Chapter 13

— — —

Damian stood beside me, wearing an unmistakably sour expression.

From the look of it, he had already been informed—and he disliked the arrangement just as much as I did. Possibly more.

Still, there was no chance he would side with me.

If the choice was between entrusting me to a knight or keeping watch over me himself, he would obviously choose the latter—no matter how much he despised me.

“…Are there no other knights in the ducal estate?”

I directed the question to Carlos, clinging to the faintest shred of hope as I glanced sideways at Damian.

“You would have to search not only this estate but the entire Empire to find a swordsman more skilled than Damian.”

…Of course.

A sword prodigy.

That wasn’t what I meant.

But he shut down my protest with reputation alone.

Before reaching adulthood, Damian would become the youngest Swordmaster in history—the tenth ever recorded.

He hadn’t achieved the title yet, but Carlos wasn’t exaggerating. There was likely no one in the Empire who could defeat him.

So this is his way of ensuring I don’t attempt anything reckless.

Not that I intended to.

Arguing further would accomplish nothing.

If we’re speaking purely in terms of safety… he is the safest escort.

But still—sending the two of us together when we clearly can’t stand each other?

Neither man looked remotely inclined to reconsider.

In the end, I relented.

“…Fine.”

“When do you intend to depart?” Carlos asked calmly.

“As soon as possible. Tomorrow, if feasible.”

Carlos finally lifted his gaze from his paperwork and turned to Damian.

“Is that manageable?”

“…Not immediately.”

Damian’s eyes swept over me coolly.

“Traveling west is difficult enough. Adding the burden of a princess makes it worse.”

A burden.

He said it so casually.

And the worst part? He wasn’t wrong.

The road to the land of mages was no simple journey.

“When, then?” Carlos asked.

“Ten days.”

Damian crossed his arms.

“In the meantime, I’ll teach her basic self-defense. So she doesn’t slow us down excessively.”

There it was—that subtle edge of mockery.

I had plenty I wanted to say.

I swallowed it.

Arguing here would change nothing.

“Very well,” Carlos said. “We will submit the guardianship documents to the temple after the princess returns.”

He returned his attention to his paperwork.

“Anything further?”

That was dismissal.

I left quietly.

Just as I turned to head back—

“Princess.”

I stopped and looked over my shoulder.

Damian stood there, visibly irritated.

“Be at the training grounds tomorrow at ten.”

“…Tomorrow?”

“I won’t repeat myself. If you’re late, I’ll leave without you.”

With that, he turned sharply and walked away.

…What is this?

A vague sense of dread settled over me.

Ten days of training under him—and then traveling west together?

This felt ominous.

The next morning at precisely ten, I arrived at the training grounds.

Damian was already there.

Arms crossed. Sword planted in the dirt beside him.

He looked as though he had been waiting for some time.

How early did he arrive?

I wasn’t late, yet I felt strangely inadequate.

“…I’m here.”

“Yes. I can see that.”

His curt response immediately irritated me.

“Today we assess your physical condition.”

“My physical condition?”

“I need to know how pathetic it is before planning anything.”

He clearly expected nothing.

I bit back my retort.

If he refused to escort me, I would remain trapped here.

“What do I do?”

“Run.”

He tilted his chin toward the wide training field.

“How many laps?”

“Until you can’t.”

…That’s not a number.

Still, I began running.

At first, it was manageable.

Just running.

Half a lap later—

My breath hitched.

My legs grew heavy.

My chest burned.

…Already?

Just half a lap?

My pace faltered.

By the time I staggered to the halfway mark, I was barely moving.

“Hah… huff…”

I stopped.

My vision swam.

“…Is that all?”

Damian’s voice drifted down.

He glanced at the distance and snorted.

“Half a lap.”

The judgment in his tone was merciless.

“Impressive.”

I couldn’t even muster a comeback.

“Push-ups next.”

“Now? Let me breathe—”

“Now.”

Is he a monster?

“Or are you quitting?”

He shrugged, completely indifferent.

That look in his eyes ignited something stubborn in me.

Fine.

I dropped to the ground and straightened my arms.

So far, so good.

Lower.

My arms bent—

And—

Thud.

I collapsed face-first.

Not even one.

“…This is humiliating.”

I wanted to disappear.

“Get up.”

I forced myself upright, my arms trembling.

He looked at me as though I were hopeless.

“This is the state of someone who intends to travel west?”

That stung.

But—

“Protection is the escort’s responsibility.”

I shot back.

It wasn’t untrue.

If my escort was competent, I wouldn’t need to fight.

Damian let out a dry laugh.

“So you trust me completely?”

“….”

“You? Trusting the heir of the Carter family?”

That hit harder than the running.

He wasn’t wrong.

He could abandon me if he wished.

He could leave me behind at the first sign of danger.

Ultimately—

I could only rely on myself.

And if the imperial family had noticed my disappearance by now…

They might send him.

The thought of that familiar golden gaze made my skin crawl.

“…That’s why I said I’d learn.”

I clenched my teeth.

“I want to survive too.”

Damian studied me.

His expression shifted—subtle, unreadable.

Then—

“Fine.”

A faint, almost amused smile touched his lips.

“Let’s see how long you last.”

Good.

I’ll endure it.

Even if it’s out of sheer spite.