Chapter 59
Chapter 59 – First day (Part 2)
Members of the royal family would only begin to officially assume their responsibilities when they turned eighteen .
However, as a princess, Cornelia still had the responsibility of entertaining guests, such as foreign dignitaries and prominent nobles .
She had just attended one such event, where she had to silently suffer through pompous flattery from the nobles that had come to see her father . Finally done with it, she rushed through a maze of corridors to her quarters in the inner palace .
The hallways were pointlessly long and wide, which made getting anywhere a slog .
She passed by intricately crafted pillars one by one . The finest architects and artists in the land had labored to raise this symbol of the empire’s glory, but to the palace’s inhabitants, it was just their home .
Privately, she wished the people who had built the palace hadn’t made it so vast .
It’s Wynn’s first day and I’ve already kept him waiting!
Seeing her run through the castle halls made the knights and staff frown . But time and time again, whoever tried to stop and scold her would suffer a nasty surprise and find themself attempting to chide a princess . A hurried polite greeting would be issued to mask the faux-pas .
Cornelia’s dress wasn’t typical royal attire and didn’t signal her status . She wore one that was plain and unadorned, comfortable to work in .
Mary’s going to scold me for this, won’t she? Oh, speak of the devil .
A familiar face appeared ahead . It was Mary indeed .
Seeing Cornelia, the girl bowed deeply .
“Excuse my tardiness . Has Wynn arrived yet?”
“Yes, princess . He is here, but… ”
“Is anything amiss?”
Mary recounted her exchange with Raymond .
“I see . Viscount Hoffman… The one who belongs to Marquis Cliffdorf’s faction?”
“He is a newly appointed Court Mage . ”
Could Cliffdorf be aiming to increase his faction’s influence among the Court Mages?
Historically, the Knight Order and the Court Mages did not interact very often .
In contrast to the militaristic knights, the mages prefered to mingle with the bureaucrats, and many of them assumed bureaucratic jobs in their old age .
That gave the mages a lot of influence .
The Cliffdorfs placing one of their own in the Court Mages’ ranks was a sign that they were trying to have a slice of that pie .
“It is also worth mentioning that Sir Bard did not come in uniform today . ”
“Is that so? I hope you gave him a warning?”
“Yes, Highness . It was done . ”
The two women walked side-by-side towards the inner palace and Cornelia’s private quarters .
Once they got there, the princess saw her friend and classmate from the Knight Academy . After four long years, he had finally become a knight, even if, officially, he was just a part of the Imperial Guard under Cornelia’s direct command and not a part of any chivalric order…
“Good morning to you, Your Highness . ”
“Good morning, Wynn . You may call me Cornelia when no one else is around . I do consider you an important friend of mine, after all . ”
“Understood, Princess Cornelia . ”
“Dispense with the formalities . I insist . ”
“Umm, okay… uhhh, Cornelia? . ”
Despite some awkwardness, Wynn obediently addressed her normally as he had in the past . Cornelia smiled happily, then appraised his appearance through narrowed eyes .
“I see that your new clothes have not yet arrived … Or did they not fit you, perhaps?”
“The size wasn’t the problem . I’m still a squire though, and your personal Guardian Knight order has not yet been officially established . I felt out of place wearing the uniform . ”
“Is that so? I think it suits you perfectly though!”
Wynn could only reply with a sheepish chuckle .
His Imperial Guard uniform was made of a luxurious white fabric .
And only those of the highest rank wore white .
For official functions, that color was restricted to a select few: royalty, the heads of noble families given peerage, and ministers sitting in the Cabinet .
Furthermore, the brilliant white of his uniform was accentuated by blue cuffs, a blue collar, and embroidery sewn in gold and silver .
At the moment, it was uniform only Wynn had the honour of wearing .
He was currently the sole Guardian Knight of Cornelia, and she was an unmarried princess . There would likely be resistance to him being that close to her .
Alfred seemed to be busy with laying the necessary groundwork so that the optics of the situation were right before it was announced .
Very few had heard about Cornelia’s new guard order, and those who did knew nothing more than rumours .
“Mary did tell me to wear it regularly though . She said I would get used to it . ”
“If you wear the uniform often, you’ll learn how to project a befitting appearance . ”
Wynn sighed .
“But I did put on the emblem . ”
He pointed to his chest .
Cornelia’s crest, a star-shaped bellflower, gleamed on his chest .
“I guess I have no choice but to get used to it . ”
The princess entered her room with a resigned smile and offered Wynn a seat .
Mary promptly went about preparing tea for the two of them .
“By the way, what do I have to do as a Guardian Knight?”
“Good question… ”
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Cornelia contemplated the question for a short while .
“Normally, you would remain by my side as a guard during official functions… But since my presence is not required for any of them at the moment, having tea with me every once in a while will be sufficient . ”
“Hmm . That doesn’t really sound like work . ”
“Also, since I intend to continue attending the Academy, my safety while on the school grounds shall be in your hands . ”
“Oh, yeah, they finally announced that the Knight Academy is opening again . I’m happy that I don’t have to pay another enrollment fee or anything . ”
The Academy that had been closed since the coup was finally opening its doors again .
The school officials had worked frantically to replace all the faculty members who had died during the incident .
There was also pressure to reorganize the knight orders in response to the worsening relations with Petersia .
Therefore, the officials decided to make an exception and allow the students who were enrolled last year to re-enroll .
And so, all the students who had gone through the coup were exempt from the selection examinations and automatically promoted .
Those who had been mere cadets became squires .
Those who had been squires became full-fledged knights .
Due to the personnel shortage, the newly knighted students would have to complete the tasks normally left to their more experienced peers .
Among all the new student-knights, only Wynn became a Guardian Knight .
He hadn’t become a part of the Royal Knight Order or the Imperial Guard like he had hoped, but instead, he became Princess Cornelia Lute Lemmroussel’s Guardian Knight .
However, since Cornelia would only assume her official duties once she turned eighteen, his new duty would only really begin next year .
And so, Wynn ended up remaining as a student of the Academy .
However, he was exempt from some of the classwork .
In addition, due to the nature of his new position, he was outside the chain of command of the knight order .
Basically, with his duties as guardian a priority, he would attend classes on his own time .
“You’re going back?”
“But of course . You may have become a knight already, but what about me?”
Cornelia giggled playfully .
“There are training grounds within the palace, where Imperial Guards hone their skills . You should have a look when you are free in the future . And maybe practice your sword skills together with me . I would like that . ”
“Sure . I’m looking forward to it . ”
The pair continued enjoying tea and conversation in this manner .
“Hmm, so this is how things are . ”
Wynn brought his beloved dagger close to his face to inspect the blade . It was polished to perfection, to the point that it gleamed in the sunlight . He was sitting on the stone paving of the palace training grounds . There was a barrier within the palace to prevent anyone inside from casting spells . However, places like the laboratories of the court mages and the healers’ clinics were exceptions . This place was another such exception .
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The sturdy bowl-shaped training arena was designed to withstand spells being cast from within . The inner wall was imbued with magic to prevent anything from damaging the outside . There were also several rows of seats beyond the wall so royals and foreign dignitaries could spectate tournaments . Whenever his new liege lady, Cornelia, was not around, Wynn would spend time here . More and more of it . At first he simply polished his equipment while reading the books Leticia got him, but he soon lost to the urge to move his body .
Hmm… There aren’t many people here right now .
The problem was that he attracted attention whenever he trained here .
Naturally, since this was inside the palace, most of the people around him were knights of the Imperial Guard .
And Wynn stood out like a sore thumb among them .
Extending his freshly-polished sword, Wynn assumed a stance . Cold words of his recent training partners echoed in his head .
“You? A Guardian Knight? Connections sure are convenient . ”
“Could you spar with me for a bit?”
Those spars tended to leave his whole body aching .
Hmm . I’d have more confidence against another student .
Only nobles who were born with an abundance of magic power, and only the best of those, could join the Imperial Guard .
Due to that, Wynn would already struggle in a match of pure skill . When body strengthening magic was added to the equation, it was no contest .
Wynn preferred to fight in a more evasive manner, but the skill of his opponents here forced him to take the blows head on . He ended up overpowered in every bout .
Time after time, he ended up on the stone floor .
I need more training, more experience .
If he were a normal knight, he could gain that on subjugation expeditions .
But the Imperial Guard existed to protect the Emperor and his family .
That was to say nothing of the fact that he was also under Cornelia’s direct supervision . He wouldn’t get a chance to fight as a knight outside .
Becoming a knight…
All throughout his life, that was his dream .
And finally, he made it happen .
But there was no meaning in his knighthood if he couldn’t protect what he needed to protect .
I have to become stronger . Strong enough to protect everyone important to me . And one day…
He swung his sword .
Once, twice . The swings kept coming .
His whole body dripping with sweat, Wynn walked to the well in a corner of the training arena .
The water there was for both drinking and washing off sweat .
He took off his jacket and poured the water over his head .
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The feeling of cool liquid flowing down his body was refreshing .
He started wiping off his sweat and putting his clothes back on, only to be interrupted by a voice .
“Hey . ”
Wynn turned around .
“I heard that you would be here . ”
“If it isn’t Viscount Hoffman”
It was Raymond .
“I apologize for the other day . I had just arrived to the Palace and was still finding my way around the place . ”
“It’s fine . My appearance was certainly confusing . ”
Raymond clicked his tongue as he held his hand out . Wynn took it .
“Please call me Raymond . I work here as a Court Mage . Pleased to meet you . ”
“I am Wynn, Princess Cornelia’s Guardian Knight . ”
“Oh, I know . The commoner . People were talking about how a commoner joined the Imperial Guard . It has become a big deal . ”
Wynn could only chuckle sheepishly .
“So what do you need me for, Raymond?”
“As I said, I would like to apologize for what happened yesterday . I was on my way to the archives so I decided to drop by . I hope I did not hamper your training . ”
“No, I was pretty much done . Are you looking to do some research in the archives?”
“Oh? Do you happen to be interested in books too?”
“Well… A bit . ”
“I see, I see . How surprising . I thought all of you knight types only had muscles for brains . I stand corrected . ”
Raymond nodded happily and softly clicked his tongue .
“The archives here boast a great collection of books . I do recommend that you check it out if you are interested . ”
“Can anybody access it?”
“Of course . Even knights like you would find it useful to learn about military history, right?”
“I guess so . What books are you looking for?”
Another click of the tongue . Wynn wondered whether it was a habit .
“Me? I’m looking into the subject of the Demon Lord . My primary research focus is on demons . Well, I have to go now . Good day to you . ”
Raymond walked away .
Demons . Something about Raymond’s face when he said the word made Wynn worry .
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