Chapter 167: Civilized Harmony!
Auréliane stood inside the palace, gripping a heavy longsword, her breathing perfectly steady.
An iron sword weighing several dozen jin felt virtually weightless in Auréliane's hands—impossibly stable, without so much as a single tremor.
Anyone could see it at a glance.
Auréliane had clearly undergone exceptionally rigorous training.
Gwen stood beside her, observing Auréliane's movents.
Absolutely textbook.
The way she held the sword was practically identical to a battle-hardened veteran forged through a thousand trials.
Perfect in every regard.
"Not bad."
Gwen gave a satisfied nod, signaling for Auréliane to begin swinging the blade.
Auréliane promptly lifted the sword hilt and swung it forward.
thodically, chanically, she began repeating the motion.
Her sword swings carried a powerful sense of force.
Each swing seed to barely tear a fissure through the air ahead of her.
The sword tip flickered with a faint cold gleam, and the air wrapping around the blade swirled into a light breeze.
Gwen watched Auréliane and nodded again, appearing even more satisfied than before.
So this was what it was like to teach a student as a teacher—sothing so simple?
Viktor had told her it was difficult, but this was clearly nothing of the sort.
With each successive practice round, Auréliane's movents grew increasingly fluid.
Every slash ca faster than the last, and the force behind each one grew a degree stronger.
The whistling vibrations of the air grew more and more frequent.
She looked nothing like soone on her very first day of training.
After roughly several hundred swings, Auréliane felt her stamina beginning to falter.
After all, she was only 15—when it ca to physical endurance, she naturally couldn't match the Knights who had already entered their pri.
And she was a girl, besides.
Even a young Gwen might not have been able to outperform her.
During the rest period, Auréliane extended the sword blade toward soone nearby.
Cilia imdiately stepped forward to receive it, handing Auréliane a clean towel in return.
"No need."
Auréliane shook her head, declining the towel Cilia offered.
A current of energy began gathering around her, converging at her feet, where a Magic Formation glowing with blue light materialized out of thin air.
White flowing light gradually swept across Auréliane's entire body.
As though evaporating every drop of sweat from her skin, it slowly dissipated.
Seeing Auréliane release the spell, Gwen paused, blinking slightly.
That Magic felt oddly familiar.
She had the distinct sense of having seen this scene sowhere before.
Cilia watched Auréliane with a look of tender concern, yet could only stand to the side without uttering a single word.
On one hand, the Princess had long since warned her not to interrupt while she was studying.
On the other hand.
The person currently teaching the Princess swordsmanship was Gwen Delin.
As the Princess's personal guard, Cilia was also a woman herself.
And among the won of the Royal Capital, very few did not hold Gwen in deep admiration.
As a woman, she nonetheless possessed an exceptionally tenacious independence and a firm, commanding dignity.
At all tis, she radiated an air that made others feel they could rely on her.
Her personal charisma had earned Gwen the admiration of many won who aspired to stand on their own.
Of course, wherever there was praise, there were also those who tore it down.
There were always people who couldn't stand the sight of Gwen's achievents, insisting that everything she had accomplished today was solely because she had an extraordinarily capable fiancé.
Nothing more than a calculating woman reaping benefits she hadn't earned, while playing innocent.
While Auréliane rested, Gwen stood to the side and asked, a touch of hesitation in her voice:
"Your Highness."
"You've had so relevant training before, haven't you?"
The Princess smiled lightly at Gwen and spoke with composure:
"Yes."
"During lessons, my teacher Viktor always has do several hours of physical conditioning."
"He told that even a Mage must have sufficient stamina to support their own body."
Listening to Auréliane's explanation, Gwen nodded in sudden understanding.
So that was it.
Viktor knew swordsmanship—Gwen was well aware of that.
But it seed he had only had Auréliane practice the foundational sword-swinging motions.
She began to wonder whether she should skip the tedious basics and advance directly into swordsmanship training.
But she quickly dismissed the thought.
The foundation was the most critical part. Even at her own level, she still maintained her daily sword-swinging practice without exception.
Having made up her mind, she said to Auréliane:
"Once you've rested enough, let's run a few more sets of sword swings."
"Yes, Teacher Gwen."
Auréliane closed her eyes and breathed gently.
She felt her mind gradually grow calm, her swollen muscles slowly loosening, and strength spreading evenly throughout her body.
Her heart beat thump, thump—strong and steady.
All at once, a fierce wind seed to rise from nowhere around them, sweeping up every door curtain nearby and sending them snapping noisily through the air.
The Maidservants hurriedly clutched at their skirts, terrified of being upended by the sudden gust.
Auréliane's long hair was lifted and tossed into the air, yet she remained perfectly calm with her eyes closed.
Not the slightest bit disturbed by the commotion around her.
Until a warm, large hand ca to rest on her shoulder.
As though struck by a sudden flutter in her heart, Auréliane couldn't help but open her eyes, slowly raising her head to look behind her.
Viktor had appeared without warning and was looking down at her.
"How is the training going?"
Hearing Viktor's voice, Auréliane felt a surge of particular delight, and she narrowed her eyes happily, nodding with perfect obedience.
"Mmhm! Just like always—I don't feel tired at all!"
Viktor gave her a calm nod in return, then turned to look at Gwen.
The sudden arrival of Viktor—and then eting those deep eyes of his directly—left her visibly flustered.
"Vi—Viktor?"
"Why are you here already?"
Viktor looked at her and smiled faintly.
"I was a little worried. Ca to check on you."
Hearing those words, Gwen grew even more flustered, turning her head away with a slight flush in her cheeks.
One hand balled tightly into a fist, she raised it to her lips and gave two soft coughs.
"This is my work hours right now..."
"You being here is going to distract ."
Auréliane and Cilia stood to the side, both blinking repeatedly as they stared at Gwen.
A strange feeling crept over Cilia's heart.....
Sohow... this wasn't quite what she had expected?
Wasn't Lady Gwen supposed to be a more independent, self-reliant woman?
Yet looking at her now, she seed no different from what the rumors described?
No... how could that be??
How could Lady Gwen have fallen for a man whose attitude and behavior were both so thoroughly terrible?
As the Princess's personal guard, Cilia had relatively limited channels through which to learn information.
She naturally had no way of knowing that beneath last night's sky, the fireworks filling the Royal Capital above—
had been set off for a very specific person.
Auréliane simply stood to the side, watching the interaction between the two of them, her lips pressing together ever so slightly.
Suddenly, she lifted her head and said to Gwen, as if offering a reminder:
"Teacher Gwen, I've finished resting."
"We can continue."
At Auréliane's cue, Gwen finally snapped back to her senses, quickly composing herself and patting her slightly warm cheeks.
"Ah—right! Yes, Your Highness!"
She paid no further attention to Viktor standing nearby, walking straight over to Auréliane's side to resu supervising her sword-swinging practice.
Viktor found he wasn't bored either, and casually found a chair to sit down in.
His gaze settled on Gwen and didn't move away for a single mont.
The Maidservants around him behaved with the utmost deference, diligently preparing an assortnt of fruits and arranging them neatly on elegant plates.
The Princess's teacher—Count Viktor.
These Maidservants were already quite familiar with him by now.
After all, Viktor frequently entered the palace, and after coming and going so many tis, they had naturally co to recognize this person of distinguished standing.
Moreover, the Princess had given them very specific instructions.
Whenever her teacher ca to her quarters, they were to treat him with their complete and wholehearted hospitality.
Even more respectfully than they treated her, in fact.
This had also placed the Maidservants under an enormously daunting sense of pressure.
Yet the person before them now didn't seem to think much of it at all.
After setting down the fruit, Viktor had turned to them and said, with perfect courtesy:
"Thank you."
The calm and gentle tone, paired with that handso face, made the Maidservants color involuntarily.
They hurriedly bowed in unison, then turned and swiftly retreated in a single motion.
After leaving, they couldn't help but think of the grievances between the Clavena Family and the Rether Family.
A noble who would be this courteous even toward Maidservants like themselves—how could he possibly be soone bad?
Viktor sat in the chair, watching Gwen and Auréliane in quiet silence.
Both of them were intensely focused, and his arrival hadn't made either of them grow lax or distracted in the slightest.
If anything, both of them seed to be in even better form than before.
Auréliane's movents grew progressively more practiced, while Gwen continued to observe and correct the Princess's technique without pause.
Whenever Gwen entered a working mindset, she beca exceptionally conscientious.
And Auréliane was a remarkably obedient student—she would give her absolute best to et whatever her teacher asked of her.
The opening sword swings had felt effortless for Auréliane.
Before long, the real swordsmanship training was brought to bear.
Slashing, thrusting, upward cuts, parrying.....
A great many combat techniques were laid before Auréliane.
At first, Auréliane found it sowhat taxing.
Because swordsmanship training and simple sword swinging were on entirely different levels of difficulty.
But with sufficient stamina underpinning her efforts, she endured round after round of training.
Under Gwen's tireless instruction, Auréliane gradually grew more at ease.
What Gwen needed to do was help Auréliane lock in the feeling of these techniques—to build lasting muscle mory.
Without knowing how much ti had passed, the sun had slowly sunk behind the western mountains, leaving only a red expanse of sky.
The golden light of dusk slanted through the windows, casting itself across the lavish room.
Weija stood on the table, finishing off the last grape in the fruit plate.
By this point, Auréliane had planted her longsword upright before her.
Exhausted as she was, she still used the sword to prop up her body, breathing hard.
The Magic Power within her body had been completely spent—she couldn't even use the spell to restore her stamina and wipe away the sweat.
Gwen, by contrast.
She too had planted an ordinary Knight's longsword before her.
Yet she looked as though she didn't know the aning of fatigue—not a single drop of sweat on her.
For Gwen, this was nothing compared to the intensity of her usual training.
The gentle breeze drifting through the window stirred her long silver hair, giving her a gallant, striking silhouette beneath the twilight.
"That's enough for today."
The mont Auréliane heard those words, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion swept through her entire body.
Today had truly left her feeling utterly drained.
Her whole body, helpless against it, began tipping backward.
Instantly, a swell of wind rose to support her.
The soft, yielding force made Auréliane feel a particular sense of ease.
Only when Teacher Viktor was nearby could she allow herself to be this unrestrained.
Because she knew.
As long as he was here, she would never be hurt.
Viktor rose from his chair, raised his palm, and passed a sweep of white light across Auréliane's body.
As the white light brushed over her, all the sweat on Auréliane's skin was cleaned away completely, and the sticky, clammy feeling beneath her armor vanished without a trace.
It felt just like having taken a bath—remarkably cool and refreshing.
With all of that finished, Auréliane felt a powerful drowsiness wash over her.
In a hazy, half-conscious state, she heard only Viktor's voice drifting to her ear.
"Rest well tonight."
"Tomorrow, I'll take you sowhere else for so real-world experience."
Lulled by that reassuring voice, Auréliane slowly closed her eyes.
Afterward, Viktor walked over to Gwen's side and said to her:
"Let's head back."
Gwen returned his words with a smile of her own and nodded.
"Alright."
A breath of wind gathered beneath their feet, and the air around them grew restless.
Whoosh!
In an instant, the whirlwind shattered apart—yet both Gwen and Viktor had already vanished without a trace.
Until the surroundings fell into complete silence.
An abrupt voice broke through at that very mont.
"Cilia."
"Your Highness."
Cilia stood beside Auréliane with perfect deference.
At the sa ti, Auréliane opened her drowsy eyes.
She gazed quietly at the ceiling, her voice carrying a faint, detached calm as she asked Cilia:
"If I were to claim the seat my Imperial Father sits upon."
"Would I then be able to get everything I want?"
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