Chapter 113. The cost of war is a bitter law (6)
“Ah, anyway, that's not what's important.
sister? Am I not that weak?”
“You are weak.”
Yes, Arell is weak. I am terribly weak.
At best, it's enough to kill a warlock with your fingers or set off fireworks with oversized fireballs on someone else's estate.
Before that, how weak does your sister think I am?
Who do you think of as a tree branch blown away by the wind?
At times like this, I am afraid of my impeccable acting skills.
“Well... it's nothing compared to my older sister. Still, it's not to the point of being protected forever.”
But I can't believe it.
“And there are also knights, and everyone is working hard. You know best that safety isn't something for your sister to worry about, right?”
When I told the truth, my sister didn't seem to have anything to object.
“And my father is still watching my situation.”
“Father?”
“Didn’t you say something? A spy from my father's side had been reporting on my progress since before.”
“I didn’t hear you! Didn't you hear?”
Kania noona who is genuinely frightened.
uh? Come to think of it, is this the first time you're saying this?
In fact, one of the maids working in the castle was suspicious no matter how you looked at it, so I investigated and found that it was a watchdog sent by the butler who served my father.
At first, I thought about expelling them, but after realizing that they were simply watching for my safety, I decided to leave them alone.
The important thing is that the maid doesn't even know that her identity has been revealed.
Perhaps even now, he is writing a report diligently, feeling proud and ignorant of anything.
It's pretty fun to watch secretly sometimes.
It's one of the little pleasures I've had recently.
Conversely, in Pahilia, the lord watches over the spies.
“It doesn’t matter, so leave it for now.”
“…I don’t think I can just go back. I think Arel would do more strange things without me....
How rude of you!
My strange thing is that the future is the real beginning, isn't it?
It's a chick that hasn't even flapped its wings yet, right?
I tried to reassure her, but strangely, it seemed to fuel her sister's anxiety even more.
“Anyway, you know I can't use my safety as an excuse anymore, right?”
“Think seriously.
To keep everyone worried and to remain in my estate or to go back to the palace and carve out a proper future. Which one will be sound?”
My sister could not easily answer my question.
“Think about it slowly.”
? ? ?
Kania Ernesia has had a question since she was a child.
‘If I live as it is, will I be happy with it?'
If she was born as a princess of a country and said such a thing, she would have nothing to say even if she was criticized for her extravagant worries, but Kania was sincere.
Everyday life felt boring.
The first time I realized it was when I was at an age where I could distinguish things to some extent.
At first I thought it was normal.
Because he was born in the royal palace, he had no contact with children of his own age, so he had no target for comparison.
The only adults around him are maids who escort and serve him.
From long ago, he had been aware that Kania was a child who could hardly keep quiet.
“Miss Kania! It's dangerous to run around like that.”
The ladies-in-waiting always had to struggle to follow the lively Kania.
When she reached the age where she could understand her speech to a certain extent, the adults around her began to nag at her for not being squeamish.
“Kania is the second princess of Ernesia Kingdom. Now you have to learn the proper dignity, right?”
As a result, I started learning things like etiquette classes like others.
In fact, rather than not wanting to study.
It was very uncomfortable to force such manners and dignity.
In that respect, the third princess, Meryl, was a truly incomprehensible child.
Because she was a princess who was the complete opposite of herself in many ways.
Anyway, from around that time, Kania started to have a question in earnest.
yes i am a princess
That alone cannot be denied.
Since she was born into a royal family, what is she if not a princess?
But what does it have to do with being a princess and living according to the rules?
Of course, at the time, concepts such as royal etiquette and political issues were not in my head.
Because she was young at the time.
It was nothing more than a child's rebellion.
I guess it's just that I'm struggling because I don't like boring studies.
Compared to that, swinging a sword or running around was really comfortable.
move as you please.
how freeing it feels.
At other times, Kania, who was only causing trouble, was at least calm when learning the sword, so the adults around her eventually allowed her to learn the sword.
However, at that time, even the young himself vaguely understood that such selfish behavior would not be tolerated forever.
As a member of the royal family, you will have an obligation to shoulder someday.
Ever since I was little, the dedicated tutor and the maids had always been talking to me.
In fact, maybe he didn't like it.
Then, what caught Kania's eye was another member of the royal family, her half-brother.
A gray haired boy.
Arell.
The youngest member of the royal family.
He was a child who could hardly understand himself.
The first time we met was Arel's first birthday.
At the time, I wasn't very interested in him.
When I was younger, I didn't understand much about him being his half-brother.
In the meantime, I saw her for the first time at a party celebrating her birthday.
‘Small!'
It was the pure reaction of a child seeing a baby for the first time.
At that time, I felt strange without even realizing it, so I touched my cheek.
Maybe Arel doesn't remember, but she definitely remembered what happened then.
The next time they met again, for some reason, his mother, concubine Pinelia, went to see Arell's mother.
Even then, I was still amazed and touched.
Now that I think about it, Arel didn't cry even though he was being touched so roughly.
When I think about it sometimes, it was very strange.
After that, the two concubines started interacting relatively, so Kania and Arell often ran into each other and played.
Even though it was Kania dragging Arel around alone.
Arel also followed Kania without saying anything, so she was very satisfied.
At the time, I just thought of it that way.
Afterwards, it wasn't until after Kania had grown up and started studying that she suddenly thought of it one day while watching Arell toddling around.
‘Is this kid being forced to pretend that he's from royalty like me?'
Of course, he's still a baby, so that won't happen.
However, if Arell is as big as he is, then he will receive the same education as he is now.
If so, would he really feel this frustration like he did?
However, it doesn't mean much if you feel stuffy.
Does a child use a swarm? Hey, because you can't beat an adult.
In the end, Arel will also accept the position of being a member of the royal family.
It was a little later that I realized that Kania's conclusion was wrong.
It was when he was allowed to learn swordsmanship and left to practice under the protection of knights.
At that time, Kania had taken Arel halfway by force.
The reason was that he just wanted to show Arel how to wield a sword.
An immature greed that wants to be genuinely proud.
Back then, Kania had told Arel that she hated her current fate.
But after hearing that, I didn't expect Arel to tell me anything.
It just felt like complaining.
But isn't Arel seriously looking into his eyes and saying that he can do it if he wants it?
At first, is this what he meant to comfort you?
One noticed right away.
This child said it with sincere conviction.
do you understand
I felt somewhat relieved by that fact.
And I felt a little certain about my actions.
I thought I could keep holding the sword.
However, after that, there was a commotion due to the attack of the black magician.
As a result, numerous soldiers and knights who were accompanying him at the time were sacrificed.
In that fact, Kania tasted regret for the first time.
I thought that if I hadn't learned the sword, that wouldn't have happened.
It was Arel who came to her again and gave her advice.
I asked her if she didn't resent giving up because of someone else's malice.
It was then that Kania felt for the first time that Arell was different from other children.
Of course, I had heard rumors that Arell was a genius before that.
I actually saw what he made.
But then it's just ‘Oh? Is that so?!' There was only a feeling of doing it.
To Kania, Arell was just a weak younger brother.
It was the first time that he had strongly expressed his opinion to Kania and suggested it.
Wouldn't you like to learn swordsmanship yourself?
Is it possible to establish swordsmanship only with theory in the first place?
He himself was puzzled.
However, it was suggested by Arel, not by anyone else.
She once agreed to hang out as Arel ordered.
Then, is this the original? Kania really got stronger.
He quickly awakened his aura and improved his swordsmanship.
The gaze of adults has also changed from before.
It wasn't just about learning the sword as a culture, but it was a proper recognition that the sword was one of her essence for Kania.
Well, there were people who didn't like it, but Kania didn't really listen to those words.
With Arel's advice, he picked up the sword he had almost let go of and started practicing, and another few years passed.
Around that time, Kania was again troubled by a new nuisance.
It was none other than an arranged marriage.
Her mother said that now that she is of age, she should meet a suitable partner, even if it is not until marriage.
I knew.
Are you a princess
He already knew that an arranged marriage or an engagement would come before him someday.
Of course, I thought I hated it from the beginning.
When the time really comes.
I was genuinely annoyed.
The opponent wasn't bad.
I don't remember it well because it leaked into my ear at the time, but it seemed that he was a man of high status in a foreign country.
I didn't see the face in person, I only saw the portrait that came with the documents, but it wasn't too bad.
Because the ladies-in-waiting who saw it together screamed in envy.
If you judged it coldly, it might have been a suitable opponent.
But judging not soberly.
The real annoyance welled up.
At the time, I was like, ‘What is this handsome man? Is this guy standing in my way?” I even thought.
Around that time, I heard rumors that Arell was leaving as the lord of another territory.
‘...He's no big deal either.'
Even if he is praised as a genius, he cannot go against the duty of the royal family.
At that fact, Kania's annoyance finally exploded.
Around that time, she continued to practice rough training, and perhaps because of the reaction, she broke one of the walls of her realm without even realizing it.
It was both happy and sad at the same time.
After all, what is the use of going beyond the realm of an arranged marriage?
‘...Is there any point in complaining?'
Normally, he would run to Arel and complain, but now, Arel is also being kicked out of another territory.
At least he's in a more serious situation than himself.
It's not like that, but should I say a word of comfort as an older sister?
Kania headed to Arell's office.
But I did listen.
The sound of Arell's shouts of joy.