Chapter 64

After having bandages wrapped around him by the healer and ointment applied to his shoulder, Alro returned to the study room. Marievel was in class, so he quietly stood behind her and joined in halfway through. Fortunately, Marievel was paying attention to the lesson. Although she occasionally opened the wrong page, since Alro wasn't there, the teacher took good care of her.

"—Alright, that's it for today. There's a lot of homework, so please do as much as you can."

"Yes, thank you."

Marievel bowed, and Alro did the same.

"Alro, are you okay now?"

"Yes, I'm sorry for worrying you."

The teacher said it was good and left, saying, "See you again."

As they bowed to see him off, Alro's wrist was suddenly grabbed.

"Let's go."

"Huh..."

Alro thought he had gone to the healer, so he took a step back, but Marievel stepped forward again.

"Who did this to you?"

Marievel pointed to Alro's shoulder. Alro, still hesitant, looked down.

"Really, it's nothing. Princess, please don't worry."

"It's not just a little bruise!"

"But it doesn't hurt at all."

Marievel looked more pained.

"How could it not hurt?"

"But, this—"

When he was with his father, it was a common occurrence. He often didn't know where it hurt...

But if he said that, Marievel might get even angrier, so Alro kept quiet.

Even though he was silent, Marievel seemed to understand.

"I can't forgive this."

Marievel's voice was calm but filled with anger.

"If Alro won't say, I'll go to the training ground and find out."

"Princess! Wait—!"

As Marievel was about to run, Eidan appeared from the other end of the corridor. Eidan's room was on the same second floor as Marievel's study room.

Eidan walked over slowly and tilted his head in exasperation.

"What are you shouting about in the hallway?"

"Alro is hurt!"

"Princess..."

Eidan immediately understood the situation from the indignant Marievel and the desperate Alro trying to stop her.

"That bruise on your shoulder, it was me. We just had a sparring session."

"What?"

"Is there a problem? Marievel was the one who suggested he build muscle, right?"

Eidan said this with a sigh.

"It's normal to get a few injuries during training."

"But why did you spar with Alro, who just started training?"

"It's not like we went all out. You don't always spar with someone of equal skill."

"Ah, that's right, Princess. It was just practice—"

"Ah, yeah, I just wanted to see how he moved."

Eidan felt a twinge of guilt and slightly averted his gaze.

He had intended to go easy, but when Tan said Alro might be a rare talent, he got curious and wanted to see his movements.

Turns out, Alro was surprisingly agile, and he ended up using more force than intended.

"Just watching his movements caused this bruise?"

"I used to get them all the time."

Marievel didn't seem convinced.

"Brother, you're not bullying Alro, are you?"

"Why would I bully Alro? What kind of idea is that?"

"..."

Marievel stared at Eidan.

Ever since she started chasing after Alro, this brother never seemed to approve. She didn't want to think he was doing something so sinister.

"What? Marievel suggested he build muscle, right?"

Hearing this, Marievel's eyes wavered.

"I didn't mean for him to get hurt just to build muscle."

She wanted him to be more energetic, to build muscle like their father. But if it meant getting hurt, then—

"Princess... I want to continue."

Marievel turned to him.

"Recently, it's been fun—"

Alro's eyes were shining more than ever. They were usually lifeless or gentle and calm, like a still lake.

Seeing his favorite black eyes sparkle for the first time, Marievel couldn't say anything more.

"Alright."

Marievel turned to Alro.

"But, if you're going to continue, you need to take better care of your body. If you get hurt, get proper treatment. Don't endure the pain."

"I'm not enduring it."

He wasn't lying. Alro said this with a serious face.

"Then, be more careful. If you have any injuries, get them treated."

Marievel would have made a big fuss if she had such an injury. It was frustrating, but Alro seemed to be enjoying it.

"—Ah, I'll also study magic! I don't want to tell Mother, but if I treat you, will you accept it?"

"Um, well—"

Alro glanced at Eidan.

He thought it was inappropriate for someone like him to receive light healing.

But Eidan's response was unexpected.

"Why not? Use him as a practice dummy."

"Stop saying that."

Marievel replied in a low voice.

If Alro could motivate her to study magic, which she had never been interested in, it wasn't a bad thing.

Eidan thought this as he walked past them.

After watching him leave for a while, Marievel tried to regain her composure.

"Alright, what's next?"

"The next class is classics, followed by etiquette."

"Did we have homework?"

There was homework, and Marievel had forgotten the materials she was supposed to bring.

This was typical. Marievel never prepared in advance, and she wouldn't do homework without Alro's help, often not even knowing what it was.

So, as her attendant, Alro immediately went to fetch the materials.

After all the classes ended that day, Marievel collapsed on the spot.

Especially the etiquette class, which required maintaining the same posture for long periods and repeatedly standing and sitting, was quite challenging for an 8-year-old.

Even after Alro finished cleaning up, she still couldn't get up.

"Princess, are you okay?"

"I can't."

"What—"

"I can't do this anymore today."

She was so exhausted that even getting up to lie down on the floor was an effort. Returning to her room seemed impossible.

Alro, unlike Eidan, didn't have the strength to carry her.

He thought he needed to build more strength.

"Why am I doing this... What's the point?"

Alro crouched down to meet Marievel's gaze.

"Um, but, Princess, you were very beautiful at the end."

Hearing this, Marievel lifted her head slightly.

"Really, you looked like a princess... I mean, you are a princess, but you were so beautiful that I forgot to breathe. I think everyone would be captivated by your bow and the way you walk."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Alro said this earnestly. It made Marievel believe it, and her expression softened.

"Did I do well?"

"Yes, the teacher praised you at the end, didn't they?"

After being told for nearly an hour that she was doing poorly, the final praise was a relief.

"Say it again."

"Um, the teacher praised you—"

"No, Alro, praise me. It will make me feel better."

Alro hesitated for a moment.

But he shouldn't hesitate. He shouldn't give the impression that he was thinking.

Tan had said that boosting the master's motivation and keeping their spirits high was part of his job.

"Princess, you were very beautiful. You looked like a painting."

Marievel's expression softened even more.

When she was angry, she looked truly terrifying, but when she relaxed, she became endearing and lovable.

It was good to see her spirits lift.

Before dinner, they needed to review the lessons and do the homework.

Getting her to sit at a desk was always a challenge, so it felt like they had finally reached the starting line.

The arduous task of making her do school homework.