Chapter 68
The training grounds inside Santpol Castle were kept in immaculate order.
That was only natural, since military strength was more important than anything else in Santpol.
Although the lively atmosphere of the hunting tournament somewhat obscured it, Santpol bordered the duchy and was a city of struggle, constantly forced to fight hungry wild animals.
“I told them I’d be borrowing it today.”
With a tall, slender figure reminiscent of Shiran, Michelle swung her longsword with ease. Each time she moved lightly, her gray hair, tied up in a single bundle, swayed pleasingly.
“You sprained your ankle, didn’t you? Wouldn’t it be better to rest another day or two?”
“I’m fine. The priests of Sijak aren’t all idiots.”
Michelle planted her previously sprained right ankle and rolled it around.
“And as the person who’ll become your liege, I can’t let someone else take away my chance to test a knight’s abilities for myself.”
“…I never said I was going.”
“Think it over. It’ll be much better than the Empire. Ah, though there isn’t anyone as handsome as that prince.”
Michelle approached one side of the training grounds, hesitated briefly, then tossed Vieta a longsword somewhat shorter than the one she was holding. She seemed to have paused to choose a sword suited to Vieta’s height. When Vieta gripped the longsword with both hands, Michelle grinned and stepped forward with her right foot.
“Here I come, Vieta.”
“Whenever you’re ready.”
Now that things had come this far, Vieta had no intention of meekly backing down either.
She might have gone easy on someone who knew nothing of her abilities, but Michelle already knew that Vieta was far from ordinary. To hold back in that situation would instead be an insult to her opponent.
Michelle’s swordsmanship was not particularly fast, but it was clean and free of unnecessary movement.
It was roughly on par with Captain Allos’s, and Vieta used her guard and blade to block or deflect the attacks.
“Are you not going to attack?”
As though she had realized that Vieta was only fighting her defensively, Michelle spoke in an excited voice.
“If that’s what you wish, Lady Sijak.”
An attack slashed down from the upper left to the lower right. Vieta stepped to the left and raised the hilt above her head, angling the blade downward. With a clang, Michelle’s attack slid along Vieta’s diagonally tilted blade, and Vieta spun her sword once above her head before cutting diagonally downward.
It was the most ordinary swordsmanship imaginable, but the timing, speed, and precision with which Vieta intercepted Michelle’s blade were second to none. With a single strike, she split Michelle’s thick leather breastplate.
“You’re no pushover after all. Let’s keep going like this.”
Even though the slightest increase in the blade’s depth would have split her tender flesh, Michelle showed no fear at all. Instead, she seemed to burn with fighting spirit.
For a long while afterward, the sharp sound of sword striking sword filled the training grounds.
*
“Ah, that felt great. How about you, Vieta?”
Michelle wiped away her sweat with the towel brought by a servant and flashed a hearty smile. After more than two hours of sparring, the breastplate lying at her feet had been split here and there until it resembled a rag.
“Not bad.”
Vieta also beamed as she drank some water. It had been a very long time since she had swung a sword purely for training.
In truth, Vieta did not particularly like swordsmanship. Quite apart from whether the purpose behind wielding a sword was justified, blood and screams had followed every time she used one.
“By the way, why have those two been watching us for a while? They both look like mages.”
Following Michelle’s chin gesture, Vieta looked up at the tower of the inner keep. The two people leaning against the iron rampart were Blanc and Fulcare. Blanc’s face looked even darker than it had yesterday. Feeling uncomfortable under Blanc’s gaze as he looked down over the training grounds, Vieta abruptly turned her head away.
“The prince hasn’t been able to take his eyes off Vieta for a while now. Don’t tell me he’s only just started setting his sights on her? That’s a problem. I’m supposed to take Vieta with me.”
“What exactly are you planning to do by taking me with you? Aren’t there plenty of knights in the duchy?”
Michelle stroked the tip of her chin with one hand and rolled her eyes around.
She looked as though she wanted to say something but was hesitating.
“I’ll tell you when Vieta becomes my knight.”
“Then I suppose I’ll never hear it.”
Michelle burst out laughing at Vieta’s sullen tone. There was none of the pretense characteristic of nobles in her behavior; she always expressed her feelings exactly as they came, without caring what anyone around her thought.
“Simply put, you could say it’s so I can survive. By the way, aren’t you hungry? It’s nearly lunchtime, so shall we go get something to eat?”
“Yes. I’m definitely getting hungry.”
Vieta followed Michelle out of the training grounds.
***
To avoid Vieta and Lady Sijak, Blanc finished his lunch late and headed toward the lord’s conference room with Fulcare.
Today, they had to finalize the policy regarding the treasury subsidy Santpol had requested.
Santpol spent at least thirty percent of its territorial finances on military expenses, so imperial support was essential to keeping the city running.
“His Majesty seems to want to reduce Santpol’s subsidy out of consideration for fairness with the other northern regions. What do you think?”
Blanc asked Fulcare for his advice in the corridor leading to the conference room.
“If you look at the amount alone, Santpol has received considerable benefits since the end of the war. But considering how important Santpol is, I think it’s still insufficient.”
“So even if we can’t increase it, you think it would be better to maintain it at the very least?”
“That’s right. From what I’ve looked into, Santpol’s lord has a fairly clean record. He surely lines his pockets a little, but he should still be better than the other provincial lords.”
Blanc nodded.
Santpol, which he had toured over the past few days, was by no means wealthy.
If the city was poor because its lord was siphoning off its funds, then the subsidy could be reduced. But if that was not the case, it should never be reduced.
“Even so, we’ll need to present a reasonable justification to persuade the other lords.”
After a brief meeting, the lord of Santpol accepted Blanc’s proposal.
Blanc offered to have the imperial court continue supporting Santpol on the condition that the ledgers related to the subsidy be made public once a year. Santpol’s lord, whose integrity surpassed that of the lords in other regions, accepted the condition without hesitation.
“I’m tired.”
Once everyone else had left the conference room, Blanc leaned back in his chair and sighed.
“Because of Vieta?”
Fulcare, who was organizing the agreement documents beside him, continued speaking.
“Well, I can’t say I don’t understand. We’re always telling her not to keep things bottled up and to be open with us, but Vieta herself often acts like a squirrel holed up in its burrow.”
"She does seem to be hiding something…. But that’s not the only problem."
Blanc pounded his fist against the table as he mulled over what Vieta had said that night. He did not know whether her words reflected her true feelings, but not a single thing she had said was wrong.
That fact tormented Blanc even more.
What was more, even though he had not yet become crown prince, Vieta had already been attacked by a lady-in-waiting devoted to him. When he discreetly looked into the matter afterward, he discovered that there had been quite a few problems even before that incident.
There was only one reason. Vieta was the prince’s favored maid.
Things would certainly become worse, not better, once they returned to the capital. Besides, to marry Vieta, he would have to change the laws of the Empire and overcome the opposition of the nobles.
In truth, he had no idea how long it would take before he could make Vieta his crown princess.
It felt too selfish to ask her to stay by his side and endure all that pain during that time.
“…Should I just run away?”
Blanc muttered under his breath, overwhelmed by how hopeless the situation surrounding him seemed.
Perhaps Fulcare had heard him mutter, because he narrowed his eyes and spoke.
“Your Highness, I don’t know why you’re trying to run away, but please don’t add to my workload.”
“How about becoming the prince in my place? I’ll give you my position.”
“I’ll pass. I’m already sick to death of the hassle as it is.”
Blanc burst out laughing at Fulcare’s razor-sharp refusal.
It was true that Fulcare’s workload had increased from accompanying him.
At first, Fulcare had been responsible only for escort duty, but he now helped Blanc gather all sorts of information and advised him on important matters, effectively taking on the duties of an aide as well.
“Come to think of it, why is Lady Sijak trying to take Vieta with her? Is it because of her younger brother?”
“Things are pretty complicated there too. She must need a power base of her own, like you.”
Succession struggles were a major issue no country could escape.
“…Vieta isn’t going to go, is she?”
“Even if she does, I’ve decided to go with her.”
Blanc stared at Fulcare with a shocked expression.
It felt as though his heart were crumbling endlessly at the thought that, after Vieta, even Fulcare might leave him.
“Why would I go anywhere and leave an annoying fellow like you behind? Let’s take a walk. I’m afraid you’ll start digging a burrow like Vieta if I leave you alone like this.”
Fulcare chuckled and rose from his seat.