EP.11 Princess Eliza (2)
Baron Kimberley was in a bind. Today was the day for history class among the liberal arts subjects he taught, and of all days, it was the lesson on the history of the Leon Kingdom right when the hostage princess from Leon was attending the class.
He greeted her politely and asked why she was there; Princess Eliza explained her situation in detail, but that didn't make things any less awkward for him.
'I didn't hear a word about this what a disaster… Damn. Should I just hand her off to the Drogon Kingdom? Hah, can't do that either, this is driving me crazy.'
"Ahem, Princess Eliza? How long will you be attending these lessons…? Haha, Prince Yuno's class progresses a bit slowly… I could assign you a different tutor if you'd like…"
"It's fine, Baron Kimberley. His Majesty the Emperor ordered me to attend lessons with Prince Yuno, so unless I receive other orders, I'll have to keep coming."
'Sigh~ I guess there's no choice… I'll just have to teach as neutrally as possible…'
"Well then, today's history lesson is on the Leon Kingdom. Please open your textbooks to page 241."
Since all the books Yuno used belonged to the prince's palace, Eliza didn't have her own copy yet and would have to share with Yuno for now.
Even though Baron Kimberley asked Yuno to open the book, Yuno didn't move, so Eliza turned the pages herself, thinking:
'What, is he treating me like a page-turning servant? His attitude is completely different from before!'
But those thoughts didn't last long, as she heard snoring beside her. Turning to look, Eliza was dumbfounded. Yuno, who looked like an angel as he slept with his chin propped up, was nothing like the drill sergeant from training, which made Eliza furious.
'He pushed me so hard during training, and now he's sleeping? Unbelievable!'
Whack!
"Mmff!! What… what's going on?"
"Oh my~ Prince Yuno, I didn't realize you were dozing off! I'm so sorry~ I was just trying to turn the page, hohoho."
"Hahaha, Princess Eliza, do you usually hit the person next to you when you turn the page?"
"Oh my~ It just happened that way, hohoho."
Yuno and Eliza's gazes met in midair, and sparks seemed to fly.
Seeing this, Baron Kimberley, who had to teach these two high-born children, felt his heart shrink even further. If they got into a fight and someone got hurt, he could literally lose his head.
'If I just get fired, I'd be lucky… I could actually lose my head… I'm just a baronet without even a fief…'
Baron Kimberley gulped and gently tried to mediate.
"Haha, Prince Yuno… Princess Eliza woke you up, so let's just let it go like a man, shall we?"
"…"
"Princess Eliza, please promise to turn the pages more carefully next time."
"…"
Though they glared at each other for a moment despite his mediation, Yuno, thinking 'what am I doing fighting with a kid,' apologized first, and Eliza readily accepted.
'Phew~ Just handling Prince Yuno is hard enough… my head…'
Baron Kimberley resumed the lesson.
Whether it was because he'd been woken up or because Eliza was beside him, Yuno actually focused on the lesson for once, while Eliza found herself staring at his profile instead of listening.
'Tch… He can apologize right away… He's got a manly side, huh? And he really is handsome~ If nothing else, his face is worth 200 out of 100 points.'
Yesterday she hadn't had a chance to really look at Yuno's face, and though she'd noticed he was handsome during morning training, she'd been too exhausted to pay attention. Now, for the first time, she really took in his features.
"What are you staring at? Is there something on my face?"
"Wh-who's staring? My neck was stiff from you overworking me this morning, so I just turned that way!"
"Really? Well, okay…"
Flustered by Yuno's sudden question, Eliza made excuses, and Yuno seemed to accept them, but her face turned bright red, as if it might explode.
'Ugh, Yuno, you jerk!! How dare you embarrass me!!'
As Eliza fussed internally, Baron Kimberley could only sigh, thinking he now had another headache to deal with.
Still, Eliza seemed to have studied quite a bit back home, and since she already knew much of the material, she decided to help Yuno with his studies for a while, easing the baron's burden.
At 11 o'clock, the morning lessons ended and the maids brought them lunch.
"Just like you train me during physical training, I'll help you with your studies during lessons. Baron Kimberley agreed to it."
"Wha That's not fair! Eliza, we're the same age, how can you tutor me?"
"Well, you're better at physical training and work hard, so I get your help there. It's only fair I help you with academics."
"Still, no way! How can a kid like you teach me?"
"You're the same age as me, you know? Fine, I'll ask Her Majesty the Empress. If she disagrees, I'll drop it."
Knowing full well that Yuria would applaud and welcome the idea, Yuno had nothing to say.
"Alright! If you're so set on it, then if I ever beat you in a test, you'll stop tutoring me and you'll grant me any one favor I ask! Deal?"
'No matter what, with almost forty years of life experience if you count my past life… How could I lose to a kid like her even once?'
Yuno accepted Eliza's proposal with confidence.
But he didn't realize that, with his body younger, his mental age had regressed as well and from that day on, he lost to Eliza in every test.
At 2 p.m., when the afternoon lessons ended, Yuno and Eliza headed together to the knights' training grounds.
Eliza was obliged to join Yuno's afternoon training as well, so she grumbled but had no choice but to follow.
"Welcome, Your Highness! Nice to meet you, Princess Eliza. I'm Elias Jude, head instructor of the Royal Guard training."
Yuno waved to Jude and excused himself to the restroom.
"Nice to meet you, Sir Jude. But, is it really okay for Prince Yuno to train alone in the mornings? What if he's doing something wrong…?"
Eliza, having struggled so much to keep up with Yuno's morning training, found it hard to believe it was normal and asked Jude.
"Hahaha, Prince Yuno already far surpasses our trainees. He's truly gifted. In fact, the usual training methods we use wouldn't even help someone as special as him."
Eliza's eyes widened at Jude's praise.
"Wow! Is Prince Yuno really that advanced?"
"Yes, that's right. After his birthday next week, once he learns the inner arts and starts using mana, I might not even be able to beat him in barehanded sparring. Hahaha."
Once again, Eliza saw Yuno in a new light.
'I thought he was just physically strong, but he's at knight trainee level even without mana… And Royal Guard trainees are on par with junior knights in most orders… Amazing.'
"But he wants me to do that training with him. Isn't it dangerous for a normal person like me to try to keep up with Prince Yuno?"
Eliza asked, hoping for a reprieve, but Jude shook his head.
"Honestly, when it comes to physical training, Prince Yuno is far ahead of us. I don't know where he learned it, but by training with the 12th class trainees, he's raised their level tremendously. So he'll adjust your training to suit you, and you don't need to worry."
"Ah… I see…"
It was a hopeless answer for Eliza, who was now stuck doing that hellish training every morning and evening, but Jude smiled, secretly happy that Yuno now had a training partner.
'They're the same age, and their interests are similar… She'd be a perfect match for His Highness. If only she were here as a student, not a hostage…'
"Whew~ Had to run to the restroom and couldn't start training on time. Alright, Princess Eliza, follow my movements to warm up."
Eliza followed Yuno's unfamiliar movements, and after nearly thirty minutes, thought, 'Is this all we do in the afternoons? I can handle this!' but that illusion was soon shattered.
"Okay, just one more! Just one! One more and we'll rest."
Eliza gritted her teeth and pushed through, thinking she'd get to rest.
"Ughhh!!"
"Good job, Eliza! Just one more! Just one more!!"
"You jerk!!"
In the end, Eliza's arms gave out and she collapsed to the ground.
"Hmm~ Fifteen push-ups… not bad. Rest a bit before the next exercise."
Yuno sat Eliza on a bench and went back to his own workout.
Drinking water brought by a maid, Eliza watched Yuno's training.
'He only ran in the morning, but now that I see… his body is incredible. He's bench-pressing what must be over 100 kg like it's nothing…'
Yuno took off his shirt, revealing muscles so developed that anyone might mistake him for a full-grown knight.
'He's not even twelve yet, but he's already 180 cm tall… That body and that face how is this even possible?'
Eliza found herself falling for his looks all over again and sighed. While she watched, Yuno finished a few sets and returned to put her through another round.
"Ugh, how long do I have to do this?"
"Until I say stop."
But Eliza's competitive spirit was strong, so she held a plank until she literally collapsed, and Yuno used this to test her limits and plan her training program.
"From tomorrow, let's have Isabella join us too."
"Huh? Sis Isabella? Why?"
"When I trained alone, I was worried I'd push her too hard, but now with you here, I think I can adjust better."
Eliza felt a chill and silently wished her new sister luck.
After training, Yuno massaged Eliza's muscles just like in the morning.
"Yuno, is it really okay for a prince to touch another country's princess like this? What if I can't get married?"
"Pfft… Is there any other princess who talks to a prince like this? Like Mom said, you're just family now. So it's fine."
Yuno's words, though a bit indifferent, actually warmed Eliza's heart.
At dinner, too, Empress Yuria, Isabella, Yuno, and Marie all shared stories of their day, showing Eliza what family truly meant by treating her the same as everyone else.
The next day, as soon as Eliza woke up, her whole body trembled with severe muscle pain.
"Th-this must be what Yuno meant… S-somebody save me…"
In the end, Eliza had to be carried by a maid to breakfast, and from that day on, she never complained about Yuno's massages again.