“I… I see!”

Riena’s face grew hot, and she pressed her cheeks with the back of her hand. It was an embarrassing yet pleasant response.

“So, have you improved a lot in swordsmanship?”

The girl hastily changed the subject. Rublion shook his head slightly with a somewhat stiff expression.

“I practice a lot, but it’s not going as well as I’d like.”

“That can happen! I have those times too, you know?”

Riena stepped a few paces ahead of Rublion and turned around. Then, mimicking a stance as if holding a sword, she said,

“I’ll teach you while I’m here. So don’t worry.”

Rublion gazed intently at Riena as she changed the subject with a slightly reddened face. The urge to tease and play around with her crept up on him.

But knowing that one should be more careful with their actions towards those who are precious, he held back.

“Rublion, I think it’s about time we head back.”

The sunset had already deepened. Under the purple sky, the boy and girl stood looking at each other with slightly flushed expressions.

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After finishing dinner with an unexpectedly cute guest.

Askal placed a cup in front of Rublion, who had come saying he had something to talk about, and said,

“What is it this time?”

Rublion sat gloomily, staring at the tea as if he was about to bring up a very serious topic. Askal’s heart sank as he waited for the boy to speak, his hands clasped together.

“Father, I think I’ve become much nicer.”

“Who said such nonsense?”

A laugh of disbelief escaped him. The boy continued steadily despite his father’s reaction.

“You know, right? It’s fair to say that I created the current mother, isn’t it?”

“Hmm, I’ll admit that.”

“So I thought I was confident in making others my people, but…”

Rublion’s voice began to lose strength.

“Somehow, I can’t do anything with the princess.”

“Seems like you were trying to do something.”

The boy answered while fiddling with the cup handle.

“I wanted to walk in the garden holding hands, but I couldn’t even try, thinking she might not like it.”

“You should have asked if it was okay to hold hands.”

“What if she refuses?”

“Then you shouldn’t hold hands.”

Askal was quite perplexed by this consultation on a topic different from usual.

Having mostly discussed academics, imperial history, or family business matters, he wasn’t sure what the right answer was. So he decided to answer according to his own judgment.

“If you hold her hand after she refuses, you become a bastard. That’s all you need to know.”

Rublion let out a deep sigh. Then he casually picked up a butter cookie. The boy was no longer a child who only ate the chocolate out of cookies.

“Why do I become so cautious? Were you like this with mother too, father?”

“I tend to do what I want to do, I think.”

Askal recalled the events of the previous night and past memories.

“Well… I don’t know how kids your age date, so this might not be much of an answer, but I can tell you one thing for certain.”

“What is it?”

The boy’s eyes sparkled. Encouraged by this, Askal spoke with a voice full of conviction.

“Silence doesn’t mean consent.”

Rublion’s face became gloomy again. Askal awkwardly scratched his cheek.

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The next day.

Riena, the princess of Teravita, woke up an hour earlier than usual. The maids had rushed in, saying it was time to start their daily routine, and woke her up.

Since it wasn’t her own home, she couldn’t show her annoyance, nor could she give orders as she pleased, so she obediently got up and dressed.

“Your meal is prepared downstairs, Your Highness.”

At the maid’s whisper, Riena opened her slightly sleepy eyes wide.

‘That’s right! From today, I’ll be with Rublion, right? Eating together, studying together… teaching swordsmanship and spending good time together.’

As that thought occurred to her, she naturally felt better. Her dress looked prettier than usual, and even her hairstyle, though loosely let down, looked neat and appealing.

That was until she discovered the daily schedule left by the maid.

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After finishing a rather hearty breakfast.

Having changed clothes and joined Rublion for training, Riena doubted whether this was the right choice as she ran around the training ground.

While she was considered to have good stamina and swordsmanship skills in Teravita, here she couldn’t even compare.

With two laps left and breath reaching her chin, Riena sluggishly followed behind the knights who still looked fresh.

Suddenly feeling something odd, Rublion turned back and, seeing Riena coming like a pale beast, stopped.

“Riena, are you alright?”

Rublion, with only slightly rough breathing, patted the girl’s back with a relaxed gesture. The knights had already gone far ahead.

“You can rest if you’re tired.”

It was a very tempting offer, but Riena didn’t want to stop here. It wasn’t a matter of stamina, but of pride.

“I can run till the end.”

Though sweat poured down like rain, she didn’t give up.

“Alright. Then I’ll run beside you. Don’t overdo it.”

“Okay.”

Riena wiped the sweat falling below her chin with the back of her hand. Then she realized. That the young lord of Artenbach, whom she believed to be weaker than her, was different from the young lord of the past.

Just as Riena and Rublion finished circling the training ground and reached the finish line.

The knights who had long finished their run were already in individual training. The knight commander approached the two and set their training for the day.

Riena was shocked. She doubted whether it was possible to digest this much exercise in this time.

As soon as the commander finished speaking, Rublion began swinging his sword. Riena watched the boy’s training with a stunned face, then bit her lip hard.

‘If Rublion can do it, I can do it too!’

Gripping the solid wooden sword in her hand, Riena snorted forcefully. Then she began horizontal slashes, shouting numbers with all her might.

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After finishing the hellish morning training.

A sweet rest time was given. Although it was only thirty minutes, it was a desperate time for Riena.

“I prepared the lemon madeleines you like.”

Rublion pushed warm tea and madeleines in front of the girl. But Riena couldn’t eat anything.

“My arms… won’t lift.”

Perhaps due to unnecessary pride, after washing up, her arm muscles had gone on strike. Riena stared regretfully at the madeleines and teacup with slightly unfocused pupils.

Rublion, who was sitting across from her, stood up. Then he plopped down next to Riena.

The boy was holding a lemon madeleine in his hand.

“Riena. Say ah.”

“Ah?”

As soon as she opened her mouth, a madeleine popped in. The sweet and soft texture of the bread touched her tongue.

“I’ll feed you tea too.”

Riena stared blankly at Rublion, who was blowing on the cup saying it was hot. She felt strange. It was a feeling that made her want to curl her fingers and toes, with her chest tingling.

“Here, say ah. Be careful, it’s still hot.”

The girl carefully took a sip from the cup held in the air. Realizing that the golden eyes were focused only on her lips made her heart pound.

“Want another madeleine?”

Rublion asked as he removed the teacup. Riena nodded, and simultaneously another madeleine popped into her mouth.

‘…This hellish training might be bearable.’

Rublion feeding her snacks.

A strange emotion and excitement mixed, making the girl’s tender heart beat roughly. She wished this moment could last forever.

After the break time ended.

Riena, who came to the study with Rublion, couldn’t hide her surprise.

‘Do they study this much?’

It looked like five times the amount of study done in Teravita. Moreover, Rublion was already familiar with opening textbooks and reviewing yesterday’s lessons.

Naturally, it was unfamiliar study for Riena. The progress was too different.

‘….’

She shouldn’t think like this, but Riena felt relative deprivation. She had always known Rublion was smarter than her, but this was the first time she felt it so keenly.

He was no longer the young lord who hid alone in the treehouse, sobbing after being caught showing fake swordsmanship.

He had become a boy with the stamina to swing a sword effortlessly even after running twenty laps around the training ground, and a man who gently smiled while feeding snacks.

She couldn’t hear the teacher’s voice at all. Riena’s eyes were only on Rublion, sitting next to her taking notes on the teacher’s words.

The hand that had become firm from holding a sword was now gripping a pen.

The boy sitting upright and looking straight ahead exuded dignity.

“Riena, are you okay?”

Feeling her gaze, Rublion turned his head. Caught staring, Riena hastily averted her eyes. Then she mumbled softly.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Contrary to her words, her heart was not fine. Her face turned bright red.

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“You can do calculations, right?”

“Yes, I can.”

Schmidt heard that the lessons ended only after three in the afternoon. So she gave Riena some time to rest before calling her to the office.

Cautious about assigning large-scale tasks, she had prepared work that Riena could handle sufficiently.

Adding up and recording various expenditures. It was the most basic part of keeping a household account.

“Riena, write down the prices written at the end of these certificates in the ledger, then add up all the amounts and write the total in the bottom box.”

Riena’s face was full of tension. She knew how to calculate, but had never done it in practice.

Even when shopping, the maids would handle the calculations. Even when spending money, she didn’t directly pay and buy things.

When she was younger, her elder sister Rieta did everything, and now the family’s maids do it all.

If there was one worry, it was that her math scores were close to zero. If she had known she would be doing this kind of work, she might have studied harder. Or maybe not?

Anyway, Riena sat at the desk with a grave determination. And she diligently wrote down the numbers from the certificates into the ledger.