IVCH 05

Chapter : 5

My parents generally granted me the freedom to do what I wanted and not do what I didn’t want.

That was also why I was able to learn swordsmanship directly from the Captain of the Royal Guard.

But even if I didn’t have much interest in studying, I was still a princess. That meant I was responsible for drafting the one-year budget and plans for my palace.

Thanks to that experience, I could immediately tell that the 10th Knight Order’s winter supplies budget was absurdly insufficient and needed additional funding, and that their expedition training schedule had to be arranged quickly.

And I also have to handle monthly reports?

At a glance, it was clearly not something Elias could handle alone.

We need a vice-commander. Absolutely.

If there was no suitable person around Elias, there were other options.

The first was extending the tenure of the former vice-commander.

This is probably the most stable option.

As Sir Hugo said, Elias wouldn’t stay in the 10th Knight Order for long.

If he was going to be promoted and leave soon anyway, then someone who already knew the internal situation well would be a good choice.

Of course, only if that person had sufficient competence.

But this guy isn’t a capable vice-commander.

I flipped through the loosely organized handover documents as I thought.

Elias had just become the commander.

He was an excellent knight on the battlefield, of course, but administrative work was entirely different from combat.

He needed a competent assistant who could support him in detail.

So the first option wasn’t ideal.

The second option is to have someone recommended from my older brother’s side.

Elias was clearly one of Crown Prince Estian’s closest aides.

Although he had earned great merit by repelling repeated border incursions from the neighboring country Karsas, his rapid rise without any background was itself proof of my brother’s trust in him.

However, the favor of those in power always invites jealousy.

If my brother’s influence extended to selecting the vice-commander, it would not help Elias establish himself as commander.

But my brother, who had known Elias longer than I had, couldn’t possibly have failed to anticipate these difficulties.

If my brother chose someone, they’d likely be competent.

Personally, I thought the latter option was better. However, I decided not to interfere until Elias himself felt the need for a vice-commander.

I’ll just nudge him when he’s drowning in work later.

I didn’t particularly like his changed personality over the past few years, so I wasn’t inclined to offer unwanted kindness.

Besides, he said he didn’t need it.

The Next Day

Because I stayed up late helping Elias, I was more tired than usual.

“Hey! Do it properly!”

Sir Rupert, a senior knight supervising the trainees assigned to the 10th Knight Order, shouted.

The trainee knights, who had already run out of stamina and were barely going through the motions, stiffened immediately.

Sir Rupert scanned them with sharp eyes, then called my name.

“Chloe Evergreen!”

“Yes, y-yes!”

I, who had been performing downward sword strikes on a wooden training dummy like I was massaging a doll, answered in a panic.

“Anyone who can’t finish after this in fifteen minutes gets night special training!”

The trainees shot me desperate looks, silently begging me to go slower.

“If you slack off like that, you’ll be doing special training too.”

Sir Rupert stepped closer as if to keep watch over me.

Tch.

I quickly gathered myself and focused properly on training.

Before long, I could no longer hear the exhausted breathing of my comrades.

There was only the sword, me, and the wooden target.

After finishing 4,000 downward strikes—today’s morning training quota—while drenched in sweat, I collapsed onto the ground.

Once my breathing stabilized, unnecessary thoughts began to surface.

Yesterday it had been 2,000 horizontal cuts, and today 4,000 vertical cuts—did that mean tomorrow it would be 8,000 diagonal cuts?

I could understand starting from basic training to eliminate bad habits, but 8,000 diagonal cuts was a bit much…

Just imagining it made me shudder.

As I was thinking this, the other trainees also finished and one by one sat down to rest.

Just as I was enjoying the short break until the last trainee finished, a familiar face appeared in the corridor beside the training grounds.

Why is Camilla here?

There was no way I could mistake that face.

Camilla was my friend and my personal escort knight.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, she—who had been walking straight ahead—turned toward me.

Uh-oh.

I tried to look away too late, but our eyes had already met.

Camilla blinked slowly once, as if acknowledging the people around her, then continued walking.

That’s the direction of the commander’s office.

My eyes followed her for a moment, but only briefly, because the last trainee finished his vertical cuts, and the short break ended.

Afternoon

After finishing all afternoon training, I headed to the commander’s office as punishment for helping Elias.

Since Elias had already gained the image of “young but intimidating and hard to approach” just two days into his appointment, sympathetic gazes followed my back as I walked toward the office.

I deliberately made my expression more gloomy and entered.

The first thing I saw upon opening the door was not Elias, but Camilla.

“Your Highness!”

Camilla smiled brightly and hugged me.

“Camilla!”

My heart jolted, and I immediately checked my bracelet. It was still blue.

Camilla grinned mischievously like a child proud of a successful prank.

“Before coming here, I met His Highness the Crown Prince. He said that the rules of the coming-of-age ceremony don’t apply to people who already know each other.”

“You should’ve told me that in advance.”

I pouted in relief.

“I’m sorry.”

Camilla tilted her nose slightly, apologizing, thinking she had really surprised me.

“It’s fine.”

Since I had learned something useful, I decided to let the surprise slide.

Did Father and my brother send Elias to the 10th Knight Order on purpose, knowing this?

A kind arrangement so I could complete the coming-of-age ceremony easily by using Commander Elias?

Then I should ask to reduce half the training.

I smiled happily, imagining my bright future, then asked Camilla,

“So you came just to tell me that?”

Camilla tilted her head slightly and replied with a faint smile.

“That too.”

But the smile slowly faded from her face.

Then she straightened her posture as if delivering a formal report.

“I have been ordered to serve as the temporary vice-commander of the 10th Knight Order during Princess Violeta’s absence!”

She was now in full escort knight mode—Camilla the Knight.

In any case, for Elias, who needed a vice-commander, Camilla was an excellent choice.

As the daughter of the Baltaon Ducal House and my friend, she was skilled in administrative work and well aware of palace affairs.

Moreover, even though a direct royal escort knight held a lower rank than a knight order’s vice-commander, her influence was actually stronger.

Some might even see this as a demotion.

Since I would be absent for a year, there would be no problem working in the 10th Knight Order.

The only downside was that her slightly hyper, lively personality might clash with the serious Elias—but otherwise, she was perfect.

Smiling at Camilla, who had arrived at just the right time, I decided to confirm who had come up with this idea.

I should praise them if I run into them later.

“Was it my brother? Or my sister?”

“It was His Highness the Crown Prince.”

The multiple-choice question was easily solved by Camilla.

I nodded and silently thanked my brother.

“By the way, where is Elias?”

Now that gratitude was done, it was time to pursue my ambition of cutting training time in half.

I scanned the office like a cat searching for prey, and Camilla answered calmly.

“His Highness the Crown Prince called for him.”

“Why now, of all times.”

I grumbled, disappointed that I wouldn’t get to sleep early after finishing my talk with Elias.

But it wasn’t Camilla who had summoned him—it was my brother.

“Well, I guess I’ll wait.”

I pouted and leaned back into the sofa in the commander’s office.

“Camilla, you sit too.”

I intended to chat with her until Elias returned.

However, Camilla, who would normally have sat down immediately, looked troubled and spoke cautiously.

“Well, Sir Elias will be back soon, so… it would be a problem if we’re seen…”

Why would it be a problem if we were just sitting here?

I only half-understood what she meant.

She was saying I should act like “Chloe Evergreen” because we didn’t know when Elias would return.

Why?

“Elias knows I’m a princess, doesn’t he?”

Camilla scratched her cheek and explained the blind spot.