As soon as I got out of the carriage, I swallowed a groan inside of me as I saw the spacious garden and four-story mansion spread out in front of me.
âItâs really big, isnât it?â
Leonard, who came near before I knew it, looked up at the mansion and said.
âIâve only heard about it, but itâs better than I thought.â
Of course, it was the mansion of the most powerful duke then. Oh, by the way, I had made him emperor.
âThere is a separate training center behind the main house, and the hall on the first floor is also spacious, so it can be used as a dining hall.â
âI see.â
âAnd thereâs a cliff where you can see the sea as soon as you get out of the garden. I think the scenery from there is nice.â
Leonard said with a look of full expectation, so despite not expecting much, I still said Wow, Iâm looking forward to it.
In fact, I already knew.
Because the owner of this house told me.
A long time ago, sitting on a swing placed there, I already looked at the sea to the point of getting sick of it.
A heavy feeling suddenly fell on my shoulder when I was soaked in an unexpected nostalgia.
âWhat do you think? Isnât it amazing?â
Commander Dalton slipped between Leonard and me and put his arms around each of us.
Leaving Leonard aside, the way you treat a lady is too rough, dude.
âAs far as I know, it was the residence of Emperor Erez Gray when he was a duke.â
Yes, I know.
Instead of answering, I laughed Ahahaha.
âMy lady, what should I do with the luggage?â
While I was feeling Daltonâs weight, Agoth approached me with a large trunk in both hands.
Daltonâs expression became serious when he saw Agoth.
âHiyaa, the instructorâs maid is just as unique as the instructor. One of those heavy things in each handâŠâ
âAgoth also uses a sword.â
âHmm. Do you have any intention of becoming a knight by any chance?â
âNo. This child is mine.â
When I flatly refused, a proud smile appeared on Agothâs face. Dalton shook his head with a smile at Agothâs sparkling eyes.
âIf you go to the hall, the manager will be waiting for you. Put it down there for now.â
Dalton, who answered Agoth for me, tapped me on the shoulder and said.
âIf there is a room that you like, you can stay in that room.â
âWill that be okay?â
âLadies first.â
Oh, thatâs great.
I smiled broadly and told Agoth.
âAgoth, tell the manager that Iâm going to use the room on the far left of the third floor. Itâs a room with a terrace, so heâll know immediately.â
âWhat? Ah, yes. All right.â
Agoth was startled by my specific order and then rushed into the building with our luggage.
Agoth wasnât the only one who was surprised. Leonard and Dalton were looking at me with round eyes.
â⊠What is it?â
What? Did I say something wrong?
âUh⊠Helena. Is it okay to decide that way without looking first?â
âThatâs the best room, but⊠Instructor, did you already know?â
Oops.
Iâm new to this mansion now. I should have chosen it after looking at the mansion, but I made a mistake.
âBecause I stayed in that room every time I came here. I picked it because I was used to it but didnât think of it.â
I rolled my eyes and spouted out excuses quickly.
âWell, I mean⊠I think Iâve heard from someone that the room is good. Who was it againâŠâ
Dalton clicked his tongue at my faltering answer.
âOh, itâs probably Hamilton, that man.â
âOh, thatâs right. I heard it from Viscount Noct!â
Iâm sorry, Hamilton! From now on, I wonât call you inflexible or anything like that!
By the way.
âBut is that really the best room?â
âMm, itâs the widest bedroom and has a nice view.â
Is that so?
Was Erez always giving me the best room? Iâm sorry for him. I didnât know until 500 years later.
âThis must have been because I didnât understand other peopleâs feelings well.â
I feel a little bitter.
I wish I could have said thank you for your care. Well, I think Iâve done everything I could to repay him by giving him the throne.
âLetâs be nice to Caesar instead. Be nice to his descendant so Erez will be happy in the other world.â
I donât know what the connection is, but I decided to.
***
The inside of the building was changed a bit here and there, so for me, it was like finding something wrong here and there in a picture.
The color of the carpet in the western corridor had changed, the decorative cabinet with a slightly broken corner had been changed to something else, and the bedâs position had changed.
However, the overall atmosphere and structure were the same as they had been 500 years ago, so I felt a strange nostalgia.
âItâs still niceâŠâ
The second bedroom terrace.
I leaned back on the rocking chair and muttered. As I was enjoying the cool sea breeze, I felt somewhat drowsy.
âI think this is my first vacation after a long while.â
Agoth, who sat beside me and fanned me, said with a smile.
âIs that so?â
âYes. Actually, itâs my first time seeing the sea.â
âHuh, really?â
Well, the first time I met Agoth was when I was 12.
As a lazy owner, I rarely went around, so Agoth, my maid, suffered from a lack of experience.
âI should have paid more attention.â
Once I started to realize it, I wondered why I was so indifferent to the people around me.
âShall we go out to the beach later, Agoth?â
âWow, is that okay?â
âSure. Weâre here for a vacation. I didnât come here to train.â
Thatâs right.
Although I joined the Knightsâ camp training at Daltonâs recommendation, my purpose was to always be on vacation, recreation.
âOne, two, three, four!â
âYour voice is too small! Louder!â
âFive, six, seven, eight!â
âAll right, ten more laps like this!â
â⊠Be quiet!â
I leaned against the railing and squeaked downwards.
The noise between floors is too much!
Just below the railing, the members of the Red Knights were running at Daltonâs command. This happened every morning and evening. Everyone was even taking off their tops, which also contributed to the promiscuity of the public.
âOh, Instructor!â
âWhat do you mean âOh, Instructorâ?! If you want to train, go inside the training ground!â
I shouted, pointing to the building across the street.
They said thereâs a separate training center, so why are they making noise while running around the garden!?
Even though I was angry, Dalton just chuckled and laughed.
âThereâs no meaning of going out to a place with good air if we stay inside the building, right?â
âThen you can run in the garden or beach, right? Why are you just cantering in the backyard under my room?â
âHahahahaha, does it seem like that?â
Dalton burst out laughing tactlessly.
No, maybe heâs not tactless. It must be a calculated act.
Otherwise, no one would rush under the terrace of my room and make a fuss.
âDonât be like that! Fight with us, Instructor!â
âWe know you brought your sword!â
âBesides the trainees, please train us as well! Weâd like to have a real fight with Princess as well!â
From the knights to the trainees, it was chaotic. Anyone who saw it might think there was a protest going on.
Moreover, some of the guys who were with me in subjugating the monsters knew very well what to say to shake me.
âIf Instructor doesnât fight us, weâll fight only with the deputy commander all day!â
âWhat?! Donât bother my brother!â
As I squeaked, Hawk, who had been arguing with me during the selection of the subjugation squad, waved his hand and chuckled.
I couldnât ignore those words even if I let everything else slide.
âAgoth, my sword!â
âWhat? Oh, yes!â
Agoth hurriedly took out the weapon bag she had kept under the bed. Then she pulled out two of my swords and came rushing up to me.
I grabbed the two swords with one hand.
âOh, Instructor! Are you coming?â
âAlright! Everyoneâs just waiting.â
âHey, Hawk! The instructor is coming! Go and serveâŠ!â
âThereâs no need.â
I shouted after cutting Daltonâs words.
Everyone paid attention to me, wondering what that meant.
I grabbed the railing with one hand and jumped over the second-floor terrace railing.
âP-Princess!â
âInstructor!â
The members who had been grinning shouted in shock when they saw me in dresses jumping off the railing on the second floor.
But the second floor was not a big deal for me. So I jumped without thinking.
I easily landed in the middle of the members. It was quite fun to see the flustered members.
I laughed as I looked around the members, holding the sword in both hands.
âNow then, who will come to defeat me first?â
***
Unfortunately, the free match that started like that was not fun.
Twists and tension would exist only if the fightersâs skills were on par, but all I had to do was knock down the knights who had been challenging me unilaterally.
âAh, as expected, our lady is the best! Youâre amazing, my lady!â
Only Agothâs passionate cheers from behind proved that this was not one-sided violence.
After defeating about a dozen knights, I started sweating. I sighed softly with the sword in my right hand draped over my shoulder.
âThe people who encouraged me turned out to be so boringâŠâ
In my murmur, humiliation came to the faces of the knights I had defeated.
âIf I had known this would happen, I would not have changed my clothes. I should have given you a handicap and fought in a dress.â
Ufufufu. I grinned with a villainâs smile. At the sight of me looking down, the knights screamed in agony and distress.
âThe demon⊠Itâs the demon! The Great Demon King has descendedâŠ!â
âUntil now, I thought the crown prince was the strongest, but we have been deceivedâŠ!â
âDeputy Commander! Will you just watch? You must step up and avenge us! Youâre on our side, arenât you?â
Not able to hit me directly, the knights began to cling to Leonard.
My first disciple, whose fame had been raised by defeating the knights of the Red Knights from a time when he had no merits, smiled at the request of the members.
âOh, am I supposed to take someoneâs side now?â
Then he pulled out his sword and walked over to me.
Huh? Is my angelic brother pointing his sword at me? I thought, butâŠ
Of course, that couldnât be.
Leonard stood next to me and pointed his sword at the knights. With that characteristic dazzling smile on his face.
âIâll be on Helenaâs side then.â
âYouâre so mean! You want to survive alone!â
âA traitor! He betrayed us less than a year after taking office!â
The knights began to clamor. Dalton stood at a distance, chuckling and watching.
It was only then that I realized that these humans had no interest in training and were just looking for an excuse to play.
âAnd I joined their play.â
I couldnât help but laugh.
No⊠I donât think weâve just been playing around.
âItâs actually⊠kind of fun?â
A time of no purpose, no results, just acting boisterously.
Relationships where fierceness is not needed, and thereâs nothing to protect.
âMy lady, arenât you tired?â
At that moment, leaving behind the knights that had started a fight with Leonard instead of me, Agoth came to me with a towel.
I took the towel and smiled a little.
âMm, itâs fine. I donât know if I should say itâs fine⊠But this isnât bad either.â
I looked towards the knights.
âI think getting along with people is not as annoying as I thought.â
I think itâs okay to open up to others a little bitâŠ
âWhy donât you try to build a closer relationship with me instead of someone else?â
ââŠ?!â
Someone pulled me from behind and hugged me. A low, quiet voice followed in my ear.
It gave me the creeps.
I knew who it was without looking back, just from the friendly but faintly jealous voice.
âCaesar!â
Looking back, Caesar squinted and laughed.
âIt makes me jealous to see you having fun with other people without me.â
âNo, youâ I mean, why is His Highness here when heâs not even of the Knights Order?!â
âBecause Helena is here?â
Thatâs not the right answer!
âBy the way, seeing all the Red Knights working hard on their training, I canât hide my satisfaction as the crown prince.â
Caesar said to the knights and smiled. The chirping knights immediately stood at attention to the villainous smile.
Caesar took the sword in my left hand, held it, and pointed it at the knights.
âIt looks interesting. Can this prince intervene?â
The membersâs expressions seemed to want to shout Do not interfere! were quite pathetic.
âI donât know what the camp is for.â
Before Caesarâs second battle with the knights, I had to laugh bitterly at this camp of unclear purpose.