Chapter 26: Thulite
[The heroine has become a villainous daughter due to a certain event. Her love story continues with a variety of capture targets including a prince, a teacher, a knight, a spy, a sorcerer, and much more. Enjoy all the romance and fantasy, ready to unfold at the magic academy!]
–That was the description on the game package which was running through my mind.
The reason why I was thinking of this now is because I was currently in the middle of a boot camp from hell.
Right now, I am running five laps of a predetermined course in the large backyard of the Archelaus mansion.
Once that is done, I will have three sets of sit-ups, three sets of squats, and a massive amount of other strength training exercises waiting for me.
No, no, no, that’s normal, right? Don’t think.
I had been in bed sleeping until just a little while ago.
Now I am able to eat a big meal and move around all day, but I still have almost no muscle strength.
This is the first time in my life that I’ve ever dared to put a load on my body.
“Hah, hah, haa~”
I run slowly, careful not to lose my posture while making a pitiful voice.
“Ufu ufufu, ufufufufu! All this is for the sake of fantasy and to become a magician…Ufufufu.”
I wouldn’t have been able to do this if it wasn’t for the fact that I had come to a world where the enchanting words “fantasy” and “magic academy” had enticed me. The Golden Rose otome game was real and I could not escape that reality!
No, in a way, it was just the type of situation that I had wanted…
“Tighten your arms! Your form is broken!”
The one who is waving a sword while laughing suspiciously at me while I’m running in a hurry, is Sister Thulite.
Sister Thulite is the wife of my mother’s brother. In other words, she’s my aunt.
She has dark pink eyes with a long glossy black bob, and she wears silver-rimmed glasses.
The actual age of the woman is in her thirties, but at first glance she is a beautiful woman of indeterminate age, in her mid-twenties…Apparently I’m not allowed to call her Auntie and must call her older sister.
Instead of the long, tied-up hair and dress that is typical of women in this country, she had short hair and was dressed in a masculine outfit of brown riding pants, a vest, and a blouse. Still, it was a wonderful look for her.
“Steps!”
“Yes!”
The slapping sound of a riding whip slamming on the balcony freaks me out, and I immediately fix my form.
The reason why I’m doing this goes back to a week ago…
***
“Alice, I just heard back from Heimer’s sister. She said she wants to meet with you, and if things look okay, she’ll accept!”
“I’m sure we can leave it to my sister! Good for you, Alice!”
A few hours after sending the messenger spirit, my parents were delighted to receive such a reply from someone called ‘the Heimer family Sister.’
“What do you mean by it’s okay to meet her…?”
Two days after I made the promise, I was craning my neck at the mysterious conditions.
I was well aware of what that meant.
“Oh. Alice, you’ve changed a lot…”
At the Heimer’s upper mansion, I was scared when I came face to face with Sister Thulite, a woman who was somewhat bewitching despite her masculine attire.
“Ta—taka…Takarazuka!!!” (***I think that ‘Takarazuka’ was a famous group of female crossdressing actresses in a theater group)
That was my first impression of Sister Thulite.
She was not dressed as a man, but she had the actionable pants style.
However, she also had a fragrant sensuality that could be felt from her long eyelashes and beautiful red lips.
She has a great style which can be seen from her silver-rimmed glasses and her sharp eyes.
I forgot to give my business smile when I saw such a Takarazuka star.
By the way, Uncle Oedipus, the elder brother of my mother, was standing beside Sister Thulite with his hand on his forehead, looking somewhat tired.
…Why does he look so tired? As I was wondering that, Sister Thulite spoke to me.
“Do you remember me? Alice-chan.”
“Ah, um…I only have a vague memory of what happened while I was sick. I’m sorry.”
“Yes. Well, I only got to visit you once when you were very young. It can’t be helped.”
Uncle Oedipus mainly serves in the castle, so as long as he’s in the imperial capital, I can generally meet him. However, it seems that his wife, Thulite, is often traveling around the territory voluntarily.
Therefore, the only times I had met her was when I was one years old, and also when I was three years old when she came to visit me while I was in a daze.
As for me, I don’t remember ever seeing her face-to-face.
I decided to say my greetings to her again, just in case.
“Once again…I am Alice Rebecca Archelaus. I hope to get along from now on, Sister.”
When I smiled and said that, Big Sister Thulite smiled back at me.
“You are a polite and good child. Let’s get to know each other well…I think it’s going to be worth training you. It’s going to be a very good relationship…Fufufu.”
……There were some disturbing words added in a whisper, but for the most part, things seem to have gone well so far.
“Thula…do it in moderation, okay? Alice was very sick until just recently, and she’s is frail and delicate as a flower to begin with!” (***I’m guessing that ‘Thula’ is Oedipus’ nickname for Thulite)
While looking on with somewhat of a headache, Uncle Oedipus gently picked me up. I’d like to ramble on a bit about the adjectives he used to describe me, but I’ll be quiet for now.
“Alice, if Thula bullies you, tell me right away. I’ll rush over and stop it.”
“Huh? Um…”
“Oh, that’s not very nice. Have you ever seen me bully a girl?”
Uncle Oedipus had a troubled expression for some reason. Does she really have a criminal record…?
“You won’t bully, but you can easily break the spirit of those you train too much and turn them into someone else…or break the spirit of those who can’t follow your lead. Besides, you seem to have taken a liking to Alice so…you can do things moderately.”
“Yes, of course. Please be assured, sweetheart. I’ll take good care of it.”
Breaking the spirit…?
Too much training?? Becoming a different person…???
Too many disturbing words were flying around.
However, I couldn’t help but turn around and see my parents who were looking on with heartwarming smiles on their faces.
Well, the first step to becoming a magician starts with basic training.
How far could I go before I entered the academy?
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T/N: And so, the training begins!