CH 18

As she lived like a caged bird, Katharina longed for the worlds of the books she was always reading. She wanted to be a princess in a beautiful world of butterflies and flowers. If she was also born into a royal family, she would have been one… and while she was dreaming, she spent most of her real-life time on her bed in her small room.

Katharina was so excited when she heard that her beloved older brother was going to bring the daughter from the House he was serving. Since she was the daughter of Margrave Carruthers who governs this territory, it is safe to say that she is undoubtedly a real princess. Katharina’s definition does not only mean a royal daughter, but also a high-ranking noble lady or daughter of nobility.

Though if that is true, from the point of view of commoners, Katharina can also be called a princess of House Royce, and from Katharina’s point of view, the daughter of House Carruthers can be called a princess. Katharina was looking forward to the arrival of a young lady who was overwhelmingly higher in position than herself, even though the young lady in question wasn’t aware of it.

And when Katharina saw Flora Charlotte von Carruthers for the first time, Katharina was shocked. As Katharina saw Flora, someone who seemed to be the embodiment of the princesses she had dreamed of in the stories she read, Katharina was moved from the bottom of her heart.

Even just being able to meet the princess named Flora for one day was an experience that could be a lifelong memory for Flora, but when Katharina learned she would be invited to the mansion of Margrave Carruthers at a later date, she was so overwhelmed from the shock, so much so that her whole world turned upside down.

And the life she led at Margrave Carruthers’s house was just like a dream. A luxurious mansion with an effortless elegance that does not reek of the nouveau rich. Not to mention the numerous furnishings and the butlers and maids who serve her are on a different level than House Royce.

The residents of Manor Carruthers treat Katharina kindly. She wasn’t treated roughly just because she was the daughter of a vassal who served their House, she was treated like a real family member.

What surprised her the most, however, was the food they served. There are many dishes that House Royce has never eaten or even seen. When Katharina first saw those dishes, she didn’t want to eat them because they used ingredients she didn’t like or they smelled unfamiliar.

Still, if Flora offered her a meal and ate some of it in front of her, Katharina can’t refuse. Then, the food Katharina ate was the most delicious she had ever experienced. She could eat vegetables and meat that she should have hated. And when she was told that it was cooked by Flora’s hand, the princess of Katharina’s dreams, Katharina was in heaven.

The fact that everyone in House Carruthers is so kind to Katharina deluded her into thinking that she might actually be a child of that family. She thought if that were true, Katharina would be able to make her social debut like the princesses she’d longed for.

Katharina never had any dissatisfaction with House Royce, nor does she want to leave her beloved older brother. But young Katharina could think of no other explanation, for how the daughter of a vassal could be treated with such care.

While Katharina could hardly ever leave her room when she was in Manor Royce, after coming to Manor Carruthers, she started walking around the interior and gained an interest in the outdoors. From the point of view of Clara, who had always taken care of Katharina in House Royce, Katharina’s actions were surprising.

Because Katharina was interested in many things, she looked around restlessly and enjoyed walking everywhere. Margrave Carruthers himself gave her permission to do so, so there is no problem as long as she doesn’t enter any unnecessary or private rooms. Though she would normally get tired after just a short walk, Katharina walks energetically all around Manor Carruthers.

Like on Earth, when children are having fun, they excitedly behave as if they have unlimited physical strength. Even children who do not have much of it or are not very good with exercise can walk and run very energetically during excursions, sports festivals, and other fun activities.

Adults are well aware that this kind of thing happens empirically, even in this world. And at such times, if weak children push themselves too hard, they may falter and pass out, so adults must be careful and restrain them. Clara was also nervously watching over Katharina, but even though she’s been out and about every day for the past month or so, she hasn’t fallen unconscious or developed a fever and is doing well every day.

Three months have already passed since Katharina came to this mansion. For the first two months, Katharina spent most of her time in bed, just like when she was at Manor Royce, and for this month, she was walking all around exploring the world she’d only ever been able to read about.

And then, from the room across the hallway, she suddenly heard someone shouting furiously. An elderly woman seems to be scolding someone. Katharina sneaked closer to who she thought was a veteran maid or the head maid who was probably angry at a young rookie maid, and when she peered in through a door that happened to be left slightly ajar, Katharina was at a loss for words.

“How many times do I have to tell you? Your legs are too wide apart.”

“Understood. Let me try again, please.”

There was certainly an old woman and a young woman there. Or is it more appropriate to say that the young woman was a young girl? Flora is doing something while being scolded by many times by that older woman. Flora doesn’t even say anything, but even Katharina knows the truth. Flora must be learning manners and etiquette from her tutor.

Even Katharina had received various forms of education from House Royce. She rarely out of her bed, let alone was on her feet, but she was still the daughter of a noble and educated as such. She doesn’t have much practical education, but she has more than enough intellectual gains.

Since childhood, Helmut had a reputation among House Royce’s tutors for his excellence. They said Katharina was as talented as her older brother. Except for her inability to get out of bed and the occasional temper tantrum, she was very good.

Even from Katharina’s point of view, Flora’s manners can be summed up in one word: perfection. She can’t express it any other way. She can feel the dignity in her graceful and calm figure. Yet despite her perfection, Flora is scolded by her manners and etiquette tutor. From Katharina’s point of view, she was warned over and over again by small things that made Katharina wonder what was different.

It was like bullying, and Katharina even thought that Flora’s tutor was just making things difficult for Flora. Yet Flora does not object to her tutor and she repeats the same movements over and over again. With Katharina and House Royce’s tutor, Katharina would have already finished this class with “That’s enough for now.” Nevertheless, Flora and her tutor kept repeating the lesson without taking a break.

Katharina couldn’t believe it. She just felt like she’s seen something she was not supposed to see and he runs away from the room in a panic. After that, Katharina didn’t leave her room for two days. She was just stunned on her bed.

Clara became worried about her appearance and explained the details of the matter to Helmut, asking for instructions. From Clara’s point of view, even if Flora was scolded by her tutor, there was nothing they could do. That’s why Clara couldn’t understand why Katharina suddenly stopped coming out of the room.

When she consulted with Helmut, at first she didn’t think of mentioning witnessing Flora’s class, and she just reported that Katharina had suddenly stopped leaving her room. Helmut just nodded as if he had understood something while Clara asked for details, but even at that point, Clara didn’t know what was going on.

And having guessed the general idea of what was going on, Helmut came to Katharina’s room the next day. Clara doesn’t know how Helmut persuaded Katharina. However, she knew that Helmut and Katharina left the latter’s room every morning.

Helmut brought Katharina along to watch Flora’s classes. Katharina doesn’t understand the content of them at all. However, she can vaguely understand that it is related to domestic affairs and military administration. Even Katharina, who was said to be as excellent as Helmut and had learned various parts of these subjects, could not keep up at all.

Furthermore, in the early morning when Clara was asleep, Helmut told Katharina to be up even earlier. Shortly after the sun had risen, Helmut led Katharina through the mansion to a window on the second floor where you could see the back of the mansion and the training ground there. As she did, Katharina gasped, “Ah!”

Down there, a small child was training against adults. Those opponents had two with swords, one with a spear, and one using magic from a distance. They deal with that kid 4-to-1.

Until that moment, that kid had been successfully parrying with their sword, but was unable to respond in time to the adult’s cooperation, and ended up being confronted by one of the swordsmen. Naturally, a child with an inferior physique and physical strength would not be able to compete with a well-trained adult opponent.

Even from a distance, the child’s posture was clearly broken, and when they were hit by the spear, they were blown backward and rolled over along the ground. When the child stopped on her back, Katharina could somehow recognize their face even from the second floor. And the realization, she gasped.

“La-Lady Flora?”

From a distance, Katharina didn’t think it was a girl because her blond hair was tied up, but when she saw Flora’s face as she collapsed on the ground, Katharina finally realized it was her.

According to her brother, the edges are blunted for practice. No matter how much the edges of a spear are blunted, however, it will pierce if it is thrust with serious intent, so it is rounded like a stone instead. Even so, it would hurt if you were stabbed hard enough to knock you off your feet and knocked back, too.

Still, Flora stood up and readied her sword again. Over and over again, she slashed at the three adults. The only combatant standing away from the melee showers Flora with outrageously powerful magic at the most disgusting, unfair times. As Katharina watched from the second floor, she was angered at how dirty this mage played.

Flora also intercepts the flying barrages with spells of her own while she fights with the other three. As Katharina saw Flora swinging her sword against them without trying to step back or retreat, Katharina looked up to her brother beside her.

“Big Brother! Why are they doing that to Lady Flora?! Stop it at once!”

However, Helmut quietly shook his head at Katharina’s words, then spoke slowly as if he were admonishing her.

“As far as I know, Miss Flora has been undergoing that training every morning and night since she was 5 years old. It seems that even before I started serving her, she had devoted herself to martial arts and learning from her tutors. You’ve seen that too, haven’t you, Katharina?”

Katharina silently nodded at Helmut’s question. After sneaking a peek at the etiquette class the first time, she and Helmut have peeked into Flora’s other classes. Katharina knows that they were so advanced she couldn’t keep up with them at all.

“If it’s called manners and etiquette class, I can still understand that!” Katharina said. “But why is Princess Flora training like this?”

Even if you are in the upper class, you were not born with manners and had to learn them. Flora’s classes were unusually strict, but that’s still fine. However, it is completely incomprehensible why Flora, a young child and a woman at that, was swinging her sword against adults.

“Miss Flora is trying to protect the people of the Margraviate of Carruthers, and by extension, the Kingdom of Ploiss,” Helmut said. “Therefore, she’s learning everything she can and needs to do, such as domestic affairs, military strategy, swordsmanship, and magic.”

It’s not hard to understand what Helmut is trying to say. However, she couldn’t understand why an 8-year-old girl about the same age as Katharina would think so seriously about her duty.

While they were talking, Flora knocked down the spear, parried one of the swords, and slashed back at the swordsman holding it. However, though Katharina was sure her opponent’s torso would be slashed open, they barely blocked Flora’s sword.

But even if you block the sword, you can’t kill its momentum. The opponent who slashed Flora, the one with the most overwhelming difference in both her physique and strength, was her father, Margrave Albert. The strike from the much-celebrated Hero of the Frontier sends the much lighter Flora flying off by three meters. And when Flora tried to stand up afterward, Margrave Albert was already in pursuit and slashed at her shoulder.

It seems that today’s training ended there. Flora dropped her shoulders, stood up, and bowed to the adults. She seems to be wearing leather armor as protective gear, but it doesn’t cover her shoulders. To begin with, that leather wasn’t meant to protect Flora, but it was used as a weight so that she could not move properly. Katharina could not understand Flora at all.

“Miss Flora is often told that ‘Rights come with obligations and responsibilities,’” Helmut said. “There are many ways to serve the people. Those who are well versed in domestic affairs have the path of becoming bureaucrats. Those who excel in martial arts have the path of becoming knights and soldiers. In all of these paths, Miss Flora takes the initiative in walking all of them at once.”

At her brother’s words… Katharina’s eyes overflowed with tears. It’s not like she’s pained or sad. And yet the tears keep flowing.

“Don’t forget that feeling just now…” Helmut said, patting Katharina’s head.

At that, Katharina finally understood why she was crying.

She was neither sad nor happy. Katharina was frustrated. She is not a princess because she was born as just a mere noble. She doesn’t become a princess because she was born as a princess, but because she strives to become a princess. The flimsy fairy tale princesses are praised just because they are princesses even without going through any effort or trouble. But the reality is otherwise.

She knew nothing. She was ashamed of herself for all the people who’d said she was as good as her brother in their studies. She was only envious and coveting of their royal birth. She made no effort to be worth the title.

What was Katharina doing while Flora was working day and night? Wasn’t she just admiring and jealous of fairy tale princesses while she was on her bed? There is no way someone like that can become a princess. She is embarrassed and frustrated that’s who she was. This feeling is not jealousy of Flora, but the regret of Katharina’s ignorance and selfishness.

“Big Brother… I have a request…” Katharina said.

She looked up at Helmut with a serious expression that he had never seen before, and Helmut shook his head as if he understood completely.

Half a year has passed since Katharina came under the care of Margrave Carruthers. After about two months, she was able to go outside without worrying about her health, thanks to the food Flora was making for Katharina. Then, Katharina asked Helmut about the nature of her illness.

If the food is unbalanced, the necessary nutrients will be insufficient, and various problems will appear in the body. If you improve your diet, you’ll get much better. Katharina believed that Flora’s theory was correct because she had experienced it herself.

At first, she thought that she was part of the margrave’s family as she was served those luxurious meals, but those were all the dishes Flora created for Katharina’s illness, and until then was she ignorant that the margrave’s usual food was not much different from the spreads of House Royce’s table.

The doctor’s diagnosis said that Katharina was fine, and today she decided to return from the Manor Carruthers to Manor Royce. Katharina bowed deeply to the people of the House Carruthers who came to see her off. Then…

“Katharina, we’re friends…” Flora said. “No, we’re close enough to be sisters at the very least. Please, come visit again any time.”

Katharina’s chest grew hot when Flora smiled and said those words. But that would not be possible. Katharina had already made her mind up then.

“No, Lady Flora,” Katharina said. “It’d be a shame if you call me your sister. However, I will definitely return to you someday.”

Katharina holds Flora’s outstretched hands. Few people know the true appearance of Flora’s hands, who usually wears gloves like satin. But Katharina knows. Under this glove, Flora’s hand is so tattered that it’s hard to believe she’s the daughter of an aristocrat.

Flora’s hands, hands that wield a sword, hands that do all sorts of chores, and hands that even cook, are almost the same as those of a laborer. Recently, she even hides her identity and joins the soldiers while patrolling the fields and ranches. She even says she gets down into the fields and helps with the farm work. Thanks to this hand, Katharina’s illness has also improved. She shouldn’t think of these hands as dirty.

Flora made a slightly sad face at Katharina’s words, but Katharina didn’t notice it. And while the others were saying their farewells, Katharina got on a carriage and left Manor Carruthers.

Katharina made up her mind after seeing Flora training behind the manor that day. She wanted to study more and become a person who can help Flora. She wanted to serve Flora and support her by her side. In order to do that, she had to go home quickly and start over with her studies. Her mind was made up as she hurried to her family’s house.

T/N: Katharina will be back in chapter 69. I look forward to that time because honestly, she’s my favorite among the love interests because of how she acts in her future position.

I’ll just say she’ll be the furthest thing from innocent, naive, and sheltered by her return, and it’s the source of some of the series’ best comedic moments for me.