LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 12 - Classes Begin - 1
The Basic Swordsmanship I classroom was quite spacious. In one corner of the room, scarecrows stood in a row. As expected, the classroom was filled with sweaty machos. Most of them probably aspire to be knights. And occasionally, there are visible nerds. Were they forced to take this class by their families? I quickly scanned the classroom.
Then I discovered two unexpected individuals: Wilhelm and Cordelia.
Wilhelm, being the Crown Prince of the Empire, wouldn’t look dignified if he were ignorant of swordsmanship, so it’s not incomprehensible. But why is Cordelia here?
Wilhelm is surrounded by several students. He’s responding with formal smiles. It’s natural for royalty to attend the Academy partly for image-making purposes.
In contrast, Cordelia stands awkwardly alone in a corner. She seems to be looking around to see if there’s anyone she knows. Other students are keeping their distance, seemingly finding it difficult to approach her. It must be hard to know how to treat a duke’s daughter who recently broke off her engagement with the Crown Prince, especially now that she’s in the same swordsmanship class as him.
Both of them seem to have felt my gaze and look at me.
“Tsk.”
Wilhelm clicks his tongue as if displeased and turns his head away. It feels like he doesn’t even want to face me. Is he jealous because Lily clung to me this morning, asking to be friends? Although I felt sorry for him earlier, that’s a problem he should resolve with Lily on his own, and I’d appreciate it if he didn’t take it out on me.
Getting caught in a fish tank is his own responsibility. Who would want to enter a fish tank with such a white whale? But it’s a bit ugly to lash out at other fish.
“As I thought, Mikhail is here too.”
As soon as Cordelia saw my face, she hurried over. She looks genuinely happy to see me. Of course, as she’s the only one who could be called a noble lady in the classroom, it’s not strange that she doesn’t have friends. Considering her fiery personality, she probably doesn’t have many friends in other classrooms either. Noble etiquette is quite strict and exclusive. To me, it just seems stuffy.
As she approaches me, I can feel the gazes of other students. Perhaps because she’s one of the very few female students in the classroom, the gazes of other students are no joke. They’re all stealing glances. Moreover, considering that the few female students here boast short hair and toned bodies as aspiring female knights, her appearance is unparalleled in this classroom. Objectively, she is beautiful, but she also stands out.
“There’s no one I know here. It’s good to see a familiar face.”
“You could have asked to come together from the classroom earlier.”
Cordelia shakes her head at my words.
“No, no. I peeked earlier and saw you and Hestia looking like you didn’t want to part. I didn’t want to intrude on that.”
“No, it wasn’t like that. I was just saying goodbye like everyone else, saying I’d see her later.”
It’s a bit embarrassing to hear someone else say that we were being clingy, not wanting to separate.
“You two looked really awkward in the morning, but after you went out and came back, you were suddenly dripping with honey. What did you two do?”
For the sake of Hestia’s and my honor, I can’t honestly say, “I told her I liked her.” I just glossed over it.
“We just talked a bit. Ah, speaking of morning, what were you thinking when you asked that?”
I asked something I’d been curious about. She had boldly asked if we had fought, right in front of a couple who clearly seemed to be in the midst of a dispute. Perhaps she pretended to be clueless to encourage us to resolve things quickly through conversation?
“What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about when you asked if we had fought this morning. Did you really ask without any intention?”
“Intention? What intention?”
She looks like she doesn’t even understand my question. Goodness, as someone who benefited from her innocence, I have nothing to say, but is this really okay?
“Why are you making that face?”
“It’s nothing. Lady Deneb, please continue to be just as you are, don’t change.”
She tilted her head. It’s quite different from the berserk appearance of last night. She’s a really nice person when she’s not angry.
“Ah, come to think of it, I haven’t apologized or thanked you yet.”
Cordelia, who had been looking at me for a moment, hit her palm with her fist. It’s the first time I’ve seen this gesture in person. Whenever I see such affected actions, I feel keenly that this world is a different world.
“Apology and thanks?”
“Yes, it’s a bit embarrassing, but I caused quite a few problems yesterday when I lost my mind.”
Cordelia’s face reddened as if embarrassed, recalling her disgraceful behavior last night.
“First, um, ah! Thank you for stopping me. If you hadn’t stopped me, something really bad might have happened.”
“I did that partly because Hestia asked, and partly because I stepped in fearing Lady Adamas might get hit.”
It wasn’t particularly something I did for Cordelia. I feel a bit guilty receiving her thanks.
“Hmm, but the fact is that your action helped, right? So I should thank you. It doesn’t cost anything. And also, for stepping up to prevent my enrollment from being canceled. Thank you for that too.”
“That was also due to Hestia’s request…”
“Quiet. As I said earlier, I’m expressing gratitude because I’m thankful, so there’s no need to decline like that. Or perhaps you don’t want to accept my gratitude?”
I suddenly recalled thanking Selene yesterday. Thinking about it this way, adding unnecessary comments seems ungraceful.
“That’s not it. Um, then you’re welcome?”
“Hahaha. What’s that?”
Cordelia burst out laughing at my courtesy. She’s a woman with a somewhat strange sense of humor.
“Now for the apology. First, I’m sorry for saying harsh things when you stepped up to help.”
“Harsh things? What do you mean?”
Did she say harsh things to me? I think she consistently used formal speech even while raging and struggling.
“Um, you know. The ill-mannered mute…”
“Ah.”
With all the chaos of yesterday, I had completely forgotten. I should tease Hestia about this.
“Did you hear from Hestia?”
Her only channel to hear about me is Hestia. But still, I asked casually just to confirm.
“No, uh, no, it’s not really like that.”
Cordelia couldn’t answer properly and just squirmed. This is more definitive proof than any other answer. Although it’s only been two days since I met her, I think I understand what kind of person she is. First, she really can’t lie. I’ve never seen someone who shows it so immediately.
“Hmm. What should I do about this?”
“Um, Hestia is not at fault, so…”
Having given up on lying, she doesn’t even try to deny it anymore.
“Talking behind her fiancé’s back to a friend, how is that not her fault?”
My words turn Cordelia’s complexion ashen. It’s quite a scene. I should stop teasing her now. Besides, the one who’s really at fault is neither Hestia nor Cordelia, but the previous Mikhail.
“I’m joking. Don’t apologize. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to Hestia. It’s not unusual for her to think of me that way.”
“Phew…”
But I still have to tease her a bit. Hestia probably thinks I’ve let it slide and is feeling relieved.
“By the way, Lady Deneb, why are you taking the Basic Swordsmanship class?”
I changed the topic of conversation. I’ve been curious since earlier. Why is she in the swordsmanship class?
“Actually, I’ve been interested in swordsmanship for a while. Since I was young, I always secretly watched the family knights.”
“Since then? You seem like a beginner for someone with such interest.”
I recalled grabbing Cordelia’s wrist yesterday. She was quite strong for a woman of her age, but not to the extent of someone who had been consistently training. She didn’t have calluses on her hands either.
“That’s right. I was interested, but I’ve never actually wielded a sword.”
She wore a somewhat gloomy expression.
“Have you ever asked your family about learning swordsmanship?”
“Yes. But they said it wasn’t allowed.”
“If you had said you wanted to learn it for self-defense, they probably wouldn’t have completely rejected it.”
Hearing my words, Cordelia looked at Wilhelm, who was on the other side of the classroom, surrounded by several students. He’s still responding to the gathered students with a fake smile. He doesn’t seem particularly interested in our direction.
“I was the Crown Prince’s fiancée. It would be a disaster if I got scars or unsightly muscles from training.”
That’s true. As someone who would eventually become the Empress, her family must have been extremely overprotective.
“Now, no one cares. Whether I take swordsmanship classes or cause a commotion at the eve party.”
Cordelia looked a bit bitter. I didn’t know what to say, so I just kept my mouth shut. Offering clumsy consolation might only hurt her more.
“Don’t worry about it. I actually prefer it now. It feels like I’ve escaped from a cage and entered the world. Honestly, I didn’t even like that bastard much.”
“Lady Deneb, someone might hear you.”
There are still quite a few gazes stealing glances at us.
“He didn’t like me either. He probably disliked me. Whenever we met, it was always ‘you’re simple-minded,’ ‘you’re frivolous,’ ‘you’re not modest,’ and so on. We just got engaged because there was no other woman of similar age in the ducal family.”
She continued talking as if she hadn’t heard me. At least she corrected her reference from “that bastard” to “he.”
“Honestly, if you had been Michaela instead of Mikhail, you would have been his fiancée, right?”
She looked at me and grinned.
“Don’t say such horrible things.”
“Hmm, modest, with a fine face. Wilhelm would have liked it.”
Insane talk. I don’t even want to think about it. If that were the case, I would have killed that obnoxious guy and then committed suicide.
“Hahaha. You really hate it.”
She burst out laughing seeing my distorted expression.
“Please, I beg you. And isn’t Lady Cordelia’s appearance perfectly fine? It’s just that your personalities didn’t match with His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Thanks for the compliment? But he didn’t like my appearance either. He disliked my red hair.”
“How picky. It’s because he was spoiled.”
“Weren’t you just saying others might hear?”
“I don’t know. I’ve already backed down once, can’t I do it twice?”
I know I shouldn’t be talking like this, but the more I talk, the more my hostility towards Wilhelm rises. Like the blockhead remark yesterday, impulsive actions pop out if I don’t consciously control it. And now we’re formally equal students. Fellow students can use a bit of harsh language, right?
“Anyway, that’s how it is. I like the way things are now. No one noisily interfering, and I can freely learn the swordsmanship I’ve wanted to learn. The only regret is that I couldn’t dump him first.”
Cordelia looks relieved, as if she’s expressed everything she wanted to say.
“This is the first time I’ve told this to someone else. I haven’t even told Hestia about wanting to learn swordsmanship or not getting along well with Wilhelm.”
“Why not?”
They seemed like inseparable friends when I saw them together.
“Hmm, is it okay to tell you now? Because Hestia was going through a tough time too. If I also showed signs of struggling, Hestia would have nowhere to lean on.”
Cordelia thought for a moment before speaking.
I remained silent at her words, unable to say anything. I feel like a criminal. The cause of Hestia’s suffering could only be Mikhail. I’m sorry to hear she seems to have suffered more than I thought. And here I was thinking of teasing her about the “ill-mannered mute” comment.
“No, she seems good now, so it’s okay. You don’t need to worry too much. I was so surprised when I saw you two together yesterday.”
“I see.”
I felt a bit relieved hearing Cordelia’s words. If she says so, it should be fine.
On the other hand, I became a bit curious. I understand that Hestia suffered more because of me than I thought. But isn’t she accepting me too easily for that?
Until now, I assumed Hestia and I had been living with appropriate exchanges as fiancés. But hearing Cordelia’s words, that doesn’t seem to be the case. It’s a fiancé she thought of as an ill-mannered mute suddenly approaching her aggressively.
If I were Hestia, I wouldn’t have accepted it. What’s there to like? The first thought would be, “What’s he plotting?” Of course, she has a gentler nature than me, but there seems to be some other reason beyond that.
“Has Hestia said anything more about me?”
I asked Cordelia, wondering if perhaps the answer might be in what Hestia had told her.
“Don’t ask me, ask her directly. You two need to resolve this yourselves.”
Cordelia snorted at my question and refused to answer. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I honestly thought she was someone childlike who lacked awareness and couldn’t lie, so this is unexpected. In some ways, she’s more mature than I am.
Hearing her words, I felt a bit remorseful. Hestia suffered from my silence. From now on, if there’s something on my mind, I should tell Hestia immediately without hiding it.
“I should do that.”
I’ll have to casually ask during the “Understanding Marriage” class later.