I turned around to head inside, and I caught sight of the maids who had been gossiping earlier. They bowed to me, their faces plastered with fake smiles. I walked away, ignoring their insincere gestures.
As I strolled through the hallway, I noticed the portraits of my ancestors. Every single one of them was a skilled swordsman. A spark of determination ignited within me, and I rushed to find Butler Kan.
I burst through the door, out of breath from running. Butler Kan looked up, his eyes widening in concern. "My lady, what happened? Why are you out of breath? Did something happen? Tell me—"
I cut him off, my voice firm. "I want to learn swordsmanship."
Butler Kan's expression changed to one of surprise. "What? No, my lady, it's dangerous for you."
But I stood my ground, my eyes locked on Butler Kan's. "I want to learn, and besides, Kan, every one of my ancestors was a skilled swordsman. I want to be a strong woman too, okay? So I'll learn swordsmanship."
Butler Kan sighed, a small smile on his face. "Alright, my lady. I'll arrange for a teacher to instruct you." He patted my head, his touch warm and reassuring.
I beamed with excitement, hugging Butler Kan tightly. "Thank you so much!"
The next day, I prepared to meet my new teacher. I arrived at the training grounds, where a young man stood, checking the wooden sword in his hand. I approached him, giving a graceful bow.
"Hello, sir. I'm Athanasia Eckard."
He bowed back, his movements fluid and respectful.
Greeting Princess Athanasia, my name is Khalid Gabrine, but you can call me Sir Khalid. From today onwards, I'll be your sword art teacher.
"Yes, Sir Khalid," I replied, taking in his appearance. His light brown hair was neatly styled, and his brown eyes seemed to bore into my soul. His expression suddenly turned serious, and he said, "So, Princess, today we'll have our first class. I want you to do 50 sit-ups and run 3 laps of the ground."
"Th-three laps?" I stuttered, my eyes widening in surprise. "But this ground is so big."
Princess, I have given you 3 laps in the first class. Usually, I give 5 laps in the first class to my other students," Sir Khalid replied, his voice firm but not unkind.
I gulped, feeling a surge of determination. "Really? Then, please, let's start."
Sir Khalid stood straight, his eyes fixed on me. "Begin."
I started doing sit-ups, and Sir Khalid began counting. After an hour, I was out of breath, huffing and puffing as I ran the laps. Sir Khalid stood watching me, his expression unyielding.
"Princess, this is your last lap, so hurry up!" he called out.
Finally, I completed the laps and lay down on the ground, breathing heavily. Sir Khalid walked over to me, a hint of a smile on his face.
"Good work, Princess, for today. That's it. I'll see you tomorrow." He bowed at me. "Now, I'll take my leave."
I stood up, bowing down. "Yes, see you tomorrow, Sir Khalid. Have a good day."
Despite my exhaustion, I managed to bow again. Sir Khalid returned the bow before turning to leave.
I somehow made it to my room, my legs feeling like lead. Butler Kan happily entered the room, saying, "My lady, how was your first class?"
But when he saw me lying on the ground, he shouted, "Myyyy...ladyyyyy...what happened to you?"
I weakly smiled. "Nothing, Butler Kan. I'm just exhausted."
Butler Kan's expression turned relieved. "I see. You scared me for a minute."