14. This Can’t Go On Like This

The welcome party for the Second Prince had ended without incident, and life had returned to normal.

Although the princes remained in the castle, each of them was busy with their own duties. It seemed that until the gold mine was discovered, there would be some leisure time for a while.

After finishing her work for the day, Belia was on her way back to her room, deep in thought.

No matter how much I think about it, this can’t go on like this.

Something was missing.

The plan to use Khalid to bring down Raul was progressing well, but relying solely on him felt too precarious.

“Princess, is something troubling you?”

Ben, her bodyguard, quietly asked from beside her.

As Belia prepared to reply with gratitude for his concern, her eyes caught the large sword hanging at Ben’s waist.

What if I learned swordsmanship? It could definitely help.

Belia stopped walking and spoke quietly.

“Sir Ben…”

“Yes?”

“May I hold that sword for a moment?”

Ben immediately refused without hesitation upon hearing her sudden request.

“That’s not allowed.”

“Not allowed?”

Belia looked at him with pleading eyes, but Ben’s expression didn’t change.

“Yes. It’s not allowed. It’s dangerous.”

“I just want to hold it. You can watch me from beside me. I won’t swing it.”

“…Princess.”

Ben looked troubled and called out to her, but Belia’s eyes were already sparkling, fixed on the sword.

No one could stop Belia when she was so focused—not even her own bodyguard, Ben.

“…Sigh. You may hold it, but only for a moment. It really is dangerous.”

Unable to refuse her, Ben unsheathed the sword and handed it to Belia.

Her expression brightened as she took the sword with Ben’s help.

However, when she gripped the handle, the cold metallic touch and the hard yet strangely cool sensation made her freeze momentarily. But soon she tightened her grip with both hands and lifted the sword.

“It’s heavier than I thought.”

Her arm trembled as she held it.

If Ben hadn’t supported her, she would have dropped it immediately.

Belia blushed, realizing how stubborn she had been.

“Sorry. It would have been dangerous without your help.”

Ben carefully sheathed the sword and smiled warmly.

“No problem. Has this eased your curiosity a bit?”

“Well, are there any swords lighter than the one you carry?”

“There are, but even those would be heavy for you to hold.”

“Really?”

Belia pouted, disappointed.

She had hoped that learning swordsmanship might help, but it seemed impossible for someone like her who had only spent her life reading in libraries or taking garden walks.

“That’s unfortunate.”

Belia sighed sincerely.

Seeing her like that, Ben smiled kindly and asked,

“But why suddenly the interest in swords?”

“I just thought that I need some means to protect myself.”

Ben pondered her words carefully before responding.

“First of all, Princess, since you don’t move around much, swordsmanship would be physically demanding.”

Though it was the truth, Belia felt gloomy hearing it.

Then Ben smiled and asked,

“How about horseback riding? I’ve heard many women these days enjoy it as a hobby.”

“Horseback riding?”

“Yes. You could even ride away if needed. It might be more useful than learning swordsmanship now.”

Ben knew full well that Belia had received marriage proposals from the imperial princes.

If she married a prince, she would have to leave alone for the empire. That would surely be terrifying.

So Ben fully understood the source of Belia’s desire to protect herself.

“Horseback riding…”

Belia fell silent, thinking deeply about Ben’s suggestion.

If she could ride a horse, it would definitely come in handy someday.

Horseback riding was as useful a skill as swordsmanship.

Thinking that through, Belia’s face brightened.

“That sounds good. Sir Ben, could you teach me how to ride?”

“It would be better to learn from an expert rather than me.”

“I don’t want many people to know that I’m learning something.”

Ben had enough skill to teach her horseback riding.

“So you mean, don’t tell anyone about this?”

Ben carefully asked, wondering if that meant not even telling the king or princes.

Belia smiled slyly.

“It’s not such a big secret, but I don’t want to gossip about it, especially when I know people would worry. Besides, I just thought it’d be nice to learn from someone comfortable, like you.”

Indeed, Belia didn’t like meeting strangers much, and Ben knew that well, nodding in understanding.

“Understood. I’m not an expert, but I’ll do my best.”

Belia felt awkward as her clothes revealed her figure clearly, making her walk a bit clumsy.

She wasn’t wearing her usual dress but riding clothes, complete with a hat—a sight unfamiliar to her. It was a bit embarrassing.

As she hesitantly entered the indoor riding arena set up in a corner of the castle, Ben greeted her with a bright smile.

“Welcome.”

He was standing holding the reins of the horse Belia would practice riding.

“Thank you, Sir Ben.”

“You’re welcome. If it helps the Princess, it’s my greatest joy.”

Belia smiled, feeling somewhat relieved by Ben’s kind words.

“Are you familiar with the theory already?”

“Of course.”

Since deciding to learn horseback riding, Belia had immediately gone to the library and read all the books about it.

She had already mastered the basics perfectly.

Belia lifted her chin proudly, and Ben smiled gently, nodding.

“Then let’s start riding right away. I’ll hold the horse for you, so take your time and proceed carefully.”

Ben placed a mounting block for her.

“Step up here. Put your left foot here.”

Belia carefully stepped onto the block and placed her left foot in the stirrup.

Remembering what she had read in books, she tried not to touch the horse’s belly with her shoes as she climbed into the saddle.

“Well done. You’re quite skillful, as if you’ve done this many times.”

“I imagined the movements over and over after reading the books. I guess that helped.”

Belia proudly placed her right foot into the opposite stirrup and answered with a satisfied expression.

“Being able to perform imagined movements means you have a talent for riding.”

Belia felt a little embarrassed to be praised so much just for mounting the horse.

Ben was a really kind teacher.

Not only was he affectionate toward her, but he was surprisingly talented at teaching.

He explained everything clearly in a calm voice, and thanks to that, Belia was quickly getting used to horseback riding.

“The Princess seems really talented. You’re also quickly getting along with the horse.”

“This is really fun.”

Belia smiled brightly as she got off the horse.

Ben helped her every step of the way as she dismounted.

It seemed Belia didn’t have bad athletic ability, as the whole process wasn’t too difficult for her.

“If I hadn’t lived in the library all the time, maybe if I had held a sword since I was little, I might have had talent for swordsmanship, too.”

Though joking, Ben nodded thoughtfully.

“That might be true. The princes are very skilled with swords.”

“If only I’d started younger and learned swordsmanship.”

Belia expressed regret.

Ben took it as meaning it was too late to learn swordsmanship now, but it was actually an expression of regret over the time she’d returned to.

If she could go back to a younger age, she could have learned swordsmanship properly and prepared better to protect herself.

Then she wouldn’t have to worry about rejecting Raul’s proposal but could focus solely on protecting Ronica Kingdom and defeating him.

“Sir Ben, is it really so difficult for me to learn swordsmanship now?”

“Hahaha. Princess, no.”

“But Sir Ben could teach me well.”

Riding wasn’t as hard as she’d thought.

Getting praise from Ben was gratifying, and she felt her body moved easily.

That gave Belia the confidence to secretly want to try swordsmanship too.

“It’s not about the teaching. Holding and swinging a sword is to protect yourself, but…”

Ben paused.

Then he spoke seriously.

“It’s also to harm others.”

Belia understood the hidden meaning.

Learning swordsmanship lightly without realizing you could hurt someone wasn’t right.

“I’m sorry for being stubborn.”

“No, Princess, I’m the one who feels sorry for not being able to help you despite your enthusiasm.”

Ben’s gloomy face made Belia smile gently and meet his eyes.

“What are you saying? You’ve become such a wonderful riding instructor.”

“Hahaha. You know, it’s not just me who always says nice things to you. You always praise me like this.”

“Is that so?”

Ben really was a good person.

Belia felt happy that Ben, her loyal bodyguard, was always by her side.

“I truly feel lucky that you are my knight.”

Their first riding lesson ended happily.

As Belia turned toward the exit to leave,

“…Your Highness?”

Khalid was standing there, leaning to the side with a serious look in his eyes.

“What are you doing here?”

Belia approached him, curious about why he had come to the riding arena.

“I came to speak with you.”

“You came all the way here? Is it urgent?”

But Khalid didn’t answer.

He seemed deep in thought.

“Your Highness?”

Belia called him again, and only then did Khalid speak.

“The Empress’s reply arrived. I went to see her, and she said you were at the riding arena.”

“Ah, I see. Shall we talk more in my room? This doesn’t seem like a place to discuss.”

Khalid nodded.

But his gaze subtly passed over Belia’s shoulder.

Puzzled, Belia turned around and realized she hadn’t properly introduced Ben to Khalid yet.

“This is my bodyguard, Sir Ben Horilt. He’s been by my side protecting me since I was young.”

“An honor to meet you, Your Highness, the Second Prince.”

Ben bowed respectfully.

However, Khalid glared at Ben with displeasure and let out a bitter laugh.

“Pleasure to meet you.”

His tone sounded anything but pleased.

But Khalid was not a particularly gentle person, so neither Belia nor Ben minded much.

“Well then, Sir Ben. I’ll be returning with His Highness, so please take care of things here.”

Belia quickly said goodbye to Ben and headed out with Khalid.

As they were about to leave the riding arena, Khalid glanced back briefly.

His strange gaze lingered on Ben for a moment before disappearing.