"I am bored!"
"Miss Anne, the King asked you to not worry about these issues too much, this is beyond your age."
The little Anne of six years old was reading the tedious books her older brother was forced to study as the Crown Prince. She knew it was not her duty but the books and tasks for kids were so boring for her smart mind. Looking at her brother trying to understand those complicated paragraphs on history and economics, she decided to mock him every day showing off her intelligence and understanding. She even dared to teach him leaving his mouth wide open.
'I know he would find the way to cheat on his exams and when he does, I will be there prepared to tell everyone. Muahahaha. After all, I left my notes on his desk three days ago, I bet he is using them to create a cheating method to pass his exams.'
She was grinning with delight at the future of her dear elder brother crying from a good beating.
For a year, the missions from Mellie never stopped coming, and now she can proudly declare that she is known as the cruelest and most spoiled princess of the Kingdom of Lith. No other girl was such an evildoer like her, even her uncle called her that way, but somehow, it felt different. Not that she cared.
"Let's go, Tia, let's do something fun, hehehehe."
Tia was the little princess follower and maid, and many times she was left speechless and helpless by Anne's doings and occurrences.
"What should we do today, Princess?"
"We are going to the training camp."
"But…"
"No buts… we are going to show those crybabies how it is done, and we will beat some asses. Hehehe."
"Sigh… miss," Tia muttered, but she followed her either way.
They entered a wide camp where some soldiers were training with their swords and arch bows. Some others had another kind of weapons with extravagant forms. Anne looked at them with interest and a glint on her cute eyes.
"I would learn some of this too. Tia, call for the Master Knight."
"But, Miss, you need permission from your uncle."
"I know, that's why I have it right here." Anne showed the white paper with the signature of the King. She had scammed her uncle some days ago to sign her a white paper if she was able to win ten times in a row a chess game against him. Evidently, she cried many times and provoked some 'accidental' shaking that made the chessboard fall spreading all the pieces on the floor, but, in the end, she won without dignity. The end justifies the means, they said.
"Now let's go and train!" She exclaimed with a raised hand pointing to the barracks.
"What?! Me too?"
"Yes, of course, dear Tia, who will be my practice partner if it isn't you? They will kill me, a newbie like me, as I have the hunch that they won't like me."
"Yes, you are right, Miss."
"…"
Master Knight Ives was the most experienced guard of the Royal Palace and the one assigned to teach the princes and the high ranking noble sons. He was very proud of some of his disciples as they transformed from delicate and fragile crybabies to powerful young men with the honor and courage to lead. He had taught the first generation of Dukes that received the ranks of Captains in the Military and even the Crown Prince was now his disciple. However, the vision before him was something he had never expected in a thousand years.
A little girl in pink boy clothes with her equally young maid was warming and waiting for his instructions. He didn't know what to do. The seal and the signature of the King were real, even the paper was from the Royal office, the custom-made paper was not easy to forge, but the letters… they were clearly written by the hand of the Princess.
"Your Highness, this…"
"What? Are we starting now? When are you going to give me a sword?"
"That…"
"Come on. Don't be a coward, let's fight!"
The kid looked at the middle-aged man with great muscles and a big scar on the right side of his face. Her eyes were the more daring ones he had ever encounter within the kids. He had never seen a Princess show that kind of face before.
'Could she be the disciple I had always waited for?'
She kept stretching out her arms and legs waiting for some action, but the knight didn't dare to do anything.
"Are we not starting? Are you refusing a direct order from your king?"
"No, but I can't give preferential treatment to any of my students. You are going to train with the others."
"What? Is there not an only girls' class? The others would kill me."
"I can't go against my principles. All the classes are united, no distinctions between ranks in the training camp."
"…"
Tia looked at the little Princess hoping for her to change her mind and let go of the crazy idea. However, Ives was testing her, if she decided to join the harsh training with the other kids, he will take her seriously and give his all to teach her, on the other hand, if she decides to leave, he will just return to his usual activities waiting for the punishment from the King.
It was a high risk, but he couldn't take back his words.
"Alright." Annie answered, "but those kids will regret having me there."
Ives was already regretting having her here.