like her on one test.'
Yuno accepted Eliza's proposal with that thought.
But unaware that his young body had regressed his mental age along with it, Yuno lost to her on every daily exam from that day on.
At 2 p.m., afternoon classes ended, and Yuno and Eliza headed to the knights' training grounds together.
Eliza was obligated to join Yuno's afternoon training too, so despite her grumbling, she had no choice but to follow.
"Welcome, Your Highness the Prince! A pleasure to meet you, Princess Eliza. I'm Elias Jude, training captain of the Imperial Guard Knights."
Yuno waved to Jude and excused himself to the restroom.
"Nice to meet you, Sir Jude. But doesn't it bother you that His Highness trains alone in the mornings? What if his form's off or something...?"
Eliza had found Yuno's morning routine brutally tough just following along, and even to her eyes, it didn't look ordinary. She asked Jude about it.
"Hahaha, His Highness has already surpassed our knight trainees. He's a true prodigy. Standard training methods wouldn't help someone as exceptional as him anyway."
Jude's high praise made Eliza's eyes go wide.
"No way! His Highness is already at that level?"
"Yes, indeed. Once his birthday passes next week and he learns mana circulation techniques, even I might not stand a chance against him in hand-to-hand. Hahaha."
Eliza found herself reevaluating Yuno yet again.
'I thought he was just physically gifted in the mornings... But he can match knight trainees without even using mana? Imperial Guard Knight trainees are on par with low-rank knights from other orders. Incredible.'
"B-but... he wants to train with me too. Wouldn't it be bad for a normal person like me to try keeping up with him?"
Clinging to her last hope, Eliza asked Jude, but he just shook his head quietly.
"Honestly, in terms of physical conditioning alone, His Highness far outstrips us. No idea where he learned it, but he trained with the 12th trainee cohort and raised their level dramatically. So he'll adjust your training perfectly—no need to worry, Princess."
"Ah... I see..."
To Eliza, now doomed to that hellish routine morning and night, it was a death knell. But Jude grinned, inwardly celebrating that Yuno had gained a workout partner.
'Same age, similar interests... She'd make the perfect match for His Highness. If only she were here as a student instead of a hostage...'
"Phew~ Bathroom emergency delayed the start. Alright, Princess Eliza, follow my movements and loosen up first."
Eliza mimicked Yuno's bizarre stretches—ones she'd never seen before. When he held the same pose for nearly 30 minutes, she thought, 'Afternoons are just this light? I can handle it.'
And that illusion shattered in an instant.
"One more! Just one! Exactly one more, then break."
Trusting Yuno's promise of a break after one more, Eliza gritted her teeth and pushed.
"Urghhh!!"
"Good job, Eliza! One more! Just one!!"
"You bastard!!"
In the end, her arms gave out, and Eliza collapsed to the ground.
"Hmm~ Fifteen push-ups... Not bad. Rest till the next exercise."
Yuno helped the fallen Eliza to a bench and went back to his own workout.
Sipping water a maid brought, Eliza watched Yuno train.
'Mornings were just running, but up close... That body's insane. Lifting what looks like over 100kg on the barbell like it's nothing...'
Yuno had stripped off his obstructing shirt. To a stranger, his massively developed muscles—bulging like a peak-condition knight's—would fool anyone as he bench-pressed.
'Turning twelve next month, already 180cm tall... How does that body match that face?'
Falling for his looks again, Eliza sighed. Meanwhile, Yuno finished a few sets and returned to torment her anew.
"Ughhh, how long do I have to keep this up?"
"Until I say stop."
But Eliza's competitive spirit was fierce. She held the plank until she collapsed from exhaustion. Yuno tested her limits this way, designing her program.
"Tomorrow, I should get Isabella sis to join too."
"Huh? Isabella sis? Why all of a sudden?"
"Alone, I held back on sis too much. But with you here now, Eliza, I can dial it in better."
Feeling a chill, Eliza prayed for her sister's soul—though they'd only become "sisters" a day ago.
After training, Yuno gave her the same massage as morning, loosening her muscles.
"Yuno, is it okay for you to just touch another kingdom's princess like this? What if I can't get married now?"
"Pfft... Is there a princess who talks to an imperial prince like that? Like Mom says, you're family now. So it's fine."
Yuno's words seemed casual, but they warmed Eliza's heart.
At dinner after training, Empress Yuria, Isabella, Yuno, and Marie shared their days, bonding as family—and treated Eliza the same, reminding her what family meant.
The next day, Eliza woke trembling from head to toe with intense muscle pain.
"Th-this is that 'person-killer' workout Yuno talked about... H-help..."
In the end, Eliza had to be carried by a maid to breakfast. From that day on, she never complained about Yuno's massages again.