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Looking for the Runaway Princess — Chapter : 3
Unless someone was an idiot, there was no way they could find such unpleasant and blunt reactions enjoyable.
And on top of that, Elizia’s personality had never exactly been gentle to begin with.
The moment she was about to snap back with “What business is it of yours?”, her nanny’s advice echoed through her head like an auditory hallucination.
“Please, at the Royal Academy, control your temper! Act elegantly as a princess!”
“……”
She paused for a brief moment.
Act elegantly. Control your temper.
When her nanny had desperately advised her that way, how had she responded?
She had nodded enthusiastically and smiled brightly, saying, “I’ll behave properly so I won’t bring shame to the Kingdom of Ortigia.”
Elizia, who had been staring directly at Beth, quickly smoothed out her expression—making herself look kinder than anyone else in the world.
Then she spoke in what she believed to be the most polite tone imaginable.
“I’m still not used to dressing myself without the help of maids. No matter how hard I try, it never turns out well… Perhaps that’s why I envy you, Senior. To be able to decorate yourself so gorgeously and beautifully all on your own.”
“Hm……”
Beth swept her gaze over Elizia once, uncertain whether it was praise or something else entirely. Her eyes practically said, “What are you trying to pull?”
Elizia smiled sweetly and continued.
“By the way, you said you’re from the Kingdom of Shati, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I heard rumors recently that the Kingdom of Shati’s finances are in poor condition… but they must just be absurd nonsense. Seeing you like this, after all.”
Elizia beamed as she looked at the enormous jeweled ring on Beth’s finger and the necklace glittering brilliantly beneath her neck.
Her face looked utterly innocent, without the slightest trace of ulterior motives.
Beth’s expression stiffened slightly. But Elizia, completely oblivious, added another compliment.
“You truly are beautiful. I’m honestly envious.”
Elizia smiled brightly again with the purest expression imaginable. Beth’s face hardened a little more, but Elizia failed to notice, believing she had done her best to compliment her.
Soon, Elizia gave the stiff-faced Beth a small nod of farewell and gestured toward the inside of the training hall, indicating she would be heading in.
Beth neither nodded nor replied.
Taking the silence as permission, Elizia entered the training hall.
A broad grin spread across her face as if praising herself.
Good. I endured that well, Elizia!
What she had just done was a wise response—she hadn’t fought or lashed out. It was calm and elegant behavior worthy of a princess of Ortigia. At least, that was what Elizia believed.
“There’s no need to get dragged into every childish provocation. From now on, let’s keep acting kindly like this.”
Muttering her resolution cheerfully, she walked forward lightly.
Completely unaware that Beth behind her had clenched her fists tightly, her face remained dazzlingly carefree.
Standing at the entrance, Beth silently glared at Elizia’s retreating back. Sharp nails dug into her tightly clenched palm.
The fact that the Kingdom of Shati’s financial situation had recently become disastrous was practically public knowledge.
That was precisely why Beth had gone out of her way to adorn herself lavishly—to avoid looking diminished.
Whether the people starved or not, what mattered to Beth was standing out and preserving her pride.
And yet Elizia had casually touched upon that shameful reality while smiling innocently as though mocking her.
Recalling Elizia’s face from moments earlier, Beth bit down on her lip.
This was humiliation.
Sweat heated by exertion dripped down her forehead.
Elizia continued swinging her sword diligently, not even bothering to wipe away the moisture running down her chin.
She had already repeated the same stance three hundred times. Her arms trembled, and her mind felt hazy.
Unlike before, the female students were not gathered around Rakan during this class.
As expected from a school that admitted students based solely on ability, swordsmanship classes were also conducted entirely based on skill.
Generally speaking, female students were less accustomed to handling swords than male students.
In other words, it was the kind of class that physically weak girls could hardly endure.
Elizia, too, possessed a slender waist and delicate appearance, but she had originally come from a nation under a truce.
No one knew when war might break out again, so as royalty, she had received more than enough training to protect herself.
A sharp pain shot through her wrist.
Why was a mere class this intense? Elizia cursed inwardly.
But she did not give up.
Partly because the towering instructor before them was glaring fiercely at the students—
And partly because when she secretly glanced at Rakan, he was still swinging his sword expressionlessly without even shedding a single drop of sweat.
“Stop. Take a short break.”
At the professor’s words, Elizia let out a ragged breath and collapsed onto the spot.
As the formation shifted, Rakan somehow ended up standing beside her.
He glanced down at Elizia and let out a faint scoff. It sounded like he was saying, “Struggling from something this trivial, as expected.”
Though she hated to admit it, the man’s stamina truly was incredible.
After several minutes of panting heavily in frustration, the merciless instructor’s voice rang out once more.
“Everyone, stand. Form two lines and rotate partners for sparring.”
Their fleeting rest was over.
“Ugh……”
Elizia groaned as she forced herself to her feet.
Bang!
Holding her wooden sword horizontally across her chest, she shoved away her opponent’s attack.
Being female did not exempt her from sparring.
Her male opponent clearly had no intention of going easy on her. And honestly, she did not want someone who treated her delicately either.
I’m being overpowered in strength.
As she received the relentless attacks pressing toward her, Elizia thought calmly.
But she possessed one skill she had always prided herself on:
Instant judgment and exploiting openings.
Planting her weight onto her left foot, Elizia redirected the incoming strike.
Her opponent, who had thrown his body weight toward her, staggered unsteadily.
Elizia did not miss the opportunity.
Spinning immediately, she brought her sword down toward his waist. Her startled opponent hurriedly blocked the strike and jerked his head back.
The tip of Elizia’s wooden sword stopped near his throat.
The male student stared at her with a face filled with disbelief at having lost to a woman, mixed with unmistakable defeat.
“……I lost.”
His voice cleanly acknowledged defeat.
And the moment those words echoed—
Clang!
Someone’s wooden sword spun through the air in an arc before crashing violently onto the stone floor.
It was the sword dropped by the male student sparring against Rakan.
The student alternated his gaze between his empty hand and the wooden sword rolling on the ground before sighing.
Rakan stepped toward him and extended a hand with an indifferent expression.
“Good work.”
Though he said “Good work,” his tone sounded as though even sparring had been bothersome.
Yet somehow, that almost rude tone suited Rakan’s arrogant expression perfectly, which Elizia found strangely fascinating.
Despite his gloomy expression, the student could not refuse Rakan’s hand.
As the sparring continued, Elizia barely managed to defeat people, while Rakan effortlessly continued defeating everyone else.
Was that the difference in their abilities?
If I weren’t a woman, would I have been able to defeat that irritating man?
She had always been told she possessed exceptional talent, yet she could not say for certain.
Why did such an incomprehensible competitive spirit surge within her whenever she looked at him?
Was it because he was from an enemy nation?
Or because of that irritating first impression?
Elizia could not understand the source of her emotions at all.
“Please go easy on me, junior of the direct royal line.”
“……”
Before she realized it, it was her turn to spar against Rakan.
And the first thing he said with that blunt face was “Please go easy on me.”
Spoken in an infuriatingly relaxed tone, no less.
Instead of answering, Elizia lowered her stance.
Since his build was larger than hers, it meant she intended to force her way inside somehow.
Soon, their spar began.
Rakan simply stood there as though telling her to attack first, while Elizia, determined to win somehow, seriously considered where to strike.
Her hesitation did not last long.
I’ll attack his lower body first, then when his upper body lowers, I’ll strike his neck!
Elizia thrust her sword toward his upper body.
But the instant he raised his sword to block, she changed direction and attacked his lower body instead.
Rakan blocked her sword while leaning his upper body to the right.
Now! His shoulder is exposed!
Elizia’s eyes sparkled.
As though she had been waiting for this exact moment, she thrust toward the opening.
But Rakan simply knocked her wooden sword upward and pushed it aside as though he had never exposed an opening at all.
As a result, it was Elizia’s posture that became unstable instead.
Yet no follow-up attack came from him.
……Why didn’t he attack me?
Though their swords remained crossed, Rakan showed no aggressive intent.
He occasionally swung or thrust his sword toward her, but none of it felt threatening.
A cold sensation spread beneath Elizia’s eyes.
To spectators, it likely looked like an ordinary spar.
But Elizia, standing directly against him, felt differently.
It felt as though he were toying with her.
And more than that, she even had the unsettling impression that their movements themselves were unfolding according to his intentions.
Clang!
The moment she unconsciously blocked one of his attacks, she realized it had not been her imagination.
In that brief instant when her concentration faltered and hesitation entered her movements, Elizia clearly noticed it.
The attack aimed toward her opening was suddenly withdrawn.
His strike had been faster than her defense.
If he had not pulled back, her defeat would have been certain.
Elizia lowered her sword and stared silently at Rakan.
In the space filled with clashing wooden swords and men’s battle cries, only their gazes intertwined quietly.
How long did the silence last?
Rakan raised his wooden sword and lightly placed it near Elizia’s throat.
“I win.”
“……”
Even his tone was light.
Elizia brushed his sword aside with her fingertips. A shallow breath escaped her at the rising unpleasantness.
She had attacked him with all her strength, yet he had behaved as though merely playing around with her.
“Yes. I lost.”
“Right. You’ll have to work harder, Princess.”
After replying casually, he turned away without hesitation.
Watching his retreating figure, Elizia bit down on her lip.
Is he going easy on me because I’m a woman? How unpleasant.
She stood still and touched her neck.
If he had not withdrawn his attack, that was exactly where the strike would have landed.
Her fingertips turned cold.
After class ended, Elizia hurried after Rakan.
He was walking toward the dormitory while casually spinning his personal wooden sword in one hand.
“Senior Rakan!”
After that spar, she was absolutely certain.
Rakan had not treated her seriously at all.
She did not know why, but he had clearly been holding back intentionally.
In truth, this had happened often back in the kingdom as well.
Royal knights and noble sons who sparred against her would hesitate and refrain from launching proper attacks.
And Elizia knew the reason very well.
The manners ingrained into noble men.
That unpleasant courtesy that made them believe they could not possibly swing a sword seriously at a woman.
But when she held a sword, she was neither a fragile woman nor royalty of Ortigia.
She was simply an opponent standing across from them.
She had no intention of being toyed with by him again like today.
That was why she hurriedly chased after Rakan the moment swordsmanship class ended and he left.
Pushing back and tying up her disheveled hair from running, she approached him without hesitation.
Then she immediately got to the point.
“Senior, if you intend to spar like that again next time, then you’d be better off just losing to me.”
“What nonsense are you suddenly talking about?”
“I’m saying stop playing around with people and fight me properly. I was doing my best, and frankly, it was quite unpleasant.”
“……”
For a moment, Rakan quietly examined the look in Elizia’s eyes.
