Chapter 6: Lessons in Etiquette and Swords

My father and mother were diligently trying to make a younger sibling, but I was still an only child.

I had no interest whatsoever in the troublesome duties of being the head of a Count’s family, but from the family’s perspective, I was the sole heir.

Naturally, I was also receiving succession lessons to inherit the family.

I didn’t know what the succession structure was like in the North, but it wouldn’t hurt for Marine to attend these lessons as well.

Therefore, I dragged the whining Marine along to the succession lessons.

The first class was etiquette training.

“As expected of the Young Master! Perfect!”

As I’ve said repeatedly, for me, whose mental age was approaching thirty, the education tailored to a seven-year-old’s level was so easy it was boring.

However, Marine’s case was different.

“Young Lady, when drinking tea, it is polite to hold the teacup with one hand and support it with the other.”

She tried to follow my example, glancing at me, but a correction came immediately.

Marine’s face flushed at being corrected, but commendably, she didn’t express her anger.

“L-like this?”

“If you support your hand like this…”

It seemed Marine hadn’t received such lessons in the North, as her eyes spun in confusion.

Somehow, the lesson on tea etiquette ended, and this time, the tutor placed dining utensils in front of each of us.

“This time, it’s dining etiquette. Please arrange the cutlery in order according to the rules.”

“Okay!”

Marine, perhaps confident because eating was something she did often, eagerly stepped forward.

“Cutlery should be arranged from the outside in.”

“The fork goes on the left, and the knife and spoon on the right.”

“The placement of the soup spoon and dessert spoon is reversed.”

Marine had charged in confidently, but reality was a barrage of corrections.

I didn’t know the etiquette for arranging cutlery either, so I subtly copied Marine as she was being corrected.

“You! Why are you copying me!”

Marine, already angry from being embarrassed in a field she was confident in, pointed her finger at me when she saw me subtly change my arrangement after watching her get scolded.

“I have done no such thing.”

I put on a bold face and made a tearful expression as if I were being wronged.

“Young Lady, pointing is a very vulgar act! Apologize!”

‘Nice one, teacher~’

“Ugh… Sob…”

Marine, who had been trembling, finally burst into tears.

“Uh… Young Lady… I apologize.”

The tutor, who had been maintaining a strict teacher persona, shed her concept the moment Marine showed tears and hugged her tightly.

Feeling like I might have been too harsh on a child, I fidgeted and approached Marine.

“Young Lady, it’s true I copied you. I’m sorry.”

Marine, nestled comfortably in the arms of the Marchioness, who was her tutor, completely changed her expression when I apologized and gave a sly grin.

Seeing Marine grinning slyly in the tutor’s arms, I felt goosebumps rise all over.

Marine, at the tender age of eight, had realized that a woman’s tears were a weapon!

‘Marine, this terrifying child.’

Marine, while wearing a victor’s smile, spoke in a tearful voice.

“Then, will you grant my wish…?”

I admitted defeat and nodded my head.

“Yes, if it’s something I can do.”

‘Marine, this time, you win.’

---

“Young Lady, this territory belongs to Viscount Lylelie, not Count Antois.”

“This symbol represents a forest, not a field.”

“Ah, I’ll fix it, heu-heung.”

The next class was geography.

Following the Northern Grand Duke’s ideology that the North was the center of the world and there was no need to know about other territories, Marine, who was ignorant of geography, received many corrections in this class as well.

However, she was so happy about her victory against me that she hummed, unconcerned by the geography teacher’s corrections.

She was this happy just because she beat me.

I reflected on whether I had done anything to deserve such dislike.

Seeing as nothing particular came to mind, it seemed Marine was just peculiar.

---

After the morning classes ended, it was lunchtime.

“Oh my, Young Lady, you seem to be in a good mood today?”

Father and Mother looked quite surprised as Marine, who always ruined the mealtime atmosphere by eating with a blank expression, ate with a bright smile.

“Yes, I’m in a good mood today.”

Marine, who usually only gave one-word answers even when spoken to, replied in a full sentence.

I became afraid of what kind of wish she was planning to make.

After a meal in a harmonious atmosphere for the first time in a while, I stuck close to Marine, who was skipping along cheerfully.

“Young Lady…? As I said earlier, I can only grant wishes that are possible for me?”

“Don’t worry, it won’t be that difficult a wish.”

Marine, who always showed disgust when I stuck close to her, smiled gently and patted my back.

Goosebumps rose on my back.

The adage that a sudden change in a person is a sign of impending death came to mind.

I think I’ll have to ask for the mansion’s security to be strengthened.

---

If the morning classes were theoretical, the afternoon classes were swordsmanship and magic lessons.

Since the theory classes could be taken in my room, I had been taking them consistently.

However, this was my first time taking practical lessons, as I had been refusing them to avoid Marine’s notice.

Clang, clang.

The sound of blades clashing echoed relentlessly in the Edgar Count’s training ground.

“Down, down, up!”

“Kugh.”

I arrived here with Marine, where numerous knights were sweating and training.

“Ooh…”

Marine’s eyes sparkled as she watched the training knights, proving she was indeed the Northern Grand Duke’s daughter.

Contrary to Marine’s sparkling eyes, I frowned at the sweaty smell of the men.

“Greetings, I am Zidan, and I will be your swordsmanship instructor from now on.”

Arriving at the family head’s exclusive training ground as instructed, a middle-aged knight, built like a bear, was setting up dummies.

This middle-aged knight was the youngest knight commander of the Edgar Count’s family and was said to be a high-level Sword Expert.

Seeing him use the Sword Expert setting, which was frequently used in mass-produced fantasy novels back in the rental shop days, I could surmise that the author who created this world was quite old.

Looking around, I saw two wooden swords, presumably prepared for me and Marine.

Dummies and wooden swords.

A future of tedious grinding already painted itself in my mind.

“Is this the Young Master’s first time with swordsmanship, and does the Young Lady have any experience?”

“No.”

“I see.”

Since she was the Northern Grand Duke’s daughter, I thought she would have experience learning swordsmanship even at her young age, but it was unexpected.

“First, let’s work on your stance. Please pick up a wooden sword each and follow my stance.”

I lifted the wooden sword with difficulty.

I had exercised diligently in my room, so I thought I could lift a wooden sword easily, but this wooden sword was heavier than I expected.

In contrast to me, who lifted the wooden sword with difficulty, Marine lifted it lightly.

Whoosh.

Marine even twirled the sword with one hand, proving the Northern Grand Duke’s genes hadn’t gone anywhere.

If we fought seriously, I’d lose a hundred times out of a hundred.

Vowing to never mess with Marine, I awkwardly copied the knight commander’s stance.

Me and Marine, holding wooden swords in our stances.

The knight commander first approached Marine.

“Ooh… Is it really your first time learning swordsmanship?”

“Yes!”

The knight commander carefully examined Marine’s stance and let out a sound of admiration.

I didn’t want to admit it, but even from my perspective, Marine’s stance was perfect.

‘This d*mned genetic f*cking luck-based game.’

“Please take a short break.”

The knight commander, who had been showering Marine with praise, now approached me.

“Hmm…”

The knight commander let out a deep groan as he examined my stance.

Even I thought there were many problems with my stance, so I squeezed my eyes shut.

“First, you need to spread your legs a little wider.”

“Keep your gaze straight ahead.”

“Your arm keeps shaking. You must endure it with mental strength.”

“You need to bend your legs more.”

I had only taken the basic stance, yet criticisms poured down.

Marine, sitting in the training ground watching me, giggled as if to say, ‘serves you right.’

My face flushed with embarrassment, but I was an adult.

Enduring the embarrassment, I gradually corrected my stance according to the knight commander’s instructions.

About 20 minutes passed, and the knight commander finally nodded, seemingly satisfied.

“We will take a short break.”

As soon as the knight commander finished speaking, I collapsed onto the ground.

My arms and legs were trembling so much that I thought it wouldn’t be easy to get up tomorrow morning.

Marine, excited to have found something to tease me about, grinned and trotted over to sit next to me.

I couldn’t show weakness in front of Marine, so I calmed my trembling limbs and pretended to be composed.

Marine whispered into my ear, as I pretended to be calm.

“Scrub, weakling, kiddo.”

My limbs already ached, and now being humiliated by Marine, whose mental age was considerably lower, I felt like crying from the sorrow.

I will never forget this humiliation.

I firmly resolved that someday, I would surpass Marine and humiliate her in the same way.