Chapter 62

Part 12: The Royal Palace (2)

Despite her apologetic expression, Katerine's demeanor was very feminine and relaxed, quite different from when she was a mercenary. It was as if this was her true self.

Moreover, the way she treated the queen was more like a daughter nagging at her mother rather than a sister.

It seemed as comfortable as sharing tea with family.

Perhaps it was too comfortable. The queen gently scolded her.

"You, how old are you to act like this in front of guests?"

Despite the queen's scolding, she was not at all bothered.

"It's fine. They are not guests but comrades who fought alongside me."

"Hmm, you seem closer than I thought."

The queen tilted her head and looked at me again.

Thanks to this, my relaxed nerves tightened.

The queen's attention was quite troublesome.

I hoped it would just end with her patronage, but from the looks of it, it didn't seem like it would.

Fighting would have been easier.

If I got my head cut off by a sword, I could just start over, but if I messed up in this political relationship, I would suffer greatly and wouldn't be able to start over.

"That's what I've been telling you about what happened."

"But it's hard to understand, isn't it?"

She smiled strangely at me, who still looked young.

Indeed, it might be hard to believe my story just by looking at me.

But, shouldn't that be even more reason to support me?

"I don't doubt Katerine's words. I am very grateful for the help you gave Katerine. Not only to Katerine but also to the Latenhamar family. As a member of the family, I am grateful."

Indeed, since you helped find the relic left by her ancestors, it was natural to be grateful.

However, I received quite a lot of rewards, so I didn't feel particularly grateful.

I even received a rather strange dagger.

Sigh, that strange dagger, which seemed to have something significant to say, has been quiet ever since.

I don't know if it was supposed to say everything at that time or if it needs a new trigger, but after quite some time, nothing has changed.

Fortunately, the dagger's abilities haven't disappeared, so it's not a big problem.

"No, I have already received sufficient compensation from Katerine. Or rather, from Lady Katerine."

"Oh, Katerine. It seems you really liked her."

The queen looked at her sister with an amused expression. Katerine shrugged.

However, this is clearly in front of the queen of the royal palace. I'm not sure if such a relaxed atmosphere is appropriate. I kept getting nervous.

"That's the compensation from Katerine and her family. You can think of this patronage as a separate reward. You don't need to feel burdened."

I feel more burdened. Moreover, I'm more worried about being politically entangled.

However, I couldn't say that in front of the queen. I could only say thank you.

And the conversation continued.

We talked about the duke's family and the adventures I had with Katerine. The queen was an excellent listener.

"That's what happened. Katerine's story was so stiff, I thought I was listening to a report."

I seemed to be a decent storyteller.

As the conversation was about to end, the queen asked me a question.

"May I ask what you plan to do after graduating from the academy?"

Suddenly, a question about my future. It felt like I was stabbed by a sword.

It was difficult.

Honestly, I had several plans, but I couldn't mention them here.

The queen's mouth was still smiling, but her eyes were sharp.

This question was clearly not out of concern for a patron's future.

It was definitely a politically charged question.

Katerine looked a bit awkward.

It seemed my background check was complete. I might have shown too much of my abilities to Katerine.

I was still a 14-year-old boy, but the two women looked at me as if I were an adult.

Pretending to be young was already a lost cause.

I sighed inwardly and opened my mouth.

"After graduation, I plan to..."

Knock knock.

But before I could finish, there was a knock on the door.

Was it fortunate? But the queen was in the middle of a conversation. Who could it be?

"The princess has arrived."

The maid opened the door.

A little lady appeared. A small girl, around 10 years old, like a doll.

She smiled brightly when she saw Katerine in the room, but her expression stiffened when she saw me.

She clasped her hands and slowly entered the room.

"Your Majesty, Aisha has arrived."

She greeted the queen, who then said to her.

"Welcome. I called you because I have someone to introduce."

Clearly, the princess who entered was the queen's daughter, Aisha.

The person who just entered the room was undoubtedly the third child and third in line to the throne, Princess Aisha.

Introducing me to the princess? Why? I blinked in surprise at the unexpected situation.

The princess also looked confused.

But, I couldn't just stand there when the queen spoke.

I stood up and greeted the princess in a knightly manner.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I am Alex de Gresia."

This time, I didn't stutter.

"I am Aisha de Carlos. Nice to meet you."

She also curtsied to me.

The little girl's cute greeting was very adorable. It felt healing.

"Hehe, this is a scene I want to remember."

The queen smiled at the princess and me greeting each other. Katerine also smiled.

Hmm, maybe I still look cute. It felt strange.

"By the way, our Aisha's awakening day is coming soon."

The princess was clearly 10 years old. It seems the royal family's awakening day is different from ours.

But, what does the princess's awakening have to do with introducing me?

The queen continued.

"Although her awakening day is still ahead and she is young, she needs proper education. So, Aisha will be entering the academy soon."

"The academy?"

I couldn't help but ask.

This little girl will be my classmate? She's just a kid! The age difference...

Wait, it's not that big.

Clearly, she's a kid. But, thinking about it, I'm still a kid too.

Looking at it, the height difference isn't that big either.

Oh, I'm so confused because everyone treats me like an adult!

But, will I be taking classes with these kids?

I know that in the past, in a non-modern society, it was normal for different age groups to take classes together, but seeing it in front of me is awkward.

Oh, so my brother Manuel will also be a freshman with this little princess?

Oh! My brother will have it worse than me.

"Since you are both freshmen, I hope you will take good care of our daughter. She is still a child and has only grown up in the palace, so I am very worried. Please take good care of her as a fellow freshman."

The queen, who had approached, firmly held my hand.

I broke out in a cold sweat.

It's over. Completely over.

The problem wasn't my future plans or the political implications of the patronage.

It was a big issue from the very first day of the opening ceremony.

This was like avoiding a wolf and ending up in a lion's den.

The princess looked at my half-shocked face with sparkling eyes.

* * *

After the unexpected meeting, I left the palace in shock.

Katerine said she looked forward to the next meeting, but I had no time to ponder what that meant.

Back at the mansion, Manuel, who was curious about my visit to the palace, kept hovering around, and the mansion's staff, who had never shown interest before, looked at me with strange eyes, but I had no energy to care.

Time passed quickly.

After calming down and resuming training, the day of the royal academy's opening ceremony arrived.

Thanks to my visit to the royal city, life at the mansion wasn't too bad, and I could even ride in the same carriage as Manuel to the opening ceremony.

"You carry the name of the Gresia ducal family, so don't do anything to tarnish the family's reputation. If I hear any strange stories, I will report them to the family, so you must behave properly!"

On the way in the carriage, Manuel, with a stern look, gave me a warning.

It seemed he was trying to give me a warning, but to me, he just looked cute.

However, the butler of the capital mansion, who was riding with us, nodded in satisfaction.

The carriage headed south in the capital.

The royal palace was in the center of the capital, surrounded by various government offices, the knight's order, and the nobles' mansions.

To the south of the capital, adjacent to the outer city, was the vast grounds of the royal academy.

The royal academy, also known as the royal college, was one of the first national institutions established by the first king after the great war.

Although the great war was won, many monsters still existed in the world, and the new royal family needed to establish a foundation. Additionally, there was a need to systematically educate the inherited abilities passed down from the heroes who won the great war.

Of course, there were more important reasons beyond these plausible ones.

It was to take the children of the new kingdom's nobles and local lords as hostages.

Since the marriage alliances with multiple wives would spread the inherited abilities uncontrollably, the only option was to take the children as hostages under the pretext of education.

Therefore, not only the Kingdom of Carlos but also the empire and other kingdoms established academies in the capital after the great war to enroll the children of the nobility.

The carriage, after a long drive along the high walls, finally arrived at the main gate of the royal academy.

The wide main gate was open, and high-quality carriages with family crests were entering.

These were the carriages of nobles and powerful people.

On the side, people were walking in, clearly commoners by their attire and behavior.

Although it was a rather advanced world and kingdom by medieval standards, it was a thoroughly class-based society based on inherited abilities.

If I hadn't awakened or had a useful ability, I would have gone in with them.

Or, I might have died before that.

The people walking in were thoroughly checked by the guards, but the carriages with family crests passed without inspection.

Our carriage, recognized as the Gresia ducal family's, passed with the guards' salute.