45. Bucephalus
…I’m only six years old, and they say it’s already too late? In this country, at what age are you supposed to start learning the sword? Could Tula have been wrong?
I recalled my previous life where I started wielding a sword after turning twenty, yet had no trouble rising to the rank of general, and I felt a bit anxious.
“Ah, Pavela, don’t scare the kid. Blanche, don’t trust what Pavela says. She’s talking about the official knight route,” Liana explained.
According to Liana’s additional explanation, there is a formal course to become a knight here. You enter the academy at age ten, train for five years, then after graduation go through a squire period before starting your career as a novice knight.
Depending on the academy’s level, some accept candidates who show potential even if they haven’t trained yet, but the prestigious academies that nobles attend require basic training beforehand.
To do that, you basically have to start holding a wooden sword almost as soon as you learn to walk.
Ah, so there are struggles here too, in their own way.
“Ah, then does it mean it doesn’t matter if you don’t go to the academy?”
“For noble families like the Empress’s, who have their own knight orders, they don’t attend the academy separately. But such families tend to start training even earlier, so it’s never too late.”
…I really hoped to avoid the path of becoming a knight. Neither Tula nor I really want to be knights. So in the end, I just asked bluntly:
“So, if my nanny started learning the sword now, could she acquire enough skill to protect me?”
Pavela glanced sharply at Tula, who was standing rigid beside us.
“Wait a moment, may I check her muscles if that’s alright?”
I signaled Tula with a look to ask if it was okay.
“I will follow Your Highness’s wishes.”
“Go ahead.”
Pavela carefully felt Tula’s arms and waist.
“She hasn’t trained at all, but her basic physique is decent. If she trains her body, she’ll improve quickly. Of course, having a trained body doesn’t mean she’ll become an excellent swordswoman, but if the goal isn’t to succeed as a knight and just to protect the body, yes, she could easily build that level of skill.”
That was a relief. Since Tula already has a lot to do, I would have felt sorry if she had to work her bones off training.
“Are you planning to teach the nanny swordsmanship too?”
I almost reflexively said it was nothing, but suddenly the Emperor’s advice came to mind. Teaching self-defense to the nanny who’s always around isn’t strange, so I nodded honestly.
“Yes. Though there are bodyguard knights, they are basically assigned to guard the palace.”
Of course, they’re guarding the palace because of me, but it doesn’t mean they stay by my side 24/7. Needless to say, neither does Tula.
“Ah, that makes sense. Hmm, then how about I ask Pavela to watch over your nanny too, when she’s dispatched to Jasper Palace?”
“Would that be alright?”
Since Pavela seemed to mostly train children, I suspected this might be an issue. Pavela noticed my doubt and answered kindly:
“It’s just that the training starts at a young age, but I also oversee maintenance training for adult knights. I may not be able to watch as closely and carefully as I do for Your Highness, but it won’t be a problem for basic training.”
If that’s the case…
“That would be a great help if you could do that.”
“Sure, one or two people won’t make much difference. Pavela, from now on stay at Jasper Palace and assist with training Princess Blanche and her nanny. Send reports to me.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
After receiving Pavela’s polite bow, Liana stood up.
“Then work hard. When you’re ready, we’ll start training together.”
As her hand stroked my head, I suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, by the way, did you name the horse?”
When I presented my steed, I had purposely not named it. People tend to feel possessive when they name something.
“Ah, yes.”
Liana gave a short exclamation at my question.
“Bucephalus.”
Bucephalus. I slowly repeated the name in my mouth.
“That’s a good name.”
“Right?”
Liana smiled.
“Well then, no need to wait, shall we start training today?”
No sooner had Liana left than Pavela stood up immediately. Seeing her enthusiasm, I took a deep breath.
Come to think of it, I shouldn’t be worrying about Tula’s exhaustion now. What I should worry about is this underdeveloped body.
Fortunately, Pavela didn’t make unreasonable demands despite the tension. Since it’s hard to focus when watching both Tula and me simultaneously, she scheduled training to avoid overlap, and the curriculum prepared wasn’t too difficult even for someone like me who had never trained before.
“You’re surprised it’s easier than you expected, right?”
Pavela smiled knowingly as if reading my thoughts and spoke cheerfully. Since there was no point in being stubborn, I nodded.
“To be honest, yes. I thought you’d be a very strict instructor since you said it was already late.”
“No, rather, training starts early to avoid being overly strict later. Starting young increases the total amount of training.”
Ah, that made sense. If your career path is already decided. When I was little, I started reading books before I could even walk. Sitting down reading or training your body isn’t that different.
Convinced by Pavela’s words, I decided not to increase the training volume forcibly and just get accustomed slowly.
Two days later, I was glad I didn’t suggest increasing the training volume during the tea time with the Duke and Lady Martina.
“We’ve set the tea party for two weeks later. It’s small, so it’s a bit earlier than a normal party,” Lady Martina said.
If the tea party is two weeks from now, my schedule will be much tighter than usual.
Considering other things that might come up, minimal training was definitely better.
“I see.”
Introducing me gradually into the empire’s social circle from Liana’s birthday banquet was a plan devised with the Dowager Empress.
Starting with small private gatherings to familiarize me with noble children my age, then attending court banquets with the Duke, so that by the time I’m ready for a real debutante ball, the empire’s nobles will already know me.
Lady Martina’s eyes shone as she held a pen.
“Any particular teas or desserts you want as the main? We’ll do our best to accommodate!”
“Oh, then for tea leaves, I’d like Rooibos—”
Before I could finish, the Duke quickly interrupted.
“The kids won’t like that.”
I had just started to say it first, but since his comment made sense, I stopped talking. The Duke recommended the tea leaves instead.
“Since it’s only for kids, how about flavored tea? It’s getting cold, so tangerine might be nice.”
“Argan Youngshik is attending, so no tangerines.”
“Then peach it is.”
“Peach is a summer fruit.”
“Who said the dessert main should be peaches? I meant using peach-flavored tea leaves. Besides, other than tangerines, there aren’t many fruits available now.”
“Blueberries will be available.”
Even though Rooibos tea was out, since it was my party, I actively joined the menu selection. The whole thing is handled by the Martina Duchy, but I couldn’t just not participate in even this.
“Blueberries and peaches… will that go well together?”
Seeing the Duke pondering with his chin in hand, Lady Martina snapped at him, amused.
“No, I haven’t decided to do peach flavor yet. Blanche, what do you think?”
After a moment’s thought, I decided it didn’t really matter. Tea is sweet and dessert is sweet—such a combo is just unreasonable.
But kids probably don’t care about that. Whether peaches and blueberries go together or not, it won’t matter, since they can’t really tell the difference.
And judging by how obsessed he’s been with peaches, the Duke must really like them. So it would be wise to cater to the ruler’s preferences.
“Peach sounds good.”
“Really? You like peaches?”
I didn’t have strong preferences. If it’s there, I eat it. Between the Jin Empire and the Letail Empire, where tea leaves, fruits, and staples differ, peaches are almost the only fruit both have. So it holds some nostalgia.
“Yes, something like that.”
With nothing to argue about, I nodded vaguely. No need to dislike a fruit the ruler likes.
