Chapter 52: I'll help you out, my lovely sister

That day, a score of trainees gathered in the palace's fifth training ground—youths who straddled the border between childhood and adolescence. Clad in brand-new training garb, they listened tensely as a knight addressed them.

"That will be your schedule for the next ten days. As I mentioned, this training will focus on you new recruits who have yet to become knights. For some, this is part of your noble education. For others, it is a chance to select promising personnel from the citizenry. Keep that in mind," The knight said, eyeing a few of the lined-up trainees. "No matter your birth, results are valued above all else. I look forward to seeing how you all progress."

"Yes, sir!"

"Hmm…You there." The instructor addressed a young boy with brown hair standing at the back of the pack.

"Lucius, was it? Excellent projection, son. Speak from the stomach and your voice will carry even on the battlefield."

"Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!" Rishe—addressed by the male name of Lucius—gave a vigorous response. She'd slightly altered her face with makeup, donned a boyish, short-styled wig, and now stood tall with a binding cloth wrapped around her chest to flatten it.

Good. A successful infiltration.

Her life as a knight wasn't Rishe's first time cross-dressing. As a merchant, she had traveled the world selling her wares. Even though she'd hired a handful of guards, setting off on voyages was still dangerous for a young woman, so she often dressed as a man when she was lacking in protection. The name she was using now, Lucius, was the same name she'd used for past disguises.

It doesn't look like anyone's realized yet. No one here knows me, after all.

Her coral-colored hair was carefully folded on top of her head under a net—even very long hair could be corralled with this method. On top of that, she wore a high-quality wig she'd ordered from the Aria Trading Company.

I've disguised myself thoroughly, but it's thanks to Prince Theodore that no one suspects my background.

When Rishe had asked him for this favor, Theodore, the younger prince of Galkhein, grimaced spectacularly. "Are you really asking me for this?"

**************************************

Yesterday, she had visited him in his office, where he'd reacted to her request with palpable disgust. Tossing his unruly black hair, he put both elbows on his desk, resting his head in his hands. "You want to join the cadets' training, and as a man? First of all, you're crazy. Second, why do I have to help?"

"Well, didn't you answer that in your own letter? You told me I could count on you whenever I needed to."

"I did! I don't know why, but I did!" Theodore blushed, his voice jumping in volume. Clearly, he wanted to hear no mention of the letter. "Listen, Sister. When I wrote that, it was with the understanding that you'd request something from the people in the slums or the city's underground."

"Unfortunately, what I need most is stamina. And not for just my own sake—it's for Prince Arnold's as well."

"What am I gonna do…? I can't understand a single thing my sister-in-law is saying to me."

Theodore leaned back in his wide chair and stared off into the distance. "Why do you need to join the cadets at all, Sister? Couldn't you just assign a knight to train you?

"I wouldn't ask anyone to devote that much time for my sake. And if I were to do that, they'd struggle to know how to treat me," Rishe said.

"I want to train without anyone holding back on my account."

"Ugh, I can't believe you." Theodore stuck out his tongue in disgust. "I would never volunteer to punish myself like that."

Rishe didn't want to punish herself; she just wanted to make up for what she lacked.

"The training period is ten days, right? Once it's over, I'll just train on my own. But since I came all the way to this country, I might as well experience the Galkhein military's renowned instruction."

Theodore—who'd been listening with a face as though he longed to be anywhere else—suddenly lit up.

"Wait a sec!"

"Er, Prince Theodore…?"

"I just realized something."

The prince had a sweet, girlish smile on his face. It was mildly frightening. He stood, braced a hand on his desk, and peered at Rishe. "Very well. I'll help you out, my lovely sister. I'll do everything in my power to grant your request."

"Huh? Well, I appreciate that, but why the sudden change of heart?"

"Because it seems interesting."

Theodore giggled; he must have had some scheme up his sleeve. "I don't think even my brother could see this coming. His own wife dressing as a man and joining his knight corps!"

The prince sat back down, his mood much improved. "Okay, you've got me! Let's do it! I'll never have such a good opportunity to surprise my brother again."

"I'm not doing this to surprise Prince Arnold! And didn't you make up with your brother, Prince Theodore?"

"I want the full array of my brother's emotional reactions, you see."

Theodore's expression of affection was as bizarre as always. He hummed as he discussed plans with Rishe. "I'll make up some background for you—look for my contact later. Should I make it look like you have previous experience with the sword? You did beat up all my men. It would make no sense to pretend you're inexperienced."

"Y-you seem confident with this sort of deception…"

"Heh heh. What do you think? I'm already proving useful, aren't I?" Theodore puffed out his chest, pulling some documents out of a drawer. It didn't exactly surprise Rishe; he had been the one to sneak Elsie into Rishe's maids.

"Just make sure you're not found out by my brother until it's all over. There's no reason he'd show up at the cadet training grounds, but you should still be careful. I'll make the arrangements, so you can go for now."

"Very well." Rishe bowed.

"Thank you, Prince Theodore."

She had just turned to leave when he called out to her. "Hey, listen. I'm overseeing some pending legislation to support the people of the slums."

Rishe glanced back, but Theodore was still searching for his documents and hadn't raised his head. "They only went through because my brother pushed them from behind the scenes."

"The two of you are working on it together, then?"

"You…could put it that way, yeah."

That would have been unthinkable just a short while ago. Arnold had been keeping his brother at a distance, while Theodore avoided doing any official political work for his brother's sake.

Rishe was delighted to hear that they were working together on a project.

"That's all I wanted to tell you," He said. "See you later, Sister."

Taking a good look around, Rishe noticed that Theodore's office was extremely neat. According to the maids' gossip, it had been covered in dust until just recently.

"Don't get hurt during the training either. You're my brother's fiancée."

"Of course. Thank you for your concern, Prince Theodore." Rishe smiled brightly and bowed again.

Then she left, which brings us to the present.

**************************************