Classes were about to start. I first entered as Carine, the first student in the training hall. Father was already there, tidying up some papers. I caught a glimpse of the papers, it seemed to detail the three new students, nothing really interesting. His eyes widened in delight when he saw me.

“Carine! Early as always, I’m very glad to see it.” He put down his papers with a soft thump before facing me directly. ”I’m sure you’re ready for the class?”

“Of course, Father,” I said with a nod. “I’ve been looking forward to learning the sword with you again.”

Father nodded with a warm smile. “Good, good. Now, take a seat. I’m still finishing up some details for the new students.”

I nodded and followed his orders, taking a seat near the back of the hall.

I arrived as Feyt amidst the other students, purposefully taking my time so I won’t have to sit alone with myselves.

As the students entered one by one, Father stood by the door greeting them all with a nod and a smile. I was glad to see that he was his usual self, despite what had happened with Mother. Or, it could just be him trying to keep some sense of normalcy in this house.

But then, as soon as one particular student entered, his smile dropped. Father eyed him from the door as he took his seat on the mat, behind all of the other students, dropping his heavy bag beside him.

And that student was… Raymond?

I didn’t quite get what happened. Was he as surprised as I was that Raymond decided to attend class again?

No, Father would usually be delighted, based on what I remembered anyway.

I didn’t have the time to think it through, however. As the last of the students entered the hall, Father closed the door and faced us.

Since new students were having their debut today, that meant Father was setting up the usual welcome party, a surprise ambush. It seemed like Father was adamant about not skipping it.

On the way here, I saw a couple of the servants giving the new students a tour of the mansion. I guessed that was what Eliza did to me back then too with her winding paths. This gave Father and the students he chose for the party some time to set up.

Speaking of students, Father chose four relatively new students to be the ones to surprise them. Three of them I barely knew, besides from their faces, while the last one I knew very, very well.

It was Feyt. AKA me.

The four of us stood at the front and were given wooden swords. I looked down on mine and could barely hold back a smirk.

Didn’t think it would be my turn to be embarrassed in front of everyone.

I was a bit scared that I might fail spectacularly and kiss the floor. I expected it to be the case at first, considering my own surprise party. Then again, I had been a special case… Both Father and Mother were surprised that I managed to come out of the surprise ambush unscathed after all.

Guess that meant these new students were about to get pummeled. A bit cruel, huh? Good news for me though. As long as I didn’t do anything stupid or climb any doors, I should be fine.

Still, where was I supposed to hide? All the common sense spots were already taken.

Two of them were already stationed by the doors. Another hid behind the conveniently placed weapon rack. It was exactly the same setup as the one I was subjected to, don’t they have some basic pattern recognition?

You’d think they’d mix it up after what happened to the last batch of students who tried this exact same thing…

No wonder Raymond tried climbing the door, there really was nowhere to really surprise them.

In the end, I decided to just stand out in the open, my training sword discreetly hidden behind my back, ready to greet them with a forced smile.

When those doors swung open, I briefly saw three eager faces with bright eyes, clearly excited for this opportunity to learn from the best of the best… for about half a second.

Needless to say, the wooden swords dashed their hopes and dreams in an instant.

…

Groans and grumbles filled the air as the new students lay sprawled across the floor. They were still conscious since we were instructed to not use full force in our attacks. But they were definitely in a daze as to what was going on, their eyes darting around.

The three students beside me who were tasked with the ambush seemed pleased with themselves.

“Hey! We actually did it!”

“That was surprisingly easy.”

“I thought they’d fight back at least…”

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It seemed they had the same thoughts as mine.

I let out a sigh and sat back down, beside myself of course. I barely knew the kids around here after all. I didn’t sit right beside myself though, I had put an arm’s length between myselves just in case.

The students around us were busy whispering about the successful ambush. But as soon as Father rose from his desk, the room fell silent.

He strode to the new students mid-rise, his hands clasped behind his back. He had a serious expression. When normally he would joke around or give a hearty laugh, he just stood there staring down at them with sharp eyes.

He gave a small nod and addressed the students.

“On your feet.”

They were already trying to do that.

But Father’s assertive voice had them scrambling upright, a bit wobbly but they managed. Father waited for a second before finally speaking again.

“This is your first real lesson from me,” his voice was calm, echoing throughout the silent hall. “Be on your guard, always.”

He paced between them. “An attack can come from anywhere, at any moment. If you hesitate, let your guard down, you’ll find yourself on the ground before long.” His eyes swept across to the rest of us sitting down, his gaze lingering long. “Or worse.”

Father turned heel with a stomp, returning to the front and center.

I was still confused about this sudden change of mood. Where was his gentle attitude from before? All I could sense from his was… suspicion. But why?

Father picked up a chalk from the board and began writing. Loud, brash, and rough sounds of words being written filled the room. Not long after, written in bold no-nonsense style was the word:

“FUNDAMENTALS.”

With Feyt’s ears, I could hear everyone holding back their groans of annoyance. Couldn’t blame them, as I held one—no, two of my own as well. My prediction came to pass, and I hated myselves for it.

After what Mother did when the students complained though, I was sure no one wanted to provoke another “practical showcase.” I snuck a glance at Raymond as Carine, mildly curious about his reaction.

…Oh Lord, he was staring at me, dead on.

I flicked my head back to the front, gently. I only caught a glimpse of him for a fraction of a second after all, so it didn’t look like I turned my head at all.

But still, his grudge against me was apparent. How was I going to apologize to him?

…

The fundamentals class started. Father had to do a double job now since Mother wasn’t here to explain or write down the details of the teachings. Basically, the class was slower than usual. Thankfully, Father’s voice carried all the way into the back quite easily as he wrote down and showcased the fundamentals.

The three new students seemed to follow along with some determination, clearly not minding the welcome party at all.

Meanwhile, the other students seemed tired of doing the same thing over and over again. Still, they took the lesson seriously… I didn’t want to admit this, but Mother’s method of teaching seemed to work somehow.

…

The theories were explained, the warmups were completed, and the practical lessons were finally underway. Father followed Mother’s path of shouting out simple orders on every single thing we must do.

As always, it was an easy task, but Father threw in some curveballs here and there that, honestly, without Feyt’s ears, I would’ve fumbled, just like most other students here, old or new.

The solo drills were done faster than I thought. Father clapped his hands signaling the end of the set and soon, he announced that the next lesson was, as expected, blocking.

The students began to pair up. Some of them were already practicing some swings before Father started the set.

Father himself had already begun pacing around the rooms, but weirdly, his eyes seemed to linger on someone. That someone was his daughter, Carine.

Why me?!

I sighed, thinking I had to pair with myselves again like last time. But then… without warning, Raymond was there, carrying his bag with him.

He hadn’t snuck up on me or anything, that would be practically impossible with both Carine’s eyes and Feyt’s ears. But the fact he walked up to me was so unexpected… it took me a while to process it.

He looked at me, Carine, dead in the eyes. The anger from before was still apparent, along with that sense of blankness.

I stood there without any clue as to what he was trying to do, but then, he closed his eyes and bowed.

“I’m… sorry,” he said, voice quieter than before. “For the way I’ve been acting, Lady Carine.”

I blinked.

What?

He straightened but his eyes didn’t meet mine. Instead, he had them glued to the floor and frowned. “I was childish… I was idiotic. Had I been more mature about my own skills and my own limitations, I wouldn’t have looked at you with such… disdain.”

I blinked again. Was he trying to apologize to me? If yes, it sure didn’t look all that sincere. Still, it could just be him trying his best to calm down his impotent rage directed at me.

And speaking of apologies? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

I cleared my throat before answering, “There’s no need to talk about yourself like such, Raymond. You have potential.”

My words were met with… nothing. He didn’t react, his eyes still glued to the floor. But then, he looked up at me with a forced smile.

“Lady Carine, may I pair up with you for this next session?”

I was surprised, but I didn’t think much of it. It was typical for someone to apologize by trying to hang around with someone a bit more. To think this kid was becoming more and more like an adult, I was a bit proud.

I nodded. “Of course, but where is your sword?”

He let out another smile. “About that, would you mind if I use my own sword?”

“Hmm? That should be fine.”

It was a typical thing to do around here. Since some of the students here came from pretty wealthy families, they often have their own wooden swords either carved with their family insignias or made with their favorite type of wood.

Raymond reached into his bag, and looking at the bag now, I realized something I should’ve realized earlier.

All of the other bags from the students, I could see through them a bit. They were made with basic fabric after all, and for Carine’s eyes, it looked slightly transparent. They all carried the usual. Change of clothes, some brought perfume, a few had their own wooden swords.

But Raymond’s bags, the inside looked like pitch black. When he opened it, it revealed a lot of black clothes. Were those his shirts? Change of clothes maybe? Why would he bring that many though?

The way it was structured, it looked like it was trying to hide something. Raymond’s hands continued to dig inside the mass of black cloth.

Then, he pulled it out.

A flash of steel entered my sight. It reflected the sunlight like a mirror and nearly blinded me with light. It didn’t take me a second to realize what it was.

A knife. A real, sharp, gleaming knife.

Time seemed to slow down as I took a hurried step back. Raymond stepped up, his eyes locked with mine. He raised his hands forward, knowing exactly where to point its blade. Right at my stomach.

A hand snapped forward with a sharp, deafening clap. Raymond’s hands trembled under its tight grip.

I nearly stumbled as I landed back on my feet, looking at the one who had stopped Raymond.

His eyes were cold. His grip was forceful. His posture was intimidating.

“What were you planning to do to my daughter… Raymond?”

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