Today was a training day. I said that like every day wasn’t a training day, but today, both of my bodies were in a sword class, which was starting to become rarer as weeks passed by.

Once again, I—Feyt—was being trained personally by Mother. Despite how brutal and inhumane things felt at times, I cannot argue with the effectiveness of the training she drafted for me. Today… I was debating whether this was still the case.

Endurance, this was the topic of the day. A knight needs to have stamina, enough to last a fight for hours or even days. Of course, I’m not Leila, so my stamina had to be built manually. I thought I had decent stamina already, considering Fray’s training, but enough is never enough in Mother’s eyes.

I was jogging around the estate’s inner courtyard. Yes, in this season, with snow pouring down, and pure white covering the road, I was jogging… outdoors. Mother sat on a marble chair with a warm Luminite lantern on the table.

She drank warm tea as her eyes tracked me across my third lap. Anyone seeing such scenery would be pissed and annoyed, but I knew she did it deliberately to genuinely test my patience…

…at least, that was my theory.

“Another,” her cold yet calm, distant voice coldly echoed through the air.

“Y-Yes, Instructor!”

I continued to run, snow landing on my face every step I took and clouds billowing out of my mouth for every breath I took. I was allowed to wear heavy clothing to not freeze to death, but really, it just added to my weight.

A seemingly endless amount of laps, coupled with the cold, snowy weather… it wasn’t training anymore, it was inhumane. But still, I persevered into my second set, hoping the set after the short break wouldn’t be as long.

…If there ever was a short break.

My other self, Carine, was also in the main training hall, standing by my lonesome in the back corner.

I tuned out my mind as Feyt, since I was just running in circles. So, I watched the students from the back as Carine. Father was in the john, so the students were lounging around the hall. Some were doing warm-ups with each other, but most of them were gossiping.

They were talking about the most random stuff, like what restaurant is good in the square, how much they spent on their custom swords, etc. But then, right next to me, a small banter broke out. It was between two of the newest students who had just attended a few days ago, standing next to each other.

“Like I told you, there’s no way you could beat him in a fight,” a girl student said. “Haven’t you seen him when we were introduced to the class?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t there,” the boy replied, leaning on the wall like he owned the place. “The snow was ridiculous that day. Who even holds class in weather like that? Anyway, I still don’t believe he’s that good. They said he’s just some farmboy from a backwater village, right?”

“Yeah, but he beat Philip without breaking a sweat!” the girl continued.

“Pssh, even I can do that, with my eyes closed even,” he said with a scoff. “Just saying, he’s not that good.” Clearly, he was trying his damn hardest to look cool in front of the girl.

Ever since I became a showpiece for the class, these types of conversations keep happening. It mostly pops up between new students, but older students sometimes jump on the wagon as well. Back when Carine held that role, I barely heard any of such talks.

Though the discrimination against commoners wasn’t as intense as I expected, it still undeniably exists.

I looked at the arrogant new student cautiously, using only the corner of my eyes, not to appear suspicious. If I remembered correctly, he came from a baron family, like most of the students here. I didn’t know if he was the heir or not, however.

He looked a little scrawny, but I could tell he had some kind of formal training in the past. But he was nowhere near trained enough to boast his claims.

It irks me seeing these kinds of people being the one who talks so much, but I suppressed my emotions by telling myself:

It’s just a kid. Don’t bother.

“My uncle is a knight in a Duke’s guard,” he continued. ”He says I’ve got more potential than half the squires he’s seen. What’s a boy who’s spent his life in the mud gonna do to me? Heh, I’ll bet he still reeks of manure.”

I felt an eyebrow twitch. My jaw tightened as my teeth grinds. I pushed off the wall I was leaning on and took careful steps.

“Hey,” I said as I approached them.

He was startled and quickly turned to face me. “L-Lady Carine!” his eyes lit up, as if delighted by my presence. “It’s such an honor to meet you!”

He extended a hand, an attempt at a handshake, but I just looked at the open palm silently with a glare. Before long, he chuckled and retracted it.

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“A-Anyway, my name is—”

“—Don’t bother,” I cut in with a flat tone.

“Huh?”

“If you have the energy to talk about someone who isn’t here to defend themselves, I suggest you spend it to warm up like the rest.”

His mouth stuttered before he cobbled together a response. “Y-Yes, of course, Lady Carine. However, I was just stating—”

“—I said, don’t bother.” I crossed my arms, holding back an annoyed sigh. “Your words hold no value. Feyt has done more with his blade than you ever will in a year. What right do you have to measure his worth?”

The kid wasn’t responding. Judging from the way his mouth was still stumbling, he was thinking of a way to redeem himself in front of me.

Pathetic. But… this could be fun.

“I’ve sparred with Feyt countless times. I’m not in the habit of wasting my time, so when I say he is nearly my equal, I mean it.” I smirked… or at least I thought I was. With how dead my face was, it felt like I was glaring daggers at him.

“If you doubt his abilities, then you doubt mine as well,” I continued. “Is that the hill you wish to die on?”

The room that was full of chatter slowly quieted down. Eyes were on us now.

Ah, maybe I raised my voice a little too high.

I cleared my throat before continuing, “Now that you understand your place, please keep your mouth shut about others, especially him. Do you understand?”

I’d rather not deal with rumors like this again, so I figured it was better to mention myself specifically while the others were watching, just so they won’t talk shit about me around me again.

The kid swallowed, the bravado long gone, and gave a slow nod.

“Good.”

As I retreated to my corner, the students’ eyes lingered on me as they whispered to each other. Sadly, Feyt wasn’t in the room, so I couldn’t get a hint of what they’re saying, but hey, I felt good. It wasn’t every day that you got the chance to confront badmouthers directly like this. I couldn’t help but smirk as Feyt, though Carine’s expression still remained gloomy.

…

“What are you smirking about? Focus on your training.” Mother said as I passed her by. “Another.”

“Y-Yes, Instructor!!”

I really need to control my emotions more.

…

Both classes ended at around the same time. Like always, I was told to clean up before I go back to my room as Feyt. This time, I had to clean up the courtyard and the inner patio from the snow. I silently groaned as I did my job, hiding my twitching eyes behind a smile.

As for Carine’s side, the students were packing up their swords and a change of clothes. Some were already on their way out, greeting Father respectfully before passing by the door. Before I could follow them, a tall figure approached.

It was a male student, broad-shouldered, with dark hair with a faint blue sheen. His body seemed well-trained compared to most, and judging from his performance during training, he wasn’t one of the few kids who weren’t taking things seriously.

…Didn’t remember his name though.

He stopped a respectful distance away and bowed. “Greetings, Lady Carine. I believe this is the first time we’ve met?”

“Yes, it is.”

I wasn’t there when these new students were attending their first class, more specifically, Carine wasn’t there. So, although I kinda vaguely remember seeing his face when I popped into the class as Feyt, this was my first real meeting with him.

“I hadn’t had the chance to introduce myself before. Villius Torenkeid,” he said evenly. “It’s an honor to make your acquaintance.”

I remembered reading about the Torenkeid family once in a random book. They were a Viscount family whose land produce the highest quality of wooden instruments. I believe some of the instruments Father and Mother had gathering dust in the manor came from them.

I didn’t think a violin maker would take up a blade but…

“Likewise,” I answered, my voice the same practiced courtesy I gave to all formal introductions.

He didn’t offer to shake hands, probably because of the spectacle with that kid earlier. So far, he seemed to have good manners. But why introduce yourself here and now? I had a feeling he had some sort of motive.

“I’ve heard you’ll be taking the entrance exam for the Royal Knights Academy,” he added. “As will I. I thought it would be wise for us to at least know each other before then.”

“Hmm… I suppose so.”

So, this guy’s just networking then.

“If I may ask, Lady Carine,” he continued. “What made you interested in joining the Royal Knights Academy? Shouldn’t someone of your title be attending Royal Governance instead?”

That question again. Never thought I’d get asked about that from a peer.

“No particular reason.”

It was the only thing I could say. I didn’t even know fully why Mother and Father chose that academy for me; Did they expect me to figure it all out on my own? I don’t know, but it was beginning to dawn on me that I needed to ask more questions in this house.

Back to reality, the answer I gave clearly wasn’t up to his expectations. He blinked silently, as if caught off guard, then he shook his head lightly before clearing his throat.

“A-Ah, it would seem most have already left,” he said, eyes flicking around the room.

“Indeed,” I said, scanning the room that was starting to feel empty.

He turned to me properly before offering another deep bow. “It has been an honor to make your acquaintance, Lady Carine.” He straightened, this time offering a genuine, respectful smile. “Although we have only just met, I hope to learn much from your example. May we meet again at the exams.”

I gave a nod, my arms still crossed. My eyes tracked his back as he walked out of the room with his bag, but not before offering Father a proper thank you and farewell.

“Please do train by yourself, you hear?” Father said with a slight smile.

“Of course. Thank you for all your teachings, Your Grace,” he said with a bow.

Well, he did approach me out of nowhere, but he seemed to have good manners. The first thing he did after meeting me wasn’t to fawn over me, but rather went straight to business, that was, networking. It reminded me of something I learned in my past corporate life.

Networking was key. I wouldn’t have gotten far in the company if I hadn’t had the connections I got. But why was I reminding myself of that now?

It took me but a second to figure it out…

Nearly every student in my parents’ swordsmanship class would be attending the Royal Knights Academy exam alongside me. Some heirs would head to Royal Governance Academy, sure, but most of these Baron and Viscount kids? Same track as mine.

Should I start networking as well? It would be tough going in the academy all alone.

Well, not truly alone, I had myselves!

Hmm… No matter how many times I said it, it always sounds pathetic.

I really did need to network.

Too bad the new year was practically here, which meant no more regular classes until after the exam. I’d be trained here regardless, but the others? Nope.

I…probably realized that fact a little bit too late there.

But no matter. I could still network during the exam itself… Probably.

What mattered more at the moment was the actual New Year’s.

Tomorrow was the 45th of Novera.

Tomorrow, I—Feyt—would be coming home.

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