Chapter 5.2

Johan didn’t know how to handle a sword. It was only natural, as he had never been taught. On top of that, he was small for his age and still clumsy with the Elendorian tongue, making him an easy target for them.

How can you find enjoyment in tormenting someone weaker? Their cruelty made Esha’s blood run cold.

She lowered her gaze to Johan.

He was gripping the wooden sword tightly in both hands, staring down at the ground. The sight made her want to wrap him in her arms then and there.

{Why are you just letting them do this to you?}

She asked him in Atlanian. Only then did Johan lift his head slightly.

{…I’m sorry.}

{You’re my fiancé. Anyone who disrespects you deserves to be paid back in kind. Watch closely, Johan.}

With those words, she took the wooden sword from his hands.

“Then let’s train together. Shall we?”

“What?”

“I don’t care if all three of you come at me at once, or one by one in turns.”

“B-but, Your Highness, how could we possibly raise a sword to you…?”

The tall boy stammered nervously.

It wasn’t just that striking a lady went against the knightly code of chivalry. More importantly, Esha was royalty.

She was now the sole surviving princess of Elendor after Portia’s death. In an absolutist monarchy like Elendor, no one, not even the highest-ranking nobles, could lay a hand on a member of the imperial family. Only royalty could ever touch royalty.

“Go on. Begin.”

Esha’s voice was calm but firm.

None of them moved.

They might have dared to lay hands on Johan, her fiancé, but they all knew it was unthinkable to harm her directly.

Esha understood that perfectly. She strode forward with confidence.

The boy who had earlier stood smugly in front, boasting about “training,” faltered as she approached and lowered his wooden sword.

“Let’s begin, shall we? With our sword training.”

“Your Highness…”

She looked down at the boy standing before her. Boy might have been a technicality. In truth, his size and build could have easily passed for someone her own age.

The sheer vulgarity of using that strength to torment someone weaker ignited a furious heat in her chest.

The boy flinched, screwing his eyes shut, expecting her to swing the wooden sword.

But instead of raising it, Esha tilted her head forward and slammed it directly into his forehead with all her strength.

“ARGHHH!”

He let out a high-pitched shriek and tumbled backward.

Slumped on the dusty ground, he fumbled at his face with both hands, his wooden sword forgotten. A sharp ache shot through the bridge of his nose before blood began to stream down.

“M-my nose!”

“Go tell your father,” Esha said coolly, pressing her fingers to her own forehead. “Tell him you got a nosebleed during sword training with the princess.”

If anyone was going to get slapped for doing something as absurd as sparring with a princess, it wouldn’t be her. It would be him.

“And what about you two?”

She swung the tip of the wooden sword toward the two boys lingering awkwardly in the background.

They had already been struck dumb with fear at the sight of their friend clutching his forehead and bleeding. They’d heard rumors that the second princess was vicious, but they hadn’t imagined this level of ferocity.

“Don’t you ever lay a hand on my fiancé again. And don’t think for a second I’ll tolerate that kind of insolence anymore.”

As Esha issued her bold warning, Johan—watching from behind her—felt his cheeks heat faintly.

When the three boys finally scurried out of the training yard in a panic, Esha leaned forward and gripped Johan’s shoulders tightly.

“Why did you just let them do that to you? What did they say to get you to come with them?”

“T-they said my Elendorian pronunciation sounded funny… and they offered to teach me. So I followed them here. But then, they suddenly asked if I knew how to use a sword, and when I said no—”

“They said they’d teach you and started forcing you. Is that right?”

“…Yes.”

“From now on, if you don’t like something, say it. And make sure you stay with your guard at all times.”

“Yes…”

Seeing how deflated he looked, Esha tightened her grip on his shoulders.

“Johan, look at me.”

At her words, Johan lifted his gaze to meet hers.

His moist eyes were like a moss-covered pond. Clear, still, and deep. In that sunlit green world, there seemed to be no malice, no deceit, nothing but quiet transparency.

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If anyone harms you, you repay them in kind. Understand?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

She pulled Johan gently into her arms.

A ripple stirred in those once-serene eyes. Then, as quickly as it had come, the surface settled to calm and resolute. In the depths of his gaze, a flicker of determination had taken root.